worke of God by Creation and God worketh in all places by his providence The workes of creation would run to ruine if God did not sustaine and as it were keepe them in reparation by the workes of providence yet as God worketh in some men and by some men more then in nnd by others some persons are to him as his right hand he calls them forth to be greatly instrumentall to him So hee worketh in some places and nations and by some places and nations more then he doth in or by others God is a free Agent he worketh where he will and he pitcheth upon some speciall places and persons according to the pleasure of his owne will to worke in and by more then many others And seing according to this Interpretation The left hand where he is said to worke so eminently is the North. Wee may observe First That God worketh more in the Northern parts of the world then he doth in the South And the reason of this may be because the Northern parts of the world are more inhabited and peopled then the Southern are And which may be a second reason of it The Inhabitants of the Northern parts of the world are more civillized and better instructed then the Southerne Now the providences of God are most remarkable where there are most people and they best taught and instructed where the natural faculties of man are most raised and sublimated by art and regular education there or by them God doth his greatest workes those places are as it were the stages whereon he acts and brings to issue the secret purposes and counsels of his heart both in wayes of judgement and in wayes of mercy Besides we finde that the Northerne Nations have in all ages been the most active and warlike The Fourth Monarchy That of the Romanes whose seate was more Northerly then any of the former three was the most active and warlike of the Foure and extended its Dominion by extreame and unwearyed industry further then any had done before And those irruptions of enemies and Armyes which gaue the greatest checke to the Romane Greatness and often plum'd or pull'd off the Feathers of that mighty Eagle were still made by those people who lived and were bred up in climates more cold and Northerly then they as all Historyes doe with one consent make good Insomuch that it grew into a Famous Proverb Omne malum ab aquilone All evill comes from the North that is all troubles invasions and devastations are brought upon the Nations by some hardy people or other coming out of the North. And the holy Scriptures of the Prophets are full of this observation Jer. 1.14 15. Then the Lord sayd unto me out of the North an evill shall breake forth upon all the Inhabitants of the land For lo I will call all the familyes of the kingdome of the North saith the Lord and they shall come and they shall set every one his throane at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem c. By The North in this prophecy he meanes Chaldea and Babylon which are scituate North from Jerusalem And by all the familyes of the kingdomes of the North he meanes all the Northerne parts under the obedience of the King of Babylon who should readily follow and serve him in his warres against Judea Againe in the same Prophet Ch 4.6 I will bring evill out of the North Ch. 6.1 Evill appeareth out of the North ver 22 A people comes forth from the North Chap. 10.22 Behold a great commotion out of the North. And when the Lord promised to remove far away from his people the Northerne Army Joel 2.20 he therein promised them the removall of all Armyes and troubles because the North had most of all if not alone troubled and harrazed them with Armyes Againe In the North the Gospel which is the highest teaching and instruction hath been more generally and more clearely published then in the Southern parts of the world so that in allusion to that of the Prophet Isa 30.26 we may say That the light of our Northern Moone hath been as the light of the Southern Sun and that the light of our Sun hath been seven-fold to theirs even as the light of seven dayes And according to the greatnes of Gospel light the dispensations and changes which we have been under have been very great we especially in this Northern Nation with those adjoyning to us and united with us under one Government have had full Experience of and may therefore giving glory to God seale to the truth of Jobs position That God worketh on the left hand or in the North. Have not we found God working in the North What changes what variety of action have our Northern parts both seene and felt What wonders of mercy and salvation what terrible things in righteousnes hath God wrought of late among us The heavens and the earth States of all sorts The heavenly and the earthly and of all degrees the higher and the lower have been terribly shaken in these Nations Providence hath wrought to amazement in our dayes The Nations round about have heard the report of it and wondered Many have and will have cause to say of us what hath God wrought on the left hand in our North God hath been at worke indeed Moreover we finde that Mount Sion which was not onely an eminent part of the literall Jerusalem but a figure also of the mysticall Jerusalem or whole Church of God under the Gospel Heb. 12.22 This Mount Sion I say is Geographically described in our Northerly scituation Psal 48.2 3. Beautifull for scituation the joy of the whole earth is Mount Sion on the sides of the North the City of the Great King God is knowne in her pallaces for a refuge As if he had sayd in Sion on the sides of the North God worketh wonderfully as it follows expressely v. 4 5. for lo the kings were assembled they passed by together they saw it and so they marveiled they were troubled and hasted away that is Kings conspiring against the Church were so terrified with the evidences of Gods power working mightily there that they fled away or as another Scripture phraseth it They came one way and returned seven And in this forme of speech is both the then Jerusalem and the Church ever since expressed in that boast which the king of Babylon who was a type of all the enemies of the Church cloathed with mighty power and soveraignty makes against her Isa 14.13 I will sit also that is erect my throane upon the Mount of the Congregation on the sides of the North. Mount Sion was called the Mount of the Congregation because there the people of God the Jewes were famously knowne to congregate often together and this saith that proud boaster on the sides of the North. And to compleate this notion of the workings of God in and from the North Christ himselfe is sayd to be raysed out of the North
Chapter wee have found Eliphaz charging Job with those hainous crimes injustice and uncharitablenesse towards man in these three verses he proceeds to charge him with a higher crime even irreligiousnesse and impiety against God as if at least Job doubted if not denied the providence of God about what is done here below or affirmed that he neither rewarded the righteous according to their good nor punisheth the wicked according to the evill which they have done That 's the scope of this context in which wee may observe First A twofold truth held forth Secondly A wrong suggestion of two errors as arising from those truths Thirdly An indeavour to prove and make good what he had wrongfully suggested The two truths are contained in the 12th verse first God is in the height of heaven secondly The Stars are very high these are cleare truths from these Eliphaz makes a wrong suggestion as if Job upon those grounds of Gods being in the height of heaven c. had pleased himselfe with this conceit that God could not at such a distance take notice of what passeth among or is acted by men in this inferior world Ver. 13. And thou sayest how doth God know can he judge through the dark cloud As if he had sayd God being in the height of heaven cannot know much lesse judge concerning the state of things here below Why what should hinder Hee tells us what in the 14th verse where which was the third thing he endeavours to prove his suggestion Thick clouds are a covering to him that he seeth not that 's the first proofe and then we have a second in the latter end of that verse God hath other things to doe then to minde what is done here he hath higher businesses and imployments then to look upon us who are creeping upon mole-hills and engaged about a heape of earth for he walketh in the circuit of heaven that is there lieth his great worke he hath enough in a nobler Spheare to imploy himselfe in and therefore surely thou thinkest that God takes no care at all or not such speciall care about the affayres and wayes of men This is the summe and scope of these three verses They are a new charge of impiety upon Job as shutting up or restraining the providence of God to the things of heaven alone and we see how Eliphaz frames arguments and proofes of the point for Job which as will appeare afterwards never came into his heart Now though Eliphaz misapplyed all this to Job yet herein he fully characters clearly paints out the spirit of carnal men for such secure themselves in their evill wayes upon this presumption that God takes no notice of them or that he hath something else to do then to trouble himselfe with what they are doing Ver. 12. Is not God in the height of heaven Nonne deus sublimior est coelo Pagni Nonne deus coelum alium tenet Tygur Nonne deus in sublimitate coelorum Mont Deus sublimitas coelorum Hebr There are divers readings of these words first thus Is not God higher then the heavens A second thus Doth not God possesse the high heaven The Originall may strictly be renderd God the height of heaven that is God is above all heavens we render well God is in the height or sublimitie of heaven This Question Is not God in the height of heaven is taken three wayes First Some read it as an Exhortation given by Eliphaz to Job to draw off the motion of his thoughts most of all the setled bent of his heart from those inferior things his losses troubles his sorrows paines and sicknesses he would divert his minde from these worldly sorrows and raise it up to heavenly enjoyments Is not God in heaven As if he had sayd Why standest thou poring upon things below Why dwellest thou so much upon thy dunghill and thy present poverty God is in the height of heaven consider him there This is both a safe and a very spirituall way to ease our minds of all the troubles and sorrowes which we meete with in this world could we but ascend in Spirit to the height where God is could we by an eye of faith looke to him live upon him and in him all burdens would be light and pressures easie to us Secondly This question may be taken as a plaine assertion or affirmation and it is of the same value signification with this God is in the height of heaven there he is and from thence he beholds all the children of men their wayes and workes Thirdly Is not God in the height of heaven May be understood not as the question of Eliphaz and so his affirmation but as the question of Job and so his supposition As if Eliphaz apprehended Job thus speaking in his heart Annon deus est inquis in altitudine coeli Jun. Is not God sayest thou in the height of heaven or doest not thou O Job say thus God is in the height of heaven I grant that he is there but I deny that he is there in thy sence or according to thy opinion He is not concluded or shut up there he is not so in the height of heaven but that he mindeth what is done upon the earth yea in the very depths of hell As if he had sayd Thy thoughts and conceptions of God are too strait and narrow Thou speakest much below God while thou sayest he is in the hight of heaven While thou confinest God to heaven thou makest him like thy selfe on earth From these words in the two former Expositions Observe That the hight of heaven or heaven above is the place of Gods speciall residence Heaven is my throne sayth the Lord Isa 66.1 the throne is the seate of a Prince there he declares his power and his state his glory shines from his throne A Prince looks like a common man when he is abroad in the world but when upon his throne then the rayes of Majesty break forth and he appeares as he is Thus the holy Prophet begs a gratious look of the Lord from heaven Isa 63.15 Looke downe from heaven the habitation of thy holinesse and of thy glory Heaven is called the habitation of Gods holinesse and of his glory because his holinesse and glory shine forth more in heaven then upon the earth little of the holinesse of God is discovered to us here though so much of it breaks forth here as causeth the heart of carnal men to quarrell with it continually Nor are any able with these eyes or rather with these hearts to beare the glory of God or endure his holines When but some extraordinary glimpses of these appeared to Esayah he cryed out Wo is me I am undone or cut off because I am a man of uncleane lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of uncleane lips for mine eyes have seene the King the Lord of Hâ—sts Isa 6.5 As God is of purer eyes then to behold iniquity so
