treasure I need not stay to tell you The Judgements of God saith David Psal 19.10 are more to be desired then Gold yea then much fine gold And againe Psal 119.72.127 The law of thy mouth is better to me then thousands of Gold and silver And ver 127. when he saw how some made voyd the Law of God he sayth Therefore I love thy commandements above Gold yea above fine Gold As if he had sayd because I see some men esteeme and reckon thy law as if it were drosse and throw it up as voyd and antiquated or taking the boldnes as it were to repeale and make it voyd that they may set up their own lusts and vaine imaginations because I see both prophane and superstitious men thus out of love with thy Law therefore my love is more enflamed to it I love it above gold which leads the most of men away captives in the love of it and I esteeme it more then that which is most esteemed by men and gaines men most esteeme in this world Fine Gold yea as he sayd Psal 19. more then much fine Gold Secondly Observe A high and reverentiall esteeme of the word of God workes the heart and keepes it close to the obedience of the word Job having said before I have kept the commandements of his mouth I have kept his wayes and not declined I have not gone back now comes to the spring of all this constancy in obedience I have esteemed the words of his mouth c. Love is the spring of action and esteeme is the top of love we love nothing which we doe not esteeme and what we love much we thinke we can never esteeme enough And what we thus love and esteeme we strive to keepe close unto They that receive the truth and doe not receive the love of it quickly turne from it to beleive a lye yea God therefore sends them strong delusion to beleive a lye because they received not the love of the truth As not to love the truth is a sin so it is punished with another sin the love of error Though we have taken much truth into our understandings yet unlesse we take it into our affections also we cannot hold it long 'T is love which holds the heart and the word together No man willingly obeyes that Law which he doth not love Before David could say The Law is my meditation all the day he sayth O how I love thy law Ps 119.97 The hypocrite who hates instruction and casts the word of God behinde his backe that is slights and vilifies it to the utmost for so much to cast behinde the backe imports the hypocrite I say who thus casts the word of God behinde his backe will be talking of the word and have it much in his mouth yea he will mouth it so or be so talkative about it that God reproves or checks him for it Psal 50.16 Vnto the wicked saith God What hast thou to doe to declare my statutes or that thou shouldest take my Covenant in thy mouth So then the hypocrite was very busie with his tongue and he could speake much of that which he loved never a whit But was the hypocrite a man of his hands also was he busie in obeying the word which he had cast behinde his back The next words of the Psalme ver 18 19 20 21. tell us what he was busie about even this he was breaking the Law as fast as he could When thou sawest a theife then thou consentest with him and hast been partaker with Adulterers c. The inditement is large and upon many heads yet all true and is therefore closed with These things hast thou done ver 21. I the Lord am witnes and so is thy owne Conscience That Scripture is a cleare glasse wherein we may see how all they will use the Law of God who doe not highly esteeme the words of his mouth We may read Jobs text backward for their character Their feete have not held his steps his way have they not kept but declined they have gone back from the commandement of his lips And why so for they have esteemed the words of his mouth no more then their un-necessary food no more then the scraps that fall from their Table no more then as the Proverb saith their old shoes I have esteemed the word of his mouth more then my necessary food When Job saith I have esteemed the word of his mouth c. It is as if he had sayd this is enough for me that God hath sayd it to make me esteeme it Hence observe Thirdly Whatsoever God saith is to be esteemed for his owne sake or because he hath sayd it As God needs not borrow light from any what to speake so he needs not borrow testimony or Authority from any to ratifie what he hath spoken He is to be beleeved for himselfe His words need no sanction but ipse dixit I the Lord have sayd it or thus saith the Lord that is enough to silence all queryes and disputes both about the truth of what is delivered and the necessity of our obedience to it As the word of Gods mouth is to be obeyed so it is therefore to be obeyed because it is the word of his mouth That he hath sayd it must command our faith As he is the true God so he is the God of truth Every word of his mouth is pretious As what God hath spoken must be the rule of our faith so that he hath spoken it must be the reason of our faith I have esteemed the words of his mouth c. Lastly From both these verses we may take notice of the severall steps by which Jobs piety did arise to so eminent a hight First He strongly tooke hold of the steps of God Secondly He diligently kept his way Thirdly He declined not eyther to the right hand or to the left Fourthly He went not backe from the Holy commandement both which negatives may be resolved into this affirmative He walked very closely and exactly with God in utmost perseverance Fifthly He tooke a delightfull care about all those things which the word of God called him unto even beyond all the care which he tooke for those things which are most conducible to and necessary for the comforts of his body or natural life JOB CHAP. 23. Vers 13. But he is in one minde and who can turne hinc and what his soule desireth even that he doth IN this verse Job is conceived by some at once making discovery of his owne infirmitie and of the soveraignty of God But though all agree that they carry a full discovery of the soveraignty of God yet many are so farre from judging them a discovery of Jobs infirmitie that they rather discover the strength and hight of his Grace and holines To cleare the whole matter we may take notice That there are three apprehensions about the scope and sence of these words First As if in them Job renderd a reason
