that prayer For sitting we have 2 Sam. 2.18 When Nathan brought that message unto David concerning the building of the house of God that it should be deferred till his sonnes time the Text saith That David went in and sate before the Lord and said who am I O Lord And in the end he saith Therefore have I found in my heart to pray this prayer unto thee We also find walking in prayer Gen. 24.63 Isaac went out into the field to pray He walked and pray'd we translate it to meditate but in the margin of your bookes you find it to pray as being nearer the Hebrew So that walking and sitting and standing are likewise praying gestures or postures of holy worship But chiefly that posture of bowing downe the body or bending the knee is the worship posture so it followes in the Text. He fell upon the ground and worshipped And worshipped To vvorship is to give to any one the honour due unto him So the rendering unto God that love that feare that service that honour vvhich is due unto him is the worshipping of God that 's the Scripture definition Psal 29.2 Give unto the Lord the honour due unto his name then followes by vvay of exposition Worship the Lord in the beauty of holinesse that is in his holy Temple in his beautifull Sanctuary or in the comely honour of his Sanctuary So that worship is the tendering of honour to the Lord in a vvay honourable to him namely according to his own vvill and Lawes of vvorship vvhich is intimated by comming to worship him in his beautifull Sanctuary where all things about the service of God vvere exactly prescribed by God And then there was beauty or comely honour in the Sanctuary vvhen all things vvere ordered there by the rule of his prescription varying and departing from vvhich vvould have filled that holy place vvith darknesse and deformity notwithstanding all the outward lustre and beauty had bin preserved The worship of God is two-fold there is internall worship and there is externall worship Internall worship is to love God to feare God and to trust upon him these are acts of inward worship these are the summe of our duty and Gods honour contained in the first Commandement And so you may understand vvorship in the Text. Iob fell downe and worshipped that is presently upon those reports hee put forth an act of love and holy feare acts of dependance and holy trust upon God in his Spirit saying to this effect within himselfe Lord though all this be come upon me yet I will not depart from thee or deale falsly in thy Covenant I know thou art still the same Jehovah true holy gracious faithfull All-sufficient and therefore behold me prostrate before thee and resolving still to love thee still to feare thee still to trust thee thou art my God still and my portion for ever Though I had nothing left in the world that I could call mine yet thou Lord alone art enough yet thou alone art All. Such doubtlesse vvas the language of Iobs heart and these were mighty actings of inward worship Then likewise there is externall worship which is the summe of the second Commandement and it is nothing else but the serving of the Lord according to his owne Ordinances and institution in those severall wayes wherein God will be honoured and served this is outward vvorship and as we apply our selves unto them so we are reckon'd to worship God Job worshipped God outwardly by falling to the ground by powring out supplications and by speaking good words of God as we reade afterward words tending to his owne abasement and the honour of God clearely and fully acquitting and justifying the Lord in all those works of his providence and dispensations towards him This is worship both internall and externall Internall worship is the chiefe but God requireth both and there is a necessity of joyning both together that God may have honour in the world Internall worship is compleat in it selfe and pleasing unto God without the externall The externall may be compleat in it selfe but is never pleasing to God without the internall Internall worship pleases God most but externall honours God most for by this God is knowne and his glory held forth in the world Externall worship is Gods name Hence the Temple was called the place where God put his Name sc his worship by which God is knowne as a man by his name They that worship God must worship him in Sprit and in Truth In Spirit that is with inward love and feare reverence and sincerity In Truth that is according to the true rule prescribed in his word Spirit respects the inward power Truth the outward forme The former strikes at hypocrisie the latter strikes at Idolatry The one opposes the inventions of our heads the other the loosenesse of our hearts in worship Observe further that it is only said Job fell downe and worshipped nothing is said of the object to whom he did direct his worship or whom he did worship The object is not exprest but understood or presupposed And indeed worship is a thing so proper and peculiar to God that when we name worship we must needs understand God For nothing but God or that which we make a god is or can be worshipped Either he is God whom we worship or as much as in us lies we make him one What creature so ever shares in this honour this honour ipso facto sets it up above and makes it more then a creature The very Heathens thought every thing below a God below worship therefore there needed not an expression of the object when the Text saith Job worshipped that implyes his worship was directed unto God yet there is a kind of worship which is due to creatures There is a civill worship mentioned in Scripture as well as divine worship Civill worship may be given to men And there is a two-fold civill worship spoken of in Scripture There is a civill worship of duty and there is a civill worship of courtesie That of duty is from inferiours to their superiours from children to their Parents from servants to their Masters from Subjects to Kings and Magistrates These gods must have civill worship As Gen. 48.11 vvhen Joseph came into the presence of Jacob his father he bowed downe to the ground this vvas a civill vvorship and a vvorship of duty from an inferiour to a superiour And it is said of the brethren of Judah Gen. 49.8 when Jacob on his death-bed blessed the 12. Tribes Thy brethren shall worship thee or bow downe to thee It is the same vvord used here in this Text. Judahs honour vvas to vvield the Scepter the government was laid upon his shoulders now he being the chiefe Magistrate all the rest of the Tribes all his brethren must vvorship him or give civill honour unto him Secondly There is likewise a worship of courtesie vvhich is from equals when one equall vvill bow to another or vvhen a
of the Trent Councell in the fifth Session but to far better purpose Pari pietatis affectu with the same holy reverence and affection They use it about Traditions matching Traditions with the Scriptures but we may fully match all Scripture together and say all must be received with the same devotion and affection Yet notwithstanding as the parts of Scripture were penned by divers Secretaries published in divers places in divers ages on divers occasions for divers ends so the argument and subject matter the method and manner of composing the texture and the stile of writing are likewise different Some parts of Scripture were delivered in Prose others in Verse or numbers some parts of the Scripture are Historicall shewing what hath beene done some are Propheticall shewing what shall be done others are Dogmaticall or Doctrinall shewing what we must doe what we must beleeve Againe some parts of Scripture are cleare and easie some are obscure and very knotty Some parts of Scripture shew what God made us others how sinne spoiled us A third how Christ restored us Some parts of Scripture shew forth acts of mercy to keepe us from sinking others record acts of judgement to keepe us from presuming And because the way to heaven is not strewed with Roses but like the Crowne of Christ here upon earth set with thornes because not smiles and loving imbracements from the world but wounds and stroaks and temptations doe await all those that have received the presse-money of the Spirit and are enrolled for the Christian warfare because everie true Israelite must expect that which Iacob upon his death-bed spake of Ioseph that the Archers will shoot at him hate him and grieve him In a word because many are the troubles of the righteous therefore the Scripture doth present us with sundry plat-formes of the righteous conflicting with many troubles Now these considerations that are scattered severally thorow the whole Scripture seeme all concenter'd and vnited together in this booke of Iob which if we consider in the stile and forme of writing is in some part of it Prose as the two first Chapters and part of the last and the rest is Verse If wee consider it in the manner of deliverie it is both darke and cleare If we consider the subject matter of it it is both Historicall Propheticall and Doctrinall In it is a mixture of mercie tendred unto of judgements threatned against and inflicted upon the wicked In it is a mixture of the greatest outward blessings and the greatest outward afflictions upon the godly conâ—luding in the greatest deliverances of the godly from affliction In this last the booke is chief there was never any man under a warmer sinne of outward prosperitie than Iob was neither was there ever any man in a hotter fire of outward affliction then Iob was God seeming to give charge concerning this triall of Iob as king Nebuchadnezzar did concerning the three children to have the furnace heated seven times hotter than ordinary This in the generall concerning the book Now more particularly I will not detaine you in that Proemiall disquisition about the Author and Penman of this Booke there is great varietie of Iudgement about it some say it was one of the Prophets but they know not who some ascribe it to Solomon some to Elihu not a few to Iob himselfe but most give it to Moses That resolution of Beza in the point shall serve me and may satisfie you It is very uncertaine who was the Writer of this Book saith he and whatsoever can be said concerning it is grounded but upon very light conjecture And therefore where the Scripture is silent it can be of no great use for us to speake especially seeing there is so much spoken as will finde us worke and bee of use for us neither need wee trouble our selves being assured that the Spirit of God indited the Booke who it was that held the pen. Onely take this that it is conceived to be the first piece of Scripture that was written take it to be written by Moses and then it is most probable that hee writ it before the deliverance of the people of Israel out of Egypt while he was in Midian Neither will I stay you in the second place about the inquirie into or rather about the refutation of that fancie that this whole Booke is a Parable rather than a Historie like that of Lazarus in the Gospel not a thing really acted but only a representation of it Now this which was the dreame of many of the Iewes and Talmudists and is fastned with no small clamour upon Luther by the Iesuits may clearly be convinced both by the names of places and persons which we shall have occasion to open when wee come to the booke it selfe and also by those allegations of the Prophets and of the Apostles concerning Iob the Prophet Ezekiel quoting him with Noah and Daniel two men that unquestionably were extant and acted glorious parts in the world and therefore Iob also All that I will say in particular shall be in these three things 1. To shew you more distinctly the subject of this Book 2. The parts and division of it 3. The use or scope and intendment of it 1. For the subject of this Booke we may consider it either as principall or as collaterall The maine and principall subject of this Book is contained and I may give it you in one verse of the 34. Psalme Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of all Concerning this subject there are two great Questions handled and disputed fully and clearly in this Booke The first is this Whether it doth consist with the Iustice and goodnesse of God to afflict a righteous and sincere person to strip him naked to take away all his outward comforts Or whether it doth consist with the Iustice and goodnesse of God that it should go ill with those that are good and that it should go well with those that are evill This is one great debate the maine Question thoroughout the Book And then secondly here is another great dispute in reference to the former Namely whether we may iudge of the righteousnesse or unrighteousnesse of the sincerity or hypocrisie of any person by the outward dealings and present dispensations of God towards him That is a second Question here debated The friends of Job maintained the first Question negatively the latter affirmatively They denied that God in Justice could aflict a righteous and a holy man They affirmed that any man so afflicted is unrighteous and may so be judged because afflicted And so the whole argument and dispute which the friends of Job brought may be reduced to this one Syllogisme He that is afflicted and greatly afflicted is certainly a great open sinner or a notorious hypocrite But Job thou art afflicted and thou art greatly afflicted Therefore certainly thou art if not a great open sinner yet a notorious hypocrite
