of Leviathan in opposition to Israel Herod and Pilate once no good friends laid down all their animosities and cleaved close together like the scales of Leviathan to crucifie Christ and so have evil men in all ages to hinder the progress of his kingdome It is said Revel 17.12 13. of the ten horns which are there expounded to be ten Kings these have one mind They who seldome agree in their own affairs agree all in assisting the beast as 't is there said These have one mind and shall give their power and strength unto the beast The Scripture takes notice of this their union not as a good thing but as a strange thing that ten Kings of different nations of different interests and dispositions should agree in giving their power and strength that is their civil power the power of their kingdoms to the beast that is to uphold his kingdom which is doubtless the kingdom of Antichrist How may this shame those who profess a love to and themselves subjects of the kingdom of Christ for their divisions Godly men should cleave together as the scales of the Leviathan which cannot be sundred in that which is good And are not their differences and divisions their distances and breaches to be lamented which are so very great and wide that not only the thin circumambient air but gross circumventing bodies may come between them So far are they oftentimes from cleaving together in duty to God and man like the scales of Leviathan that they hang together as we say like ropes of sand The Evangelist Luke speaks of a time Acts 4.32 When all believers were like the scales of Leviathan Then the multitude of them that believed that is all they that believed were of one heart and of one soul Here they were not only joyned like the scales of the Leviathan but they were joyned as if they were all but one scale Godly men should carry it towards one another as members of the same body and acted by the same spirit They who have relation to those seven ones mentioned Ephes 4.4 5 9. should labour to be one should be found endeavouring as 't is there said ver 3. To keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace Further by way of allusion The lusts of carnal men in general are like the scales of Leviathan sticking so close to them and one to another that the Spirit of God in the Ministery of his word finds no passage between till he makes one yea hardness of heart obstinacy and impenitency are expressed by this word Lam. 3.65 Give them O Lord saith he hardness of heart thy curse unto them Give them sorrow of heart so our translation renders it The Hebrew is Give them a shield upon their heart The word is the very same which is here translated scales the scales of Leviathan being as so many shields so strong and thick that nothing can enter It is sad when we have scales on our eyes It was said of Saul when in that vision he was stricken blind that before he received his sight scales fell from his eyes Ananias being sent to him said Acts 9.17 Brother Saul the Lord even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest hath sent me that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the holy Ghost and immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales c. All men naturally have scales on their eyes It is sad to have a scale on the eye any thing that doth hinder the sight of spiritual things but how sad is it to have scales on the heart also To all impenitent persons their lusts are as so many scales and shields upon their hearts and they have so many scales upon their hearts and those such hard ones that nothing but an Almighty power can make entrance or impression None are in so much danger as they that are fenced and armed with these scales It is best for man to open a naked breast to receive every stroke which the sword of the Spirit the Word of God makes upon him JOB Chap. 41. Vers 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25. 18. By his neesings a light doth shine and his eyes are like the eye-lids of the morning 19. Out of his mouth go burning lamps and sparks of fire leap out 20. Out of his nostrils goeth smoak as out of a seething pot or caldron 21. His breath kindleth coals and a flame goeth out of his mouth 22. In his neck remaineth strength and sorrow is turned into joy before him 23. The flakes of his flesh are joyned together they are firm in themselves they cannot be moved 24. His heart is as firm as a stone yea as hard as a piece of the nether mill-stone 25. When he raiseth up himself the mighty are afraid by reason of breakings they purifie themselves IN the former context the Lord spake of the covering or skin of the jaws and teeth of the face and scales of this Leviathan In this he proceeds yet further to draw out the description of this vast creature First By his strong neesings vers 18. Secondly By his shining eyes in the latter part of that 18th verse Thirdly By his flaming mouth vers 19. Fourthly By his smoaking nostrils vers 20. Fifthly By his fiery breath vers 21. Sixthly By his stiff neck vers 22. Seventhly By the firmnness of his flesh vers 23. Eighthly By the firmness and hardness of his heart vers 24. Ninthly By a twofold effect of all these even upon the mightiest of the sons of men when he appears to them or when they behold him in his motions First He makes them afraid vers 25. Secondly He causeth them to purifie themselves in the close of that verse In these particulars we have a prospect of