word with all readines of mind yet they did not swallow downe all whole that was sayd to them but searched the Scriptures dayly whether those things ware so Act. 17.11 The Apostles rule is sutable to their practice 1 Thes 5.21 Prove all things hold fast that which is good Now as it is the duty of hearers and learners to hold nothing till they have proved it so it is the duty of Teachers to offer every doctrine to the ballance or tryall which they desire others should hold Secondly While Job doth thus confidently offer his assertion to tryall We learne That Truth is not affrayd to be tryed Truth often lieth in a corner but truth doth not seeke corners truth never hides her head as ashamed to be seene or discussed by men Truth as some have sayd lyeth in a deepe pit it is hard to finde it out it lieth out of sight yet truth doth not hide it selfe but dares stand forth in the face of all the world truth no more feares the triall then pure gold feares the touchstone or then a schollar who hath made good progresse in his learning feares to be examined He that hath truth with him needs not care who appeares against him Thirdly In that he sayth if it be not so now who will make me a liar Note False doctrine is a lye Isa 9.15 The antient and the honourable he is the head the Prophet that teacheth lies that is the Prophet that teacheth false doctrine he is the tayle Jer. 9.3 They bend their tongues like their bowes for lies but they are not valiant for the truth on the earth The Prophet as I conceave intends not so much falsehood in discourse which we call telling a lye as falsehood of doctrine which we call teaching of lyes They bend their tongues as bows for lies that is they set themselves to the maintaining of false doctrine to the utmost stretch of their wit and words Againe saith the Lord Jer. 14.14 The Prophets that prophecy lyes in my name I sent them not neither have I commanded them neither spake unto them they prophecy unto you a false divination and a thing of nought and the deceit of their heart The whole doctrine of the man of sin is called a lye Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved therefore God gave them up to strong delusion that they should beleive a lye 2 Thes 2.11 All the faith-devouring and conscience-wasting errors that ever the man of sin vented to the world are wrapt up in this one syllable or word a lye He that receaveth a lye that is told wrongeth others by it but he that receaved a lye that is taught wrongeth himselfe most by it To tell a lye is very sinfull but to teach a lye is much more sinfull The evill of that sin is greatest which spreadeth furthest continueth longest A lye that is told and received sticketh not long in the memory but passeth away for the most part like a tale that is told and it is enough to many a man that telleth a lye if he be beleeved but a little while But a lye that is taught and receaved sticketh long in the understanding and abideth there like a nayle fastned by the Masters of the assemblyes and it is not enough to him that teacheth a lye unlesse it be beleeved for ever Thirdly When Job sayth Who will make me a liar Note The worst thing that can be proved against any man is that he is a lyar To be a lyar is to be as bad as may be For it is to be as bad as the Devill He deceaved the woman both by telling and teaching a lye Gen. 3. He abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a lye he speaketh of his owne for he is a lyar and the father of it Joh. 6.44 Every sin is of the Devill both by temptation and approbation but onely some sinnes are of the Devill by way of practice and the sin which is chiefely of him by practice is lying Now every sin the more congeniall it is to the Devill the more sinfull abominable it is And therefore among those who shall be without lye-makers are chiefe Rev. 22.15 Without are doggs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye The universality of this exclusion is onely expressed upon lyars as if he had sayd to be sure all lyars shall be without He that maketh a lye hath nothing worse to make and he that maketh that is proveth a man to be a lyar hath nothing worse to make of him And make my speech nothing worth The Hebrew is And bring my speech to nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ideÌ„ quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graeci bâ—nè interpretantur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verbum è verbo in non as if he had sayd I challenge all men to disprove my reasons or to prove that my reasons are not a proofe of that for which I brought them In briefe let any man refute or confute what I have sayd if he can and then let all that I have sayd goe for nothing or be counted nothing worth Hence note Vnsound doctrine is worthlesse doctrine The speech of a lyar is nothing worth sound doctrine is of great value it is worth thousands David preferr'd the word of God before thousands of Gold and silver every holy truth is the word of God eyther formally or vertually eyther in termes or by consequence The Apostle compares sound doctrine to things of greatest worth even to Gold silver and pretious stones and in the same place 1 Cor. 3.12 he compares unsound doctrine or doctrine unsutable to the foundation which is Jesus Christ alone to wood hay stubble which as they are things in their owne nature unconsiderable worthlesse in comparison of Gold silver and pretious stones so as to the busienes upon which he there treates a suitable building