issues of divine wrath While these sad dispensations are sent out and meete with Saints they are the issues of divine love For though a godly man may provoke God to anger and finde by many evidences that God as to his actings is angry with him yet as to his person he alwayes loves him And therefore as a wicked mans Table is made his snare so he is assured that his snare shall be made to him a Table that his darkness shall worke light his evills good to him He is also assured that the Lord will dâ—liver him out of these snares and cut the coards of the wicked Psal 129.4 That hee will deliver him from feare from darknes and bring him up out of the abundance of waters which cover him as David speaks Psal 32.6 For this that is because thou art so gracious shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayst be found The Hebrew is in a finding time which according to our translation notes the season when God may be found as the Prophet speaks Isa 55.6 Yet it may be well expounded for the time when trouble finds that is takes hold of the godly man And so the word is used Psal 116.3 The paines of hell gat hold of me we put in the Margin found me In which sence the word is used also Psal 21.8 Thine hand shall finde out that is take hold of and apprehend all thine enemies thy right hand shall finde out those that hate thee Now in this finding time eyther when God may be found or when trouble finds a godly man he setting himselfe to pray hath this promise surely in the floods of great waters they that is the floods of great waters by which are meant great dangers shall not come nigh him that is the Godly man to hurt or drowne him Sometimes prayer keeps the flood off and alwayes prayer delivers the Godly man out of the flood Wicked men have no minde to come nigh God with their hearts and so some enterpret the latter part of this verse in the Psalme nor will God admitt them nigh unto himselfe in the floods of great waters And the floods of great waters shall not which is the scope of our reading come nigh the Godly man for his hurt when he drawes nigh to God in prayer with his heart Thus wee have seene the sinnes of Job drawne out into a Charge and the Judgement of Eliphaz upon it what the event the sequell or Issue of those sinnes was snares and feares and waters and darkness There is yet one thing further that I shall here take notice of from the constant course of Jobs friends in dealing with him Wee see that still they charge him with sinne and still insist upon it that all his afflictions miseries were the fruits of his sinne Job as hath appeared in opening severall passages of this Booke hath as often disproved their inference and denied that his sufferings were caused by his sinne at least not by any such way of sinning as they charged him with Labouring also much to enforme them that God hath many other reasons why he afflicts his people and that God might take libertie to afflict him though he were no such kinde of creature as they rendred him yet notwithstanding all hee could say eyther to purge himselfe or better conforme them they persevered in the same opinion both concerning his person and the cause of his afflictions Whence Note It is hard to convince those who are under a mistake whether about persons or doctrines Error is as binding upon the conscience and as strongly embraced by the affections as truth is For it binds and is embraced not in the name of an error but in the name of truth And men are therefore wedded to and in love with their owne conceptions because how monstrous and hard-favoured soever in themselves yet nothing is more beautifull in their eye then they No man fayth the Apostle ever hated his owne flesh but loved and cherished it The flesh of our minds such are all false principles and positions is more loved and cherished by us then the flesh of our bodies Besides when men have once taken up an opinion they thinke it a dishonour to lay it downe againe 'T is rare to finde a man that will yeeld up his Judgement though it be a misguided one or acknowledge that he is in an error though he begins to take some knowledge or at least some suspition of it A light intimation or onely the Appearance of a probability will amount to a proofe against eyther persons or doctrines which we like not but the clearest demonstrations will hardly raise a Jealousie against what we like Let Job say what he will in his owne case he cannot be beleeved by his friends and his friends will say againe what once they had sayd though it had been more then once before fully answered The present age hath given us sad experiences of this thing For as many have been unstable and tossed to and fro with every winde of false doctrine so others have been stubborne and unmoved from their errors though the strongest winds of truth have breathed yea blowne hard upon them And those prejudices which have with so much severity been taken up by brethren against brethren how doe they remaine in many minds as mountaines unmoved to this very day I know not which is worse unsetlednes in the truth and an easiness to let it goe or tenaciousnesse in an error and a hardnes to let it goe Nor doe I well know which is worse a readiness to take up hard thoughts of our brethren or an un-readines to lay them downe Were the lawes of love to man and zeale for God observed these extreames would alwayes be avoyded Pure zeale for God would fixe us in the truth and make us more easie to be brought off from our most applauded errors True love to man would cause us to examine every ground of suspicion against a brother twice before we doe indeed suspect him once And it would cause us to rejoyce in any appearance of his innocence whereby we might discharge our owne Spirits of all suspicions concerning him Our love as the Apostle prayes Phil. 1.9 ought to abound in knowledge and in all Judgement That is wee ought to love Judiciously as well as affectionately or sincerely So that true love will not over-looke the faults of another nor will it approve against light Yet true love is ready to entertaine any light offered that grounds of suspition may be removed and we restored to a right understanding of our brethren JOB CHAP. 22. Vers 12 13 14. Is not God in the height of heaven and beholds the height of the Starres how high they are And thou sayest How doth God know can he judge through the dark cloud Thick clouds are a covering to him that he seeth not and he walketh in the circuit of heaven IN the former part of this
a fitt or a convenient time implying that time in that notion is not hidden from God Isa 50.4 God hath given me the tongue of the learned that I might speake a word in season to him that is weary Which some translate thus That I might know the appointed time to the afflicted An afflicted soule must be watched and a season taken these times are not hidden from the Almighty he knoweth the opportunity and therefore can direct him that speakes to a wearyed soule as to speake proper and taking matter so to speake it in a proper and taking time when it shall be as welcome to the soule as raine to the dry and thirsty ground David saith to the Lord Psal 119.23 It is time Lord for thee to worke for they have made voide thy Law that is now is the season and opportunity for thee to work if ever thou wilt shew thy selfe doe it now And when David confessed Psal 31.15 My times are in thy hand He meanes that the seasons of his comforts Per tempora intelligit rerum vicissitudines divitias et pauperiem pacem bellum c. Theodoret and of his sorrowes all the turnings and changes of his life from one condition to another were cast and ordered by the power and wisdome of God Why seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty Doe they that know him not see his dayes Thus Job describes the persons that see not the dayes of God they are such as know him Which character as was shewed before belongs to every Godly man though it be more peculiar to some Hence note First Every Godly man knoweth God And none but the Godly know him indeed many ungodly men professe they know God and they may know him notionally but no ungodly man knoweth him