God made two great lights the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night he made the starres also and God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth God in Creation did with the light as he did with the waters which being made were divided the waters above the firmament were divided from the waters under the firmament and the waters under the heaven he gathered together into one place Gen. 1.9 God prepared a certaine great vessell into which the waters were called and gathered that they should not spread over the earth as they did at first which gathering together of the waters God called Seas Gen. 1.10 Thus the light which was spread and scattered through the ayre over all the earth God gathered into severall vessells Pulchritudo es ornamenta coeloruÌ„ stellae sunt sicut terrae animantia et plantae Sanct and the gathering together of light he called Sunne Moone Starrs which are as Job here calleth them the garnishing of the heavens Moses epitomiseth or briefly summs up his larger narrative of the Creation in these words Gen 2.1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them that is they were finished not onely as to their essentials but ornamentalls not only was the foundation layd the walls and pillars the beames and rafters of that goodly structure set up and perfected but all the furniture of it was brought in and the beautyes of it compleated Now as gemms minerals plants trees and all living creatures are the Garnishing of the Earth and the host of God there so the Sunne Moone and Starrs are the garnishing of heaven and the host of God there David speaketh of these distinctly Psal 33.6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth All creatures whether placed in heaven or earth are for their number their strength their order their readynes at a call or command the host of God Earthly Princes shew their power in their hosts and armyes of what power God is both his acts and his hosts aboundantly declare And as these creatures are the armyes or host of God in heaven and earth so they are the Adornings and Garnishings of heaven and earth Job in this place speaketh onely of the former By his Spirit he hath Garnished the Heavens Onely here take notice that some expound the word Spirit for the winde which bloweth in the ayre and so render the text thus By his winde hee garnisheth the heavens As if this were Jobs meaning that God sending forth the windes dispelleth and scattereth those clouds foggs and mists which often cover the face of the heavens and hinder our beholding their glory and garnishings According to this interpretation the garnishing of the heavens is nothing else but the removing of that which obscureth the Garnishing of them And it is true that when the heavens are maskt over with clouds and darknesse God by the winds cleareth the ayre and so reneweth the face of those heavenly bodyes But I passe by this and shall onely insist upon the former exposition of these words as being more sutable with Jobs scope and more expressive of the power and Glory of God in the great things which he hath wrought for us By his Spirit hee garnisheth the heavens Hence learne First We ought joyntly to acknowledge and give glory to the Father Son and Spirit in the worke of Creation Solomon in his advice to the young man sayth Eccl 12.1 Remember thy creators in the dayes of thy youth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 creatorum tuorum Mysterâ—um Sanctae Trinitatis Pisc Wee translate in the singular number creator but the Hebrew is plural Creators intimating the mystery of the Holy Trinity as Moses also is conceaved to doe in that plural expression Gen 1.26 And God sayd let us make man in our image after our likenes And though this be added in a way of Eminency when the particular creation of man is set downe yet we are to understand it so generally of the whole worke of Creation and as of the worke of Creation so of all other divine workes towards the creature Redemption is the worke of the Father and of the Spirit as wel as of the Son and sanctification is the worke of the Father and of the Son as wel as of the Spirit The three persons worke together onely they have a distinct manner of working according to which each worke is chiefely attributed to that person and so creation is specially appropriated to the Father Redemption to the Son and Sanctification to the Holy Ghost Seing then all Three worke together in all things towards us All three ought to be equally and eternally honoured worshipped loved and obeyed by us By his Spirit he hath garnished the Heavens Secondly Observe The heavens are full of beauty God hath not onely made them but adorn'd them What a rich and Royall Canopy hath God hung over the heads of poore wormes dust and ashes God did not thinke it enough to give us a house unlesse he gave us also a pleasant house he was not satisfied in setting up a large fabricke for us unlesse he also furnished and garnished it for us God hath made the world not onely usefull but contentfull to us he hath fitted it not onely for our necessity but delight The earth is beautifull but the heavens exceed in beauty The heavens are the Ceiling of our house and the Starres are like Golden studs and sparkling Diamonds in that Ceiling We may inferre three things from the Garnishing of these heavens First If the heavens which we see are so glorious what are the heavens which no eye hath seene If God hath thus discernably adorned the first and second heavens how unconceaveable are the ornaments of the third heavens If nature hath so much beauty in it how beâ—utifull a thing is Glory If God hath prepared such heavens as our eyes see for those who hate him then surely eye hath not seene eare hath not heard nor hath it entred into the heart of man to understand what those heavens are which God hath prepared for them and for them alone who love him The light of these visible heavens is but darkenes to that inheritance of the Saints in light The Moone-light if I may so speake of that state shall be better and more illustrious then the Sun-light of this and the light of the Sunne shall be sevenfold as the light of seven dayes in that Great day when the Lord shall perfectly bind up All the breaches of his people and heale the stroake of their wound God who by his Spirit hath garnished these heavens will be himselfe with his Son and Spirit the eternal Garnishing of those heavens Secondly Seing God hath been so bountifull and munificent as to Garnish the heavens for us even for us by his Spirit seing he hath provided such
in man to desire God to strike through his pride and it is a great act of mercy to man when God doth so The more God smiteth our sins the more he declares his love to and his care of our soules The remainders of pride in the Saints shall be smitten through but sinners who remaine in their pride shall be smitten through themselves God whose power and understanding are made known by smiting through the proud waves of the Sea will at last make his Justice and his holynes knowne by smiting through the proud hearts of men or rather men of proud hearts Proud men strike at God yea kicke against him no wonder then if he strike and kicke them All the sufferings of Christ are wrapt up under that one word His humiliation implying that as he was smitten for all our sins so most of all for our pride That man whose pride is not smitten to death or mortifyed by the death of Christ shall surely be smitten to death even to eternall death for his pride As God understandeth thoroughly who are proud so by his understanding he will smite through the proud JOB CHAP. 26. Vers 13 14. By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens his hand hath formed the crooked Serpent Lo these are parts of his wayes but how little a portion is heard of him but the thunder of his power who can understand JOB hath given us a particular of many illustrious works of God what he doth in the depths below Et ut in opere ipsius pulcherrimo desinam hic ille est qui coelos illa enarrabili pulchritudine exornavit spherae illae suis giris undique coelos serpeÌ„tium instar percurreÌ„tes sunt opus manibus ipsius tornatum Bez and what in the hights above in this verse he gives another instance and that a very choyce one upon the same subject As if he had sayd After all this large discourse which I have made of the workes of God I will conclude with that which is the most remarkeable peice of them all This is he who hath adorn'd the heavens with that unutterable beauty wherewith they shine and the spheares which wind and turne round about the heavens like Serpents are smoothed and polished by his hand Vers 13. By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens The Spirit of God is taken two wayes in Scripture First q. d. visua voluntate ut nomen spiritus saepius in scriptura usurpatur sed malo ipsum dei spiritum almum accipere quo omnia deus fecit Merc for the power of God Secondly and so here for God the power as distinct from the Father and the Son By whom God wrought all things in the creation of the world Gen 1.2 The Earth was without forme and voyd and darkenes was upon the face of the deepe and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters It is a rule in Divinity That the external workes of the Trinity are undevided and so the Three Persons concurred in the making of the world God the Father created and is called Father in Scripture not onely in relation to the Eternall ineffable Generation of God the Son but also in reference to the production of the creature God the Son or the Eternal Word created Joh. 1.1 2 3. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God All things were made by him and without him was nothing made that was made God the Spirit or Holy-Ghost he likewise created and He onely is mentioned by Moses distinctly or by name as the Agent in the original constitution of all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non simplicem motionem denotat sed qualem columba perficit cum evis ad excludendum pullos incubat Rab Selom Verbum â—ranslatum ab avibus pullitiei suae incubantibus Jun. And the Hebrew word rendred in our translatioÌ„ moved the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters by which the Agency of the Spirit in that Great worke is expressed caryeth in it a very accurate significancy of that formative vertue or power which the Spirit put forth about it For it is a metaphor taken from birds who sit upon their eggs to hatch and bring forth their young ones and so importeth the effectual working of the Spirit whereby that confused masse or heape was drawne out and formed up into those severall creatures specifyed by Moses in the Historie of the Creation Among which we find the Garnishing of the heavens spoken of here by Job is reported by Moses for the worke of the fourth day Further we may consider the heavens first in their matter and being secondly in their beauty and ornaments Job speakes of the latter By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adornavit decoravit pulchrè fecit God hath not onely created but pollished and as it were painted or embroydered the heavens The originall word implyeth the making of them beautifull contentfull and pleasant unto the eye this is the Lords worke And therefore as the whole world because of the excellent order and beauty of it is exprest in the Greeke by a word that signifies beautifull 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so some parts of the world have a speciall beauty and lustre put upon them beyond the rest The heavens are not like a plaine garment as we say without welt or guard but they are laced and trimmed they are enamel'd and spangled they glister and sparkle in our eyes with rayes and beames of light By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens If it be asked what is this garnishing of the heavens I answer the setting or placing in of those excellent lights Sunne Moone and Starres in the heavens are the garnishing of them Light is beautifull and the more light any thing hath the more beauty it hath Precious stones have much light in them those lights the Starres are as so many stones of beauty and glory set or moving in the heavens Light as diffused and shed abroad in the ayre is exceeding delightfull and beautifull but light as it is contracted and drawne together into the Sunne Moone and Starres is farre more beautifull light in the ayre pleaseth the eye but light in the Sunne conquers and dazzel's the eye by the excessive beauty and brightnesse of it In the first day of the Creation God sayd Let there be light and there was light but in the fourth day he sayd let there be lights that is let there be severall vessells to receave hold and containe light and then to issue it out among the inhabitants of the earth Gen. 1.14 And God sayd let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night and let them be for signes and for seasons and for dayes and for yeares and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth and it was so And
whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof Secondly In this we see the honour which God puts upon Godly men What can be greater then this to be really though perhaps farre from being accounted so the Deliverers and Saviours of their Country What an honour was it to Abraham when God told a King that he was beholding to Abraham for his life or that favour must be granted to him at the suite and as it were sent him by the hand of Abraham Gen. 20.7 Hee shall pray for thee and thou shalt live An honour much like this God put upon Job also at the latter end of this Booke Chap. 42.8 My servant Job shall pray for you for him will I accept lest I deale with you after your folly Such Honour in some degree have all the Saints Thirdly Let men honour those whom God honours thus and let the Princes and Powers of the world be glad when they heare that they have many such in their Dominions When such are subject to them as rule with God It is sayd of Zerxes the Greatest Monarch in the world in his time that when Themistocles came over to him who was a man eminent for wisdome and Eloquence that being over-joyed at such a treasure he cryed out in his sleepe I have got Themistocles the Athenian Spirituall wisdome renders men a Greater treasure to States then moral wisdome can Surely then they who are spiritually wise deserve to be rejoyced in I am sure it is not safe to let them be discouraged by whom our safety is established much lesse is it safe to let them fall by whom in their capacity kingdomes stand least of all is it safe to cast them downe who by the rule of divine politicks are State-upholders Therefore let me say this to all the powers of this world doe not destroy those who have the priviledge to be Saviours and deliverers Yea Take heed of deading and straitning their spirits in prayer for you above all take heed of turning their prayers against you Doe not provoke your owne Horsemen to fight against you and your owne Chariot-wheeles to run over you As these are the best friends to a Nation so the worst enemies Better have many outwardly opposing you then one upon just ground secretly praying or but complaining to God against you They who have no power at all in their hands no not so much as to helpe or save themselves may yet destroy many by the purenes of their hands that is they holding up pure hands in prayer may bring downe destruction upon many who are wicked and the adversaries of Christ because their adversaries But that which they mostly doe and that which they worst of all desire to doe is That Lands and Islands may be delivered by the purenes of their hands To shut up this poynt and Chapter we see that as the Saints are killed all the day long by the wicked world for the Lords sake Rom. 8.36 that is because they owne the Lord and his wayes so the wicked of the world are spared even all the day long or as often as they are spared by the Lord for the sake of the Saints that is because the Lord ownes and approves them and their wayes and doth therefore give peace to the world that so in their peace they also may have peace JOB CHAP. 23. Vers 1 2. Then Job answered and said Even to day is my complaint bitter my stroake is heavier then my groaning IN the former Chapter we had the third last charge of Eliphaz against Job in this and that which followeth Job makes his reply and defends himselfe against what Eliphaz had objected and charged upon him There are two opinions concerning the tendency of this reply First Some interpret it in favour of Job as if he onely summoned his friends to the tribunall of God being confident of a good issue there Secondly Others enterpret it as a presumptuous suggestion against God himselfe and the strictnesse of his proceedings with him which they endeavour to prove upon as they conceive these foure grounds of his complaint First Because he complained that his afflictions were beyond all his complaints and that what he had sayd was but little to what he felt or to the greatnesse of his sorrow ver 1 2. Eveâ—â—o day is my complaint bitter my stroake is heavier then my groaning These words are conceived to cary in them at least an intimation that Job thought himselfe too hardly dealt with or that there was no just cause why he should be prosecuted and proceeded against with so much severity by the continued and renewed stroakes of God upon him And indeed it cannot be denyed That he whosoever he is is justly judged as over-bold with God who judgeth any of the dealings of God with himselfe or with any other man over-severe But wee shall finde that though Job complained often that his sorrows as to him were exceeding great yet he never complained that as to God they were unjust Secondly Say they because he complained that he could not get admittance unto God nor audience with him which was a further aggravation of his sorrow This he prosecutes from the third verse to the end of the ninth O that I knew where I might finde him that I might come even to his seate I would order my cause before him and fill my mouth with arguments I would know the words which he would answer me c. As if according to the scope of this exposition he had sayd I have waited long under my pressures and burdens with my petition in my hand yea I have tendered up my petition but as yet I can get no answer Alas I am greatly afflicted yet so farre from being releeved That I cannot be heard I would therefore gett neare God to spread and order my cause before him To be heard and to be releeved are often in Scripture sence the same thing and alwayes not to be heard signifies as much as not to be releeved Till the Lord gives us his eare he never gives us his hand therefore Job must needs think himselfe farre from being helped while he thought that he was not heard Thirdly Because he complained that the Lord did thus afflict and try him when he already knew what he was and what he would be after his tryall by the sorest afflictions when he knew that he was innocent that he would continue hold out in his innocency to the end That he would not be weary of well-doing though under the worst of sufferings Ver. 10 11 12. He knoweth the way that I take c. As if he had sayd The Lords needs not doe this to try me for he knoweth well enough who I am and the way that I goe he knoweth both the frame of my heart and the course of my life he knoweth how it is with me now and that I shall be found such 〈◊〉 I
he hath tasted in the goodness of God this is spiritualness in the very height of it but usually God is then sweetest to us when the world is bitterest to us Afflicted soules make most hast after God and it is well to doe so it is a very sad signe the worst Symptome that can appeare upon the soules of any when afflictions draw them off from God or when they grow cold in their affections towards God while the love of the world growes cold towards them The Prophet Amos 6.7 foresheweth a very great calamity that should fall upon the people of God Thou shalt goe Captive with the first that goe Captive c. And in the 8 verse The Lord God hath sworne by himselfe saith the Lord the God of hosts I abhorre the Excellency of Jacob and hate his Palaces As if he had sayd though I have invested him with excellent priviledges though he make a great profession of my name yet because of his provocations and unworthy walkings I will deliver up the City and all that is therein there 's Captivity then comes Pestilence in the 9 â—h verse And it shall come to pass if ten men remaine in one house that they shall dye and they shall not bury them after the ordinary way but burne them and the neerest relations shall doe it Ver. 10 â—h And a mans Vncle shall take him up and he that burneth him to bring the bones out of the house and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house is there yet any with thee and he shall say no then shall he say hold thy tongue for wee may not make mention of the Name of the Lrrd. As if when all these evills and plagues were come upon them they had been stopt or restrained from prayer and totally withdrawn from God by some prohibition from men who were so farre from calling the people to solicite God by prayer to take off his hand Diligentius dâ—â— irati coluntur Sen. l. 1. Declam 1. that they forbid them so much as make mention of his name As if they were eyther afraid or abhorred to mention the name of God because he had been so terrible among them in his Judgements And whereas we translate We may not make mention of the names of the Lord. Ne illâ—â— inter pelles neque illuÌ„ tuis precibus solicites illius ve nomen aut memoriam usurpes qui tibi haec mala fecit mandavit voluit Pined Our late Annotators take notice of two other readings We have not or we will not make mention of the name of the Lord Implying that the stop lay onely in their owne spirits they being eyther so generally wicked that they had no minde to call upon God or so unbeleeving that they thought their case desperate and had no hope of help if they should A Heathen hath sayd That their gods were most worshipped when most displeased but we have some Christians in name who will not worship God at all when they are under the tokens of his displeasure Thoughts of God are never more pleasing to a gratious heart nor more troublesome to a wicked then when they are in trouble Fifthly which will further cleare what was last observed Observe That The unkindnesse and trouble which a godly man findeth among his friends or others in the world drives him neerer to God Job besides the hardship he found from strangers had been hardly used by his friends The use which he made of all this was to make more use of or to get neer unto God O that I knew where I might finde him This was Davids wisdome also Psal 142.4 5. I looked on my right hand and beheld but there was no man would know mee refuge failed mee no man cared for my soule When all slighted him when none tooke care of him what doth he in this case The next words tell us what I cryed unto thee O Lord I said thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living As if he had sayd Upon these unkindnesses disrespects and slightings which I found in the world I tooke occasion yea I was stirred in my spirit to cry unto thee O Lord and to say thou art my refuge that is then I made thee my refuge more then ever Having made thee my choyce in my best times when men honoured and embraced me I am much encouraged in these evill times when men regard me not and the more because they regard mee not to make thee my refuge to shelter my weather-beaten selfe in thy name and power As the naturall spirits in the body when the aire is very sharpe cold and unkinde to the outward parts retire inwards resort to the heart keep close to the heart whereas in warmer weather the spirits are drawne forth and therefore we are more subject to faintings and swoonings in hot weather then in cold so when it is cold weather in the world when it is as it were frost and snow storme and tempest then our spirituall spirits resort and come in to God and keep close to him When we have most friends in the world or when the world is most friendly unto us then God is our best friend his favour is the most beneficiall and desireable favour when we have as much as we can desire of favour among men But when the world hates us and frownes upon us especially when as the Prophet speakes of some Isa 66.5 Our Brethren hate us and cast us out for the name sake of God himselfe saying Let the Lord be glorified When 't is thus with us I say our soules are even forced into the presence of God to renew our interests in his love and to assure our soules that we are accepted with him If under such measure from men we finde not helpe in God we must remaine for ever miserable God alone is enough All without God is nothing to a Godly man The fullnes of the creature without God cannot satisfie him and the utmost want of the creature cannot discontent him while he enjoyeth God the more he wants in the creature the more he seeketh his content in God and when he findes nothing below he cryeth out with greatest earnestnes O that I knew where I might finde him whose throane is above and who is the onely happines of man while he is below Sixthly We see how Inquisitive Job was after God as he had a desire and a minde to finde God so he layes about him for information where and how to finde him Hence observe They who truely desire to finde God are diligent in searching after him O that I knew saith Job where I might finde him This was not an Idle wish many are much in the Optative mood full of wishings and wouldings but their wishes are altogether wishes and their desires nothing but desires and such desires are killing desires as Solomon hath taught us The desire of the sloathfull killeth him Prov. 21.25 an Idle
