their polishing was of Saphire But see the change Their visage is blacker then a coale they are not knowne in the streetes Famine had eaten up not only their flesh but their forme misery had altered their very complexion and visage they who shined before like Rubies and Saphires for colour and comelinesse were now darke as a coale or dusky like ashes they were not knowne to be the same men and women It is said of Christ in his affliction Isa 52.14 That his visage was so marred more then any man and his forme more then the sonnes of men Great afflictions change the very forme and utterly blast the beauty of the body Sinne doth so change the soule and disfigure the mind it so deformes the spirit and defaces the image at first stampt upon it that God saith I know you not you are not like the men that Imade But this is the comfort of a Job of a godly man that when his face is most deformed his soule is most beautified and though a disease may disfigure him so that his neerest friends know him not yet God knowes him still No sicknesse can weare out the markes by which Christ knowes thee When thy face is blacker then a coale he sees the face of thy soule shining like the face of an Angell A person or a people are then in a wofull condition indeed when God shall say to them as he did to those hipocriticall professors Mat. 7.23 Depart from me I know ye not We may be in such a wofull condition that our friends and acquaintance coming to visit us cannot know us yet for the maine well enough blessed enough at that time beautifull in the eye welcome into the presence of a glorious God They knew him not What then Then they lifted up their voice and wept This is the first act of their mourning And we may observe five acts of mourning here specified whereof one is a naturall act and the other foure are ceremoniall The naturall act was this of weeping They lifted up their voice and wept The ceremoniall acts were these First They rent every one his mantle Secondly They sprinckled dust upon their heads towards Heaven Thirdly They sate downe with him on the ground seven dayes and seven nights The fourth ceremoniall act was their silence And none spake a word unto him for they saw that his griefe was great First They lifted up their voice and wept The word is Baca and from that the place Judg. 2.5 is called Bochin where the people are said to lift up their voice and weepe when the Angell reproved them In Psal 84.6 We reade of the valley of Baca which some translate the valley of weeping or the valley of teares Others from Baca a Mulberry-tree the valley of Mulberry-trees which being a dry place the travellers to Jerusalem at the solemne feasts did so digge for water that they made all as one well Further It is said they did not only weepe but they lifted up their voice and wept We may note two things in that phrase First the vehemency of their sorrow as when a man doth lift up his voice and speake he speakes vehemently Isa 58.3 Lift up thy voice like a trumpet that is speake with a loud and strong voice So here They lifted up their voice and wept that is they wept vehemently they wept exceedingly Secondly To lift up the voice and weepe notes the easing of the mind in sorrow for it is an ease to the mind burden'd and oppress'd with sorrow to lift up the voice and weepe to cry out in sorrow le ts the strength of the sorrow out We say that sorrow which is included strangles and stifles the spirit sorrow kept in is like fire kept in more augmented As David speakes Psal 39. concerning himselfe While I kept silence even from good my sorrow was stirred my heart was hot within me while I was musing the fire burned His sorrow was increast when he had not a vent for it Silent mournings are the sorest mournings lifting up the voice vents the sorrow The holy Ghost expresses great sorrow by that of a woman in travaile crying out To cry out notes I grant great paine and yet crying out is a lestening or mitigation of paine It is observed that the Midwife seeing a travelling woman hold in and conceale her paines will bid her cry out Some lift up their voice and weepe when they are not in paine when they mourne not at all There are Crocodiles teares teares and voices too of dissimulation Ismael had teares in his eyes and revenge in his heart Jer. 41. Others are in paine and mourne when they lift not up their voice nor weepe Like one that hath a deadly wound they bleed inwardly But when there is the highest flood of sorrow in the heart weeping will make an ebbe and you may let much of those waters which are ready to drowne the spirit out at those sluces of the eyes That is the first act the naturall act They lifted up their eyes and saw such a spectacle as made them lift up their voice and weepe There are 4 ceremoniall acts First They rent every man his mantle We have spoken of that when we opened the 20th verse of the former Chapter together with the grounds of rending cloathes sorrow indignation c. I shall referre you thither for further information in this point The second ceremoniall act of their sorrow was The sprinckling dust upon their heads toward Heaven In the 20th verse of the former Chapter Job shaved his head Here is another ceremony They sprinckled dust upon their heads And which is yet more considerable They sprinckled dust toward Heaven There were two wayes of sprinckling dust There was first a taking the dust and sprinckling it upon the head barely And then there was another way of taking the dust and throwing it up in the aire and so letting it fall upon the head This act was significative It typed that all things were full of sorrowfull confusion the earth and the aire were mingled the Heavens also were cloudy and darkened therefore they cast dust toward Heaven For as by a stormy wind and tempest the dust is raised which thickens the aire and obscures the Heavens so by that act of casting or sprinckling dust in the aire stormy tempestuous and troublesome times were signified In the Acts chap. 22.23 those wretched Jewes to whom Paul preached being vexed and enraged cryed out and casting off their cloathes threw dust into the aire Their action had this voice in it This man hath or will if let alone fill all the world with trouble and disturbe the peace of Nations This they expresse together with their own rage by throwing dust into the aire It was a judgement which God threatned his people with that he would make the raine of their land dust Deut. 28.24 And when men make it raine dust by sprinckling it towards Heaven it shewed great trouble or judgement
And that this was a greater affliction then any of or then all the former is so cleare that I shall not need to stay long in the confirming of it only to quicken the point a little take notice of the greatnesse of it in 5 respects First It appeareth without controversie to be the greatest of all because it was upon his children a mans children are more then all that he hath in the world a mans children are himselfe every child is the father multiplyed A sonne is the fathers bowells and therefore when Paul wrote to Philemon concerning Onesimus whom saith he I have begotten in my bonds sc to the faith of Christ Receive him who is mine owne bowels A spirituall sonne is the very bowells of a Minister he doth but allude to a naturall sonne a sonne is the very bowels of the father this affliction reached unto the very bowels of Job himselfe Satan had no leave to afflict the body of Job and yet you see he afflicts him in his very bowels Secondly The greatnesse of it is seene in this his children were all taken away To loose all our children is a grievous as to loose an only child Now that is made a cause of the highest sorrows Zach. 12.10 They shall mourne for him as one that mourneth for an only sonne that is they shall mourne most bitterly Now as the measure of mercies may be taken by the comforts which they produce so we may take the measure of an affliction by the sorrow which it produceth And that is the greatest affliction which causeth the greatest sorrow Thirdly It was a further greatning of the affliction that they were all taken away suddenly Had death sent them summons by its usuall messenger sicknesse but a day before to prepare themselves it had much sweetned the bitternesse of this cup but to heare they were dead before he knew they were sick yea when he thought they were merry and rejoycing how sad was this Fourthly That they died a violent death by a mighty wind casting the house downe upon them Had they dyed in their beds though suddenly it had bin some ease to the Fathers heart violent death hath an impression of wrath upon it And men can hardly judge well of those who fall by such judgements Suspition will arise if censure passe not from better men then Barbarians if they see a viper on the hand of a Paul Act. 28. It is more then probable from our Saviours question that those eighteene upon whom the Tower in Siloe fell and slew them were commonly supposed greater sinners or sinners above all men that dwelt in Hierusalem Luk. 18.4 Fifthly They were all taken away when they were feasting and this did exceedingly aggravate the affliction upon Job that his children were all destroied feasting for you know what the thoughts of Job were concerning his children at their feasting after they had done he offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all for he said it may be my sonnes have sinned and cursed God in their hearts Now at this time when Satan knew that Job was most solicitous lest his children should sinne at that time doth he destroy them that so their father might be afflicted with the thought that his children died unreconciled to God that they died with sinne upon them unrepented of That they died a double death death at once seasing upon both soule and body This then was a further degree of Satans malice to wound vexe and grieve the spirit of Job unto the utmost How sadly and pissionatly did David lament Absoloms death Some conceive this was the head of the Arrow that pierced him because he feared his sonne died in a sinfull condition he was suddenly taken away in his rebellion unreconciled either to God or man Such a thought might fall upon Jobs heart my children are suddenly dead and dead feasting it may be they forgot God it is possible they sinned in feasting and cursed God in their hearts Alas my children died before they could so much as thinke of death I feare they are gone rejoycing to Hell where they shall weepe for evermore Doubtlesse Satan did or might fasten such a temptation upon his heart who was so tender of his childrens soules and so fearfull of their sinning in feasting So then it is cleare from all these particular considerations that this was the greatest affliction Be prepared then not onely to receive another affliction but to receive a greater affliction and have thoughts of receiving the greatest affliction at the last Satan will come with his strongest assaults when thou art weakest At the time of death when he seeth he can doe no more but that he must then doe it or never doe it then thou shalt be sure to have the strongest temptations It should therefore stirre up the people of God still to looke for more and more strength to beare afflictions and tentations and to beg from Christ the greatest strength at last because they may justly feare the greatest temptations at last If as Satan doth greaten his temptations Christ doth greaten his assistance we shall be able to beare them and be more then conquerours over them So much of this fourth charge in the generall I shall now open the words more particularly for those in the 18th verse I shall not need to say any thing of them they have been handled before at the 13th verse which runnes thus And there was a day when his sonnes and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their Eldest brothers house The 19th verse describes the manner of this tryall And behold there came a great wind from the wildernesse c. And behold Ecce or behold in Scripture ever notes more then ordinary matter following 1. Great things call for attention 2. That which is sudden and unexpected calls us to behold it 3. Rare things things seldome seen invite all to see and wonder at them Here is matter of admiration What God threatens in the Law he seemes to fulfill upon Job I will make their plagues wonderfull There is no Ecce prefixed to any of the former three affiictions but this as being the most strange and terrible comes in with an Ecce And behold There came a great wind It was a wind and a great wind that came The wind is elegantly said to come as the Sunne out of his chamber and rejoycing as a strong man to runne a race Psal 19.5 Hence the word which the Latines use for the wind is derived from a word that signifies to come Because the wind comes with force and violence The wind in the nature of it is an exhalation arising from the earth drawne upwards by the power of the Sunne and other Heavenly bodies but meeting and conflicting a while with the cold of the middle region of the ayre is beaten backe againe And being so light that naturally it cannot descend and so resisted that it cannot peaceably ascend it takes a
he had many weakenesses upon him yet he preached the Gospell And then it followes in the next verse My temptation which was in my flesh you despised not observe he calleth his bodily infirmity a temptation The afflictions of the body are great temptations to the soule It is very considerable to this purpose what the Apostle James saith when he speaks of the severall conditions of the Saints and their duties in them Chap. 5. v. 13 14. Is any man afflicted let him pray he speakes that in generall Is any man merry let him sing Psalmes Is any man sick Is he pained by sicknesse in his body What shall he doe then He doth not say Is any man sick let him pray but Is any man sick let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him As if he should say A sick man is very unfit to pray himselfe though for himselfe he hath need to call others to pray with him and for him he hath enough to doe to wrastle with his pain and conflict with that affliction In other afflictions let him pray but if he be sick let him send for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him A diseased body unfits the mind for holy duties The prayer of sick Hezekiah is called chattering like a Crane or Swallow so did I chatter Isa 38. it was rather chattering then praying such a disquietnesse and uncomposednesse was upon his spirit thorough or by the infirmity of his flesh Paine is a piercing shaft in Satans quiver of temptations Though the spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmity yet oftentimes a wound in the body wounds the soule and the diseases of the flesh make the spirit sick A wounded spirit no man can beare and a wound in the body is a burden too heavy for many men And if it be so Then the pain and the weaknesse of the body is no advantage to repentance and returning unto God How pittifully are they mistaken who put off repentance till their bodies be in paine till they are sick and weake they doe it upon this ground because when they are in paine they thinke they shall repent with more ease Observe if Satan thinks to have such an advantage upon a holy man as to make him blaspheme when he is in paine doest thou thinke paine will be an advantage to thy repentance It is said that at the powring out of the fourth Viall Rev. 16.9 when God did smite the inhabitants of the earth and scorched them with great heat that they blasphemed the Name of God they did that which Satan presumed Job would doe and they repented not to give him glory It is a woefull thing to put off repentance to a pained body paine in its own nature fits us rather to blaspheme and turne from God then to returne to him Never thinke to have helpe for the cure of your soules by the diseases of your bodies usually we find that either sick persons repent not or theirs is but a sickly repentance At the most paine can but restraine your lusts it can never heale them The actings of some sins are quickned by diseases At the most a disease can but abate the acts of sin it can never destroy the life of it Death it selfe cannot kill sin The sins of wicked men live when they are dead the grave cannot consume them no nor the fire of Hell wast their strength the sins of unbeleevers shall remaine not only in their guilt but in their power to all eternity So much of Satans motion But put forth thy hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face Verse 6. And the Lord said unto Satan Behold he is in thy hand but save his life Here we have the Lords grant unto that motion of Satan He is in thy hand but save his life Thou mayest doe with his bone and his flesh what thou wilt He is in thine hand We have opened what it is to have a thing put into the hand in the former Chapter where the same expression is used therefore I shall passe those words here Note only this that the Lord saith here He is in thy hand to prevent Satans cavill as if he had said Thou movest me to touch his bone and his flesh well lest thou shouldest say that I have dealt too gently with him and have smitten him with favour I will put the rod or staffe into thine hand doe thou with 〈◊〉 bone and his flesh what thou canst spare him not We know the Lord is able to strike stronger stroakes and give deeper wounds infinitely then Satan can if he pleaseth yet the love of God to his children stops his hand and breakes the blow He corrects in judgement and debates in measure Isa 27.8 when he strikes his children he strikes them as children gently Thus 2 Sam. 7.14 speaking of Davids family If he commit iniquity saith God I will chasten him with the rod of men the word there used is Enosh which signifies a weake man I will chasten him with the rod of a weake man of one that hath but a weake arme or hand the hand of a sickly fraile man A weake a sickly man cannot strike very hard Thus saith God I will chasten thy children if they commit iniquity they shall rather see my care then feele my power in their corrections Now I say lest Satan should pretend partiality God puts Job into Satans hand and gives him liberty to lay on as hard as his hand acted with utmost malice could smite him thou hast liberty to smite him into the very valley of the shadow of death to bring him so neere death that he may looke into the graves mouth but no further Save his life Here is Satans chaine the limitation or restraint of his power When God puts any of his servants into Satans hand he keepes Satan in his owne hand And as all the Elect are in Gods hand to keepe them from taking hurt so the Devill is in Gods hand to keep him from doing hurt to his Elect. Save his life The word Nephesh here used signifieth properly the soule and the soule is in Scripture often put for the life because the soule is the spring the fountaine of life life is derived or diffused into the body from or by the soule and as soone as the soule is parted from the body life departs Hence both this Hebrew word and the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have their names from breathing or respiring For life goes out when breath goes out when we cease breathing we cease living Our life is but a blast a breath the Lord formed man out of the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrills the breath of life and he became a living soule Gen. 2.7 This is that vitall spirit by which all quick things move therefore Beasts Birds Fish and creeping things are called living soules Gen. 1.20 24. And
