Stars Gen. 19.23 Neh. 4.21 Thus here canst thou cause Mazzaroth to rise and go forth Or canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth What 's that Some Interpreters conceive Sunt collectionis syderum quae usus obtinuit ut vocentur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi parva animalia alii vero dicunt signifiâ—are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sydereum canem Chrysost apud Orus Colligunt quidam hic Mazzaroth esse quod ibi dicebatur penetralia Austri Merc. Remotiora siâ— na Heb. separationes i. e. sidera à nobis qui sub polo arctico degimus ut Jobus separata sic autem vooantur sidera meridionalia quae oriuntur in principio aestatis Pisc that by Mazzaroth we are to understand those Constellations which Astronomers call the twelve Signes of the Zodiack which are expressed for learning sake by the fancied names of living creatures so that according to this interpretation the Suns appearance in or passage through those monthly signs is the bringing forth of Mazzaroth in his season But most generally they are taken for the Southern Stars and thought to be the same with those Chap. 9.9 Called the Chambers of the South and seeing the other three are named there it is not improbable that under this word the fourth is intended Master Broughton calls them far Stars in the South The letter of the Hebrew imports that and the Seventy derive it from a root â—hat signifies to separate or disperse because those Stars are far separated or are at a great distance from us who lye under the Northern Pole Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season that is canst thou make that Constellation appear in its proper time thou canst not Hence take these brief Notes The Stars of heaven are brought forth by special order and appointment As men are brought forth at such a time in such a place so are they by an order from God The Stars of heaven are not under any law of man on earth no nor of the Angels in heaven Psal 19.4 5. In them speaking of the heavens hath he that is the Lord set a Tabernacle for the Sun which is as a Bride groom coming out of his Chamber every morning to visit his Spouse the earth and rejoyceth as a strong man to run a race what is there spoken of the Sun is true of Mazzaroth and of all the Stars whether planted in the Northern or Southern in the Eastern or Western parts of heaven 'T is the Lord who brings them all forth and that in their season Note secondly The Stars of heaven have their seasons and keep their seasons They keep them punctually to a minute to a moment they know their times and they keep time they have their seasons of rising and their seasons of setting Psal 65.8 Thou makest the out-goings of Morning and Evening to rejoyce Some Stars go out in the Morning others go out in the Evening their times are various but they all keep their time Psal 104.19 The Sun knoweth its going down that is the time of its going down the place of its going down In this we may see what we should do or our own duty Let us come forth in our season The Stars are brought forth in theirs and shall not we happy are they that come forth and bring forth in their season To hit time is a mercy as well as a duty Paul indeed said of himself 1 Cor. 15.8 that he was an abortive or born out of due time An abortive in nature is one that comes into the world before the due time Paul as to his spiritual birth or new birth through grace was not nor can any one be new-born before the due time We may rather say that we are new-born too late than too soon or before our time Paul might say he had been too long a proud Pharisie a formal professor and at last a persecutor of those who professed the truth of the Gospel in truth and therefore in that sence Paul was not an abortive or born out of due time namely before his time But Paul might say so of himself that he was so First Because he was the last of the Apostles that was called The other Apostles were called by Christ while he lived here on earth Paul was called by Christ from heaven after his death and departure from the earth Secondly He was born like an abortive or those that come out of due time because of the violence and grievous pangs which accompanied his new-birth He was smitten from his horse to the ground and lay as one dead in his passage to his new-life Such was the suddenness and violence of his conversion that it was most like an abortion Thirdly The Apostle himself seems to give the reason in the next Verse we know abortives are usually very weak and imperfect children and less in body than those born in due time Now such was Saint Pauls humility so low was he in his own thoughts that he calls himself vers 9. the least of the Apostles not meet to be called an Apostle In all these or in any of these notions the Apostle Paul might say he was born out of due time yet both as to the truth and seasonableness of his conversion he was born in due time and in his full time Now as there is a due time a season for our spiritual birth so for our fruit-bearing in spirituals It is said of every godly man Psal 1.3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season that is seasonable fruit The Stars appear in their season and so should the fruits of every Gospel-professor If we should see Winter-stars in Summer and Summer-stars in Winter if the Sun should rise at Mid-night or go down at Mid-day how prodigious would that appearance and disappearance be if the Sun should not rise and set just at the time we look for him it would breed horror and put all men into an amazement But now the Lord brings forth Mazzaroth and all the Stars in their season O therefore let us look to our seasons we shall be reproved else by the Stars of heaven Mazzaroth will be a witness against us Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season Or canst thou guid Arcturus with his Sons A radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 duxit placidè sensim sicut pastoroves Arcturus est stella insignis quae oritur in principio Autumni Hebraei putant esse septem stellas quae semper apparent in nostro hemisphaerio à congregatione sic dictas nam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est congregatio Merc. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sive Cynosura supra alias stellas in apice caeli tanquam mater in alto supra filios suos sedens cum iis certissima ratione circumducitur Coc. Here 's a fourth question Canst thou guid The word signifies to guid or conduct gently softly canst thou guid them as a Shepheard guids his flock
his Cause in hand or that he would have the hearing of it Thus he spake at the third verse of the three and twentieth Chapter O that I knew where I might find him that I might come even to his Seat I would order my Cause before him and fill my mouth with arguments Zophar also one of Jobs friends made the same request concerning Job Chap. 11.2 O that God would speak and open his lips against thee As if he had said Eliphaz hath been speaking and Bildad hath been speaking and I am now about to speak but O that God would speak It was the wish of Job that God would speak and it was the wish of this his friend and now behold God appears possibly beyond their expectation though not beside their wish for 't is like they had not faith enough to beleeve that God would answer those wishes So then God may be said here to answer because as it was prayed he now took the matter into his own hand and in person as I may say argued the Case with Job and finally determined his Cause Hence Note The wishes requests and prayers of good men have sometimes been heard though they were over-bold in making them or had no clear ground to make them Job had no rule for such a Petition that he might presently have a trial at the Tribunal of God yet God was so gracious as to answer him in it not onely to his reproof but to his comfort The Name of God is O thou that hearest prayer Psal 65.2 If carnal men have their extravagant prayers and wishes granted 't is in wrath but if the Lord grant the passionate prayers and wishes of a godly man it proves though sometimes a present affliction yet alwayes upon one account or other a mercy in the issue When the lusting Israelites wisht for flesh the Lord heard their wishes take Quails your bellies full till they come out at your nostrils but while the meat was in their mouths the wrath of God fell upon them If the Lord grants what lust asketh such pay dear for what they have for the asking It hath been anciently said Multi irato deo exaudiuntur many have their prayers heard in meer anger so are all theirs who pray for what they have not in meer discontent with what they have The Lord heard Job and not in anger but in favour and condescention to him Now if some not well grounded nor warranted requests of good men may be granted and answered the Lord pitying their weakness and eyeing their uprightness in favour how much more may they be confident that their gracious and humble requests such requests as are every way sutable to the Word and Will of God shall be graciously answered Secondly The Lord answered as the Prayer and Wish so the Complaints of Job He had complained sometimes though he were a mirror of patience impatiently These complaints the Lord answered but it was with severe and sharp reproofs as we find in the next verse To conclude this query we may say God had two great ends or designs in answering both the wishes and complaints of Job First That he might humble and convince him that he might stop his mouth and silence his complainings for ever as he did most effectually Secondly That after his humiliation and repentance he might justifie and acquit him and also restore him to his former comforts and enjoyments as he did most mercifully This being the design of the Lord in speaking to Job what he said may well be called an Answer But how or in what manner did the Lord answer him Surely in such a manner as never man was answered The Lord answered Job Out of the Whirlwind He answered him as we say to some Tune A Whirlwind makes strange kind of Musick A Whirlwind is a sudden mighty loud-blustring Wind taking away or bearing down all before it A Whirlwind is a Wind which moves whirling and gyring about all the points of the Compass no man knows where to have it nor how to shelter himself from it I have had occasion to speak of the Wind and of the natural ordinary Whirlwind in the former Chapter But here 's a Whirlwind extraordinary if not supernatural There 's much questioning among some Interpreters how we are to conceive of this Whirlwind I would answer that point a little and then give some account why the Lord spake to Job out of such a Whirlwind First Some affirm that it was onely a Visional Whirlwind As if the Lord appeared as it were in a Tempest or Whirlwind to Job in a deep sleep such as was upon Adam Gen. 2.21 when the Lord took one of his ribs and made the Woman In such a deep sleep say they Job saw a Whirlwind and heard the Lord speaking to him out of it As Ezekiel who in a Vision looked and behold a Whirlwind came out of the North as we read in the first Chapter of that Prophesie verse 4. Secondly Others conceive that it was not a Visional but a Metaphorical Whirlwind or a Whirlwind in a figure and we may give you a threefold Metaphor or three things to which this passage of Providence may allude to a speaking out of a Whirlwind First God answered Job out of the Whirlwind that is when there was a great bussle or storm among the Disputants conflicting about Jobs case one moving this way another thar all being tossed about as it were with the wind of their several opinions in ventitalating his condition Out of this Whirlwind it was say some or while all were thus discomposed in their spirits and could not compose the matter in difference between them and Job during this hurry or troublesome state of things and minds the Lord arose and answered Job Secondly The Lord may be said to answer Job out of the Whirlwind because he spake to him angrily displeasedly and reprovingly Anger especially the Lords Anger or Displeasure is often in Scripture compared to a Storm or Tempest As if this Whirlwind were nothing else but a sharp angry chiding When a man chides we say The man 's in a storm and we may say with reverence when the Lord speaks chidingly as he did to Job he is in a storm or according to the Text speakes out of a Sto my Whirlwind Thus also when the Lord speaks pleasingly and gently then he may be said to speak in a calm There 's a truth in that Thirdly The Lord answered in a Whirlwind that is while Job both as to his outward condition and inward disposition or the frame of his spirit was evidently in a great storm or toss For doubtless his spirit was very stormy and tossed up and down at that time that is much troubled and disquieted upon the with-drawings of God and the unkindness of his friends Now when Job had this Stoâ—m this Whirlwind in his spirit the Lord appeared and answered him Thus some conceive it though not a Visional Whirlwind yet a
that shall be made as grass and forgettest the Lord thy Maker What a kind of creature art thou to set so much by a man let him be who he will that thou shouldest be unduely afraid of him who by nature is like thy self frail and mortal is if thou hadst nor the immortal God thy Maker for thy helper and defender They act below men who over-fear men while they are in a way of duty to God Who art thou c. Secondly The Scripture useth such questions when man is over-bold with or not enough in the fear of God which is the case here in the Text If any man intrench upon the prerogative of God he is like to hear of it with a Who art thou The Apostle Rom. 9.20 by way of prevention represents man so bold with God as to darken his counsel even his eternal counsel by words without knowledge Thou wilt say then unto me why doth he yet find fault who hath resisted his will When God to shew his unquestionable Sovereignty saith Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy Then man begins to complain of God and thinks he hath cause for it But saith the Apostle Who art thou that repliest against God shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus When-ever man give occasion to say that he fears man too much or God too little he is like to hear these rebuking and humbling questions Who is this or Who art thou Many have too high thoughts of others and most of themselves as if they were as we say some-body that is more than any-body as if they were of some greater worth or had some greater worthiness than their neighbours Now whosoever have too hign thoughts either of others or of themselves they alwayes have too low thoughts of God and therefore God to shew them their vanity that all men are but emptiness yea very nothingness compared with him makes the best of men strike sail or God shoots down their top-sail with such questions as these Who are you and who is this Thirdly Note We may quickly darken the counsels of God while we think to explain them Job had no intent to darken the counsel of God yet he did it Some make it their business when they speak of the counsels of God to darken them and raise a dust these are either angry with the light or envious at it and unwilling that others should enjoy it Some Patrons of Popery the better to make their own excuse for obscuring or hiding the Scriptures in darkness from the People have not feared to charge them with darkness obscurity And others by their ill and unskilfull handling of the Scriptures have brought darkness and obscurity upon them Though the Scriptures have many dark places in them yet woe to those who say the Scriptures are dark and let all take heed of darkening them for they are the counsel of God It is an easie matter to paddle in a clear stream till it runs muddily but it will not be for any mans ease or peace to do so in the clear crystal streams of the holy Scriptures It is the unhappiness of some that they cannot but speak and write about the counsels of God obscurely and there are others who glory that they can It was said of a dark Pen Dum legi vâ—luit quae scripsisset intelligi noluit quae logerentur that While he wâ—uld have that read which he had written he would not have that understood which was read and while some would have that heard which they speak they speak as if they would not have that understood which is heard It is a great sin purposely and designedly to darken the Counsels of God and 't is a failing and an affliction to darken them though we as Job did not design it not We should labour to deliver our minds plainly concerning the mind of God that what we utter may not be sound a darkning of his Counsel but as much as in us is a clearing of it Counsel as was toucht before is the giving of light in dark cases and therefore we should enlighten Counsel Two things are the grace and excellency of a spaker First To speak boldly and freely to speak the truth out not to clip nor straiten it Secondly To speak plainly to open the truth and not to intricate nor involve it Both these are comprised in one word by the Apostle 2 Cor. 3.12 where he saith as we translate therefore we use great plainness of speech but the Margin hath great boldness of speech the same word in the Greek signifies both plainness of speech and boldness of speech and these are the two great vertues and ornaments of him that speaketh Both these are again implied in that direction of the Apostle 1 Pet. 4.11 If any man speak about the things of God let him speak as the Oracles of God that is let him speak as becomes him that hath to do with the Oracles of God reverently freely and boldly not as if he were speaking the opinions of men much less Old Wives fables Or let him speak as the Oracles of God speak that is plainly cleerly not as the Oracles of the Heathens spake darkly doubtfully Let us take heed of wrapping up the truth of God or entangling it in uncertain expressions which may be interpreted either way or to quite contrary purposes there is a great danger in this We may give our selves some scope or take more liberty when we are debating about worldly matters or disputing the subtil questions and curiosities of Schoolmen But when we have to do with the Secrets and Counsels of God then let us beware and be sober Some speak as rashly and inevidently of deepest Gospel Mysteries as they talk of other mens crotchers or as of their own trifles Fifthly Consider How did Job darken the Counsel of God It was by words without knowledge Hence Note The ignorant are very apt to speak amiss of the things and Counsels of God If Job who had so great a measure of knowledge darkened the Counsel of God by words without knowledge what will they do that have upon the matter no knowledge at all The Apostle speaks of such as more than darkening even as wresting the Counsel of God 2 Pet. 3.16 In Pauls Epitles saith he are some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own destruction Some things in the Word are hard to be known and they are made harder by such unlearned ones as utter their own notions of them by words without knowledge 'T is very true that many learned men have wrested and perverted the Word of God and some of them have employed their learning on purpose to wrest and pervert it but they that have not a comperent degree of learning and knowledge what can they do
