double oppression First An oppression by our words And secondly An oppression by our actions the oppression of the tongue and the oppression of the hand The tongue is a great tyrant the tongue will lay on load and draw bloud The Vulgar understands it of this tongue-oppression Is it good for thee that thou shouldest calumniate or slander me that is Give others occasion to speak evil of me That is a good sense Slander and censure wound deep hard words bruise the credit and break the heatt as well as hard blows bruise the flesh and break the bones But take it here rather for oppression by outward violence So the word is often used Psal 119.122 I have done judgement and justice give me not â—ver to mine oppressours to those who would wrong me because I have done right And it noteth as an open or violent oppression so a cunning subtil oppression a cheating fraudulent oppression All wrong how close and cunning soever is oppression We have that sense of the word Hos 12.7 He is a merchant the balances of deceit are in his hand he loveth to oppresse How doth a Merchant oppresse He comes not like a thief or a Nimrod with a sword in his hand bidding you Deliver your purse or your life commanding you to give up your right or your liberty but while in buying and selling in trading and dealing he offers you a fair bargain or as we say a penny worth for your penny he smites you secretly and cuts your throat as famine doth without a knife the balances of deceit are in his hand Balances are put for all instruments or means of trading by these he deceives light weights oppresse the State as a heavy weight presses the body The word imports also oppression by with-holding what is due as well as by taking away what we duly hold Deut. 24.14 Thou shalt not oppresse an hired servant that is poor and needy that is thou shalt not detain or keep back any part of his wages The word you see is of a large sense Is it good unto thee to oppresse I know thou wilt not oppresse me either by speaking evil of or over-censuring me either by open violence or by secret fraud either by taking from me what I have or by detaining from me what I ought to have Thou wilt not oppresse either with tongue or hand either as a robber with thy sword or as a merchant with thy balances Thus Iob expostulates upon highest confidence both of the justice and holinesse of God as if he had said Lord I know thou doest not love to oppresse no thou art mercifull and full of compassion Whence is it then that thou seemest to act so unlike thy self Is this thy pity to a poor creature and thy love to the work of thy hands Thou usest to rejoyce in the consolation of thy people and mercy pleaseth thee thou usest to send out rivers of goodnesse for wearied souls to bathe in and streams of comfort for thirsty souls to drinke and be refreshed in How is it then that a bitter cup is put to my lips continually and that I am overwhelmed in a salt sea in a sea of gall and bitternesse Hence observe God is so good and gracious that he loves not to grieve his creature Among men Mica 7.4 The best of them is as a brier the most upright is sharper then a thorn hedge Even they that seem most gentle and compassionate will yet sometimes scratch like briars and tear like thorns but the Lord changeth not neither do his compassions fail The actings of God appear sometimes unsutable to his nature but they are never so When he breaks us to pieces he delights not in our breakings nor doth he ever break his own but with an intent to binde them up again God is so farre from loving to oppresse that one of his most eminent works of providence is to relieve those who are oppressed Ps 12.4 For the oppression of the poor will I arise saith the Lord. And when the Lord arises oppressours shall fall O Lord cries Hezekiah in his sicknesse I am oppressed undertake for me Isa 38.14 As if he had said This disease like a mercilesse tyrant oppresses my spirit death hath even master'd me and got the victory over my house of clay Lord Come to my rescue thou wast wont to deliver poor men as a prey out of the hand yea mouths of their oppressours O deliver me from this cruell sicknesse which is ready to oppresse my life and hale me as a prisoner to the grave Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppresse And That thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands This clause hath the same sense in generall with the former It is not good unto thee It is neither pleasing nor profitable nor honourable That thou shouldest despise the worke of thine hands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat rejicere cum fastidio tanquam vile comtemptum quid Mer. in Pagâ— Exfastidâ—o contemptu sequi solet rei contemptae oppressio aut abj ctâ—o Huâ—c hominem quem â—uis maâ—i bâ—s fo masti de luto terrae Dru. Some translate this clause by oppression Is it good that thou shouldest oppresse the work of thine hands The word in propriety signifies to dâ—spise we have met with it more then once before it noteth