is that when God comes to plead with Beleevers he pleads not against them with his power and righteousnesse seing Christ with both pleads for them He pleads for them not onely as he is Jesus Christ the righteous but as he is the mighty the All-powerfull God This is the chiefest ground of a beleevers confidence that God as Job here saith will not plead against him with his great power What then did Job beleeve would God doe with him the next words enforme us what his faith was in that particular But he would put strength in mee So we render the Hebrew is onely thus He will put in mee Veruntatem ille pones in me Heb. what he would put is not expressed in the Original which hath caused some variety of opinion what it should be that the Lord would put into him and I finde a threefold conjecture in the poynt First The supplement is made thus He would produce arguments or reasons against me and this is conceived most suitable to the context and scope of the place as also to the action of pleading before spoken of Poneret afferret in me suas rationes Merc. Ipse poneret coÌ„tentioneÌ„ in me id est non robore mecum ageret sed verborum contentione Ch would he plead with or against me with his great power no but he would shew me the reason of his dealings with me he would not proceed against me in a martiall but in a legal way not in a prerogative but in a discoursive argumentative way he would shew me the cause why he thus contendeth with me and hath so sorely afflicted me God would condescend so farre to my weaknes as to give me an account though I dare not presume to call him to an account and though he hath both power and right to deale with me as he pleaseth yet I am much assured that he would be pleased to tell me why he deals thus with me This interpretation is cleare to the generall scope of the context and argues nothing unbecoming that holy confidence which the Grace of the Gospel alloweth a beleever in yea encourageth him unto when in any distresse he approacheth unto God for the reliefe and comfort of his troubled Spirit Secondly Another thus Will he plead against me with his great power Fonet in me sc cor suum i e. compleâ—eretur me favoure Pisc no but he would put his heart upon me that is he would imbrace me with his favour and lay me in his bosome Though his hand hath been exceeding heavy upon me yet I believe his heart is towards me though he hath smitten me with the wound of an enemy yet he will receive me as a friend and give me signal testimonies of his love I should not feele the weight of his hand but see the tendernes of his bowels and his heart moving towards me This also is an interpretation full of truth and as full of comfort to a wearied soule Thirdly The supplement made in our translation reacheth both the former and suites also to the former branch of the Text with much elegancy Alij sub audiuÌ„t repetuÌ„t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in me robur poneret ad consistendum coram sâ— â—e infiâ—mum fulciens roborans Merc. Would he plead against me with his great power no but he would put power or strength into me he will be so farre from putting out his strength against me that he will put his strength into me he knoweth my weaknesse how unable I am to contend with or beare up against his power and therefore he would put power into me Mr Broughton renders clearely to this sense Would he by his great power plead against me no but he would helpe me helpe is power and he that helpeth another administers power to him he either puts new strength into him or joynes his strength with him So then Job was assured that God would put strength into him or be his strength to helpe and carry him through all the difficulties that lay before him Hence Observe First A beleiver hath no opinion of his owne strength or that he can doe any thing in his owne strength He trusts no more to his owne strength or power then to his owne righteousnesse or worthinesse As our Justification before God is purely founded in the righteousnesse of Christ so all the actings of our sanctification are maintained by the strength of Christ Holy Job spake nothing of his owne strength yea he spake as having no strength of his owne A Godly man knows his owne strength is but weaknesse and that when he prevailes with God it is with a power which he hath from God Paul useth a forme of speech which we may call a divine riddle 2 Cor. 12.10 When I am weake then I am strong he predicates or affirmes one contrary of another weaknesse is contrary to strength how a weake man should be strong and then especially strong when he is weake is hard to conceive by those who are spirituall and is unconceivable by those who are carnal This assertion is enough to pose and puzle nature He that is weake is strong or the readiest way to get strength is to be weake The truth and the Apostle Pauls meaning is plainly this When I am weake in my owne sense and opinion when I am convinced that I have no power of my owne then I feele power coming in then Christ strengthens me and I am strong then I experience that word My grace is sufficient for thee When I finde the waters of my owne cisterne low and fayling then I have a supply from the Spirit So the Apostle spake Phil. 1.19 I know that this also shall turne to my salvation through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ The first Adam received all his strength at once we now receive our strength by dayly fresh supplyes from the second Adam The word there used by the Apostle which we render supply signifieth an under-supply implying thus much that as the naturall body and each particular member of it is supplyed with sence and motion together with a suitable strength and ability from the head so beleevers who are altogether the mysticall body of Christ and each of them members in particular are supplyed from Christ their head by the Spirit with spirituall life motion and strength of Grace for every duty to which they are called or which is required of them And because as this is so in its selfe so beleevers are instructed in it therfore they disclaime and goe out of their own strength that the power of Christ may rest upon them Christ fills none but the hungry nor doth he strengthen any but the weake They who thinke they have any thing of their owne shall receive nothing from him unlesse Christ be all in all to us he will not be any thing at all to us Secondly Observe God himselfe puts strength into humbled sinners that they
Christ to subdue and conquer them they will be too hard for us and foyle us We are easily and presently foiled by pride by covetousnesse by wrath by envie all these passions and lusts will trample us under their feete in the dirt of all sinfullnesse and pollution both of flesh and spirit unlesse we receive power from on high to subdue and mortifie them Rom. 8.13 If ye through the Spirit mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live that is ye shall live comfortably holyly and eternally The deeds of the body that is sinfull deeds and the roote of them sinfull lusts count all weapons as Leviathan doth speares and swords but straw and stubble rather to be laughed at then feared except onely the weapons or power of the Spirit And when once we take our lusts to taske with the weapons of the Spirit they presently fall and dye before us The Spirit is the strength of God in us for the mortification of Corruption Fourthly We are strengthened or God puts strength into us for the resisting and conquering of the temptations of Satan we meet with many assaults from the devill and from the world who are confederate with our lusts These we must resist stedfast in the faith and that not onely in the faith as the faith imports soundnes of doctrine or divine truth but as The faith imports dependance upon Christ for strength and assistance Peter being a cheife a grandee in the traine of Christ or among the Disciples of Christ was Satans eye-sore and the fayrer marke for his fiery darts Satans fingers itcht to be doing with him he saith our Saviour desired to have him that he might sift him as wheat Luk. 22.31 that is to sift him throughly not to fetch out his chaffe from him but indeed to make him chaffe How was Peter upheld I have prayed for thee saith Christ that thy faith faile not that is I have prayed that God would put strength into thee that thy faith faile not if once faith faile we are overcome But is faith our strength No but faith goes to and takes hold of him who is our strength or who puts strength into us that we fall not in temptation But you will say Peter fell and he fell grievously his fall was great he denyed his Master 'T is true Peter fell but he did not fall away his faith did not faile that is it was not totally lost and therefore when Christ lookt upon him and by that looke renewed his strength he gat up againe even when he denied Christ there was a seed of faith remaining in him though like a tree in the winter his fruit was gone yea and his leaves too and he looked dead and withered yet there was sap in the roote his faith failed not whence was this he had an invisible supply of strength from God I have prayed saith Christ that thy faith faile not The prayer of Christ fayled not and therefore his faith did not Christ prayed that he might have strength by beleeving and though he had not so much faith as to preserve him standing yet he had so much faith as to raise him from his fall And what Christ prayed for Peter he prayed for all that should beleeve on his name that in all their resistings of and contendings with temptation their faith also may not fayle As faith is one principall piece of our spirituall armour whereby we overcome temptation so it fetches in that which is the whole of the whole Armour of God even the strength of God When the Apostle exhorts Saints Eph. 6.11 To put on the whole armour of God He premises another most needfull exhortation or exhorts them first v. 10. to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might implying that it is not any one piece no nor the whole armour of God abstractly or precisely taken which is our strength but that the God of this Armour is our strength in the spirituall combate Though our loynes were girt about with truth and we have on the breast-plate of righteousnesse though our feete were shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace and we have the shield of faith in our hand though we should take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God yet if thus arrayed it were possible for us to neglect or forget the God of the Word it were not possible for us to conquer the footmen lesser much lesse the horsemen Greater least of all The Charets of iron the greatest temptations of the Prince of darknes As no carnal weapon hath any thing at all to doe so no spirituall weapon can doe any thing at all in this warre without the strength of God or rather to conclude this poynt all these spirituall weapons and Armour are nothing else but the strength of God or the various puttings forth of the strength of God in weake man Fifthly and lastly God gives us strength to pray to and plead our cause before him he will not dazle us with his glory nor confound us with his Majesty when we come to plead with him but he will put strength into us In prayer we prevaile with God but the strength whereby we prevaile with God comes from God yea he doth not onely give us strength in prayer to act by but he acts that strength in prayer Rom. 8.26 Likewise the Spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Prayer is strong worke it calls forth the whole strength of the soul nor doth the soule in any thing shew its strength more then in prayer praying is wrestling and how can we wrestle without strength Even the king of Ninevy gave this direction at his fast Jon. 3.8 Let them cry mightily And our Lord Jesus Christ in the dayes of his flesh offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares Heb. 5.7 Now the Spirit is the strength of God in us for prayer he helpeth our infirmities and we are onely a bundle of infirmities without his helpe There is a threefold strength needfull in prayer and God by the Spirâ—t puts these three strengths into us First The Spirit helpes us with strength of argument to plead with God Secondly The Spirit helpes us with strength of faith in taking hold upon God Thirdly The Spirit helpes us with strength of patience in waiting upon God till we receive what we have prayed for Jacob by this threefold strength had power with God in prayer Hos 12.3 and it was the power or Spirit of God by which he had this threefold strength to prevaile with God Thus we are strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner man Eph. 3.16 We are strong to doe and strong to suffer we are strong to mortifie corruptions and strong to conquer temptations we are strong to pray and strong to plead our
least work A natural man eyther makes the Law of God voyd by doing that which is against it or he lets it lie voyd by not doing it and would be glad that this talent committed to him might for ever be wrapt up in a napkin or be buryed in the earth Both these turnings whether to the right hand or to the left are evill The way of holines the good way lieth streight forward right on It hath no turning either to the right hand nor to the left All the wayes of sinne are called crooked wayes and they are our owne wayes Psal 125.5 As for such as turne aside to their crooked wayes the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquitie The Psalmist calls them Their crooked wayes that is wayes of their own devising whereas the way of holines is the Lords way To exceed or to doe more to be deficient or to doe lesse then God requires both these are crooked wayes the way of the Lord lyes streight forward right before us Pro. 28.18 Who so walketh vprightly shall be saved but he that is perverse or crooked in his wayes shall fall at once The motion of a godly man is like that of the kine that carryed the Arke 1 Sam. 6.12 Who tooke the streight way to the way of Bethshemesh and went along the high way lowing as they went and they turned not aside to the right hand or to the left But you will say Doe not good men even the best of good men decline sometimes and goe aside or doth it argue every man to be wicked who declines at any time I answer Job speakes of what he had not done not of what it was impossible for him to doe he had not declined yet he might have declined Wee finde many declinings among the godly how many are there that decline in degrees who are godly in the maine They love still but they have not the same warmth of love the same heate of affection They obey still but they have not the same strength of obedience There may be a declineing also not onely in the way but from the way to the right hand sometimes and sometimes to the left there may be an exceeding and there may be a coming short in those as to actions who as to their state are come home to God these things are possible yea common but we speake of what many godly men doe and what should be the aime and designe of every godly man that is to keepe the way of God and not to decline to keepe himselfe up in spirituall strength and to keepe himselfe onne in a spirituall course yea every godly man may and can say as David did Psal 