upon Christ they are altogether worthlesse And if those doctrines which because of some errour in them are unsutable to the foundation are to be accounted but wood hay and stubble how worthlesse are those doctrines which being altogether erroneous are inconsistent with and quite overthrow the foundation Such doctrines are worthy of nothing but a dung-hill being themselves nothing but drosse and dung What is that worth to us which is uselesse to us How worthlesse then is that which is destructive to us Every error is a Bable a thing of no use some errors are as poyson deadly in their use The Apostle Peter doth not spare to say as much of them 2 Epist 2.1 2. while he calleth them damnable heresies which bring swift destruction upon the bringers of them in or the broachers of them abroad And if they bring destruction upon those who bring them they that receave them cannot be safe To conclude this poynt and Chapter if erroneous doctrine be nothing worth
with men but we read not of any honour they did to or received from God It is the highest disgrace to be memorable for actings against grace or for ungracious actings Num observas perpetuum ordinem quem in puniendis talibus impijs teâ—uit deus post natos homines Merc Putat hunc esse perpetuum ordinem domini ut impios hic puniat sed fallitur Merc Againe The old way may be taken for the way of punishment or for that course of divine Justice which was Executed upon wicked men in those elder times There is away of Judgement which God takes as there is a way of Sinne which man takes Sinfull ways lead into troublesome ways end in death Hast thou considered the way of justice which the Lord went in towards those old Sinners powring out his wrath and emptying the vialls of his Indignation upon them till hee had consumed and swept them off as rubbish from the face of the earth Hast thou marked the old way which eyther the lusts of wicked men have led them into or which the justice of the Lord hath brought them into Hast thou observed the old way Which wicked men have troden The Hebrew is Men of Iniquity Which phrase plainly imports that he doth not speake of the ordinary race or ranke of sinners but of the Extreamest sinners men so full of iniquity that they deserved this blacke Title men of Iniquity Antichrist is called not onely a man of sin or the man of sin but which implyeth a sinner of a higher forme then both the former That man of sin 2 Thes 2.3 He being indeed not onely among the chiefest sinners but the chiefe of sinners The phrase in the Text is a degree lower then that yet it notes a very great degreee And therefore when the Prophet would assure the greatest sinners repenting and returning to God of the readines of God to pardon he expresseth them in this stile Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man or as the Original Text hath it the man of iniquity his thoughts and c. As a man of Bloods notes a very bloody man a man given up to that particular sin of cruelty So a man of iniquity is one given up to sin in Generall Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men men of iniquity have Trodden This word trodden referred both to a sinfull and a suffering way notes the frequency of their going or being in those wayes And as it is referred to their sinfull way alone it notes first their boldnesse in sinning secondly their resolvednesse to sin A trodden way is such a way as a man hath often gone and in which he is not afraid to goe Hast thou marked the old way Hence note First The way of Sin and Error is an old way The Devill sinned from the beginning and men have sinned from their beginning not onely have there been sinnings but great sinnings from the begining the old way is the way of sin though the oldest way be not There was holines before there was sinne and truth before there was Error So that the way of sinne is the old way but not the oldest way God all whose wayes are holy was from everlasting The Angels who have been holy as long as they have been were from the beginning And the first beginning of man in his conversation was no doubt like his constitution holy He quickly went out of the way but surely his first step was not out of the way he went right before he went wrong and stood before he fell Againe if you take the way for the way of punishment Note That God in all ages hath punished sinners in their sinfull wayes God hath every where and every when left the tract and print of his anger and displeasure upon sinners though some particular sinners have gone unpunished in some age yet there was never any age wherein sinne was not punished in some The Lord gives a morall stopp to sinne perpetually that is by his Lawes he declares against it his word is expresse against all ungodlynes both the word of his Command and the word of his threatning Now as the Lord doth alwayes put this morall stopp in the way of sinne so he often puts a Judiciary stopp or a stop by way of Judgement And as in the 3d of Genesis he set a flaming sword in the way of the tree of life so he continually sets a flaming word that is a threatning to keepe the way of the tree of death that is of sinne Thus he alwayes meetes sinfull men in the way of their lusts as the Angel met Balaam when he went to curse the Israel of God with a drawne sword to stopp them in their way the Lord hath set many drawne swords in the way of every sinne and he hath left the prints of his wrath upon the backs of many sinners that wee should take heed of sinning The Lord