grace God would have all the world take notice of this in the Booke of Job that a godly person is in vaine assaulted by friends or enemies by men or devils by wants or wounds Though he be even benighted in his spirit though God himselfe take away the light of his countenance from him yet God would have us learne and know that over all these a true beleever is more then a conquerour For here is one of the greatest battels fought that ever was betweene man and man betweene man and hell yea betweene God and man yet Job went away with the victory True Grace is often assaulted it never was or ever shall be overthrowne 7. This also we may learne That God never leaves or forsakes his totally or finally 8. Lastly The booke teacheth this generall lesson That the iudgements of God are often times very secret but they are never uniust That though the creature be not able to give a reason of them yet there is infinite reason for them These are the generall Uses from the generall scope and intendment of this booke by way of Instruction Secondly This booke serves to convince and reproove that slander of worldly men and of Satan who say that the people of God serve him for their owne ends that they follow him for loaves that they attend upon him for an estate for creature-comforts and concernements The Lord did on purpose cause these things to be acted and this History to be penned for ever to stop the mouth of Saâ—an and of all iniquity and to shew that his people follow him for love for the excellency they find in him and in his service Though he strip them naked of all they have yet they will cleave to him Here is one Confutation 2. It is to convince and reprove all those who judge of the spiriâ—uall estate of those that are under the hand of God in sore afflictions â—y some unbecoming and rash speeches which may fall from them â—n the time of those their conflicts when troubles and sufferings are â—pon them 3. To convince and confute those who judge of mens spirituall eâ—â—ates by Gods dealing with them in their outward estates 4. To convince and confute that cursed opinion that a man â—ay fall finally and totally away from grace and from the favour of God God hath shewed by this History that such an opinion is a â—e If ever any man were in danger of falling quite away from â—race received or might seeme to have lost the favour of God forâ—erly shewed surely it was Job and if he were upheld in the grace â— holinesse and continued in the grace of Gods love notwithstanding all that came upon him Certainly God would have all the world know that free-grace will uphold his for ever 5. To convince all those of pride and extreame presumption who thinke to find out and to trace the secrets of Gods counsell the secrets of Gods eternall decrees the secrets of all his workes of providence Whereas God sheweth them in this Booke that they are not able to find out or comprehend his ordinary works those which we call the workes of nature the things of creation the things that are before them which they converse with every day which they see and feele and have in their ordinary use They are not able to find out the secrets of the aire of the Meteors of the waters of the earth of beasts or birds every one of these puts thâ— understanding of man to a stand and pose his reason they are noâ— able to comprehend the workes of Creation how are they ablâ— then to find out the counsels of God in his Decrees and purposes anâ— judgements And for that end it is that God sets forth heere sâ— much of the workes of nature that all men may be stopp'd in thaâ— presumptuous way of searching too farre into his counsels Hereâ— another Use or scope of this Booke Thirdly there is much for Consolation 1. That all things doe worke for the good of those that loâ—â— God 2. Consolation is this That no temptation shall ever take hoâ—â— of us but such as God will either make us able to beare or make way to escape out of it We can be in no condition cast so low but the hand of Goâ— can reach us find us out send in deliverance and raise us up aâ—gaine Lastly here are two generall Exhortations 1. We are exhorted to the Meditation and Admiration of tâ—â— power and wisdome of God from all the Creatures This is a duâ—â— which this Booke leads us unto for that is the end why so much spoken concerning the workes of Creation that as the Aposâ— saith The invisible things of him from the Creation of the Worâ— may be clearly seene being understood by the things that are maâ— even his eternall power and God-head 2. To glorifie God in every condition to have good thoughts God to speake good words for God in every condition We 〈◊〉 drawne to this by considering how Job though sometimes in â—hemency of spirit he over-shot himselfe yet hee recovers agaiâ— and breaths sweetly concerning God shewing that his spirit was full of sweetnesse towards God even when God was writing bitter things against him as when he saith Though hee kill me yet I will trust in him than which what could expresse a more holy and submissive frame of heart in reference to the dealings of God with him Surely he thought God was very good to him who had that good thought of God To trust him even while hee slew him These things being proposed concerning the Booke in generall will helpe to cast a light thorough the whole at one view And though at this time I shall not enter upon expounding of the Text it selfe yet you have had in some sense the Exposition of the whole Text. If you carefully lay up these Rules they will much advantage and advance your profiting when we come to the Explication of any part IOB 1.1 2. There was a man in the land of Vz whose name was IOB and that man was perfect and upright and one that feared GOD and eschewed evill And there were borne unto him seven sonnes and three daughters c. THis Chapter may be divided into three parts whereof the first containes a description of Job in his prosperous estate from the first to the end of the fifth verse In the second we have the first part of Jobs affliction set downe from the sixth verse to the end of the nineteenth In the third Jobs carriage and behaviour in or his Conquest and Victory over that first tryall are discovered this concludes in the three last verses of the Chapter The description of his prosperous estate is given us in three points First What he was in his person vers 1. Secondly What in his possessions we have an Inventory of his goods vers 2 3 4. Thirdly What in his practise of holinesse verse 5. Where one example or instance is set downe
for all the rest The Booke begins with the description of his person in the first verse where Job is described by that which is accidentall and by that which is essentiall By accidentals so he is described by the place where he dwelt There was a man in the land of Uz. 2. By his name whose name was Job The essentials are foure qualifications which were essentiall to him not as a rationall man but as a holy man And that man was 1. Perfect 2. Vpright 3. One that feared God 4. Eschewed evill As they who write the Acts or Stories of great men usually give us some description of their persons before they set downe their undertakings or atchievements as you see in the 1 Sam. 17.4 5 6 7. how the great Giant Goliah is described So here the Holy Ghost by the Pen-man of this Booke being to record a glorious combate a combate not with flesh and blood alone but with Principalities and Powers a wrestling with mighty and strong temptations first gives us if we may so speake the Prosopographie of this divine Heroes soule the lineaments and abilities of his spirit This was the heighth and this the stature of the Combitant such were his limbes and such his weapons there he dwelt and this was his name There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job There was That referrs us either to the truth of the Story or to the time of the Story Such a man there was that 's certaine Such a man there was but the time when is uncertaine It referres us to the time onely indefinitely There was such a man but when is not exactly and precisely set downe The Scripture we know doth often keepe an exact account of yeares the Scripture is the guide and key of all Chronology and sometimes it leaves things in generall for the time and onely saith thus much such a thing was or such a person was So here Yet some have undertaken to define what the Spirit of God hath left at large the precise time wherein Job lived and tell us in what yeare of the world these things were done But I desire not to be so accurate unlesse the Rule were so too Onely thus much we may safely say that Job lived betweene the times of Abraham and Moses and nearer Moses than Abraham and for that I conceive there is ground sufficient There are these two speciall Reasons why it should be circumscribed within that limit 1. Because Job offered Sacrifice at that time in his owne Country which after the giving of the law and setting up of a publike worship was forbidden all both Jewes and Proselytes They that were acquainted with the wayes of God knew they must not worship by Sacrifice any where but before the Tabernacle or after the Temple was built at the Temple 2. Because in the whole booke there is not the least print or the least mention of any thing which did concerne those great and glorious passages of Gods providence towards the people of Israel either in their going out of Aegypt or in their journey thorough the wildernesse to Canaan Now in a dispute of this nature such as was betweene Job and his friends there would have been frequent occasion to have considered and instanced some of those things There is scarce any booke in Scripture that beares date after that great and wonderfull dispensation of God but it makes mention of or referrs to some passages concerning them Againe for the time that which some collect to cleare it is from the Genealogie of Job there are three speciall opinions concerning the line of his pedegree One that he descended from Nahor who was brother to Abraham Gen. 22.21 It was told Abraham behold Milcah shee hath borne children to thy brother Nahor Uz his first-borne and Buz his brother c. This Vz who was the first-borne of Nahor Abrahams brother is conceived to have given denomination to the land of Vz and so from him Job to be descended Another opinion there is maintain'd by many that Job was of the line of Esau and that he was called Jobab by Moses Gen. 36.33 And Bela died and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah raigned in his stead This Jobab who was a descendant or one of the Dukes of the line of Esau they say was Job But why the name Jobab should be contracted into Job I see little reason offered A third opinion for his descent is that he came from the children of Abraham by his second wife Keturah Gen. 25. where it is said that Abraham by her had divers sonnes and that hee gave them portions and sent them Eastward into the East country and from Midian who was the fourth sonne of Abraham by that second marriage our Genealogies doe positively and directly affirme that Job was descended That may suffice for the time for bringing of him within a narrower limit I have no grounds but conjecturall A man He is not called A man here barely as the Phylosophers Animal rationale c. as man is opposed to a Beast Nor barely is he called a man to distinguish his Sex as a man is opposed to a woman But there is somewhat more in the expression he is called a man by way of excellency And for the clearing and opening of that we may consider that there are 3. words in Scripture originall by which man is exprest 1. Man is called Adam That was the proper name of the first man and it became the common name for all men since So man was called from the matter of which he was made Adam from Adamah because as the reason is given Gen. 2.7 God made man dust out of the earth or as we translate of the dust of the earth 2. Man is called Enosh So he is called in regard of the infirmities weaknesses and sorrowes which he hath contracted by sinne since the fall sinne made the red earth weake and brittle earth indeed earth moystened with teares and mixt with troubles 3. He is called Ish which the Critticks in that language say comes from and hath allyance with two words One signifying Beeing or existence and the other heat or fire So that the excellency of mans being the heat courage and spirit that flames in him is set forth in that word and that 's the word here in the Text There was a man it is Ish an excellent a worthy man a man of an excellent spirit a man of men a man fitted to honour God and governe men And that it is so used in Scripture I will give you an instance or two that you may see it is not a bare conjecture In the 49. Psalme David as it were summons and divides mankind In the first verse he summons Heare this all ye people give eare all ye inhabitants of the world In the second verse he divides Both low and high rich and poore together The word in the Hebrew for high is Bene-Ish sons of Ish