18.21 I have kept the wayes of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God Though every godly man cannot say as godly Job did I have kept his way and not declined yet every godly man may say as David I have kept his wayes and have not wickedly departed from my God we should be afraid of declineing and decaying we should strive to be alwayes advancing and encreasing And as Saints are under a command to be such so they are under a promise to be such Psal 92.12 13 14. The righteous shall flourish like a Palme tree he shall grow like a Cedar in Libanon Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God they shall still bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing Here is not onely a mention of growing but of flourishing and here 's flourishing three times mentioned and 't is growing and flourishing not onely like a tree but like a Palme-tree which flourisheth under opression and like a Cedar not growing in ordinary places but in Lebanon where were the goodliest Cedars Nor doth the Spirit promise here a flourishing in boughes ane leaves onely as some trees doe and doe no more but in fruit And this not onely fruit for once in a yeare or one yeare but they still bring forth fruit and that not onely in the yeares of their youth or beginnings in grace but in old age and that not only in the entrance of that state which is called old age threescore yeares but that which the Scripture calls the perfection of old age threescore yeares and ten as the learned Hebrewes observe upon the word used in the Psalme What a divine climax doth the Spirit of God make in this Scripture to shew that the godly man as to his state is so farre from declining that he is still climbing higher and higher And if any shall aske how comes it to passe then that some godly men are observed not onely by themselves but by others to decline often in and sometimes from the wayes of God I answer these declinings may be assigned to severall Causes First To the power of some Corruption remaining much unmortified in them as in a garden when the weeds grow high the good herbs decline And as in a field when the weeds are strong the corne is weake so it is here the prevailing or growing of Corruption is the declining of Grace in degree and by reason of it some for a time decline from the way Secondly Declinings are from the prevalency of temptation while Satan plieth some with temptation he turneth them out of the way or causeth them to walke but slowly in it As temptation is a tryall of so a hindrance unto grace yea though corruption be kept much downe yet some through a violent gust of temptation have been over-borne Thirdly Declinings are caused in the good by the example of those that are evill therefore the Apostle gives that Caution Rom. 12.2 Not to be conformable to the world A godly man is apt enough to write by a false copie and to doe as he sees the world doth What was all their way or their onely way before conversion they after conversion through neglect of their watch may be found stepping into or taking a step or two in Before conversion our whole course sayth the Apostle Ephe. 2.2 is according to the course of this world And the examples of the world have drawne many aside after they have come out from the world The fashions and vanities of the world in pride and pleasure are very drawing All examples especially evill examples like the Loadstone have an attractive vertue in them and many of the godly have been drawne aside thus and have declined with much scandal fot a while from the way of God Fourthly Declinings are sometimes from afflictions and those we may consider of two sorts personall or publique both or either of these have caused many to decline The cold frost of affliction hath nipped the graces of some and made them to turn aside from the way of God Therefore the Church having reported her great troubles speakes it as an argument of much sinceritie towards God and strength of Grace received from him Psal 44.17 18. All this
And who can but feare to be under that power which hath no limits but a corrupt will But who would feare to be under the power of God acted by his will seing he willeth nothing but what is righteous just and good What can we expect but right from him who is righteousnesse what but good from him in a good cause who is goodnes it selfe how great or how unlimited soever his power is If some men might doe what they would what evill would they not doe There 's nothing stands between some men and the wronging of all men they have to doe with but the want eyther of power or of opportunity to doe it The Lord can doe what he will but he will doe nothing but what is good He is able to ruine all men but he will wrong no man no not the worst of men What his soule desireth even that he doth but it is impossible his soule should desire to any thing but what is right Lastly When it is sayd Whatsoever his soule desireth even that he doth or more close to the Originall He desireth He doth We learne That It is as easie with God to doe a thing as to desire to have it done All men would doe what their soules desire but most men desire that which they cannot doe yea though men have a desire to doe a thing and a power to doe it also yet it is not so soone done as desired there must be a preparation and the use of meanes before man can doe what he hath a power to doe so that though a man hath power proportionable to his desire yet he is not presently a partaker of his desire But God can make his power as speedy as his desire He can make the declaration of his will and the execution of it contiguous For though many things lie long in the will of God before they are done and what he willed from eternity is don in time and the time of doing it be yet a great way off yet he can doe any thing as soone as will it and whatsoever he willeth or desireth is to him as done already Psal 104.30 Thou sendest forth thy Spirit they are created The creation there spoken of is providence for that is a continued creation The first creation was the production of all things out of nothing to that being which they had but there is another work of creation which is the continuing or renewing of things in their being and of this he sayth Thou sendest forth thy Spirit that is thy power they are created And thou renewest the face of the earth Thou makest a new world And thus God makes a new world every yeare sending forth his Spirit or quickning power in the raine and Sun to renew the face of the earth And as the Lord sends forth his power in providenciall mercies so in providenciall Judgements He looketh on the earth and it trembleth He toucheth the hils and they smoake ver 32. A man can soone give a cast with his eye so soone can God shake the earth that is eyther the whole masse of the earth or the inferior sort of men on the earth When he looketh or casts an angry eye upon the earth it trembleth He toucheth the hils that is the powers and principalities of the world and they smoake If he doe but touch them they smoake that is the dreadfull effects of the power and Jugement of God are visible upon them As soone as the Lord calls all creatures readily tender their service Psal 105.31 34. He spake and there came divers sorts of flies and lice in all their coasts ver 34. He spake and the Locusts came and caterpillers and that without number If the Lord speake the word it is done God spake the world into this beautie he did but say Let there be light and there was light And he can speake the world into trouble and confusion He doth but say Let there be darknes and there is darknes It was an high speech of Caesar who meeting with some opposition from that yong noble Roman Metellus sayd Let me alone lest I destroy thee And presently added It is easier for me to doe this then to speake it Such was his power that he could easier take away a mans life then give sentence of death against him This is most true concerning the great God of heaven and earth there is no more difficultie in his doing of a thing then in his desiring and willing it to be done The generall truth of this verse carryeth in it a twofold inference First Of terrour to the wicked God is in one minde the same opinion which he had of their wayes and persons heretofore the same he hath still The same curses and Judgements which he hath denounced against them formerly are in force still Is it not a terrible thing to incorrigible wicked men to remember that what the soule of God desireth he doth when his soule desireth nothing but vengeance and wrath for them Therefore tremble before the Lord ye wicked and be ye sore affraid at the remembrance of his unchangeablenes Secondly Of abundant comfort to the faithfull and righteous The mind of God is mercy to them and he is in this one minde towards them none can turne him His soule desireth to doe them good And whatsoever his soule desireth that he doth What can Saints desire more then that God should doe all that for them which he desireth and all that he will assuredly doe Therefore rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous and give thankes at the remembrance of his unchangeablenes JOB CHAP. 23. Vers 14 15 16 17. For he performeth the thing that is appoynted for mee and many such things are with him Therefore I am troubled at his presence when I consider I am afraid of him For God maketh my heart soft and the Almighty troubleth mee Because I was not cut off before the darknesse neither hath he covered the darknesse from my face IN the former verse Job exalteth God first in his unchangeablenes He is in one minde who can turne him Secondly in his Almightines What his soule desireth even that he doth In the 14th ver he speaks of God in reference to his personal experience and brings downe the generall proposition to his owne particular case As if he had sayd I indeed have found that what his soule desireth even that he doth mine owne sad experience proves and beares witnes to this truth my present state makes the Comment of this text for he performeth the thing that is appoynted for mee Vers 14. Hee performeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in primaria significatione denotat implere finire deinde in pace esse etiam solvere compensare Pined The word hath various translations but all are well summ'd up in this Hee performeth First It signifies to pay payment is performance therefore the same word is used both for performing and paying Secondly The word signifies to be at peace
they take the poore for a pledge Of which cruelty we read 2 Kings 4.1 where the poore widdow complained to the Prophet that her husband being dead the creditors were come and had taken her two sonnes to be bond men Thus here when they had gotten their cattle as was shewed before and their cloaths from their backs then they must have their bodyes too to be slaves and drudges Here first I might note That the sinne of oppression is aggravated in reference to the persons upon whom it is exercised But because it hath been observed from other passages both of this and former Chapters how sinfull it is to oppresse those whom we are bound to releive and to vexe those whom we ought to comfort I shall not insist upon it in this place But Observe Secondly That covetousnesse knows no bounds As it hath been said of envy so we may say of covetousnesse Covetousnesse whether wilt thou whether wilt thou lead or rather hurry and force worldly men covetousnesse carryes those who are under the power of it no man knowes whether who can tell where he shall stopp or stay when he is once under the power of the spirit of covetousnesse such will not spare eyther the fatherlesse or the widdow not the cloaths upon their backes no nor their backes nor bodyes If a covetous eye can but discerne any advantage to be made it will have body and all There is no sinne so hainous none so base and sordid but covetousnesse may be both the mother and nurse of it A covetous man will not forbeare eyther for the cruelty of the sinne or for the sordidnesse of it Covetousnesse is a sordid lust Covetousnesse is earthy and mudds our spirits in earthly things When the spirit of a man is once embased by covetousnes he is ready to doe any base thing There is nothing here below lower then that Spirit And hence the Apostle concludes 1 Tim. 6.10 That the love of money which is covetousnesse is the roote of all evill that is any evill of sinne may grow up from that roote and therefore the Apostle adds in the same place That while some have coveted it they have erred from the faith Covetousnesse is the roote of heresie which we may thinke farre removed from it But saith he such have erred from the faith which may be understood of erring from the faith both in regard of practice and of doctrine They have both acted and beleeved against the rule of faith for filthy lucre and so have peirced themselves through with many sorrowes Covetousnesse runneth us into all evill and provokes many to doe such things as peirce themselves through with many sorrowes as well as others Covetousnesse peirceth the poore and needy the widdow and the fatherlesse with many sorrowes nor doth it spare its own Master or slave rather but peirceth him likewise through with many more and much worse sorrowes Vers 10. They cause him to goe naked without cloathing The 7th verse spake the sence of this They cause the naked to lodge without cloathing and they have no covering in the cold Job toucheth upon their cruelty againe and againe They cause him to goe naked withoat cloathing They will not allow him so much as those things which are for necessity The word him is not expressely in the Hebrew which runs onely thus They cause to goe naked without cloathing as implying that