oughtest of these truths that the Lord is in the height of heaven and that he hath made those high and glorious lights in heaven that indeed thou doest quite pervert his meaning in making them Thou sayest how doth God know In stead of honouring God who formed these lights thou art darkning his honour and ecclipsing the light of his omniscience For whereas thou shouldest have sayd seeing God is on high and hath made the Starres which are so high surely nothing can be hid from his knowledge Thou sayest How doth God know And there is a twofold saying of this first a saying with the tongue secondly with the heart The vaine heart of man hath many sayings and this among the rest Dicis 1 verbis prolatis 2 mentis cogitatione falsa persuasione How doth God know Psal 14.1 The foole hath said in his heart there is no God And he that saith in his heart How doth God know speakes as foolishly as that foole doth who saith There is no God To deny that or doubt whether God knoweth all things is not onely to doubt but to deny that God is at all He is not God who knoweth not all things And thou sayest how doth God know The conjunctive particle And is here put as a causal And thou sayest that is therefore thou sayest how doth God know So the sense is more cleare Is not God in the height of heaven c. He is And what then The use thou makest of it is this Thou sayest how doth God know so the particle is used Gen. 49.16 He saw that rest was good and he gave his shoulders to the burthen c. that is therefore he gave his shoulders to the burthen Thou sayest How doth God know Wee may answer First Negatively Not by sence as wee eyes and eares are ascribed to God improperly in Scripture nor doth God know by discourse drawing one thing from another but in the Affirmative he knowes intuitively he knowes every thing nakedly in it selfe Againe Some read What doth God know how farre doth his eye extend what are the objects of his knowledge To this we may answer God knoweth all things even the hearts of all the children of men There are no secrets to God But whether wee expound it of the manner or matter of divine knowledge the sence is the same eyther an affirmation that God did not know all things or at least a doubt whether he did or no. Thou sayest How doth God know But where and when did Job say this Job might challenge Eliphaz bring your proofes and witnesses against me why doe you impute such thoughts to me and frame such imaginations in my breast certainly Job never spake this and as surely Job never thought this yet Eliphaz puts it directly upon him What was his ground Existimabet haec consequi ex Jobi dictis quasi necesse sit eum qui dicat improbos prospere agere existimare etiam deum res humanas noncurare Merl. onely as the former crimes of uncharitablenesse and injustice his breaking the armes of the fatherlesse c. were fastned upon him because of the feares snares and darknesse in which he was as if he must needs have done those evills because he endured so much evill Jobs sufferings were great and therefore according to the Logicke of Eliphaz his sinnes must needs be very great So here he hath onely this to prove his supposition that Job said How doth God know because Job had sayd that God doth sometime prosper wicked men and afflicts the righteous As if he who sayth that God suffers wicked men to prosper in this life must needs also say that God regards not the things of this life so that Eliphaz seemes to speake thus We have heard thee saying that the wicked prosper and that the godly are afflicted what need we any further witnes that thy opinion is God neyther takes notice nor care of the things here below Out of thine owne mouth we condemne thee as Guilty of this blasphemy That Thou sayest How doth God know Hence observe First That good men are sometimes charged with saying and doing the worst and vilest things Thus 1 King 21.13 Naboth was accused of blaspheming God and the King Christ himselfe was taxed with blasphemy more then once Matth. 9.3 And behold certaine of the Scribes said within themselves this man blasphems There they did not openly averre it but they said it within themselves At other times they spake it openly Joh. 10.33 The Jewes answered and sayd for a good deed we stone thee not but for blasphemy because thou being a man makest thy selfe God And againe Matth. 26.65 He hath spoken blasphemy ye have heard his blasphemy To speak or doe well and heare ill was the portion of Christ and may be the portion of the holyest of those who are Christs Secondly Note That when men are heated in dispute they are apt to make false inferences from the tenets and sayings of their opposers Eliphaz sayth Job denied providence whereas Job adored it that he denyed Gods knowledge of the good and evil done in the world because he maintained that good men receive evill and evill men good in the world When we deny transubstantiation or that the bread is changed into the very substance of the body of Christ Papists inferre that we deny that Christ spake truely when at his Last Supper he said This is my body and they will hence force it upon us that we say God is not omnipotent because we affirme that it is inconsistent with the nature of a true humane body such as Christ hath now in heaven though glorified and spirituall to be in many places at once For as some deny the omnipresence of the divine nature so Papists affirme the omni-presence of the humane nature And say they while we deny this we deny the omnipotency of God Others charge us that we make God the author of sinne and that according to our tenet all the impiety and wickednesse that is in the world lyeth at his doore because we affirme That God hath passed an Eternal absolute and unchangeable decree concerning all the sonnes of men When all other arguments fayle how usuall is it to make the divinest truths guilty of the most uncomely and ugly consequences that are imaginable Further Thou sayest How doth God know Take it eyther of the inward or of the outward saying eyther of the tongue or of the heart saying so Eliphaz would prove from it that certainly Job was a wicked man And his inference had been true if he could have proved it true that Job had sayd so Hence observe That to have evill thoughts or to speake evill of God is the character of a wicked man He that is good must needs both thinke and speake good of God David doth often aggravate the wickednesse of his enemies from the language of their hearts and tongues Psal 10.11 He hath said in his heart God hath forgotten he
when the ungodly fall and not fall into sin themselves I answer First The righteous rejoyce at the fall of the wicked as blessing God who hath kept their feete from those wayes in which the wicked have fallen As 't is a great mercy to be kept out of those ill wayes to be kept from fiding with those corrupt interests in the pursuit of which we see many broken so 't is a duty to rejoyce that we have not walked in their way whose end we see to be nothing els but destruction Secondly The righteous have cause to rejoyce blesse God when they see the wicked fall because themselves are saved keepe their standing because themselves have escaped the danger and the Lord hath been a banner of protection over them in the day when the wicked fell Moses after the destruction of Amaleck built an Altar and called the name of it Jehova-Nissi Exod. 17.15 that is to say The Lord is my banner And in like cases the joy of the Saints is not properly in the destruction of the wicked but in their owne deliverance through the mighty power good hand of God with them It is the presence of God with them the appearance of God for them which is the gladnes of their hearts Thirdly The righteous then rejoyce because the Church and people of God are in a fayre way to peace when the Lyons are destroyed the sheepe are in safety when the Wolves and the Beares are cut off the flock rests quietly so in this case when men of devouring cruell spirits wicked and ungodly ones are removed the flocke of God the sheepe of his pasture feed quietly none making them afrayd The fall of the enemies of Sion is the establishment of Sion yea in a great measure of mankinde As the Prophet most elegantly sets it forth Isa 14.6 7 8. He who smote the people in wrath with a continuall stroke he that ruled the Nations in anger is persecuted and none hindereth The whole earth is at rest and is quiet they breake forth into singing yea the firre-trees rejoyce at thee and the Cedars of Lebanon saying since thou art layd downe no feller is come up against us How often have wicked men in power felled not onely the Firre-trees and Cedars of the world but the goodly trees of righteousnesse in the Lords plantations have they not therefore reason to sing when such fall seing the Fellers themselves are then felled and fallen Fourthly Joy ariseth to the righteous because God is honoured in the fall of wicked men And that 's their chiefest joy That God is honoured is more joy to the righteous then that themselves are saved how much more then then that the wicked are destroyed There is a threefold honour arising to God when the wicked fall First God is honoured in his justice such a day is the day of the declaration of the righteous judgement of God as the Apostle speakes of the great day of Judgement Rom. 2.5 Thou after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up to thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God Some doe even question the justice of God when wicked men prosper but he is vindicated in his justice when wicked men fall It cannot but please righteous men to see the righteous God exalted or God exalted in his righteousnesse They know and beleeve that God is righteous when the wicked prosper Jer. 12.1 But when the wicked are punished they proclaime his righteousnes Then they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lambe saying Great and marvailous are thy workes Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Who shall not feare thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name c. for thy Judgements are made manifest Rev. 15.3 4. The Lord is alwayes alike Just but it doth not alwayes alike appeare how just he it And as that God is just is the faith and stay of the Saints so the appearances of his justice are their joy and triumph Secondly God is honoured much in the attribute of his truth in the truth of his word in the truth of his threatenings when the wicked are punished God hath spoken bloudy words concerning wicked men not onely in reference to their future estate in the next life but to their present estate in this Say to the wicked it shall be ill with him the reward of his hands shall be given him But what is this reward There are two sorts of rewards First rewards of love and favour according to the good which we have done Secondly rewards of wrath and anger poenal rewards according to the evill which we have done Now when the Lord puts these poenal rewards into the hands of the wicked or powres them upon their heads he is honoured in his truth as well as his justice for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it As the promises are yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 so also are the threatnings unto the glory of God by us But as when David saw his life in danger every day he began to question the truth of God in the promise that he should live to reigne and fit upon the throne of Israel for saith he Psal 116.11 when things went thus with him I said in my hast all men are lyars even Samuel among the rest who assured me of the Kingdome by expresse message from God but surely he also is deceived and hath fed me with vaine hopes Now as these words of David according to our translation of them and the truth of the thing in frequent experiences shew that Godly men are apt to question the truth of the promise when themselves are by seemingly contradicting providences much afflicted so they are apt to question the truth of the threatnings when they see outward providences prospering the wicked Therefore when the threatnings have their actuall yea and Amen that is when they are executed upon the ungodly this also is to the glory of God by us that is God is glorified by all his people who heare of it in the truth of what he hath spoken Againe as God is magnified in the truth of his threatnings when any particular wicked man is punished so when common calamities come upon the wicked the truth of God or God in his truth is magnified two wayes First As such calamities are a fullfilling of many Prophecies secondly As they are the answer or returne of many prayers The vengeance which falls upon the Enemies of the Church of God is drawne out by prayer Luke 18.7 8. And there is nothing wherein God is more honoured then when prayer is answered For as therein he fullfills our wants so his owne word Who hath not said to the seed of Jacob seeke ye mee in vaine Thirdly When the wicked fall the Lord is honoured in the attribute of his power How great is his power who puls downe great power It argues the Almightines