they are As the number and nature of the stars so of the clouds which are beneath the stars exceed mans wisdom The least and lowest works of God are above mans reach how much more his greatest works and those which are far above Yet further from this word which we translate to number to declare or demonstrate that precious stone the Saphir mentioned often in Scriptures hath its name Quis sapphirinas effecit nubes sapientia Jun. and so the Text is rendred thus who can make the clouds saphâ—rine or like a Saphir the meaning is who can make the clouds bright and clear l ke the Saphir-stone The Saphir is a most pleasant resplendent and beautiful gem That glorious throne which was shewed the Prophet in vision Ezek. 1.26 had the apâ—earance â—f a Saphâ—â—-stone that is it had a most excellent and illustrious appearance Now saith the Lord who can make the clouds dark of themselves like a Saphir-stone that is serene pleasant beautiful and delightful to the eye God can make bright clouds Zech. 10.1 clouds wonderful fair and pleasant to behold even as pleasing to the eye as a precious Saphir As this translation holds out a truth in it self so 't is very sutable to that which followeth Or who can stay the bottles of heaven Clouds darken the heavens Hunc interpretationem postulâ—â—e videtur antithesis quum additur lagenas coeli quis collocet q d. quis â—oelum num â—â—renum ac sulum nunc verò nubilum reddat Pisc but when the Lord stayeth the clouds from rain then the heavens are clear like a Saphir God can make the heavens cloudy or clear Who can stay the bottles of heaven that is the clouds who can stay them or as the Hebrew strictly who can cause them to lye down Master Braughton renders who can destill the barrels of heaven The word here used signifies a bottle or any vessel wherein liquor is preserved and it may be taken either foâ— a bottle made of skin a leathern bottle or for a bottle made of clay an earthen bottle a Potters bottle as 't is called Isa 30.14 The clouds are like a leathern or an earthern bottle which as it holds the liquor so being unstopped and held up the liquor runs out who can stay the bottles of heaven that is if God once unstop the clouds they presently pour down in and who can stay them from raining no man can That 's a plain sence as if the Lord had said who can hinder the clouds from giving down rain if once opened who but I can restrain the rain which is heavy of it self and tends naturally downwards from falling out of the clouds There is another reading of this part of the verse Conâ—entum coeli qun dormire faciet Vulg. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 per quinque puncta significat Nâ—hlium in strumentum musicum utri simile habens chordas quae pulsantur who can slay the harmony of heaven The Vulgar Latine renders who can make the musick of heaven sleep that is cease or be quiet The reason of this translation is this because the same word which signifieth a bottle signifies also a musical instrument somewhat resembling the form of a bottle Psal 33.2 Thus some take it here as intending that musical or melodious harmony which antient Philosophers have affiâ—med is made by the motion of the heavenly sphears yet by this they do not mean a proper musical sound or harmony such as the Pythagoreans dreamed of which some other learned men have said is so sweet and ravishing that if we did but hear iâ— we could neither eat nor drink nor sleep Yea they tell us that Moses while he did not eat nor drink nor sleep those forty days in the Mount was all that while taken up and ravished with that Musick but you may put that among Jewish fables Sober men following this translation who can stay the musick of heaven understand by it only the harmonious concord and agreement which all the heavenly Orbes unfailably observe in their several courses without the least jarr or discord That 's a truth shewing the great wisdom and power of God who hath put the heavens into such a sweet order that they move not only constantly but harmoniously Though the motion of the heavens makes no audible or proper musick yet it makes an intelligible or metaphorical musick that is the heavens move orderly there is an agreement in their motion which is the the sweetest musick in heaven among Saints and Angels and among good men on earth We say of men moving peaceably in their places as becomes them there is a harmony among them And how blessed a thing would it be to see all sorts of men moving orderly in their spheres what a harmony would it make to see every one doing his duty and doing it in his place whereas to omit duty makes our lives useless and to do it out of our place makes us troublesome and unharmonious And therefore though I insist not upon this reading yet it were well if all would insist upon the moral of it labouring to make harmony as much as may be in all their motions But I pass from it and rest in our own Who can stay the bottles of heaven that is who can make them leave raining The Lord by a late question convinced Job that no man can make it rain vers 34. Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds that abundance of waters may cover thee and by this question he would convince him that no man can obstruct or hinder the rain Who can stay the bottles of heaven Hence observe It is God who stayeth or restraineth the clouds from raining Should not the Lord put stopples into those bottles should not he close up those barrels they would drop down continually and in stead of watering drown the earth When in the days of Noah the Lord opened the bottles of heaven forty days together who could stop or stay them Did not the clouds pour down till the whole world was over-whelmed and unless the Lord did now stay the clouds and forbid them to give out their whole stock they would again over-whelm the world There are Seas of waters above our heads God keeps them in from hurting the earth and lets them out to help iâ— The next verse intimates at least this power of God over the clouds and the season when he exerciseth it Who can stay the bottles of heaven Vers 38. When the dust groweth or is poured into hardness and the clods cleave fast together The Margin of our Bibles gives us the former part of the verse in a very different translation thus When the dust is turned into mire The earth hath had its fill if not too much rain when the dust is turned into mire And when 't is so who but God stayeth the bottles of heaven from pouring down overmuch But I shall only open the reading in the Text of which there are
of Arabia whose neighbours on the other side of the Red-sea the Aethiopians and Troglodites abounded with Elephants And this is the more to be marvelled at because Ivory which is nothing else but an Elephants tooth was so well known and common in India Now if the Elephant of whose teeth they had plenty and which were bred in great numbers in Countries much nearer than Judea was so little known to the Jews who can believe that the Unicorn which was proper to India should be known to them But we have another and that a stronger argument against this interpretation namely that we account the report of this Unicorn to be a meer fable and that no such animal as this is described and commonly believed to be is at present in the the world or ever was For Clesias a most vain man and who moved only with a love to lying hath bâ—ought in very many and those most monstrous figments in his books of the Indians is the father of this story from whom Pliny Aelian and all who have written of the Unicorn received and took it up And that Clesias lied as in many other things so in this also we may hence conjecture because this animal was never seen at Rome in whose shews all the rarest animals which this half part of the world containing Asia with Europe and Africa ever produced were wont to be presented to publick viâ—â—â— and those not only fetcht from within the bounds of the Romane power but from the Empire of the Parthians and from the furthest parts of India and Aethiopia For to omit many other wild beasts Tigers c. none of which were bred in the Romane Territories Rome often saw Rhinocerotes wâ—ich are bred only in India So that Aristides spake but the truth in his Encomium of Rome when he said All things meet here whatsoever is bred or made and whatsoever is not seen here is to be reckoned among those things which are not nor ever were Seing then in those many ages wherein that custome continued of shewing the strangest beasts that could be found all the world over at Rome the Unicorn among all the strange beasts was never seen there it gives a ground of strong suspition that there is no such animal in the whole compass of natuâ—e Mâ—reover in these times wherein no corner of the world hath been unsearcht and all things in them as well known to us as those which are bred aâ— our own homes â—he 〈◊〉 is no man will say that he ever saw this animal except Ludovicus Vartomannus who writes that he had seen two But it weakens his credit in this report both that he is found in other matters to tell fables for truths as also because what he saith of the Unicorn differs so much from what hath been said by others Certain it is that Garcias ab Horto in those many years which he spent in India as Phycisian to the Kings Vicegerent in all which time he had great acquaintance with very many learned men of that Country and had the favour of their Kings and was himself a most diligent searcher after such like matters He I say did not only not see any Unicorn there but could not get any certain information concerning him only he met with some persons who told him that in the furthest parts of Africa they had seen a beast having but one horn Yet suppose these men told him the truth it makes nothing as to the Unicorn so much spoken of with which that according to their observation hath little agreement that being an Amphibion and having a horn not passing two handfuls in length My own Country-man also Johannes Hugonis Linschotius who was an industrious inquirer after Natural things having resided twelve whole years in the City Goa one of the most famous among all the Cities of India and to which is brought whatsoever is rare and of esteem in those Countries did never see an Unicorn nor yet hear by any worthy of credit that there was any such animal in all those parts and therefore accounts the report of an Unicorn to be meerly fabulous as may appear by what he writes in the 47th Chapter of his Itinerary where speaking of the Rhinocerote he saith that is taken by many for the Monocerote or Vnicorn Forasmuch as no other Vnicorn is found or known but only in reports and pictures We have shewed what moveth us not to assent to them who say that by the word Reem we are to understand the Vnicorn And they who render it the Rhinocerote may with no lâ—ss ease be refuted And the first argument brought against the former exposition may serve here seeing the Rhinocerote is only bred in those remotest parts of the East Bengata Patane and Cambaya all which lye beyond the River Ganges in the utmost India But besides this there are two other unanswerable arguments against that interpretation First From their horns Those animals called Reem have very large horns but the Rhinocerotes have very small ones And though Martial the Poet seems to say the contrary while speaking of the Rhinocerote he saith How powerful was he with his horn who could toss a Bull with it like a Ball And though Nicolaus Contius in his Itinerary reports it as long as a mans arm yet experience and eye-sight have confuted them to which it appears that the horn of the Rhinocerote is very thick and strong at the root yet very short For Gesner tells us that his horn planted upon his Nose riseth no higher than his Ears and therefore it cannot be long Bucer makes use of this argument in his Commentary upon the 2d Psalm affirming that the hight of the horn ascribed to that animal the Reem will not agree with the Rhinoceros The Second argument is grounded upon the unconquerable fierceness of that animal called Reem whereas the Rhinocerote though with some difficulty may be in some measure tamed as hath been seen in those at several times brought into Portugal Thus laying aside for the reasons forementioned that interpretation which makes this Reem to be either the Unicorn or the Rhinocerote we are now to consider what animal this Reem should be And surely it cannot but be some beast Bubulo generi affinis of the race of Bulls or Bullocks seeing in many places of Scripture mention is made of the Reemim and Bullocks together as intimating that they are animals of a near cognation or likeness Deut. 33.19 Psal 27.6 Isa 34.6 7. In this last place the Prophet having named three living Creatures of one kind ver 6. to wit Lambs and Goats and Rams Reason may perswade our belief that in the 7th or following verse which seems to run parallel with the former the Prophet observes the same rule of speaking and to those two Bullocks and Bulls joyns this third called Reemim being beasts belonging at least to the same kind with them I find the same confirmed Psal 22. by comparing those words of the 12.
any one of them yea how humble should we be though adorned with them all Hence that Apostolical check to proud ones 1 Cor. 4.7 What hast thou that thou didst not receive and if thou hast received it why dost thou glory or boast as if thou hadst not received it In these words he more than implyeth two things First That they who have received those goodlier feathers of spiritual gifts and graces are in danger of being lifted up by them Secondly That they ought not The Angels who fell had goodly feathers and they were lifted up not only in pride with what they had received and were beholding to God for but in pride to have more or get higher and not be beholding to God for it There is a temptation in any good thing a great temptation in goodly things to pride and therefore we had need to pray when we have any thing that is goodly whether it be natural civil moral or spiritual to be kept humble and preserved from pride The Apostle Paul was in danger to be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations which he had when caught up to the third heaven 2 Cor. 12.3 7. The best men on earth may be over-heated by what they have received from heaven and the flesh may take occasion as by the commandement to work in us all manner of concupiscence Rom. 7.8 so by our raptures in spirit to puff us up with that special concupiscence called pride The Peacock here spoken of is so far transported with his fine feathers that he may be called the picture of pride We have a common saying in our language Such a one is as proud as a Peacock or he is a proud Peacock A Peacock and a proud person are alike in several things First As the Peacock is proud of his feathers so is he of his cloaths One of the Ancients reproving pride in cloathing said In habitu non calor sed color requiritur magisque vestium quam virtutum cultui insistitur Bern. in his time It is not so much the warmth of their cloathing but the curious dye or colour of the cloth which is regarded and most insist more upon the trimming of their vestures than upon the increase of their vertues Secondly A Peacock as he is proud of his feathers so he loves they should be seen or he loves to shew his fine feathers The Peacock spreads his plumes so doth a proud person Not only he that is proud of his apparel affects to be seen but he that is proud of his gifts knowledge learning eloquence how doth he spread these plumes and affect applause As the vain-glorious Pharisees thought nothing they did in Religion worth the doing unless they were seen in doing it so vain-glorious persons think nothing they have worth the having unless they make others see they have it Thirdly A proud man is like to the Peacock in his exulting clamorous voice or cry Such love to talk high and are very loud they love to be heard as well as seen and to hear themselves speak in the hearing of others Fourthly The Peacock say Naturalists however he hath very goodly feathers yet hath but a very weak head Pavo infirmum habet caput superbus imbecille judicium 'T is so with proud persons whatever fine shews they make their intellectuals are but course and they that are proud of the strength of their heads of their wit and understandings have indeed the weakest heads of all There is much folly lodged in that mans head where much knowledge lodgeth if pride lodge in his heart too And seeing God gives in this sense foolish men as this foolish bird fine feathers we need not envy them for their folly in being proud of their fine feathers debaseth them more in the sight of God than their fine feathers can honour them in the sight of men Usually proud persons have little that is good in them but how much soever they have it will be little more to them than a fine feather because they think it so much that they are proud of it Fifthly Naturalists say the Peacock and it is as true of a proud person is an Angel in aspect Angelus aspectu pede latro voce Gehenna or to look on he makes a goodly shew a thief in his foot i. e. he goeth softly without noise yet hath a voice like hell crying out and shrieking very unharmoniously to the ear A proud person may be an Angel in aspect but he is a thief in his feet he goeth softly yet deceitfully and there is a hell in his voice A loud boasting tongue is as troublesom and unpleasant to the ear as a brawling and usually boasters are brawlers too For as Solomon hath concluded it Prov. 13.10 By pride cometh contention Lastly Proud ones are like the Peacock because that which persons are most commonly proud of is of little worth The Peacock is proud of his feathers which are worthless things fit only for children to play with And though it is a truth that some men as was said before are proud of such things as are excellent in themselves and of a great intrinsick value yet as was also said before whatsoever a man is proud of will to his account be no better than a Peacocks feather A man that is proud of his beauty and apparel of his riches and outward splendor may truly be said to be proud of a feather Solomon the wisest of Kings and taught by the Spirit of God hath written vanity and insufficiency upon all worldly things And if a man be proud of his understanding knowledge or any internal endowment which are things of real excellency they all become vain to him yea if a man be proud of his graces though they shall never be utterly vain to him yet so far as he is proud of them they are vain to him being hindred by the present prevailings of corruptions from doing that which is one of the most proper works of them the keeping him humble empty and nothing in his own eyes Gavest thou goodly wings to the Peacocks And wings and feathers unto the Ostrich Several Translators as was toucht before find two distinct fowls in this latter part of the verse An pennam Ciconiae aut Struthio camelo dares Jun. Mr. Broughton saith Gavest thou feathers to the Stork and Ostrich and so others Our Translators put it thus in the Margin The feathers of the Stork and Ostrich The occasion of this difference in translating arises from the original word used last in this verse which commonly signifies a feather only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pluma pennae vel juxta quosdam Struthiocamelus quasi pennatus dictus Burtorf 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ciconia sic dicta à beneficētia quasi beneficam dicas à nomine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hic significat Struthiocamelum per antiphrasin eò quòd avis illa minime sit benefica ut quae laboret singulari