they were ready to exercise this inhumanity upon any one that came next to hand or stood in their way Our Translation seemes to referre it to those poore taken for a pledge and so the difference between this 10th and the 7th verse is this in the 7th verse he spake generally of the poore whom they made to goe naked here at the 10th verse he speakes of those whom they had taken to be their slaves and servants they take the poore for a pledge and cause him to goe naked without cloathing they take his worke but they give him no cloathing they command his labour but deny him releife Which sense is carried further both in the next verse and in the next clause of this verse And take away the sheafe from the hungry Some render they take away the eares of corne that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non solum manipulum integrum sed pauculas spicas quae messoris manum effugere solent significat the gleaneings which the poore have pickt up and gathered together They take away the very gleaning from them that two wayes eyther First they will not suffer the poore to gleane after their reapers This is to take away the eares of corne from the hungry such is the cruelty of some that they will not suffer the poore to gleane in their fields or secondly when the hungry have gleaned a few eares of corne they take all away from them Against which cruelty to the poore the Law of Moses provided Deut. 24.19 20 21. When thou cuttest downe thine harvest in thy feild and hast forgot a sheafe in the feild thou shalt not goe againe to fetch it it shall be for the stranger for thr fatherlesse and the widdow that the Lord thy God may blesse thee in all the worke of thine hands Now if the forgotten sheafe must be left for the poore surely the scattered eares must not be raked up from them We have an eminent instance of the liberty of gleaning in the second Chapter of Ruth Againe By the sheafe which is taken away we may understand that little corne which the poore man hath of his owne growing in his owne feild And Job speakes in the singular number the sheafe implying that the poore man hath not many sheaves his corne makes but a sheafe as it were as the poore man in the parable 2 Sam. 11.11 had but one lambe he had not a flock so the poore man hath but a sheafe he hath not many sheaves and shocks of corn he hath not barnes full as the rich man is described Luk. 12. he hath but a sheafe yet they take that away Thirdly The word which we translate sheafe Est autem Gomer mensurae genus quod quotidianuÌ„ dimensum diurnuÌ„ victum hominis capeâ—e potest ergo necessarium victum abstulerunt famelicis quem forte spicis minutatim collectis sibi sumo labore collegerunt Pined signifies a measure which did conteine a convenient quantity for a dayes provifion This measure the Jewes call An Omer Exod. 16.16 This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded gather of it every man to his eating an Omer for every man according to the number of your persons take ye every man for them which are in his tents ye shall have an Omer for every man So that an Omer conteines a convenient quantity for one mans provision for a day and then the sense ariseth thus they take away the Omer from the hungry that is they take away meere necessary food or dayly bread from the hungry The poore
for a love to the truths and wayes of God which they practice for want of this they often apostatiâ—e and fall back even from the practice of them No bonds can hold us alwayes to the duties of obedience but those of love to God and to the things wherein duty calls us to obey And as want of this love is the reason why man is so apt to backslide and is so far as a Negative may be the very seed and principle of backsliding so it is the reason why God gives such up to the power and spirit of backsliding 2 Thes 2.10 11. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should beleeve a lie What is not begun in our affections will not abide long in our actions Secondly Observe Not to abide in the pathes of truth and holines is the marke of an ungodly man They who are not what they appeare in goodnesse will not alwayes so much as appear good They that are as Jacob spake of his eldest Son Reuben Gen. 49.4 unstable as water shall not excell nor are they to be numbred among the excellent ones The Apostle exhorts Saints 1 Cor. 15.58 To be stedfast and unmoveable alwayes abounding in the worke of the Lord. Saints move in the worke of the Lord but they must not move out of the worke of the Lord Bee ye stedfast and unmoveable but in what in the worke of the Lord That is the sphere in which Saints move the sphere of their activity and use and out of that they dare not move The Sun in the firmament is moving continually but it is in his proper line called by Astronomers The Eclipticke line So a godly man is alwayes moveing in the way of godlines that 's his proper line and he never moves out of it wholy Hee may have through the power of corruption and temptation his wandrings and goings astray but then he hath his repentings and returnings into the way againe he cannot abide long much lesse alwayes in the pathes of darknes Hee comes to himselfe with the prodigal and then he comes to his father he bethinkes himselfe where he is and comes backes into the path where he ought to be if at any time he walke in the counsel of the ungodly the gradation is made in the first Psalme which thing he ought not to doe yet surely he will not as it followes stand in the way of sinners or if he stand a while in that way yet he will not sit downe in the seat of the scornfull he will not rest nor stay there Now as it is an argument and a marke of Godlines when a man findes that though he hath many faylings and wandrings yet he abideth not in the pathes of darknes so it is an argument of the noughtines of a mans heart and state when though he now and then hits upon the doing of a good thing yet he abides not in the pathes of light Vaine thoughts as the Prophet Reproves the Jewes lodge in the wicked so long that the Lord complaines How long shall vaine thoughts lodge in you But as good thoughts seldome come to an ungodly man so they lodge not at all with him they are great strangers to him and he useth them as the worst of strangers yea as enemies he quickly turnes them off yea he thrusts them away from him he abideth not in the pathes of light Job having thus set forth the Spirit of a wicked man by his rebellion against the light by his unaffectednes with and unstayednes in the wayes and pathes of it proceeds to give us a further account of his wicked courses and workes of darknes Vers 14. The murtherer rising with the light killeth the poore and needy and in the night is as a Theife The murtherer is hee that killeth a man without warrant and authority every slaying of a man is not murther but to slay a man or to take away the life of a man without warrant that 's murther And that 's the grosse sinne forbidden in the sixt Commandement Thou shalt not kill or thou shalt doe no murther And this is usually committed eyther in malice to the person or in Covetousnesse after the spoyle Some take away the life of a man in malice to his person they hate him deliberately as Cain did Abel and therefore they kill him Others have no quarrel to the man possibly they never saw him before but they covet his goods and that they may rob him of his goods they rob him of his life They are such as live upon the spoyle and they will spoyle though they cause the innocent to dye for it and themselves too in the end In eyther of these wayes wee may understand the murtherer here The former because 't is sayd in the next words He slayes the poore and needy and there is little gaine in their blood when they goe downe into the pit The latter because 't is sayd in the latter part of the verse That in the night he is as a theife But Job first shewes us that this murtherer is a diligent man Rising with the light That is rising as early or as soon as the light riseth The murtherer is no sluggard the light doth not finde him in bed he takes the prime of the morning he will loose no time Men who love hunting rise early So doe these hunters of men When the morning is light they practice it saith the Prophet Mich. 2.1 Honest men rise early to goe about the workes of their Calling and wicked men rise early to fulfill the lusts of their hearts David saith Psal 101.7 I will early destroy all the wicked of the Earth As if David had sayd I will rise with the light to destroy the wicked and here you see how the wicked are described riseing Early to destroy the righteous to murther the Innocent So the next words expresse the designe of his early rising He riseth with the light what to doe no good I warrant you 't is To kill the poore and needy That 's his busienes He begins his mornings worke with a worke of cruelty you heare of killing presently The murtherers heart is full of blood and it will not be long ere his hand be full too for their feete are swift to shed blood Rom. 3.15 and they are skilfull to destroy But it may seeme that they are not very wise for themselves though they are very bloody against others For Job doth not say they slay the fat and full ones but The poore and needy There are some who distinguish between these two and tell us that in these two words two yea all sorts of poore are Included The first word they say intends those poore who heretofore were rich but now empoverished or fallen into poverty and that by the second word are meant those who have been born and alwayes bred up in a low condition But wee
to the widow That is he administers no helpe to the widdow in her wants no counsel to her in her straites nor any Comfort to her in her sorrows And this Negative he doth not good to the widow hath an Affirmative in it hee doth her wrong hee grieveth and vexeth the widow For as Negative Commandements alwayes containe the Affirmative while we are forbidden to doe any evill wee are enjoyned to doe the contrary good so negative practices usually imply the affirmative and while we neglect to doe good we are active in doing evill Or as the Negative threatnings of God containe affirmatives Exod. 20.7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine for the Lord will not hold him guiltles that taketh his name in vaine that is hee will hold him very guilty or look upon him as very sinfull and punish him accordingly that takes his name in vaine and as Negative promises containe affirmative promises Psal 51.17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise that is thou O God wilt highly esteem accept of and delight in a broken heart and as negative conclusions imply the affirmative Prov. 17.21 The father of a foole hath no Joy that is hee hath much sorrow and griefe Prov. 28.21 To accept persons in Judgement is not good that is to accept persons in Judgement is very bad so negative practices of sin containe the affirmative as elsewhere so here in the Text hee doeth not good to the widow that is he wrongeth and troubleth the widdow the widdow who is helples is hurt by him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod significat câ—llâ—gare obmutescere The word which we render widow signifies in the verbe both to binde and to be silent Both which significations are complicated in the widows Condition For first the widow is bound though shee be loose from her husband shee is bound and that two wayes first with troubles that 's her affliction secondly shee is bound to be or stay much at home that 's her duty secondly as the widow is home-bound so she is tongue-bound too the widows eloquence is silence she speakes most to her owne commendation when she speakes little The Apostle Paul reproves widows about two things which discover two faylings in them opposite to both these latter bindings 1 Tim. 5.13 And withall they learne to be idle wandering from house to house As if he had sayd it is not comely for the widow to wander abroad she should stay at home the widow should be a fixed starre not a planet Not that the widow is to be a prisoner in her house but she should be so much there that shee may deserve the name of a House-keeper not of a wanderer from house to house The Apostle proceeds in his charge against the faulty widow And not onely Idle but which is the second vice Tattlers also and busie bodyes speaking things which they ought not Tattlers are such as use their tongues overmuch and usually much more then their hands whereas the widow should be much in busienes little in discourse alwayes doing seldome speaking We see the wisedome of God in teaching proper dutyes in common names in which thing the Hebrew language is most exact fruitfull But I shall returne from this digression if it may be so called about the word when I have onely added that the sence given from this Etymologie of the word doth not onely shew the widow much of her duty but aggravates the sin of the wicked man in the neglect or omission of his duty unto hir He doth not good to the widow no not to the widow who is bound downe with many sorrowes he speakes not a good word for the widow who is as David speakes in another case Psal 39.2 even dumbe with silence I have already both in this Chapter as also in the 22d shewed how sinfull it is eyther to neglect or afflict widows yea that to neglect them is to afflict them therefore I shall not prosecute those poynts here Onely from the forme of speaking Note Not to doe good is sinfull as well as to doe evill yea as sinfull as to doe evill Not to doe what we are enjoyned is as bad as to doe what we are forbidden We are not onely forbidden to wrong the widow Jer. 22.3 but we are often enjoyned to relieve and helpe her to visit her and doe her good