truly experimentally or practically Many ungodly men have a forme of knowledge and of the truth in the Law as the Apostle speakes of the Jewes Rom. 2.20 but no ungodly man feeleth the power of knowledge and of the truth in the Law Pietas est cognitio scientiaque dei Trismeg And therefore the wicked are spoken of in Scripture as not knowing God Jere. 10.25 Powre out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not And when the Prophet describes the wickednesse of the Jewish State he saith Hos 4.1 There is no knowledge of God in the Land Which the Chalde Paraphrast renders thus Neither are there any who walke in the feare of God in the land where there is no knowledge of God there is no feare of God We neyther love nor feare him of whom we have no knowledge nor can we beleeve in or trust him whom we know not Psal 9.10 They that know thy name will put their trust in thee That is the truly godly will trust in thee for they know thy name but they that know thee not how can they trust upon thee and therefore the Prophet calls us to boast in the knowledge of God Jere. 9.23 Thus saith the Lord let not the wise man glory in his wisdome neither let the mighty man glory in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches but let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord whech exercise loving kindnesse judgement and righteousnesse in the earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. There is nothing in this world worth the boasting in but the holy knowledge of a holy God or such a knowledge of God the fruit whereof is a godly life here and the end whereof is an eternall life hereafter Joh. 17.3 This is eternall life that they may know thee the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent This knowledge of God doth not floate in the braine but sinkes into the heart and is rooted in the affections Thus the Apostle John argues 1 Epist Chap. 2. v. 3 4 5 6. Hereby we know that we know him if we keepe his Commandements he that sayth he knows him and keepeth not his commandement is a liar and the truth is not in him As if he had sayd The true knowledge of God is an obedientiall knowledge so that if any man sayth he knoweth God while his life is not sutable to what he knoweth this mans profession is vaine and himselfe is a lyar Whosoever keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected that is he loveth God with a perfect or sincere love and the love of God is perfected towards him The scope of his whole discourse there is to shew that the true knowledge of God is the keeping of the word of God Many are so ignorant of God that they know not the word which they should keepe and all they who knowing the word keepe it not will at last be numbered among the ignorant or among those that know not God But their condition will be worse and their punishment greater then theirs who never knew God according to the teachings of his word Their estate will be bad enough who perish for want of the knowledge of God then what will their end be who perish in the neglect or abuse of plentifull knowledge From the second notion of the words they that know him as they intimate a sort of Godly men who have neerer acquaintance with and freer accesse to God then others Observe That as all godly men know God which the wicked doe not so some godly men have such a knowledge of God as many who are godly have not Though the knowledge of all godly men be of the same nature and kinde yet not of the same degree and height We reade of some who in old time were called Seers 1 Sam. 9.9 as if they onely had been endued with sight and all others were blinde in the things of God They were the onely seers yea they were fore-seers because God did often reveale himselfe and declare to them what he was about to doe in dreames and visions Now as in those times there were some men called seers so in these times some may be called knowers as if none knew any thing of God comparatively to them or as if other godly men were ignorant and understood nothing of him When God 1 Sam. 3. appeared to Samuel in a vision and revealed the doome of Elies house to him the Text sayth at the 7th verse Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord surely Samuel did know the Lord as other godly did in those times though he were but young yea it is said The childe Samuel ministred before the Lord and did not he know the Lord no doubt he did The meaning therefore is Samuel did not yet know the Lord by any speciall intimacy with him or particular revelation from him as afterward he did he became a knower of God at last though then he did not know God in this peculiar sence But God having revealed to him the secret what he would doe to Elies house then he knew God he
for a love to the truths and wayes of God which they practice for want of this they often apostatiâ—e and fall back even from the practice of them No bonds can hold us alwayes to the duties of obedience but those of love to God and to the things wherein duty calls us to obey And as want of this love is the reason why man is so apt to backslide and is so far as a Negative may be the very seed and principle of backsliding so it is the reason why God gives such up to the power and spirit of backsliding 2 Thes 2.10 11. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should beleeve a lie What is not begun in our affections will not abide long in our actions Secondly Observe Not to abide in the pathes of truth and holines is the marke of an ungodly man They who are not what they appeare in goodnesse will not alwayes so much as appear good They that are as Jacob spake of his eldest Son Reuben Gen. 49.4 unstable as water shall not excell nor are they to be numbred among the excellent ones The Apostle exhorts Saints 1 Cor. 15.58 To be stedfast and unmoveable alwayes abounding in the worke of the Lord. Saints move in the worke of the Lord but they must not move out of the worke of the Lord Bee ye stedfast and unmoveable but in what in the worke of the Lord That is the sphere in which Saints move the sphere of their activity and use and out of that they dare not move The Sun in the firmament is moving continually but it is in his proper line called by Astronomers The Eclipticke line So a godly man is alwayes moveing in the way of godlines that 's his proper line and he never moves out of it wholy Hee may have through the power of corruption and temptation his wandrings and goings astray but then he hath his repentings and returnings into the way againe he cannot abide long much lesse alwayes in the pathes of darknes Hee comes to himselfe with the prodigal and then he comes to his father he bethinkes himselfe where he is and comes backes into the path where he ought to be if at any time he walke in the counsel of the ungodly the gradation is made in the first Psalme which thing he ought not to doe yet surely he will not as it followes stand in the way of sinners or if he stand a while in that way yet he will not sit downe in the seat of the scornfull he will not rest nor stay there Now as it is an argument and a marke of Godlines when a man findes that though he hath many faylings and wandrings yet he abideth not in the pathes of darknes so it is an