both consultive what to do and active in doing it And as it makes us both consultive and active about our outward preservation so much more for our inward and spiritual preservation It is said of Noah Heb. 11.7 That being warned of God of things not seen as yet moved with fear prepared an Ark for the saving of his house Noah had never taken care to prepare an Ark against the deluge but for these gracious impressions of fear that God would bring a dreadful inundation upon the world Fear moved him and faith prevailed with him to prepare an Ark. The Apostle Phil. 2.13 calls upon all believers to work out their salvation with fear and trembling If we have no fear about our salvation we shall never work out our salvation Yet 't is a truth that they who have most assurance of their salvation are most in working out their salvation Holy assurance is so far from making us careless that then we are most careful knowing that the Lord hath joyned the end and means together knowing also That they are in most safety who have most sense of danger yea that they who have most fear of danger are farthest from feeling danger The labour of the Ostrich is in vain because she hath no fear her foolishness makes her fearless and that makes her careless therefore no thanks to her that all her labour is not lost or in vain that both her eggs and young ones do not utterly miscarry Thus we may profitably meditate upon the improvidence of this creature the Ostrich and learn wisdom from her folly to make us more provident But whence is it or how comes it to pass that she is so foolish The next words tell us Vers 17. Because God hath deprived her of wisdom neither hath he imparted unto her understanding In this Verse a reason or an account is given of this blockishness carelessness and fearlessness of the Ostrich it is Because God hath deprived her of wisdom More foolish than an Ostrich is a proverb for the greatest fool The Hebrew Text may be read thus God hath made her to forget wisdom Now as one may be said to forget that which he hath not so that which he never had In the description that Bildad gives of a wicked man Chap. 8.13 he saith This is the portion of them that forget God Oblivisci aliquis dicitur cujus nullam nuquam scientiam aut notitiam habuit Drus And who are they the words are a periphrasis of the wicked To forget God is their character they may be said to forget God who never had any true knowledge or remembrance of him Thus Gen. 41.30 There shall arise after them that is after the seven years of plenty seven years of famine and all the plenty shall be forgotten to the Land of Egypt In a time of famine we are rather quickned to remember former years of plenty together with the wast that we then made of it and our unthankfulness for it When the Israelites had nothing but Manna in the wilderness they complained Num. 11.5 We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely the cucumbers and melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlick Now when 't is said that in the seven years of famine they should forget the seven years of plenty the meaning is they should have no plenty at all the forgetting of it was not the not having of plenty in their memories but the not having it in their hands When a people are in a time of trouble they remember their former peace and when in straights they remember their former liberty but they are said in straights and trouble and famine not to remember their liberties peace and plenty because they have none of them Thus here God hath made her to forget wisdom that is she hath no wisdom nor knowledge nor understanding and when it is said according to our translation God hath deprived her of wisdom we are not to take it as if God had taken that stock of wisdom from her which once she had but his depriving her of wisdom is his not communicating wisdom to her or his not trusting her with a stock of wisdom For so it followeth Neither hath he imparted to her understanding Sapientia struthioni non privativè sed negativè deest Est inferioris praestantiae non vitiosae naturae vitium hominis natura est pecoris August Sapientiam intelligentiam nominat industriam naturalem Aquin. Sapientiam dicit naturalem affectum in suos aut artem conservandi quod ex se natum Drus This latter part of the verse explaines the former and shews that the Ostriches want of wisdom is noc privative but negative God hath not taken it from her but not given it her But here it may be demanded hath God given wisdom or imparted understanding to any fowls of the air Are not these two words wisdom and understanding too high for beasts or birds indeed for the whole irrational part of the creation I answer as the Ostrich hath no true wisdom nor understanding so neither hath any beast or bird Wisdom and understanding taken strictly are proper only to rational creatures Men and Angels there is no wisdom where there is no reason yet wisdom and understanding are ascribed sometimes to brutish creatures and here the Ostrich a brutish creature is said to be deprived of them or not to have them communicated to her because not so much as that shaddow of wisdom and understanding is given to her which appears in some beasts and birds Brutes are said to have wisdom because they have that which serves their turn for their preservation and some of them are said to have wisdom because they are indeed wiser and more subtil than other brutes Gen. 3.1 yet all their wisdom is nothing to the wisdom of man That natural affection and forecast of beasts and birds in providing for and bringing up their young ones is their wisdom of this wisdom God hath deprived the Ostrich neither hath he imparted unto her so much as this small parcel of understanding not so much as this shaddow of understanding which he hath bestowed upon other both birds and beasts And there appears somewhat in nature as a proof that the Ostrich is a foolish bird for her head is very little and her brains in proportion much less And that any one Ostrich hath not much brains may be collected from a piece of the Romane History which reports that Heliogabalus the Emperour had the heads of six hundred Ostriches prepared for him at one supper only for the brains sake 'T is added also by the same Authour that the Ostrich is naturally deaf Bochartus and that there is no perfect anima else in the whole compass of nature that is deaf or wants the sense of hearing And needs must that creature have little or no understanding which hath no hearing that being the sense of discipline All these considerations
that we are vile in vain do we cry for deliverance or hope for mercy When we are lowest in our own eyes we are nearest to our exaltation when once we say in our hearts we are nothing we deserve nothing we have spoken lightly we have done lightly salvation will not tarry 1 Pet. 5.7 Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God and he will lift you up in due time If we would be lifted up out of any affliction we must be at this humbling work We shall never work as I may say upon the heart of God unless we are thus at work with our own hearts or till this work be done upon our hearts Our great work lies within especially in a day of tryal and tribulation such as Job was in Job was speedily reduced to his former honour and greatness when once through grace he had wrought his heart to this confession Behold I am vile What shall I answer thee As if Job had said truly I have nothing to answer thee Thou O Lord hast given such demonstrations of thy greatness of thy power of the excellency of thy wisdom of thy goodness that I have nothing to say but this that I can say nothing What shall I answer thee I know not what to answer or I have nothing to answer As in a great strait when we know not what to do we usually say What shall we do So here it sheweth that Job was no way able to answer when he said What shall I answer The Hebrew is What shall I return or turn back We may exemplifie this passionate interrogation by that of the Patriark Judah Gen. 44.16 when Joseph would have detained Benjamin having found the cup in his sacks mouth Judah said What shall we say unto my Lord what shall we speak or how shall we clear our selves Here are three questions to shew that he had nothing to answer First What shall we say to my Lord Secondly What shall we speak Thirdly How shall we clear our selves Truly we know not what to say nor speak nor how to clear our selves The plain truth is we have nothing at all to answer for our selves but to yield our selves to thy mercy Thus Job I am vile what shall I answer thee the great God the holy God the mighty God the wise God what shall I answer thee Hence note When God is opponent no man can be respondent God can put such questions and make such objections as no man is able to answer Thus spake Job at the 3d verse of the ninth Chapter If he that is God will contend with him that is with man he cannot answer him one of a thousand Which implyeth that not only not one among very many men but that not one among all men or that not any man is able to answer if God will contend The Apostle saith of all men in a state of sin Rom. 3.19 We know that what things soever the law saith it saith to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God If the Lord should make objections against or charge sinners according to the strictness and severity of the law the best the holiest of men could not find an answer or no answer would be found in their mouths how much less could any answer him who not only were altogether born in sin as all are and as the proud Pharisees told the poor man in the Gospel he was Joh. 9.34 but abide and continue in sin How will the mouthes of all such be stopt with a sense of their self-guiltiness how mute how answerless will they stand before God or say as Job in the Text but in a ten thousand times sadder plight than he What shall we answer It is the happiness of humbled sinners that they have Christ to answer for them seeing in that case no sinner can answer for himself And such is the Majesty and glory of God when it breaks forth in any case to a poor creature that it leaves him quite answerless and takes away not only all matter of dispute but of speech and therefore Job resolves upon silence as appears by what he saith in the last clause of this verse I will lay my hand upon my mouth As if he had said That all may see I know not what to answer I will stop up the conveyance of answers What this Scripture phrase to lay the hand upon the mouth imports hath been opened Chap. 21.5 In brief Jobs meaning in resolving thus was as if he had said I will impose silence upon my self Or thus Lord thou shalt not need to silence me or to stop my mouth I will do it my self I know not what to answer thee but if I did if I could gather up something that might look like an answer yet I will not answer I will lay my hand upon my mouth Further when he saith I will lay my hand upon my mouth it may imply that he would fain have been answering though he could not tell what to answer The tongue if left at liberty if not checkt will be making answers Constituo linguae licentiam perâ—nitèr coercere when it cannot answer any thing to purpose and therefore as David said Psal 39.1 I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me So would Job here while the Holy one was before him fearing he might give further offence while he went about to take off offences The tongue of a good man needs a bridle and the better any man is the more he bridles his tongue Job had offended with his tongue though he had not spoken wickedly yet he had spoken rashly and inconsiderately and now he saith I will lay my hand upon my mouth Hence note We should be very watchful over that which hath been an instrument or an occasion of sin He that hath offended with his mouth should lay his hand upon his mouth and take order with his tongue It is better to be silent than to offend in speaking Socrates l. 4. hist Eccles cap. 18. Pambâ— as the Church Historian reports confessed that in forty nine years he had scarcely learned the meaning of or the duty contained in the first and â—econd verses of the thirty ninth Psalm concerning the due restraint and government of the tongue Secondly Note Hoc suppliâ—ii gonus linguarium appellant Sanct. It is necessary sometimes to abridge our selves in what we may do lest we should do what we may not This is a holy revenge and it is one of those seven effects of Godly sorrow which works repentance not to be repented of 2 Cor. 7.11 We should in some cases forbear to speak at all for fear we should speak amiss They who are truly wise are much asham'd to speak when once they see their error in speaking or how apt they are to erre in speaking and therefore lay that penalty upon their tongues either to spare speaking or
draw in or hide his arm but when he delivered them then he was said to stretch it out Thirdly As the arm of God is for the protection and delivering of his people so for the destroying of his and their enemies God hath a destroying arm and of that Moses spake Deut. 33.27 The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee that 's sometimes the work of the everlasting arms of God and shall say destroy them Fourthly The Lord hath an assisting helping strengthning arm to carry us thorough any good work or duty which he calleth us unto Isa 53.1 Who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed that is who hath received power to believe and do according to what the Lord hath revealed The arm of God works powerfully not only upon the outward man but upon the heart of man for the converting and saving of souls Psal 110.3 In the day of thy power thy people shall be willing The power of God put forth upon the inner man for full conviction and sound conversion is greater than any power that worketh upon for or against the body of man God hath a mighty arm for all these purposes and for many more even for as many as he is pleased to make use of it or employ it in And if any ask How mighty is his arm I answer No man knoweth how mighty it is only this we know It is Almighty What the might of Almightiness is who can understand Moses spake admiringly more than knowingly to this point Psal 90.11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger The anger of God is beyond comprehension and so is his love Who knoweth the power of his love We are exhorted Eph. 3.19 To know the love of God which passeth knowledge What the heighth depth length and bredth of divine love are anger no man knoweth nor doth any man know the dimensions of divine power The Apostle speaking of God as a Spirit saith 1 Tim. 6.16 Whom no man hath seen nor can see So we may say of God as powerful no man knoweth nor can know how powerful he is He must be as powerful as God who knoweth how powerful God is Only this we may say First his power is so great that he can do all things and he can do all things with ease There is nothing hard to God Hard things are easie to God Some things are hard and others easie to men but to God all things are alike Not only is nothing too hard for the Lord as he said to Abraham Gen. 18.14 but the truth is nothing is hard to him Secondly His power is so great that he can do whatsoever he willeth or hath a mind to do Job 23.13 He is in one mind and who can turn him and what his soul desireth even that he doth And as the Lord can and will do whatever he hath a will to do so to clear the point a little further we may boldly say he hath a will to do all things of these three sorts First He hath a will to do whatsoever he hath promised purposed or determined to do Now if we duly weigh what great things there are in the promises and purposes in the counsels and decrees of God to do in the world we may soon conclude with truth and sobriety that great things will be done in their proper times and seasons Secondly The Lord doth assure us he hath a will to do whatsoever we ask of him in faith and according to his will If we have a rule for our asking or if we ask by rule we have a Gods word for it that it shall be done and given to us according to our askings 1 John 5.14 And this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us What is that is it only that he perceives or knows what we ask no his hearing is the granting and giving what we ask God is engaged by his gracious promise that his arm shall do all that we pray for right for the matter and aright for the manner in faith and in sincerity Thirdly It is the will of God to do whatsoever is for the real good of his people though possibly they ask it not It is the will of God not only to do what we ask but many times more than we ask As God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think Eph. 3.20 so he actually doth for us much more than we ask or think The Lord expects we should pray for every good thing which he hath promised and therefore he had no sooner made many large and most gracious promises of doing great things for the Church with this assurance Ezek. 36.36 I the Lord have spoken it and I will do it But presently he adds vers 37. Thus saith the Lord God I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them We should extend our prayers and our seekings to the utmost line of the word or our prayers should be commensurate both to prophesies and promises Prayer helps them all to the birth and they seldom bring forth alone And indeed prayer is nothing else in the matter of it but a turning or putting the promises into petitions t is a suing out the good of the promise Yet there are some good things in the promises which we cannot reach or at least are not mindful of There is a great latitude in the promises The Commandements of God are exceeding broad Psal 119.96 Who can find out all the duty of them And doubtless the promises are exceeding broad who can find out all the mercy in them The Apostle Peter 2 Epist 1.4 calls them exceeding great and precious promises they are exceeding good and they are exceeding great they are as great as they are good and who hath a heart great and good enough to see and sue out all the good and great things in them Now I say though possibly we ask not for all the good of the promise at least not expresly yet it is the will of God to do all that for us and to bestow all that good upon us which he hath promised He hath preventing grace his first grace he alwayes giveth unasked When he begins to manifest himself to a poor soul to bring him out of a state of darkness is such a soul begging this of God no he is running from and rebelling against God I am found of them that sought me not saith the Lord Isa 65.1 Now as they who are not the Lords receive grace to become his unasked so they that are the Lords through grace receive many mercies unasked God will not fall in giving all that he hath promised though we fail in asking some things promised His arm is powerful enough to do what he willeth and this is the will of