therefore the widow hath wrong done to her when good is not done to her The spirit of wickednes is not yet drawne to the full length see the wicked man still at worke in the next verse Vers 22. Hee draweth also the mighty by his power hee riseth up and no man is sure of his life In the former verse the wicked man had to doe with the weake with the barren with the widow but now he grapples with the strong mighty Hee draweth also the mighty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 traxit per traxit occulto impetu aliquem impellere quo velis verbis atque rationibus aliquem trahere Drus The word may denote a twofold drawing First drawing by a secret hidden imperceptible power a moral power the power of perswasion working upon the heart and influencing the affections There is an internal atractive vertue which draweth the mind as the loadstone doth iron when nothing is seene nor so much as a word heard The word is used in that sence Judg 4.6 7. where the people of Israel being sore oppressed by Jabins Army under the conduct of Sisera Deborah the Prophetesse who at that time Judged Israel sent and called Baruch and said unto him Hath not the Lord God of Israel Commanded saying goe and draw toward mount Tabor and take with thee ten thousand men of the Children of Napthali and of the Children of Zebulun Thus God bid them draw to that place But what had God promised Deborah tells him what in the next verse And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera the Captaine of Jabins Army with his Chariots and his multitude and will deliver him into thine hand But it may be questioned how God would draw Sisera with his Army thither It was not by any outward force onely God put a purpose into his heart to draw up his Army to that place that so he might fall into the snare Sisera had a secret motion or impulse upon his spirit which he could not withstand though he fell by obeying it Thus also God draweth soules to himselfe by the invisible power of his Spirit in their effectuall vocation and Conversion Joh. 6.44 No man can come to me except the father which sent me draw him how doth God draw hee drawes by perswasion not by compulsion his perswasion carryes a mighty commanding power with it This drawing is not a bare moral perswasion by the proposal of an object before them and so leaving
but it is the duty of every man to strive that he may be lifted up not onely above the wormes but above the heavens Wee may quickly sin in seeking our owne exaltation in a worldly But the more we seeke our exaltation in a heavenly state the more holy yea the more humble we are Wee never act as those who know they are but wormes here on earth till we have an ambition to be like the Angels who are in heaven Thus I have opened and done with this third and that a very short discourse of Bildad in this Chapter wherein he hath spoken Excellently as to the generall truth in exalting God and humbling man yet he is upon the old mistake Concluding Job a selfe-Justifier yea a contender with God Whereas indeed his thoughts were as low as his state or person in reference to any conceit of righteousnesse in himselfe or of any boldnes in charging God with the least unrighteousnesse though there was much severity in his dealings with him JOB CHAP. 26. Vers 1 2 3 4. But Job answered and said How hast thou helped him that is without power how savest thou the arm that hath no strength How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdome and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is To whom hast thou uttered words and whose spirit came from thee THis Chapter containeth Jobs answer to the third and last dispute or opposition of his second freind Bildad Non respondit ad Bildadi dicta sed eum ridet quasi ea attulerit quae parum ad rem faciant imo ab instituto aliena Merc wherein he doth two things First He complaineth of and in a manner derideth Bildads dealing with him as if what he had urged were not onely little to the purpose but very wide from it This he doth in the foure first verses of the Chapter Secondly Job gives out a large narrative of the power perfections and excellencies of God of his wonderfull works and providences which Bildad had but lightly touched this he doth in the remaining part of the Chapter Vers 1 2. But Job answered and said How hast thou helped him that is without power There is a question among Interpreters who is here meant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 admirantis est haec dicit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Drus by him that is without power and who by the arme that hath no strength who by him that hath no wisedome There are three opinions about the resolving of this question First Some expound it not of a person but of a thing for the original leaves it in such words as may be determined upon eyther In qua re adjuvisti sententiam tuam de providentia dei particulari in qua nullae sunt viris Quare ex Hebraeo legit non cujus sed quid adjuvisti Vatabl and may as wel be rendred that which hath no power as him that hath no power And the thing without power which this interpretation aymes at is the opinion or tenet which Bildad and his friends had held forth in their discourse which Job is conceived to looke upon as weake and without power as having neyther strength nor wisdome in it And because Bildad made the last reply Job according to this exposition bespeaks him thus Thine owne former arguments as also those of thy friends had no power no strength of reason nor true wisdome in them and hast thou mended the matter now hast thou by what thou spakest last put any strength into what hath been weakly and feebly argued already As for my selfe I am neyther better enformed nor comforted then I was and therefore have reason to conclude that there is no more strength nor power in what is now sayd then in what was sayd before It is usuall to apply strength to a speech we say such a man made a strong speech as for such a one his speech had no strength no sinewes in it And that speech which hath no strength in it can never administer strength to those to whom it is spoken so that to say how hast thou helped him that hath no power is to say the speech by which thou hast attempted or endeavoured to helpe him that hath no power Yet I conceave that Job doth here intend a person whom his freinds supposed without power strength or wisdome Hoc de deo accipio O quam egregâ—e eum adjuvisti qui imbecillis erat invalido es patrocinatus Quasi tua defensione deus indigerit Merc Cujus adjuâ—or es num in becillis sustentas brachium ejus qui non est fortis Vulg Cui Auxiliatus es cui non potentia Mont rather then his freinds speech which himselfe judged and as his owne releife found to be so Secondly By him that hath no power and the arme that hath no strength some understand God himselfe who is indeed all power all arme who is altogether strong and onely wise As if Job had sayd O Bildad thou hast stood up in the defence of God as if he had not been able to defend himselfe thou hast been an Advocate for him who hath no need thou shouldest Hath not he power hath his arme no strength in it or is he destitute of counsel surely God hath no need of thy patronage or assistance Therefore consider whose helper hast thou been what the helper of him that is weake and hast thou sustained the armes of him that hath no strength surely no God hath strength enough to defend his own cause and wisdome enough to maintaine his own acts against me and all men else Thou oughtest indeed to have helped him that hath no power but thou hast onely given helpe to him that hath all power Thus some cary on the whole context under that frame and forme of this exposition as if Job did but rebuke Bildad for undertaking the matter on Gods part whereas he should have used his utmost endeavours for the support and comfort of him a poore weake creature labouring under heavy burdens of most sad afflictions and wanting counsel how to beare and improve them as layed upon him by the hand of God For this Job had no power and might expect helpe from his friend but he bestowed all his helpe in vindicating the honour of God against Job not in helping or advising Job how to beare up under the hand of God and therefore he thus interrogates him How hast thou helped him that hath no power But Thirdly I rather expound the words of Job himselfe as being now burdened and distressed with great affliction and under sore temptations and therefore fitly represented in these words a man without power an arme without strength and him that had no wisdome at least that he was such in the opinion and judgement of his friends As if he had sayd O Bildad Thou lookest upon me as a man without power strength or wisdome very well be it so
hee leaves that to be understood And what or whom can wee understand but God or the power of God by whom or whereby dead things are formed as well as living things for all things whether animate or inanimate receave their being and forme from him Dead things are formed from under the waters Hence note That all things are produced in their beings by the power of God Dead things as well as living things gold and silver minerals and gemms are formed by God as well as men or beasts And as they were of God in Creation at the beginning so there is a continuall putting forth of the power of God in the continuing or renewing of them God is dayly forming rich and rare things in the secret Cabinets of the earth and from under the waters And the inhabitants thereof That is as dead things are formed under the waters so are the inhabitants thereof or those living things that dwell in the water wee put in the Margin with the inhabitants who are they The inhabitants of the water are the fishes they are bred and abide in the water As if he had sayd Those precious stones and minerals called dead things are formed from under or in the waters as well as the fishes who are the proper inhabitants of the water Mr Broughton reades thus Dead things are formed under the waters and places neere them that is in the mountaines and hills in the clifts and rocks are these precious things formed But I rather take our reading and so the Text gives a further illustration of the power of God who as he formeth dead things under the waters so living things or the inhabitants of the water Hence note The power of God is great in forming the fishes of the Sea And the greatness of it will appeare if we consider three things about them First Their number as to us the fish of the Sea are infinite in number there is no sort of creatures that multiply so fast as fishes doe therefore when God created the inhabitants of the water we read Gen. 1.21 how emphatically their encrease is exprest And God created great Whales and every living creature that moveth which the waters brought forth aboundantly after their kinde The waters did not bring them forth by any power of their owne but they were brought forth in the waters by that power which God had planted in the waters for that purpose Now it is not onely sayd that the waters brought them forth but the waters brought them forth aboundantly implying that fish doe multiply and bring forth more then other creatures and therefore when the Spirit of God would shew a great increase of men 't is sayd They shall increase like fish Gen. 48.16 Jacob blessing the children of Joseph prayed thus Inter omnes bestias nihil est foecundius piscibus igitur trāffertur ad multiplicationem immensum The Angel which redeemed mee from all evill blesse the ladds and let my name be named on them and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth The Originall is Let them grow or multiply like fishes into a multitude in the midst of the earth or let them be as numerous upon the land as fishes are in the Sea And we finde in the sacred History how the blessing and providence of God made good this history For of the sons of Joseph Manasseh and Ephraim were numbred eighty five thousand and two hundred men meete for warre Numb 26.34.37 which exceeded the encrease of any one Tribe beside How wonderfully doth the Lords power appeare not onely in those infinite sholes of lesser fishes but in the greater also Who is able to report the number of these Sea-inhabitants or of the fishes who people the Sea Secondly If wee consider their various kindes that also sheweth forth the great power of God Naturalists observe that there is no creature upon the earth but hath as I may say its representative in the Sea besides those that have nothing like them on the earth so various are their kindes Thirdly Many of these inhabitants of the waters are wonderfull for the vastnesse and greatnesse of their bodyes the greatest of all living creatures are in the Sea Psal 104.25 So is this great and wide Sea wherein are things creeping innumerable both small and great beasts The Psalmist calleth the fishes beasts and there are small beasts in the Sea and great beasts even of a stupendious greatnesse The greatest beasts of the earth are as nothing compared to them The Elephant is little to the Leviathan Naturalists have written much of this subject the numerousnes variousnes and vastnes of these water-Inhabitants So that wee may see much of the Majesty and power of God as in these things that are formed under the waters so in those that are formed in the waters Job descends lower yet in the next words Vers 6. Hell is naked before him and destruction hath no covering 'T is questioned what is here meant by hell Some expound hell of the lowest parts of the earth so Master Broughton The lowest earth is naked before him and the lost that is that which seemes to be lost and condemned as himselfe Glosseth it hath no covering Secondly Hel is often put for the grave Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not leave my soule that is me in hel that is in the grave nor wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption Thirdly It is most usually taken for that prison or place of torment where the Lord detaynes all those in hold that have rebelled against him and dyed impaenitently in that rebellion In this third sence we may interpret it here as I conceive most suitably to the scope and purpose of Job in this place Hell is naked before him That is it is fully discovered to him he sees who are there and what is done there he observes all passages there even in that bottomlesse pit of hel as wel as in heaven or upon the earth As if Job had sayd to Bildad You told me that God maketh peace in his high places I tell you God hath to doe in hell or in the lowest places The lowest hell is naked before him The Apostle speaketh in this phrase Heb 4.13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to doe The words are an allusion unto bodyes which being stript and uncloathed all see what they are there may be many deformities blemishes and scarrs yea ulcers upon the body undiscerned while 't is cloathed or covered but when naked nothing is hid All things are naked before God that is he as plainly discernes what they are as wee discerne what a body is that stands naked before us Hell is called darknesse and utter darknesse yet it is light to God And destruction hath no covering Here the same thing is againe repeated