argument of the noughtines of a mans heart and state when though he now and then hits upon the doing of a good thing yet he abides not in the pathes of light Vaine thoughts as the Prophet Reproves the Jewes lodge in the wicked so long that the Lord complaines How long shall vaine thoughts lodge in you But as good thoughts seldome come to an ungodly man so they lodge not at all with him they are great strangers to him and he useth them as the worst of strangers yea as enemies he quickly turnes them off yea he thrusts them away from him he abideth not in the pathes of light Job having thus set forth the Spirit of a wicked man by his rebellion against the light by his unaffectednes with and unstayednes in the wayes and pathes of it proceeds to give us a further account of his wicked courses and workes of darknes Vers 14. The murtherer rising with the light killeth the poore and needy and in the night is as a Theife The murtherer is hee that killeth a man without warrant and authority every slaying of a man is not murther but to slay a man or to take away the life of a man without warrant that 's murther And that 's the grosse sinne forbidden in the sixt Commandement Thou shalt not kill or thou shalt doe no murther And this is usually committed eyther in malice to the person or in Covetousnesse after the spoyle Some take away the life of a man in malice to his person they hate him deliberately as Cain did Abel and therefore they kill him Others have no quarrel to the man possibly they never saw him before but they covet his goods and that they may rob him of his goods they rob him of his life They are such as live upon the spoyle and they will spoyle though they cause the innocent to dye for it and themselves too in the end In eyther of these wayes wee may understand the murtherer here The former because 't is sayd in the next words He slayes the poore and needy and there is little gaine in their blood when they goe downe into the pit The latter because 't is sayd in the latter part of the verse That in the night he is as a theife But Job first shewes us that this murtherer is a diligent man Rising with the light That is rising as early or as soon as the light riseth The murtherer is no sluggard the light doth not finde him in bed he takes the prime of the morning he will loose no time Men who love hunting rise early So doe these hunters of men When the morning is light they practice it saith the Prophet Mich. 2.1 Honest men rise early to goe about the workes of their Calling and wicked men rise early to fulfill the lusts of their hearts David saith Psal 101.7 I will early destroy all the wicked of the Earth As if David had sayd I will rise with the light to destroy the wicked and here you see how the wicked are described riseing Early to destroy the righteous to murther the Innocent So the next words expresse the designe of his early rising He riseth with the light what to doe no good I warrant you 't is To kill the poore and needy That 's his busienes He begins his mornings worke with a worke of cruelty you heare of killing presently The murtherers heart is full of blood and it will not be long ere his hand be full too for their feete are swift to shed blood Rom. 3.15 and they are skilfull to destroy But it may seeme that they are not very wise for themselves though they are very bloody against others For Job doth not say they slay the fat and full ones but The poore and needy There are some who distinguish between these two and tell us that in these two words two yea all sorts of poore are Included The first word they say intends those poore who heretofore were rich but now empoverished or fallen into poverty and that by the second word are meant those who have been born and alwayes bred up in a low condition But wee
Eliphaz Bildad and Zophar followed their Brother Job long but they gave it over at last and returned from following him Though I confesse there is a necessity of contending and that as the Apostle Jude exhorts earnestly both by speech and pen for the faith once delivered to the Saints Yet there are many contentions which it had been well if they had never been begun or at least quickly ended And when men revile and blaspheme rather then argue It is best to take up that Counsel which good Hezekiah gave in commandement concerning Rayling Rabsakeh Answer them not Solomon hath given us the full state of this duty in a seeming contradiction while in one verse he forbids us to answer a Foole and in the next bids us answer him The foole must be answered according to his folly but the answer must be framed and drawne up by the strength of reason and wisedome that is the foole must be made to see his folly lest he grow up and be confirmed in his opinion that what he saith is true because he is not shewed the error of it yet The foole must not be answered according to his folly that is if he speake or write vainely and revilingly shewing rather the frothynes of his wit or the over-flowing of his gall then the sobriety and soundnesse of his Judgement he that answers him must not conforme eyther speech or stile to his lest he be like unto him The answer which we give to another beareth the image and is the measure of our selver And our ill-mannaging of a matter renders us as bad as others though our opinion be better Our Master Christ being reviled reviled not againe we his Disciples and followers ought to imitate him and not to render evill for evill or rayling for rayling but contrariwise to blesse While we are called to contending let us doe it fayrely and candidly Christ would have us shew love and tendernes to our brethren as wel as zeale for Him and his Truth They cannot but doe so who stand up for truth purely as 't is the truth of Christ rather then as it is their owne opinion And though I am loath to be suspitious yet I greatly suspect that the reason why many cast so much dirt and dishonour upon the persons of their Brethren while they appeare as Champions for the Truth proceeds from a secret desire to procure honour to their owne persons rather then the advancement of Truth Peace and truth are a blessed payre and were we more for peace we should sooner find out the truth But so long as men contend rather for a party or an opinion then for truth rather for victory and the Mastery then for truth rather for honour I had almost sayd humour and interest then for truth as we are sure not to meete with peace so we are extreamely hindred and puzzl'd in seeking out the truth The most probable way to keepe downe some ill-sented opinions is to lay downe all disputes about them especially now when most if not all Controversies on foote have been sifted to the branne What therefore remaines but that we waite for light and conviction from heaven looking how the holy Spirit of truth and peace will state and determine those poynts upon the consciences of men And I am fully satisfyed that if all would suffer their consciences to answer and reply rather then their conceits and parts most of our disputers in this age would like Jobs friends dispute no more O That we could a while leave arguing with and answering one another especially rayling upon and scoffing at one another and fall to praying for