also loathing yea abhorring And it may very well bear that other sense of oppressing for when a man loaths a thing and abhors it he will quickly slight and oppresse it who cares what becomes of that which he abhors These two are joyned together 2 King 17.20 The Lord rejected all the seed of Israel and afflicted them and delivered them into the hand of spoilers untill he had cast them out of his sight When once the Lord rejected or despised the seed of Israel they were presently afflicted and delivered up to spoiling That thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands He means himself or any other man all men being the work of Gods hands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Propriè laboreÌ„ lassitudinem quandam in efficiendo opere denotat ex quo orationis bujus vis amplificatur The word which we translate work strictly taken signifies hard work extream labour labour with wearinesse Here understand it in a large sense for God works not to wearinesse And when after he had finished the whole work of creation it is said by Moses Gen. 2.2 That he rested on the seventh day from all the work which he had made The meaning is only this he gave over or ceased to work not that his work put him to any pain or need of rest But why is man called The work of Gods hands Hath God who is a Spirit hands or any bodily parts By an ordinary figure in Scripture hands and feet eyes and ears are ascribed unto God He is therefore said to have hands because he works not because he works with hands The hand is the
They have lightly esteemed me I am not so much to them as new clothes who am indeed their life I am not so much remembred as unnecessary curiosities from whom they receive all things necessary and whose favour is the one thing necessary 4. To forget God is to depart from God We stay with God no longer then we remember him as we cannot have communion with truth so not with the God of truth without an act of memory Heb. 12.5 Ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord c. A word forgotten is to us of no more use then a word never spoken We are without all the good we forget and to forget God is Ephes 2.12 to be without God in the world or to live on earth as if there were no God in heaven either in regard of mercy to be received or of duty to be performed Hypocrites forget God all these waies though their naturall memory may be good yet spirituall memory and that only holds spirituall things they have none Observe hence First That the hypocrite is a forgotter of God Every wicked man is forgetfull of God Hence we finde these put together Psal 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the Nations that forget God But this is the speciall character of an hypocrite he is a forgetter of God Consider this saith the Psalmist ye that forget God that is ye hypocrites consider this 〈◊〉 50.22 for he speaks of such as had taken their covenant of God in their mouths What hast thou to do vers 16. to take my Covenant in thy mouth As if he had said thou professest to be in Covenant with me to have an interest in me Yet when thou sawest a thief then thou consentest with him and hast been partaker with adulterers thou givest thy mouth to evil c. Hypocrites take the Covenant of God in their mouths but cast it out of their lives God is near in their mouths but from their reins Jer. 12.2 If the hypocrite did not forget that God is about his bed and about his path and espieth out all his waies he could not be so false with God so polluted in his waies so rotten in his inward parts If an hypocrite did not forget that God being a spirit delighteth to be worshipped in Spirit he would never be satisfied in worshipping him with his body If he did not forget that God is jealous that he will not hold them guiltlesse who take his name in vain he durst not which is his every daies work take the name of God in vain Secondly observe That forgetfulnesse of God howsoever it seems no great matter yet is exceeding sinfull a wickednesse of the highest stature Forgetfulnesse of God is therefore a great wickednesse because God hath done so many things to be remembred by What could the Lord have done more to make himself remembred then he hath done Have I been a wildernesse to Israel or a land of darknesse saith the Lord Jer. 2.31 the words are an aggravation of their forgetfulnesse As if the Lord had said I have been a light to you wheresoever you goe and wheresoever I goe my steps drop fatnesse for you and am I forgotten Where can we set a step but we tread upon a remembrance of God Every creature holds forth God unto us He hath left his remembrance upon every ordinance Doe this in remembrance of me saith Christ in that great ordinance of his Supper yea all the works of his providence are remembrancers of him He leaves an impression of his wisdome holinesse justice power upon all he doth Now for us to forget God who hath as it were studied so many waies to fasten himself in our remembrance must needs be extreamly