upon the earth must needs lye out of the common course And what their condition is is such a secret as we cannot understand but by enjoying it Againe from that particular expression in that he saith I should have slept We may observe That as death it is the rest of the whole man so death it is the sleepe of the body So you find it often in the Scripture Our friend Lazarus sleepeth saith Christ when he was dead Joh. 11. And the Apostle 1 Thes 4.13 I would not have you ignorant concerning those which sleepe that is concerning those who are dead Lighten mine eyes saith David lâ—st I sleepe the sleepe of death or as the Hebrew Lest I sleepe death Psal 13.3 And hence the grave is called a bed Isa 57.2 The righteous are taken away c. they shall enter in to peace they shall rest in their beds When a righteous man dies or is taken away he is but gone to bed Therefore we call those places where the dead are laid up and buried dormitories or sleeping places Both the Greek and Latine words meete in the same signification Some of the Ancients were of opinion that this sleepe tooke hold of and seaz'd upon all man namely upon his soule as well as upon his body Asserting that the soule is in a sleepe or slumber that is that the soule from the time of its disunion from the body untill the resurrection lyes still without any motion or operation I giant that many operations of the soule doe cease when it parteth from the body There are some acts of the soule which are organicall and there are other acts that are inorganicall or immateriall The organicall acts that is whatsoever the soule acts by the members of the body those acts I say must needs cease but the soule can act of it selfe without the assistance of the body as we may collect by many experiments while our bodies and soules are joyned together How often doe we find our soules at worke when our bodies lie still and doe nothing when sleepe binds up all our sences and shuts up the windowes of the body so close that we can neither heare nor see yet then the soule frames to it selfe and beholds a thousand various shapes and heares all sorts of sounds and voices then the soule sees and the soule heares the soule deviseth and the soule discourseth the soule greeves and the soule rejoyceth the soule hopes and the soule feares the soule electeth and the soule refuseth All this the soule doth in dreames and visions of the night when deepe sleepe falls upon man So also in extasies and ravishments the body is as it were laid by as uselesse and uninstrumentall to the soule I knew a man in Christ about fourteene yeares agoe so the Apostle Paul saith whether in the body I cannot tell or out of the body I cannot tell God knoweth 2 Cor. 12.2 As if he had said I was lost as to my body I could not tell what I was I did not feele my selfe yet he had mighty operations in his soule his spirit wrought strangely and then tooke in such revelations of God and from God as his bodily organs could never fashion into words or represent by speech He heard unspeakeable words which it is not lawfull or possible for man to utter The soule hath an eare to heare such words as the body cannot find a tongue to expresse So the Apostle John in his divine ravishments I was in the Spirit upon the Lords day As for his body that was as to that businesse laid by and suspended as uselesse in that day and his spirit called up to that angelicall worke the receiving of visions and revelations from on high And among other things which John saw he saw under the Altar the soules of them that had beene slaine for the word of God and for the testimony which they held These soules were not asleepe though their bodies were for they cried with a loud voice saying How long O Lord Holy and true doest thou not judge and avenge our blood c. Rev. 6.9 10. From all these texts and experiences we may conclude that the soule wakes while the body sleepes that sleepe of death And the death of the body is called a sleepe First Because as sleepe so death brings the body to rest as was observed in the former point Secondly Naturall sleepe is not perpetuall we sleepe and wake againe so though the body lye in the grave yet death is but a sleepe the man shall awake and rise againe Thirdly As a body asleepe can easily be awaked and called up by the power of man so the body when it is dead can with infinitely more ease be raised by the power of God It is but a call from Heaven and we awaken out of the dust God can beyound all comparison more easily awaken us from that dead sleepe of death then we can awaken one another from the lightest slumber There are two questions which I shall propound and endeavour to resolve upon the whole matter of this context First We find Job complaining because things were not otherwise ordered about him he is troubled because he was borne or because he was not cast away in the birth for then it had been better with him he had beene asleepe and quiet he was troubled things were with him as they were Hence it may be questioned Whether it be lawfull for us to wish or to desire that had not come to passe which we see come to passe And are we not bound to rest satisfied with the present and fore-past dispensations of God and so be content with the things that are or with things as they are For this I say in generall such wishes or desires are not sinfull It is not absolutely sinfull to wish that not to be which is Nay some things which are ought to be wished they had not bin and it is a sin not to wish they had not been As those things that are displeasing to God provocations to the eyes of his glory things that are dishonourable to God we ought to wish that such things had never been God himselfe wisheth in that manner Psal 81.13 O that my people had hearkned unto me and Israel had walked in my wayes They did not walke in his wayes he wisheth they had he desireth they had been better more holy and more obedient then they were To wish that a thing had not been out of a tendernesse that God should be offended by sin is not only lawfull but very commendable But to wish things otherwise then they are as murmuring against and misliking Gods administration or out of a tendernesse because we suffer is not only sinfull but abominable When our wills rise up against the will of God when we cannot be contented to be what God will have us to be and to suffer what God would have us suffer when we who should learne to be content in every
bitter in soule We may frame his argument thus out of his words as they are here couched There is no reason or if there be shew me a reason why his life should be prolonged who liveth miserably and would die willingly But I am the man who live miserably and I would die willingly wherefore then where is the reason or shew me a reason why my life is prolonged That is the force of his argument The maine Proposition of the argument is contained in the 20 21 22 23. verses namely that there is no reason why a man that liveth miserably should be denied to die wherefore is light given to a man that is in misery He endeavours to prove the Assumption at the 24th verse where he shewes that he lived in great misery which he doth amplifie in the two last verses of the Chapter This may serve for the summe and scope or intendment of this last Section To the words themselves Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery Wherefore There is a wherefore in Scripture first of doubting and secondly there is a wherefore of mourning and thirdly a wherefore of complaining In this wherefore in this question we may include all three Job doubteth and Job mourneth and Job complaineth Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery Wherefore is light Light Some take light here for knowledge Wherefore hath a miserable man so much knowledge to see himselfe and to know himselfe miserable It is some abatement to the sense of misery not to know that we are miserable Wherefore is light given If I did not understand the sadnesse of my condition it would be lesse to me There is a truth in that and it is the thing that will so much torment and vex the damned to all eternity that while they are in the darknesse of hellish misery they shall have so much light in Hell I meane the light of knowledge concerning their own condition whreby they shall fully and clearely discerne their unhappinesse If they were ignorant and did not know how miserable they were their estate were farre lesse miserable On earth the light of the knowledge of Gods will encreases the sin of men in Hell the light of the knowledge of their own woe will be an encrease of their punishment As Christ saith to the Jewes Joh. 9.41 If ye were blind ye should have no sin but now ye say we see therefore your sin remaineth So we may say of those who are seperated from Christ for ever if ye were blind ye should have no sorrow but now because in that estate of utter darknesse ye shall have both eyes and light to see your misery therefore your sorrow shall remaine When a wicked man goes to the generation of his fathers where he shall never see light sc of comfort Psal 49.19 even then he shall have light enough and more then he would have to see his sorrow And in Hell he shall be as much pained with and hate the light of his own condition as upon earth he hated and was pained with the light of divine revelation Joh. 3.20 c. So that the damned shall for ever cry out Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery Yet I take not this to be the sense here Wherefore is light by light here understand naturall light and then it is no more but this Why doe mine eyes yet behold the Sunne Wherefore doth the light shine upon me whenas I am under the clouds and in the darknesse of this condition Or by light we may understand life and so the sense is Wherefore is life continued which is expressed in the next clause to him that is in misery To be in misery is more then to be miserable As to be in the flesh notes a meere carnall man and to be in the spirit notes a very spirituall man so to be in misery notes a very miserable man The Hebrew word properly signifies labour At the tenth verse it was translated sorrow And it notes any toilesome melestation which either we our selves endure Psal 25.18 or cause others by guile or mischiefe done them to endure Hence it is translated guile Psal 55.11 and mischiefe Psal 94.20 because by these one man troubles and vexes another to the making of him miserable And life to the bitter in soule Life is the union of soule and body when life departeth soule and body take leave and part the Philosopher defines life to be the bond or colligation of soule and body together Now saith Job why is this life why is this bond continued to a man whose soule is in bitternesse while my life was pleasant it was pleasant to live while my soule was sweet it was sweet to have it knit to my body but now my soule is in bitternesse or I am bitter in soule and what sweetnesse or pleasure can I find in my body To be bitter in soule notes deep intrinsicall or inward sorrow the greatest sorrow makes the soule bitter As in Scripture when we find Soule added respecting the evill of an estate or the good of an estate evill and good are meant in the highest degree As when Christ saith Mat. 26.38 My soule is exceeding heavy or exceeding sorrowfull even unto death that is I am in the lowest deepes of sorrow Sorrow unto death is sorrow within one step or degree of death My soule is sorrowfull there can be no sorrow but in the soule the body take it as a distinct from the soule is not capable of sorrow sorrow is a passion or an affection of the soule an affection of the mind and therefore all sorrow is seated in the mind yet when our Lord Christ saith My soule is exceeding sorrowfull It is farre more then to have said there is sorrow or exceeding much sorrow in my soule So here this phrase To him that is bitter in soule or whose soule is bitter Notes the most bitter and grievous sorrow When the Psalmist would set forth the great sorrow of Joseph in prison Psal 105.18 One translation saith that the iron entred into his soule and the Hebrew word for word is this his soule came into iron We know the soule is so pure and spirituall that iron cannot enter it We know that only the body can be bound with chaines The soule could quickly slip from the most watchfull keeper and breake out from the strongest irons were it not to keepe company with the body Whereas then it is said his soule came into irons it is only to shew that Joseph was under very sore affliction even the sorest affliction of the body As on the other side when Mary said My soule doth magnifie the Lord my spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour We know nothing properly can magnifie the Lord or rejoyce but the spirit or the soule yet when she saith my spirit doth rejoyce this notes a deepe pure internall spirituall joy with which she was ravish'd at that time And as
Iobs calamity Iobs trouble from that to the 7th verse of the 42. Chapter 3. Iobs restitution or restoring from thence to the end Take the Book in this division and it seemes to hold forth to us such a representation of Iob as is given us in the three first Chapters of Genesis concerning man In those 3. first Chapters we have man set forth 1. In the excellency and dignity of his Creation being Lord and Soveraigne of all adorn'd with that integrity and purity of nature which God had planted in and stamped upon him at his creation And in the beginning of this Book we have Iob like a man in innocencie shining in all his dignitie compass'd about with blessings of all sorts blessings of the body blessings of the soule blessings of this life and of that which is to come 2. There we find the Devill plotting the ruine of man and we find his plot taking for a while and in a great measure prevailing So here in this Booke we have the Devill begging Iobs ruine and having obtained leave so farre as concerned his outward estate and body quickly puts it in execution 3. There we have Adam by Gods free mercy and promise restored to a better estate in Christ through the grace of Redemption then he had before in himselfe by the goodnesse of Creation So here we have Iob through the mercy power and faithfulnesse of God restored to all he had and more we see him repaired and set up againe after his breaking not only with a new stock but a greater his estate being doubled and his very losses proving beneficiall to him This may suffice for the division or parts of the Booke which I conceive may shed some light into the whole Now for the third thing which I proposed which was the use or scope or intendment of this Book For that is a speciall thing we are to carry before us in our eye in the reading of Scripture It is possible for one to understand the subject and to know the parts and yet not to be attentive to find out or distinctly to find out what the mind of God is or whereat he specially drives and aimeth Therefore it will be very profitable to us likewise to consider what the tendency and intendment or as I may so speake the Uses of this Booke are First It aimes at our Instruction and that in divers things First Which much concernes every Christian to learne it instructeth us how to handle a Crosse How to behave our selves when we are in a conflict whether outward or inward What the Postures of the Spirituall Warre are and with what patience we ought to beare the hand of God and his dealings with us This I say is set forth by the Scripture in other places to be the maine and one of the principall ends or intendments or Uses of this Booke This the Apostle Iames speakes of You have heard of the patience of Job As if he should say doe you not know why the Book of Iob was written Why God in his providence did bring such a thing to passe concerning Iob It was that all men should take notice of his patience and might learne the wisedome of suffering that noble art of induring Iob was full of many other excellent graces and indeed he had all the graces of the Spirit of God in him But the Patience of Job was the principall grace As it is with naturall men they have every sinne in them but there are some sinnes which are the Master sinnes or some one sinne it may be doth denominate a wicked man sometimes he is a proud man sometimes he is covetous sometimes he is a deceiver sometimes he is an oppressor sometimes he is uncleane sometimes he hath a profane spirit and so the like some one great Master lust doth give the denomination to the man he hath all other sinnes in him and they are all raigning in him but one as it were raigneth above the rest and sits uppermost in his heart So it is with the Saints of God and here with Iob every Saint and servant of God hath all grace in him every grace in some degree or other for all the limbs and liniaments of the new man are formed together in the soule of those that are in Christ But there is some speciall grace which doth give as it were the denomination to a servant of God As that which gave the denomination to Abraham was faith and that which gave the denomination to Moses was meeknesse and so this which giveth the denomination to Iob is Patience and so the denomination too of this whole History as if that were the great lesson that were to be taken out the lesson of suffering and of patience So that what the Apostle makes to be the Use of all Scripture whatsoever things saith he were written afore-time were written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope That I say which the Apostle there makes to be the end and scope of the whole Scripture doth seeme to be in speciall the principall and chiefe end of writing this Book of Iob. 2. Another Instruction which we are to take from the whole Book is this God would have us learne that afflictions come not by chance that they are all ordered by providence in the matter in the manner and the measure both for the kinds and for the degrees they are all ordered even the very least by the wisedome by the hand and providence of God 3. Another thing which we are to learne generally from this Book is this The Soveraignety of God that he hath power over us over our estates and over our bodies and over our families and over our spirits that he may use us as he pleaseth and we must be quiet under his hand when he commeth and will take all from us all our comforts we must give all glory to him This Book is written for this especially to teach us the Soveraignty of God and the submission of the creature 4. It teacheth us That God doth sometimes afflict his children out of prerogative that-though there be no sinne in them which he makes the occasion of afflicting them such was Iobs case yet for exercise of his graces in them for triall of their graces or to set them up for patternes to the world God may and doth afflict them Though no man be without sinne yet the afflictions of many are not for their sinnes 5. There is this generall Instruction which God would have us learne out of this Book namely that the best gotten and the best founded estate in outward things is uncertaine that there is no trusting to any creature-comforts God would unbottome us quite from the creature by holding forth this History of Iob unto us 6. God would also shew forth this for our learning viz. The strength the unmoveablenesse of faith how unconquerable it is what a kind of omnipotency there is in