the whole context I shall but lightly touch at the most of them and a little insist upon the last which we shall find most useful for instruction and admonition The four first verses hold out upon the matter the same thing Est frementis irascentisque oeti descriptio Bold namely the fierce and furious spirit of Leviathan discovered in his neesings eyes mouth nostrils breath all which are expressed by elegant metaphors alluding to or by comparisons made with light and fire with lamps and sparks with smoak and flame Vers 18. By his neesings a light doth shine The first thing described in the former context Sternutatio efficitur ex subtili vapore incluso in ventriculis cerebri conante natura vehementius expelre expurgare Galen l. 2. de sympt causis c. 2 3. Inter orandum bonum est signum sternutare Sernutamentum bonum est signum aegroto Dicta Rabbinorum Merc. was Leviathans terrible head the first in this is the power of his brain Naturalists teach us that neesing is caused by the thin and subtile vapours included in the ventricles of the brain which nature striving to expel and put forth causeth that which we
generation lying upon his death-bed a friend asked him whether the light shining into the room did not offend him he answâ—red Hic sat lucis Oecolampadius putting his hand upon his heart Here I have light enough The heart of a godly man is the house of spiritual light there he hath and holds the light of divine knowledge about the things of the Gospel and the light of divine comfort arising from that knowledge It is also reported of Mr. Deering our Countrey-man that in his last sickness and towards his end being set upright in his bed for his ease a friend requested him that he would speak something for the edification and comfort of those about him Whereupon the Sun shining in his face he took occasion to speak thus There is but one Sun in the world and there is but one Sun of righteousness which graciously shineth upon me speaking further he concluded thus I bless God I have so much light of joy and comfort in my soul that were it put to my wish or choice I had rather a thousand times die than live As the hearts of these worthies were the dwelling place of light so is the heart of every godly person in his measure and degree the light of knowledge and of joy abide there The Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4.6 God who commanded light to shine out of darkness hath shined into our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ And where that shine of God gives the light of knowledge the light of comfort cannot be withheld unless it be for a season that the soul may rejoyce the more in the end and at last without end For Lastly There is an eternal light the light of Glory and that hath a certain dwelling place that light dwelleth alwayes in heaven and the Saints at rest in heaven dwell alwayes in that light Eternal glory is called the inheritance of the saints in light Col. 1.12 Again Spiritual darkness hath its place and we should labour to know the place of that darkness to avoid it Ignorance is spiritual darkness and that dwells in the heart of every man by nature All that continue in that sad condition have their understanding darkened through the ignorance that is in them Eph. 4.18 and they who now are in the light were once in the dark yea they were darkness Eph. 5.8 Let it also be remembred in whomsoever this darkness of sin and ignorance abides they must abide under the darkness of wrath and judgement for ever The place where that darkness dwells is hell and there outer darkness as 't is often called in the Gospel dwells even such darkness as wherein the damned are not onely out of the possession of the least ray or glimmering of light but without any hope or expectation of it Hell is quite beyond the bound or boundaries of light there 's darkness and thick darkness nothing but darkness Thus we see light and darkness have their places natural light and darkness have theirs and so have spiritual and eternal light and darkness Secondly From the scope of these two verses Observe It is God who disposeth and ordereth light and darkness The question was put to Job whether he had disposed of them but he could not assume to himself that he had taken or laid the light to the bound thereof or knew the paths to the house thereof Light and darkness are at the dispose and under the command of God alone And as the work or power of God is wonderful in the dispose of natural light and darkness so 't is much more wonness in the dispose of civil spiritual and eternal light and darkderful these the Lord taketh to their bound and knoweth the paths to their house I form light and create darkness saith the Lord Isa 45.7 What light and darkness doth the Lord there speak of Surely of civil light and darkness as the next words import I make peace and create evil I make and create them I also direct and appoint them whither to go whether to a Nation or to a man only whether to this or that man or Nation Darkness is of me as truly as light And that not only civil but spiritual and eternal light and darkness are at Gods dispose is as evident from the Scriptures of truth Some lands may be called lands of light like Goshen others like Egypt under that three days plague may be called lands of darkness Of such lands that complaint is made Psal 74.20 The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty All places of