loving one another according to the utmost tedder of Gospel-love For as love is the complement or fullfilling of the whole Law of God the scope or intentional end of the Commandement so it would be the conclusion or finishing and determining end of all the Controversies which arise or are started among men And I conceave that in most poynts of difference a severe and Magisteriall imposing of an opinion upon others in way of dispute is as bad and as un Gospel-like as to impose it upon any by way of power Beloved and Honored Friends ye may perceave how farre my joy for being arrived at the end of this dispute between Job and his friends hath transported me to presse for at least an amicable carrying onne if not an end of all our disputes and that as the Apostle adviseth speaking the truth and for the truth or Truthing it in love we may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ From whom the whole body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplyeth according to the effectuall working of every part maketh encrease of the body to the edifying of it selfe in love Love is a knitting and therefore an increasing grace That which uniteth many in one must needs edifie That One which is the result of such a union As faith is that Grace by which we receave all from God so love is that Grace by which we conveigh and divide good among our selves There is not the least joynt in the mysticall body of Christ but giveth some supply to the whole because love is the ligament of it As we can want nothing while as the Apostle Jude exhorts we keepe our selves in the love of God whether we understand him of the love of God to us or of our love to God makes no difference as to this matter so we can hardly want any thing while we keepe our selves in the love of one another That all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity may by the presence and influence of the Spirit of love not only keepe themselves but increase in the love of God and in the love of one another till we are fully growne up in him in all things which is the head even Christ is the wish and prayer as it ought to be the endeavour of all and of him who would SIRS The 18th of the Third Moneth commonly called May. 1655. Serve you Faithfully in love JOSEPH CARYL ERRATA PAge 51. l. 5. for 34. r. 24. p. 72. l. 30. for Armes r. Arme. p. 75. for turpa r. teâ—ra p. 245. for honestes r. hostes p. 422. l. 11. supple but. p. 447. l. 36. supple life p. 480. l. 5. supple or p. 498. l. 7. for man r. mans p. 672. l 36. for 6. r. 8. p. 784. l. 29. for Zeph r. Zech. AN EXPOSITION WITH Practicall Observations UPON The Twenty-two Twenty-three Twenty-foure Twenty-five and Twenty-sixe Chapters of the Booke of JOB JOB Chap. 22. Vers 1 2 3 4. 1. Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said 2. Can a man be profitable unto God as hee that is wise may be profitable unto himselfe 3. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righous or is it gain to him that thou makest thy ways perfect 4. Will he reprove thee for feare of thee or will he
latter part of the Verse may receive the same Exposition Will he enter with thee into judgment namely for thy feare Will God deale with thee upon the account of thy piety And when he comes to justifie thee will he impute that to thee Or when God enters into judgement with thee will he suffer thee to present thy fear thy piety or goodnesse to him and so thereby answer his plea or take away the action which he brings against thee When God enters with us into judgement we may boldly plead our interest or Faith in the Mediator but we must not plead our fear the Grace or Holinesse either of our persons or of our services Thus we see the Doctrine of the Text according to this Exposition and the Active signification of the word Feare carrieth in it the very life and spirit of the Gospel All the worth and merit of our works as to righteousnesse is nul'd and laid prostrate and we taught to glory in nothing but the free gift and grace of God by our Lord Jesus Christ Secondly As Fear is taken passively Will he reprove thee for feare of thee That is is God afraid of thee doth he pick quarrels with thee for fear of thee Or seek occasions against thee when there is none only lest thou shouldest stand in his way or be a detriment to him This appears plainly to be the sense of our Translators Whence Observe God is above the feare of the Creature As in the former Verse God is above any advantages or hopes that the Creature can give him so he is above the feare of any hurt that the creature can doe him As the goodnesse or righteousnesse of man cannot benefit the Lord so the wickednesse and sinfulnesse of man cannot at all impaire the eternall glory and happinesse of the Lord. Though the wickednesse of man be a darkening to the manifestations of his glory and for that wicked men shall be judged yet as to his essential glory all the wickednesse in the world cannot darken that nor be the least abatement to it Will he reprove thee for feare of thee No man cannot hurt the Lord by all his wickednesse and therefore The punishment which God layeth upon wicked men is not after the manner of men God doth not punish as man punisheth Eliphaz here speaks of that which is often indeed a true ground among men why they reprove or punish other men Some reprove others upon a vaine fear of them and some upon a just fear of them Why did the Jews accuse and reprove Christ Was it not for fear of him at least they pretended a fear why else were they so hasty to have Jesus Christ brought to judgement John 12.47 48. Then gathered the chief Priests and Pharisees a Councel and said what doe we for this man doth many Miracles if we let him thus alone all men will beleeve on him and the Romanes shall come and take away both our place and Nation They Crucified Christ for fear though it was but a vain fear that he would be the ruine of their state the Romanes must needs come and destroy them if they let him alone Feare makes men cruell and they are most ready to hurt others who continually suspect hurt from others It hath been an ancient Observation that Cowards are murtherous and revengefull while a man fears that such a man will be his ruine he ruines him if he can and removes that out of his way which he supposeth standing in the way of his owne safety Why did Pharaoh give Command to slay the Male-Children of the Jews and oppresse that people It was upon a vaine or cowardly fear Come let us deale wisely with them lest they multiply and it come to passe that when there falleth out any warre they joyne also with our enemyes and fight against us and so get them up out of the Land Ex. 1.10 It is sayd at the 7th verse of that Chap. that the children of Israel were fruitfull and God fullfilling herein his promise made to Abraham encreased aboundantly and multiplyed and waxed exceeding mighty and the Land was filled with them When God thus cast a gratious eye upon them Pharoah and his Councellers cast a jelous eye upon them and began to suspect their multiplying might at last diminish him that their rising might prove his ruine Therefore upon reason of state he must find out a way to suppress and keepe them under as slaves and bondmen whom his Ancestors received as welcom guests and had to that day enjoyed as faithful friends Pharoah being captivated with this feare saw no way to free himselfe but by taking away the freedome of that whole People As some through the prevalency of their owne feares dare not doe justice so others through the prevalency of feare doe that which is unjust Take one instance more why did Herod Matth. 