hath left many sad examples upon record against sinne nor hath he at any time favoured it or done any thing which might indeed encourage sinners for though sometimes wicked men have prosper'd yet should wee looke into all times wee cannot finde that wicked men were ever blessed Judgement hath overtaken them sooner or later And if it hath at any time come too late to overtake them in this world yet it will come soone enough to overtake theirs in this or themselves in the world which is to come No man is blessed at any time who comes at last to be miserable Thirdly In that he saith Hast thou marked the old way Note It is our duty to observe and marke as the way of sinfull men so the way in which God punisheth their sinne All the wayes of God are to be marked as wee are to observe what the Lord speakes so what he doth his works as well as his word are remarkeable Who so is wise saith the Psalmist Psal 107.43 and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving kindnes of the Lord. I may say also that they shall understand the judgements of the Lord. And againe the Prophet confirmes it Hos 14.9 Who is wise and he shall understand these things prudent and he shall know them for the wayes of the Lord are right and the Just shall walke in them but the transgressors shall fall therein The wicked fall in the way of his commandements and therefore surely they shall fall in the way of his judgements And as the Lord hath given us Examples of this so he hath given this as the use of those Examples that wee should marke and observe them The Apostle 1 Cor. 10. shewes that all the dealings of God with that his ancient People the Jewes are written and recorded as our Examples ver 5 6 7. With many of them God was not well pleased but they were overthrowne in the wilderness Now these things were our Examples to the Intent that wee should not lust
when the ungodly fall and not fall into sin themselves I answer First The righteous rejoyce at the fall of the wicked as blessing God who hath kept their feete from those wayes in which the wicked have fallen As 't is a great mercy to be kept out of those ill wayes to be kept from fiding with those corrupt interests in the pursuit of which we see many broken so 't is a duty to rejoyce that we have not walked in their way whose end we see to be nothing els but destruction Secondly The righteous have cause to rejoyce blesse God when they see the wicked fall because themselves are saved keepe their standing because themselves have escaped the danger and the Lord hath been a banner of protection over them in the day when the wicked fell Moses after the destruction of Amaleck built an Altar and called the name of it Jehova-Nissi Exod. 17.15 that is to say The Lord is my banner And in like cases the joy of the Saints is not properly in the destruction of the wicked but in their owne deliverance through the mighty power good hand of God with them It is the presence of God with them the appearance of God for them which is the gladnes of their hearts Thirdly The righteous then rejoyce because the Church and people of God are in a fayre way to peace when the Lyons are destroyed the sheepe are in safety when the Wolves and the Beares are cut off the flock rests quietly so in this case when men of devouring cruell spirits wicked and ungodly ones are removed the flocke of God the sheepe of his pasture feed quietly none making them afrayd The fall of the enemies of Sion is the establishment of Sion yea in a great measure of mankinde As the Prophet most elegantly sets it forth Isa 14.6 7 8. He who smote the people in wrath with a continuall stroke he that ruled the Nations in anger is persecuted and none hindereth The whole earth is at rest and is quiet they breake forth into singing yea the firre-trees rejoyce at thee and the Cedars of Lebanon saying since thou art layd downe no feller is come up against us How often have wicked men in power felled not onely the Firre-trees and Cedars of the world but the goodly trees of righteousnesse in the Lords plantations have they not therefore reason to sing when such fall seing the Fellers themselves are then felled and fallen Fourthly Joy ariseth to the righteous because God is honoured in the fall of wicked men And that 's their chiefest joy That God is honoured is more joy to the righteous then that themselves are saved how much more then then that the wicked are destroyed There is a threefold honour arising to God when the wicked fall First God is honoured in his justice such a day is the day of the declaration of the righteous judgement of God as the Apostle speakes of the great day of Judgement Rom. 2.5 Thou after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up to thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God Some doe even question the justice of God when wicked men prosper but he is vindicated in his justice when wicked men fall It cannot but please righteous men to see the righteous God exalted or God exalted in his righteousnesse They know and beleeve that God is righteous when the wicked prosper Jer. 12.1 But when the wicked are punished they proclaime his righteousnes Then they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lambe saying Great and marvailous are thy workes Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Who shall not feare thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name c. for thy Judgements are made manifest Rev. 15.3 4. The Lord is alwayes alike Just but it doth not