translated perfect in other Texts is rendered upright But when we have both the expressions together as here we must distinguish the sense It is not a tautologie Then the former being taken for inward soundnesse plainenesse and sincerity This latter to be upright may be taken for outward justice righteousnesse and equity respecting all his dealings in the world He was a perfect man that is he was plaine hearted and he was plaine dealing too which is the meaning of He was upright So the one referres to the integrity of his spirit the other to the honesty of his wayes His heart was plaine and his dealings were square This he expresseth fully in the 29. and 31. Chapters of this Booke which are as it were a Comment upon this word upright There you may reade what is meant by uprightnesse his fairenesse in all parts both of Commutative and Distributive Justice In those things that concerned Commutative Justice when Iob bought or sould traded or bargained promised or covenanted hee stood to all uprightly Take him as he was a Magistrate when Iob sate in Judgement or had any businesse brought before him he gave every one his due he did not spare or smite upon ends he did neither at any time justifie the wicked or condemne the godly but was upright in Judgement He was not byast by affection or interests he was not carried away by hopes or feares but kept the path of Justice in all his dispensations towards that people among whom he lived This is to be an upright man and so the Prophet tells us Isa 26.7 The way of the Iust is uprightnesse that is they are upright in their wayes and more uprightnesse in the abstract We have a like expression Prov. 29.27 Those that are upright in the way are an abomination to the wicked Uprightnesse doth referre to the way wherein a man goes in his outward dealings and dispensations towards men There is a two-fold uprightnesse of our wayes 1. Uprightnesse of words 2. Of works so upright walking is expounded and branched forth Psal 15.2 3. He that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousnesse and speaketh the truth in his heart He that back-biteth not with his tongue This is the second part of Iobs description He was perfect and upright Thirdly He was One that feared God Fearing God The feare of God is taken two wayes Either for that naturall and inward worship of God and so the feare of God is a holy filiall affection awing the whole man to obey the whole will of God That is feare as it is an affection Or the feare of God is put for the externall or instituted worship of God So that a man fearing God is as much as this A man worshipping God according to his owne will or according to his mind and direction Now when as Iob is said to be a man fearing God you must take it both these wayes He had that holy affection of feare with which we must worship God as we are taught Heb. 12.28 Let us have grace whereby wee may serve God with reverence and godly feare And serve the Lord with feare and rejoyce before him with trembling Psal 2. Feare is that affection with which we must worship and serve God And Iob likewise did performe that worship to God which he required this is called Feare and the exercise of it fearing God Fearing God is worshipping God As you may see clearely by two Texts of Scripture compared together In the fourth of Math. v. 10. Christ saith to the Devill It is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only thou shalt serve Compare this with Deut. 6.13 and there you shall have it thus exprest Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God That which in the one place is worship in the other is feare Againe Mat. 15.9 In vaine saith Christ doe they worship mee teaching for doctrine the commandements of men Now the Prophet Isaiah from whence that is taken Chapt. 29.14 expresseth it thus Forasmuch as their feare toward mee is taught by the precepts of men They worship me according to the precepts of men saith Christ Their feare is taught by the precepts of men saith the Prophet So that feare and worship are the same Fearing God doth include both the affection of a worshipper and the duty or act of worshipping The fourth part or line of Iobs character is his Eschewing evill Evill is here taken for the evill of sinne before sinne came into the world there was no evill in the world God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good But when sinne came which was the first and is the chiefest evill it brought in with it all other evills Sinne hath in it the whole nature of evill and all the degrees of evill and from it proceed all evill effects Hence is eminently called evill Sicknesse and death and Hell are called evill how much rather that but for which these evills had never bin how much rather that with which these compared may be called good Further evill is put here indefinitely He was one that eschewed evill not this or that evill but evill that is all evill this indefinite is universall And then further we are to take evill here as himselfe afterward expoâ—nds it in his practise not only for the acts of evill but all the occasions the appearances the provocations and incentives of or unto evill for whatsoever might leade him into evill for thus he instanceth in one particular I made a covenant with mine eyes why then should I thinke upon a maide Chap. 31.1 Eschewed In this word the prudence of Iob shines as bright as his holinesse who having received a great stock and treasure of grace now watches to preserve it and opposes whatsoever was destructive to the life or growth of the inner man That man shewes he hath both money and his wits about him who suspects and provides against Theeves Job eschewed evill There is much in that expression It is more to say a man doth eschew evill then to say a man doth not commit evill It had bin too bare an expression to say Iob did not commit evill but when it is said Job eschewed evill this shews that not only the hand and tongue of Iob did not medle with evill but that his heart was turned from evill For eschewing is a turning aside with reluctancy and abhorrency so the Hebrew Sar imports Iob did abhorre evill as well as not commit evill As there is a great deale of difference betweene these two the doing of good and a delight in doing good betweene being at peace and following of peace A man may doe good and not be a lover of good a lover of the Commandements of God a delighter in them he may be at peace and not be a lover and follower of peace So a man may be one that commits not such and such sinnes he may doe no hurt and yet in the meane time he may be one
of all He was greatest all these wayes but that which is here specially meant is the greatnesse of his honour and riches He was the greatest man in outward estate of all the men of the East Of all the men of the East Heb Sonnes of the East In the 25. of Genesis v. 6 Abraham gave gifts unto his Sonnes by the Concubines and sent them away from his Sonne Isaac Eastward into the East Countrey Doubtlesse the blessing of God followed these Sonnes of Abraham his friend and they waxed Great but among them all Iob was greatest It had bin much to say he was a great man amongst the men of the East for the men of the East were very great men and very rich men As to say one is a rich man in the City of London where there are so many rich men one that goeth for a rich man there is a rich man indeed But here is more in this he was not only a rich man or a great man amongst the men of the East but he was the greatest he was the richest of them as to say that one is the richest in the whole City cryes a man up to the height of riches this expression then heightens the sence of the Text concerning Iobs greatnesse he was not only great among the men of the East but the greatest man of them as if the Holy Ghost should have said I will not stay reckoning up particulars or telling you this and that Iob had you know the East was a large Countrey and full of rich men his estate was the largest and himselfe the richest of all the men of the East A Question may here be raised Why the Holy Ghost spends so many words and is thus accurate in the setting forth of Iobs outward estate I shall touch three reasons for it 1. He is described to be a man of a very great estate to the end that the greatnesse of his affâ—iction might appeare afterward the measure of a losse is taken by the greatnesse of a mans enjoyment If a man have but little his affliction cannot be great but if a man have much if he have abundance then the affliction doth abound After great enjoyments want is greatest Emptinesse presses those most who once were full I went out full saith Naomi Ruth 1.21 and the Lord hath brought me home empty therefore call me not Naomi which is pleasant but Marah which is bitter for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me 2. The greatnesse of his estate is set forth that the greatnesse of his patience might appeare For a man to be made poorer that was but poore and meane before it is no great matter though he beare it for a man to have but little that never had much is no great tryall of his patience but for a man to have nothing at all that had as it were all things and to be patient under it this shewes the proofe of patience To a man that is borne a slave or a captive captivity and bondage is no trouble it doth never exercise his patience he is scarce sensible of the evill because he never knew better But for a King that is borne free and hath power over others for a King that is in the height of freedome and liberty to become a slave and a captive in such a one patience hath a perfect worke if he beare it So for Iob a man that once abounded in all manner of outward good things to be outed and emptyed of all that tryed his patience to the full 3. It was to give to all the world a testimony that Job was a through godly and holy man that he was a man of extraordinary strength of grace why because he held his integrity and kept up his spirit in the way of holinesse notwithstanding he was lifted up with abundance of outward blessings To be very great and very good shewes that a man is good indeed Great and good Rich and holy are happy conjunctions and they are rare conjunctions Usually riches impoverish the soule and the world cares out all care of Heaven therefore Iob was one of a thousand being at once thus great in riches and thus rich in goodnesse He was rich in grace that was so gracious in the middest of so much riches the godlinesse of Iob was inriched by his riches It argued that Iobs godlinesse was very great and very right because he continued right in the middest of all his greatnesse How often doe riches cause forgetfulnesse of God yea kicking against God How often are they made the bellowes of pride the fewell of uncleanenesse the instruments of revenge How often doe rich men contemne dispise and oppresse their weake and poore bretheren but to make riches the fewell of our Graces and the Instruments of duty both to God and man To have the house full of riches and the heart full of holinesse these united are admirable Extremes are very dangerous to be extreame poore or extreame rich is an extreame temptation Therefore the wise man Agur Prov. 30.8 prayes Give me neither poverty nor riches Lord saith he I would not be in any of the extreames It is a sore temptation to be farre on either hand to be farre on the hand of riches or farre on the hand of poverty To be very poore and very holy is a rare thing That man hath great treasures and riches of grace who is so I remember the speech of a poore woman who having a child about 8. or 9. yeares of age and being once in such a streight that hunger began to pinch them both the child looking upon the Mother said Mother doe you thinke that God will starve us No child answers the Mother The child replyed if he doe yet we must love him and serve him Such language from the heart becomes and argues more then a Child in Grace a growne Christian. They are fil'd with Christ who can starve and serve him So likewise are they who being full fed yet serve him and temptations are greater upon the full then upon the empty upon the rich then upon the poore The reason of it is because as riches doe stirre up lust so they give fewel and administer instruments for the obtaining and taking in of that which lust calls for this poverty doth not The poore saith Christ receive the Gospell the lame and the blind make most speed and see their way clearest into the Kingdome of Heaven but for rich men he saith It is easier for a Camel to goe through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven We see now the Miracle acted in Iob the Camel is got thorough the needles eye Job a rich man is got through the needles eye with three thousand Camels c. And the reason was because all his Camels Cattell and riches did not take up so much roome in his heart they were not so thick in his spirit as one
great and mighty power therefore Eph. 1.21 they are called Principalities and powers far above principalities and powers and might and dominions that is farre above all Angels They are called the sonnes of God because they are like God in power and dignity Then againe they are called the sonnes of God because they serve God as sonnes chearfully willingly readily They do not obey as slaves as servants as the best of servants they obey better than the best of servants they obey as children they goe about their worke with filiall and sonne-like chearfullnes and delight Thirdly they are called sonnes because of the great priviledge that God doth vouchsafe them he doth use them as his children as his sonnes they are his Courtiers they are neare him alwaies attending him and continually see his face They have the priviledge of sonnes Came to present themselves before the Lord. Not that the Angels are at any time out of the presence of God for Christ is expresse in that Mat. 18.10 Their Angels doe alwayes behold the face of my Father But they are then said to come and present themselves before God when they come upon some speciall businesse or upon some speciall occasion As it is with us here upon the Earth we are never out of the presence of God for Psal 139. Whether shall I goe from thy presence Yet when we come to pray and are in other holy duties we are said to present our selves before God and to draw neare unto God and God is said to draw neare unto us at such a time and yet God is ever with us and we ever with him So when it is said here that the Angels came and presented themselves before the Lord it noteth only this their readinesse either to give an account of what they had done or to receive directions from God what to doe The Angels are most willing to goe about the service and worke of God and that is all that is here meant by their presenting themselves before the Lord for otherwise they are ever in his presence as Luk. 1.19 The Angell answered and said I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God and am sent to speake unto thee I am Gabriel that stand he speakes in the present time even now while I am speaking unto thee I stand in