the earth full of ignorance not knowing God of atheisme not acknowledging God of idolatry worshipping false gods or the true God â—alsly may be called lands of darkness or the dark places of the earth Now as the Lord maketh one land a place of spiritual light so he leaveth another to be a place of darkness And he often maketh changes from darkness to light that 's mercy and from light to darkness that 's wrath in the same lands Some lands which had sate in darkness for ages and generations the Lord hath visited with Gospel light and some lands which for ages and generations had that light are now laid in darkness How sad a witness of this are the anciently famous seats of the Asian and African Churches now under Mahometan power And further as the Lord disposeth that outward spiritual light and darkness giving the knowledge of the Gospel to or taking it away from Nations as he pleaseth so he dispoâ—eth inward light or darkness to every soul Some gracious souls walk in the light of Gods countenance and under the sweet shinings of his face every day others who also as the Prophet speaks Isa 50.10 Fear the Lord and obey the voice of his servants walk in darkness and see no light Now whence cometh this difference Is it not of the Lord who hath the command of our joys and of our sorrows and who appoints this kind of light and darkness their several and special places according to the soveraignty of his own Will From all that hath been said we may draw down this conclusion which the Lord did chiefly aim at in dealing with Job That we are to own and acknowledge the hand of God in every condition be it light or be it darkness be it joy or be it sorrow 't is all of God There is nothing which concerns either the comfort or trouble of man but comes forth from God and is ordered by him like as in all ages and revolutions of time light and darkness have held their course and kept their place according to his institution and direction Job was in darkness both as to his outward and inward estate his body was pained his soul was grieved anguish â—â—llâ—d 〈◊〉 spirit and God would have him see know and acknowledge his hand in all As if he had said Thou canst no more dispose the peace
that service commanded them by the Lord Jehoiakim was angry and sent to take them but saith the Text The Lord hid them So the Lord moved Obadiah to hide his Prophets by fifty in a cave from the wrath of Ahab and Jezebel 1 King 18. Now as the Lord keeps his servants by hiding them from those who are enraged against them so Secondly By meekning their spirits as he doth the Elephants towards the beasts of the field shewing them much kindness and suffering them in a sort to play before them that is to enjoy great tranquility The Psalmist saith it was the Lord who turned the heart of the Egyptians to hate his people and to deal subtilly with his servants Psal 105.25 And 't is doubtless of the Lord that any shew them favour and deal kindly with them Again from these words Where all the beasts of the field play Note Secondly A playing life is the life of a beast All beasts would live so wilde beasts do live so As it is said of the Leviathan in the Sea Psal 104.26 There go the Ships there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein A life of play is a beastial life It is said Zach. 8.5 in a way of promise That boyes and girles should play in the streets but men and women must work it were a shame to describe them playing The life of man is not a playing life but a labouring life How beast-like do they live who as it is said of the people of Israel Exod. 38.6 Eat and drink and rise up to play that 's just like a beast feed on the mountains and then play upon the mountains Let us follow Solomons councel Eccles 9.10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with all thy might We have seen Behemoth feeding let us now see him lodging and reposing himself Vers 21 22. He lieth under the shady trees in the covert of the reed and fens the shady trees cover him with their shadow the willows of the brook compass him about These two verses hold forth the manner of Behemoths repose how and where he takes his ease He lieth under the shady trees c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et cubo dormio saepius cubo nam dormio potius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitur Drus Some of the Jewish Rabbins read these two verses with an interrogation Negative thus Doth he lie under the shady trees in the covert of the reeds do the shady trees cover him with their shadows or the willows compass him about Implying that Behemoth is so vast a creature that he can hardly find trees to shadow him or willows of the brook to compass him about But though Behemoth be a great and tall beast yet I nothing doubt but there are trees in and about the places which he frequents great and tall enough to shadow him from the Sun when he stands upright yea and reeds of a sufficient height to be a covert to him when he lieth down And therefore as it was an over boldness in those Rabbins to put an interrogation where they found none so there is no need that an interrogation should either be found or put there Indeed Bochartus who judgeth reeds much too low to make a covert for the Elephant tells us out of Aelian That Elephants go by very great trees as we by standing corn and that some of them they are taller than trees Which I conceive Aelian l. 7. c. 6. can