alwayes alike appeare how just he it And as that God is just is the faith and stay of the Saints so the appearances of his justice are their joy and triumph Secondly God is honoured much in the attribute of his truth in the truth of his word in the truth of his threatenings when the wicked are punished God hath spoken bloudy words concerning wicked men not onely in reference to their future estate in the next life but to their present estate in this Say to the wicked it shall be ill with him the reward of his hands shall be given him But what is this reward There are two sorts of rewards First rewards of love and favour according to the good which we have done Secondly rewards of wrath and anger poenal rewards according to the evill which we have done Now when the Lord puts these poenal rewards into the hands of the wicked or powres them upon their heads he is honoured in his truth as well as his justice for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it As the promises are yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 so also are the threatnings unto the glory of God by us But as when David saw his life in danger every day he began to question the truth of God in the promise that he should live to reigne and fit upon the throne of Israel for saith he Psal 116.11 when things went thus with him I said in my hast all men are lyars even Samuel among the rest who assured me of the Kingdome by expresse message from God but surely he also is deceived and hath fed me with vaine hopes Now as these words of David according to our translation of them and the truth of the thing in frequent experiences shew that Godly men are apt to question the truth of the promise when themselves are by seemingly contradicting providences much afflicted so they are apt to question the truth of the threatnings when they see outward providences prospering the wicked Therefore when the threatnings have their actuall yea and Amen that is when they are executed upon the ungodly this also is to the glory of God by us that is God is glorified by all his people who heare of it in the truth of what he hath spoken Againe as God is magnified in the truth of his threatnings when any particular wicked man is punished so when common calamities come upon the wicked the truth of God or God in his truth is magnified two wayes First As such calamities are a fullfilling of many Prophecies secondly As they are the answer or returne of many prayers The vengeance which falls upon the Enemies of the Church of God is drawne out by prayer Luke 18.7 8. And there is nothing wherein God is more honoured then when prayer is answered For as therein he fullfills our wants so his owne word Who hath not said to the seed of Jacob seeke ye mee in vaine Thirdly When the wicked fall the Lord is honoured in the attribute of his power How great is his power who puls downe great power It argues the Almightines
Christ to subdue and conquer them they will be too hard for us and foyle us We are easily and presently foiled by pride by covetousnesse by wrath by envie all these passions and lusts will trample us under their feete in the dirt of all sinfullnesse and pollution both of flesh and spirit unlesse we receive power from on high to subdue and mortifie them Rom. 8.13 If ye through the Spirit mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live that is ye shall live comfortably holyly and eternally The deeds of the body that is sinfull deeds and the roote of them sinfull lusts count all weapons as Leviathan doth speares and swords but straw and stubble rather to be laughed at then feared except onely the weapons or power of the Spirit And when once we take our lusts to taske with the weapons of the Spirit they presently fall and dye before us The Spirit is the strength of God in us for the mortification of Corruption Fourthly We are strengthened or God puts strength into us for the resisting and conquering of the temptations of Satan we meet with many assaults from the devill and from the world who are confederate with our lusts These we must resist stedfast in the faith and that not onely in the faith as the faith imports soundnes of doctrine or divine truth but as The faith imports dependance upon Christ for strength and assistance Peter being a cheife a grandee in the traine of Christ or among the Disciples of Christ was Satans eye-sore and the fayrer marke for his fiery darts Satans fingers itcht to be doing with him he saith our Saviour desired to have him that he might sift him as wheat Luk. 22.31 that is to sift him throughly not to fetch out his chaffe from him but indeed to make him chaffe How was Peter upheld I have prayed for thee saith Christ that thy faith faile not that is I have prayed that God would put strength into thee that thy faith faile not if once faith faile we are overcome But is faith our strength No but faith goes to and takes hold of him who is our strength or who puts strength into us that we fall not in temptation But you will say Peter fell and he fell grievously his fall was great he denyed his Master 'T is true Peter fell but he did not fall away his faith did not faile that is it was not totally lost and therefore when Christ lookt upon him and by that looke renewed his strength he gat up againe even when he denied Christ there was a seed of faith remaining in him though like a tree in the winter his fruit was gone yea and his leaves too and he looked dead and withered yet there was sap in the roote his