God having many Idol gods nor did he own them as his people and therefore the Apostle did not nor could he in truth say of the Gentiles They changed their glory c. But thus he saith They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things The Gentiles did not change the incorruptible God their glory into an image but they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image c. And in that respect the idolatry of the Jews a people knowing the true God yea and glorying in him was worse than the idolatry of the Gentiles who knew him not nor ever gloried in him nor accounted him their glory But to the point in hand As that is Gods glory which manifests his glory So in general any thing which maketh man shine forth commendably or honourably to others or gives him a preheminence above many others as neer relation to God specially doth may be called his glory Whatsoever is best in us or to us is our glory The soul of man is his glory because it is his best part The body is a poor thing to the soul the body is but a shell the soul is the kernel the body is but the sheath as the Chaldee calls it Deut. 7.15 the soul is the sword though usually we take more pains for the body than for the soul as if we prized it more When Jacob said Gen. 49.6 O my soul come thou not into their secret unto their assembly mine honour be not thou united he meant some say the same thing by his soul and by his honour or glory because the soul is the most glorious and honourable part in man and that which men should be most careful of Thus likewise the tongue of man is called his glory Psal 57.8 Awake my glory that is my tongue The tongue being that organ or instrument whereby the wisdom and prudence of man is held forth and he made glorious in the world 't is therefore called his glory The tongue of man is also called his glory because with that he giveth glory to God by praising him and confessing his name together with his truth unto salvation And as glory is the best of man so of any other creature 1 Cor. 15.61 There is one glory of the Sun and another of the Moon and another glory of the Stars for one Star differs from another Star in glory that is there is one excellency uâ—e or operation in this Star and another in that Or One Star differs from another Star in glory that is their light influences effects differ some being more others less operative upon sublunary bodies When the Lord said to Job Array thy self with glory his meaning is shew thy best and he means the same when he adds Array thy self with beauty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beauty is the natural ornament of the body of the face or countenance especially These two words glory and beauty are often joyned together in Scripture Psal 21.5 Psal 45.3 where we render them honour and majesty We may thus distinguish between them taking the one for that which appears outwardly in vestures and gestures in actions and works and the other as importing that revâ—â—ence veneration which is given to such Verba originalia fero sunt synonima as appear in that splendor and dignity or which their splendor and dignity stirs up in others But we need not stand to distinguish them the words being often used promiscuously And here the Lord is pleased to imploy many words to the same purpose to shew what great state he had need be in that contends with him As if he had said O Job although thou didst not sit upon a dunghil or wert not bound to thy bed by the cords of thy affliction but didst sit upon a Kingly throne shining in robes of royalty couldst thou in all those ornaments equal thy self to me in majesty and excellency in glory and beauty Deck thy self with majesty and excellency c. Hence note First God himself is full of Majesty of Excellency of Glory and of Beauty I put them all together in one Observation because the tendency of them all is one The Scripture often sets forth the Lord thus adorned thus decked Psal 93.1 The Lord reigneth he is cloathed with majesty he is cloathed with strength wherewith he hath girded himself Again Psal 69.6 Honour and majesty are before him strength beauty are in his sanctuary Psal 104.1 Bless the Lord O my soul O Lord my God thou art very great thou art cloathed with honour and majesty This cloathing this array which the Lord called Job to put on is properly his own and though God will not give his glory to another yet here he bids Job take his glory and shew himself in it to the utmost if he could Many have affected or invaded Gods glory but none could ever attain or reach it God calls man really to partake of glory with him but man cannot take his glory upon him and be man The humane nature of Christ could never have received nor born that glory but as united to and subsisting in the person of the Son of God according to that prayer of his John 17.5 More distinctly If God be thus cloathed Then First We should tremble before him Majesty is dreadful The majesty of Kings who in nature are but men is very dreadful how much more the majesty of God who is King of Kings the King immortal and reigns for ever We have this trembling three times repeated with respect to the majesty of God Isa 2.10 19 21. where the mightiest and greatest of the world called there high Mountains and strong Towers Oaks and Cedars are said to go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his Majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth And though the people of God have great cause to rejoyce at his majesty as 't is prophesied they shall Isa 24.14 They shall lift up their voices they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord nothing causeth the hearts of the righteous to rejoyce more than the majesty of God yet they ought to rejoyce and so they do with trembling Psal 2.11 or with a holy awe of God impressed upon their hearts for the majesty of God is a very dreadful tremendous awful majesty And the more we have truly tasted the goodness and mercy of God the more shall we tremble at his majesty yea the Lord will have his majesty not only taken notice of but trembled at and therefore he reproves those Isa 26.10 who would not behold his majesty The majesty of the Lord like himself cannot be seen or beheld in it self yet it sheweth it self many wayes though few behold it or tremble at it and the reason why they tremble not at it is because they do not
the River how doth it please him We have a saying It is better to fill a mans belly than his eye and it is a truth He that hath a great desire to meat or drink is much pleased to see either And 't is a truth in every thing the sight of that is very pleasing to us which we greatly want and much desire Therefore Solomon gives councel Prov. 23.31 Look not upon the wine when it is red when it giveth his colour in the cup. They that are given to drink are pleased when they see the cup they take it with their eyes or their eyes are taken with it 'T is so in spiritual things also that which we greatly desire and want in spirituals O how pleasant is the sight of it how glad are we when we can take it with our eyes Thus spake David Psal 63.1 2. O my God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty Land where no water is to see thy power and thy glory O that I could but see them I would take them with my eyes as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary As if he had said there I have seen the flowings forth of thy goodness of thy power and glory but now I am in a dry Land O how I long to see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in thy sanctuary He â—peaks to the same purpose Psal 27.4 One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord. The spiritual sight of God is most sweet in his Ordinances The very outward enjoyment of those who mininister spiâ—iâ—ual things is pleasant Hence that promise Isa 30.20 Thine eyes shall see thy Teachers there is something in that how much more sweet is it to have a spiritual sight of spiritual things The sense of seeing is delightful what then is the grace of seeing The Elephant taketh it with his eyes His nose pierceth through snares That is he thrusteth his nose his trunk into the River and if there be any snares there set and prepared on purpose to entangle him or if any thing be there accidentally which may annoy him he breaks through them all he is so thirsty that a small matter doth not hinder him in drinking he makes way through all impediments that he may take his fill of drink his thirst being urgent drink he will whatever comes of it Hence note That which any creature hath a great desire to he will make his way to it through difficulties and dangers he will break through snares to attain it David had a great desire to the water of Bethlem but there lay an Army between him and the Well yet three men would venture through an Host of enemies to fetch him water If any have a vehement thirst after Gods Word the water of Life they will break through snares for it though Armies lye in the way yet there are three strong men in them an enlightned understanding a rectified will and good affection that will venture to get the water of Bethlem for their instruction and consolation Natural creatures will not stand upon dangerous difficulties to come at that which is much desired by them how much less they who are spiritual So much of this greatest terrestial animal Behemoth and of the Lords power in making and ordering him In the next Chapter the Lord proceeds to humble Job yet more by setting before him the greatest animal in the waters the mighty Leviathan JOB Chap. 41. Vers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. 1. Canst thou draw out Leviathan with an hook or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down 2. Canst thou put a hook into his nose or bore his jaw thorow with a thorn 3. Will he make many supplications unto thee will he speak soft words unto thee 4. Will he make a covenant with thee wilt thou take him for a servant for ever 5. Wilt thou play with him as with a bird wilt thou binde him for thy maidens 6. Shall the companions make a banquet of him shall they part him among the merchants 7. Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons or his head with fish-spears 8. Lay thine hand upon him remember the battel do no more 9. Behold the hope of him is in vain shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him 10. None is so fierce that dare stir him up who then is able to stand before me 11. Who hath prevented me that I should repay him whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine THis whole Chapter gives us a large discourse concerning the greatest the largest living creature that God made in this visible world the Leviathan The whole Chapter may be divided into two general parts First A Narration Secondly A Conclusion In the Narrative part Leviathan is described four wayes First By the bigness and vastness of his body which is implyed in the first and second verses he is a creature so big and bulky that there is no holding him with a cord or line he is too big too boisterous for an Angler to deal with Canst thou draw out Leviathan with an hook or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down c. vers 1 2. Secondly This Leviathan is described by the stoutness and untractableness of his spirit there is no bringing him to any submission to any service or compliance Will he make many supplications unto thee will he speak soft words unto thee will he make a covenant with thee c. vers 3 4 5. Thirdly He is described by the difficulty and danger if not impossibility of taking or catching him he will hardly be taken any way no not by the most forcible wayes to make either meat or merchandize of him Shall the companions make a banquet of him shall they part him among the merchants Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons or his head with fish-spears c. vers 6 7 8 9. and in the former part of the 10th verse Thus far Leviathan is described in his greatness in his stoutness in the difficulty and danger of catching him if he can be catched at all Now the Lord having proceeded thus far in the description of or doctrine about Leviathan he makes Use and Application of all that he had said before he comes to the fourth particular and this Application or Use which the Holy Ghost makes of his description thus far given consists in two things First Hence the Lord infers his own irresistibleness and the utter inability of any creature to contend with him in the close of the 10th verse Who then is able to stand before me If none can stand before this creature can any stand before the Creator That 's the first Inference Secondly The Lord makes a further Inference from it
Earth alone The Lord can begin and finish how and when he pleaseth He is a rock and his work is perfect As in spirituals he is the Author and finisher of our faith Heb. 12.2 so in temporals he is the Author and finisher of all our comforts deliverances and salvations When we have no help at all in our selves nor in any creature there is enough to be had in God Hosea 14.3 With thee the fatherless find mercy that is they find mercy with thee and if mercy then help who are as helpless as a fatherless child they especially who look upon themselves as fatherless what help and strength what fathers or friends soever they have in this world if God be not their help and strength their friend and father When we are convinced that only God can help us when we have other helps then God alone will help us though we have no other helpers as he promised Judah Hosea 1.7 I will have mercy upon the house of Judah and will save them by the Lord their God and will not save them by bow nor by sword nor by battel by horses nor by horse-men As if the Lord had said I will do all for Judah my self alone though I could have others to do it by It is seldome that God hath as School-men speak an immediate attingence upon any effect he commonly useth instruments yet he sometimes hath and hath as often as himself pleaseth As our mercies are alwayes of grace only so sometimes they are wrought out by the power of God only And what power soever is seen working at them 't is his power that doth the work his wheel is in every wheel Sixthly What cause have we to magnifie the free grace and mighty power of God He is able to do for us though all oppose him and he is willing to do for us though none nor we our selves prevent him Such is the power of God that he can overcome all opposition in others against what he hath a mind to do for us and such is the freeness of his grace that it over-passeth or rather passeth by all those indispositions in us which might cause him to forbear doing or have no mind to do any thing for us Seventhly If none have prevented the Lord if all the good we have and all that we shall have floweth freely to us then we should be very thankful to God for every good we have received very full of purposes to praise him for whatever we shall further receive This Inference the Apostle makes in the last words of Rom. 11. Of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory for ever Amen Let us never be found sacrificing to our own net nor burning incense to our own drag as if by them our portion in spirituals or temporals were fat and our meat plenteous Let us put praise far from our selves and say with the Psalmist Not unto us not unto us but to thy name O Lord be praise and glory Lastly Let us be very humble The Lord puts this question to Job to humble him it was shewed in the beginning of the Chapter that the design of God in presenting this vast creature Leviathan to the view or consideration of Job was to humble him for seeing the Lord hath made all things and can do all things of himself and doth them for himself let us lye in the dust before him let us take heed of pride high thoughts and boasting words in any thing we have and are let us say as the Apostle Rom. 3.27 Where is boasting where is pride he answers It is excluded But by what Law why cannot boasting come in is it kept out by the Law of works by any thing that we have done No boasting would never be shut out if we could do any thing of our selves therefore saith he this comes to pass by the Law of faith by casting our selves wholly upon God both as to our justification and salvation That God doth all things of himself should render us nothing in our selves Who hath prevented me that I should repay him The Lord having made these uses of what he had said concerning Leviathan proceeds to a general assertion as was said in the close of this 11th verse Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine Possum illi amplam mercedem si velim reddereddere cum omnia quae sub coelo uspiâ—â— gentium sunt mea sint meum est aurum These words are interpreted by several of the Jewish writers in connexion with what went before thus Who hath prevented me and I will repay him As if the Lord had said Do not think that I have not enough by me to repay you for your counsel and assistance if you dare say I have had any from you for Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine That 's a good sense shewing the Lords sufficiency to make good his offer Some make great promises of what they will do when they have not wherewithal to do it Yet rather Secondly We may expound this assertion as carrying on the former Argument or further to prove that no man can prevent the Lord seeing all is his already Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine saith he The creatures are all mine I challenge all I lay claim to all whether therefore I give to one or take from another no man hath reason to question me or to ask of me a reason why I did or do so for all is my own And when the Lord saith Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine his mean-is not only that all under heaven but that heaven it self and all that is in heaven is his also The Lords Estate or Right is not confined to the things which are under the heaven So that when he saith Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine he saith in effect all is mine Thus Moses expoundeth this assertion Deut. 10.14 Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lords thy God the earth also with all that therein is The reason why the Lord speaks here only of this estate under heaven is because he was discoursing with Job of this inferiour world and the furniture of it and it was enough for him to understand as to the present debate that all under heaven was the Lords but in truth not only is the Earth the Sea the Air with all their fulness and furniture the Lords but the Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens is the Lords with all their beauty and glory Hence note The Lord is the great proprietour of all things in this world Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is the Lords or all is the Lords First by creation he hath given all things their being Secondly all is the Lords by preservation he keepeth all things in their being Jesus Christ upholds all things by the word of his power Heb. 1.3 that is by his powerful word The same commanding word which gave all