by the example and incouragement but against the example of others he was a leading man himselfe though he lived among those that were scoffers and wicked yet Iob was holy As they say concerning the affection of love it is most unnaturall â—or a man to hate those that love him It is civill for men to love â—â—ose that love them but this is truly Christian for a man to love â—â—ose that hate him and doe him wrong So in regard of living and â—â—nversing as of loving and affecting we may say it is a most â—icked thing to be naught among those that are good that aggraâ—ateth a mans sinnefulnesse to be unholy while he converseth with those that are holy It is a good thing to be good with the good to take example by them but it is a most excellent thing a glorious thing to be good among those that are starke naught to worship God aright among Idolaters to feare God among those that have no feare of God before their eyes to be perfect among hypocrites to be upright among those that are unjust to eschew evill among those that are altogether wrapt about with evill This was the honour and commendation of Iob. For a man to be as Lot in Sodome never touched with Sodomes wickednesse to keepe himselfe pure and sincere and without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation to shine as a light in the midst of darknesse this brings honour both to God and man Thirdly From the place where Iob lived we may observe That Grace will preserve it selfe in the midst of the greatest opposition It s such a fire as no water can wholy quench or put out True Grace will keepe it selfe sound and cleane among those who are leaprous and uncleane it is such a thing as overcomes and masters all the evill that is about it God hath put such a mighty power into grace that if it once possesse the heart in truth though there be but a little of it though there be but as much as a graine of mustard-seed not all the wickednesse in the world no nor all the devils in Hell can dispossesse it As all the water in the salt Sea cannot make the fish salt but still the fish retaines its freshnesse so all the wickednesse and filthinesse that is in the world cannot destroy cannot defile true grace that will beare up its head and hold up it selfe for ever And this man was perfect and upright one that feared God and eschewed evill Perfect Not that he had a legall perfection such a perfection as the Papists now contend for and assert possibly attaineable yea actually attained by many in this life For what is man that he should be cleane And Iob himselfe professeth Chap. 9.20 If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse hâ— acknowledgeth Chap. 7.20 I have sinned The perfection thereâ—fore here spoken of is not an absolute a legall perfection For the clearing of the word we may consider there is a twofold perfection ascrib'd to the Saints in this life A perfection oâ— Justification A perfection of Sanctification The first of these in a strict sense is a compleate perfection The Saints are compleate in Christ they are perfectly justified there is not any sinne left uncovered not any guilt left unwashed in the blood of Christ not the least spot but is taken away His gargarment is large enough to cover all our nakednesse and deformities In this respect they may be called perfect they are perfectly justified By one offering Christ hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Then there is a perfection of holinesse or of sanctification and that is called so either in regard of the beginnings of or in regard of desires after and aimes at perfection The Saints even in this life have a perfect beginning of holinesse because they are begun to be sanctified in every part they are sanctified throughout in soule and body and spirit as the Apostle distinguisheth 1 Thes 5.23 though every part be not throughout sanctified yet they are sanctified in every part throughout and this is a perfection When the worke of sanctification is begun in all parts it is a perfect worke beginning They are likewise perfect in regard of their desires and intendments Perfect holinesse is the aime of the Saints on earth it is the reward of the Saints in Heaven The thing which they drive at here is perfection therefore they themselves are called perfect As God accepts of the will for the deed so he expresseth the deed by the will he interpreteth him to be a perfect man who would be perfect and calls that person perfect who desires to have all his imperfections cured That is a second understanding how Iob was perfect A third way is this He was perfect comparatively comparing him with those who were either openly wicked or but openly holy he was a perfect man he was a man without spot compared with those that were either all over spotted with filthinesse or only painted with godlinesse Or thus We may say the perfection here spoken of is the perfection of sincerity Iob was sincere he was sound at the heart He did not act a part or personate Religion but was a religious person He was not guilded but gold So the word is interpreted Some render it Iob was a simple man not as simple is put for weake and foolish but as simple is put for plaine hearted one that is not as the Apostle Iames phraseth it a double minded man Iob was a simple minded man or a single minded man one that had not a heart and a heart he was not a compound speaking one thing and meaning another he meant what he spake and he would speake his mind It is the same word that is used in Iacobs character Gen. 25.27 Esau was a cunning hunter a man of the field and Jacob was Ish Tam a plaine man So that to be a perfect man is to be a plaine man one whose heart you may know by his tongue and reade the mans spirit in his actions Some are such juglers that you can see little of their spirits in their lives you can learne but little of their minds by their words Iacob was a plaine man and so was Iob some translate it a sound man It is the same expression that is given of Noah He was Tamim in his generation or he was sound upright hearted or perfect with God Gen. 6.9 And it is that which God speakes to Abraham Gen. 17.2 Walke before me and be thou Tamim be thou perfect or sound or upright or plaine in thy walking before me In the 28. of Exodus v. 30. We reade of the Vrim and the Thummim on the Breast-plate of the High-priest Thummim comes from this roote and signified the integrity of heart and life required in the High-priest as Vrim did the light and clearenesse of his knowledge And upright The former word which was
of all He was greatest all these wayes but that which is here specially meant is the greatnesse of his honour and riches He was the greatest man in outward estate of all the men of the East Of all the men of the East Heb Sonnes of the East In the 25. of Genesis v. 6 Abraham gave gifts unto his Sonnes by the Concubines and sent them away from his Sonne Isaac Eastward into the East Countrey Doubtlesse the blessing of God followed these Sonnes of Abraham his friend and they waxed Great but among them all Iob was greatest It had bin much to say he was a great man amongst the men of the East for the men of the East were very great men and very rich men As to say one is a rich man in the City of London where there are so many rich men one that goeth for a rich man there is a rich man indeed But here is more in this he was not only a rich man or a great man amongst the men of the East but he was the greatest he was the richest of them as to say that one is the richest in the whole City cryes a man up to the height of riches this expression then heightens the sence of the Text concerning Iobs greatnesse he was not only great among the men of the East but the greatest man of them as if the Holy Ghost should have said I will not stay reckoning up particulars or telling you this and that Iob had you know the East was a large Countrey and full of rich men his estate was the largest and himselfe the richest of all the men of the East A Question may here be raised Why the Holy Ghost spends so many words and is thus accurate in the setting forth of Iobs outward estate I shall touch three reasons for it 1. He is described to be a man of a very great estate to the end that the greatnesse of his affâ—iction might appeare afterward the measure of a losse is taken by the greatnesse of a mans enjoyment If a man have but little his affliction cannot be great but if a man have much if he have abundance then the affliction doth abound After great enjoyments want is greatest Emptinesse presses those most who once were full I went out full saith Naomi Ruth 1.21 and the Lord hath brought me home empty therefore call me not Naomi which is pleasant but Marah which is bitter for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me 2. The greatnesse of his estate is set forth that the greatnesse of his patience might appeare For a man to be made poorer that was but poore and meane before it is no great matter though he beare it for a man to have but little that never had much is no great tryall of his patience but for a man to have nothing at all that had as it were all things and to be patient under it this shewes the proofe of patience To a man that is borne a slave or a captive captivity and bondage is no trouble it doth never exercise his patience he is scarce sensible of the evill because he never knew better But for a King that is borne free and hath power over others for a King that is in the height of freedome and liberty to become a slave and a captive in such a one patience hath a perfect worke if he beare it So for Iob a man that once abounded in all manner of outward good things to be outed and emptyed of all that tryed his patience to the full 3. It was to give to all the world a testimony that Job was a through godly and holy man that he was a man of extraordinary strength of grace why because he held his integrity and kept up his spirit in the way of holinesse notwithstanding he was lifted up with abundance of outward blessings To be very great and very good shewes that a man is good indeed Great and good Rich and holy are happy conjunctions and they are rare conjunctions Usually riches impoverish the soule and the world cares out all care of Heaven therefore Iob was one of a thousand being at once thus great in riches and thus rich in goodnesse He was rich in grace that was so gracious in the middest of so much riches the godlinesse of Iob was inriched by his riches It argued that Iobs godlinesse was very great and very right because he continued right in the middest of all his greatnesse How often doe riches cause forgetfulnesse of God yea kicking against God How often are they made the bellowes of pride the fewell of uncleanenesse the instruments of revenge How often doe rich men contemne dispise and oppresse their weake and poore bretheren but to make riches the fewell of our Graces and the Instruments of duty both to God and man To have the house full of riches and the heart full of holinesse these united are admirable Extremes are very dangerous to be extreame poore or extreame rich is an extreame temptation Therefore the wise man Agur Prov. 30.8 prayes Give me neither poverty nor riches Lord saith he I would not be in any of the extreames It is a sore temptation to be farre on either hand to be farre on the hand of riches or farre on the hand of poverty To be very poore and very holy is a rare thing That man hath great treasures and riches of grace who is so I remember the speech of a poore woman who having a child about 8. or 9. yeares of age and being once in such a streight that hunger began to pinch them both the child looking upon the Mother said Mother doe you thinke that God will starve us No child answers the Mother The child replyed if he doe yet we must love him and serve him Such language from the heart becomes and argues more then a Child in Grace a growne Christian. They are fil'd with Christ who can starve and serve him So likewise are they who being full fed yet serve him and temptations are greater upon the full then upon the empty upon the rich then upon the poore The reason of it is because as riches doe stirre up lust so they give fewel and administer instruments for the obtaining and taking in of that which lust calls for this poverty doth not The poore saith Christ receive the Gospell the lame and the blind make most speed and see their way clearest into the Kingdome of Heaven but for rich men he saith It is easier for a Camel to goe through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven We see now the Miracle acted in Iob the Camel is got thorough the needles eye Job a rich man is got through the needles eye with three thousand Camels c. And the reason was because all his Camels Cattell and riches did not take up so much roome in his heart they were not so thick in his spirit as one
single thred All his outward estate was kept without not a shred not a thread got into his spirit Take this for a third reason why the Holy Ghost doth thus exactly set forth the estate of Iob sc that he might appeare to be an exact holy man From the whole take these Observations First We see here Job a holy man very full of riches Then Observe That riches are the good blessings of God God would never have bestowed them upon his Job else Least we should thinke riches evill they are given to those who are good And least riches should be thought the chiefest good they are given to those that are evill It is a certaine truth that God never gives any thing in it selfe evill to those that are good nor doth he ever give the chiefest good to those that are evill Therefore it shewes that riches are good because the godly have them and it shewes that they are not the chiefest good because the wicked have them When the Gospell calls us to renounce the world to cast off the world it calls us to cast the world out of our affections not out of our possession To hold and possesse great riches is not evill it is evill to set our hearts upon them Secondly Iob was described before A just man an upright man that is a man just in his dealing a man that gave every one his owne He did not decline no not a haires bredth if possibly he could from the line of Justice Commutative or Distributive yet this Iob is exceeding rich Hence observe That Plaine and honest dealing is no hinderance to the gaining or preserving of an estate Honest dealing is no stop no barre to getting There is a cursed Proverbe amongst us which some use and it is to be feared some walke by it That he which useth plaine dealing shall die a Beggar You see Job that was a plaine man a just dealing man yet is full of riches the nighest and the safest way to riches is the way of justice Woe to those who by getting riches get a wound in their owne consciences What will it advantage any one to gather many goods when in the meane time his heart tells him that all have a bad Master What will it advantage any to load to fraight his Ship by trading on forbidden Coasts when by doing this he splits and makes shipwracke of his soul If you would goe the ready way to attaine the things of this life walke in the wayes of God Honesty and Justice Uprightnesse and truth will leade you to the highest and greatest estate with Gods blessing All other riches are poverty all other gaine is losse There is a fire in an estate ill gotten which will at last consume it A man builds with timber that hath a fire in it that layes the foundation of his estate by sinne he layes up iniquity for his children And so doth God Job 21.19 It is commonly said likewise Dives aut iniquus aut iniqui haeres A rich man is either an unjust man or the heyre of an unjust man In Psal 82. the wicked are put for the rich How long will you iudge uniustly and accept the persons of the wicked That is the persons Divitum aut Potentum of rich or great men so it is to be understood for Judges would never accept the persons of wicked men if they were poore if they be in equall ballance with others in regard of outward things and then the opposition that is made in the next words Defend the poore and fatherlesse shewes that the rich are there meant These great ones are called wicked because saith the Glosse they usually get and uphold their greatnesse by wickednesse Such is the course of the world and it is the shame of the world much more of Christians We see in Jobs practise that riches may be attained and maintained too by righteousnesse Job was rich and iust Thirdly In that Iob a man fearing God was thus rich thus great See here the truth of the promises God will make good his promise concerning outward things to his people Godlinesse hath the promises of this life as well as of that which is to come As it hath promises made to it so it hath promises performed to it Iob a man fearing God a godly man is very rich Indeed not many rich not many mighty not many honourable not many great ones are called and so not many of those that are called are mighty and rich and great and noble yet some such are that the truth of the promises may appeare somtime in the very letter to the eye of sence as it alwayes doth to the eye of faith Doe not feare that you shall be poore if you turne godly for godlinesse hath the promises of this life and there was a rich Iob a rich Abraham a rich Isaac a rich David and many other godly rich God will performe when it is good for them the promises of outward good things to his children outwardly Fourthly Here is another Observation from this place Iob was frequent in holy duties he was a man fearing God that is as we explained it in the first verse he was much verst in the wayes of holy worship he did not serve God by fits or at his leasure but continually yet he was very rich Note hence Time spent in holy duties is no losse no hinderance to our ordinary callings or to our thriving in them Iob serves God so frequently that it is called continually yet he grows in wealth abundantly The time that he spent in the service of God did not rob his purse impoverish his family or hinder him in his dealings and businesses of the world Iob maintained both his callings he maintained his generall calling in the wayes and service of God and his speciall or particular calling in his relations unto men both went on together and they were no hinderance one to another but a furtherance rather The time we spend in spirituall duties is time gain'd for secular The paines we take in prayer c. whets our tools and oyls our wheels promotes all we go about and getteth a blessing upon all This meets with another blasphemy very frequent in the world If a man professing godlinesse goe backward in his estate especially a man that is taken notice of for his extraordinary zeale and constancy in holy duties Then the clamour is O you see what hearing of Sermons hath brought him unto you see what comes of his praying and fasting he ha's followed these things you see till he is undone I say two things unto these men First Many are thought to goe backward in their outward estate because they doe so much in spirituall duties when indeed they are so farre from doing too much that they doe too little and that rather is the reason why they thrive not The body may be exercis'd often when the spirit workes but seldome if at all in holy things and this
indeed provokes God many times to blast an outward estate It is a common fault that when we see those whom we conceive godly faling in outward things wee are taken up onely in finding out answers how to acquit the justice of God in his promises What shall we say to such a promise Seeke first the kingdom of God and his righteousnes and all these things shal be added unto you We trouble our selves often to satisfie the point in reference to the justice of God and the truth of his promise We seldome suspect whether or how they have performed the condition of the promise We should rather doubt that they have not evangellically performed the condition then trouble our selves so much with seeking how to satisfie the justice of God in answering the ingagement and promise on his part For without all question they that doe seeke according to the tenour of that condition God will administer all things unto them Or secondly we should say thus rather that they who are so much exercised in wayes of communion with God have surely gain'd a great spirituall estate And that now God brings them to the proofe of it by losses in their temporall estates These or the like interpretations we ought to make if we see them going backward in outward things who have beene very forward in spirituall things And so much concerning Iobs outward estate in regard of his riches both what they were in the kind and in the number In the next place his outward happinesse is described by the unity and concord of his children Verse 4. And his sonnes went and feasted in their houses every one his day and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drinke with them This verse sets forth the third part of Iobs happinesse in respect of his outward estate He had children and many children in the second verse Here in the fourth we find all these children sonnes and daughters agreeing and feasting one with another We may note from the words foure things concerning this Feasting 1. Their alacrity and chearefullnesse which most doe observe out of that expression they went and feasted which phrase in the Hebrew signifies the doing of a thing with chearfulnes and readinesse 2. Their unanimity It is not said that some two or three of his sons feasted but his sons indefinitely all his sons and not onely his sons but his daughters the three sisters were called too So that they were all of one mind they all met together in love though they were ten in number they were but one in heart the same in spirit 3. The place where they feasted it was in their houses they did not goe to suspected places but in their owne private houses and families where it was most convenient and where they might celebrate those meetings with most security both for their bodies and for their soules 4. The frequency of that feasting it was not onely once but every one his day They did meet at every one of their houses upon a speciall and a set day Every one his day some make the sence thus they feasted in their houses one every day as if it had been a continuall feast with them they feasted all the weeke long and they would seeme to allow it by the moderation used in their feasting out the words every one his day note a course a certaine time wherein they did feast not a continued feasting Some conceive it was upon their birth-dayes whether that be so or no there is nothing appeares from the Text only it is said They feasted every one his day And they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drinke with them In that we may observe 3. things 1. The humanity of the brethren they would not banquet alone and leave out their sisters but they sent and called them 2. The modesty of the Sisters that they would not come but upon speciall invitation they were not forward of themselves but they were sent and called for 3. The end of this invitation it was to eat and to drinke with them As under the notions of bread and water or bread and wine all necessaries for food are comprised so under the actions of eating and drinking the whole businesse of feasting is contained Luk. 12.19 Isa 22.15 Eccl. 2.24 There is nothing further in the words that we need stay longer in opening or clearing of them We shall onely give you some few notes out of them His sons went and feasted in their houses every one his day This is set forth as the third part of Jobs outward happines Then note we first That The love and mutuall agreement of children is one of the greatest blessings to a parent The love of children is the fathers blessing and it is a great blesâ—sing How many fathers have their hearts rent and divided by thâ— rents and divisions that are amongst their children It doth blaâ— and wither all the comfort the Parent hath to see that there is no agreement of love no correspondency of affection amongst those that come all from the same bowels from the same loynes Thâ— is a blessing which was not common in the world no not in thosâ— times Adam had not this blessing Adam when he had only two sonnes they could not agree but one murthereth the otheâ— Abraham enjoyed not this blessing when he had but 2 sons oneâ— mocking the other Ishmael is mocking Isaac Isaac fail'd of thâ— blessing he had but two sonnes and one threatned to murther thâ— other The dayes of mourning for my father are at hand then wilâ— slay my brother Jacob. This was not Iacobs blessing he had 〈◊〉 sons there was one of them Joseph the common Butt of aâ— his brethrens envy they did all spight him the Archers did shoâ— at him and grieved him sorely and hated him They could not aâ— agree there were divisions among them It is no ordinary bleâ—â—sing then You see David a holy man yet what divisions weâ— there among his children one murdereth another Absolom cause Amnon to bee murthered Adonijah riseth up against Solomon he cannot beare it that his brother should have the Crowne Yâ— see then that it is a blessing and it is an extraordinary blessing Therfore take notice of it you that have an agreeing family children that live together in love and unity looke upon it as a speciall blessing from God Secondly We may observe That It is a very comely thing for brethren and sisters to live together in unity In Jobs children we have that of Psalm 133. fullfilled Behold he calls all to looke upon it how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity Such a sight may draw all eyes after it Jobs children were many in number in heart but one in love the same And as there is nothing more troublesome so nothing more uncomely and unnaturall than rents and divisions in a family Thirdly we may