said to be the midst or Center of the body now saith he keep the law in the very midst of thine heart in the safest place as the heart is the safest place the middle of the body so the middle of the heart is the safest place of the heart So vve may understand that of David I have hid thy Commandements in my heart Psal 119.11 And Deut. 6.6 These words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart that is thou shalt lay them up there Of this laying up the law in the heart vve are to understand Eliphaz here as if he had sayd O Job thou hast often heard of the law but thou hast been a forgetfull hearer now heare it and hold it now as the Apostle exhorts the Hebrewes Heb. 2.1 give the more earnest heed to the things which thou hast heard or shalt hereafter heare lest at any time thou shouldest let them slip or thou shouldest run out as we there put in the margin as a leaking vessel Further This laying up the vvord in the heart is opposd unto a bare barren knowledge it is not enough to have the vvord of God in our heads that is to know it it is not enough to have the word of God upon our tongues that is to speake of it but we must lay it up in the heart For though the heart in Scripture takes in the understanding and the whole soule yet chiefly it respects the affections lay up the word in thine heart that is let thy affections be vvarm'd with it vvhile thy memory retaines and keepes it and thy understanding is enlightened vvith a true notion of it Hence Observe First The word of God is a precious thing We doe not lay up trifles and trash but precious things and treasure vve lay up our Plate and Jewells our Gold and Silver the vvord of God should be more to us than thousands of gold and silver it is the most precious Jewell 't is treasure and therefore it must be laid up Secondly The heart is the Arke or Cabinet in which the word must be laid up There was an Arke or Chest provided for the law Exod. 25.21 and that Arke was Christ he was typified by it and indeed the law would be too hot for our hearts too hot to lye there if it had not first layne in the heart of Christ wee since fallen could never have been an Arke for it if he had not been The tables of the law were laid in the Arke and the Arke in which the lavv vvas put had a mercy-seat vvhich did cover it all over The dimensions of the Arke and of the mercy-seate were exactly the same two cubits and a halfe in length and a cubit and a halfe in breadth Exod. 25.10.17 so that nothing of the law could appeare or rise up in Judgement against poore sinners The propitiatory or mercy-seate covered all Now as Christ hath been the Arke of the law to protect and cover us from the condemning power of it so the hearts of beleevers must be the Arke of the law where it must be layd up with a readines of minde to yeeld our selves up to the commanding power of it David prophecying of Christ saith Psal 40.10 I have not hid thy righteousnesse within my heart yet he had said before I delight to doe thy will thy law is within my heart To cleare which Scripture take notice that there is a twofold hiding of the righteousnesse or vvord of God in the heart First so as to obscure or conceale it from others in that sence David saith I have not hid thy righteousnesse in mine heart I have declared thy faithfullnes and thy salvation and not concealed thy loving kindnesse and truth from the great Congregation And thus no man ought to lay up the truths the law the promises of God in his heart to conceale and stifle them there Secondly There is a hiding of the law in our hearts first that it may be safe lest Satan or the world should snatch it from us Secondly That we may further consider of it when a man hath got an excellent truth or Scripture he should lay it up in his heart to ponder and meditate more upon it to draw out the sweetnes and to experience the power of it Thirdly That vve may have it ready at hand for our use and so the Scribe instructed for the kingdome of heaven is described by bringing forth out of his treasury things both new and old How sad is the condition of many that have heard much but laid up little or nothing at all of all that vvord which they have heard Some having laid it up in their note books are satisfied with that 't is good and usefull to doe so but doe not let it lye there get a Copie of it in your hearts a few truths in your hearts are better to you then many truths in your bookes no man was ever saved by the vvord in his booke unlesse that vvord were also written in his heart God commanded the Jewes Deut. 6.8 9. to vvrite the law upon the post of their houses and on their gates to bind them as a signe upon their hand and as frontlets between their eyes They were commanded also to put fringes upon the borders of their garments Numb 15.38 vvhich our Saviour calls Phylacteries Math. 23.5 these were ribands of blue silke or as some say scroles of parchment upon which the law being first wrought or written and then bound upon their garments they were to looke upon it and remember all the commandements of the Lord Num. 15.39 Vanissimi profecto pharisaei illi qui cum ipsi non servarent in corde mandaâ—a at membranulas decalogi complicantes quasi coronaÌ„ capiri facientes phylacterium eoc sua proprictate Custoditâ—rium est Bold Now saith Christ they make broad their Phylacteries and enlarge the borders of their Garments as much of the lavv as you vvill upon theiâ— Clothes but none of it in their hearts Thus the proud Scribes and Pharisees went about as it were Clothed with the vvord of God but his vvord was farre from their hearts nor did it appeare in their lives it is a meere vanity to have much of the law in our bookes while vve neglect to keepe it in our hearts and act it in our wayes The former is good but it doth no good without the latter The want of this the laying up the vvord in the heart causeth the great want of Saints in the things of God and as many loose that Grace which they seemed to have so many are at a losse in the use of that Grace which they have because they have not laid up the vvord of God in their hearts so carefully as they ought We say proverbially Sure bind and sure find They who would surely finde the comfort of the word of God when they need it had need to bind it sure when they receive it JOB CHAP. 22. Vers 23 24.25
golden pipes which did empty the golden oyle or according to the letter of the Hebrew the Gold out of themselves That spirituall oyle was called golden or gold because like gold shineing pure and precious The gifts and graces of the Spirit are golden oyle indeed So Jer. 51.7 Babylon hath been a golden Cup in the hand of the Lord Which some expound tropically taking the Continent for the thing contained The cup for the wine Called golden wine because of the splendidnes and beauty of it as Solomon speakes Pro. 23.31 When it giveth his colour in the cup. Or Babylon is called a Golden cup first because of the great glory wealth and illustrious pomp of that Empire described in Daniel Chap. 2.32.38 by a head of Gold and marked out in Isaiah by the name of the Golden City Isa 14.4 and secondly because God had caused other Nations to drinke deep of his wrath by the power of the Babylonian Empire Upon which account Mysticall Babylon is sayd to have a Golden cup in her hand Rev. 17.4 Gold is the King the chiefe of metals gold is among metals as the Sunne is among the Starres and Planets of Heaven the glory and Prince of them all So that when Job saith I shall come forth as gold his meaning is I shall come forth pure and in much perfection Gold is first the most precious metal secondly the most honourable metal thirdly the most weighty metal fourthly the most durable metal fifthly the most desirerable metal Every one is for gold Aurum per ignem probatum symbolum est jâ—storum nam illâ— minime laedit examen â—gnis per ista igitur verba vir sanctus candorem suae innocentiae conscientiae puritatem maximam cirâ—umloquitur Bold So that when Job saith I shall come forth gold his meaning is as if he had sayd my tryall will not diminish but rather adde unto me I shall be precious honourable weighty durable desireable after I have been in the furnace or fineing pot of my sorest and severest Tryalls And he speakes thus in opposition to his friends who had an opinion of him as if he were but drosse or the off-scoureing of all things as the Apostles were reckoned in their time I shall come forth not drosse and trash but gold as if he had sayd Were I once tryed I should be for ever quit of those Charges brought in against mee and of those scandals cast upon mee I should shine in reputation and honour like pure gold coming out of the fire I should recover my good name and be found a man loyall to God and righteous towards men Hence note Grace renders man excellent and precious Every godly man is gold yea he is more precious then fine gold The finest gold is but drosse to Grace the wicked of the world are reprobate silver or refuse silver Jer. 6.30 the Saints are finer then Gold refined in the fire for they are precious they are honourable they are usefull they are dureable and lasting they shall endure everlastingly they are weighty in their worth and their portion is an eternall weight of glory Secondly Whereas Job saith when I am tryed I shall come forth as gold Observe A godly man is no looser by being tryed yea he gaines by it He who before was reputed but as drosse and had much drosse in him comes out of the tryal as gold and loseth nothing of his weight worth or beauty by being tryed he onely loseth a good losse his drosse and the rubbish of his corruptions Grace is not onely grace still but more gracious even glorious after tryall Some speake of grace as if it were but drosse consumeable in the fire as if every temptation and tryal endanger'd it to an utter consumption or as if like lead it would quite evaporate and spend to nothing in the fire They sticke not to affirme that a true beleever may lose all his graces and how much soever enricht before by the Spirit yet prove a bankrupt in spiritualls Job was Confideâ—t that his gold would hold the tryal both of the hottest afflictions and of the strictest examinations He had been tryed long in the furnace of affliction heated seaven times more then ordinary and yet held his integrity and though he should come to tryal at the Judgement-seate of God which is more then seventy-times seven