the presence of God The Angell while he goeth into the world is not absent from God he beholdeth the face of God alwayes The Schoole-men have an odde distinction they say there are assisting Angels and there are ministring Angels Those Angels that are assistants stand alwayes before God and never are sent out about the world upon any occasion Others are ministring spirits as Heb. 1.14 Are they not ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who are the heires of salvation This is Schoole doctrine But there needs no such distinction of some to be assisting or attending and some to be ministring Angels for wheresoever they are they are alwayes in the presence of God and their presenting themselves before God notes only their preparednesse to attend the Lords service in whatsoever he shall employ them And Satan came also among them That is the chief of the evill Angels as it is conceived The word Satan signifieth an Adversary and so it is often times applied to men as concerning Solomon it is said that while he did walke exactly with God there was neither adversary nor evill occurrant the word in the originall is there was no Satan in his kingdome and in the 1 King 11.14 it is said The Lord stirred up Satan an Adversary against Solomon and that accusation which those wretches in Ezra c. 4. sent against the building of Jerusalem is called Sitna they sent Sitna an accusation or an opposing letter It comes from the same root any kind of opposition is called Sitna from Satan who is an opposer It is sometimes used more generally concerning any opposition as the Angell that came to oppose Baalam Numb 22.34 I wist not saith Baalam that there was an adversary that stood in the way But how can it be said that Satan should come among the sons of God I said before that it was but an alluding speech to the dealings of men in their sessions and assemblies and there is no necessity to make every particular of it hold Wee may conceive it thus Satan came also among them It is not said that the sons of God and Satan came and presented themselves before the Lord Satan did not joyne himselfe in with them Satan did not offer himselfe for any good service but thither hee came being so ordered by the over-ruling power of God But can Satan come into the presence of God No otherwise than a blind man can come into the Sun he comes into the Sun and the Sun shineth upon him but he sees not the Sun Satan comes so into the presence of God that he is alwayes seene of God he is never so in the presence of God as to see God It is question'd whether the lapsed Angels ever saw God at all while they stood because if they had seene God it is conceived that vision would have been their confirmation But it is most certaine that the lapsed Angels since their fall never saw God nor ever shall though it be said here Satan came among the sons of God you know what the Apostle Jude teacheth That the devils kept not their place but are reserved in chaines of darknesse against the judgement of the great day We shall open that afterward when we come to speake of his compassing the earth how he doth compasse the earth and yet is reserved in chaines of darknesse But I say there is his seat there is his place and all that is spoken of him in this doth not inferre any the least glimpse or fruition of God or communion with the Angels In regard of his nature he is still a spirit but in regard of his sin he is a miserable spirit he hath lost his excellency though he hath not lost his nature And being a spirit he hath power to passe and repasse to goe up and downe the world to ascend and descend at his pleasure as good Angels may and can when God doth permit him We see here the good Angels are called the sons of God in this learne the priviledge of beleevers they partake with the Angels in this title the Apostle saith Behold what manner of love the Father hath shewed that we should be called the sonnes of God if you would know what manner of love it is it is as great as the Angels in Heaven have Christ tooke not upon him the nature of Angels but hath given us the honour of Angels Fallen Angels could not share with us in the benefit of redemption but we share with the Angels that stand in the priviledge of Son-ship We are the sons of God as well as they and in somewhat beyond them they are created sons but not as we
adopted sons Came and presented themselves before God This should teach us to imitate Angels this we pray for That the will of God should be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven The Angels alwayes present themselves they alwayes stand before God ready to doe his will we should be ever in the presence of God in this sense that is presenting our selves standing as in the presence of God ready to take and receive instruction to doe his will what ever it is Lord what wilt thou have me to do Is as it were the voyce of an Angell standing before the throne of God It should be the voyce of every soul Lord what wilt thou have me to doe This is the presenting of the soule before God Then consider here who Satan was Satan was as good in his Creation as any of those who are called the sonnes of God They are called the sonnes of God and he is now called nothing but Satan an adversary His condition was once as good as theirs Note hence There is no created excellency but if it be left to it selfe will quickly undoe it selfe These Angels were as good at the first as any of those that were here called the sonnes of God They were not confirmed they stood upon their owne bottome they fell and had no tempter at all they turned about upon the freedome of their owne will and left their habitation saith the Scripture There is no trusting to any estate out of Christ Further note this what was the difference between those sons of God and this Satan only sin one was as good as the other in the creation nothing else made an Angell a Devill but only sin Sin despoyles the creature of all it's comfort and honour at once Againe note this the Angell falling and becomming sinfull hath his name presently changed he is called Satan an Adversary An adversary to God an adversary to man He that is wicked himselfe will quickly be an adversary an opposer of all goodnesse no sooner a sinner but a Satan Lastly Note this To be an opposer of good is to be conformable to the devill The devill is the Adversary the Satan and so proportionably as any one is an opposer of good so much of Satan so much of the devill he hath in him Therefore Christ said to a chiefe Apostle when he did oppose him in that greatest good of all the working out of our redemption in dying for us get thee behind me Satan Mat. 16. All opposition of goodnesse is a spice of the devill So the Apostle Paul Act. 13.10 when he speakes to Elymas the sorcerer saith O thou child of the devill thou enemy of all goodnesse To be an enemy of goodnesse is to be the child of the devill it is the very character of the devill He is a Satan in respect of all goodnesse and good persons And surely my brethren if this be a character of the devill and to be conformable unto Satan how conspicuous is that conformity in this age How many thousands beare this marke of the devill not only in their hands closely but in their fore-heads openly How many visible walking Satans are there among us enemies of all goodnesse oppressours of all righteousnesse opposers of our peace opposers of our liberty opposers of the Gospell opposers of Christ These are all as so many Satans in the world so many enemies Now is a time that Satans are let loose in the world the devill now if ever workes mightily in the hearts and spirits in the hands and tongues of these children of disobedience It becommeth us then that as there are many adversaries and opposers of goodnesse to shew our selves friends and patrons of goodnesse Christ hath many challenges let him find some Champions Now it is time to raise your spirits not only to love the truth but to maintaine the truth as it is the height of wickednesse not onely to doe evill but to oppose good so it is the height of holinesse not only to doe good but to oppose evill This is just to be on the contrary point to Satan he doth wickednesse and opposeth good let us doe good and oppose all evill To be a Satan against Satan is the glory of a Christian Now set your selves against the Sathans be adversaries to that Adversary and all his adherents so shall you approve your selves the friends of Christ JOB 1.7 8. And the Lord said unto Sathan whence commest thou Then Sathan answered the Lord and said From going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and downe in it And the Lord said unto Sathan hast thou not considered my servant Job that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill IN the former verse we shewed you that great and glorious Session the Lord with his holy Angels about him and Sathan too comming among them In the verses following to the end of the 12th We have the businesse or acts of the Session recorded God Interrogates Satan answers Satan moves God grants This is the summe of all the businesse that pass'd in this Session God puts two Interrogatories to Satan one concerning his travells or where he had bin vers 7. The other concerning his observations or what he had done vers 8. In the 7th verse we have the first qustion the Lord beginneth with Sathan And the Lord said unto Satan whence commest thou How the Lord speakes is a point almost unspeakeable There are many disputes about it I will not stay upon them only to open this that you may take in all Scripture of the like kind wherein the Lord is said to speake We must know that as in Scripture God is said to have a mouth and a voice alluding unto man by that common figure so likewise when the Lord speakes we must understand it by the same figure it is but an allusion to the manner of men God is said to speake as men are said to speake but God doth not speake as men speake forming a voice by such organs or instruments of speech But when the Lord speakes it is either by forming and creating a voice in the ayre so God is said to speake sometimes As when Christ was babtized there came a voice from Heaven saying This is my beloved Sonne c. So Joh. 12.28 There came a voice from Heaven saying I have glorified thee which all the people heard sounding in the ayre Secondly God is said to speake when he manifests and declares himselfe either to the spirits of men or unto Angels who are spirits God doth speake unto the spirits of men sometimes without any forming of a voice so the phrase is usuall in the Prophets The word of the Lord came unto me which is to be understood that the Lord did secretly reveale himselfe to the spirits of his Prophets and not by any externall audible voice it was an inward not an outward word So when the
intelligencers to bring him in a report of the state of things abroad for so there in the vision it is exprest after the manner of men Though Christ needs none to informe him about the estate of his Church and people yet he alludes to the custome of Princes who maintaine Intelligencers in all Courts and Kingdomes to advise them how the affaires of other nations are transacted The very same Originall word is used of God himselfe Zach. 4.10 The eyes of the Lord runne to and fro through the whole earth he is his own Intelligencer exactly discovering and taking notice of every thing that is done in the world So then this is the meaning I have beene going to and fro in the earth saith Satan that is I have fully and throughly taken notice of all passages of all persons in all places of all conditions and sorts of men that is the thing I have beene doing Thus Mr. Broughton translates From searching to and fro in the earth noting his exactnesse of enquiry in his travels Then secondly it noteth the unquietnes of Satan He is an unquiet a restlesse spirit being cast out of Heaven he can rest no where A soule that is once displaced and out of the favour of God hath no place to repose in afterward Now saith he all my businesse is walking to and fro going up and downe Satan hath no rest As the sentence of Cain was Gen. 4. when God had cast him out of his presence thou shalt be a fugitive and a vagabond thou shalt doe nothing but runne up and downe the world as long as thou livest Satan is such a fugitive a vagabond one that runnes up and downe in the world he is an unsetled an unquiet spirit They who are once departed from God can never find rest in any creature but running to and fro is their condition and their curse Thirdly Some understand it thus that Satan makes as it were a recreation of his tempting and drawing men to Hell Satan cannot possibly in a proper sense take any comfort or be refreshed but as one doth well expresse it he himselfe being lost undone and damned seekes to comfort himselfe by undoing and damning others It is a joy to some to have companions in sorrow All Satans delight if we may conceive he hath any delight is in this in making others as bad and miserable as himselfe Therefore it may be he calls his trade of seduction and destruction walking up and downe in the earth as men are said to walke up and downe for refreshing and recreation he speakes of it not as of some toilesome hard journy but as of walking for delight But I conceive the former to be more proper Take two or three Notes from this First Here we may observe That there is no place in the world that can secure a man from temptation or be a sanctuary from Satans assault For Satan goeth to and fro thorough the earth hee is an ubiquitary hee stayes no where but runs every where It is the folly of Popish Votaries that think to shut themselves up in walls from the temptations of Satan Cloysters are as open to Satan as the open field Satan walketh to and fro through the earth Secondly We may note here the wonderfull