sinfull Further it is very sinfull to forget God because God doth so abundantly remember us He hath not only done that which may cause man to remember him but he hath man alwaies in his remembrance especially his own people He hath graven them upon the palms of his hands and they are continually before him They who desire to preserve their friends fresh in memorie get their pictures in their houses or engrave them upon rings and jewels which they wear alwaies about them But he that cuts the image of his friend in his flesh or draws it upon his skin how zealous is he of his friends remembrance Pictures and annulets may be lost but our hands cannot fall off When the Lord would shew how mindefull he is of his Church he assures her that he carries her picture alwaies about him not drawn upon a Tablet or engraven upon the signet of his right hand but upon the palms of his hands as if he should say I must lose my self before I can lose the sight of memory of thee Isa 49.16 He remembers her so that he cannot forget her And because the characters and stamps of nature are more abiding and indelible then those of art therefore he saith vers 15. Can a woman forget her sucking childe that she should not have compassion on the sonne of her womb Yea they may forget yet will not I forget thee A woman may break the bonds of nature but God will never break the bonds of his own free-grace May not all this raise us into Davids rapture of holy admiration Psal 8. Lord what is man that thou art mindefull of him and the sonn◠of man that thou visitest him with such remembrances What is a wicked man that God should give him bread to eat and clothes to put on And what is a godly man that God should give him Christ to eat and cloath himself withall That God should remember us is a wonder of mercy but what a wonder of unthankfulnesse is it that we should not remember God What or who is God that man should be so mindelesse of him Is not God worthy of all our remembrance Is it losse of time to call God into our thoughts Do we ever or in any thing remember our selves so much as when we remember God most It is a wonderfull favour that God should be mindefull of us at all and is it not a wonderfull sinne that man should be so unmindefull of God Thirdly Observe That Forgetfulnesse of God is a mother-sinne or the cause of all other sins It is the cause of this sinne of hypocrisie Bildad puts it as a fruit of forgetting God Forgetfulnesse of God is three-fold First A forgetfulnesse that there is a God Secondly A forgetfulnesse who or what manner of God he is Thou thoughtest that I was such an one as thy self Psal 50. Thou forgettest what manner of God I am thou presumest that will serve my turn which serves thine or that every thing will please me which pleases thee thou saiest because it is no great trouble to thee to steal and lie c. therefore it is no great trouble unto me neither Thirdly To forget
shalt become a plain The Prophet is assured that all the power and strength which opposed it self against the reformation and re-edification of Jerusalem should be laid levell with the ground Per montes intelligit regeâ— qui si ut moÌ„tes firmitate â—o hore perstant Râ—â— Dav in Ps 14â— 5 So we may interpret Psa 144.5 He toucheth the mountains and they smoke the meaning is when God doth but lay his hand upon great men upon the mightiest of the world he makes them smoke or fune which some understand of their anger they are presently in a passion if God do but touch them Or we may understand it of their consumption A smoking mountain will soon be a burnt mountain In our language to make a man smoke is a proverbiall for destroying or subduing And besides there are mountains in this figurative sense within us as well as without us The soul hath a mountain in it self and it is an act of the great power of God yea of an higher and greater power of God to remove inward than it is to remove outward mountains Isa 40.4 The Prophet fore-shewing the comming of Christ and the sending of the Baptist to prepare his way tels us Every mountain and hill shall he made low Christ did not throw down the outward power of men who withstood him he let Herod and Pilate prevail but mountains and hils of sinne and unbelief in the soul which made his passage into them impassible he overthrew These mountains of high proud thoughts the Apostle describes 2 Cor. 10.14 Casting down imaginations and every high thing and bringing into captivity every thought every mountainous thought to the obedience of Christ These are metaphoricall mountains the power of sinfull men without us and the power of sinne the pride of our own hearts within us It is a mighty worke of God to remove these mountains But these are not proper to the Text for the instances which follow being all given in naturall things shew that those here intended are naturall mountains Taking mountains for earthly materiall mountains it is doubted how the Lord removes them There are different opinions about the point Some