might declare himself in Leviathan Hence note The parts powers and comely proportions of the creature clearly evidence the excellencies of God The Lord chiefly proclaimed his own name when he proclaimed the name of Leviathan Rom. 1.20 The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and Godhead The unseen God hath made all things that he may be seen in them When he makes a Comment upon his own works why is it but that he may make a Comment upon himself and expound his own glory in them And as the excellencies of the Lord are seen in the works of creation so in the works of providence and he hath therefore made so many declarations of them to us that his power wisdom and justice may shine through them to us Psal 75.1 That thy name is neer thy wondrous works declare And he said to Pharaoh Exod. 9.16 For this cause have I raised thee up for to shew in thee my power and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth All that the Lord doth to or in the creature is to get himself a name and a glory therefore let us give God the glory of his power wisdom and goodness in all his works Negare Pagaganus Christum potest negare Deum omnipotentem non potest August ser 139. de Temp. It was the saying of one of the Ancients A Pagan may deny that there is a Christ but a Pagan cannot deny Almighty God A Pagan may deny Christ for that 's meerly matter of faith but sense will lead a Pagan to believe there is a God or some omnipotent power that hath wrought all these things If we see a stream that assures us there is a Spring or Fountain if we see a goodly Palace built that assures us it had a builder a maker And if the stream be full what is the fountain If the Palace built be great and magnificent how great how magnificent was the builder Every house as the Author to the Hebrews said upon another occasion Chap. 3.4 is builded by some man but he that built all things is God Fourthly Seeing the Lord is pleased to read such a natural Phylosophy Lecture upon this creature we may take this Observation from it God would have man know the parts and powers of the creatures Why doth the Lord in this book speak at large of them and of their powers but that we may take notice of them and understand them or that we should search and study them What the Psalmist speaks concerning the works of providence is true of the Lords works in nature Psal 111.2 The works of the Lord are great And vers 4. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembred that is that they should be spoken of and memoriz'd And therefore having said at the beginning of the second verse The works of the Lord are great he adds in the close of it Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein His work is honourable and glorious c. The works of God are to be searched to the bottom though their bottom cannot be found by all those that have pleasure and delight either in God or in his works and they therefore search them out also because they encrease and better their knowledge of God the Creator by encreasing and bettering their knowledge about the creature From the whole verse we may infer First If God will not conceal the parts the power and comliness of his creatures then let not us conceal the power the glory and the excellency of God Yea let us with heart and tongue declare the glorious perfections of God how holy how just how wise how merciful how patient and long-suffering a God he is When God makes the creature known to us he would much more have us know himself and make him known Davids heart was set upon this duty Psal 9.14 Thou hast lifted me up from the gates of death that I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Sion As if he had said This O Lord was thy design in lifting me up from the gates of death that is from deadly dangers or killing diseases that I might declare thy praise in Sions gates or that I might declare how praise-worthy thou art to all who come into the gates of Sion And again Psal 118.17 I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord. In the 40th Psalm which is a Prophecy of Christ he speaks in the words of the Text vers 10. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great congregation As the Lord saith here concerning Leviathan I will not conceal his parts so saith the Prophet I will not conceal his loving kindness and truth c. Which as it is most true of Christ whose work it was to do so as also the end of all his works so it sheweth what we ought to do and what should be the end of all our works not to conceal the righteousness and goodness of God but declare them in the great congregation And as Christ declared the glory of the Father so should we the glory of Christ We read the Church engaged in this As I shewed before Christ could not conceal the parts of the Church so the Church could not conceal the parts of Christ Cant. 5.9 There the question is put to the Church What is thy beloved more than another beloved that thou dost thus charge us The Church being asked this question will not conceal the parts nor the power nor the comely proportion of Christ her Beloved but gives a copious Narrative of his gracious excellencies vers 10. My Beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest among ten thousand his head is as most fine gold his locks are bushy and black as a Raven his eyes are as the eyes of Doves by the rivers of waters washed with milk and fitly set his cheeks are as a bed of spices as sweet flowers his lips like Lillies dropping sweet smelling myrrh his hands are as gold rings set with Beryle his belly is as bright Ivory overlaid with Saphyres his legs are as pillars of marble set upon sockets of fine gold his countenance is as Lebanon excellent as the Cedars his mouth is sweet yea he is altogether lovely This is my beloved and this is my friend O daughters of Jerusalem Thus as Christ concealed not the parts of the Church so the Church concealed not the parts the power and comely proportion of Christ And did we more consider who Christ is and what he is both in himself and unto us we should be more both in admiring within our selves and in reporting to others his parts his power and comely proportion Secondly If God hath not concealed the knowledge of his creatures from us if
he comes upon them as a Lion or as a Bear Lament 3.10 He was unto me as a Bear lying in wait and as a Lion in secret places The Lion and Bear often lye close and in secret places to wait for their prey but they no sooner get them within their reach or danger but they rise up and devour them openly Again if we are afraid to meddle with terrible things how should we fear to meddle with sin Sin hath terrible teeth it will bite like a Serpent Prov. 23.32 and tear like a Lion 'T is sin that maketh all things terrible to us God himself is not terrible but as we are sinners sin hath made all things terrible and troublesome to us that are so The teeth of Leviathan had not been terrible to man if man had not sinned against God His teeth are terrible round about Beza seems to object from this part of the description of Leviathan that the Whale cannot be meant by Leviathan because the Whale hath no teeth I answer First Though Whales catcht by our Sea-men have no teeth properly taken yet they have somewhat which is Analogical to teeth they have that in their mouths which is as terrible as teeth Physeterem Oream praecipuè dentatos dicunt And secondly Naturalists tell us and Beza himself confesseth that there are many fishes of the Whaley kind which have very terrible teeth And though Bochartus insisteth much upon the teeth of the Crocodile which for number are threescore and for their nature terrible enough yet he doth not at all improve this part of Leviathans description against the Whale which I suppose he would have done had he found it unapplicable to the Whale Now as Leviathan is armed with teeth as offensive weapons to hurt others and to be a terrour to them so with desensive armes to secure himself from hurt as it followeth Vers 15 16 17. His scales are his pride shut up together as with a close seal One is so near to another that no air can come between them They are joyned one to another they stick together that they cannot be sundred In these three verses Leviathan is described First By the confidence which he hath in his scales they are his pride being like bucklers of brass Secondly By the natural closeness of his scales so close they are as if sealed that no air can come between them Thirdly By the indissolubleness of his scales they are joyned so fast one to another that they cannot be sundred His scales are his pride The strong sheilds have pride saith Master Broughton that is his scales which are as so many sheilds for his defence are his pride The word is not elsewhere rendred scales but strong pieces Chap. 40.18 and here it may be rendred strong pieces of sheilds scales resembling shields both in their fashion and use His scales are his pride that is he is proud of his scales Whatsoever any man is proud of may be called his pride If a man be proud of his riches then his riches are his pride if of his parts then his parts are his pride if of his strength and beauty then strength and beauty are his pride Leviathan's scales are his pride that is he is proud of his scales Here again it is objected as before about teeth The Whale hath no scales therefore Leviathan cannot be the Whale The learned Bochartus insists much upon this argument against the Whale proving also by many authorities which is clear to sight in those carkasses of Crocodiles which are among us that the Crocodile hath great and strong scales and those very closely laid or joyned together The objection hath much weight in it Balenarum Elephantorum cutes summè durae sunt propomodum insensibiles Galenus l. 3. do usu partium yet these two answers are given to it First Though Whales taken in these parts of the world have no scales properly so called yet they have a very thick and hard skin resembling scales The skin of the Elephant and of the Whale is extream hard and almost insensible said the Oracle among Physitians Quot ei squamae tot clypei quibus adversus omnem vim togitur Arianus memorat ex Nearcho visum cetum in littus ejectum cubitorum quinquaginta corio squamoso tam crasso ut cubitum aquaret Secondly It is reported that some Whales or Whales in some parts of the world have huge scales There was seen cast up upon the sea-shore saith one a monstrous fish of fifty cubits long which had scales all over of a cubit thick These were strong scales indeed and though we have not known or heard of any such in these parts of the world yet who can say knowingly there are none such in any part of the world as literally answer the description of Leviathans scales I grant that the three exceptions which Bochartus takes against the testimony of Nearchus are very considerable First That he stands alone and is but a single witness Secondly That he doth not say he saw such a whale but only heard it of certain Mariners who said they saw such a one which sort of men are not always to be credited And he adds Thirdly That though Nearchus should have said that himself had seen such a Whale yet little credit were to be given him he being an Author of no good credit These considerations I confess may somewhat weaken the testimony of Nearchus yet I see no reason why they should utterly infringe and disable it For first one man may speak truth in it self as well as two or three though the testimony of one be not so authentick to others as the testimony of two or three Secondly â—hough some Mariners over-reach in their repoâ—ts yet it doth not follow that they did so from whom that report came And Thirdly Though Nearchus be justly charged with failing and falseness in some things yet none can say his whole book is nothing else but a bundle of lies And if there be any truths in his writings as I suppose no man will deny but there are many then why this report of a Whale or mighty fish of that kind with great scales may not be reckoned among the truths contained in his writings rather than among the lies let the Reader judge Now though it be questioned what animal this Leviathan is yet 't is out of question that he hath scales upon him or that which amounts to scales For saith the Lord His scales are his pride Geneva Translation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 superbia magnificentia verbum medium Some render the words thus The majesty of his scales is like strong shields He is like a Curassier or an Horse-man armed Cap-a-Pe or all over But I shall abide in our own reading His scales are his pride or his hight his spirit is heightned by them Hence note First There is a kind of pride in brutes and irrational creatures Pride strictly taken is proper to man yet
thus Now at length O Lord I know more fully than ever that thou hast a most just right and power to command and dispose of all things and that thou both dost and mayst effect whatsoever pleaseth thee nor ought any to murmur at much less resist thy counsels or dealings seeing every thing is and cannot but be just and righteous which thou dost We conclude then Job knew this truth before but not as he knew it now Hence note First Knowledge is a growing thing And it were well if we were all found growing in knowledge That 's the Apostle Peters charge 2 Epist 3.18 Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He puts both together There is a growth in knowledge as well as in grace and in proportion to our spiritual growth in knowledge is our growth in grace for though many grow much in notional and speculative knowledge who grow little in grace yet they cannot but grow much in grace who grow much in spiritual and experimental knowledge As a godly man groweth in knowledge so in grace too Knowledge is a growing thing The rising and encreasing waters of the Sanctuary were a type of the encreasings of knowledge those waters were first to the ancles and then to the knees and then to the loyns and then to the neck And as knowledge increaseth with respect to the several times and states of the Church for so that place Ezek. 47.3 4 5. is to be be understood so it is a truth that there is an increase of knowledge with respect to the state of every particular believer his knowledge is first to the ancles and then to the knees and then to the loyns and then to the neck As some points to be known are so easie or shallow that according to that clear and common similitude a Lamb may wade through them others so difficult and deep that an Elephant may swim in them so the degree of knowledge in the same person which at one time was very small and shallow at another time may be swelled into a great deep and he called a man of deep knowledge We have a general promise of such an increase Isa 11.9 The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea that is there shall be a wonderful increase of knowledge That 's also the import of Daniels Prophesie Chap. 12.4 Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased Particular persons shall improve in knowledge and so shall the whole Church So then this increase of knowledge is of two sorts First it is a knowledge of more things and Secondly of every thing more We should labour to know more truths we must thus add to our knowledge For though it be true that every believer hath received the anointing whereby he knoweth all things that are of absolute necessity 1 John 2.20 yet he may come to the knowledge of more things which are exceeding useful and helpful to him Secondly We should labour to know every thing more as in the Text. Job knew before that God was omnipotent and could do all things but now he knew it more and so much more that the knowledge which he had before might be called ignorance compared with the knowledge which he had now received Then we increase our knowledge fully when we get the knowledge of more things and of every thing more Again we should labour to increase as in speculative so in experimental knowledge Speculative knowledge alone goes no further than the notion of what we know experimental knowledge finds and feels the power of what we know it subjects us or makes us subject to what we know the motions of the Will follow the light and dictate of the Understanding This is the best knowledge Knowledge which is felt and acted is better than that which is heard and declared What the Apostle John said of himself and his fellow Apostles who were personally present with Christ while here on earth with respect to their sensitive knowledge of him is most true of the spiritual and experimental knowledge which believers have of Christ now in heaven and they absent from him 1 John 1.1 That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life that declare we unto you we declare that unto you which we have seen and felt 'T is a blessed thing when we can say that the things which we declare to others we have felt them and even handled them our selves Many as our usual expression is handle Texts and handle truths learnedly and excellently in a discourse who never handled no nor so much as toucht them by any experience of their sweetness or efficacy either in their hearts or lives Further consider in what way Job came to this proficiency in knowledge he had been a great while in the School of affliction before he said I know and I know to purpose that thou canst do every thing Hence note Afflictions and sufferings are a special means to increase our knowledge and wise us in the things of God The godly never increase more in knowledge than under the Cross under afflictions of one kind or another David saith Psal 119.71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes Did not David know the Statutes of God before doubtless he did he was all-along trained up in the statutes of God but when God took him into the School of affliction then he leaâ—nt the Statutes of God much better Let us consider what profiting we find at any time under affliction as to the knowledge of God and of our selves if we do not better our knowledge by one cross we may expect to meet with another and another till matters mend with us Solomon saith Prov. 27.22 Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a morter among wheat with a pestle yet will not his foolishness depart from him that is an obstinate sinner he is the fool there spoken of though extreamly afflicted is not bettered but a godly man profits by his affliction both as to the departure and riddance of his folly as also to his growth in spiritual experimental knowledge Once more which will give us a third note Job was not only in affliction but God taught him in his affliction Job had not only a rod upon his back but a tutor by his side His three friends had been long with him and spoken much to him but he learnt little by them When Elihu had been speaking to him he yielded somewhat to him though not fully but when once God undertook to tutor and instruct him Job learned amain and profited greatly in knowledge Hence note Then we profit indeed under afflictions when God teacheth us in our afflictions If we have nothing but the rod we profit not by the rod yea if we have
nothing but the Word we shall never profit by the Word It is the Spirit given with the Word and the Spirit given with the rod by which we profit under both or either Psal 94.12 Blessed is the man saith David whom thou chastenest and teachest out of thy Law Chastning and divine teaching must go together else there will be no profiting by chastning God was Jobs teacher as well as his chastner Job received many lessons from God he taught him quire through the 38th and 39th Chapters and he taught him quite through two Chapters more before he said I know that thou canst do every thing Thus far of Jobs knowledge Let us a little consider the first object of it here expressed the omnipotence of God I know That thou canst do every thing Hence observe First God is good at any work That is at any work that is good he can do every such thing nothing comes amiss to him Among men one man can do this thing and another can do that thing and a third can do more than either but where will you find a man that can do every thing One man is for counsel another for action one man can build a house and another can till the ground several men have their several arts and mysteries and it is well if one man can do any one thing well But God is for all We have a saying and 't is a great truth He that will be doing of every thing Aliquis in omnibus nullus in singulis is no great doer in any thing that is he never excels in any But as the Lord can do every thing so he is exact and perfect in every thing that he doth The best creature is only a particular good but God is an universal good there is every good in God all the good that is scattered in the creature is eminently in him Now as God is an universal good so he is an universal Agent he is in working as he is in Being He can do every thing for us as well as be every thing to us We need not fear if we bring this or that thing to God that he hath no skill in it as it is with men if you bring this thing to a man he is excellent at it but bring another thing and he knoweth not how to turn his hand to it but whatsoever we have to do if it be according to the will of God he hath power and wisdom enough to do it The Lord had power enough to give a being to all creatures and hath he not power enough to do all things in and about the creature cannot he preserve in all dangers and provide in all wants cannot he furnish with all gifts and give success cannot he overthrow the high and exalt the low cannot be restrain the wrathful and subdue the obstinate cannot he weaken the strong and strengthen the weak cannot he make fools wise and wise men foolish surely he can do all these things for he can do every thing Secondly from these words take that grand assertion God is omnipotent his power is infinite This is a principle one of the great principles of Religion an Article of Faith yet I shall not enlarge upon it having met with it in other places of this book Only consider here how Job infers this principle he infers it from the discourse which the Lord was pleased to have with him in the four former Chapters wherein the Lord told him of many things that he had done I have done this and that in the heavens above and in the earth below I have made Behemeth and Leviathan God had told him of his doings Ex mirabilibus recensites scivit Job atque collegit Deum omnia posse non quasi per inductionem sed per deductionem plurium ex uno principio Janson whence Job inferred I know thou canst do every thing He doth not make this conclusion by way of induction there is such a way of argumentation in Logick but by deduction God hath done this and that and the other therefore he can do all things if he can do this what cannot he do if he can make and subdue Behemoth what cannot he do and if he can make and master Leviathan what cannot he do Christ Luke 5.20 argueth his omnipotency or Godhead in the same manner for having healed a poor man and said unto him Man thy sins are forgiven thee the Pharisees were very much offended with that word saying Who is this that speaketh blasphemy who can forgive sins but God alone Christ knowing their thoughts said What reason ye in your hearts whether is it easier to say thy sins are forgiven thee or to say rise up and walk I have healed the man doth not that argue a divine power why may not I then say Thy sins are forgiven thee He that can by his own might do one mighty or miraculous thing can do all things Such is the power of God that as I said before he hath no limit to it but his own will And seeing the will of God is the limit of his power let us take heed of desiring him who can do every thing to do any thing for us which is not according to his will Let us bound our desires let us take heed of saying this is our desire and God can do every thing therefore this which we desire Consider is your desire according to the will of God We cannot urge God with his Omnipotency to do any thing that is our desire if we are not first clear in it that our desire is agreeable to his will Unless we have a rule for our desire or we desire by rule we can have no well-grounded confidence that God will do that for us which we desire God is almighty not to do what we will or forge in our brain but to do what himself willeth Papists say the bread is turned into the very body of Christ but say we we see and feel and tast but bread They presently fly to this God is able to do all things or he can do every thing this is to abuse the Omnipotency of God Hath the Scripture declared any such thing yea hath not the Scripture declared the quite contrary that Sacraments are but signs of things not the things themselves This is my body said Christ but he said not my body is this Christ willed that his body should be represented by bread he will not that bread should be changed into his body The power of God must not be urged beyond his will He have no revelation of the will of God that he will transubstantiate the bread at the holy supper into the body of Christ but he hath given it as a sacred symbole of Christs crucified and broken body upon which we are to feed by faith That God can do whatsoever he willeth hath a two-fold use First Of comfort to all true believers Nostrae difficultates Deo per faciles sunt