diligence of Satan Satan is very active to doe mischiefe He walketh to and fro As Peter expresseth it 2 Pet. 5.8 He goeth about as a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devoure There is his diligence and there is his intent Satan speaks nothing of his intent here he conceales that he speakes only as if he went about like a pilgrim walking thorough the earth his maine businesse that he went about to devoure soules is kept in silence but the holy Ghost unmaskes him and discovers the designe of his walking to and fro He seeks whom he may devoure If Satan be thus diligent going about to tempt we ought to be as diligent standing alwayes upon our watch to prevent his temptations Mr. Latimer in one of his Sermons where he taxes the Clergy especially the Bishops of those times for their idlenesse proposeth to them the example of the Prophets and Apostles and of Christ himselfe their diligence in going about to preach should quicken those idlers but saith he if you will not follow their example follow the example of Satan he goeth about in his Diocesse to and fro continually Take example from him in doing evill how to doe good we may take example thus farre from Satan to be as forward to do good as he is to do hurt to be as watchfull against him as he is watchfull against us If this be his busines to go to and fro thorough the earth and his intent be to devour souls then where ever we goe in the world up and downe we ought to be carefull to keep our own souls and gain the souls of others Thirdly We may observe from it that Satan is confined in his businesse to the earth he can get no farther than the earth or to the ayereall part he is called the Prince of the ayre Satan being once cast out of heaven can never get into Heaven more There is no tempter in heaven there is no Serpent shall ever come into the caelestiall Paradise there was one in the earthly Paradise but there shall never be any in the caelestiall Therefore when we are once beyond the earth we are beyond the reach of all temptations we are then at rest from Satans snares and practices as well as from our owne labours Let us now consider what the Lord replyeth or his second Question to Satan Well thou hast been walking to and fro in the earth saith God Hast thou considered my servant Job Tell me hast thou taken notice of such an one Hast thou considered The word is Hast thou put thy heart upon Job So it is word for word in the Originall hast thou laid Job to thy heart Hast thou seriously fully and exactly considered my servant Job And so it is rendred out of the Septuagint Hast thou attended with thy mind upon my servant Job To put a thing upon the heart is to have serious and speciall regard to it as when the Scripture speaks of not putting a thing upon the heart it noteth a sleighting and neglecting of it When the wife of Phineas was delivered and they told her that she had brought forth a son the Text saith she answered not neither did she regard the Hebrew is neither did she put her heart upon it the same word is here in the Text. Thus Abigail speakes unto David As for this sonne of Belial let not my Lord put his heart upon him or as it is translated let not my Lord regard this man of Belial take no notice of such an one as he is he is a foole name and thing doe not regard him doe not put him upon thy heart There are divers such expressions where putting upon the heart is expressed by
unto the father When they told Christ of some whose bloud Pilate had mingled with their Sacrifices Thinke not saith he that either these or those upon whom the Tower of Shiloe fell and slew them were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem I tell you except yee repent yee shall all likewise perish As there is no judging of the sinnes of men by such kind of exigents and events so neither of the wrath of God yet how many by such appearances judge unrighteous judgements being as barbarous as those Barbarians of Malta who seeing a Viper comming out of the heat and fastning on Pauls hand they concluding he must die presently censured him to be a murtherer whom though he had escaped the Sea yet vengeance followed on shore and would not suffer to live Wee must not ground our judgement upon the workes of God but upon his word In externals there is the same event to all Eccles 9. Men cannot be distinguish'd for eternity by what they suffer but by what they doe not by the manner of their death but by the tenour of their lives This is a certaine truth That man can never die an evill death who hath led a good life There is nothing makes death evill but the evill which followeth death or the evill that goes before death Thirdly Here was death a strange and sudden death surpriz'd the children of Job and this when they were feasting when they were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brothers house Wee may observe from that also by way of admonition Christians had need to take heed and be holy in feasting While we are eating and drinking we may be dying therefore eating and drinking we had need be holy Take heed to your selves saith Christ lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkennesse take heed lest at any time because at any time the day may come upon you unawares That day whether it be a day of generall calamity or personall may come upon you unawares It becomes us to be holy in all manner of conversation though we had an Assurance of our lives But seeing in what manner of conversing so ever we be death may surprize us and we have no assurance of our lives in our greatest joyes how holy should we be Whether you eate or drinke saith the Apostle or whatsoever you doe doe all to the glory of God Have God in your eye let him be your aime It is prophecied concerning the latter times That every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holinesse unto the Lord. The very pots in Jerusalem shall be holy that is men at their pots shall be holy to note that they should be holy in their eatings in their drinkings not holy onely when they were praying and holy when they were hearing but holy in those ordinary naturall actions of eating and drinking holy at their Tables and in all their refreshings with the creature Then indeed there is holinesse in the heart when there is holinesse in the pot and 't is but need there should be holinesse in the pot when there my bedeath in the pot We may observe somewhat more generally from all these foure sore afflictions considered together As first We see how quickly the beauty of all worldly blessings may be blasted Job in the morning had an estate as great and as good as his heart could desire in worldly things there was luster and strength in and upon all he had but before night he had nothing but sorrow to sup upon He had no retinue of servants left but foure reserved only to report his losses In one day all 's gone It is added as an aggravation of Babylons down-fall that her judgements shall come upon her in one day Revel 18.8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day death and mourning and famine and she shall be utterly burnt with fire for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her In one day all the beauty of Babylon shall be blasted We need not now trouble our selves to thinke Babylon is in a great deale of strength and beauty and glory surely there must be a long time spent in contriving and acting the destruction of Babylon no the Lord can blast her beauty and destroy her power in a day and the Text saith he will doe so in one day all her plagues shall come upon her That which Babylon hath beene gathering many yeares shall be scattered in a moment She thinkes that by her wisdome and policy she hath laid such a foundation of her owne greatnesse as shall never be shaken And therefore concludes I sit a Queene and am no widow and shall see no sorrow Yet all her strength shall not hold out one day when God in his displeasure shall lay siege against her walls So when yee looke upon other great and mighty prosperous and flourishing enemies such as flourish like greene bay trees remember the Lord in one day can wither their branches and kill their roots yee root them up Certainly the strength of the Lord is as mighty for the destroying of his enemies as it is for the afflicting of his owne people If he sometimes gives commission to take away all their comforts in a day when their estates are highest and strongest built Surely he will at last give Commissions for as speedy a dispatch against the estates of his greatest enemies And this may be unto us all matter of Admonition to prepare for changes to esteeme creatures as they are perishing substance Who ever had an estate better gotten better bottom'd or better managed then Job yet all was overthrowne and swept away in a moment We can never expect too much from God nor too little from the creature Lastly We may learne from the fore-going story of these afflictions considering that Satan was the contriver and engeneere who set all a worke That Satan is mighty both in power and policy for the effecting of his designes if God give him liberty and leave You see he doth not faile or misse in the least he brings every affliction upon Job in the perfection of it and he doth not bungle at it or doe his worke by halves but he is quicke and speedy both in laying the plot and executing it There is nothing in this inferiour world able to stand before him no creature no man if God let him alone The good Angels can match yea and master devils there is no doubt of that but if God stop his Angels and with-draw his hand the devill would quickly over-runne all the world We wrestle not with flesh and bloud but with principalities and powers Evill spirits are called powers in the abstract they have not onely a power they are not only powerfull hence called principalities such as have great authority and soveraignty as it were over others but they are called Powers It is not an empty title or a naked name that is given them but they are filled and
no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the Earth Isa 62. ver 6 7. This duty is now doubled on us by the great afflictions and greater feares of Sion When Christ was in his agony he prayed more earnestly Luk. 22.44 And when his Church is in an agony we ought to pray more earnestly At such a time we must mingle more fire with our prayers we must pray more fervently At such a time we must mingle more water with our prayers wee must pray more repentingly We must with Jacob Hos 12. weepe and make supplication At such a time we must mingle more faith with our prayers we must pray more beleevingly In a word at such a time every prayer must be a pleading yea a wrestling with God a wrestling with resolution not to let him goe untill wee have got a blessing till wee prevaile with God to destroy his Churches enemies as Satan in the text moved God to destroy Job his servant and his friend So it followes Thou movedst me against him to destroy him To destroy him The word Destroy signifieth to swallow up or to devoure You have it Gen. 41.4 where it is said that the seven leane eares and seven leane kine did devoure or eat up the seven full eares and the seven fat kine And Exod. 7.12 the text saith That Moses his rod did swallow up the rods of the Magicians Psal 124.3 Vnles the Lord had been on our side they had swallowed us up quicke In all these places it is the same word we have here thou movedst me to destroy him In the former Chapter where Satan desired God to touch Job I shewed what kind of touches Satan desired to lay upon the people of God you see it now cleared by God himselfe Thou movedst me to destroy him to swallow him up Thy words were moderate and diminitive doe but touch him but thy intentions were bloody and destructive thou movedst me to destroy him to make an end of him that was thy meaning Without cause But will the Lord the wise God doe any thing without cause A wise a prudent man will not doe any thing without cause though Satan may be so brutish and unreasonable to move God to doe a thing for which there is no cause would the Lord be so perswaded by his motion to doe it without cause The text seemeth here to speake so thou movedst me to destroy him without cause and God hearkned to his motion before and gave him up all his estate to doe with it what he pleased Briefly to cleare this Without cause It is the same originall word used in the former Chapter Doth Job serve God for nought or without cause as was then opened so here Thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause or thou movedst me against him for nothing or for nought We may consider this phrase of speech without cause three wayes First in reference unto Satan Secondly in reference unto God Thirdly in reference unto Job himselfe From each of these considerations light will shine into this point First in reference unto Satan God tells Satan thou movedst me against him without cause that is Job never gave thee any cause why thou shouldest make such a motion against him Job had never wronged thee or done thee any hurt as David saith of his enemies they are mine enemies without cause I was never injurious or unjust unto them So Satan was Jobs enemy without cause Job never gave him occasion Indeed the holinesse and goodnesse of Job was Satans griefe and Satans trouble but for any other trouble or wrong Job never did him therâ—fore without cause it was in reference unto Satan 2. In reference unto Satan without cause that is Thou didst not alleadge any sufficient cause or charge him with any particular crime thou didst onely bring in a generall suspition against him there was not so much as a common fame as you know it was a course to accuse men upon common fame So saith God here it was nothing but a suspition raised out of thine owne braine as indeed those common fames