understand it of a naturall motion * Montes naturae sua generabiles sunt corruptibiles additione partium generanâ—ur detractione partiuÌ„ corrumpuntur Aquin Caj Minimè mirandum est fi quaâ— terrae partes quae nunc habitantur olim mare occupabat quae nunc pelagus sunt oâ—im habitabantur sic campos montes par est invicem commutari Sâ—â—b l 17. Philosophers disputing about mountains and hils conclude that they are subject to generation and corruption by the addition of many parts they are generated that is kneaded or gathered together and become one huge heap of earth and by the detraction falling and crumbling off or taking away of these parts they are removed again Thus we may expound that Job 14.18 And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought Yet this cannot be the meaning of Job here For though we grant that doctrine of the Philosophers that there is a generation of mountains and so a corruption of them yet that corruption is so insensible that it cannot be put among those works of God which raise up the name of his glorious power * Divina poteâ—tia in â—aâ—â—longa segni montium remotione non se praebet valdâ— mirabileÌ„ cuâ— remo fere 〈◊〉 qui eam rem videat Pined That which fals not under observation cannot cause admiration Slow and imperceptible motions make small impressions either upon the fancie or understanding That here spoken of is quick and violent and by it's easie representation to the eye causeth wonder and astonishment in the beholders And so it imports a removing them by some violent motion Thus the Lord is able to remove and hath removed mountains sometimes by earthquakes sometimes by storms and tempests sometime those mighty bulwarks are battered with thunder-bals discharged from the clouds Psal 97.5 The hils melted like wax at the presence of the Lord. Hils melt down when he appears as a consuming fire Psal 104.32 He looks upon the earth and it trembleth and he toucheth the hils and they smoke Those rocky mountains are as ready to take fire as tinder or touch-wood if but a spark of Gods anger fall upon them God by a cast of his eye as we may speak can cast the earth into an ague-fit he makes it shake and more tremble with a look He by a touch of his mighty arm hurls mountains which way he pleaseth as man doth a Tennis-ball We read Isa 64.1 How earnestly the Prophet praies O that thou wouldst rent the heavens and come down that the mountains might flow down at thy presence Where he is conceived to allude to Gods comming down upon Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law Exod. 19. which is said To melt from before the Lord God of Israel Judg. 5.3 Some understand it of that day of Christ when he shall come to judge the world others of that day when Christ came in the flesh to save the world then the mountains were levell'd according to the preaching of the Baptist but rather the Prophet being affected with the calamitous condition which he fore-saw the Jews falling into entreats the Lord to put forth himself in some notable works of his providence which should as clearly manifest his presence as if they saw the heavens speaking as of solid bodies renting and God visibly comming down then those difficulties which lay in the way of their deliverance and looked like huge mountains of iron or of adamant would presently dissolve like waxe or ice before the Sunne or fire The Prophet Micah describes the effects of Gods power in the same stile Chap. 1.3 4. Behold the Lord cometh forth out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth and the mountains shall be molten under him Ex quo hoc loco non absurde colligitur fuisse proverbium ad significandum maximam olique Deo convenietem potentiam Bold and the valleys shall be cleft as wax before the fire and as the waters which are poured down a steep place So to remove mountains is used proverbially Job 18.4 Shall the earth be forsaken for thee or shall the rock be removed out of his place that is shall God work wonders for thee or God will alter the course of nature as soon as the course of his providence To say God can remove mountains is as much as to say he hath power to doe what he will and the reason is because mountains are exceeding great and weighty bodies mountains are firmly setled now to remove a thing which is mighty in bulk and strongly founded is an argument of greatest strength The stability of the Church is compared to the stability of mountains Psal 125.1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be removed but