times stricter then the Judgement-seate of man according to truth can be yet he nothing doubted that nothing as to the general bent of his heart and frame of life should be found or appeare but integrity still That is but drossie grace natural grace if not hypocritical grace or a counterfeit onely of grace which aâ—ides not in the day of tryall They who loose the grace which they have shewed had onely a shew of grace Hypocrites shall â—oâ—e all at their tryal their paint their varnish will not endure the fire eyther of a lasting affliction or of that last examination when once a hypocrite is tryed then he is sham'd He may goe currant for pure gold a great while but at last he appeares but as a gilded sepulcher or drosse of gold Psal 119.119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like drosse And the Lord speaking of the degenerate house of Israel Ezek. 22.18 saith The house of Israel is to me become drosse all they are brasse and tin and iron and lead in the midst of the furnace they are even the drosse or drosses of silver That is though they are a professing people and hold out my name yet I having tryed and examined them throughly finde them to have nothing but a name of profession They being tryed are come forth like drosse The Apostle 1 Cor. 3.13 Allegorically shadowing out all sorts of superstructive doctrine by Gold silver precious stones wood hay stubble saith If any man build upon this foundation that is Christ Gold silver precious stones wood hay stubble every mans worke shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire Dum pâ—obantur toti in fumum abeunt and the fire shall try every mans worke of what sort it is If any mans worke abide which he hath built thereupon hee shall receive a reward if any mans worke shall be burnt he shall suffer loss c. The wood hay stubble shall be burnt but the gold silver precious stones will abide the tryall of fire Whether it be the fire of persecution tribulation and temptation nothing but holy truth can abide these fires or the fire of the holy Spirit who in Scripture is often compared to fire and who together with the light of the Word revealeth the soundnes or falsenes of all doctrines delivered by men and like fire consumes what is false but gives a further brightnes and lustre to the truth Even truth untryed may be counted drosse but being tryed it comes forth like gold Now as the truth of doctrines so the truth of persons in
be alwayes moving in the worke of the Lord but never moving out of the worke of the Lord wee should be as a rock in regard of stedfastnes and as fire in regard of activenes The Author to the Hebrewes Chap. 10.23 gives this admonition to beleivers Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering or without declining There are some of whom we may say they hold nothing they hold no profession they dare not make a profession lest they should be bound to stand to it or they stand not to that which they have made and as they hold no profession so they hold no position but as to the doctrine of faith are meere scepticks they are alwayes querying but never concluding The Apostle speakes of some 2 Tim. 3.7 who are ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth and there are others ever learning but never willing to declare their knowledge of the truth and they who hold nothing in doctrine will not hold long in practice Therefore saith the Apostle Let us hold fast our profession let us be steady in it and that without wavering And this is the great argument which the Apostle carries through that whole Epistle to establish the Saints that so they might hold fast without wavering and declining in the profession of the faith Let us take heed of eyther of those waverings and declineings before explained First Let us not decline in the way but keepe up in the same degree of holines and love to Christ The Church of Ephesus is charged with this sort of declineing and therefore after Christ had given that Church a great and a deserved commendation Rev. 2.2 I know thy workes and thy labour and thy patience and how thou canst not beare them which are evill and hast tryed them that say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them lyars yet Christ comes with a rebuking neverthelesse at the 4th verse I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love that is thou hast declined from or abated in thy first heate of love Ephesus did not totally forsake nor cast off Christ out of her love Ephesus did not choose other lovers nor say shee would have no more to doe with Christ The chiefe object of her love was the same but her actings were not the same The streames of her affection did not run into another channel but they were fallen and ebb'd in their former channel 'T is sad when Saints decline thus we should keepe up to the same height to the same heate to the same degree of love without declineing we should not onely run at first setting out but continue running or as the Apostle speakes Heb. 12.1 Run with patience that is run constantly or with perseverance the race that is set before us They that run in a worldly race the neerer they come to the Goale the faster they run and the more they strive so should we in our holy race we should still be growing and encreasing with the encrease of God A Saint should be thankfull for the least degree but he should not sit downe in the greatest degree he hath already attained unto And though some who have grace doe not actually reach after more yet they who say they have enough or need no more give too cleare an evidence against themselves that they have none at all As the higher degrees of grace under a temptation or desertion may be unthriving and unstriving after perfection so the lowest degree of saving grace is in its owne nature thriving and striving after more perfection He that beleeves truely would beleeve more and he that loves truely would love more and more till his love become a vehement flame so vehement a flame that many waters shall not be able to quench it nor the floods of trouble and persecution from the world drowne it Secondly as we should thus take heed of declining in the way of grace so we should much more take heed that we decline not from the way of grace or as the Apostle Peter expresseth it 2 Ep 2.31 that we turne not from the holy commandement delivered unto us This declining or turning from the commandements is twofold first to the right hand secondly and to the left The Scripture gives warning against both Josh 1.7 Be thou strong and very corragious that thou mightest observe and doe according to all the Law which Moses commanded turne not from it to the right hand or to the left Againe Pro. 4.25 26 27. Let thine eye look right on and let thine eye-lids look streight before thee ponder the path of thy feete and let all thy wayes be established turne not to the right hand nor to the left remove thy foote from evill As if he had sayd there is evill both on the right hand and on the left therefore turne neyther to the one nor to the other that thou mayest remove thy foot from evill But some may say What is here meant by the right hand and what by the left and what are these declineings or turnings I answer To turne to the right hand notes excesse when we will take upon us to doe more then God hath commanded when we will needs over-doe this is to decline to the right hand for though when man hath done his utmost through grace in this life considering his in dwelling corruption he alwayes falls short of that exactnes which the Law requires and so cannot possibly exceed the Law in holines yet all they may be said to act beyond the command or to out-act the Law of God as to the matter of their obedience who doe that which God never commanded nor ever came into his heart as the Prophet speakes Jer. 7.31 to command them They who thus doe what God requires not and as if God had been too scant in his rules will needes give a new rule eyther to themselves or others and as if God had not given them lawes enow will in this sence be a law to themselves or others eyther in matters of practise or worship And so indeed make voyd the Law of God by their tradition these exceeders are the men who turne to the right hand though indeed except they repent this rashnesse themselves are likely to be set upon the left hand Men never act more left-handedly then when they thus turne to the right hand nor doe they ever wrong God more then when they doe that which is right in their owne eyes men never shew themselves so foolish as when they will be wiser then God Againe Declining or turning to the left hand implyeth a sinne in defect when we doe lesse then God commands when we shorten and streighten the will of God in our obedience to it Every naturall man thinkes a little much yea he thinkes much to doe a little and may therefore be sayd to turne to the left hand because that is the unworking hand or the hand which doth the
make Cakes to the Queen of heaven c. All were at worke busie very busie they were about an Idolatrous service the Children the fathers and the woemen act their severall parts So here eyther they rob'd for their children or their children were robbers as well as themselves The wildernes yeeldeth food for them and their Children Job proceeds in his narrative of their sin Vers 6. They reap every one his Corne in the field and they gather the vintage of the wicked In the former verse Job spake of the oppression of persons in this he speakes of the spoyling of lands and fields They that is the wicked reap every one his Corne that is by their servants whom they set aworke They reap every one his Corne in the field But you will say what hurt is there in that The meaning is they reap the Corne which doth not belong to them Agrum non suum ante tempus demessiverunt Sept Agrum non suum demetunt The Septuagint give that sence of the text expressely They mowe or reap the ground or feild which is not theirs And so Mr Broughton They reap the field that is not their owne Or if we keepe to our reading They reape every one his Corne in the field the sence is wheresoever they finde a field of Corne for their purpose they pretend some title or other to it they must have it as if it were their owne This is their sin and the affliction of those who are their neighbours Note from it That it is a great sin to reap the Corne which we have not sowne and a great affliction when the Corne which we have sowne is reapt by others Job imprecates this punishment upon himselfe in case he had done or were guilty as his friends had charged him then let mee sow and let another eate Chap. 31.8 And this is threatened Isa 1.7 Your land strangers devoure in your presence that is they devoure the fruits of it the Corne which ye have sowed and and the Cattle which ye have bred Micha 6.15 Thou shalt sowe but not reap thou shalt tread the Olives but not anoynt thy selfe with the oyle and sweet wine but shalt not drinke wine others shall come and take it from thee That Idle servant charged his Master Math. 25.24 Thou reapest where thou hast not sowne It is the misery of some that what they have sowne is reapt by others and 't is a wickednes to reap where we have not sowne And they gather the vintage of the wicked That is the grapes that grow in their vineyards Mr Broughton renders The wicked snap off the vineyard grapes they were in the Corne-fields before now they are got into the vineyards But how is it sayd They gather the vintage of the wicked it seemes strange that they being wicked should gather the vintage of the wicked Some take it plainly thus they oppresse those that are as bad as themselves And so we may take this note from it One wicked man will oppresse another Wicked men spare neyther good nor bad Lupus lupum non edit neyther friend nor foe They spoyle those that are as bad as themselves wee say a Wolfe doth not prey upon a Wolfe nor a Lyon upon a Lyon but it is otherwise with brutish men they prey upon and devoure one another Secondly They gather the vintage of the wicked that is of those whom they Count to be wicked and so fit to have their goods taken from them they accuse them of wickednes and put their names