be understood no other way than by a high strain of Rhetorick But suppose it true in plain and proper sense yet this gives the learned Bochartus no advantage to which end he alleadgeth that of Aelian for the accommodating of this part of the description of Behemoth to the Hippopotame rather than the Elephant because he tells us from several Authors first Bochartus part poster l. 5. c. 15. p. 755. that the Hippopotame is not only three times bigger than the horse but secondly that he is of equal ability with the Elephant and for the most part greater Whence it is saith he that some Writers compare the Hippopotame with the Elephant both in strength and stature or prefer him before the Elephant which reports saith he although they be a little stretcht yet 't is manifest that the Hippopotame comes behind few animals either in bigness or stature that is tallness of body And if so then the Reeds of the Fen fit him as ill for a covert as the Elephant yet I am enough satisfied that they may very well fit either of them And though the Elephant usually sleepeth standing and rarely lyeth down to sleep yet which is not denied he if sometimes or at any time lyeth down to sleep 't is sufficient to answer the purpose of this Text which saith vers 21. He lyeth under the shady trees in the covert of the Reeds and Fens And Vers 22. The shady trees cover him with their shadow the willows of the brook compass him about 'T is usual with and even natural to cattel of all sorts Sicut aquas odere cupressi Juglandes castoneae ita non nisi in aquot sis proveniunt salices alni popali Plin. l. 16. c. 18. Elephas amat amnes quamvis fluviatile non sit tamen riparium dici potest Arist l. 9. c. 46. to seek shelter under shady trees when the fiery heat of the Sun offends them and as Behemoth seeks out any sort of shady trees so it seems he hath a peculiar delight in and possibly a phancy to The willows of the brook Willows are so called because they mostly grow near to brooks and always prosper best in marish or moorish-grounds Some trees will not grow in watery places such are the Cypress and Chest-nut-trees others will not grow well any where else such are the Aldar and the Poplar trees Willows especially Willows love brooks and Elephants love both brooks and Willows if those ancient Natural Historians mentioned in the Margen mis-report them not Elephantes gaudent amnibus manimè circa fluvios vagantur cum alioquin nare propter magnitudinem corporis non pâ—ssunt Plin. l. 8. c. 10. The Elephant saith one of them loveth rivers and though he be not a river Animal yet he may be called a river-side or river-bank Animal and saith the other Elephants are greatly pleased with rivers and wander much about streams of water though they cannot swim by reason of the greatness of their bodies That is I confess a rare notion and singularly subservient to his opinion that Behemoth is the Hippopotame which the learned Author so often already mentioned gives us namely that by the word rendred brook we are here to understand the river Nilus in Egypt And therefore he translates the Text not as we The Willows of the Brook but The Willows of Nilus compass him about And that the Hebrew word Nahal signifieth Nilus he puts beyond contradiction by quoting many express places of Scripture where it
found matters mending with himself and the answers of prayer in the mercies of God coming tumbling in thick and three-fold His captivity fled far away when he had thus drawn near to God he had as a very full and satisfactory so a very speedy answer When he prayed Prayer is the making known our wants and desires to God It is a spiritual work not a meer bodily exercise it is the labour of the heart not lip-labour Jobs prayer was a fervent working or effectual prayer as the Apostle James speaks chap. 5.16 not a cold slothful sleepy prayer when he prayed he made work of prayer Many speak words of prayer that make no work of prayer nor are they at work in prayer Job prayed in the same sense that Saul afterwards Paul did Acts. 9.11 when the Lord Jesus bid Ananias go to him for Behold he prayeth implying that he was at it indeed He had been brought up after the strictest rule of the Pharisees who prayed much or made many prayers but he prayed to so little purpose before that we may well call that his first prayer and say he had never prayed before Job prayed for his friends as Paul for himself he was very earnest with God for them and prevailed Extraordinary cases call for extraordinary layings out in duty It was an extraordinary case When he prayed For his friends The Hebrew is When he prayed for his friend Singulare partitivum pro plurali Merc. It is usual in the Grammar of the holy Text to put the singular for the plural 'T is so here either First because he prayed for every one of them distinctly and by name or Secondly because he looked upon them all as one and bound them up in the same requests When he prayed For his friends They are called his friends to shew the esteem that he had of them notwithstanding all their unkindness and unfriendliness towards him He prayed for them in much love O raram singularem virtutem quae in paucissimis vel Christianis reperiatur Merc. though they had shewed little love to him and his heart was so much towards them that the Text speaks as if he had forgot himself or left himself at that time quite out of his prayers Doubtless Job prayed for himself but his