it is Gods due and our duty to dedicate the morning the first and best of every day unto God Psal 5.3 My voice shalt thou heare in the morning in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will looke up We have a saying among us that the morning is a friend to the Muses that is the morning is a good studying time I am sure it is as true that the morning it is a great friend to the Graces the morning is the best praying time Againe In that Job did rise so early in the morning to offer sacrifice and did this because he was afraid that his sonnes had sinned as we shall see afterward Hence Observe 2. That it is not safe to let sinne lye a moment unrepented of or unpardon'd upon our own consciences or the consciences of others If a mans house be on fire he will not only rise in the morning or early in the morning but he will rise at mid-night to quench it certainly when you have guilt on your soules you have a fire in your soules your soules are on a flame therefore you had need rise and rise early and get up as soon in the morning as you can to get it quenched and put out And offered burnt-offerings There were divers sorts of Sacrifices among the Jewes when the law or rules of sacrificing were established There were first Whole burnt-offerings 2. Trespasse-offerings 3. Sinne-offerings 4. Peace-offerings That which Job is here said to offer was a burnt-offering an Holacost or whole burnt-offering so called because it was altogether consumed there was no part of it reserved for the Priest or for the people but all was offered up unto God Of other Sacrifices as the sinne-offering and trespasse-offering there were parts and portions reserved for the Priest and part of the Peace-offerings for the people as you may see by that expression of the Harlot Prov. 7.14 I have at my house Shelamim Peace-offerings now they did feast upon the Peace-offering for she invited him to a feast But the burnt-offering was wholly consumed the word in the Hebrew doth signifie an ascension or a thing lifted up He offered burnt-offerings word for word out of the Hebrew it is He lifted-up an elevation he caused an Ascension to ascend elevabat elevationem or ascendere fecit ascensionem And it was so called because the Sacrifice which was a whole burnt-offering was all consumed upon the altar And did as it were evaporate or ascend up unto God It was called a lifting-up or a thing lifted-up for three Reasons 1. Because when the Sacrifice was offered the smoake of it did ascend and besides there were sweet odours put upon the Altar which did fume up also with the Sacrifice towards heaven and so the Sacrifice took it's denomination from ascending and going upwards 2. Because the Priest when hee offered the Sacrifice did lift it up upon the Altar and hold it toward Heaven to God 3. Because at that time when the Sacrifice was a burning all the people that were present did lift-up their hands and their eyes but especially their soules and their spirits heaven-wards and powred themselves forth in prayer unto God That of David in Psal 141.2 will give some light to this Let saith he my prayer be set forth before thee as incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening Sacrifice David at that time as Interpreters note upon the Psalme was barred the enjoyment of the publike ordinances he could not come to sacrificing as formerly he had done now he seekes unto the Lord that he would accept of the lifting up of his hands and heart in stead of Sacrifice as if he should say Lord I have not a Sacrifice now to offer unto thee I am hindered from that worke I cannot lift that up but I will lift up what I have and what will please thee better then a Bullocke that hath hornes and hoofes I will lift-up my hands and my heart unto thee and let these be accepted for sacrifice and all Prayer which is a Sacrifice of the Gospell it is nothing else but A lifting up of the soule an elevation of the spirit unto God So some of the Ancients call prayer an Ascending of the soule unto God And in allusion unto this Hezekiah when he sent to Isaiah the Prophet to pray for him in that time of distresse and day of trouble saith Goe and desire the Prophet to lift-up his prayer for the remnant that are left alluding to the sacrifices which were wont to be lifted up The like expression of prayer you have Psal 25.1 Lord saith David I lift-up my soule unto thee Hence Prayers not answered not accepted are said to be stopt from ascending Lam. 3.44 Thou hast covered thy selfe with a cloud that our prayer should not passe through When you meet with such expressions in the old Testament concerning prayer you must still understand them to be allusions to the Sacrifices because the Sacrifices were lifted up and did ascend That for the Act. For the person It is said that Job offered these Sacrifices Job rose early and offered c. Was not this to usurpe upon the Priests office Was it not this for which King Vzziah was reprehended and told by the Priests It appertaineth not to thee to burne Incense unto the Lord but to the Priests the sonnes of Aaron and was he not smitten with leprosie for doing of it I answer in a word by that rule of the Ancients Distinguish the times and Scriptures will agree It was Job that offered and Job had right to offer The time wherein Job offered Sacrifice doth reconcile this it was before the giving of the Law as we have shewed in the opening of the former points about the time when Job lived now in those times the Father or the elder of the Family was as a Priest to the whole Family and he had the power and the right to performe all holy family duties as the duty of sacrificing and the like this you may see carried along in all the times before the Law was given in the holy Stories of the Patriarks they still offered up the Sacrifice But it may here be further inquired If it were before the Law was given who taught Job to offer Sacrifice Where had he the rule for it I answer this was not will-worship though it was not written worship For howsoever Job did offer Sacrifice before the Law of sacrificing was written yet he did not offer a Sacrifice before the Law of sacrificing was given for the Law of sacrificing was given from the beginning as all the other parts of worship used from the beginning were God could never beare it that men should contrive him a service therefore Job did not offer up an offering unto God according to his owne will a thing that he had invented to pacifie and to please God with God had been so farre from accepting that he could not have
of For if a man have such and such thoughts and only reserve them to himselfe he is said to speake to himselfe to speake within himselfe So Angels though they have such and such thoughts they do speake to themselves and not to God while they keepe those thoughts within themselves how ever God knowes them all before yet an Angell is said to speake no more to God then he doth intentionally and obedientially as some expresse it make knowne and declare to God his desire that God may take notice of it So here Sathan answereth and saith unto God or he speakes to God these things that is he doth actually intend that God should know thus much of him what he had beene about that he was come now from going to and fro in the earth from walking up and dawne in it From going to and fro c. It may be doubted how Sathan can be said to goe to and fro in the earth and to walke up and downe in it whereas it is expresse in the Epistle of Jude vers 6. that the Angels which kept not their first estate but left their owne habitation he hath reserved in everlasting chaines under darknesse unto the judgement of the great day Now if Sathan if the Angels that fell be in chaines and in chaines of everlasting darkenesse and reserved unto the judgement of the great day how doth Sathan here speake of himselfe as being at liberty going to and fro in the earth and walking up and downe in it I answer That though the devill goeth up and downe yet he is ever in chaines He is in a double chaine even when he goes and circuits the whole earth abroad he is in a chaine of Justice and in a chaine of Providence He is in a chaine of Justice that is under the wrath of God and he is in a chaine of Providence that is under the eye of God he can goe no further then God gives him leave then God lets out and lengthens his chaine So that still he is reserved under chaines even chaines of darknesse when he goes abroad he goes like a prisoner with his fetters upon his heeles But it may be here enquired further if Sathan be thus under the wrath of God and be a condemned spirit if he be in such darknesse how can he intend or attempt plot or execute those designes of temptation for the overthrow of soules and disturbance of the Churches of God throughout the world Will not such torment and horrour of darkenesse disable and unfit him for such curious methods of doing mischiefe can he have his thoughts upon any thing but upon his own wofull condition and miserable estate For this likewise to cleare it we may conceive that Sathan although he be at the present under the wrath of God yet he is not under the fullnesse of the wrath of God he is not yet in extremity he is not yet in that degree of judgement which hereafter he shall receive Sathan is now as full of discontent as he can be but he is not so full of torment as he can be This we see expresly in Mat. 8.29 where the devils say to Christ Art thou come to torment us before our time as noting that there will be a time wherein they shall have more torment their fill of torment such torment as what they now endure compared with it may passe for no torment if not for pleasure Then they shall drinke the very dreggs of the cup of Gods wrath now they doe as it were but sip or taste it The devils though they are already cast downe from their glorious estate yet they are not cast into such a wofull state as hereafter they shall be therefore they may walke up and downe in the world and uncessantly set themselves about the destruction of others For the words From going to and fâ—ro in the earth and from walking up and downe in it Satan here speakes like a Prince therefore some conceive that this is the Prince of devils that is here mentioned in this Text Beelzebub the chiefe of the devils for here he speakes of himselfe as some great Prince that had gone about his Countreyes to view his Provinces his Kingdomes and Cities I come saith he from visiting my severall places and Dominions I come from going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and downe in it These expressions are not to be understood properly for properly spirits such as Sathan is cannot be said to goe or to walke A spirit moveth that is proper to a spirit but properly a spirit doth not walke or goe that is proper only to bodies But the word which we translate from going to and fro is translated by some from compassing the earth or from compassing about in the world and then it is proper the Originall signifying to compasse or circuit about by any king of motion as well as by going Further For the understanding of Satans going to and fro in the earth We must not not conceive that this is all that Satan doth to walke up and down in the world to go to and fro he is no idle peripateticke but by going to and fro in the earth is noted First The exact discovery which Sathan makes of all things in the earth For the word Shut signifieth to enquire to search diligently into a thing It is not a bare going about but it is a going about as a spie to search to enquire to observe and consider diligently all things as one passeth along The same word is used Dan. 12.4 for discoursing we translate it thus Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased now we may wonder how knowledge should be increased by running to and fro up and downe they that would increase knowledge should rather sit still and consider and debate things but the word so some translate it signifies to discourse or dispute of things they shall discourse or goe about to enquire into things and knowledge shall be increased Thus Sathans going to and fro in the earth is a discoursing upon every thing a disputing upon every point and person he doth as it were debate every mans condition as he goeth and every mans estate every mans temper and every mans calling he considers what is fittest to be done against him and how he may assault him with greatest advantage That is the running or going to and fro which is here meant in the Text it is a going to and fro to increase his knowledge and informe himselfe of all things as he goeth The same word is used concerning the good Angels Zach. 1.10 It is said there that they were sent to walke to and fro through the earth it was not a bare passing through the earth but a curious observing and prying into all things as they went we translate it a walking to and fro but it is a walking so as to bring God in intelligence for these were sent out as Christs
intelligencers to bring him in a report of the state of things abroad for so there in the vision it is exprest after the manner of men Though Christ needs none to informe him about the estate of his Church and people yet he alludes to the custome of Princes who maintaine Intelligencers in all Courts and Kingdomes to advise them how the affaires of other nations are transacted The very same Originall word is used of God himselfe Zach. 4.10 The eyes of the Lord runne to and fro through the whole earth he is his own Intelligencer exactly discovering and taking notice of every thing that is done in the world So then this is the meaning I have beene going to and fro in the earth saith Satan that is I have fully and throughly taken notice of all passages of all persons in all places of all conditions and sorts of men that is the thing I have beene doing Thus Mr. Broughton translates From searching to and fro in the earth noting his exactnesse of enquiry in his travels Then secondly it noteth the unquietnes of Satan He is an unquiet a restlesse spirit being cast out of Heaven he can rest no where A soule that is once displaced and out of the favour of God hath no place to repose in afterward Now saith he all my businesse is walking to and fro going up and downe Satan hath no rest As the sentence of Cain was Gen. 4. when God had cast him out of his presence thou shalt be a fugitive and a vagabond thou shalt doe nothing but runne up and downe the world as long as thou livest Satan is such a fugitive a vagabond one that runnes up and downe in the world he is an unsetled an unquiet spirit They who are once departed from God can never find rest in any creature but running to and fro is their condition and their curse Thirdly Some understand it thus that Satan makes as it were a recreation of his tempting and drawing men to Hell Satan cannot possibly in a proper sense take any comfort or be refreshed but as one doth well expresse it he himselfe being lost undone and damned seekes to comfort himselfe by undoing and damning others It is a joy to some to have companions in sorrow All Satans delight if we may conceive he hath any delight is in this in making others as bad and miserable as himselfe Therefore it may be he calls his trade of seduction and destruction walking up and downe in the earth as men are said to walke up and downe for refreshing and recreation he speakes of it not as of some toilesome hard journy but as of walking for delight But I conceive the former to be more proper Take two or three Notes from this First Here we may observe That there is no place in the world that can secure a man from temptation or be a sanctuary from Satans assault For Satan goeth to and fro thorough the earth hee is an ubiquitary hee stayes no where but runs every where It is the folly of Popish Votaries that think to shut themselves up in walls from the temptations of Satan Cloysters are as open to Satan as the open field Satan walketh to and fro through the earth Secondly We may note here the wonderfull diligence of Satan Satan is very active to doe mischiefe He walketh to and fro As Peter expresseth it 2 Pet. 5.8 He goeth about as a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devoure There is his diligence and there is his intent Satan speaks nothing of his intent here he conceales that he speakes only as if he went about like a pilgrim walking thorough the earth his maine businesse that he went about to devoure soules is kept in silence but the holy Ghost unmaskes him and discovers the designe of his walking to and fro He seeks whom he may devoure If Satan be thus diligent going about to tempt we ought to be as diligent standing alwayes upon our watch to prevent his temptations Mr. Latimer in one of his Sermons where he taxes the Clergy especially the Bishops of those times for their idlenesse proposeth to them the example of the Prophets and Apostles and of Christ himselfe their diligence in going about to preach should quicken those idlers but saith he if you will not follow their example follow the example of Satan he goeth about in his Diocesse to and fro continually Take example from him in doing evill how to doe good we may take example thus farre from Satan to be as forward to do good as he is to do hurt to be as watchfull against him as he is watchfull against us If this be his busines to go to and fro thorough the earth and his intent be to devour souls then where ever we goe in the world up and downe we ought to be carefull to keep our own souls and gain the souls of others Thirdly We may observe from it that Satan is confined in his businesse to the earth he can get no farther than the earth or to the ayereall part he is called the Prince of the ayre Satan being once cast out of heaven can never get into Heaven more There is no tempter in heaven there is no Serpent shall ever come into the caelestiall Paradise there was one in the earthly Paradise but there shall never be any in the caelestiall Therefore when we are once beyond the earth we are beyond the reach of all temptations we are then at rest from Satans snares and practices as well as from our owne labours Let us now consider what the Lord replyeth or his second Question to Satan Well thou hast been walking to and fro in the earth saith God Hast thou considered my servant Job Tell me hast thou taken notice of such an one Hast thou considered The word is Hast thou put thy heart upon Job So it is word for word in the Originall hast thou laid Job to thy heart Hast thou seriously fully and exactly considered my servant Job And so it is rendred out of the Septuagint Hast thou attended with thy mind upon my servant Job To put a thing upon the heart is to have serious and speciall regard to it as when the Scripture speaks of not putting a thing upon the heart it noteth a sleighting and neglecting of it When the wife of Phineas was delivered and they told her that she had brought forth a son the Text saith she answered not neither did she regard the Hebrew is neither did she put her heart upon it the same word is here in the Text. Thus Abigail speakes unto David As for this sonne of Belial let not my Lord put his heart upon him or as it is translated let not my Lord regard this man of Belial take no notice of such an one as he is he is a foole name and thing doe not regard him doe not put him upon thy heart There are divers such expressions where putting upon the heart is expressed by