in their blacke booke as if they were dishonest that 's a truth also Wicked men often oppresse the Innocent under a pretence that they are wicked Wee have a great Instance of this about the taking of a vineyard 1 Kings 21.13.15 Naboth was Innocent and honest Inter omnia simillimum videtur vineaÌ„ impij ejus scilicet quem illi habent pro impio ideo opprimendum sibi Juâ—icant Merc Vâ—neam ejus quem oppresserunt Vulg but Jezabel hired two men to make Oath that he had blasphemed God and the King and he was presently cast out and stoned his was the vineyard of the wicked because the wicked had a minde to it Thus under a pretence of some evill done they really do evill And having brought a false accusation against a man they proceed to condemn his person and confiscate his estate as if all were true There is yet another reading which wee put in the margin of our Bibles so plaine in the letter that it needs none of these Interpretations to make it out The wicked gather the vintage As they tooke away the Corne so the wine also Wee need not wonder that they were so injuriously buisie to take that which was not their owne for they were wicked and they that are so make no bones of doing wickedly a wicked man is ready for any sinne the vile person will speake villany and act villanously too Vers 7. They Cause the naked to lodge without Cloathing that they have no Covering in the Cold. Their progress in wickednes is further described by their incompassionatenes and Cruelty when wee see any naked wee should Cloath them but they caused the naked to lodge without Cloathing And they might be sayd to doe this two wayes First by not giving them Cloathing secondly by taking away their Cloathing for by naked wee may understand not onely those that are quite naked but as was shewed Chap. 22.6 those also that have but little Cloathing they tooke away even that little from them and so Caused the naked to lodge without Cloathing Wee see by what steps of wickednes they proceeded they not onely spoyled them of their Corne and Wine but pulled their very Cloaths from off their backs 't is bad enough not to cloath the naked but to take away their cloathing and make them naked that 's worse And which they also did to let them lodge without cloathing is worst of all To lodge without cloathing notes their continuance in that distressed state The Prophet rebuking the Jewes for their vaine thoughts puts them this question How long shall vaine thoughts lodge within thee Why doe ye as it were make ready a roome and a bed for them So while the naked lodge without cloathing they continue in nakednes It is a great injury to take away a mans day-cloaths from his back but to take away his night-cloaths from his bed is yet more afflictive and injuririous If a man have not cloathing for his body by day yet if he have cloathing for his bed he may helpe himselfe but to cause the naked to lodge without cloathing what Cruelty is this And therefore the Law of God provided against it Deut. 24.12 13. Thou shalt not sleepe with his pledge In any Case thou shalt deliver him the pledge againe when the Sunne goeth downe that he may sleepe in his owne rayment that is in his night-cloaths or bed-cloaths and blesse thee and it
boast read that v. 21 22 23 24. Thou therefore which teachest another teachest thou not thy selfe Thou that preachest a man should not steale doest thou steale Thou who makest thy boast of the law through breaking the law dishonourest thou God for the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you So that wicked men doe not onely rebell against the light to hinder the coming of it or to keepe it off as long as they can that so they may not know what to doe but they rebell against it when it is come and will doe against what they know Fifthly When 't is sayd They rebell against the light Observe Wicked men are not onely no friends but professed resolved enemies of the light they hate and oppose holy truths or the discoveries of the minde and will of Christ They are in open actuall hostility they take up armes and maintaine a warre against it not that all wicked men doe expressely send forth their defiance against God and his word but all wicked men carry this defiance in their hearts and it is to God as an openly profest defiance though it be not so to man God heares the language of their hearts and he knowes that the wisdome or best of the flesh is Enmity against himselfe that it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be Rom. 8.7 That is while a man continues as to his spirituall state under the power teachings of the wisdome of the flesh and is unregenerate as he is not so it is impossible he should continuing in that state be subject to the law of God The law of God will ever continue as holy as it is and if the heart of man continue as unholy as it is how shall they agree A wicked man stands not upon termes of neutrality with the law and light of God but he is a direct opposite or enemy he rebells against the light Sixthly Seeing Job when he had described all those wickednesses which he saw done adds this description of the wicked who did them they are of those that rebell against the light This may be Considered two wayes as I intimated before first as the discovery of a new and a greater sin then any of those particular sins already instanced in or as a reason why they did breake out into those enormous sins the former consideration yeelds this Note To resist or rebell against the light of truth the word of God is wickednes in perfection or wickednes wrought and boyld up to the very height As God sometimes brings Judgements upon men in perfection so men sin against God sometimes in perfection And if any doe so surely they doe so who rebell against the light That speciall sin against the Holy Ghost of which Christ sayth It shall never be forgiven what is it but rebellion against the light the highest and clearest light and the more cleare and high the light is the more danger there is of falling into that sin And hence some conceive that before Christ came in the flesh though there were very high and presumptuous sins committed that yet none of them did amount to that which the Gospel calls The sin against the Holy Ghost There was Gospel-light in those times but it was under types and shaddowes there was not that cleare light that clearest light which was shed abroad at the coming of Christ and therefore there was not light enough to sin against for the production of that sin against the holy Ghost which is not onely the greatest rebellion against light but is also a rebellion against the greatest light And here consider by what degrees sinning against light riseth unto its full height of rebellion First It is very sinfull and extreamely dangerous not to love the light See how Christ thunders against such as doe not Joh. 3.19 This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men loved darknes rather then light He doth not say men rebelled against the light he onely charges them with this crime that they did not love it but loved darknes rather This saith he is the Condemnation that is this will certainly be matter of condemnation against sinners that when light came to them their hearts did not close with it and embrace it Now if it be so sinfull not to love the light what is it to rebell against it It is very possible for a man not to love that thing or person against which yet he doth not rebel Secondly Not to obey not to submit to the light is exceedding sinfull Jesus Christ shall at last be revealed from heaven personally in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that obey him not as revealed doctrinally that is who obey not the Gospel 2 Thes 1.7 8. yet it is possible not to obey the Gospel that is to forbeare an active obedience to that which is Commanded in it and not to rebell against it actively these are distinct in themselves though seldome if at all distinct in those that doe them Now then if there be aboundance of wickednes in not obeying the light in not doing every thing that the light directs us to then it must needs be a more abounding wickednes when the heart rises up and rebells against it For though as was even now intimated we can hardly divide these in their existences yet we may distinguish them in their natures or at least in their degrees for barely not to obey the light in doing the will of God is a sin of a lower stature then a profest rebelling against it though in every not doing according to light there is somewhat of rebelling yet in that which is properly rebelling there is more then not doing Thirdly It is a great sin not to set a great price upon the light or not to value it according to its worth that is not to value it highly not to have a high esteem of it not to have a higher esteem of it then of all the Enjoyments and Comforts of this world is a high provocation What is it then to rebell against it it is sinfull not to let all goe not to suffer the loss of all for the light not to suffer even the loss of life it selfe for the light this is extreamly sinfull Therefore saith Christ Luk. 14.26 He that will be my Disciple must forsake father and mother c. yea and his life too that is hee must be ready to let all these goe if called to it rather then let goe the light or truth of the Gospel Now if it be so great a sin not to be willing to suffer any losse or to endure any torment in standing up for the light what is it for any soule to rise up against the light or knowingly to withstand it Fourthly The Apostle saith that our neglect of the light of the Gospel subjects us to outer darknes Heb. 2.3 How shall we Escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to
a further illustration and enforcement of these words Vers 17. For the morning is to them even as the shaddow of death if one know them they are in the terrours of the shaddow of death This verse gives a reason why these theives tooke the night for their worke or it is an exposition of what was last sayd They know not the light The text may be read thus out of the Original Vmbra mortis i. e. tam terribilis ut aliquem enecare potest Genitivus effecti Pisc Cum venit mane venit umbra dictum acutè propter speciem contradictionis As soone as it is morning the shaddow of death comes upon them This Hebraisme the shaddow of death hath been opened at the 5th verse of the third Chapter whether I referre the reader In this place it onely imports thus much in General That these wicked men did equally feare the morning as death it selfe they were surprised with feare as soone as surprised with light What is the reason of it why doth the adulterer feare the morning and why doth the theife feare the morning they doe so upon these three considerations First Lest they should be hindred in their wicked workes secondly lest their wicked workes should be discerned thirdly lest their wicked workes should be punished for these reasons they hate the light and the morning is to them as the shaddow of death Hence observe That good things even the best things are a trouble to wicked men Sin makes good things evill to us and pleasant things troublesome to us What a pleasant thing is the light How beautifull are the eyelids of the morning yet light is a trouble and the morning a burden to wicked men And if natural light be a trouble to them much more is moral and spirituall light How doe they hate the morning of truth the dawnings of divine knowledge These lights to life these enlivening lights are to them as the shaddow of death In how deplorable a condition are they to whom Good becomes evill and that which good men rejoyce in is to them an occasion of sorrow The whole course of nature is out of frame to us till we are set into a right frame by grace We put light for darkenes and darkenes for light till we our selves are brought out of darkenes into light Nothing is good to us till we are made good nor doth any thing please us except sin or that which we use sinfully till we please God The very morning which gives a new life to all is to some as the shadow of death If one know them they are in the terrours of the shaddow of death These words are but a further explication