great business at that time with God was for his friends Now in that Jobs prayer is said expresly to be for his friends not for himself though we cannot doubt but that he prayed and prayed much for himself Observe A godly man is free to pray for others as well as for himself and in some cases or at some times more for others than for himself He seldom drives this blessed trade with heaven for self only and he sometimes doth it upon the alone account of others 'T is a great piece of spiritualness to walk exactly and keep in with God to the utmost that so our own personal soul concerns may not take up our whole time in prayer but that we may have a freedom of spirit to inlarge for the benefit of others Many by their uneven walkings exceedingly hinder themselves in this duty of praying for friends and of praying for the whole Church Uneven walkings hinder that duty in a twofold respect First Because they indispose the heart to prayer in general which is one special reason why the Apostle Peter gives that counsel to Husband and Wife 1 Pet. 3.7 to walk according to knowledge and as being heirs together of the same grace of life that saith he your prayers be not hindred that is lest your hearts be indisposed to prayer Secondly Because uneven walkings will find us so much work for our selves in prayer that we shall scarce have time or leisure to intend or sue out the benefit of others in prayer He that watcheth over his own heart and wayes will be and do most in prayer for others And that First For the removing or preventing of the sorrows and sufferings of others Secondly For the removing of the sins of others yea though their sins have been against himself which was Jobs case He prayed for those who had dealt very hardly with him and sinned against God in doing so he prayed for the pardon of their sin God being very angry with them and having told them he would deal with them according to their folly unless they made Job their friend to him This was the occasion of Jobs travelling in prayer for his friends and in this he shewed a spirit becoming the Gospel though he lived not in the clear light of it And how uncomely is it that any should live less in the power of the Gospel while they live more in the light of it To pray much for others especially for those who have wronged and grieved us hath much of the power of the Gospel and of the Spirit of Christ in it For thus Jesus Christ while he was nailed to the Cross prayed for the pardon of their sins and out-rages who had crucified him Father forgive them for they know not what they do Luke 23.34 Even while his crucifiers were reviling him he was begging for them and beseeching his Father that he would shew them mercy who had shewed him no mercy no nor done him common justice And thus in his measure Jobs heart was carryed out in his prayer for his friends that those sins of theirs might be forgiven them by which they had much wronged him yea and derided him in a sort upon his Cross as the Jews did Christ upon his This also was the frame of Davids heart towards those that had injured him Psal 109.4 For my love they are my adversaries that 's an ill requital but how did he requite them we may take his own word for it he tells us how but I give my self unto prayer yea he seemed a man wholly given unto prayer The elegant conciseness of the Hebrew is But I prayer we supply it thus But I give my self unto prayer They are sinning against me requiting my love with hatred But I give my self unto prayer But for whom did he pray doubtless he prayed and prayed much for himself he prayed also for them We may understand those words I give my self unto prayer two wayes First I pray against their plots and evil dealings with me prayer was Davids best strength alwayes against his enemies yet that was not all But Secondly I give my self to prayer that the Lord would pardon their sin and turn their hearts when they are doing me mischief or though they have done me mischief I am wishing them the best good David in another place shewed what a spirit of charity he was cloathed with when no reproof could hinder him from praying for others in some good men reproofs stir up passion not prayer Psal 141.5 Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindness smite me how with reproof so it followeth Let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oyl which shall not break my
Thess 5.11 Comfort your selves together and edifie one another And at the 14th vers Now we exhort you brethren warn them that are unruly comfort the feeble minded support the weak The weak in the latter words are the same with the feeble in the former and the support spoken of in the one is nothing else but the comfort spoken of in the other Comfort to a feeble mind is like a prop or a pillar to a feeble building the supporter of it And because it is so important a work to comfort feeble minds I shall briefly name some special cases wherein the mind of man is feeble and then hint what word of comfort is most proper for its support in each case First If the mind be infeebled by outward wants apply that comfortable Scripture Mat. 6.32 33. Your father knoweth that ye have need of those things which if received by faith will give the mind great support in that case Secondly In case of the loss or death of friends the Apostle hath put words into our mouths for the comforting of such 1 Thess 4.13 chiefly these two ways First By remembring that their friends are only asleep in Jesus or gone to sleep in the bosome of Jesus Secondly That they shall be raised again at the coming of Jesus Thirdly In case of suffering and persecution read comfort and support Mat. 5.11 12 13. 