the house of the Lord the people shewing their willingnesse and readinesse exprest it thus Let us rise up and build that is let us build as we say out of hand speedily Secondly To arise implyes the courage constancy and strength of those who undertake or goe about a businesse they arise and doe it that is they doe it with spirit So here it may import as much concerning Job in his sufferings He arose and rent his mantle that is though he heard all these sad relations yet his spirit was not overwhelmed he was not drowned in those sorrowes he did not sinke downe under them but he arose and rent his mantle c. as if he had raised himselfe up to wrestle with the temptation and the tempter to wrestle with Satan himselfe In this sense the Lord is said to arise Isa 33.8 9. where there is that sad description of the Land The Earth mourneth and languisheth Lebanon is ashamed c. Now will I rise saith the Lord now will I be exalted that is now will I come and shew my selfe with a mighty power for the deliverance of my people I will be exalted and they shall rejoyce That prayer of the old Church Arise O Lord and let thine enemies be scattered hath the same intendment desiring the Lord to goe forth armed with strength for the helpe of his people and the subduing of their enemies Thus Job arose bound with a four-fold cord of affliction he raised himselfe up like Sampson though in humility yet with strength and courage And so it is opposed to the sinking of the spirit under troubles as you know the spirit of Eli did 1 Sam. 4.18 There was sad tydings brought to Eli concerning the death of his sonnes and the taking of the Arke the Text saith As soone as he heard these things he fell downe backward he had no spirit no strength left in him he did not arise and rend his garment but he sunke downe and brake his necke When Nabal heard of the danger that his churlish and inhospitable answer had almost drawne upon him 1 Sam. 25.37 His heart dyed within him and he became as a stone When all that Job had was dead and gone his heart lived yea he was erecto animo of a raised spirit not only when he arose but when he fell upon the ground for then he worshipped and worship is the lifting up of the soule to God In the worship of God while the body is upon the knee the mind is or ought to be upon the wing And rent his mantle That is the second act Renting or garments is very often spoken of in Scripture and wee finde it especially in these two cases In case of extreame sorrow and in case of extreame indignation In case of extreame sorrow and that of two kinds either in the sorrows of afflictions or in the sorrowes repentance in both these we find renting of the garments For the sorrowes of outward affliction so we reade frequently of renting garments When Jacob heard of the death of Joseph when his sonnes brought him home the bloudy Coat saying but falsely that surely their brother was torne with wilde beasts he presently rent his garment And when the relation of the death of Saul was brought to Davids eare to expresse his sorrow He tooke hold on his cloathes and rent them and likewise all the men that were with him and so againe afterward at the funerall of Abner David rent his cloathes and gave order to all the people that were with him to do the like In great funeral or fatall mournings it was usuall among the Hebrews to rent their garments This also was a frequent custome among the Heathen as the Poet describes a mourner in his mixt lamentations for private and publike losses he went with his garments torne being astonished at the death of his wife and the ruine of the City Many such instances there are amongst their ancient Historians Secondly It was used in token of Repentance when sorrowes for sinne brake forth and multiplied Josh 7.6 When Joshua humbled himselfe upon the defeat flight and slaughter of the Israelites before Ai it is said he rent his cloathes and fell to the Earth This renting was of their garments in respect of the outward affliction but withall in token of repentance for Joshua and the people humbled themselves with fasting So when the booke of the Law was read to Josiah and he saw how farre they had departed from the rule and word of God it is said He rent his clothes and he was afraid he humbled himself and his heart was tender before God But it may be objected that in the 2. Joel 13. when we are exhorted to rent the heart we are stop'd from renting the garment Rent your hearts and not your garments in the case of Repentance For answer to that I say the Not there is not an absolute prohibition of renting the garment it is not so much a negation as a direction Rent your hearts and not your garments that is Rent your hearts rather then your garments or Rent your hearts more then your garments or be sure that you rent your hearts whatsoever ver you doe with your garments Negations doe not alwayes quite deny a thing in the 2 Cor. 3.6 take an instance for it where the Apostle treating of the preheminence of the Gospell in the new dispensation saith Who hath made us able Ministers not of the letter but of the Spirit Not there doth not deny as if the Ministers of Christ did not speake and publish the letter of the word for the letter of the word is the vessell wherin the Spirit is contained and unlesse we speake the letter to the eare the Spirit cannot in an ordinary way come into the heart therefore understand the Apostles meaning thus he hath made us able Ministers not of the letter but of the Spirit that is he hath made us Ministers rather of the spirit then of the letter or more of the spirit then of the letter because of the promise of the plentifull effusion of the Spirit after the ascension of Christ A further instance we have in that speech of God I will have mercy and not sacrifice That is rather mercy then sacrifice Sacrifice is not rejected but mercy is preferr'd So Rent your hearts and not your garments that is rather rent your hearts then your garments For otherwise you find that not only it was lawfull as in the former places in times of repentance and sorrow to rend the garments but they are taxed because they did not repent and rend their garments The not renting the garment is charged as a conviction of an un-rent heart When the roull of curses that Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah was read before Jehojakim and his Courtiers the King cut the roll with a pen-knife and cast it into the fire their impenitence is thus described yet they were not afraid nor rent
Thou hast made me the head of the Heathen a people vvhom I have not knowne shall serve me As soone as they heare of me they shall obey me the strangers shall submit themselves unto me That of the Apostle will more illustrate this sence who speaking of the great benefit of prophecying in a knowne tongue concludes his Discourse thus If all prophecy and there come in one that beleeveth not or one unlearned he is convinced of all he is judged of all And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest and so falling downe on his face he vvill WORSHIP God and report that God is in you of a truth The worship then is not given to the Church but to God who in such ordinances or other acts of his power and goodnesse is evidently revealed as present in the Church So much for the actions or gestures of Iob what he did He rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell downe upon the ground and worshipped Now we come to his words to that which Iob spake in the two last verses Verse 21. Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither Verse 22. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh blessed be the name of the Lord. Words are or ought to be the Interpreters of the heart and the Comment of our actions This speech of Iob doth indeed interpret his heart and expound the meaning of his former actions This speech I say of Iob is the true Comment of his owne actions for some seeing Iob renting his garments and shaving his head and casting himselfe downe upon the ground they might not know the meaning of all this they could not reade his heart in these strange behaviours they might not understand what his intentions were probably they might judge that he was enraged and madde that he was distracted or drunke with sorrow that he was either desperate or impatient at the report of those losses Therfore now to confute all such surmizes he speaks forth the words of truth and sobernes And by that which he saith sets so fair and true a glosse upon his actions as might then render them not only rationall and ingenuous but holy and gracious in the eyes of all men as they were before in the eyes of God who knew his heart Satan was now like the servants of Benhadad before Ahab watching for words he had done his businesse and now he was trying how it would worke what the event and issue would be he harken'd when some irreverent speech should come from the mouth of Iob he looked presently that he should blaspheme God he could not but smile surely when he saw him renting his garments and shaving his head and falling downe on the ground O now it workes I shall heare him blaspheme and curse God presently He that is thus distempered in the carriage of the other members of his body will not surely be able long to rule that unruly peace his tongue One undutifull or dishonourable word cast upon God would have beene musicke to Satans eare and joy to his heart He would have catch'd it up as nimbly as the men before spoken of did brother Benhadad from the mouth of Ahab But how blanke look'd Satan how was he cloathed with shame at the fall of those words from Iob Naked came I out of c. What David spake concerning the words of his enemies Psal 55.21 Their words were smoother then butter but warre was in their heart they were sweeter then honey and softer then oyle yet were they drawne swords vve may speake of these words of Iob considered in reference to Satan and in reference unto God These words of Iob in reference unto God were as sweet as hony as smooth as butter For this breath had nothing in it but meeknes and patience humility and holinesse in all which God delights but in reference unto Satan they were as drawne Swords as poyson'd arrowes Satan was hardly ever so smitten before as he was by these words of Iob. There is no word in this sentence but gave Satan the lye and refuted all his slander And in the close Iob gives him the deepest stabbe of all It was a dagger at the very heart of the devill when he heard him say Blessed be the name of the Lord. No words could be utter'd upon the longest study more crosse to Satans expectation or more answerable to the former testimony of God and therefore the Lord crownes all both his actions and his speeches with a new testimony In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly So much of Jobs words in generall I shall now examine them distinctly in the parts Some conceive that Job at that time spake out his mind more largely but that the Holy Ghost in the penning of this Story did gather and summe up the strength of all his speech into these two conclusions Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh blessed be the Name of the Lord. We will consider the words a little first in the Grammaticall sense of them and then we will consider the reason of them For here they are used logically as a strong and mighty argument both for the supporting of his owne spirit under those afflictions and for the justifying and acquitting God in so afflicting him Naked came I out of my Mothers wombe c. Naked There is a two-fold nakednesse there is an internall nakednesse and there is an externall nakednesse There is a nakednesse of the soule as well as of the body The nakednesse of the soule is when it is devested of all it 's gracious ornaments and endowments When Job saith Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither it referreth especially to the nakednesse of the body for though it be a truth that Job came naked into the world in regard of his soule yet he knew he should not goe naked out of the world in regard of his soule Seeing then he referreth nakednesse to his going out of the world as well as to his comming in therefore it cannot be here meant of an inward nakednesse his soule came naked in but he knew his soule should go out cloathed Neither can it be meant of a then present spirituall nakednesse for Job was never so richly and gorgeously attired in his soule never appeared in such glorious ornaments of grace as when he was stript of all worldly comforts Therfore the nakednesse here is bodily nakednesse that which Moses speaks of Gen. 2.25 describing our first Parents They were both naked saith he the man and his wife and they were not ashamed Yet that nakednesse and this which Job speakes of though they were both bodily and externall were very different and unlike for that nakednesse of Creation needed no covering nakednesse was then an ornament Man was richly attired when he had no garments The nakednesse of creation
God that it should be done or spoken And it takes away all complaining that the Lord hath taken away Blessed be the Name of the Lord. The Septuagint and so the Vulgar from them insert here another sentence betweene these two the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord reading it thus The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away as it pleaseth the Lord so commeth things to passe blessed be the name of the Lord but we have no more in the Hebrew then our owne translation gives us Blessed be the Name of the Lord. This is the triumphant conclusion which floweth from the former Propositions this is the issue and result of them both A conclusion as opposite to Satans designe as the two Poles of the Heavens are one against the other Satan waited to heare Iob conclude with blaspheming the Name of the Lord and now he heareth Job conclude with blessing the Name of the Lord. How did this vex and sting Satan This one word of Iob did wound Satan more then all the afflictions which Satan procured wounded Iob. Though I return naked though all be taken from me yet blessed be the name of the Lord. Blessed be the Name of the Lord. The Name of God in Scripture is taken first for God himselfe The name of a thing it is put for the thing named Psal 44.5 Through thee will wee push downe our enemies thorough thy Name we will tread them downe that rise up against us Thorough thy Name that is thorough thee Thorough thee and thorough thy Name are the same So Psal 48 10. According to thy Name so is thy praise that is thou art praised like thy selfe as thou art in thy selfe so thou art or oughtest to be praised by thy people the name is put for the person You have it clearly Act. 1.15 The number of names together were about an hundred and twenty that is the number of persons so many persons because numbred by their names Secondly the Name of God is often in Scripture put for the attributes of â—od Thirdly the Name of God is put for his Ordinances or worship Goe yee now to my place which was in Shiloh where I set my name at the first Jerem. 7.12 that is where I first set up my publike worship because as a man is knowne by his proper Name so is God by his proper worship And therefore false worship is the setting up of a strange god When we mistake the name we mistake the person Fourthly the Name of God is that reverence esteeme and honour which Angels and men give unto God As we know amongst us the report and reputation that a man hath among men is a mans name what men speake of him that is his name such an one hath a good name we say such an one hath an ill name that is men speake or thinke well or ill of such persons So Gen. 6.4 When Moses describes the Gyants he saith they were men of renowne the Hebrew is They were men of name because the name of a man is the opinion he hath amongst men as a man is esteemed so his name is carried and himselfe is accepted in the world So the name of God is that high esteeme those honourable apprehensions which Angels and men have of God such as the thoughts and speeches of men are for the celebration of Gods glory and praise such is his name in the world Blessed be the name of the Lord. By blessing God we are to understand either first what we expresse in word concerning God God is blessed by his creatures when his goodnesse and greatnesse and mercy and bounty and faithfulnesse and justice are published with thanks-giving and praise Or God is blessed likewise when we have high and great and glorious thoughts of God when we inwardly feare and reverence and love and honour God then we blesse God The one is to blesse with the tongue the other to blesse with the heart The tongue blessing without the heart is but a tinckling cimball The heart blessing without the tongue makes sweet but still musicke both in consort make that Harmony which fils and delights Heaven and Earth When Job saith here Blessed be the Name of the Lord we are to understand it both wayes that Job speakes out the blessing of God with his mouth and likewise he had high and reverent thoughts of God His heart and tongue met at this worke and word Blessed be the Name of the Lord. We may note from hence That God is worthy of all praise and honour not onely when hee doth enrich and strengthen us when he fills and protects us but also when he doth impoverish and weaken us when he empties and and smites us when he gives us up to the will of our enemies to the will of devils and wicked men even then God is to be blessed It is a good thing and it is our duty to blesse God when we are rich and when we are full as Deut. 8.10 When thou hast eaten and art full then thou shalt blesse the Lord But it is a farre better thing yet but our duty to blesse the Lord when we are poore and weake when we are empty and have nothing to eat then to blesse the Lord is the breathing of an excellent spirit indeed 1 Thes 5.18 In every thing give thankes Let God doe what he will with his children they have cause to thanke him As he is God in himselfe blessed for evermore When God thunders in judgements so loud that he breaketh the Cedars and shakes the Wildernesse then to give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name and in his Temple to speake of his glory argues a spirit highly ennobl'd and glorious in grace Psal 29. Therefore his children should not rest in this that they beare afflictions but they should labour to bring their hearts to blesse and glorifie God in and for the afflictions that they beare And a soule that thus honoureth God shall assuredly receive honour from God That which the Apostle speakes of the Saints suffering persecution is true of them in any kind of holy suffering The Spirit of glory and of God doth rest upon them 1 Pet. 4.14 The Spirit of God is spoken of as if it were unsetled and unquiet and knew not where to fix it selfe till it had found such a soule like Noah's Dove that went hovering about and knew not where to rest the sole of her foot till it came to the Arke so the Spirit of God is exprest as hovering about from person to person from place to place as if it could not rest any where till it finde a soule triumphing and blessing God in affliction at least lying quietly under affliction till God takes it off and there the Spirit rests and settles it selfe Observe further that Job here blesseth God in his afflictions and that makes the difference his afflictions now are good unto him If we blesse God in our