that we heard of not long since upon which many were accused yea condemn'd were only suspitions borne in the brains of those men So here Job was charged meerly upon the suspition of Satan there was no crime directly alleadged nor any evill report in the world against him cause was not shew'd legally therefore without cause thou movedst me against him 3. In reference unto Satan without cause that is it now appeareth upon the tryall that thou didst move me against him without cause that which thou didst pretend to be the cause was not found in Job thou pretendest he was an hypocrite and served me for himselfe now thou seâ—st thy selfe confuted it appeareth he did serve me for nought sincerely and not for his owne endâ— He is no painted sepulcher no rotten self-seeker If we consider the words in the second place with reference unto God Thou didst move me against him without cause then we must take heed of thinking that God doth any thing without cause No the wise God doth every thing in number weight and measure he doth every thing upon great reason upon the highest reason God will not doe the lowest thing but upon the height of reason he doth the least thing upon greater reason than the greatest Polititians in the world doe the greatest Therefore God had reason important reason to give Job up to be afflicted He did it for the tryall of Job he did it for the magnifying of his free-grace and the graces of his free Spirit in his weake creature he did it that Job might be set up as an example of patience he did it to discover the slander of the devill therefore he did it for strong reasons it was not without cause in reference unto God himselfe Lastly If we consider it in reference unto Job it was not absolutely without cause neither for though there was not that cause in him which Satan pretended namely grosse hypocrisie yet if the Lord should search and sift him narrowly as if he should search and sift the holiest of his servants his pure eyes and holy nature would find sinne enough in them which might justifie him or shew to his justice sufficient cause take the sinne in it selfe not onely to afflict them temporally but to lay his hand upon them for ever Should God I say have tryed him thoroughly and looked upon sinne in it selfe he might finde cause to afflict him in regard of his sinne So then absolutely in reference unto Job it was not without cause God might have found cause in regard of his sinne But there were other causes in reference unto Job it was to try Iob to exercise Iob it was that Iob might have further honour after the tryall There might have been a reason in sinne if the Lord had marked iniquity And there were many reasons in referrence to his good why
this life is called the blood because 〈◊〉 contained or carried in the blood Gen. 9.4 Further it is 〈◊〉 observable that the Hebrewes call the Body seperated from 〈◊〉 soule or a dead corps Nephesh Numb 5.2 c. 9.10 c. 19.11 Hag. 2.14 Though the life be quite gone out departed from the carkasse or body of a dead man yet that dead body is called life or soule to note that it shall live againe and that the soule shall returne unto it The mistery of the Resurrection from death was implied in the name of the dead Wee find also that the Heathens called a dead body a soule possibly from some glimpse of the resurection We lay up a soule in the grave saith the Poet. Animamque sepulchro condimus But how is this worke put into Satans hand The saving of his life What is Satan become a saviour what salvation can we expect from him whose name is Apollyon and Abaddon Rev. 9.11 both which signifie a destroyer Shall we send to the Wolfe to save the Sheepe or to the Vulture to save the Dove Destruction is the delight of Satan and it is his way as he hath no hope to be saved himselfe eternally so no will to save others temporally Observe then That here to save life notes only a sparing from death not a delivering from destruction but a forbearing to destroy Satan saved his life negatively that is he did not take it away he can not save positively or restore that which was ready to perish he doth not save as a deliverer but as a murtherer who would kill his brother but cannot He saves not for want of will but for want of power when he is forced to spare his nature is to devoure This devouring Lyon hunts for the pretious life even when God saith Save his life It may be questioned here Why Satan for that is implyed desired so to destroy the life of Job God would never have limited and chained him up but that Satan had a mind to suck his blood or afflict him unto death These two reasons may be given why Satan would have his life The one might be this Because it was a thing doubtfull with him though he bragged much of it whether he should attaine his end or no to make Job curse God when therefore he saw he could not overcome his spirituall life it would have bin some revenge to him to destroy his naturall life As some wicked ones his agents when by all their threats or flatteries they cannot make a 〈◊〉 sin which is to destroy his spirituall life their revenge breakes 〈◊〉 against his naturall life to destroy that This is the method of persecution first to attempt the death of the soule by drawing or terrifying unto sin and if they faile of that then death is inflicted on the body Or againe in the second place he being doubtfull in himselfe though he made no doubt in words whether his plot would be successefull to make Job curse God he I say doubting this designe might not draw him to sin resolved to take away his life that so Job might never have told tales of his victory or have reported his conquest to the world At least by his death he might obscure the businesse and bury it with some slander saying that Job died with discontent and griefe that he blasphemed God when he died that he wished for death and could not hold out any longer Much like that device of some Jesuits who have blowne it abroad that our most zealous opposers of Romish errours whom they could never move either by writing or disputing while they lived have yet recanted all when they dyed Wherefore least Satan should have drawen a curtain over the glory of Jobs victory by aspersing him after his death the Lord saith Save his life Job shall survive his troubles that matters may come to light and a true report be made and left upon record both of thy implacable malice and enmity and of his invincible patience and sincerity And this may lead us yet further to consider why God was so carefull of that precious part his life For some may say Had it not been glory to God and honour to Job like that of Martyrdome if he had died under the hand of Satan holding fast his own integrity blessing God even unto death I grant this but yet God knew that the saving of his life would be more advantagious both to himselfe and his Job for those ends wherefore he saith Save his life destroy him not First thus God intended to make Job a Monument of mercy as well as a Monument of suffering he intended to set him up to all the world as one in whom they might behold the goodnesse of God in raising up mixt with his wisdome in casting down that men might learn hope from Job as well as patience from Job Therefore saith God Save his life I have somewhat else to do with him I will raise him up again and in him an everlasting Monument both of his patience in suffering and of my own power in restoring Indeed if he had died in the conflict and left his bones in the field he had been a wonderfull example of constancy but he had not been such an example of mercy if his life had not been saved There may be this in it too Save his life saith God I will have him preserved in this combate his courage and carriage in it is my delight God loveth to see his people holding out tugging and continuing in such assaults and temptations If any thing in the world gives delight to God this is the thing that delighteth him The Heathen thought this the sport of their gods Seneca in his Book of Providence speaking of Cato and other gallant Romane spirits saith the gods delighted to look upon them in their conflicts with fortune To see them wrastle with some great calamity with some great danger was such a spectacle as would draw off Jupiter from his greatest businesse It is a most certain truth that the most true God doth love and delight to see his children wrastling with some great calamitie to see a poor man man who is but flesh and bloud wrastling with principalities and powers with the devill and powers of darknesse this is a sight that God himself as we may so speak rejoyceth in When Abraham had finished that great combate about sacrificing his sonne he calleth the place Jehovah-jireh the Lord will see or the Lord doth see the Lord doth behold as if that had been a sight which God himselfe came down to look upon As when some great man or strange shew passeth by we goe out to see it so God cometh down upon mount Moriah to see a sight And what was it To see Abraham in that great temptation assaulted and overcomming Here was a spectacle for the great Jehovah and therefore he cals the place Jehovah-jireh the Lord hath seen I doubt not but this place
was forced to goe out as a Leper concerning whom the Law was afterwards you know that they should be put out of the Campe or City and it was a Law grounded upon reason and the common light of nature though it had a spirituall signification as given to the Jewes The Septuagint say expresly he sate upon the dung-hill without the City as Lepers were wont to be according to the Law of Moses and as we see executed in that case of Vzziah the King being a Leper he dwelt in a house by himselfe alone and was cut off from the house of the Lord 2 Chro. 26.21 But that Job sate either without the City or upon a dung-hill is only a conjecture and besides the Text. Which way soever we take it it is a great aggravation of Jobs sorrowes Take it for a necessitated sitting in the ashes abroad it inferres that either he was so poore as that he had not a house to be in or that his disease was so contagious that he could not be endured in the house Or take it for a voluntary act that he did choose to sit in ashes it was an aggravation of his affliction for then it notes that he was in the lowest in the saddest condition that can be imagined sitting in ashes being an embleme of extreame sorrow and never used but in times of greatest calamity publick or personall So that here every circumstance is an aggravation of Jobs affliction He was smitten by Satan and he smote hard enough he smote him and he smote him with boyles he smote him with the most malignant kind of boyles he smote him with such boyles all over from the sole of his feet to his crowne and when he was in this condition he had no Nurse no Chirurgion no Physitian to helpe him he was forced to take a pot-sheard to scrape himselfe he had no soft bed prepared to lye on nor as many have thought house to be in but out of the City or out of his house he must and among the ashes upon the dung-hill Lo there he sits What one said of an exact History of a great Prince That surely it was written rather in theory as a pattern or picture of a Prince then according to the truth of a history So we may say of this description of Jobs troubles That surely it was written rather as a studied pattern of mans sufferings then as an accomplisht History of the sufferings of any man yea who almost can goe so farre in imagination as Job went in reall passion But we will passe from the description of his sorrow to some Observations upon them First Here we see That Satan if he be permitted hath a power suddenly to aflict the body with diseases And that is a power farre transcending all the power that is in man Man is able to wound the body of his brother with a materiall instrument but all the Tyrants in the world cannot smite the body with a disease or command a man into sicknesse Though God should say to them as here to Satan I give you leave yet they must leave that to Satan whose helpe is sometime begg'd by envious wretches who would kill their bretheren without a Sword and vex them unseene Man must have a weapon to smite but Satan can smite and kill without a weapon if God say the word Man can spill the blood but Satan can poison the blood He can infect the humours and taint the spirits more subtilly more speedily then the most skilfull poisoner in Rome We shewed before how suddenly Satan can raise commotions in the ayre stormes and tempests there he can doe the like in our bodies for such are diseases in the body as stormes and tempests in the ayre Stormes make as it were a confusion among the Elements and are the distemper of nature diseases make a confusion among the humours and distemper the constitution and spirits of the body It is said of the woman in Luk. 13.16 that Satan had bound her 28 yeares Observe in that the power Satan hath over the body if God give him liberty to exercise it As cruell men can bind in chaines and cast the body into prison for many yeares so Satan can bind the body with a spirit of infirmity as with a chaine Secondly observe this That health and strength of body are a very great blessing You see Satan desires to try Job by taking away this blessing last and he thought this would make Job curse God you may see the value of it by his desire to destroy it Health is the Prince of earthly blessings We say he lives miserably that lives by medicines who to uphold nature is in the continuall use of art How miserably then doth he live whom art and medicines cannot restore to health who is diseased beyond the help of Physick I might mind you likewise from this to remember what fraile bodies we live in even such as have in them the seeds of all diseases Sin indeed is the seed of sicknesse and of death And hence it is that if the humours of the body be a little stirr'd they quickly turne to a disease and this house of clay is ready to dissolve and fall What is the strength of the body that we should trust it or the beauty of the body that we should be proud of it We see in Job how quickly the strength of it is turned into weakenesse and the beauty of it into blacknesse All flesh is grasse and all the goodlinesse thereof is as the flower of the field The grasse withereth and the flower fadeth Isa 40.6 And here likewise note this you that enjoy health of body whose strength yet continues and your selves are free from the bonds of any bodily infirmity while you heare of one smitten with a disease from the crowne of the head to the sole of the feet consider what a mercy you have who have no paine from the crowne of the head to the sole of the feete who have not an aking joynt nor paine so much as in a finger It is like that many of you can say you have this blessing you doe not know what paine in any one member meanes looke upon a man that knew nothing but paine upon a man that had not one member free and prize your blessing Such likewise who have paine and infirmities in one or two or more parts of the body may see in this spectacle cause to blesse God that they have any part free To have but one or but a few sores is mercy sparing mercy when we behold another nothing but a sore Indeed when one member suffers whether in the body naturall or mysticall all the members suffer with it But compassion is not so heavy a burden as passion is And as the sound members sympathize in sorrow with those that are smitten so they that are smitten sympathize in joy with those that are sound The ease of one part mitigates the disease of