1 Pet. 4.12 13 14. Fourthly In case of bodily sickness or any chastenings from the hand of God we have a store or treasure of comforting words Heb. 12. from the 5. to the 14th verse Fifthly In case of desertion or Gods hiding his face take comfort from Isa 50.10 Isa 54.7 8. Sixthly When any are under the sence of divine wrath for sin they may take comfort by meditating all those Scriptures which hold out the free grace of God to sinners and the full satisfaction which Christ hath made for sin to the justice of God and so for deliverance from the wrath which is to come 1 Thess 1.10 These are the principal cases wherein we need a comforter and most of these if not all met in Jobs case He was poor and had lost all that was the first case his children were dead that was the second he was persecuted vexed and reproached that was a third he was sick and weak in body that was a fourth he was under grievous desertions that was a fifth he was also under the sence of wrath the arrows of the Almighty drunk up his spirits All these evils God brought upon him and some of them in the highest degree and though he were then got out of them all yet as was said before being got but a little way out of them he needed comfort and therefore his new-come old friends and acquaintance bemoaned and comforted him as a man newly come out of great affliction And we should be much in this duty of comforting others upon these considerations First Comfort upholds the soul when burdened or weakned from sinking Secondly Comfort quiets the soul when tost up and down as with a tempest comforts wisely and seasonably ministred will make a great calm Comfort is the repose and rest of the soul Thirdly Comfort quickens and revives the soul when dying away with sorrow comforts are cordials For which cause we faint not 2 Cor. 4.16 And what the cause was which kept them from fainting we may find both in the verse going before in those words All things are for your sakes vers 15. or in the verse following Our light affliction c. ver 17. Comforts either prevent and keep us from qualms and swoonings or bring us out of them again Give wine to him that is of a heavy heart let him drink and forget his sorrow Prov. 30.6 7. Give him this wine of comfort and it will renew his spirit more than wine Fourthly Comfort confirms and establisheth the soul when we are ready to let go our hold The Apostle sent Timotheus to establish and comfort the Thessalonians concerning their faith 1 Epist 3.2 that is to establish them in the faith both in the doctrine and grace of faith by comforting them Jobs friends might see cause of comforting him upon many considerations possibly upon most of these The Text saith only They comforted him Over all the evil which the Lord had brought upon him The plaister was as broad as the soar or they administred as many plaisters as there was soars They comforted him over all the evil c. This directs us to a great point of holy prudence in comforting the sorrowful even to comfort them in or about every thing which hath been an occasion of their sorrow When we are to stop the holes of a leaking vessel if we stop three or four and leave but one we indanger all the liquor in the vessel you were as good stop none at all as not stop all so it is in this case therefore see how wisely Jobs friends carried it They comforted him over all the evil Which the Lord had brought upon him And all that was the evil of suffering The Lord is the bringer of such evils upon all that suffer them even upon his dearest and most faithful servants those evils come from him who is only good and altogether good The Lord takes these evils to himself I create evil Isa 45.7 and faith the Prophet Amos 3.6 Shall there be evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it As the Lord owns these kind of evils so we honour God in acknowledging him the Author of them Our crosses are of God as well as our comforts our poverty as well as our riches our sickness as well as our health This point hath occurred more than once from other passages in this Book and therefore I shall adde no more now This was the third labour of love which the brethren of Job bestowed upon him They comforted him over all the evil which the the Lord had brought upon him Yet this was not all they did not only bestow a mouthful of good words upon him I speak not lightly of good words they are a weighty piece of charity Good words are much better as was toucht before than gold and silver and may be much more beneficial and useful to the receiver than thousands of gold and silver Yet I say Jobs friends did not only bestow a mouthful of good words upon him for the removal of his inward grief but they brought their handsful of good things to bestow upon him for the making up of his outward losses and this was the fourth act or office of love which they did him as it followeth Every man also gave him a piece of money and every one an ear-ring of gold Here was real kindness as well as verbal Though good words as was said be a great charity yet 't is no charity to give nothing but good words where more is needed unless this be our case that indeed we have nothing more to give The