2. send out to slay all the Children It was for fear of the King of the Jewes he was afraid of Christ and therefore that he might murther him he gave that horrible sentence to slay all the Infants Again some reprove and judge upon a due fear for as Tirants and wicked men are full of fear because full of cruelty and have suspitious thoughts that others will wrong them because they have a mind to wrong every man so just and righteous Magistrates when they see evil working they must reprove and punish it lest it spread to the endangering of the publick Peace This is a just fear and such as becomes a man even a man of courage and integrity such may feare that if seditious spirits be let alone Verissimum est illud quod inter argumentādum assumit Eliphaz ex timore frequenter nasci aut vehementius accendi solere severitatem in irrogando supplicio Pined they will undermine a whole Nation and destroy thousands A Magistrate reproves and Judges Theeves and Murtherers out of fear that if they encrease no man shall live quietly Such as either openly or secretly contrive evil against a Nation the Magistrate from a just ground of fear deals with them reproves least they should disturb or infect the whole But the Lord doth not reprove any man for fear of him he is of such infinite strength and stability so far out of the reach of all the plots and contrivances of the wicked that he needs not call them to account lest they should hurt his state pull him out of his Throne spoile his Kingdome or get his Dominion from him the Lord is not afraid of any of these things but the true reason why the Lord reproves wicked men is because he hates their iniquities and is a God of truth and judgment Though Magistrates may punish not only out of the love of Righteousnesse and Judgment but because they fear a State may be ruin'd if they do it not yet the Lord hath none of this fear in regard of his State but he doth it meerly out of love to justice
hereafter what ever portion of worldly profit or pleasure they have had here hell shall consume them and they shall be consuming for ever The 20th verse may carry the sence of this interpretation but it complyeth more clearely with the former describing the calamitous condition of a wicked man at his departure out of this world Vers 20. The womb shall forget him the worme shall feed sweetly on him he shall be no more remembred and wickednesse shall be broken as a tree The number varyes here againe Job spake in the plural number immediately before yet here keeping to the same subject he speakes in the singular The womb shall forget him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a verbo quod intensissiâ—rè tenerrimè amare signisicat That is They who loved him most tenderly and dearely shall forget him The word which we render the womb is of a verbe which signifyes to love with greatest intensenesse and tendernes it is applyed to the love of man to God Psal 18.1 I love the Lord I love the Lord dearely with bowells of affection and it is often applyed to the love of God unto man Some translate it here by the Abstract Vim majorem haber per abstractum Obliviscetur ejus miseratio sive amor sive dilectio i. e. illi qui eum suaviter amabunt Bold Love mercie or pittie shall forget him Which may be taken two wayes First that those friends who before were pittifull to him should forget him his lovers and acquaintance who were deare to him even as his bowels they shall forget him or secondly mercy shall forget him that is the mercy of God or the God of mercy shall forget him God who is alltogether mercy shall forget him hell shall consume him and mercy or the mercifull God shall forget him for ever The vulgar reads it by way of imprecation let mercy forget him others as a direct denunciation mercy shall forget him But I rather apprehend that this phrase or manner of speaking The wombe shall forget him doth onely import thus much That when the wicked man dyeth he shall be as much forgotten among men as if such a man had never come out of his mothers wombe nor been born into the world But are not wicked men remembred to have been in the world when once they goe out of the world usually they doe such things in the world as cannot easily be forgotten And are not many wicked men who dyed some thousands of yeares agoe remembred unto this day as if they had dyed but yesterday I answer As to forget alwayes implyeth former knowledge and acquaintance so sometimes it implyeth onely present neglect When we passe by or slight a man then we are sayd to forget him though we not onely remember who he is but see him before our eyes Much more then may we be sayd to forget those men being dead whom we slighted while they lived and never speake of but with contempt and abhorrence both of their persons and actions since they dyed The wombe shall forget him Yet as the former verse is expounded by some as was there touched to shew how quiet and easie a passage wicked men usually have out of this world by death so this clause also of the verse in hand yea the whole verse is expounded to the same sence I will onely hint it and passe onne The wombe shall forget him That is his mother shall not be troubled or grieved at his death because he dyed without griefe or trouble The wormes shall feede sweetly on him That is The grave shall be no seveerer to him then to others Ita suavitèr obdormit ut in sepulchro ei vermis duscescere videatur Drus There the wormes feed upon all men and they shall feed sweetly on him or it shall be a kinde of sweetnes and pleasure to him to have the wormes feeding on him which is no more then what Job sayd upon the same argument Chap. 21.33 The clods of the valley shall be sweete to him He shall be no more remembred That is there shall no hard fate or evill accident befall him when he dyes to administer matter of discourse concerning him for when a man is cut off by some remarkeable stroake of Judgement eyther from the hand of God or man his death becomes the discourse and Table-talke of all sorts of men for that generation at least if not for many more What hath caused Korah Dathan and Abiram to be remembred to this day was it not the strangenes of their death Numb 14.29 30. And Moses sayd If these men dye the common death of all men or if they be visited after the visitation of all men then the Lord hath not sent me but if the Lord make a new thing and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up c. This dreadfull hand of God upon them in swallowing them up alive hath made them to be remembred more then many thousands of honest and good men in Israel who dyed in their beds Upon this account Ananias Saphira are remembred and so is That Herod Act. 12.23 Who was eaten of wormes gave up the Ghost because he gave not glory unto God But saith Job according to this exposition the wicked