of the same thing if one that is if any one man woman or childe as we say know them that is take notice of them in their wickednesse or take notice of their wickednesse they are as we say dead in the nest Cum agnoscit alius alium Pisc Others render the words thus if they know one another that is if only so much of the light of the morning breakes forth as serves them to see one anothers faces they are afraid So this phrase is used Ruth 3.14 And shee lay at his feete untill the morning and she rose up before one could know another that is before there was light enough to discerne each other So these two readings if one know them or if they know one another meete in the same General sence their unwillingnes to be discovered at their worke if once there be light enough for these evill-workers to see themselves by they then know they may also be seene by others And if one any one know them They are in the terrours of the shaddow of death That is they are troubled like them who being ready to dye are yet unwilling to dye when death stands at a mans bed-side when death stands at his back ready to attach and apprehend him ready to carry him away while yet he is alltogether unwilling and unready to dye O in what a terrour is he Just thus it is saith Job with those wicked men they are not onely afraid to dye but the terrours of the shadow of death are upon them their terrour is such as men have when death over-shaddows them That 's the meaning of They are in the terrours of the shadow of death A shaddow in Scripture is taken two wayes First properly for that darknesse which is caused by the interposition of a thicke body between us and the Sunne Secondly improperly or metaphorically and so that is a shaddow which keepes off the heate of the Sunne or the violence of the raine and winde and so by a trope any thing of defence is called a shadow Judg. 9.9.15 Come trust under my shadow sayd the bramble that is put your selves under my protection And againe Isa 30.2 3. Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame and the trust in the shaddow or protection of Aegypt your confusion So Isa 49.2 In the shadow of his hand hath he hid me And Isa 51.16 I have covered thee in the shadow of my hand as birds cover or shelter their young ones with their wings and feathers Thus the Scripture speakes of a shadow But what is the shadow of death It is first the appearance of death secondly the power of death So the the meaning is as was touched before they are as much terrified as if death appeared to them as if the image of death passed before them in vision or as if the power of it had taken hold of them to bring them prisoners to the grave If one know them they are in the terrour of the shadow of death I have from the former words of this context as also at the 12th verse taken occasion to observe how troublesome both the light of the Sunne and the light of the minde are to evill men and therefore I shall not stay upon any Instructions of that kinde here Yet forasmuch as not onely the Murderer and Adulterer spoken of before but the Theife spoken of here are all for darkenes and concealement Observe First That sinners have a secret conviction upon themselves that what they doe is not good They draw up their own enditement and condemne themselves before God doth They would rocke conscience asleepe but they cannot they would blind it but they cannot This their delight in darknesse both outward and inward is a plaine demonstration that they know their deedes are evill Christ sayth as much Joh. 3.20 21. Every one that doth evill hateth the light neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved No man feares his deeds will be reproved but he that suspects at least that his deeds are his faults and his actings his transgressings for as it followes He that doth truth that is who acts according to the truth cometh to the light He that doth good or truth indeed yea he who is but perswaded that he doth
word with all readines of mind yet they did not swallow downe all whole that was sayd to them but searched the Scriptures dayly whether those things ware so Act. 17.11 The Apostles rule is sutable to their practice 1 Thes 5.21 Prove all things hold fast that which is good Now as it is the duty of hearers and learners to hold nothing till they have proved it so it is the duty of Teachers to offer every doctrine to the ballance or tryall which they desire others should hold Secondly While Job doth thus confidently offer his assertion to tryall We learne That Truth is not affrayd to be tryed Truth often lieth in a corner but truth doth not seeke corners truth never hides her head as ashamed to be seene or discussed by men Truth as some have sayd lyeth in a deepe pit it is hard to finde it out it lieth out of sight yet truth doth not hide it selfe but dares stand forth in the face of all the world truth no more feares the triall then pure gold feares the touchstone or then a schollar who hath made good progresse in his learning feares to be examined He that hath truth with him needs not care who appeares against him Thirdly In that he sayth if it be not so now who will make me a liar Note False doctrine is a lye Isa 9.15 The antient and the honourable he is the head the Prophet that teacheth lies that is the Prophet that teacheth false doctrine he is the tayle Jer. 9.3 They bend their tongues like their bowes for lies but they are not valiant for the truth on the earth The Prophet as I conceave intends not so much falsehood in discourse which we call telling a lye as falsehood of doctrine which we call teaching of lyes They bend their tongues as bows for lies that is they set themselves to the maintaining of false doctrine to the utmost stretch of their wit and words Againe saith the Lord Jer. 14.14 The Prophets that prophecy lyes in my name I sent them not neither have I commanded them neither spake unto them they prophecy unto you a false divination and a thing of nought and the deceit of their heart The whole doctrine of the man of sin is called a lye Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved therefore God gave them up to strong delusion that they should beleive a lye 2 Thes 2.11 All the faith-devouring and conscience-wasting errors that ever the man of sin vented to the world are wrapt up in this one syllable or word a lye He that receaveth a lye that is told wrongeth others by it but he that receaved a lye that is taught wrongeth himselfe most by it To tell a lye is very sinfull but to teach a lye is much more sinfull The evill of that sin is greatest which spreadeth furthest continueth longest A lye that is told and received sticketh not long in the memory but passeth away for the most part like a tale that is told and it is enough to many a man that telleth a lye if he be beleeved but a little while But a lye that is taught and receaved sticketh long in the understanding and abideth there like a nayle fastned by the Masters of the assemblyes and it is not enough to him that teacheth a lye unlesse it be beleeved for ever Thirdly When Job sayth Who will make me a liar Note The worst thing that can be proved against any man is that he is a lyar To be a lyar is to be as bad as may be For it is to be as bad as the Devill He deceaved the woman both by telling and teaching a lye Gen. 3. He abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a lye he speaketh of his owne for he is a lyar and the father of it Joh. 6.44 Every sin is of the Devill both by temptation and approbation but onely some sinnes are of the Devill by way of practice and the sin which is chiefely of him by practice is lying Now every sin the more congeniall it is to the Devill the more sinfull abominable it is And therefore among those who shall be without lye-makers are chiefe Rev. 22.15 Without are doggs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye The universality of this exclusion is onely expressed upon lyars as if he had sayd to be sure all lyars shall be without He that maketh a lye hath nothing worse to make and he that maketh that is proveth a man to be a lyar hath nothing worse to make of him And make my speech nothing worth The Hebrew is And bring my speech to nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ideÌ„ quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graeci bâ—nè interpretantur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verbum è verbo in non as if he had sayd I challenge all men to disprove my reasons or to prove that my reasons are not a proofe of that for which I brought them In briefe let any man refute or confute what I have sayd if he can and then let all that I have sayd goe for nothing or be counted nothing worth Hence note Vnsound doctrine is worthlesse doctrine The speech of a lyar is nothing worth sound doctrine is of great value it is worth thousands David preferr'd the word of God before thousands of Gold and silver every holy truth is the word of God eyther formally or vertually eyther in termes or by consequence The Apostle compares sound doctrine to things of greatest worth even to Gold silver and pretious stones and in the same place 1 Cor. 3.12 he compares unsound doctrine or doctrine unsutable to the foundation which is Jesus Christ alone to wood hay stubble which as they are things in their owne nature unconsiderable worthlesse in comparison of Gold silver and pretious stones so as to the busienes upon which he there treates a suitable building upon Christ they are altogether worthlesse And if those doctrines which because of some errour in them are unsutable to the foundation are to be accounted but wood hay and stubble how worthlesse are those doctrines which being altogether erroneous are inconsistent with and quite overthrow the foundation Such doctrines are worthy of nothing but a dung-hill being themselves nothing but drosse and dung What is that worth to us which is uselesse to us How worthlesse then is that which is destructive to us Every error is a Bable a thing of no use some errors are as poyson deadly in their use The Apostle Peter doth not spare to say as much of them 2 Epist 2.1 2. while he calleth them damnable heresies which bring swift destruction upon the bringers of them in or the broachers of them abroad And if they bring destruction upon those who bring them they that receave them cannot be safe To conclude this poynt and Chapter if erroneous doctrine be nothing worth