who stand in the grace of the Covenant That nothing is too hard for God is a marvelous Consolation to us in all our hardships When God promised Abraham a Son in his old age Gen. 18. what a hard task was here for God Sarah could not believe it she laughed but what saith the Lord Is any thing too hard for me he presently urgeth his own power where he had declared his will Whatsoever God hath declared to be his will either as to particular persons or the whole Church it matters not how hard it is if we have but his will for it As Christ will at last Change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself Phil. 3.21 so according to that working he is able to change and subdue all things to and according to his own will When the Jews were to be carried into captivity to Babylon the Lord commanded Jeremy to make purchase of a field in Anathoth Jer. 32.7 8 9. Now Jeremy might object behold the Chaldaeans are come to the City to take it and shall I go and buy land Is this a time to make purchases is this a time to buy land when the City is ready to be taken and the whole land like to be lost yes saith God Buy the field for money seal the evidences and take witnesses for thus saith the God of Israel vers 15. houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land Am not I able to bring you back again And therefore after Jeremy had confessed in prayer to the Lord vers 17. Nothing is too hard for thee The Hebrew is hidden from thee or wonderful to thee because hard things are hidden from us strange and wonderful to us The Prophet I say having said this to the Lord in prayer the Lord said to him vers 27. Is any thing too hard for me And to the same point the Lord spake again Zech. 8.6 Thus saith the Lord of hosts if it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people namely that Jerusalem should be restored should it also be marvellous in mine eyes saith the Lord of hosts to perform what was said ver 4. There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem and every man with his staff in his hand for very age and the streets of the City shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof Who could beleive this but it was the will of God it should be so And therefore he said If it be marvellous in your eyes should it be so in mine eyes You think this can never be brought about But must it needs be marvellous in my eyes because it is so in yours or as the margin hath it must it needs be hard or difficult to me because 't is so to you The same word which signifies marvellous signifies difficult because that which is difficult and hard we marvel at But saith the Lord because this thing is marvellous in your eyes must it be so in mine who can do every thing And we may conceive that when Job spake thus he began to have some hope of his restauration He had lost all children and health and strength and estate all was gone and he many times gave up all for gone and spake despairingly as to a restitution but now God having spoken of what he had done Jobs faith and hope revived in these words I know that thou canst do every thing and among other things thou canst restore all to me again thou canst give me as much health and strength of body as many children as full an estate as ever I had Secondly This truth is matter of great terrour to the wicked As God can strengthen the weak so he can weaken the strong and as he can raise up the godly so he can easily pull down the ungodly as he can fill up the vallies so he can level the mountains Thus the Lord spake Ezek. 17.24 All the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree have exalted the low tree have dryed up the green tree and have made the dry tree to flourish I the Lord have spoken and have done it It must needs be terrible to the wicked that God can do what he will seing his will is to destroy them except they repent and turn to him he hath power enough to do it and his will is to do it what then can hinder his doing it but their repentance for what they have done There are no sons of Zerviah too hard for him who can do every thing Again from the second notion of these words Thou canst do every thing that is thou hast right as well as might to do every thing Observe The Lord may do he hath an unquestionable right to do whatsoever he is pleased to do God gives a law to all others for their actions but he is the law to himself He can do every thing of right he willeth as well as he hath might to do what he will Then let none complain that God hath done them wrong for every thing is right which God doth Job had failed in this by speeches reflecting upon the justice of God in his dealings with him and therefore we may conceive that in this confession I know thou canst do every thing he chiefly aimed at this to give God the glory of his justice As if he had said Though thou O Lord layest thy hand heavy upon an innocent person and strippest him of all that he hath though thou O Lord makest a wicked man to flourish in this world and fillest him with outward felicity yet all ought to rest in thy will for this thou canst do of right being absolute Lord over all I said Job know that thou canst do every thing And that no thought can be with-holden from thee Master Broughton renders that no wisdom was with-holden from thee which he thus glosseth Thou hast made all things in perfect wisdom to shew thy eternal power and God-head The same word signifies both wisdom and thought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 breviavit abrupit decerpsit propriè uvas fructus vindemiavit Hinc Bozra metropolis Idumeae cum vinetis vini proventu fuit celebris nomen soâ—â—ita est Isa 63.1 Nihil cogitas quod non possis si velis efficere quid enim te prohibebit aut impediet Drus Nec avertito posse à cogitatione sc perficienda Jun. Et quòd non vindemiabitur à te cogitatio i. e. rei cogitatae atque propositae effectionem Pisc and well it may for unless we have wise thoughts in our selves we can never shew wisdom either in our words or actions towards others There is a difference amongst Interpreters whose thought we are here to understand when Job saith No thought can be with-holden from thee First Many very
worthy and learned men are of opinion that by thought we are to understand the thought of God Gods own thought and so these words are but the carrying on of the same thing or a further explication what was said before I know that thou canst do every thing that is whatsoever is in thy thought or in thy heart to do no power in the world can with-hold thee from doing it no thought that is not any one of thy thoughts can be with-holden from thee that is from thy fulfilling it or bringing it to pass what thou hast in thy mind thou wilt perform with thy hand If thou hast but a thought to do such a thing thou canst not be hindered of thy thought it shall be done The words hold out a very glorious truth concerning God if we take thought in this sense and as it is a great truth in it self so it is a very useful one to us The Observation is this Whatsoever God hath a thought to do he will do it he cannot be hindered in the effect of a thought As none of Gods thoughts are vain so none of them are in vain or ineffectual they all reach their end Isa 43.13 I will work and who shall lett it God will work if he hath but a thought to work and if all the Powers in the world set themselves against him they shall not be able to disappoint any one of his thoughts Prtv. 19.21 There are many devices in a mans heart yet the counsel of the Lord shall stand that is there are many thoughts in mans heart opposite to the counsel and thought of God Men think this and that they make up many things in their thoughts yet can make nothing of them because against the thoughts of God for all the devices that are in mans heart cannot hinder the effect of Gods counsel his counsel shall stand fast and firm without any bowing without any bending while their devices fall and are utterly broken The conclusion of wise Solomon is Prov. 21.30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord. Let men take or give counsel as long as they will against the Lord they cannot avoid the effect of his counsels We have both these the standing of the Lords counsel and the overthrowing of all counsels that are against him in that one Scripture Psal 33.10 11. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought he maketh the devices of the people of none effect The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever the thoughts of his heart to all generations God never lost a thought all come to pass This sheweth the mighty efficacy of the counsel of God this is more than can be said of any man or men in the world the wisest and greatest have had many thoughts withholden from them They have thought to do this and that but could not effect it nor bring it about Psal 146.4 Their thoughts perish they have a great many plots in their heads but they prove not they often live to see their own thoughts dye Their thoughts perish not only when they dye but they live to see them perish and dye The Prophet Isa 44.25 sheweth how the Lord frustrates the counsels of men and turneth them backward he shews also that without him they cannot go forward Lamen 3.37 Who is he that saith and it cometh to pass when the Lord commandeth it not But some may object the Lord speaketh of the builders of Babel as Job here speaketh of him Gen. 11.6 Behold the people is one and they have all one language and this they begin to do and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do as if he had said there will be no with-holding of them from their thoughts 'T is very true amongst men there was nothing to stop them they being all as one man and of one mind would have accomplished any thing that they did imagine but though there was nothing upon earth nothing among men that could restrain them yet God could do it and he did it he confounded their language and one brought morter when he should have brought brick and another brought stones when he should have brought timber they thought to build a tower that should reach as high as heaven they would be drowned no more but they and their thoughts were soon scattered and blown away This point hath in it also abundance of comfort as the former for take thought for the thought of God and it runs parallel with what I spake before of the work of God he can do every thing every thing that is in his thought to do we may take fresh comfort from it Can no thought be with-holden from God what a comfort is this to all that he hath good thoughts of or thoughts for good The heart of God is full of good thoughts to his people though he many times speaks hard words to them and doth hard things against them yet he hath good thoughts concerning them Psal 40.5 Many O Lord my God are thy wonderful works which thou hast done and thy thoughts which thou hast to us-ward Thoughts to us-ward are thoughts for us that is thoughts of good intended us Now hath the Lord many good thoughts for us and none of these shall be with-holden is not this comfort When the Church of the Jews was in Babilon the Lord dealt very hardly with them though not so hardly as they deserved But what were his thoughts Jer. 29.11 I know the thoughts that I think towards you you do not know the thoughts that I have towards you but I do what are they thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end that is the end which you expect and wait for What a mercy is this that no thought of God can be with-holden whenas he hath so many thoughts of mercy and good things to his people Again I might shew how dreadful this is to wicked men for the Lord hath nothing but thoughts of revenge and evil towards them But 't is enough to hint it Before I pass from this interpretation some may object If all the thoughts of God shall be brought to pass and none can withhold them if God will do what he hath a purpose to do then what need we trouble our selves so much in prayer For if God hath any thoughts of good to us it shall be done but if not we cannot bring it to pass by prayer And so some urge what need we repent and humble our selves the thoughts of God shall be fulfilled To this I say in general take heed of such reasonings for as they are very absurd and reasonless so they are very dangerous and leave us remediless More particularly I answer thus Though God hath thoughts and purposes of good to his people yet whatsoever good he will do for his people he will be sought unto to do it for them and therefore prayer repentance and humiliation are needful to
say understand and meditate upon these two things it would quiet our minds in the greatest storms of adversity and be a preservative against all impatience But if with these two we consider a third thing that the end which the Lord hath in bringing sufferings upon his people is to do them good how unreasonable a thing will impatience appear shall we be impatient at our profit If we are well instructed in this great truth that all things work together for good to them that love God and are the called according to his purpose Rom. 8.28 Where is there any room for impatience in those who are effectually called and truly love God! Impatience floweth from ignorance Again in that Job confesseth himself to be the man that hid the counsels of God when he had only been speaking unadvisedly of them Note He that speaketh improperly and unskilfully of the counsel or things of God hideth them When in discourses about divine truths we do not advance the honour of God we as it were cast a vail upon it Not to do what we ought is to do what we ought not our omissions of good may be censured as commissions of evil We should display and magnifie the wisdom of God in all his dealings with us and dispensations towards us else we do unwisely Thirdly Job chargeth it upon himself as a fault that he uttered what he knew not Hence note Our words and our understandings should go both together Let us take heed of venting with our tongues what we have not in some good degree reached with our understandings The understanding should give light to the tongue nor need we any other light to speak by but that of the understanding True light cannot shine out of our mouths if there be much darkness in our minds How shall we utter knowledge if we have it not Psal 147.7 God is the King in all the earth sing ye praises with understanding In singing praises as there is an exercise of our affections so there should be of our understanding also The Apostle puts it twice in those duties of prayer and praise 1 Cor. 14.15 I will pray with the Spirit and will pray with understanding also I will sing with the Spirit and I will sing with the understanding also A word should not go out of our mouths but such as the understanding dictates and directs better not to speak than speak what we know not If we understand not what we speak we seldom edifie others never our selves As the tongues of some utter things above their experiences and affections so do the tongues of others utter words beyond their judgements Fourthly When Job spake he thought he had spoken very well yet now he is convinced of his weakness and mistakes in what he spake Hence note Good-meaning men may sometimes arrogate and pretend to more knowledg than cometh to their share They may think they know the truth in a better manner and measure than indeed they do Our opinion of our selves is often greater than our knowledg of other matters and we may soon imagine we know that which indeed we know not The Apostle saith 1 Cor. 8.2 If any man think that he knoweth any thing he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know He that really knoweth any thing as he ought cannot but have thoughts that he knoweth it but he that thinketh that is is much or proudly thinking that he knoweth any thing doth only think so for he knoweth nothing as he ought that is really groundedly and effectually Fifthly Observe God will bring his servants at last to see how short they are of that knowledg which they sometimes presume to have Job thought he had more knowledg than he indeed had and God made him see it 'T is a work of great goodness in God to shew us how defective we are both in knowledge and goodness We are full of self till God convinceth us of our self-emptiness we are full of self-wisdom and self-strength and self-righteousness till the Lord convinceth us that our wisdom is folly our strength weakness our righteousness an unclean thing and sheweth us yea causeth us to recieve and take Christ for our righteousness strength and wisdom God did not leave Job till he had brought him out of and off from himself as to whatsoever he had too high an opinion of or any confidence in himself Again Job was upon his humiliation before God he had not any gross sin to charge himself with for he stood still upon his integrity as he had done before nor was Job mistaken in that point he had not lived in any gross sin That which he charged himself with was want of knowledg and his erroâ— in managing his cause towards God arising from it Hence note Sixthly Our ignorance and errors are to be confessed and bewailed before the Lord and we to be deeply humbled for them What though we have not any open wickedness to charge our selves with what though the world cannot charge us nor we our selves with any foul and black-fac'd enormities yet have we not errors have we not ignorances have we not weaknesses to confess Jobs eye had none of those beams in it but he began to see the moates in his eye and repented of his shortness in knowledg and of his rashness in language Though great sins call loudest for repentance yet the least sin even a sin of ignorance calleth us to repentance also and wo to those who knowingly neglect or stop their ears against that call When David was only stagger'd at the providence of God giving prosperity to the wicked so spake unadvisedly with his lips as Job in a parallel case did Psal 73.13 14. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency For all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning Yet as soon as he recovered out of this temptation how deeply did he charge himself ver 22. So foolish was I and ignorant I was as a beast before thee Why did he then call himself a fool a beast was it for adultery and murder which were once his sins no but for ignorance and rashness David called himself a beast in judging of the dealings of God by sense not for living in any beastly sensuality Let us remember and not lightly pass it over that though we have not which rarely we have not gross sins to confess yet we have ignorances and errors too too many The same David said and prayed Psal 19.12 Who can understand his errors cleanse thou me from secret faults that is from those faults and errors which I do not understand yea cleanse me from this fault that I have not a better understanding As he there prayed to be kept from the dominion and so from the guilt of presumptuous sins that is of sins committed against the light of knowledg so to be cleansed from the guilt of his secret sins that is of sins committed without his knowledg Thus