mans death is commonly so fayre and so much after the common death of all men that no man reremembers him any more And wickednesse shall be broken as a tree That is the wicked man shall dye like an old rotten tree he shall moulder away and decay by peice-meale or gradually as a tree doth which is never hewen downe but is suffered to wast and dye alone Thus the interpretation is carried through the whole verse as a proofe that bad men may in this kinde have a good death But though this be a truth and suites well with Jobs scope in some passages of this Chapter as also in other passages of this booke that wicked men dye as to outward appearance as fairely and sweetly as the godly so that as no man knoweth love or hatred by all that is before him but all things in this life come alike to all There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked Eccl 9.1 2. So all things come alike to all in death so farre as it meerely concernes the separation of soule and body yet I rather conceive that this verse declares wrath and judgement to wicked men dying or their misery and wretchednes in death And therefore first the wombe that is his neerest relations and friends even his mother and wife shall forget him They expected no good from him while he lived and so it was little sorrow to them when he dyed Some men live till their friends are weary of them Mater quia a vivo nihil expectabat solain neq pro mortuo amplius angitur every one thinks the world is well rid of them when they dye Secondly The worme shall feed sweetly on him that is as he fed sweetly
layd up in the dust 241. The natural place of Gold should abate our desires after it 242. Gold the most excellent metal in five respects 382 Grace renders a man precious 383. The glory of grace is that it continueth 659 Greatest and strongest as easily cast downe by God as the least or weakest 665 Growth of Grace 397 H Hands purenes of hands what 290 Hardnes of heart in sin when the sinner can feed upon it 494. Hard heart trembles not at the reproofes of God 790 Heart lift up to heaven the worke of Grace 106. Laying up the word in the heart hath a twofold opposition 225. The heart of man is the Arke where the word of God must be layd up 227. Truth in the heart better to us then truth in the booke 228. Heart of man makes more false Gods then his hand ever made 128. The word to be hid in the heart 407. Soft heart what several sorts of it 457 Heathens confined their Gods to certain places 114 Heaven is the place of Gods speciall residence 105. 111. Two inferences given from it 106. Heaven and hel know no changes 779 Heavens what the garnishing of them is 804. Visible heavens are full of Beauty 807. Severall inferences from it 807 808 Hel in what sence it consumes those who are cast into it 624. What meant by hel in Scripture 746. Hel is destruction 747. Hel expressed by eight words in Scripture 751 Heresie like a flood yet bounded by God 777 Hiding the word of two sorts 227. Three ends of hiding the word in the heart 228 Hidings of God from his people 367 368. God hideth himselfe five wayes 368. God will be as hid to his people sometimes after the use of much meanes to finde him 371 High places of God what they are 684 Holynes the Lord takes pleasure in it three reasons why 22 23. Why we should be every where holy 113. Holynes hath boldnes with God 261 328. Holynes gives us weight and honour 602 Holy-Ghost sin against the Holy-Ghost what it it in general 557 Honour a threefold honour arising to God by the fall of the wicked 189 Houses God hath two speciall houses 808 Humble persons of two sorts 287. Humble persons under the speciall care of God 288 Hypocrites some not discovered in this world 330. Hypocrites feare the judgement of God or to be tryed by God 330. An hypocrite cannot rejoyce that God knoweth him shewed in three things 377. Hypocrites cannot hold out when they come to the tryall 384 I Jelousie guilt makes men full of it 642 Ignorance wicked men love it 554. A twofold ignorance 560 561 Imitation of God our duty 390 Impenitency under sin cōmitted worse then the sin committed 44 Imprisonment when a cruelty 54 Inconstancy of a carnal man shewed two wayes 602 Industriousnesse of the wicked in sinning 517 518 Infinite what Nothing strictly infinite but God 40 Innocent oft charged with foulest crimes 83. Innocent taken two wayes in Scripture 192 Joy at the troubles which befall wicked men how lawfull 186 187. What kind of joy that is not and what it is 192 Judge God the most desireable Judge to the godly and sincere five grounds of it 429 430. A Godly man rests in the Judgement of God 336. God is every way fitted to be a righteous Judge 378. In a Judge two things specially needfull 378 Judging man apt to judge favourably of himselfe hardly of others 48. We must take heed of Judging upon suspition 48. What Judging of others forbidden 49 Judgement wicked ripe for judgement sometimes before ripe in years 143. Judgements of God have somewhat of mercy in them 168. Judgements of God upon the wicked how matter of Joy to the righteous 184. Why the Judgements of God upon the wicked are not visible 482 Jupiter Hammon why so called 618 Justice how blind and how seeing 124 Justice must be done for the example of others 182 183 Justice of God honoured by the fall of evill men 189 Justification selfe justification extreamely displeasing unto God 24. God hath no respect to our righteousnes in the busienes of Justification 29. Justification what it is 700. Man hath nothing of his owne to justifie him before God two grounds of it 702. A twofold Justification 703 K Keeping the way of God twofold 392 Knowers of God or they who know God who they are 473. Every Godly man is a knower of God 476. Some godly men know God much more then others who are godly too 478 Knowing and understanding taken two wayes 334. 372 Knowledge evill men will act against their owne knowledge 555. Knowledge of God how and what God knoweth 121. The most secret wayes of man even the way within him is knowne to God 373. A general inference from this knowledge of God 374. It is the Joy of the upright that God knowes their most secret wayes 374. That God knowes the wayes of a godly man assures him of three things 375. Nothing is hid from the eye or knowledge of God 749. All our knowledge of the wayes and workes of God is but in part 819 L Labourer not to be wronged 536. Nothing cheape but poore mens labours why sayd so 538. It may be a dangerous thing to be the labourers purse-bearer but for a night 539 Land-markes the removing of them very sinfull 489 Law of God the Elegancy of the Hebrew word whereby it is expressed opened 220. Law taken two wayes 222. To receive the Law what it is 225. God onely can give a Law to the conscience 224. Law how written in our hearts by God and how by our selves 226 Left-hand declining what it importeth 396 Levelling principles confuted by the naturall state of the creature 117 Leviathan or Whale the mighty power of God in forming the Leviathan 814. An inference from it 815 Liberty threefold where the Spirit is 262. Life of man in what sence it should alwayes hang in doubt to him 641. How no man is sure of his life 643 Light of God fourefold 695 Light God is with all men by a twofold light 157. Light threefold shining upon the wayes of a Godly man 282. Light twofold 550. Wicked love not the light neyther to see what good they should doe nor to be seene in the evill they doe 554. Light internall against which the wicked rebel twofold 550. Holy truth is light 551. How divine truth is like light shewed in severall resemblances 552. Sinning against light exceeding sinfull 557. Foure degrees of sinning against light 558 They who sin against light are ready for every sin 560 Looke of God twofold 652 Love true love to man will not easily conceave or nourish suspition 102 Love we cannot be constant in that which we doe not love or affect 561 Lusts and corruptions like a stormy Sea within us 801 802 Lyars men are made lyars two wayes 670. The worst that can be sayd of a man is that he is a lyar 672 Lye false doctrine is a lye 671