faith failed not whence was this he had an invisible supply of strength from God I have prayed saith Christ that thy faith faile not The prayer of Christ fayled not and therefore his faith did not Christ prayed that he might have strength by beleeving and though he had not so much faith as to preserve him standing yet he had so much faith as to raise him from his fall And what Christ prayed for Peter he prayed for all that should beleeve on his name that in all their resistings of and contendings with temptation their faith also may not fayle As faith is one principall piece of our spirituall armour whereby we overcome temptation so it fetches in that which is the whole of the whole Armour of God even the strength of God When the Apostle exhorts Saints Eph. 6.11 To put on the whole armour of God He premises another most needfull exhortation or exhorts them first v. 10. to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might implying that it is not any one piece no nor the whole armour of God abstractly or precisely taken which is our strength but that the God of this Armour is our strength in the spirituall combate Though our loynes were girt about with truth and we have on the breast-plate of righteousnesse though our feete were shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace and we have the shield of faith in our hand though we should take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God yet if thus arrayed it were possible for us to neglect or forget the God of the Word it were not possible for us to conquer the footmen lesser much lesse the horsemen Greater least of all The Charets of iron the greatest temptations of the Prince of darknes As no carnal weapon hath any thing at all to doe so no spirituall weapon can doe any thing at all in this warre without the strength of God or rather to conclude this poynt all these spirituall weapons and Armour are nothing else but the strength of God or the various puttings forth of the strength of God in weake man Fifthly and lastly God gives us strength to pray to and plead our cause before him he will not dazle us with his glory nor confound us with his Majesty when we come to plead with him but he will put strength into us In prayer we prevaile with God but the strength whereby we prevaile with God comes from God yea he doth not onely give us strength in prayer to act by but he acts that strength in prayer Rom. 8.26 Likewise the Spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Prayer is strong worke it calls forth the whole strength of the soul nor doth the soule in any thing shew its strength more then in prayer praying is wrestling and how can we wrestle without strength Even the king of Ninevy gave this direction at his fast Jon. 3.8 Let them cry mightily And our Lord Jesus Christ in the dayes of his flesh offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares Heb. 5.7 Now the Spirit is the strength of God in us for prayer he helpeth our infirmities and we are onely a bundle of infirmities without his helpe There is a threefold strength needfull in prayer and God by the Spirâ—t puts these three strengths into us First The Spirit helpes us with strength of argument to plead with God Secondly The Spirit helpes us with strength of faith in taking hold upon God Thirdly The Spirit helpes us with strength of patience in waiting upon God till we receive what we have prayed for Jacob by this threefold strength had power with God in prayer Hos 12.3 and it was the power or Spirit of God by which he had this threefold strength to prevaile with God Thus we are strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner man Eph. 3.16 We are strong to doe and strong to suffer we are strong to mortifie corruptions and strong to conquer temptations we are strong to pray and strong to plead our
a fitt or a convenient time implying that time in that notion is not hidden from God Isa 50.4 God hath given me the tongue of the learned that I might speake a word in season to him that is weary Which some translate thus That I might know the appointed time to the afflicted An afflicted soule must be watched and a season taken these times are not hidden from the Almighty he knoweth the opportunity and therefore can direct him that speakes to a wearyed soule as to speake proper and taking matter so to speake it in a proper and taking time when it shall be as welcome to the soule as raine to the dry and thirsty ground David saith to the Lord Psal 119.23 It is time Lord for thee to worke for they have made voide thy Law that is now is the season and opportunity for thee to work if ever thou wilt shew thy selfe doe it now And when David confessed Psal 31.15 My times are in thy hand He meanes that the seasons of his comforts Per tempora intelligit rerum vicissitudines divitias et pauperiem pacem bellum c. Theodoret and of his sorrowes all the turnings and changes of his life from one condition to another were cast and ordered by the power and wisdome of God Why seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty Doe they that know him not see his dayes Thus Job describes the persons that see not the dayes of God they are such as know him Which character as was shewed before belongs to every Godly man though it be more peculiar to some Hence note First Every Godly man knoweth God And none but the Godly know him indeed many ungodly men professe they know God and they may know him notionally but no ungodly man knoweth him truly experimentally