took impression upon my heart heretofore but I never had such an impression as in this tempest I never heard God speaking thus immediately to me nor did he ever give me any such visible demonstration of his presence as he hath vouchsafed me at this time speaking out of the whirlwind And from all we may conclude that as Job had a powerful illumination of the Spirit so an outward apparition of the Glory and Majesty of God or of Gods glorious Majesty to convince and humble him So that though Job had a saving knowledge of God formerly yet this discourse of God with him and discovery of God to him had made him a better Scholar than all his earthly teachers I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear But now mine eye seeth thee That is now I have as clear a sight or knowledge of thy mind and will of thy justice and goodness of thy power and soveraignty as if I had seen thee with mine eyes and had seen or looked into thy heart Or thus Not only hast thou graciously instructed me by speaking so much to me but thou hast manifested thy self present with me by an aspectable sign Mine eye hath seen thee that is thou hast given me to see that which assures me thou art neer unto me namely the Cloud out of which thou hast been pleased to speak and make known thy mind to me who am but dust and ashes The Lord may be seen these four wayes First In his Word Secondly In his works Thirdly In outward apparitions Fourthly And above all God is seen in his Son our Lord Jesus Christ whom the Apostle calls Heb. 1.3 The brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and in whose face the light of the knowledge of God shineth 2 Cor. 4.6 And hence Christ saith John 14.9 He that hath seen me hath seen the father The invisible father is seen in his Son who was made visible in our flesh John 1.18 Thus God may be seen But in his nature God is altogether invisible he cannot be seen Moses saw him that is invisible Heb. 11.27 that is he saw him by an eye of faith who is invisible to the eye of sense I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee Hence note First It is a great mercy and much to be acknowledged that we have the word of God sounding in our ears Faith cometh by hearing Rom. 10.17 The Prophet saith Isa 55.3 Hear and your soul shall live Now if faith and life come by hearing to have the word of God sounding in our ears must needs be a great mercy Though to have the word only sounding in our ear will do no man good yet 't is good to hear that joyful sound Though that sad Prophesie mentioned by Christ Mat. 13.14 be fulfilled in many By hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive Yet he said to his faithful followers vers 16. Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear They receive a blessing by hearing whose ears are blessed when they hear O how many souls are blessing God that ever they heard of himself and his Son our Lord Jesus Christ by the hearing of the ear To have an ear to hear is a common blessing but to have an hearing ear or to hear by the hearing of the ear is a special blessing Observe Secondly We should hear the Word very diligently That phrase I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear as the Hebrew Writers note signifieth a very attentive hearing Every hearing is not an hearing with the ear nor every seeing like that we intend when a man saith I saw it with my eyes One may see and not see hear and not hear The Word of God is to be heard with a hearing Such doublings in Scripture have a great emphasis in them As when the Lord saith They are cursed with a curse it notes a great and a certain curse is coming so to hear by the hearing of the ear implyeth fruitful hearing and a laying up of that in the mind which hath been heard Psal 44.1 We have heard with our ears O God our fathers have told us what work thou didst in their dayes in the times of old They who thus hear with their ears treasure up in their hearts and do with their hands what they have heard The Lord charged Ezekiel Chap. 44.5 Son of man mark well and behold with thine eyes and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee that is mind diligently what I shew and say unto thee The Lord called for the exercise of both senses in attending to what he spake to the Prophet He did not only say Hear with thine ears but see with thine eyes that is hear as if thou didst even see that which thou hearest For though possibly the Lord presented somewhat to the eye of the Prophet as well as he spake to his ear yet the former notion may well be taken in yea and intended in that command Many hear as if they had no ears and see as if they had no eyes One of the Ancients taking notice of that saith Such kind of hearers are like Malchus in the Gospel who had his ear cut off From those words But now mine eye seeth thee taken distinctly Observe Thirdly God revealeth himself more clearly and fully at one time than at another Seeing is somewhat more than hearing though it be attentive hearing As the full and clear manifestation which we shall have of God in the next life is expressed by seeing and called vision so the fullest and clearest apprehension which we have of God and the things of God in this life is a degree of seeing both him and them 't is the sight of faith and may also be called vision A true and strong believer tasts and feels and sees the truths of the Gospel which he hath heard his faith which is the eye of his soul is the evidence of those things to him which are not seen nor can be seen by an eye of sense He by the help of the Holy Ghost looks stedfastly into heaven and with this eye seeth the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God in his measure as blessed Stephen did Acts 7.55 This sight of God and spirituals hath three things in it beyond that ordinary though real knowledge which comes in by the hearing of the ear First a surpassing clearness Secondly an undoubted certainty Thirdly a ravishing sweetness and the overflowings of consolation Fourthly Note According to the measure of Gods revealing himself to us such is the measure of our profiting in the knowledge of God The word is spoken to all in the publick Ministry of it it is scattered upon all but they only learn to know God themselves truly to whom God doth inwardly reveal it whose hearts he toucheth and openeth by
and insignificant Bellarminus l. 1. de poenitentio c. 7. SS percurramus Some Popish Writers make the essence of repentance to consist in these or such like outward signs but though we deny that yet we grant these may be signs of true repentance For as to bow the knee is not to pray although he that prayeth usually boweth the knees as a sign of an humble heart in prayer so to sit in the dust and weep is not to repent although the truly penitent usually do so The essence of repentance consists in a broken heart for sin and in breaking off the course and custome of sin turning to God fully Further this outward ceremony of sitting in dust and ashes intimates the greatness of Jobs repentance or that he repented greatly under a deep sense of and with bitter mournings for his former miscarriages in the time of his affliction Hence note Sixthly A soul truly humbled maketh a very serzous work of repentance Poenitet me ex enime studiosissimè quod illis externa symbolis significabatur Jun. It is a common thing to say I repent but few know what it is to repent in dust and ashes They who repent indeed judge arraign and condemn themselves as at Gods tribunal they put their mouths in the very dust Repentanâ—e is heart work and deep work they who are brought in a spiritual sense to dust and ashes find it so Though some sinners corrupt themselves and their ways more deeply than others yet all sin is of a deep dye and corrupts deeply and therefore calls for deep for heart-deep mournings and repentings in dust and ashes Note Seventhly God will not give over dealing with his sinning servants till he hath brought them to true contrition for their sins How long was Job dealt with by his friends and by Elihu and by God himself before his heart was wrought into this frame and temper to repent in dust and ashes It was long before he understood that God might break in innocent person to pieces and give no account why God did not give over afflicting Job till he came to that acknowledgment Job said Chap. 40.4 I am vile and it might be thought that had been repentance sufficient But though Job was then brought low yet he was not brought low enough he cryed I am vile but till God spake to him of Behemoth and Leviathan he repented not in dust and ashes Ephraim said Jer. 31.18 19. Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke turn thou me and I shall be turned thou art the Lord my God Surely after that I was turned I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth The Lord never left smiting Ephraim till he made him smite upon his thigh If we do not come home in the work of repentance by words God will fetch us home with his rods In the eighth place If we consider this repentance of Job with what followeth presently upon it his restauration Observe When we are deeply humbled and brought low we are near our exaltation When Job lay in dust and ashes God was about to set him upon a mountain a mountain of prosperity and that a higher one than ever he was upon before Psal 126.5 6. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy they that go forth weeping bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoycing bringing their sheaves with them Therefore take the Apostles counsel 1 Pet. 5.6 Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God and what then he will exalt you in due time The due time of our lifting up is at hand when we are laid low and sincerely humbled under the hand of God Jobs humiliation and restauration did almost synchronize or come near in time together Ninthly Note True repentance endeth in true joy The word which signifies to be grieved signifieth also to rejoyce and Job found it so he was comforted as soon as fully humbled Repentance issueth in joy three ways First There is joy in heaven when a sinner repenteth Luke 15.7 As he that found his lost sheep brought it home and rejoyced in it more than over the ninety and nine that did not go astray So saith Christ there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over ninety and nine just persons that need no repentance True sorrow on earth maketh joy in heaven Secondly There is joy in the Church The godly on earth rejoyce at the known repentance of a sinner When the prodigal son came home his father said to his discontented brother It was meet that we should make merry and be glad for this thy brother was dead and is alive again he was lost and is found The Apostle greatly rejoyced at the repentance of the Corinthians 2 Cor. 7.9 Now I rejoyce not that ye were made sorry but that you sorrowed to repentance Their sorrow occasion'd his joy yet not that but their repentance was the cause of it There is no better joy on earth than that which ariseth out of the dust of repenting sorrows As the Apostle John had no greater joy than to hear that his spiritual children walked in the truth Ephes 3.4 So what greater joy can we have than to see any who had gone astray from returning to the truth Thirdly Repentance issueth in joy chiefly to the soul repenting If other mens repentance causeth our joy our own will cause it much more 2 Cor. 7.10 Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of The Apostles meaning is more than he speaks repentance not to be repented of is repentance to be rejoyced and gloried in We cannot take comfort in our sins but we may take much comfort in repenting for our sins as that repentance is joyned with faith in Christ who hath given us power to repent and who is for himself to be rejoyced in Lastly Take this general note from the whole matter The speakings of God to man whether mediate or immediate are mighty and effectual The speaking of man to man barely can do nothing but the speaking of man to man in the power of God will do much how much more if God himself speak God spake to Job and these mighty effects followed First Self-abhorrence Secondly Deep repentance Thirdly Full submission to the will of God Fourthly A readiness to testifie by all due means how vile how miserable he was yet cleaving fast to and depending fully upon God by faith in the promise for mercy peace and pardon Fifthly A change both of mind and manners both in thought word and way Job thought no more as he had done he spake no more as he had done he acted no more as he had done in that condition he was another manner of man than before a good man he was before but now a better he came out of the fire of that affliction and
that when once we have it we may rejoyce all our days Eccles 9.7 Go thy way eat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart for God now accepteth thy works Solomon doth not mean it of a sensitive joy only much less of any sensual joy but of a gracious and spiritual joy In this joy we may eat and drink when our work is accepted and our work is never accepted till our persons are Now if it be so great a priviledge to be accepted with the Lord how great a misery is it not to be accepted this inference floweth naturally from that great truth And how great a misery it is not to be accepted of God several Scriptures hold out The Prophet Amos 5.22 declareth no other judgment upon that people but this The Lord accepteth them not And the same declaration is made by several other Prophets Jerem. 14.10 12. Hos 8.13 Mal. 1.8 10. Acceptance is our greatest mercy and non-acceptance our greatest misery and that 's the reason why the understanding and faithful servants of God are so strict or as the world accounts it precise and scrupleous that they will not turn aside no not in those things which are called small matters and of which many think God will take no notice They desire to be accepted of God in every thing and because they know in some measure what is acceptable to him therefore they would do nothing no not the least thing which is unacceptable to him Prov. 10.32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable The lips are organs or instruments of speech not of knowledge the understanding knoweth the lips only speak Yet here Solomon ascribes the work of the understing to the lips and this he doth because there is or should be a great cognation between the understanding and the lips we should speak nothing but what we understand we should speak only what we know and according to our knowledge The lips of the righteous have such an intercourse with their understanding that their very lips may be said to know what is acceptable and therefore they speak what is acceptable It is said of David that he guided the people with the skilfulness saith our with the discretion saith another translation with the understanding of his hands saith the original Psal 78.72 The hand hath no more understanding skill or discretion seated in it than the lips yet because David consulted with his understanding in what he did with his hand it is said He guided them by the skilfulness or discretion or understanding of his hand Thus the lips of the righteous understand and know what is acceptable and they know that unless they have an aime to honour God in small matters yea in all matters they greatly dishonour him and so cannot be accepted with him at all The excellency of a gracious heart appears greatly when he maketh conscience of doing the least thing which he knows ye only fears will be unacceptable to God or wherein he may run the hazard of this priviledge his acceptation with him There are three things which shew why it is so great a priviledg to be accepted with God and why his servants are so careful not to do any thing that is unacceptable unto him First Because Once accepted with God and always accepted For though possibly a person accepted may have some frowns from God upon his uneven walkings or sinful actings yet his state of acceptation continues firm in the main The Lord doth not utterly cast off his favourites no nor any whom he taketh into his favour or a nearness with himself Secondly If we are once accepted with God he can make us accepted with men and that not only with good men Rom. 14.18 but even with bad men God can give us favour in the eyes of those men who have not an eye to see that we are in his favour Daniel who was so careful to keep up his acceptation with God That he purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the portion of the Kings meat Dan. 1.8 9. Of him it is said ver 9. God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the Prince of the Eunuches He a conscientious Jew had great acceptation with him who was an idolatrous Heathen Thirdly If once accepted of the Lord we need not be much troubled though we are reprobate to the world though the world reject and cast us off yea cast us out The Lords acceptation of us will bear or may bear up our spirits in the midst of the worlds reproaches repulses and rejections Again When the Lord saith Him will I accept Observe The Lord accepts some godly men more than others Jobs three friends were godly men questionless they were yet they had not that acceptation with God which Job had All that are godly have acceptation with God but they have not all alike acceptation Acts 10.35 In every Nation they that fear him and work righteousness are accepted with him Which we must not take meerly for a moral or legal righteousness but as in conjunction with an Evangelical righteousness Now let them be who they will that fear God and work righteousness they are accepted but all are not equally accepted him will I accept saith the Lord concerning Job with an Emphasis why was it so because Job was one of the most eminent persons for godliness yea the most eminent at that time upon the face of the whole earth as was shewed at the 2d verse of the first chapter Noah was a man highly accepted of the Lord above others and he was righteous above others Gen. 7.1 Thee saith God have I seen righteous before me in this generation Possibly there might be others righteous but there was no man so righteous as Noah and none so accepted as he And if it be enquired who amongst good men are most accepted or accepted beyond other good men I answer First They among good men are most accepted who live most by faith As without faith it is impossible to please God in any degree Heb. 11.6 so they that live most by faith please God most or in the highest degree and are most accepted by him Abraham who lived so much by faith that he was called the father of the faithful was so much accepted of God that he is called The friend of God Jam. 2.23 Secondly Among godly men they who are most upright in their walkings who walk with a single eye and with a right foot are most acceptable such a man was Job The character given him Chap. 1.1 was A man perfect and upright Thirdly They that walk most humbly are most acceptable unto God For 〈◊〉 God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble Jam. 4.6 so he sheweth grace that is favour or graceth and adorneth them with his favours When one said Mich. 6.6 Wherewith shall I come before the Lord c. The Prophet answered vers 8. He hath shewed thee O man what is