waves but he was asleepe And his Disciples came to him and awoke him saying Lord save us we perish And he saith unto them why are ye fearefull O ye of little faith then he arose and rebuked the winds and the Sea and there was a great calme This is a plaine exemplification and exposition of Jobs assertion by his understanding he smiteth through the proud When the Sea was as furious as a mad man who hath lost his reason and will heare none yet then Christ by his divine power and wisedome made it as obedient as they who have and act most reason are when they heare the most rational and pressing perswasions or we may say that he husht the Sea as a mother doth her crying childe and rock't it into a sleepe yea he doth not onely calme the Sea but kill it or strike it dead as the word of the text imports There is a particular sea which is called The Dead Sea But God can make all the seas Dead Seas and then he delights most to doe it when they threaten to swallow up all living This may be a great support to us among the stormes which we meete with here at land When men and nations are divided and raging against one another God can quiet them It is an easie matter to make divisions among men but it calls for much holy skill and wisedome even the wisedome of God to heale and soder them And when the spirits of men are proudest and lifted up like the high waves of the sea then usually t is Gods time to appeare and strike them through At his word as the Prophet speakes Isa 11.13 The envy of Ephraim shall depart and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off Ephraim shall not envy Judah and Judah shall not vexe Ephraim Whence is it that Ephraim envyeth Judah whence is it that Judah vexeth Ephraim is it not from their pride saith not Solomon Pro 13.10 By pride commeth contention How then shall the contention between Ephraim and Judah cease but by striking through their pride When there is lesse pride among men there will be more peace and God will smite the proudest rather then his people shall not have peace As the Jewes were divided among themselves so likewise were the Jewes and Gentiles Till Christ reconciling both to God in one body by the Crosse did slay enmity thereby Eph 2.16 And how did he slay their their enmity even by smiting through their pride and humbling their spirits under his owne crosse or sufferings by which and the throane of Grace they were at once reconciled to God and one to another Secondly That God who can appease the rage of the proud seas can also appease or destroy the rage of the proudest men who oppose his people So some understand that Zech 10.11 where we have a prophesie of bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt and Assyria into their owne land And he shall passe through the sea with affliction and he shall smite through the waves in the sea and all the deeps of the river shall dry up that is Christ the deliverer of his people shall passe through the nations who are like the red Sea standing in the way of his peoples returne and he will afflict them or bring much affliction upon them and he will smite those who like proud waves shall threaten to swallow them up so that the deepes of the river even those hindrances which it was thought could never be removed shall dry up at his command or rebuke and the pride of Assyria shall be brought downe and the scepter of Egypt shall depart away that is they who shall then be to the people of God as Egypt and Assyria were of old hard Taske-masters and leaders of them into Captivity shall be subdued and removed when they are proudest and in their greatest power 'T is matter of strong consolation to all the faithfull that they serve a God who is able to reconcile the divided spirits of his own people one to another and cause all their envy to depart from them who is able also to reconcile their greatest adversaryes to them and eyther to stay their enmity or to slay them as enemyes Thirdly 'T is matter of comfort to the people of God For he who can appease the rage of the Sea can also appease the rage of Satan and smite through the proud waves of his Temptations Satan goeth about continually to raise stormes and vex poore soules O the rage of temptation that many poore soules are under how doe the billowes of it rise like a violent sea wave after wave gust after gust As God himselfe rayseth stormes of temptation against a poore soule thus David spake in his owne case Psal 42.7 Deepe calleth unto deepe at the noyse of thy water-spouts all thy waves and thy billowes are gone over me which yet in due time he will appease so when Satan by his leave or command direction or permission rayseth stormes of temptation which he hath no mind to allay but rather to encrease and double dayly more and more yet O wearyed and weather-beaten soule be of good cheere the Lord can smite through the proud enemy Satan with all his floods and waves of temptation and make a calme Lastly Let them also remember this and be comforted who finde proud waves proud lusts and corruptions stirring and raging like a Sea within them For that which is said by the Prophet of the wicked is true in part of the righteous and sometimes it is in a very great measure fullfilled in them The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest Isa 57.20 that is they are like the Sea in a storme which is so not onely because of the unquietnesse of their spirits about the providences and dealings of God with them but because their violent lusts hurry them this way and that way as the sea is toyled and tossed by the windes this I say is true also in part of Saints some more some lesse are like a troubled Sea yea they have a Sea of sinfull lusts within them which the Lord is pleased sometimes to divide and stirre up their corruptions storme and bluster and Satan labours to make them bluster more more We dayly heare the complaints and cryes of soules thus tossed comming to Christ as his Disciples once did and crying to him Master save us we perish we feare we shall be over-whelmed and drowned in this Blacke Sea of our corruptions To such Christ saith O ye of little faith wherefore do ye thus feare cannot I smite through the proud the proud waves of your hearts Is unbeliefe the proud wave that ye feare will swallow you up Christ can give you such an encrease of faith as shall swallow up your unbeliefe is pride it selfe the proud wave that is like to overwhelme you Christ who smiteth through the proud in Judgement will also smite through thy pride in mercy It is a great act of Grace
layd up in the dust 241. The natural place of Gold should abate our desires after it 242. Gold the most excellent metal in five respects 382 Grace renders a man precious 383. The glory of grace is that it continueth 659 Greatest and strongest as easily cast downe by God as the least or weakest 665 Growth of Grace 397 H Hands purenes of hands what 290 Hardnes of heart in sin when the sinner can feed upon it 494. Hard heart trembles not at the reproofes of God 790 Heart lift up to heaven the worke of Grace 106. Laying up the word in the heart hath a twofold opposition 225. The heart of man is the Arke where the word of God must be layd up 227. Truth in the heart better to us then truth in the booke 228. Heart of man makes more false Gods then his hand ever made 128. The word to be hid in the heart 407. Soft heart what several sorts of it 457 Heathens confined their Gods to certain places 114 Heaven is the place of Gods speciall residence 105. 111. Two inferences given from it 106. Heaven and hel know no changes 779 Heavens what the garnishing of them is 804. Visible heavens are full of Beauty 807. Severall inferences from it 807 808 Hel in what sence it consumes those who are cast into it 624. What meant by hel in Scripture 746. Hel is destruction 747. Hel expressed by eight words in Scripture 751 Heresie like a flood yet bounded by God 777 Hiding the word of two sorts 227. Three ends of hiding the word in the heart 228 Hidings of God from his people 367 368. God hideth himselfe five wayes 368. God will be as hid to his people sometimes after the use of much meanes to finde him 371 High places of God what they are 684 Holynes the Lord takes pleasure in it three reasons why 22 23. Why we should be every where holy 113. Holynes hath boldnes with God 261 328. Holynes gives us weight and honour 602 Holy-Ghost sin against the Holy-Ghost what it it in general 557 Honour a threefold honour arising to God by the fall of the wicked 189 Houses God hath two speciall houses 808 Humble persons of two sorts 287. Humble persons under the speciall care of God 288 Hypocrites some not discovered in this world 330. Hypocrites feare the judgement of God or to be tryed by God 330. An hypocrite cannot rejoyce that God knoweth him shewed in three things 377. Hypocrites cannot hold out when they come to the tryall 384 I Jelousie guilt makes men full of it 642 Ignorance wicked men love it 554. A twofold ignorance 560 561 Imitation of God our duty 390 Impenitency under sin cōmitted worse then the sin committed 44 Imprisonment when a cruelty 54 Inconstancy of a carnal man shewed two wayes 602 Industriousnesse of the wicked in sinning 517 518 Infinite what Nothing strictly infinite but God 40 Innocent oft charged with foulest crimes 83. Innocent taken two wayes in Scripture 192 Joy at the troubles which befall wicked men how lawfull 186 187. What kind of joy that is not and what it is 192 Judge God the most desireable Judge to the godly and sincere five grounds of it 429 430. A Godly man rests in the Judgement of God 336. God is every way fitted to be a righteous Judge 378. In a Judge two things specially needfull 378 Judging man apt to judge favourably of himselfe hardly of others 48. We must take heed of Judging upon suspition 48. What Judging of others forbidden 49 Judgement wicked ripe for judgement sometimes before ripe in years 143. Judgements of God have somewhat of mercy in them 168. Judgements of God upon the wicked how matter of Joy to the righteous 184. Why the Judgements of God upon the wicked are not visible 482 Jupiter Hammon why so called 618 Justice how blind and how seeing 124 Justice must be done for the example of others 182 183 Justice of God honoured by the fall of evill men 189 Justification selfe justification extreamely displeasing unto God 24. God hath no respect to our righteousnes in the busienes of Justification 29. Justification what it is 700. Man hath nothing of his owne to justifie him before God two grounds of it 702. A twofold Justification 703 K Keeping the way of God twofold 392 Knowers of God or they who know God who they are 473. Every Godly man is a knower of God 476. Some godly men know God much more then others who are godly too 478 Knowing and understanding taken two wayes 334. 372 Knowledge evill men will act against their owne knowledge 555. Knowledge of God how and what God knoweth 121. The most secret wayes of man even the way within him is knowne to God 373. A general inference from this knowledge of God 374. It is the Joy of the upright that God knowes their most secret wayes 374. That God knowes the wayes of a godly man assures him of three things 375. Nothing is hid from the eye or knowledge of God 749. All our knowledge of the wayes and workes of God is but in part 819 L Labourer not to be wronged 536. Nothing cheape but poore mens labours why sayd so 538. It may be a dangerous thing to be the labourers purse-bearer but for a night 539 Land-markes the removing of them very sinfull 489 Law of God the Elegancy of the Hebrew word whereby it is expressed opened 220. Law taken two wayes 222. To receive the Law what it is 225. God onely can give a Law to the conscience 224. Law how written in our hearts by God and how by our selves 226 Left-hand declining what it importeth 396 Levelling principles confuted by the naturall state of the creature 117 Leviathan or Whale the mighty power of God in forming the Leviathan 814. An inference from it 815 Liberty threefold where the Spirit is 262. Life of man in what sence it should alwayes hang in doubt to him 641. How no man is sure of his life 643 Light of God fourefold 695 Light God is with all men by a twofold light 157. Light threefold shining upon the wayes of a Godly man 282. Light twofold 550. Wicked love not the light neyther to see what good they should doe nor to be seene in the evill they doe 554. Light internall against which the wicked rebel twofold 550. Holy truth is light 551. How divine truth is like light shewed in severall resemblances 552. Sinning against light exceeding sinfull 557. Foure degrees of sinning against light 558 They who sin against light are ready for every sin 560 Looke of God twofold 652 Love true love to man will not easily conceave or nourish suspition 102 Love we cannot be constant in that which we doe not love or affect 561 Lusts and corruptions like a stormy Sea within us 801 802 Lyars men are made lyars two wayes 670. The worst that can be sayd of a man is that he is a lyar 672 Lye false doctrine is a lye 671