was forced to goe out as a Leper concerning whom the Law was afterwards you know that they should be put out of the Campe or City and it was a Law grounded upon reason and the common light of nature though it had a spirituall signification as given to the Jewes The Septuagint say expresly he sate upon the dung-hill without the City as Lepers were wont to be according to the Law of Moses and as we see executed in that case of Vzziah the King being a Leper he dwelt in a house by himselfe alone and was cut off from the house of the Lord 2 Chro. 26.21 But that Job sate either without the City or upon a dung-hill is only a conjecture and besides the Text. Which way soever we take it it is a great aggravation of Jobs sorrowes Take it for a necessitated sitting in the ashes abroad it inferres that either he was so poore as that he had not a house to be in or that his disease was so contagious that he could not be endured in the house Or take it for a voluntary act that he did choose to sit in ashes it was an aggravation of his affliction for then it notes that he was in the lowest in the saddest condition that can be imagined sitting in ashes being an embleme of extreame sorrow and never used but in times of greatest calamity publick or personall So that here every circumstance is an aggravation of Jobs affliction He was smitten by Satan and he smote hard enough he smote him and he smote him with boyles he smote him with the most malignant kind of boyles he smote him with such boyles all over from the sole of his feet to his crowne and when he was in this condition he had no Nurse no Chirurgion no Physitian to helpe him he was forced to take a pot-sheard to scrape himselfe he had no soft bed prepared to lye on nor as many have thought house to be in but out of the City or out of his house he must and among the ashes upon the dung-hill Lo there he sits What one said of an exact History of a great Prince That surely it was written rather in theory as a pattern or picture of a Prince then according to the truth of a history So we may say of this description of Jobs troubles That surely it was written rather as a studied pattern of mans sufferings then as an accomplisht History of the sufferings of any man yea who almost can goe so farre in imagination as Job went in reall passion But we will passe from the description of his sorrow to some Observations upon them First Here we see That Satan if he be permitted hath a power suddenly to aflict the body with diseases And that is a power farre transcending all the power that is in man Man is able to wound the body of his brother with a materiall instrument but all the Tyrants in the world cannot smite the body with a disease or command a man into sicknesse Though God should say to them as here to Satan I give you leave yet they must leave that to Satan whose helpe is sometime begg'd by envious wretches who would kill their bretheren without a Sword and vex them unseene Man must have a weapon to smite but Satan can smite and kill without a weapon if God say the word Man can spill the blood but Satan can poison the blood He can infect the humours and taint the spirits more subtilly more speedily then the most skilfull poisoner in Rome We shewed before how suddenly Satan can raise commotions in the ayre stormes and tempests there he can doe the like in our bodies for such are diseases in the body as stormes and tempests in the ayre Stormes make as it were a confusion among the Elements and are the distemper of nature diseases make a confusion among the humours and distemper the constitution and spirits of the body It is said of the woman in Luk. 13.16 that Satan had bound her 28 yeares Observe in that the power Satan hath over the body if God give him liberty to exercise it As cruell men can bind in chaines and cast the body into prison for many yeares so Satan can bind the body with a spirit of infirmity as with a chaine Secondly observe this That health and strength of body are a very great blessing You see Satan desires to try Job by taking away this blessing last and he thought this would make Job curse God you may see the value of it by his desire to destroy it Health is the Prince of earthly blessings We say he lives miserably that lives by medicines who to uphold nature is in the continuall use of art How miserably then doth he live whom art and medicines cannot restore to health who is diseased beyond the help of Physick I might mind you likewise from this to remember what fraile bodies we live in even such as have in them the seeds of all diseases Sin indeed is the seed of sicknesse and of death And hence it is that if the humours of the body be a little stirr'd they quickly turne to a disease and this house of clay is ready to dissolve and fall What is the strength of the body that we should trust it or the beauty of the body that we should be proud of it We see in Job how quickly the strength of it is turned into weakenesse and the beauty of it into blacknesse All flesh is grasse and all the goodlinesse thereof is as the flower of the field The grasse withereth and the flower fadeth Isa 40.6 And here likewise note this you that enjoy health of body whose strength yet continues and your selves are free from the bonds of any bodily infirmity while you heare of one smitten with a disease from the crowne of the head to the sole of the feet consider what a mercy you have who have no paine from the crowne of the head to the sole of the feete who have not an aking joynt nor paine so much as in a finger It is like that many of you can say you have this blessing you doe not know what paine in any one member meanes looke upon a man that knew nothing but paine upon a man that had not one member free and prize your blessing Such likewise who have paine and infirmities in one or two or more parts of the body may see in this spectacle cause to blesse God that they have any part free To have but one or but a few sores is mercy sparing mercy when we behold another nothing but a sore Indeed when one member suffers whether in the body naturall or mysticall all the members suffer with it But compassion is not so heavy a burden as passion is And as the sound members sympathize in sorrow with those that are smitten so they that are smitten sympathize in joy with those that are sound The ease of one part mitigates the disease of
upon themselves or upon their Land Further the sprinckling of dust upon the head was a memento of mortality They put dust to dust that man might remember himselfe to be but dust And they sate with him upon the ground seven dayes and seven nights Here is the third ceremoniall act of their sorrow In the 20th verse of the former Chapter it is said Job fell upon the ground these sate upon the ground As falling so sitting upon the ground is the posture of a mourner of a mourner greatly humbling himselfe under the hand of God and the sense of his own or other mens afflictions When God layes us low he can lay us lower and therefore it is best for us to lay our selves as low as we can so doth he who sits upon the ground if his heart sit downe with him too It is possible for the body to lye groveling upon the earth when the spirit is nestling among the starres not in faith as the Saints doe but in pride as Lucifer did Isa 14.13 However he either is or appeares to be humbled to the lowest and emptied to the full of worldly comforts who with Jobs friends sits downe upon the ground especially if he sit long there as Jobs friends did seven dayes and seven nights The time seemes almost incredible How could they hold out to sit so long or how could Job a sick and diseased man For it is said They sate downe with him seven dayes c. I answer We need not interpret it for seven continued dayes and nights without any intermission it is frequent in Scripture to put a part especially a greater part for the whole that which is often done is said to be alwayes done as Luk. 24.53 The Disciples were continually in the Temple praising and blessing God And Luk. 2.37 It is said That Anna the Prophetesse departed not from the Temple but served God night and day Not that she was there without any intermission but the greatest part of night and day or at the usuall time both of night and day Paul testifies before the Church of Ephesus that by the space of three yeares he ceased not to warne every one night and day with his teares Act. 20.31 Did he therefore actually preach three yeares night and day without intermission That had been a long Sermon indeed Then his meaning is but this that in those three yeares he watched and made use of all possible opportunities both by night and by day to preach the Gospell So we may understand it here they sate downe seven dayes and seven nights that is a great part of seven dayes and seven nights or all the time of those seven dayes and seven nights which were fitting for such a visit Origen will have it seven nights and seven dayes without intermission In maintenance of which assertion he saith they were preserved by miracle without sleep and without meate all that time But here is plaine truth without a miracld Secondly Whereas it is said seven dayes and seven nights we may note further that the number seven as other numbers may be understood indefinitely a certaine time being put for an uncertaine as Jer. 15.9 The Prophet saith She that hath borne seven that is many children languisheth And Eccles 2.7 Give a portion to seven that is to many Thus we may interpret it here they sate downe seven dayes and seven nights that is many dayes and many nights as it is expre'st of Nehemiah chap. 1.4 That when he heard of the calamity of Jerusalem he mourned many dayes Thirdly We may take it strictly for seven precise dayes and nights and then it referres to the ceremony of mourning for the dead it was a custome to mourne seven dayes for the dead Jobs friends looked upon him as a dead man and so they mourned for him according to the manner of mourning for the dead Joseph made a mourning for his father Jacob seven dayes Gen. 50.10 We have the like time of mourning mentioned 1 Sam. 31.13 The time of mourning varied both in times and places The Egyptians mourned for Jacob threescore and ten dayes Gen. 50.3 The Israelites mourned for Moses thirty dayes Deut. 34.8 which custome of mourning thirty dayes for the dead continued long after among the Jewes For Josephus reports that when the Jewes thought he had been killed they mourned thirty dayes for him So that we may take it here precisely for seven dayes and seven nights and referre it to the custome of mourning for the dead or in cases of extreame sorrow among that people It followeth And none spake a word unto him This is the fourth ceremony of their mourning their silence In great mournings silence makes up the solemnity So Lam. 2.10 These are joyned together The Elders of the daughters of Zion sit upon the ground there is the former ceremony and keepe silence Now whereas it is said they kept silence we need not understand it so strictly as if for seven dayes and seven nights they never spake a word It is usuall likewise in all languages and very frequent in Scripture that what is but seldome done or done but a little is said not to be done at all as in Acts 27.33 Paul saith of those that were in the Ship that for fourteene dayes they had fasted having taken nothing a thing beyond the strength of man take it strictly to fast foureteene dayes taking nothing But it is usuall to say that is not done at all which is but a little done They tooke nothing to eate that is they tooke very sparingly they did eate only so much as would according to our language keepe life and soule together In Isa 20.3 it is said that Isaiah walked naked and barefoote for three yeares Now it cannot be conceived that the Prophet walked as we say starke naked for three yeares together He is said to walke naked because he had not such or so much cloathing as formerly and usually he had worne So here they spake not a word to him that is they did not speake much they spake very little to him Or secondly thus Restrictively to the matter they spake not a word by way of dispute or argument which was the businesse they fell upon afterward either to convince him or reprove him The reason of this fourth ceremoniall act of mourning their silence is added in the last words of the Chapter For they saw that his griefe was very great The word here used for griefe though it had bin alone without any epithite to heighten the sense notes a very intensive a deepe and great sorrow And it is put sometimes for griefe and sorrow arising from the paine of the body and sometimes for griefe and sorrow of mind Now here I conceive it may carry both senses they saw that the griefe and paine of his body was very great his body was in a wofull plight and they saw that his spirit was much perplext too his mind was troubled But if this
word alone signifies as it were all degrees and all kinds of sorrow then consider both the variety of kind and intention of degrees collected in Jobs sorrows which a word so comprehensive is not sufficient to expresse the aid of two other words is called in to helpe out our conception of his sorrowes They saw his griefe they saw his griefe was great yet you have not all They saw his griefe was very great exceeding great this aggravates his griefe and winds up his sorrow to the highest as if now the affliction were growne to a full stature God threatens Babylon Isa 47.9 These two things shall come upon thee in a moment in one day the losse of children and widdow-hood these things shall come upon thee in their perfection Sometimes imperfect judgements are upon a people or a person they are as it were infant judgements judgements beginning anon they grow to a greater height and anon they come to a perfect stature to be mighty ones giantly judgements at that time God had even brought Jobs affliction to its perfection and his griefe was proportionable very great For this reason his friends kept silence this reason hath an influence on all the acts of their sorrow but especially upon this their keeping silence For they saw his griefe was very great From these ceremoniall acts of sorrow I have observed divers things heretofore Now take one thing in generall That great sufferings call us to and warrant us in solemne mournings Iobs friends doe not only mourne but they mourne as it were in state there is a kind of magnificence in mourning a pomp in mourning I approve not a proud pomp but an humble pomp they mourne you see with all the formalities of mourning so it becometh us sometimes as great mercies call for great rejoycings so great afflictions call for great lamentings There is a decency in it when our affections keepe pace with the dispensations of God whether they be mercies or judgements comforts or afflictions Secondly Forasmuch as Jobs friends seeing his sorrow to be thus very great kept silence Observe That in great in over-whelming sorrows the mind is unfit to receive and take in comfort When griefe is very great words give little ease pretious words are wasted and throwne away comfort it selfe is a trouble in the greatnesse and height of trouble I am sure a mind full charg'd with sorrow hath no roome for comfort is not at leisure for counsell It is a profitable rule in visiting friends that are sick or in distresse when you see them in extremity of paine of body or in extremity of anguish and trouble of spirit keepe silence waite a while Let the waters asswage a little and the winds fall before you meddle Let them come to themselves before you move them As sodaine anger so sodaine sorrow is a kind of phrensy No wise Physitian will give a medicine in a fit The body must settle before it is fit for physick and so must the mind too silence is as good as physick in some distempers both of mind and body A talkative comforter is another disease to a sick man unseasonable councell is a wound instead of a plaister and instead of healing tortures the patient It is as high a point of prudence to know when as to know what to advise a distressed friend Solomon tells us in generall Eccles 3.7 There is a time to keepe silence and a time to speake Let me advise this for one particular time or season to keepe silence namely the extremity and height of trouble The Prophet Amos c. 5.13 speakes of a time wherein the prudent shall be silent and he shewes us why in that time the prudent shall keepe silence for it is an evill time Some interpret this as an addition to the common calamity of those times They should be so evill that wise-men would hold their peace The Apostle prophecies of such times wherein men will not endure sound doctrine 2 Tim. 4 3. in Religion And such times may be wherein men will not endure sound doctrine in policy Then the prudent hold their peace and none speake but fooles or flatterers such times make the quickest market for their sophisticated wares no other will goe off Such are very evill times and this is a sore judgement upon those times There is hope of good when wise men speake A word from their mouthes may cure and deliver a nation Yet I conceive that this Text of Amos may be understood as a description of a wise mans duty at least of his property in some high and great distempers upon a people He sees them uncapeable of counsell to give them good advice is at that present but the casting of pearles before swine all is lost and undervalued if not trampled on Yea he sees that the more he labours to reforme the more he enrages them therefore till this fit be over prudence teacheth him to keepe silence Thus also it is with private persons in regard of the evills they endure they cannot endure faithfull counsell in such an evill day upon any private person let the prudent keepe silence and waite for an opportunity which may open a passage to let in their reproofes or directions or consolations with a taking advantage into the hearts of their afflicted friends and bretheren The Prophet Isaiah seeing the troubles approaching Jerusalem resolves to take his fill of mourning Therefore said I looke away from me I will weepe bitterly labour not to comfort me chap. 22.4 He either thought that the beholders would faint to see him and therefore saith looke away from me or that seeing him they would say he fainted and so would be giving him comfort that therefore his sorrow might have full scope He saith Looke away from me I will weepe bitterly labour not to comfort me When a man is resolved to mourne let him mourne your advise may anger him but it will not help him Let sorrow have its way a while and that will make way for comfort We have thus farre carried on the sad story of Jobs visitation his griefe is now come to the height It is very great We have also seene his friends visit with a double intendment both to mourne with him and to comfort him We have seene them mourning they fully reacht that end We leave them now silent waiting for a time to attempt and accomplish the other end they miserably failed in that it was to comfort him but they proved miserable comforters Which in the progresse and processe of this Booke will receive a large and full discovery JOB 3.1 2 3 c. Verse 1. After this Job opened his mouth and cursed his day And Job spake and said Let the day perish wherein I was borne and the night wherein it was said There is a man-child conceived c. THE former Chapter concluded with the astonishment and silence of Jobs three friends This Chapter beginneth with an astonishing speech of Job