like a curtain God took the vast matter folded together and spread it as a curtain tabernacle or tent And the * Hîc Dolapum manuâ— hîc saevus tendebat Achillis Virg 2. Aeneiad Iuxta hortos tendâ—bat Suct in Galb c 12. de Germanâ—rum Cohorte Et milites tendere omnes extra vallum jussit Tac l 13. Latine word which carries the interpretation of this in the Hebrew is frequently applied by ancient Authours to the pitching of tents in warre In this third sense we are specially to understand the Text Alone spreadeth out the Heavens And so this spreading is either an exposition of the nature of the heavens Gen. 1.8 The Lord said Let there be a firmament the Hebrew is * CoeluÌ„ sive firmamentum vocaâ—ur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eo quid est expansum extensum super terram Solus sine cujusquam auxilio Let there be an expansion or a stretching forth These heavens are so much spread forth that they are called a thing spread forth and so the text is a description of the heavens in their first Creation Or it may referre to the words going before and so these are a reason to shew that God can command the Sunne and seal up the stars why He spreadeth forth the heavens that is the heavens are all of his making and at his disposing he set the Sunne there and put the starres there he fashioned the orbs in which they are placed and therefore he can stay the Sun and seal the starres And as he thus spreadeth out the heavens so which is more observable He spreadeth them out alone When a piece of hangings or the like of a large extent is to be spread forth one man cannot doe it many hands are put to that work Instrumentum creationis creatura esse non potest It is an axiome in Divinity That no creature can be an instrument in Creation this stretching forth of the heavens is an act of Creation therefore he alone doth it there is none to help him Yet we finde that God had some other with him when he stretched out the heavens though it be here attributed to him alone and though Elihu expostulates with Job in this point Chap. 37.18 Hast thou with him spread out the skie which is strong and as a molten looking-glasse Elihu would bring down the thoughts of Job which he conceived were too much lifted up by shewing that God did this alone Solus quia nemo extra ipsum cuÌ„ ipso sed una cuÌ„ iâ—so illi qui in ipso per identitatem substantiae sunt verbo enim Domini firmati sunt coeli spiritu oris ejus omnis virtus eorum Solum enim divinitas sacit quae ut una ita sola Job saith he didst thou hold one part of this great Curtain or Canopy of heaven in thy hand and God another and was it so spread out between you No neither man nor angel was his helper who then was with God in this work Solomon tels us Prov. 8.27 When he prepared the heavens I was there when he set a compasse upon the face of the depth Who was that I wisdome was there Jesus Christ was there Christ was he by whom God prepared and stretched forth the heavens No creature was there only the uncreated creating Sonne of God God created alone that is without the help of any creature but he created all things by the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made Observe from hence First The heavens are as the royall tent and pavilion of the Lord. He spreadeth them out The Lord is often exprest comming out of the heavens with warlike preparations There his tent is pitcht and he sitteth there as a great Commander in his pavilion to give out Orders to his Armies He hath an host in heaven and therefore he hath a tent in heaven or rather heaven is his tent The Lord hath his way in the whirlwinde and in the storm and the clouds are the dust of his feet Nah. 1.3 God pitches his battell in heaven The stars in their courses fought against Sisera He fought from heaven from thence he discharged his great Artillery his Cannons thundered and lightened against the enemies of his people He hath also his store-houses for ammunition his Magazines there Job 38.22 Est allâ—so ad armamentaria publica ubi armorum ma hinarum tormentorum ingens apparatus reconditur B l. Quicquid habeÌ„t telorum armamentaria coeli Juven Sat. 13. Hast thou saith God to Job entred into the treasures of the snow Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail which I have reserved against the time of trouble the day of battell and warre He speaks of heaven as of a great store-house where he hath his arms his powder and ball all his warlike provision laid up against the day of battell Heathens have spoken such language calling storms and tempest hail and thunder The weapons and engines of the Armory of heaven Secondly In that he saith He stretcheth out the heavens alone observe That the Lord needs not the help of any treature to doe his greatest works He hath power and he hath power in himself to doe what he hath a will should be done let all the creatures in the world stand still yet God can carry his work forward What work is like this the stretching forth the heavens There cannot be a work of so much difficulty under heaven as the spreading forth of the heavens He who did that alone what can he not doe alone Though men will not though men cannot help the Lord can and will alone Isa 59.16 He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessour no man to do no man to speak in that businesse not a man appeared what then Doth the Lord say well seeing there is no man to do I also will let it lie No Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him and his power