judgment and procedure with Job and therefore they must hear of it a second time or as we say at both ears Secondly The Lord telleth them again of it that he might fasten the sense of their sin more upon them We very hardly take the impression of our follies and failings we are ready to let the thoughts of them wear off and slip from us they abide not but glide away as water from a stone or from the swans-back unless fixed by renewed mindings and for this reason the Lord repeateth the mention of sin so often in the the ears of his people by the ministry of his word that the evil of it may more fully appear to them or that they may the more clearly see and the better know how bad how base how foolish a thing it is to sin against him Thirdly I conceive the Lord repeated these words to confirm the judgment which he had given before concerning them in those woâ—ds Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right Quicquid in divino colloquiâ— reâ—etitur robustius confirmatur Greg. lib. 35. moral c. 8. As if the Lord had said that which I said before I say again I do not change my opinion either concerning you or my servant Job and therefore I say it once more the repâ—â—ting of a matter is for the confirmation of it as Joseph told Pharaoh about the doubling of his dream Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right Like my servant Job These words also are a repetition yea a triplication and more than so this is the fourth time that the Lord hath called Job his servant in the compass of two verses three times in this 8th verse and once in the 7th But what should be the meaning of this why did the Lord call Job his servant so often even four times as it were in one breath I answer First It intimates that Job was the Lords steady servant that what he was at first he was then at last and what he had been long ago he was still Some have been called the servants of God who have given it over in the plain field but here the Lord calleth Job his servant over and over four times over as being his sure servant Secondly It was to shew that as Job retained the same duty and respect to the service of God so God retained the same opinion of Job and of his service then as at first Thirdly The Lord in repeating this relational title servant so often would assure us that he knew not how if I may speak so to speak more honourably of him The Lord gave no other title to Moses Num. 12.7 nor to Caleb Num. 14.24 nor to David 2 Sam. 7.5 8. The Lord did not speak this so often because he wanted other titles to give him or because he had not variety of phrases to express himself by but as if he knew not where to find a more honourable title I grant that title of relation Son is more noble and more endearing but that is not at all spoken of in the Old Testament nor is it given to any particular person in the New Believers as to their state are all the sons of God but no one believer is spoken either to or of under this title Son The Apostle Paul still called himself only a servant of God He that is the Lords servant is the best of free-men We have enough to glory in when we are his servants The History reports of the French King That the Ambassador of the King of Spain repeating many great titles of his Master the King of France commanded this only to be mentioned of him King of France King of France implying that this single title King of France was as honourable as that large roll of titles given the King of Spain Thus the Lord calleth Job his servant his servant his servant to shew that all honour is wrapt up in this word A servant of God Fourthly This repetition may signifie That Job had been a very great good and faithful servant to the Lord not only a servant but a laborious and profitable servant to the Lord so the Scripture calls those who are laborious in his service though at best as to the Lord we are unprofitable servants nor can any be profitable unto him Fifthly The Lord multiplieth this title upon him because whatsoever a godly man doth is service to the Lord. This word service is comprehensive of all duties to hear the Word is to serve the Lord to pray to fast to give almes is to serve the Lord all is service to the Lord. Job was every way a servant of the Lord. First As he was a Ruler To rule well in a family is to serve the Lord to rule Nations is to serve the Lord much more Job was a ruler and he ruled well in both capacities as was shewed in opening the 29th 30th and 31st chapters Secondly Job was a great servant of the Lord as he was a worshipper Thirdly Job was a great servant of the Lord as he was a sacrificer he had the honour of the priest-hood Fourthly Job was a great servant of the Lord as a teacher of the truth he had instructed many as Eliphaz acknowledged chap. 4.3 And as he was a great servant of the Lord in teaching the truth so in opposing error he stood firm to his own opinion the truth against the tenent of his friends Fifthly Job served the Lord as he was a sufferer To suffer is very great service especially as he did to suffer greatly We serve the Lord as much with his cross upon our backs as with his yoke upon our necks or his burden upon our shoulders Job was a great servant of the Lords as in holding forth the doctrine of the cross or maintaining that God afflicts his choicest servants so in bearing the cross himself Sixthly Job was a great servant of the Lord in praying for his friends and in being so willing to be reconciled to them and therefore the Lord having had so many services of him and so many ways repeateth my servant Job my servant Job as if he could not say this word often enough My servant Job Thus we have the Lords command or charge given to Eliphaz and his two friends what they must do for the quenching of that fire which was kindled in his breast against them for their folly in dealing with his se vant Job How they answered that command will appear in the next words Vers 9. So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did according as the Lord commanded them the Lord also accepted Job This verse holds out the obedience of Eliphaz and his two friends to the charge and command which the Lord gave them in the eighth verse where the Lord said to these three men Take to you seven bullocks and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up for your selves a burnt offering
the highest threat I go away and ye shall dye in your sins John 8.21 They that dye in their sins dye a double death at once a temporal and an eternal death together And to those who have got the sting of death pulled out that is the guilt of sin removed and washed off by the blood of Christ I would Fourthly Take this caution If you would have death easie to you dye more and more to sin daily Some who are dead to sin may find much life of sin remaining in them and they who have much of the life of sin in them will never dye easily they will find strong bands in their death which in another sense some wicked men find not Psal 73.4 While either sin or self or the world are lively in us death will be greivous to us Therefore let them who are dead to sin never think themselves dead enough to it while they live they who are most dead to sin and the world have the sweetest and most comfortable passage out of the world So Job dyed Being old It must needs be that Job was an old man when he had lived an hundred and forty years after all his changes before this change came Why then is it added he died being old or being an old man Surely to teach us this lesson Old age and death cannot be far asunder 'T is a truth young men and death are not very far asunder youth and death are at no great distance but when we see an old man we may conclude that death and he are very near neighbours While we see an old man with his staff in his hand we may say he carrieth a rapper in his hand by which at every step he knocks at the door of the grave There is no man not the youngest man that can reckon certainly upon one day beyond what he hath and therefore Solomon admonisheth us Prov. 27.1 Beast not of to-morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth And the Apostle James checks those who would reckon upon a day he tells them upon the matter That they reckon without their hoast James 4.13 Go to now ye that say to day or to-morrow we will go into such a City and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain And then at the 14th verse Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow for saith he What is your life it is even a vapour that appeareth for a little while and then vanisheth away They that are youngest have not a day nor an hour in their power to reckon upon what then have they that are old We may say of them They are even past their reckoning A woman near her time will sometimes say she hath but a day to reckon and some will say they have never a day to reckon old men may say so they have not a day to reckon Young men may dye old men must dye Then let old men be much in the meditation of death let them be often looking into their graves their gray hairs that do so are found in the way of wisdom Job dyed being old There was no longer staying for him in this world Once more Job dyed being old And full of days There is a twofold fullness First A fullness of satiety Secondly A fullness of satisfaction They are full in a way of satiety who loath that which they are filled with 't is burthensome to thâ—m They are full in a way of satisfaction who having enough are pleased and desire no more Some expound this Text of Job in the former sence he was full of days that is he had a fullness of satiety upon him he had lived so long that his life was a burden to him he had lived till he was weary of living his life was tedious and grievous to him It is said Revel 9.6 In those days shall men seek death and shall not find it and shall desire to dye and death shall flee from them That which most flee from some pursue and it fleeth from them None are so unfit to dye as they who upon the account spoken of in that Text seek death and desire to dye I do not conceive that Job was full of days in the former notion as the stomack may be full of meat and loath it or be burthened with it but as having had enough of it though well liked to the last morsel And I am sure he was not full of days when he dyed in the latter notion as one wearied with the troubles of his life for all his latter days were a blessing to him and he blessed in them all His last days in this world being his best days of worldly enjoyment he could have no reason upon any worldly account to desire a departure out of the world I grant a good man though he hath not lived many days may be full of days even to weariness by reason of his temptations corruptions and sins of which kind of weariness the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 5.2 In this earthly house of the body we grown earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven And upon this account possibly Job himself might be weary of his life and desire the death of his body that he might be delivered from the body of that death But Jobs worldly life was as sweet as it was long he was as full of blessings as he was of days and therefore doubtless he was only satisfied with living not tired with it He did not loath his natural life nor did he hunger after a longer life in this world he hungred after eternity not time He did not hunger after a longer life as they do who have their portion in this life how long soever they have lived A worldly man is never satisfied with living in the world he never hath his belly full of living here while he sees he may as Job might fill his belly with the good things of this life But as Job had lived very long and very well on earth so he knew there was a better life to be had in heaven and therefore was full of days both as having had many and as having no desire after more on earth As he was not which David deprecated Psal 102.24 taken away in the midst of his days so he was willing to come to the end of his days and for that reason might well be said to dye being old and full of days Secondly These words so Job died being old and full of days may note as his willingness to dye so the easiness of his death he was come to a full ripeness for death Fruit that is fully ripe is soon gathered and sometimes drops off alone from the tree Job was every way ripe for death his body was ripe he was full of days his soul was ripe he was full of grace surely then his was a spontaneous death a very sweet way of dying His natural strength was not much being old
perfection 878 Sight spiritual of Divine truths notes three things 826. Sight of any thing which we much desire pleaseth us much 654. Sight of the eye a clearer evidence than hearing 822 Silence two-fold 754 Sin deprives us of God 140. Great sins hasten judgment 141. A good man may sin often but he will not take leave to sin once 524. Sin heartily repented of is not persisted in 525. Sin dangerous 680. It is a vain thing to sin 685. They who venture upon sin are cruel to themselves 692. No standing before God in sin 696. Sin makes God and many creatures terrible to us 730. Two things shew the greatness of sin 885. Sinners obstinate make war with God 187. Sinners punished with that which is most cross to their lusts 592 Sinning with a high hand what 141 Singing a part of worship an expression of joy 78 Smoak what it is 742 Snow by whom first used to cool his drink 188 Solitude or a solitary life when to be chosen 336 337 Solstices when 127 Soul why mans glory 569 South why the Hawk stretcheth her wings to the South 471. The Allegorical sense of it 471 472 Speaker two things the grace of a speaker 31 Spears of two sorts 762. Spirit a threefold work of the Spirit upon the soul of man 239 Stag or Hart two things observed of him by Naturalists 211 212 Stars morning-stars why so called 76. In what sence stars may be said to sing 78. Three wayes they sing 79. God hath planted a vertue in the stars 238. No man can stop the vertue or influences of the stars from falling upon the earth 239. Two Inferences from it 239 240. Influences of the stars as beneficial to man as their light 240. The stars have their seasons of appearing appointed them by God 247. An Inference from it 248. The stars have a guide 250 Stewards how all are so 28 Stork good and full of pity as her name in the Hebrew signifies 393 Strength great strength needful for great work 367. Great strength may do great work 367. Some have great strength yet not to be trusted with any work 370. How strength may be trusted 370. Three sorts of men to be considered with respect to strength 370 371. A willing mind better than great strength 375. Strength is of God 424. Great strength makes us joyful in sorrows 748 Submission twofold 887. How we must submit even to inferiours whom we have wronged 887 Suffering we have no cause to fear loss by suffering for Christ 952 Sun the light of it wonderfully extensive and diffusive 130. Sun why called the Father of the winds 199. The power of the Sun upon the earth 254. Why the Egyptians pictured a Hawk to represent the Sun five reasons of it 472 Sutableness of any thing to us is the cause of delight 295. 340 Swadling-band of the Sea what 101 Sword hath a terrible face 448. Sword of God any thing that he useth to destroy by 637 T Teaching of God necessary else mans profiteth not 16 820. Gods teaching is effectual for all purposes seven especially 821 Temptation Satan tempts us much to two things 509 Terror good men may sometimes see the terrible appearances of God 532. God will not cease them till he hath brought man to his purpose 532. The terror of God against the wicked 534 728 Thoughts of man all known to God 803. Three Inferences from it 804. Eight sorts of thoughts to be taken heed of 805 Thunder and lightning ordered by God 205. To thunder what it signifieth in Scripture 558. A thunder or mighty power goeth out in a tenfold voice of God 559 560 Time all creatures keep time better than man 118 128. Time weakens the strongest earthly creatures 291 Tongue why called the glory of man 80 569. Tongue hard to be ruled 521 522 Trees some love watry grounds others dry 645 Treasures or Treasuries of any thing what they import 178 179 Trouble hath its time 185. Times of trouble are specially known to and appointed by God 185. God can make a time of trouble either terrible or comfortable 189 Trust what may be given to strength what not 370. Three things required in those we trust with any business 374. Trust in man or in any meer creature a threefold evil issue of it 555 V Vile to be vile notes three things 511. Man at his best estate is vile 512. Man is vile in three respects 513. Four Inferences from it 513 514. The more God reveals himself to us the more our vileness appears to us 518 Visitation twofold 144 Understanding to know iâ— the work of it 57. The understanding is the master-wheel turning all the faculties of the soul 57. Understanding should go before speaking 58. How irrational creatures may be said to have understanding 414 Unicorn what the Hebrew word signifieth 346. Some deny that there is any such beast in the world 347. He is very strong 367. Unicorn by whom and in what resembled 380 381 Union a threefold union or joyning together in one very pleasing to God 914 Unity among the Ministers of the Gosspel how desirable 86 87. Unity a great means of safety 735 Voice of God a tenfold voice of God exceeding powerful 559 560 W War a day of battel and war is eminently a day of trouble 187 Water in the clouds divided to the earth as God pleaseth 203. The Lord orders the waters in four respects 204 Whales cast upon unusual coasts are a warning to them 783 Whirlwind what 11. Three opinions concerning the wâ—irlwind out of which God answered Job 11. Why God answered Job out of a whirlwind 12 13. Wicked men have a title to good things 139. They shall be broken though high and strong 142. They are like the Hawk in three things 474 Wicked who in a large sense who in a strict sense 587 588. The wicked shall come to a sad conclusion 593. God will at last rid the world of wicked men 594. No outward advantage shall secure the wicked from mischief 595 Wilderness of two sorts 207 Will a kind of will in beasts 358. Service should be done with the will 358. A willing mind doth much 375 Will of God the foundation of the earth and of all things 52 53 Will of a godly man against all sin 526 Winds under the c mmand of God 209. The way of the wind a secret 201 Wings of the morning what 129 Wisdom where the seat of it in man 267. Common wisdom is of God 268. Six Inferenceâ— from it 268 269. God makes one man differ from another in wisdom and understanding 416. A great mercy to have wisdom in six things 416 417 Wolf evening wolf why so called 77 Womb what the womb is out of which the Sea issued 96 97 Word of God is and how it is the determiner of controversies 17. Word to be heard with reverence 19. Word of God heard a great mercy 825. Word to be heard with diligence 825. A fourfold work of