We may be as much amazed at what Job spake as we were at their silence And there appeares the same reason of both namely the greatnesse of his griefe They saw his griefe so great that they forbare to speake Job feeleth his griefe so great that he cannot longer forbeare to speake it must have a vent After this saith the Text Job opened his mouth Why Job had opened his mouth before he had spoken twice since he was encompassed with those sorrowes True But Job never opened his mouth as now he opened his mouth before to justifie and to blesse his God now he openeth his mouth to accuse and curse his day and therefore the Chapter may well begin with After this Job opened his mouth he never spake in this manner before For he no sooner opened his mouth but he cursed his day The argument and subject of the whole Chapter is contained in this first verse the cursing of his day and concerning this the Chapter holdeth forth three things most considerable There are three particulars belonging unto this Chapter First The Matter and the Manner of this Curse what it is and how expre'st Job pronounceth a curse upon his day and unfolds the curse he unfolds it with much Rhetorick and straines of eloquence Troubles will make a man Rhetoricall Job as it were calls up all his spirits whets his wit and heightens his invention to prepare a proper curse for his day This he doth from this first verse to the end of the nineteenth Secondly In this Chapter Job holds forth to us the ground or reason of this curse He is full of passion but his passion is rationall He curseth but he shewes you why This reason with some occasionall intermixtures is demonstrated from the ninth to the end of the nineteenth verse If I am asked a reason of my anger why I am so bitter against my day This is the account I give Because it shut not up my mothers wombe c. Thirdly We have an inforcement of this curse upon his day by a vehement expostulation against the lengthning and continuance of his dayes He complained in the beginning of the Chapter that ever he had a day and now he complaines as much that he hath any more dayes He wonders why his life began and he is troubled because it doth not end Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery c. This expostulation concludes the Chapter The nine former verses containe the first division of the Chapter Jobs curse upon his day both the matter and the manner of the Curse We have this Curse first pronounced upon his day in generall Then Job opened his mouth and cursed his day Secondly He fixes a curse upon his day in the severall parts of it Take a naturall day for the space of 24 houres and then it consisteth of two parts of day and night light and darkenesse According to which division the curse runs verse 3. Let the day perish wherein I was borne and the night wherein it was said a man child is conceived Thirdly He pronounceth a speciall proper curse upon each part of his day Take the day for the light for that space betweene Sun-rising and Sun-set He curses that vers 4th and 5th Let that day be darknesse let not God regard it from above neither let the light shine upon it c. Then followes a curse upon the night in the 6 7 and 8. verses As for that night let darkenesse ceise upon it let it not be joyned unto the dayes of the yeare c. So then Job pronounceth this curse first in generall against his day Secondly He divides the curse upon the severall parts of the day Thirdly He fastens a speciall curse upon each part You see how accurate how exact Jobs sorrowes have made him We will begin with that which is first here the cursing of his day in generall contained in the first verse Then Job opened his mouth or after this Job opened his mouth and cursed his day Then or After this hath a double reference First After the seven dayes silence After his friends had sate by him so long upon the ground neither moving question nor administring a word of consolation then Job opened his mouth Or secondly After this That is After his sorrowes were as it were boyled up to the height and began a little to remit so as he could breath recollect himselfe and consider in what condition he was After this After there was some allay some ebbe and fall of his overflowing sorrowes then he breakes forth in these words Sorrow doth sometimes not only oppresse the spirit but stop the mouth I am so troubled that I cannot speake saith David Ps 77.4 That he could not speak for trouble speaks the greatnes of his trouble Plenty of sorrow makes a scarcity of words Hence sometmies the Saints in great afflictions and griefe of mind pray and cry much to God when they speke little Hannah continued praying before the Lord 2 Sam. 1.12 Eli the High-priest marked her mouth saith the Text Now Hannah she spake in her heart only her lips moved but her voice was not heard Would you know why in so much praying there was no speaking why her heart spake and not her tongue Her selfe gives the reason at the 15th verse I am a woman of a sorrowfull spirit And verse 16. Out of the abundance of my complaint and griefe have I spoken hitherto sc not with my lips but with my heart All which is given us at the 10th verse She was in bitternesse of soule and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore Thus it was with Job sorrow silenced him sorrow in the height caused that high silence but as soone as that asswaged Then he opened his mouth and spake A man cannot speake till he open his mouth yet to open the mouth and speake is more then to speake First To open the mouth and speake is to speake with a loud or cleare voice as he that speakes softly is said to speake in his throat Or as they who have familiar spirits or wizards are said to peepe and to mutter Isa 8.19 A witch or wizard is called there and in other places of Scripture Levit. 20.27 Deut. 18.11 Ob which signifieth a bottle or bladder because such being possess'd or acted by an evill spirit spake with a hollow voice as out of a bottle and as some affirme with swollen bellies From which manner of utterance the Greekes call them Belly speakers And Junius upon that 8 of Isa 19th apprehends this as a description of those Hell-prophets in opposition to the true Prophets who used to speake with a cleere loud distinct voice Or as Job here To open their mouthes and speake Secondly To open the mouth and speake is as much as to say he spake with his mouth And there is an elegancy in that as in those like expressions I heard it with mine eares that is I did certainely heare
Christ speakes Mat. 6.23 If the light that is in thee be darkenesse how great is that darkenesse While Job wisheth that his very day which is light should be darkenesse how great a darkenesse doth he wish unto it And if the day be darkenesse how darke must the night of that day be Then againe Let the day be darkenesse he doth not say let the day be mistie or cloudy or duskie or darke he doth not wish it like that day described Zech. 14.6 It shall come to passe in that day that the light shall not be cleare nor darke but he saith Let it be darkenesse Both in Scripture and common language Abstracts are emphatically significant and carry more then an ordinary sense in them When David saith Psal 27.1 The Lord is my light there is more in it then if he had only said the Lord doth enlighten me So to set forth the wofull condition of those who are unregenerate or in the state of nature the Apostle tells them Ephes 5.8 Ye were sometimes darkenesse not only in the darke but darkenesse So here to expresse how great a curse he wishes upon his day Job saith Let the day be darkenesse it selfe Now darkenesse may be taken two wayes Either Properly or Improperly Proper darkenesse is nothing else but a privation of light it is no positive creature it hath no cause in nature but is the consequent of the Sunnes absence When Job wishes let that day be darkenesse we may understand it of this darkenesse as if he had said whensoever that day commeth about in the recourse and revolution of the yeare let it be darkenesse or a very darke and gloomy day This had bin a great evill upon his day This kind of darkenesse was one of the 10 plagues with which God smote Egypt And yet there is darkenesse which is a greatet evill then this I meane darkenesse improperly taken and so frequently in Scripture any sorrowfull troublesome sad condition is express'd by darkenesse A condition of darkenesse is a sad condition a darke day is as much as a sad day So then Let that day be darkenesse that is let it for ever be accounted a sad and sorrowfull day Thus the Prophet Joel Chap. 2.2 calls a day of great trouble a day of darkenesse and gloominesse a day of clouds and of thicke darkenesse When Solomon Eccles 12.2 would shew by way of Antithesis the sad and evill condition of old age comparatively to youth he unfolds it by darkenesse remember now thy creatour in the dayes of thy youth make haste serve God betime But what needs such haste I tell thee why as times change so thy estate will change Evill dayes will come I therefore counsell thee to doe it while the evill dayes come not nor the yeares draw nigh when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them while the Sunne or the light or the Moone or the Starres be not darkened A day without pleasure is a day without the Sunne take away the joy of a day and you take away the light of a day Young-men have the Sunne and the Moone and the Starres all kind of light and comfortable influences upon them but these will be darkened and ecclipsed when old-age cometh that will put out or at least obscure your light your day will be gone and your night will have neither Moone nor Starre in it therefore worke while you have light that is while you have health and strength of body while you have freedome and activity of spirits fit for that great service remember that is know and serve your Creatour So in the Text we may take darkenesse improperly as darkenesse notes an uncomfortable estate and it is used in Scripture to note a two-fold uncomfortable estate First An estate of sinne Secondly An estate of misery This latter darkenesse is the daughter of the former The Prophet Isay Chap. 9.2 speakes of the people that sate in darkenesse which is repeated Mat. 4.16 that is in the darkenesse of ignorance of sin and guilt They had naturall light enough and they had civill light enough aboundance of outward comforts they had health and strength and riches and peace and plenty but they had not a Christ to take away their sins and cleanse their consciences and therefore they were a people that sate in darkenesse Jobs curse intends not this darkenesse of sin but that other improper darkenesse the darkenesse of sorrow the darkenesse of penall evill As if he had said let sorrow and sadnesse over-shadow let mourning and teares overwhelme let calamity and trouble for ever possesse the day upon which I was borne Let not God regard it from above Here is a second part of the curse and a more grievous curse then the former Let not God We may observe here the Name whereby God is expressed it is Eloah The learned Hebricians observe ten severall Names of God in Scripture three of which note his Being Jehovah Jah Ehejeh Three his Power El Eloah Elohim Three his Governement Adonai Shaddai Jehovah Tsebaoth One his Excellency or Super-excellency Gnelion The Name Eloah here used is derived from El which signifieth Mighty and so by that addition to the word there is an addition made to the sense Eloah is Most Mighty or Almighty This word in the singular number is very rare the Name Elohim which is the plurall is very frequent in holy Scripture Christ upon the crosse cryes out to God by this Name in the singular number Eloi Eloi my God my God as calling for the Almighty power of God to support and carry him through his sufferings David useth it in the 18th Psalm ver 31. Who is a God save the Lord. Who is Eloah save Jehovah that is who is a mighty strong God save the Lord Jehovah so the next words explaine it Who is a rocke save our God So Job being about to impleade and accuse his day calls to the mighty God as it were to judge this day to his everlasting neglect Let not God regard it from above Regard it from above The word signifies sometimes to inquire and search after or to take an account of a thing exactly and judiciously as they that are called to reckoning or to judgement are enquired after and so it hath relation to that Name of God Eloah a powerfull or mighty Judge Let not God regard it is let not God take any account of it or enquire after it let it passe as not worth the looking after Secondly The word signifies to have a care of a thing to have a thing or person in account as well as to call unto account to take care and be watchfull over another for good is our regarding of it In this sense the word is used Deut. 11.12 where Moses speaking concerning the Land of Canaan saith It is a Land which the Lord thy God careth for Careth for is the same word with this and this Text may well be expounded by that which followes as the
Rhetorick can perswade death to depart all the gold and riches in the world cannot bribe death or stay its hand I saith Job should have found Kings and Counsellours and rich men even all these in the grave and we should have rested together Riches availe not in the day of wrath Prov. 11.4 but righteousnesse delivereth from death Righteousnesse delivereth from death why shall not righteous men die Surely Job might have said with righteous men with holy men should I have rested with Abraham with Isaac and with Jacob these are in the grave death seaz'd on them as well as other Princes and Kings and Counsellours How then doth Solomon say that righteousnesse delivereth from death Death is there either to be understood of some dangerous judgement for saith he riches availe not in a day of wrath that is in a day of publike calamity but righteousnesse delivereth from death that is from those troubles and dangers God hath respect to a righteous person and hideth him from that death Or righteousnesse doth deliver from death that is from the evill of death from the sting of death from the bitternesse of death the bitternesse and evill of death is past to a righteous man But riches they availe not at all they cannot at all as not deliver from death so not mitigate the paine or pull out the sting or sweeten the bitternesse of death yea rather riches encrease all these That is a truth O death how bitter is thy remembrance to a man that is at ease in his possession Men may put their riches with them into the grave but riches cannot keepe them a moment out of the grave This thought How bitter Secondly When Job speakes of Kings and Counsellours and Princes these great men of the world he sheweth us what their study and businesse for the most part is in the world it is about worldly things They build desolate places they have gold they fill their houses with treasure These are their employments the current of their cares and endeavours runs out this way Hence observe That the thoughts of the greatest and wisest of the world are usually but for and about the world The poore receive the gospell and the rich receive the world As a godly man is described by his faith Abraham beleeved God By feare by uprightnesse by justice as Job in the first chapter of this Booke by meeknesse as Moses c. by the heavenlinesse of their spirits and conversations Our conversation is in Heaven Phil. 3.20 So worldly men are described by their proper studies Kings Counsellours and Princes build Pallaces gather riches heape up gold They buy they sell they build they plant they eate they drinke as the worldly world is pictur'd Luk. 17.27 28. In the 17th Psalme great men are called the men of the world as if they were for nothing but the world or all for the world as if all their provisions were laid in for this world so it followes who have their portion in this life ver 14. It is a sad thing to have received our portion It is said of the rich man Sonne remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things thou hast had thy portion In Psal 49.11 It is said concerning such men that their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever and their dwelling places to all generations and they call their lands after their own names Their inward thoughts are upon these things It is somewhat a strange kind of speaking to say their inward thoughts for there are no thoughts but inward thoughts are all wrought in the secret shop of the heart But there is an elegancy in it the Hebrew is their inwards their internalls Their inwards are how they may get themselves a name and riches not only are their thoughts about these things but the very inmost of their thoughts the most retired thoughts and recesses of the soule are about these things these lie neerest to their hearts As the story saith of Queen Mary when she died she had them open her and they should finde Calice at her heart It was a pitifull case that a rotten Towne should lie where Christ ought at the heart of such a Princesse The heart is the place where Christ and the thoughts of Heaven should lodge All below Heaven should be below our hearts But as a godly mans inward thoughts are for Heaven and the things of Heaven for grace and for holinesse he hath thoughts upon the world but if I may so speake they are his outward thoughts not his inward thoughts That which lies neerest his heart his inward thoughts are for Heaven So the inward thoughts of worldly men are for the world the Apostle might well say Not many wise nor many rich nor many noble are called the thoughts of wise Counsellours of potent Kings and rich Princes are legible in their actions Thirdly Having expounded these desolate places to be Tombes and these houses graves Observe That some take in their life time more care for their Sepulchers then they doe for their soules Here are great men what doe they They build desolate places they will be sure to have stately monuments And they had gold they will be sure to fill their graves with treasure they will be buried richly or they will have their riches buried with them But what care did these take for their poore soules in the meane time where they should lie Had they taken order what should become of their soules When all things are disposed of this choice peece for the most part is left undisposed of unprovided for Some will carefully provide for their children they will provide for their families they will provide for their dead bodies for their carcasses but for their immortall soules there is no provision made While their bodies are assured of a resting place they may say of and to their departing soules as that trembling Emperour bespake his O our poore fleeting wandring soules whether are you going where is the place of your rest As it is said of Absolom in the place before cited He in his life time had reared up a pillar a monument or a Tombe for himselfe in the Kings dale What a carefull Prince was this for his body But how carelesse was this Prince for his soule He will have a pillar to preserve his name and yet runs out in rebellion against his owne father to the destruction of his soule The great businesse of the Saints on earth is to get assurance of a place for their soules to lodge in when they die It troubles them not much what lodging their bodies have if they can put their spirits into the hand of Christ What though their bodies be cast upon a dung-hill or trodden upon like mire in the streetes by cruell men A Heathen said The losse of a Funerall or of a Sepulcher may easily be borne I am sure a Christian may That losse will never undoe any man
wrestle for it or the Crowne they must strive for it We must dig for heavenly hidden treasure before we have it And yet both the treasure and the strength to dig for it are freely given Fourthly observe That Those things which we esteeme most we labour to secure most It is said that they digg'd for treasures and that the treasures were hid I told you in opening the words there is a naturall hiding of treasure and an industrious hiding Take it in the last sense men that have treasures will labour to preserve them why because treasures are much esteemed and the things we esteeme most we preserve most In the Hebrew the word that signifies treasure signifies the hiding of treasure or hidden treasure Among all treasures spirituall treasures are most hidden they are so hidden that they are called mysteries or secrets The knowledge of Christ was a hidden treasure for some thousands of yeares the Apostle in his time calls it the mysterie which was kept secret since the world began Rom. 16.25 Againe he calls it the wisedome of God in a mystery even the hidden wisedome which God ordained before the world unto our glory which none of the Princes of this world knew 1 Cor. 2.8 9. And as spirituall knowledge so our spirituall life is called a hidden life your life is hidden with God in Christ Col. 3.3 And as our life so our spirituall comforts are hidden therefore called Hidden Manna Rev. 2.17 All our spirituall estate is treasure and it is all hidden treasure so hidden that the Saints dig deepe to find it and when they have found it they hide it as Christ shewes us Mat. 13.44 speaking of the Kingdome of God which he compares to a treasure hid in the field the which when a man hath found he hideth He hideth it not to obscure it from the light but to secure it from danger Mary hid those pretious sayings of Christ her Son and her Saviour in her heart Luk. 2.51 And David having found the Commandements of God which he prized above any treasure above thousands of gold and silver he hid them in his heart Thy word saith he have I hid in my heart that I might not sinne against thee Psalm 119.11 Verse 22. Which rejoyce exceedingly and are glad when they can find the grave Having said that they long for death and dig for it as for hidden treasure Now supposing that they find death he shewes how it affects them they rejoyce exceedingly and are glad when they can find the grave There is little or no obscurity in these words only consider the emphasis of this expression the word which we translate rejoyce or rejoyce exceedingly noteth such a rejoycing as breakes forth in some outward gesture as when a man doth leape for joy And Mr. Broughton translates it thus which joy till they skip againe noting an extraordinary joy and gladnesse when they can find the grave that is when they die Yet some joyne the sense of this verse with the former to carry on or lengthen out the similitude thus Which long for death and digge for it as for hid treasures And finding death they are affected as they who seeking for treasures find a grave For if in digging they did but hit upon a grave then they thought themselves sure of treasure and great riches because treasure and riches was used to be put into graves as was shewed in opening the fifteenth verse of this Chapter The sense is faire and comes up to the same point from either of these expositions Observe hence first That What at one time we feare most in that at another time we may exceedingly rejoyce Death is dreadfull and the grave is a place of darkenesse yet here is joy and rejoycing yea exceeding joy and rejoycing when they find the grave Secondly They rejoyce in it but why It was that which they had longed for that which they had long sought for if at another time they had bin shewed the grave or commanded into the grave they would have taken little pleasure in it The same thing inflicted or threatned by another is dreadfull to us which desired by our selves is pleasant and delightfull It pleaseth us to have our desire satisfied though the thing desired be never so unpleasant And to be eased of present evill makes a future evill appeare in the likenesse of a persent good For Joy is an affection of the mind arising from the apprehension of some present good even as hope springs from the apprehension of some good that is to come Further We may consider the issue of all these acts after they had longed for death and digged for death and found death presently upon the finding of it they rejoyce and rejoyce exceedingly Hence observe That which any one truely desireth and endeavoureth to find causeth him to rejoyce when he hath found it If you desire death and seek for the grave the finding of these will be to you as life and as a house of mirth How much more then shall we rejoyce having found good things the best things after earnest longing and digging for them When the wise Merchant had found the treasure hid in the field the next words enforme us of his joy Matth. 13.44 When the man after long seeking on the mountaines had found his lost Sheepe and the woman after lighting her candle and sweeping her house and diligent search had found the lost groat they both rejoyced and called in their neighbours and friends to rejoyce with them Luk. 15. It troubles a man to be found of that or him whom he hates or feares Hast thou found me O mine enemy saith Ahab to Eliah 1 King 21.20 And it cannot but delight us to find that or him whom we love and long for Have I found thee O my friend will such an one say And if a miserable man rejoyces exceedingly when desiring he finds death and a grave how will the soule leape for joy when we shall find him who is the longing and desire of all Nations Jesus Christ. How exceeding exceedingly will the soule rejoyce when we shall find what we have so much longed for not death but life and life not only in Christ but with Christ when we shall find not the house of the grave but a house of glory and glory in the height an exceeding excelling superexcellent weight of glory And by this effect we may make proofe of grace here If thou hast found Christ in ordinances in duties in meditation in prayer in the promises for here in these things the longing soule diggs after Christ joy will at one time or other fill thy heart yea thy heart will leape for joy thou wilt rejoyce in Spirit as Christ did in his Father Luk. 10.21 For this joy is a fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 and one of the first fruits And God seldome misses to give the soule a tast of this joy at the first or presently after conversion though afterwards clouds may