dominion of death and subject to that king of terrour Sin is the seed of death and the principle of corruption God doth infants no wrong when they die their death is of themselves for they have the seed of death in them We may affirme in one sense that when infants die they have no losse and we are sure in every sense when they die they have no wrong All death except death to sin is the wages of sin and therefore can be no injury to the sinner Secondly We may observe concerning man in his birth what a helplesse creature man is If I saith Job had been left a little I had bin gone quickly there had been an end of me I could not have helped my selfe if the knees had not prevented me if the brests had not given me suck if I had been destitute of these succours then presently I should have been free among the dead I should have been quiet and gone into silence Thirdly Observe That every step of life stands in need of a step of mercy When the infant is conceived there must be an act of mercy to quicken it an act of mercy to nourish it in the wombe an act of mercy for the birth an act of mercy being borne to take it upon the knee an act of mercy to binde it up an act of mercy to give it suck The beginning of our lives and the progresse of our lives our generation and our preservation call for acts of mercy or else poore creatures as we are we quickly perish and returne unto our dust We owe our lives to God at first and we owe them every moment if he did not renew mercy every moment we could not continue life one moment As it is with our spirituall life so it is with our naturall Our lives are hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 Of and from our selves we cannot subsist either in grace or nature It followes For now should I have lien still and been quiet I should have slept then had I been at rest These words are an inlargement of the former reason taken from a description of the state and condition of the dead For now saith Job I should have lien still If you should aske me a reason of my former reason why I was so angry with that day or night wherein I was conceived and borne wherein I had that to me unacceptable mercy to be preserved and kept alive This I subjoyne for the reason of it If none of those unwelcome favours or naturall rights had been done me then I had lien still I had been quiet I should have slept I had been at rest Either I should have been as one that never was or I should have been at rest and quiet The argument lyes thus Rest and quiet are desireable things but death in the omission of those succours would have given me rest therefore I desire those succours had been omitted This conclusion is in the 11th and 12th verses which we heard before The assumption is in this 13th verse which he further confirmes in the 6 verses following by an argument which we may thus forme I will prove saith he that in death I should have rest and been quiet and lien still for all conditions and sorts of men are quiet and lie still in death There or in that estate where all degrees and sorts of persons are at rest there sure I should have found rest but in death all sorts and degrees of persons have found rest therefore I should have found rest too Now that all sorts of people lie still and are at rest in death he proves by an elegant enumeration of the severall sorts and conditions of men He makes an argument by way of induction of all or most of the rankes of men First He shewes it in Kings and Counsellours of the earth these men that make such a bussell in the world when once they are dead they are quiet enough And then he shews it in Rich-men and Princes who load themselves with thick clay who toile and moile all their days to heape up and amasse much wealth when these come to the grave ther 's an end of all their labours then they must give over all their pursuite of riches Fourthly He shewes it in children either abortives borne before natures time or borne in full perfection of nature ver 16. Lastly He shewes it in oppressors and the oppressed in prisoners and those that imprison them in the small and in the great in the servants and in their Masters Thus making an innumeration of all these from thence he infers That if all these are quiet when they are in the grave then surely his condition had been so too I should have been quiet and lien still then I should have slept and been at rest We must here take notice that Job speaking of the state of death speakes only in reference to an outward condition and our resting from outward calamities and troubles he doth not handle the point at all concerning mans eternall estate For death is not rest to all sorts of men in that sense Kings and Counsellours and rich men c. may rest from the troubles of this world and goe to a world of everlasting troubles Such a totall rest is the sole priviledge of the Saints Thus only blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their workes follow them Rev. 14.13 When the Saints die they rest from their labours and their works follow them through free-grace in glorious rewards When the wicked die they rest from their labours but their workes follow them through divine Justice in everlasting punishments And Job resting assured of his own eternall rest wishes only a rest from those temporall commotions Further We may observe 4 words used by Job to expresse the same thing First I should have lien still And been quiet there is a second I would have slept there is a third and fourthly Then I had been at rest I should have lien still The word signifies to lie down in any kind and it signifies to sleepe Gen. 19.4 Before they lay downe that is before they went to bed It is applied likewise to the sleepe of death 2 Sam. 7.12 Isa 43.17 They shall lye downe they shall not rise that is they shall die so the next words expound it They are extinct they are quenched as towe And been quiet The word signifieth also to be silent we may put both together then had I lien still and been silent and you know death and the grave are called silence I had been like those that goe downe into silence saith the Psalmist Ps 115.17 that is like those that go down into the grave And Hezekiah in his mourning describes that silence Isa 38.18 The grave cannot praise thee death cannot celebrate thee I should have slept Sleepe is the image of death and death is more then the image
Rhetorick can perswade death to depart all the gold and riches in the world cannot bribe death or stay its hand I saith Job should have found Kings and Counsellours and rich men even all these in the grave and we should have rested together Riches availe not in the day of wrath Prov. 11.4 but righteousnesse delivereth from death Righteousnesse delivereth from death why shall not righteous men die Surely Job might have said with righteous men with holy men should I have rested with Abraham with Isaac and with Jacob these are in the grave death seaz'd on them as well as other Princes and Kings and Counsellours How then doth Solomon say that righteousnesse delivereth from death Death is there either to be understood of some dangerous judgement for saith he riches availe not in a day of wrath that is in a day of publike calamity but righteousnesse delivereth from death that is from those troubles and dangers God hath respect to a righteous person and hideth him from that death Or righteousnesse doth deliver from death that is from the evill of death from the sting of death from the bitternesse of death the bitternesse and evill of death is past to a righteous man But riches they availe not at all they cannot at all as not deliver from death so not mitigate the paine or pull out the sting or sweeten the bitternesse of death yea rather riches encrease all these That is a truth O death how bitter is thy remembrance to a man that is at ease in his possession Men may put their riches with them into the grave but riches cannot keepe them a moment out of the grave This thought How bitter Secondly When Job speakes of Kings and Counsellours and Princes these great men of the world he sheweth us what their study and businesse for the most part is in the world it is about worldly things They build desolate places they have gold they fill their houses with treasure These are their employments the current of their cares and endeavours runs out this way Hence observe That the thoughts of the greatest and wisest of the world are usually but for and about the world The poore receive the gospell and the rich receive the world As a godly man is described by his faith Abraham beleeved God By feare by uprightnesse by justice as Job in the first chapter of this Booke by meeknesse as Moses c. by the heavenlinesse of their spirits and conversations Our conversation is in Heaven Phil. 3.20 So worldly men are described by their proper studies Kings Counsellours and Princes build Pallaces gather riches heape up gold They buy they sell they build they plant they eate they drinke as the worldly world is pictur'd Luk. 17.27 28. In the 17th Psalme great men are called the men of the world as if they were for nothing but the world or all for the world as if all their provisions were laid in for this world so it followes who have their portion in this life ver 14. It is a sad thing to have received our portion It is said of the rich man Sonne remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things thou hast had thy portion In Psal 49.11 It is said concerning such men that their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever and their dwelling places to all generations and they call their lands after their own names Their inward thoughts are upon these things It is somewhat a strange kind of speaking to say their inward thoughts for there are no thoughts but inward thoughts are all wrought in the secret shop of the heart But there is an elegancy in it the Hebrew is their inwards their internalls Their inwards are how they may get themselves a name and riches not only are their thoughts about these things but the very inmost of their thoughts the most retired thoughts and recesses of the soule are about these things these lie neerest to their hearts As the story saith of Queen Mary when she died she had them open her and they should finde Calice at her heart It was a pitifull case that a rotten Towne should lie where Christ ought at the heart of such a Princesse The heart is the place where Christ and the thoughts of Heaven should lodge All below Heaven should be below our hearts But as a godly mans inward thoughts are for Heaven and the things of Heaven for grace and for holinesse he hath thoughts upon the world but if I may so speake they are his outward thoughts not his inward thoughts That which lies neerest his heart his inward thoughts are for Heaven So the inward thoughts of worldly men are for the world the Apostle might well say Not many wise nor many rich nor many noble are called the thoughts of wise Counsellours of potent Kings and rich Princes are legible in their actions Thirdly Having expounded these desolate places to be Tombes and these houses graves Observe That some take in their life time more care for their Sepulchers then they doe for their soules Here are great men what doe they They build desolate places they will be sure to have stately monuments And they had gold they will be sure to fill their graves with treasure they will be buried richly or they will have their riches buried with them But what care did these take for their poore soules in the meane time where they should lie Had they taken order what should become of their soules When all things are disposed of this choice peece for the most part is left undisposed of unprovided for Some will carefully provide for their children they will provide for their families they will provide for their dead bodies for their carcasses but for their immortall soules there is no provision made While their bodies are assured of a resting place they may say of and to their departing soules as that trembling Emperour bespake his O our poore fleeting wandring soules whether are you going where is the place of your rest As it is said of Absolom in the place before cited He in his life time had reared up a pillar a monument or a Tombe for himselfe in the Kings dale What a carefull Prince was this for his body But how carelesse was this Prince for his soule He will have a pillar to preserve his name and yet runs out in rebellion against his owne father to the destruction of his soule The great businesse of the Saints on earth is to get assurance of a place for their soules to lodge in when they die It troubles them not much what lodging their bodies have if they can put their spirits into the hand of Christ What though their bodies be cast upon a dung-hill or trodden upon like mire in the streetes by cruell men A Heathen said The losse of a Funerall or of a Sepulcher may easily be borne I am sure a Christian may That losse will never undoe any man