man chafed and enraged as a man full of wrath and fury but as a man most tenderly affected and full of pity for a bruised reade shall he not breake and smoaking flax shall he not quench a bruised read and smoaking flax are emblems of the weake of the arme without strength of those who are without wisdome Christ will not deale roughly with those he will not breake the bruised read nor quench the smoaking flax that is such as are broken with the sence of sin such as are weake in faith such as are so much over-powred by corruption that they doe rather smoake and make an ill-sented smother then burne or shine in a gracious profession such as are thus low and meane in spiritualls Christ will not breake with his power nor quench with his rebukes till he send forth judgement to victory that is till he hath perfected their conversion and hightned their graces to the full and caused the better part in them to prevaile over the worse as the house of David did over the house of Saul till it arive at a blessed victory And againe Isa 61.2 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me for whâ—t because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meeke he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaime liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound Here is helping those that have no power and saving the arme that hath no strength Thus Christ handles those who through temptation affliction or any trouble are brought low For the neglect of this duty the Lord reproves the Shepheards Ezek. 34.2 3 4. Son of man prophesie against the Shepheards of Israel prophecy and say unto them thus saith the Lord God unto the Shepheards Woe be to the Shepheards of Israel that doe feed themselves should not the Shepheards feed the flockes That is should they not be more intent upon the feeding of their flocke with spiritualls then upon the feeding of themselves with temporalls should they not labour more to feed the peoples soules then their owne bellyes surely they ought But what did the Shepheards of Israel The next words shew us both what they did and what they did not Ye eate the fat and ye cloath you with the wool ye kill them that are fed These things they were forward enough to doe But see what they did not ye feed not the flock That 's a general neglect of duty then followeth their neglect of particular duties The diseased have ye not strengthened neyther have ye healed that which is sicke neyther have ye bound up that which was broken neyther have ye brought againe that which was driven away by force of Satans temptation neyther have ye sought that which was lost through selfe-folly and corruption Here is a large enditement against the Shepheards All which may be summed up in Jobs language to Bildad They did not helpe those who had no power they did not save the arme without strength nor counsel those who had no wisdome See againe how the Prophet describes the compassionatenesse of God to his people in an afflicted condition Isa 27.8 In measure that is moderately when it shooteth forth thou wilt debate with it he stayeth his rough winde in the day of the East winde that is when affliction like an East winde blowes feircely upon his from the world then he stayeth his rough winde he will not bring his rough winde out of his treasures to joyn with the East-winde God will deale gently with his when they are hardly dealt with by men And thus it is our duty when it is a day of the East winde a day of trouble and temptation upon any soule to stay the rough winde to breath gently to give refreshment and ease to the weary soule How hast thou helped him that hath no power how savest thou the arme that hath no strength Secondly Observe The manner how we performe any duty is to be attended as well as the matter Bildads businesse was to comfort the sorrowfull to strengthen the infirme how did he performe this his strengthening was a weakning his helping was a grieving of Job already weake and grieved and the reason was because he failed in the manner or mannaging of this worke we must be carefull as to doe good for the matter so to doe it effectually which cannot be unlesse it be done rightly Some goe with an honest purpose to helpe who yet administer no helpe at all to every such helper it may be sayd with rebuke How hast thou helped him that is without power how unhandsomely hast thou done it what worke hast thou made of it Thou hast but entangled the poore soule worse then before This runs through all duties We may say to some How have you prayed and called upon God They onely speake a few words present a few petitions but without a heart without faith without a sense of the presence of God or of their owne wants how have such prayed call ye this prayer we may say to others how have you heard the word of God is this to heare what to reâ—eive the sound or the sense of the word and never to minde it more never to digest nor turne what is heard into practice is this hearing We may say to others how have you fâ—sted and humbled your soules before God Is this a fast that God hath chosen a day for a man to hang downe his head like a bullrush Is this fasting to God even to God No This is but a mock-fast a No-fast God hates such formality in praying hearing fasting with a perfect hatred A body exercised and a soule sitting still is not worship God is a spirit and will be worshipped in spirit and in truth In the truth or according to the rule of his owne word as also in the truth or according to the sincerity of our owne hearts unlesse we worship God in this twofold truth we worship him not at all as he will be worshipped how much soever we seeme to have a will to worship him As Job here puts a question mixt with admiration and indignation to his helper How hast thou helped him that hath no power How ilfavordly how bunglingly hast thou done it So the Lord will put such a question to many of his worshippers How have ye worshipped him that hath all power how slightly how formally how hypocritically have ye done it Therefore in all duties looke to the manner as well as to the matter and labour to doe them well as well as to doe them To neglect the doing of a duty or the doing of it negligently are alike offensive unto God and he will say to the latter with as much displeasure How hast thou done what I commanded as he will to the latter Why hast thou not done what I commanded yea Thirdly Observe That which is not done as it ought is to be judged as if not done That which we strive not
to doe in a right manner we upon the matter doe not at all We may resolve these interrogations of the Text into negations How hast thou helped him that is without power is as much as this thou hast not helped him how savest thou the arme that hath no strength is indeed Thou hast not saved him how hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdome caryeth this meaning thou hast given him no counsell we use to say as good never a whit as never the better and how good soever any thing is that we doe if we doe it amisse it will be reckoned by God what reckoning soever men make of it as if we had done no such thing Moses said to the Lord under a temptation when he was troubled at the complaint of the people because the deliverance promised did not come on and they were not freed as was expected Lord wherefore hast thou so evill entreated this people why is it that thou hast sent me for since I came to Pharaoh to speake in thy name he hath done evill to this people neither hast thou delivered thy people at all Exod. 5.23 Is this a deliverance this is no deliverance we are apt to thinke the mercyes of God no mercyes unlesse he give us full and perfect mercyes unlesse we presently receave all that we looke for we looke upon it as if we had receaved nothing at all But how truely may the Lord say to the children of men when they performe duties slightly and negligently ye have not done them at all ye have neyther prayed nor heard nor fasted at all because ye have been negligent in and unprofitable under them The workes and dutyes of the best are not every way full but the workes and dutyes of some are alltogether empty and they doe nothing in all they doe Fourthly In these severall interrogations are here held forth the severall effects of holy advice given according to the word and minde of God how hast thou helped him that is without power saved the arme that hath no strength counselled him that hath no wisdome As if he had sayd thou indeed hast offered me counsell from God if thou hadst managed it right this would have been the fruit of it I who have no power should have been helped and I who am as an arme without strength should have been saved Hence observe That the word of God or divine truths are mighty in operation when duely administred The word of truth conveigheth strength to the weake wisdome to the simple comfort to the sorrowfull light to those who are in darkenes and life unto the dead The word lifts up the hands which hang downe and the feeble knees The law of the Lord that is every holy truth saith David Psal 19.7 8. is perfect and what can it doe the next words tell us converting or restoring the soule The testimony of the Lord is sure and what can that doe the next words tell us making wise the simple The statutes of the Lord are right and what can they doe even that which is most sweete where it is done reioycing the heart The commandement of the Lord is pure in it selfe and it worketh gloriously in us enlightning the eyes I may say also The word of the Lord is mighty and it giveth strength to those who have no might As it is mighty for the pulling downe of strong holds casting downe imaginations every thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor 10.4 5. So it is as mighty for the raysing up of the weake for the lifting up of those who are cast downe and fallen below the knowledge of God through unbeliefe and for the bringing of poore soules out of captivity into that blessed liberty of faith in Christ What Great things the word rightly applyed and divine truths brought home with Authority have done and still can doe was shewed at the 4 â—h Chapter of that booke verse 3d and 4th As also at the 25 â—h verse of the sixth Chapter upon those words How forcible are right words Though we ought to helpe those who have no power by more then words yet words have holpen many who had no power as Job doth more then intimate while he reproves Bildad for his unskillfull wording it with him How hast thou helped c. And how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unde Graecum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Appellatio a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod esse significat sapientia enim rerum omnium existentium prima praecipua est Drus That which we render The thing as it is is but one word in the Original and it hath a threefold signification First It is put for the essence substance or being of a thing The Greek word for substance is very neere this in sound and may possibly be a derivative from it Secondly It signifieth that working or operation which flowes from being Things first are and then they act and they are to little or no purpose unlesse they act Thirdly It signifieth counsell advice wisdome or sound wisdome Prov. 3.21 so Mr Broughton translates And makest advice knowne aboundantly Others taking up the same notion render How hast thou declared wisdome abundantly As if he had sayd Thou thinkest thou hast opened a treasure and declared store of wisdome and knovledge in this discourse or that thou hast made a very wise and learned discourse whereas indeed it will be found leane and short in it selfe as also impertinent to the poynt in hand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad multitudinem vel multiplicitèr Our translation takes it in the first sense How hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is that is how hast thou declared the substance of the thing or the solid truth in plenty or as the Hebrew phrase imports in great number and with much variety Hence note First Every thing ought to be declared as it is that is the naked truth ought to be declared It is our duty to speake of things as they are not to put colours upon them and so make them appeare what they are not or otherwise then they are truth is plaine and truth should be told plainely The naked truth or the thing as it is is most beautifull to the eye of the understanding And though Bildad did misreport what he spake of God yet he did not make a full report How hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is Secondly Hence note As we ought to speake the truth so to speake the truth out or all the truth Paul tells the Church of Eâ—hesus Acts 20.20 That he had kept nothing back that was profitable for them and sayth he ver 27. I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God Paul plentifully declared the thing as it was Bildad spake truth but not all the truth as to Jobs case