come over us or at leasâ— our light of joy not be so cleare Further If a man long after any truth and digs it how exceeding joyfull will he be when he can find that truth When a Philosopher had found out the resolution of a question in the Mathematicks he was so ravisht with it that he ran about crying â— have found it I have found it Surely the finding of one Divine truth which is the mind of Christ should affect us more then the compleate knowledge of all that is knowable or can be known in the whole course of nature Every truth is beautifull but thâ— truths of God are beauty Thus we may try our desires in all theiâ— pursuits by this issue of them joy in finding the things which wâ— pursue Lastly observe That as he doth rejoyce so this joy answers to thâ— desire in the degree of it Proportionable to our desires and endeavours in seeking are our joyes and comforts when we have found There is not only a joy but a proportionable joy the desire was very great and the endeavour was very great and now the joy come up to both that is very great too not only doe they rejoyce buâ— they rejoyce exceedingly they rejoyce so as they skip for joy That is I am sure it ought to be more apparant in our regulaâ— desires after things good for us then in our irregular desires after things which are hurtfull to us If that exceeding desire after death will produce exceeding joy in death then exceeding desire afteâ— life and spirituall good things will work exceeding joy when wâ— have found them desire is that which widens the vessell to takâ— in abundance of joy large desires after any thing open the hearâ— and inlarge the faculties to take in abundance of joy when we havâ— found the thing which we desire JOB 3. Ver. 23 24 25 26. Verse 23. Why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in For my sighing cometh before I eate and my roarings are powred out like the waters For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me and that which I was afraid of is come unto me I was not in safety neither had I rest neither was I quiet yet trouble came AT the 20th verse of this Chapter Job begins to expostulate concerning the continuance of his life and he casts his complaint into an argument which was formed to his purpose thus There is no reason or if there be shew me a reason why his life is continued that liveth miserably and would die willingly But I am the man who live miserably and would die willingly therefore why is light or life continued unto me The former part of this argument is contained in the 20 21 22 23. verses In which Job demonstrates that there is no reason or at least if there be a reason it is such as he could not make out why that man should have his life continued who lives in misery and is willing to die Three of those verses we have already finished and there remaineth the 23. which is a part of the same reason to be yet opened In this 23th verse he as it were repeates his argument He had said before Why is light given to him that is in misery c. and so he doth illustrate it in the two verses following In this 23th verse he re-inforceth what he had said in other words Why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in He doubleth his call for a reason or proofe of this thing Why is light given Those words are not here expressely in the Hebrew but they are supplied by our Translatours and by Translatours in other Languages from the 20th verse to make up the sense The Originall runs thus To a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in But the question is implied as in the former and here to be prefixed Why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in Mr. Broughton readeth it without the question Why is light given thus The Wight or man whose way is hid over whom the puissant casteth a covering To a man whose way is hid Job speakes not here of a way in a proper sense the way wherein men travaile and passe in their journeyes from place to place but the way is a way in a Metaphor And so in Scripture the way of a man is taken First for the purpose or intention of a man Secondly for the course and conversation of a man and that either for the course wherein we walke toward others or for the course wherein others walke toward us When it is said here Why is light given to a man whose way is hid the way is either the course wherein Job walked respecting God or the course which God tooke respecting Job Why is light given to a man whose way is hid The way of a man in his walking before God is two-fold First Internall Secondly Externall There is an internall an inward way which the soule treads in converse with God a secret path a path which no eye hath seene And then there is the outward way of walking That speech of God to Abraham takes in both Walke before me and be perfect that is converse and carry thy selfe uprightly before me in thy affections and in thy actions Now when Job saith his way was hid he meanes neither of these for though the internall way whether it be the way of sinne or the way of obedience be a path so secret as that it is alwayes hid from the eyes of men yet Job knew well enough that God saw even that way and therefore he could not complaine that his most secret way was hid from God Yea in another place he comforts himselfe with this that God knew the secret wayes of his heart For when his friends accuse him and charge him with hypocrisie he supports himselfe with this My witnesse is above and my record is in Heaven there is one there that knoweth the way the secret way of my spirit with him to be sincerity though you charge the way of my spirit with hypocrisie The soule hath many wayes of communion with God which are altogether hidden from the eye of man man cannot see or discerne the private passages betweene God and the spirit either when the soule approves it selfe to God or rejoyceth and exults in God And as concerning this way this inward way as Job knew that it was not hid from God so I conceive it did not trouble him that this way was hid from man As there are in God certaine Arcana Consilij secret mysteries and hidden wayes of counsell which he will not communicate to holy men so there are in holy men Arcana pietatis some secrets some mysteries of godlinesse which they doe not communicate to the world and therefore the complaint doth not lye in either of these respects The Church
made Jeremie enquire Why doth the way of the wicked prosper As if he had said If I could see the reason of it it would satisfie me but while thou keepest me in the darke and I can give no account to my owne soule or those that aske me of this thy dispensation to wicked men this is the burthen of my soule It is usually said They are happy who know the causes of things And in regard of the diseases of the body we say that a disease is halfe cured when the cause of it is discovered But when a Physition is in the darke and cannot find out the cause of a disease he must needs be in the darke for the remedy of it So it is also with a man in regard of any affliction when he cannot find out the cause he knoweth not what to pitch upon as a remedy When Rebekah Gen. 25.22 had twins in her wombe and they strugled together within her she was much troubled and nothing would satisfie her untill she went to God to know the reason of the thing Lord saith she why am I thus And when God had told her that two Nations were in her wombe and that two manner of people should be separated from her bowels she made no more complaints So when there are such strivings such struglings and contrary motions of trouble in us or about us the soule goes to God and enquires why is it thus Lord I am more troubled with the ignorance of my troubles then with the weight or smart of them Thirdly Take the words as respecting the issue or deliverance from trouble and they affoord us this observation That It is a great addition to an affliction not to see or discerne a way to escape or get out of affliction To be in an affliction out of which there appeares no passage unlesse the soule be mightily supported by the hand and power of Christ brings within a step of despaire The Apostle speakes as much when he saith 1 Cor. 10.13 There is no temptation hath taken hold of you but that which is common to man and then it followes but God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to beare it As if he should say If God did not indeed discover or make out to you some way of escaping I must needs say you were never able to beare it but saith he God will make a way for you to escape that ye may be able to beare it Meaning that the opening of this way would revive their spirits and then they would be able through the strength of Christ to beare it If so then how shall the soule beare an affliction when God instead of making a way to escape doth as it were make a hedge to stop all escape Therefore when the Lord would support his people in their troubles he promised that they should have a doore of hope opened to them I will give her the valley of Achor for a doore of hope Hos 2.15 He would give her some appearance some glimpses and openings of deliverance in and from their present dangers It is threatned Deut. 28.25 thou shalt come out one way against thine enemies and flie seven wayes before them they should flie many wayes but they should escape no way Thou shalt come out one one way and flie seven wayes that is thou shalt try this and that and every way to escape but thou shalt find a hedge at every wayes end to stop and hinder thy escape We use to say of a man in a distressed condition He is in a wood or in a wildernesse And when God entangles men in their own devises it is said He powreth contempt upon Princes and causeth them to wander in the wildernesse where there is no way Psalm 107.40 So Pharaoh said of the children of Israel they are entangled in the land the wildernesse hath shut them in Exod. 14.3 And when a people are as the children of Israel were having a a Sea before them an army behind them and Mountaines on either hand Then they may say as Job did their way is hid and God hath hedged them in For my sighing cometh before I eate and my roarings are powred out like water Here Job takes up the former proposition and applies it particularly to his own person Before he said only in the generall why is light given to him that is in misery and why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in Now he saith in effect it is thus with me I am a man in misery and I am a man whose way God hath hid and hedged in wherefore then is my life continued And he proves that he was in such a condition by the effects of it sighes and roarings So that this verse holds forth two things about Jobs sorrow First The continuance of it in those words My sighing comes before I eate Secondly The extremity of it in those My roarings are powred out c. The argument may be thus framed That man is in extreame and continuall misery who doth not so much breath as sigh who when he would speake is forced to roare But thus it is with me my sighing cometh before I eate and my roarings are powred out like water therefore my misery is extreame and continuall My sighing cometh before I eate In the Hebrew it is word for word thus before the face of my bread my sighings come Which Hebraisme before the face of my bread hath a great emphasis in it It notes the continuance of his sorrowes without any intermission When a thing is said to be before the face of another it notes an equall continuance with that before the face of which it is said to be As in the negative Exod. 20.3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me so we translate it the Hebrew is Thou shalt have no other gods before my face that is so long as I continue to be thy God thou shalt have no other god but I shall be thy God to all eternity therefore thou shalt have no other gods but me for ever So in the affirmative Psalm 72.5 where under the type of Solomons Kingdome the continuance of the Kingdome of Christ is prophecied the Holy Ghost saith It shall continue so long as the Sunne and Moone endureth the Hebrew is it shall continue before the face of the Sunne and of the Moone that is there shall be an equall duration of the Kingdome of Christ and of those lights of Heaven the Sun and the Moone The Kingdome of Christ shall last as long as the world shall last So then according to this sense before the face of my bread my sighings come is as if he had said looke how long I have my bread before me looke how much time I spend in eating so much time I spend in sighing my
they who rejoyce in soule would even willingly be rid of their bodies they are above the body So they who are bitter in soule are desirous to be ridde of their bodies the body is a burden when the soule is bitter This bitternesse of soule caused those bitter complaints before and now this vehement expostulation Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery Wherefore We are apt to thinke there is no reason for that for which we can see no reason Job was in a darke condition and could not see the reason and therefore almost concludes there was none When we are posed we thinke all the world is posed too If we cannot interpret and expound the dealings of God we thinke none can nay in such cases some are ready to thinke at least to speake as if they thought that God himselfe can scarce give a good account of them This wherefore goes through the earth and reaches Heaven Tell me O my friends shew me O my God Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery Why Job there may be many reasons many answers given to this wherefore a man should be in light though he be in misery and why his life should be continued though his soule be in bitternesse What if God should appeare and tell thee It shall be thus and the reason of it is because I will have it so Is not that therefore answer enough to any mans wherefore The will of God is reason enough for man and ought to be the most satisfying reason If God say I will have life remaine in a man that is bitter in soule that man should say Lord it is reason I should because it is thy pleasure though it be to my own trouble Yet it is but seldome that God makes his will his reason and answers by his bare preâ—â—gative He hath often given weighty reasons to this quaerie First The life of nature is continued that the life of grace may be encreased Again Such live in sufferings That they may learne obedience by the things which they suffer God teaches us by his workes as well as by his word his dealings speake to us And It is as great an act of holinesse to submit our selves to the will of God in his workes as it is to the will of God in his word Another reason of this wherefore may be this God sets up some as patternes to posterity he therefore gives the light of life to some that are in misery to shew that it is no new nor strange thing for his Saints to be darkenesse And what if God doth it to magnifie the strength of his own power in supporting and the sweetnesse of his mercy when he delivers such bitter soules Further observe first That The best things in this world may come to be burthens to us See here a man weary of light and life light one of the most excellent creatures that God made the most excellent next to life yea life the best the most excellent thing in nature both these become burthensome How gladly would Job have bin rid of light how gladly rid of his life Consider then how burthensome other things which at the best are burdens may be unto you If you heare a soule complaining of light and life and why are these given me when I am in misery Then what comfort thinke you will honour give you or what comfort will riches give you or what comfort will beauty give you in such a condition as makes you weary of light and life What comfort will sin give you what ease will your lusts give you in such a condition as makes you weary of light and life I never heard of any of the Saints that were troubled at any time with their grace or weary of the favour of God I never heard any of them say why is grace given to one that is in misery or the light of Gods countenance to the bitter in soule I never heard any say wherefore is faith given to a man that is in misery or hope and patience to the bitter in soule grace was never a burden to any man under greatest burdens or unsavoury to the bitterest soule when you are weary of all other things in the world these will be your supports Therefore labour after those things which you shall never be weary of even after those things which will be more pleasant to us then ever light was when light shall be to others more troublesome then ever darknesse was to any let us labour after those things which will be more sweet to us then ever life was when life shall be to others â—ore bitter then ever death was to any Secondly observe It is a trouble to possesse good things when we cannot injoy them Would you know how Job spake here as one weary of light and life It was not under the notion of light and life as if he had been weary of these in themselves but it was because he could not enjoy these Solomon assures us Prov. 25.20 that As hee that taketh away a garment in cold weather and as vineger upon Nitre so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart Musick to one that is in sorrow doubles his sorrow why because he cannot enjoy the musick a heavy heart can worse intend musick then a heavy eare only those things which we can injoy in the use of them please in the possessing of them Of all temporalls the possession and enjoyment may be separated but for spiritualls the very possession of them is joy therefore enjoyment their presence is a pleasure and therefore their presence shall ever please We may distinguish between their use and their comfort but we can never seperate them One thing further When Job saith Wherefore is light given and life given The meaning of it is wherefore is light continued and wherefore is life continued for he speakes of himselfe and others that had light and were alive and yet he saith wherefore is light given c. From this we may learne That Every act of continuance of good things to us is a new act or deed of gift to us Mercy is given every moment it is enjoyed not only is a new mercy and a renewed mercy a new gift but continued mercy is a gift and a new gift life is a new gift every houre of time we live on the earth and glory will be a new gift every minute of eternity we shall live in Heaven Which long for death and it cometh not and dig for it more then for hid treasures This 21. verse doth further explicate who are the bitter in soule even such as long for death when a soule from naturall principles finds a sweetnesse in death that soule is in bitternesse Our affliction and our misery is indeed worme-wood and gall as the Church complaines Lam. 2.19 when death is as honey and long'd for as the honey-combe There is bitternesse in the death of the body and yet some are so