or practically Many ungodly men have a forme of knowledge and of the truth in the Law as the Apostle speakes of the Jewes Rom. 2.20 but no ungodly man feeleth the power of knowledge and of the truth in the Law Pietas est cognitio scientiaque dei Trismeg And therefore the wicked are spoken of in Scripture as not knowing God Jere. 10.25 Powre out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not And when the Prophet describes the wickednesse of the Jewish State he saith Hos 4.1 There is no knowledge of God in the Land Which the Chalde Paraphrast renders thus Neither are there any who walke in the feare of God in the land where there is no knowledge of God there is no feare of God We neyther love nor feare him of whom we have no knowledge nor can we beleeve in or trust him whom we know not Psal 9.10 They that know thy name will put their trust in thee That is the truly godly will trust in thee for they know thy name but they that know thee not how can they trust upon thee and therefore the Prophet calls us to boast in the knowledge of God Jere. 9.23 Thus saith the Lord let not the wise man glory in his wisdome neither let the mighty man glory in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches but let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord whech exercise loving kindnesse judgement and righteousnesse in the earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. There is nothing in this world worth the boasting in but the holy knowledge of a holy God or such a knowledge of God the fruit whereof is a godly life here and the end whereof is an eternall life hereafter Joh. 17.3 This is eternall life that they may know thee the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent This knowledge of God doth not floate in the braine but sinkes into the heart and is rooted in the affections Thus the Apostle John argues 1 Epist Chap. 2. v. 3 4 5 6. Hereby we know that we know him if we keepe his Commandements he that sayth he knows him and keepeth not his commandement is a liar and the truth is not in him As if he had sayd The true knowledge of God is an obedientiall knowledge so that if any man sayth he knoweth God while his life is not sutable to what he knoweth this mans profession is vaine and himselfe is a lyar Whosoever keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected that is he loveth God with a perfect or sincere love and the love of God is perfected towards him The scope of his whole discourse there is to shew that the true knowledge of God is the keeping of the word of God Many are so ignorant of God that they know not the word which they should keepe and all they who knowing the word keepe it not will at last be numbered among the ignorant or among those that know not God But their condition will be worse and their punishment greater then theirs who never knew God according to the teachings of his word Their estate will be bad enough who perish for want of the knowledge of God then what will their end be who perish in the neglect or abuse of plentifull knowledge From the second notion of the words they that know him as they intimate a sort of Godly men who have neerer acquaintance with and freer accesse to God then others Observe That as all godly men know God which the wicked doe not so some godly men have such a knowledge of God as many who are godly have not Though the knowledge of all godly men be of the same nature and kinde yet not of the same degree and height We reade of some who in old time were called Seers 1 Sam. 9.9 as if they onely had been endued with sight and all others were blinde in the things of God They were the onely seers yea they were fore-seers because God did often reveale himselfe and declare to them what he was about to doe in dreames and visions Now as in those times there were some men called seers so in these times some may be called knowers as if none knew any thing of God comparatively to them or as if other godly men were ignorant and understood nothing of him When God 1 Sam. 3. appeared to Samuel in a vision and revealed the doome of Elies house to him the Text sayth at the 7th verse Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord surely Samuel did know the Lord as other godly did in those times though he were but young yea it is said The childe Samuel ministred before the Lord and did not he know the Lord no doubt he did The meaning therefore is Samuel did not yet know the Lord by any speciall intimacy with him or particular revelation from him as afterward he did he became a knower of God at last though then he did not know God in this peculiar sence But God having revealed to him the secret what he would doe to Elies house then he knew God he