rule and governe the floods for a while but he ruleth and governeth them alwayes he sitteth upon them king for ever even untill day and night come to an end Thirdly note The waters shall never totally overflow the earth As God hath given them a bound so such a bound as shall keepe them in compasse for ever And as we have an assurance in the power of God that he can keepe or compasse the waters with bounds to the end of the world so also we have his promise and his faithfullnes engaged that he will maintaine those bankes and bounds and keepe them in such repayre that the waters shall never prevaile over them Gen. 9.8 9 10 11. And God spake unto Noah and to his sons with him saying and I behold I establish my Covenant with you and with your seed after you c. neyther shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood neyther shall there be any more a flood to destroy the earth And as mankinde is under this promise of freedome from an universal deluge so every godly man may rise up to this assurance that no waters of any sort can wet so much as the sole of his foote or the hemme of his garment but as they have leave and commission from him who hath compassed the waters with bonnds untill the day and night come to an end JOB CHAP. 26. Vers 11 12. The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproofe He divideth the Sea by his power and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud JOB still proceedeth in the enumeration and illustration of the mighty works of God what he doth in the clouds and what in the heavens was shewed from the former context Here Job tells us what the Lord doth with the heavens He who made the heavens and stretched out the North over the empty place can make these heavens totter in their place and tremble when he pleaseth The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproofe There are three things to be enquired into for the opening of this verse First What is meant by the pillars of heaven Secondly How the pillars of heaven may be said to tremble and be astonished Thirdly What we are to understand by the reproofe of God Columnae coeli i. e. Angeli contremiscunt Aquin Angelos vocat columnas coeli quia sâ—ilicet eorum officio admâ—nistratur motus coelorum Aquin when he sayth they are astonished at his reproofe The pillars of heaven tremble There are various opinions about these pillars first many of the Latins hold that these pillars of heaven are the Angells by whose assistance say some Philosophers the motions of the heavenly bodyes with their orbes or spheares are guided and maintained And doubtlesse as the Angels have great employments upon and about the earth so also in and about the heavens and therefore may not improperly be called the pillars of heaven in which sence also the Angels are called the powers of heaven as some interpret Math 24.29 where Christ prophesieth that immediatly after the tribulation of those dayes the Sunne shall be darkened and the Moone shall not give her light the starrs shall fall from heaven and the powers of heaven shall be shaken Many of the antients interpret those powers of heaven by the Angels as if the Lord would doe such things in that great day as should trouble and astonish not onely men on earth but the Angels in heaven who may be called the pillars of heaven as some eminent men for parts and power are called the pillars of the earth And wee may suppose them pillars of heaven not for the strength and sustainement of heaven Stabilitaâ—eÌ„ permanenteÌ„ in natura angelorum intelligamus nemine Columnarum Philip but for the beauty and ornament of it As we see many pillars in stately Pallaces which are not placed there to beare up the weight of those buildings but only to adorn beautifie them Or Angels may be called the pillars of heaven because of the firmenes and stability of their owne nature not as if they were any firmenes or establishment unto heaven Secondly By these pillars of heaven are conceaved to be meant the high mountaines of the earth which seeme to touch the heavens according to sence and so to sustaine and beare them up as pillars but this opinion not being grounded upon any truth in nature but onely upon a popular errour though it be a truth that even these supposed pillars of heaven tremble at the reproofes of God I shall not insist at all upon this interpretalion Thirdly These pillars of heaven say others are the ayre for as the lowest parts of the earth are called the foundations of the earth because the foundation of a building is layd lowest so the lower parts of heaven the ayre which is sometimes called heaven yea the firmament of heaven Gen. 1.20 may be called the pillar of heaven 'T is true also that the Lord maketh dreadfull combustions by stormes and tempests in the ayre insomuch that those pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproofe But I shall not give this neyther as Jobs meaning here Terra tota velut orbis totius fundamentum ac firmanentum Merc Fourthly By the pillars of heaven others understand not the ayre or the mountains but the whole body on globe of the earth Thus David speakes 2 Sam. 22.8 Then the earth shooke and trembled the foundations of heaven moved and shooke because he was wroth where the foundations of heaven in the latter part of the verse may be expounded by the earth in the former part of the verse For if we consider the whole fabricke of the world together then the earth seemes to be the foundation or pillar of heaven And frequent experiences in all ages especially in some parts of the world have felt and reported the trembling of the earth We commonly call it an Earth-quake and Philosophers teach us that the reason of it in nature is the strength of vapours included in and striving to make their way out of the bowels of the earth And as this trembling of the earth hath a reason in nature so it is often caused by speciall command from God as a reproofe of the sinfullnes of man or to awaken him from his sin yet Fifthly I rather conceive that this phrase The pillars of heaven is used onely in a generall sense and not particularly intended eyther of Angels or mountains of the ayre or of the earth but that the pillars of heaven are the strength of heaven the strength of a building consists in the pillars that beare it up take away the pillars and it falls downe as Sampson sayd to the lad that held him by the hand suffer me that I may feele the pillars whereupon the house standeth and when he had once moved them the house fell Judg. 16.26.30 so that when Job sayth the pillars of heaven tremble the
He spake great things of the power and holynes of God but Jobs case called him to speake as much if not more and rather of the goodness and kindnes of God He spake enough to humble and cast Job downe at the sight of his natural uncleanenes but he should have spoken more to rayse him up and comfort him by shewing him that fountaine which is opened to wash in for sin and for uncleanenes Wee may quickly entangle a soule by speaking truth unlesse we shew him all that ruth which belongs to his condition The Scriptures have plenty of truth in them and are therefore able to make as wise unto salvation They are profitable for doctrine for reproofe for correction for instruction in righteousnes The Scripture is like that River spoken of Gen. 2.10 which went out of Eden to water the Garden and from thence it was parted and became into foure heads Paul in that place now mentioned 2 Tim. 3.16 shewes us the Scripture parting it selfe into foure heads first of Doctrine for establishing the truth secondly of reproofe for removing of error thirdly of correction for the beating downe of ill manners fourthly of instruction for building up in a holy conversation That so as it there follows the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good workes that is in Jobs language that he may be able plentifully to declare the solid truth the thing as it is and as knowingly to declare General truths so to apply them discerningly to the state of every person A fayling wherein Job is supposed to charge Bildad with in the next verse Vers 4. To whom hast thou uttered words Here Job taxeth Bildad with inconsideratenesse in reference to the person to whom he spake To whom hast thou uttered words hast thou considered to whom thou spakest Quem docere voluisti nonne eum qui fecit spiramentum Vulg The vulgar translation referrs it to God whom wouldst thou teach wouldst not thou teach him who made the breath surely thou takest upon thee to teach him who is the teacher of us all Thus many carry on the sense of this fourth verse according to the second interpretation of the second and third verses With which presumption Job taxed his friends once before and that in expresse termes Chap. 21 22. Shall any teach God knowledge seeing he judgeth those that are high But I conceive Jobs meaning is onely to shew Bildad that he had not well advised about his case and condition before he spake for Bildad might say is this a question to be asked to whom have I uttered words have not I been speaking to thee all this while art not thou the man for whose sake we are here met and about whom we have had all this dispute Why then doest thou aske to whom hast thou uttered words Job doubted not who it was to whom he spake but Job questions him as fearing he was not well acquainted with or had not enough layd to heart the state of the man to whom he spake dost thou know what my condition is and hast thou suited and cut out thy discourse to my condition to whom hast thou uttered words Hence note We should well consider the state of every person to whom we speak and apply our speech or doctrine accordingly Bildad in the former Chapter had been setting forth the power majesty and dread of God as also his infinite purity befoâ—e whom the Angels are not-cleane now sayth Job to whom hast thou uttered these words should I be thus dealt with thus handled who am a man cast downe already and under the terrours of God Is this discourse though an undoubted truth sutable to my condition Thou shouldst rather have represented God to my faith in his goodnesse and mercy in his long suffering and patience in his tendernesse and gentlenesse towards sinners thou shouldst have proclaimed that name of God to me which is his Glory Exod. 34.6 The Lord The Lord gracious and mercifull long suffering and aboundant in goodnes and truth this had been a description of God a proclamation of God fit for a man in my case Whereas thou hast onely told me of his mighty power and dominion of his Hosts and Armyes doest thou know to whom thou hast uttered these words Jesus Christ when here on earth considered to whom he was uttering words and therefore tells his Disciples Joh. 16.12 I have many things to say unto you but ye cannot beare them now Christ would not put new wine into old botles but attemper'd his speech to the strength and capacity of his hearers Some must heare that which they cannot beare when that springs from their passion and impatience especially when from their love to and resolvednesse to goe onne in sinne Amos must not forbeare to speake though Amaziah cry out The Land is not able to beare all his words But we must take heed of forcing words upon any which they cannot beare or are not fit to heare eyther by reason of their afflictions and temptations or by reason of their present infirmities and incapacities The Apostle 2 Tim. 2.15 bids Timothy study to shew thy selfe approved unto God he doth not meane it in his private course of life and dayly converse which is the duty of every beleever but in his publicke course of life or converse as a Minister of the Gospel in that sayth he study to shew thy selfe approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed what kind of workman was Timothy his worke lay in the Word shew thy selfe a workeman and a Master in thy worke rightly dividing the word of truth how is the word to be divided he doth not meane of a gramaticall nor of a logicall division though there may be a use of these divisions of the Word but the dividing of the word intended by Paul is the dividing of it spiritually to the severall states and conditions of men giving to such a word of instruction to others a word of reproofe to a third sort words of comfort This is dividing the word aright And in doing this Paul would have Timothy declare himfelfe a workman that he needed not be ashamed He would have him know to whom he uttered words to know when he spake to sinners and when to Saints when he spake to the afflicted and when to them that were in a comfortable estate He would have him know when he spake to those who were hardned in their sin and when to those whose hearts were broken under the weight and sence of sin And thus as every man who uttereth words so Ministers of the Gospel especially should be well advised to whom they utter them For as the same garment will not serve every body to weare nor the same bed to lye upon so the same word will not serve every soule We must not doe as the tyrant who made one bed serve all his guests and they that were too long for it were cut shorter and they who