the presence of the Lord shall be terrible and dreadfull even everlasting destruction to wicked men they shall at last Consider it so much that they shall feare to purpose God will powre out such a presence upon them as they shall be equally unable to hide themselves from or stand before but must lie downe and sinke under it into the bottomlesse gulfe of despaire for evermore If the Godly are sometimes afraid where shall the wicked appeare when God appeares When I consider with Job I am afraid of him Vers 16. For God maketh my heart soft and the Almighty troubleth mee Nihil opinor addit novi sed tantum versiculum praecedentem exponit Sanct This verse is neere in sence with the former Job herein further shewing both a reason why he was afraid of God as also the effect which Gods dealing with him had upon his owne heart or how he was affected with it For God maketh my heart soft The word rendred to make soft signifies the abateing of the strength of the heart But it may be enquired what was this soft heart which God made him I answer First Negatively by a soft heart here wee are not to understand a penitent heart or a heart broken with Godly sorrow at the sight eyther of sin acted or wrath threatned 2 Kings 22.19 The Lord saith by the Prophet to Josiah Because thy heart was tender soft or melted and thou hast humbled thy selfe before the Lord when thou heardest what I spake against this place therefore c. The heart of flesh promised and given in the new Covenant is a relenting and repenting heart Ezek. 36.26 I will take away the heart of stone and give you an heart of flesh that is I will make your heart soft which before was hard Job had such a heart a soft heart in this notion when he spake thus but that 's not the heart here meant God had given him that softnes of heart before for he is described Chap. 1.1 A man that feared God and a man that feareth God is a man of a soft heart Prov. 28.14 Blessed is the man that feareth alwayes but hee that hardneth his heart shall fall into mischiefe Where the hard heart and the feare of God are opposed For wheresoever the true feare of God is in the heart that is a soft heart Secondly By a soft heart is not here meant the patient heart that 's a soft heart in Scripture a heart which is willing to submit to and beare the burden that God layes upon it in this sence God makes the heart soft when as he accustomes his to sufferings so he fits them to suffer Man naturally is like Ephraim Jer. 31.18 As a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoake both of active and passive obedience Onely God makes man submit his stiff neck and hard heart to a suffering condition and to answer the call of his sufferings Pharaoh is sayd to have a hard heart because he did not yeeld to what God called him to by Judgements he had not a patient but an unquiet spirit under the plagues sent upon him nor did he obey what he was summoned to by the Lords voyce in those terrible plagues Now though I grant that an heart made soft in patience is an excellent frame of heart yet wee cannot understand it so here for Job had a patient heart yea he had abundance of patience before as he fully discovered at the very beginning and breaking out of his troubles he did not flinch at the Crosse but did embrace it The Apostle exhorts all Christians to Remember the patience of Job And wee must apply that Scripture to Job before he came to this poynt Therefore the softnes of heart intended in this text is somewhat besides this Thirdly Much less are wee to understand by a soft heart a fearefull or a Cowardly heart that 's a soft heart indeed but in a bad sence Wee have it so expressed Deut. 20.3 Heare ô Israel you approach this day unto Battell against your Enemies let not your hearts be faint c. The Hebrew is let not your hearts be soft or tender a soft heart is not for a sword nor for a battel How shall they stand in dangers who are fallen below them A penitent heart and a patient heart are proper in dangerous undertakings but a cowardly heart is the greatest disadvantage in the world therefore the Lord commanded this to be proclaimed to his people Let not your hearts be tender when yee goe forth against your Enemies or as it is exprest afterward Feare not neither tremble neither be yee terrified because of them Job had not such a soft heart he was no coward when he complained before that the terrors of the Almighty did encamp against him as a dreadfull Army nor while he sayd here God hath made my heart soft Fourthly A soft heart is an effeminate delicate wanton heart There are too many who have such soft hearts Men that are fit for nothing but what is worse then nothing to wallow in the sinfull delicacies and delights of this present world The Apostle useth a word 1 Cor. 6.9 which expresseth this fully Wee render it effaeminate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Molles but both the Greeke and the Latine is soft that is persons wantonly and vainely given And Moses applyes the very word of Jobs text to this kinde of softnes Deut. 28.56 The tender or soft and delicate woman that would not adventure to set the sole of her foote upon the ground for delicatenes and tendernes or softnes her eye shall be evill towards c. This is not onely a sinfull softnes of heart Liquefecit afflictionibus consumpsit Merc Haec mollitudo pertinet ad timorem vehementē quo quis corde mente cedit divinae majestati potestati cum quis facile recipit cogitationem et metum supernae magnitudinis but the worst of sinfull softnesses Jobs heart was farre from this softnes As he was at that time a man of sorrows so he had not been at any time a man of pleasure But if Jobs soft heart were none of these what was it then I conceive the soft heart proper to this place is a heart weakened and laid low through the burden of affliction A heart so worne out and spent that it can hardly beare any more God had softned and even consumed his heart with sorrow and affliction As he abhorred a hardnes of heart to resist the hand of God so now he feared that his heart was not hard enough to beare it with that chearefulnes and constancy of courage which he desiered Hard things are firme compact and knitt together those that are soft are weake and unable to beare any weight So that Jobs softnes of heart was his weaknes to beare Teneritatem imbecillitatem affert animo meo attendenti ad omnipotentiam ejus Jun And he gives this as an account why he was afraid of the power of God
in any new sufferings O saith he God hath made my heart soft that is I begin to faint I finde my selfe drooping I have not that strength of spirit and though I am not a coward yet I have not that courage that hardnes or hardines of spirit which I have had heretofore He queried indeed Ch. 6.12 Is my strength the strength of stones or is my flesh brass He had much strength but not the strength of stones nor was he hard as brass Now he saith plainly my heart is made soft it melteth like wax at the fire I am so litle like brass or stones in strength or hardnes that I am altogether like wax or water I am so far from having a minde to strive with or rise up against God that I know not how to stand before him if he which he seems to intend should still goe on to afflict me I am growne weake and unable to beare yet my burden remaines and will probably be made yet more heavie This interpretation carrieth a distinct sence in it and that which is most genuine to the scope of the place Mr Broughtons translation of the latter clause of the verse suites this exposition of the former with much clearenes For the Omnipotent hath softned my heart and the Almighty hath made me shrinke Whereas wee say the Almighty troubleth me he saith The Almighty hath made me shrinke For so a man commonly doth who eyther feares or feeles that which he is not well able to beare Hence Note The heart of a Godly man even of the most Godly may be so weakened under long continued sufferings that he may finde himselfe utterly unable to beare them any longer Wicked men labour to strengthen and harden themselves all they can to beare in opposition to God and Saints would strengthen and harden themselves all they can to beare in submission to God Pharaoh hardened his heart to oppose God striking him hee had stroake after stroake and Judgement after Judgement yet he would not yeeld but at last God made his heart soft in one sense though hee hardened it in another God appeared at last too hard for Pharaoh hee could hold out no longer And we finde the Lord speaking thus by Ezekiel to his people who it seemes by the language which God useth concerning them had as it were set themselves with unholy resolutions to stand or rather stout it out with God and beare the worst that hee could doe unto them But saith the Lord Ezek. 22.14 can thine heart endure or can thine hands be strong in the day that I shall deale with thee When I deale with thee in wayes of Judgement when I take thee in hand to punish and repay thee according to thy workes can thine heart endure no! it cannot endure it shall not be able to endure The Lord doth not meane it of an endureing with submission and patience So it is the honour of Saints to endure what ever God layes upon them but to endure with stoutnes and resistance art thou able to stand it out or can thine hand be strong no thy heart and hand will be soft and weake thou wilt not be able to beare it when I come to deale with thee It is sayd of Christ by David his type Psal 22.13 when hee was under those terrible sufferings for our sins that his heart was made soft and if it were so with the greene tree what must it be with the dry I am powred out like water and all my bones are out of joynt my heart is like wax it is melted in the midst of my bowells Thus the sufferings of Christ our head who was also the Captain of our salvation and the mighty God made his heart soft and melted him His heart was not melted with sorrow for his owne sin for he was without sin but the sorrow that was upon him for our sins melted his heart Whose heart will not melt grow soft that is unable to beare it when God layeth his hand heavy and long upon him Therefore we râ—ad in the Prophet how the Lord takes notice of this and condescends to the weaknes of man Isa 57.16 I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwayes wroth I will not goe onne to doe as I have done Why What 's the reason of it not but that God is able to continue his Contending and to carry on his warre whether with persons or with Nations for ever but he hath respect to the poore Creature for saith he I will not doe it lest the spirit should faile before mee and the soules which I have made How can soules faile the soule is an immortall substance and shall not faile for ever The soules of the damned shall be under everlasting Contendings and never faile they shall beare wrath for ever and not faile yea their bodyes shall not faile but through the power of God sustaining them under his Justice shall endure everlasting torments The meaning of that expression in the Prophet is the same with this in the Text Their heart will be made soft as yet they have strength faith and courage to beare these afflictions but if I continue them longer their spirit and strength their faith and patience will faile and be so worne out that they will not be able to abide it God would not Contend for ever lest as Job here complaines he should make their hearts soft And the Almighty troubleth mee That is his presence or his dispensations trouble me Deus in cujus potentia sufficientiaque divitiarum solatium meum esse debebat is me privavit omni solatio animam meam plane dejecit deserit me terret me Sanct wee see how much the spirit of Job was carryed out in the thing And he useth a word here that signifieth the power of God to comfort and refresh or God in his allsufficiency to comfort yet saith he this Almighty troubleth mee that is the thoughts or remembrance of him troubleth me He hath cast downe and grieved my soule already and I am much troubled with fearefull apprehensions of like severities from him againe These words the reader will easily perceive to be of the same minde and meaning with the 15th verse of this Chapter lately opened and therefore I shall not stay upon them but proceed to the last verse Vers 17. Because I was not cut off before the darknes neither hath he Covered the darknes from my face Here Job gives another reason of his being thus troubled at the presence of the Almighty It is saith he because I was not cut off before the darknes or because I dyed not by thick darknes so Mr Broughton we say because I was not cut off hee because I dyed not both meete in the same meaning For death is a cutting off and death will cut off or mow downe the strong yea the strongest as the sith doth eyther corne or grasse Thus spake Hezekiah in his sicknes Isa 38.10 I sayd in the