in their fullnesse in their hight and glory When the wicked are not onely eares but heads of the eares of corne when they are at the highest they shall dye and this resemblance holds not onely because some eares are head-eares fuller and higher then others but because all corne is cut when once it comes to a head that is to a perfect fullnes Fourthly To be cut off as the tops of the eares of corne may also signifie that there is a speciall time or season when wicked men are to be cut off For as corne is not alwayes ripe for the sickle so wicked men though they alwayes deserve yet are not alwayes ripe for Judgement Corne is not cut downe when greene or when grown high but when it is ripe fit for the flaile it is cut in its season wicked men shall be cut off in their season And as there is a general season for the harvest of the whole world so for every man in particular Rev 14.15 Thrust in thy sickle and reape for the time is come for thee to reape for the harvest of the earth is ripe God will not command the Angel to put in his sickle till the world be ripe for Judgement as he spake also by the Prophet Joel Ch. 3.13 14. Put in thy sickle for the harvest is ripe come get you downe for the presse is full the fats overflow for their wickednes is great multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is neere in the valley of decision that is in the valley of cutting downe or of cutting off or as we put in the Margin in the valley of concision or threshing When the wicked shall be cut off as the tops of the eares of corne by the sickle of divine wrath and be under dreadfull breakings and threshings for evermore Lastly This cutting off as the tops of the eares of corne shewes that God doth not cut off wicked men when he hath them at an advantage when they are weake when they are low but when they are as the tops of the eares of corne when they are at their best then he doth it the chiefe of the people are called the heads of the people Numb 25.4 hang up the heads of the people before me sayth God by Moses he cut them off who were as the heads of the eares of corne As some Tyrants for feare So God in Justice cuts off the heads of the people the chiefe of Familyes Princes and great men This was Elegantly though cruelly Summa papaverum capita decussit ut significaret principes civitatis paulatim esse â—ollendos Flor de Gest Rom cap. 7. expressed by Tarquin the proud the last King of the Romanes who when a Citie was taken or surrendred and application was made to him how he would have the Citizens dealt with he answered onely by a signe calling the Messengers into a garden and having a sticke in his hand he strucke off the heads of the poppyes intimating to them that now the Citizens were in their power they should cut off all the chiefe and leading men among them Thus the Lord cuts off the heads of the eares of corne the chiefe of men or men of greatest power in the greatnesse of their power he cuts them off in love to justice and righteousnesse as tyrants doe in feare and jealousie of their power and greatnesse They are cut off as the tops of the eares of corne Job having at large described the state of wicked men and exemplified many of their wickednesses concludes by way of challenge Vers 25. And if it be not so who will make me a liar and make my speech nothing worth In this verse we have Job triumphing and yet not so much Job triumphing as truth triumphing for how much soever we speake for and defend the truth Non timet veritas falsitatis insidias sed vel pressa tandem triumphat August Ser de Sanct it is not comely that our selves should triumph but the truth onely Job indeed shewes his confidence in the equity of his cause which he affirmes so just and so fully proved to be the minde of God that he dares venture upon the Judgement of any man alive If it be not so now who will make me a liar Brevissime in Hebraeo Etsi non Some make other men lyars by teaching them or encouraging them to tell lyes others make men lyars by proving that they have taught or told lyes This is Jobs meaning when he sayth Who will make me a lyar Wee may suppose Job at the close of his speech rising up and looking about him while he spake thus who will make me a liar Let me see the man stand forth that hath any thing to object against what I have sayd The words are elegant in the Original and if not that is if it be not so as I have asserted concerning the dealeings of God with wicked men that they many times flourish and continue flourishing a long time if it be not so let any man disprove me and make me a liar if he can let him convince me that I am in an errour if he can As if he had sayd I doe not impose my opinion upon you but submit it to the consideration and discussion of all men Hence note First We should freely offer our opinions and assertions to the tryall 'T is too much for a man to looke that what he hath sayd should be consented unto and beleeved because he hath sayd it Onely God himselfe is worthy and may demand to be thus beleeved by man That God saith this or that is enough to perswade yea to require our faith in it and obedience to it When God speakes he that hath eares to heare let him heare Math. 13.9 that is let him beleeve and obey at his perill be it He that is truth cannot but speake truth and therefore is to be beleeved in whatsoever he speaketh Man ought not to say any thing as questioning the verity of what God hath sayd But we ought to consider what men say and not to beleeve beyond what we have tryed And as no man ought to beleeve before he hath tryed so every man ought to present what he hath sayd to the tryall Man hath no dominion over the faith of another Paul professed he had not 2 Cor. 1. 24. and if Paul had not who hath dares any man pretend to a higher priviledge then Paul himselfe did Wee may not bind up the consciences of men to our dictates any further then what we say is grounded upon and answerable to the sayings of God To the Law and to the Testimony if we speake not according to this word ye have leave or may take leave to say as to that saying there is no light in us Is 8.20 We must not teach magisterially but ministerially we must not affect to be called Masters for one is our Master even Christ Mat. 23.10 The Beraeans receaved the