with Christ we should expect tribulation from the world The Spirit of God often hints such things afore-hand to the spirits of his people that they may not be surprised Paul testifies Acts 20.23 that the holy Ghost every where witnessed that bonds and afflictions did abide him He lookt for trouble in all places this made him both patient under and victorious over all his troubles Ungodly men feel trouble before they see it and are often past all hope before they have had any feare when they have a good day they thinke their day will be an eternity and last for ever Those in Amos chap. 6.3 were merry they were singing and feasting eating the fat and drinking the sweete and what doe they in these their good their only good dayes The Prophet shews us in the next words They put the evill day farre from them they would have no thought that their estate might change when they had a mind their estate should continue Hence the Prophet Isay chap. 28.15 describes them making a covenant with death and coming to an agreement with Hell and then they supposed themselves safe and under covert come what would The Prophets indeed have been talking of judgements and scourges but what of that we have got a protection we have covenants in our pockets will be our security so they were promis'd and so they beleeved as their words witnesse If the over-flowing scourge shall passe thorough it shall not come neere us These are the thoughts of foolish and ungodly men they make bargaines and agreements as it were with all troubles that they shall not be touched others may smart but they have taken order for their own indemnity They have made lies their refuge and under falshood have they hid themselves And so they call cheerefully for their wine come fetch wine and we will fill our selâ—es with strong drinke and then conclude confidently as if all the world and time were at their command To morrow shall be as this day and much more aboundant Isa 56.12 When a wise man falleth into trouble he falleth forward that is he falleth into those troubles which he did fore-see but when an ungodly man a wicked man falleth into trouble he falleth backward he falleth into those evills which he never thought of much lesse feated Many of the people of God at this day doe and may say of the evills which are now upon us the things which we feared are come these stormes were seen long agoe in the clouds yea in the Sun-shine in faire dayes these foule rainey dayes were fore-seene and they who have fore-seen them and fore-seen them with such an eye of faith and holy feare as we have described are in best case to graple with them and will be gainers by them It is well for us when we can say the things we feared are come upon us They are in a sad condition upon whom those evills fall which they never feared when troubles come they goe neerest their hearts who have put them farthest off before they came Hence observe in the second place That the more preparing feare we have before troubles come the lesse we are prest with feares when trouble comes If we consider Job how unmoveably he stood the charge and assault of these afflictions how he wrastled with all the distresses which at once tooke hold of him we are to looke next to the support he had immediately from Christ to this wise caution of his that he feared such a storme might overtake him hefore he got to his journeyes end He thought these things might come and therefore laid in provision for them against they came Those blowes wound deepest which we expect not Dangers unknown doe easily surprise us and oppresse us whereas those which we feare and thinke of may either be prevented in their coming or we may be provided against they come That which the Naturalists say of the Cockatrice that if the Cockatrice see a man first the man dieth but if the man seeth the Cockatrice first the Cockatrice dies is an experienced truth respecting the point we have in hand that if troubles see us first we die but if we see them first they die that is their sting and strength as to us is much abated Dangers are most felt where they are not fore-seene and sometime being fore-seene they are not felt at all For a prepared expectation doth either weaken them or strengthen us make us more able to sustaine them or them lesse able to hurt us whereas indeed every crosse which findeth us secure hath an advantage to leave us desperate When Nabal heard of danger past which he never dreamt might come his heart died in him like a stone 1 Sam. 25. How then had he been astonished into stone if he had seene the evill falling upon him Such can ill beare trouble who looke for nothing but comfort It was an addition to the affliction of that afflicted people Jer. 8.15 When they looked for peace but no good came and for a time of health and behold trouble if they who are in trouble are more troubled when they cannot have the peace they looked for then surely they must be more perplext with trouble when it comes who enjoying peace never had a thought that trouble would come When a people are so farre from looking for evill that they looke for nothing but good and build upon it that they shall never see sorrow then to see sorrow is a killing sight The sorrowes of Babylon shall be mightily increast and augmented doubled and trebled upon her because when they are coming upon her she shall be saying I sit as a Queen and shall see no sorrow she was fearelesse and she shall be comfortlesse Trouble will lye heavy enough upon us when we looke and prepare for it but it will be intolerable to those who never lookt for nor laid in one thought of preparation against its coming The foole in the Gospell said to his soule take thine ease thou hast goods laid up for many yeares But it is best for us when we have aboundance of outward goods to say to our soules these may be lost in a few houres Therefore say to thy selfe in the time of thy fulnesse what if a day of emptying should come say when you are rich it may be before I die I may be poore what shall I doe then Now I have a house it may be before I die or within a few dayes I shall be turned out of doores in what posture doe I find my selfe for such a condition Now I am at liberty and enjoy my friends it may be shortly I may be cast into a prison and come into the hand of enemies now I have my wife and children about me my vine and my olive-plants at and round about my table I may shortly be deprived of them and O my soule how canst thou beare these changes It is good to put these cases to our selves now surely Job
bring that which they feare upon them so that it seemeth God is angry with those who are alwayes fearing or stand poring upon such and such evills as they feare may come upon them To these God saith Isa 66.3 I also will choose their delusions and I will bring their feare upon them because you feared these things you shall have your feare As God gives some their prayers in anger so he gives many their feares in anger And it is as great a sin inordinately to feare that God will take away the meate of our necessity or convenience as it is to pray that God would give us meate to satisfie our lusts or wantonnesse To cleare this we must distinguish of feare as to the purpose we have in hand There are divers sorts of feare First There is a feare of wisedome and caution and there is a feare of torment and vexation That which the Apostle John speakes 1 Joh. 4.18 feare hath torment is not meant of all feare there is a feare that is a tormenting passion a feare which distracts or divides the thoughts about troubles which may come and there is a feare which only directs us to avoide or prevent the coming of trouble Secondly There is a feare which is opposed to security and there is a feare which is opposed to comfort It was Davids sin that he wanted the feare opposed to security when he said In my prosperity I shall never be moved Lord by thy favour thou hast made my mountaine to stand strong Psal 30.6 7. The feare of Job in his prosperity was opposed to this security he did not say I shall never be moved he thought he might be moved The favour of God had made his mountaine strong yet he knew it had but the strength of clay and therefore might be cast downe This was his feare he lookt upon creatures as they are mutable and moveable Christ speakes of a faith of miracles which will remove mountaines and that feare is not contrary to saving faith which causeth us to thinke that our mountaines may be removed Jobs feare was grounded on the uncertainty of creature comforts he knew wealth was britle ware and might quickly receive a crack This feare we ought to carry about us in regard of our spirituall estates also though grace be everlasting ware though we are high-built and full-growne in grace though through the favour of God our mountaine of holinesse and of comforts be very strong yet we must not be secure though we are high-built yet we must not be high-minded Hence the Apostle Paul warnes the beleeving Gentiles that they should feare I grant ye are in a good estate in comparison of the Jewes they are cast off ye are graffed in yet let me give you this caution be not high-minded but feare That feare which is opposed to presumption and security is a good and necessary feare in the best of our estate whether in grace or nature whether in worldly or heavenly riches And such was the feare of Job Thirdly There is a feare which makes us provide for an evill day and there is a feare which hindreth us from enjoying the comforts of a good day The former was in Job doubtlesse his feare in good dayes made him diligent to provide for the evill day As it is said of Noah Heb. 11.7 That Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet through faith moved with feare prepared an Arke for the saving of his house Noah knew the flood would come this holy feare set him a worke to provide an Arke It is an argument both of wisedome and of grace in a calme to prepare for a storme in peace to consider what to doe in a time of warre in health to lay up thoughts about our sicknesse and in a day when the light of Gods countenance shines into our hearts and we walke in the comforts of the holy Ghost then to thinke a night of desertion may come and what shall I doe if I should walke in darknesse and see no light Such as this was the feare which Job feared Fourthly There is a feare which makes us distrust God that he will afflict us And there is a feare which keepeth us from doing that which may provoke God to afflict us This was Jobs feare as was shewed chap. 1. ver 1. He feared God and eschewed evill He was loath to grieve and offend God or to give him any occasion to be angry Lastly There is a feare which is opposed to hardnesse of heart and a feare that is opposed to courage of heart Jobs feare was opposed to hardnesse of heart of this Solomon speakes Prov. 28.14 Blessed is the man that feareth alwayes And to cleare what feare he meanes he adds in the next words But he that hardneth his heart shall fall into mischiefe Where we see first that there is a feare opposed to hardnesse of heart And secondly that to feare that feare alwayes even in our greatest prosperity is not only our duty but our happinesse that feare will not interrupt our comforts but comfort us Yea this feare doth not only consist with comfort but with courage and though we may fall into the troubles which we thus feare yet we shall not fall under them Such as this was Jobs feare So then to take up all Jobs feare was a feare of wisedome and caution not of torment and vexation a feare opposed to security and presumption not to joy and consolation a feare that made him diligent to prepare against an evill day not a feare that did eate out all the comforts of a good day a feare which kept him from doing that which might move God to afflict him not a feare which made him distrust that God would afflict him a feare opposed to hardnesse of heart not a feare opposed to courage and strength of heart Such a feare as this is a holy feare such a feare as this is a good companion in our best estate this feare and our comforts may well joyne together this feare will not trouble but regulate our lives not breake but sweeten our sleepe Observe hence That holy wisedome sanctified prudence biddeth us feare and prepare for evill in our good dayes I was afraid of these things saith Job We must not suspect but we ought often to thinke of evills before they come A wise morall man much more a wise Christian while he is earnestly praying for good is also carefully providing for evill Lest the Disciples should forget trouble in times of peace Christ saith to them Behold Mat. 24.25 I have told you before Now you are at pretty good ease it may be you thinke it will be thus with you alwayes but take heed of such thoughts I have told you what will be hereafter Behold I have told you before And againe Joh. 16.33 These things have I spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace in the world ye shall have tribulation In the peace we have