be spoken by the Lord c. As if he had sayd the wisest man in the whole world cannot tell how a man should escape eternal darknes or damnation there is no possible way no doore of hope to escape by if he neglect that great salvation But what 's neglect it is a light passing by of a thing when offered non-acceptance is a neglect Suppose you doe no more when light is offerd to you but onely passe it by because you have no minde to it you are not taken with the beauty and worth of it If you doe nothing against it onely you doe not embrace it you cannot escape And when the Apostle saith you cannot escape without saying from what you may say the worst you can or can imagine and that 's it which he meanes you cannot escape even the wrath of God and death eternal Now if but to neglect salvation or the light which is indeed onely not to elect it or not to make it our choice be so damnable a sin what is it to rebell against the light to doe which is the worst that we can doe even the perfection of wickednes Surely they who thus rebel against the light shall as the Psalmist speakes Psal 49.19 Goe to the generation of their fathers where they shall never see light They who rebel against the light of knowledge shall not enjoy the light of comfort As they have desiered the absence of the former light so they shall be punished with the absence of the latter Lastly As in these words Job shewes who they were that acted those grosse wickednesses even they who rebelled against the light We may observe They who rebell against the light will close with and embrace any sin whatsoever or They who are all for darknes are for any wickednes They who rebell against this beautifull thing light are forward to embrace the foulest monster Those things which 't is a shame to speake of or so much as to name these rebels against light are ready to doe The Psalmist moves God in prayer to looke to his Covenant by this argument Psal 74.20 For the darke places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty that is of cruel men or of men so full of cruelty that they deserve rather to be called cruelty then cruel this sort of men inhabit and fill up all those places where the light of holy truth doth not shine Now if they who want the light or have no true knowledge of God among them are hereby as it were prepared for and put onne to the acting of all manner of wickednes how much more are they prepared for the acting of any wickednes who have thrust the light from them and are in darke places of their owne making The Prophet Hosea shewes Chap. 4.1 that where there is no knowledge of God in a land for want of meanes there is no truth nor mercy that is there is none exercised in that land but oppression deceit and falsehood beare downe all how much more must it be so where there is no knowledge of God in a land because of the contempt of meanes and rebellion against the light What wickednes will not they doe in the darke who put out the Candle that they may not see what they doe These are they who rebell against the light and as it followeth They know not the way thereof nor abide in the pathes thereof These latter words are an illustration of the former They know not the wayes thereof This not knowing may be taken either for a simple ignorance when we know not eyther because we have not an ability to know or because we have wanted all opportunities and helpes to get knowledge or secondly not knowing may be expounded of a willfull affected ignorance they know not that is they desire not to know and so I conceive the meaning of they know not is not that they were simply ignorant or invincibly ignorant as they are who sit in a land of darknes and in the valley of the shadow of death but that these rejected the land of light and so were under an affected ignorance They knew not the truth because they would not Againe We may be sayd not to know that Non nosse vias lucis est non agere ea quae in luce agi solent Illud nescire dicimur quod non probamus which we doe not delight in approve and practice We know no more to purpose then we presently doe or have a purpose to doe when the season or opportunity calls us to it How much light soever a wicked man hath yet he knowes not the wayes of light because he doth not rejoyce or delight in the wayes of light as also because he doth not so much as approve the wayes of light and if he neyther delight in nor approve of those wayes no mervaile if he walke not in those wayes nor as 't is in the last clause of the verse abide in the pathes thereof As if he had sayd Suppose they come sometimes into the wayes of light and truth suppose they sometimes doe that which the light directs them to yet they abide not in it This is a further Character of the disposition and temper of wicked men who though possibly for a fit or for a turne or two they walke in the wayes of light yet they abide not in the pathes thereof And this latter peice of their sinfullnes ariseth from the former why doe they not abide in the pathes of light even because they know not the wayes thereof that is because they doe not approve or delight in the wayes thereof Whence note Wee cannot be constant in that which wee doe not affect If a man doth not know that is love and affect the wayes of light he will never abide in the pathes of light what wee love with that we close what wee affect in that we stick The reason why the wicked abide in the pathes of sin is because they love and delight in them All the pathes of wickednes are pathes of pleasantnesse to the wicked and therefore they abide in them No man would be at all much lesse would he be long in a way that he doth not like And that 's the reason why wicked men if ever they doe this or that particular act of righteousnesse and holinesse yet they cannot persevere in such actings A wicked man doth Good as a godly man doth evill upon a temptation not upon approbation some carnal ayme or interest of profit or credit tempts him to doe good but he doth not approve the good which he doth And hence it is that as a good man abides not in the pathes of darknes so a wicked man abides not in the pathes of light True holines doth not begin at action but at affection They begin at the wrong end with Religion who begin with doing rather then with liking Many doe this and they doe that whereas they should strive to approve and pray