sustained him he did it alone Paul speaks of himself that at his first appearing before Nero all men forsook him not a man would own him but saith he The Lord stood by me 2 Tim. 4.15 This is a great encouragement to us in great affairs and businesses in the greatest straits and difficulties of the times if men forsake and desert the Lord alone can doe all for us if men have not power to doe what they have will to doe nor will to doe what they have power then remember He that stretcheth out the heavens alone can order our works alone compose our differences alone conquer our enemies alone God alone is infinite greater stronger wiser then all creatures together God can be now as he will be hereafter all in all unto us God is enough for us without any creature yea God and all that he hath made cannot do more than God
qui verba detorquet aliam figuram i. e. significationem iis tribuit To seek comfort any where but in Christ is to seek the living among the dead Christ is comfort cloathed in our flesh and he is the comfort of our spirits Till he gives comfort every man must conclude as Job I am afraid of all my sorrows I am afraid The word signifies strong trembling and shaking fear Of all my sorrows The root hath a double signification First To afflict with grief Isa 63.10 They vexed his holy Spirit Secondly To fashion or form a thing Job 10.8 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me round about The same word by a Metaphor signifies both to grieve and to fashion to vex and to form because a man that forms fashions a piece of wood or stone seems to put it to pain by cutting and hewing And he that forms wax vexes and chafes it in his hands Thus I say because in the fashioning of a thing a man doth bruise cut and as it were put it to pain therefore the same word signifies both to vex or grieve and to form or fashion And this word is applied unto the ill usage of words Psal 56.5 Every day saith David speaking of his enemies they â—rest my words or they put my words to pain and grief or they painfully and grievously wrest my words Davids enemies took up what he spake and put a new shape upon it and this they did so vexingly that they are said to wrest his words a thing is vexed when it is wrested or wrought quite out of the form it before had The same Metaphor the Apostle Peter useth in reference to Doctrine 2 Pet. 3.16 speaking of the Epistles of Paul in which are some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest or put upon the rack they painfully form his words and represent them in a meaning which he never intended What is spoken may be right both in the matter and intendment of the speaker yet another wrests forms and fashions it in his own mould and makes it bear a sense which the speaker never dream'd of In this Text we have the Noun only which importeth either the labour or pains which a man taketh or the pain and grief which a man feeleth Hence in the Hebrew this word signifies an Idol and both acceptions fall into the reason of it First because Idols are made fashioned and formed up curiously with a great deal of art and labour the wax or clay or stone is put to pain you must cut it and carve it to make an Idol Secondly because Idols are served attended and worshipped with much pain and grief False worship or the worship of Idols is alwaies more servile and painfull then true worship is False worship is a painfull service a servile service a toil rather then a worship but the service of the true and everliving God is an holy an ingenuous a noble and an honourable service Idols are troublesome both in their making and in their worshipping From this two-fold interpretation of the word I finde a two-fold translation given First Thus I am afraid of all my works as if Job Verehar omnia opera mea Vul. having a design to comfort himself in a reflexion upon his good works and former holy walkings feared they would not serve his turn or bear up his spirit in the evil day which was come upon him As if he had said I have lived as exactly by the rule of the Word as I could I have had respect to all the Commandments of God that I might not sinne against him Yet I am afraid of all my works the anger of God will surely soak thorow them all or finde holes and breaches in them to come in upon me at Thus he is conceived reasoning with himself But doubtlesse it was not Jobs meaning to look to the innocency or holinesse of his life past as the ground of his present comfort he that would doe so may justly be afraid of all his works When we see the best of our selves we have more reason to be afraid then to be comforted As we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling so we have cause to fear and tremble at our works But rather as we translate I am afraid of all my sorrows that is I no sooner endeavour to comfort my self but presently my sorrows throng about me they appear before my face and make such a gastly apparition that I am afraid Sorrows charge and assault me afresh when I am purposing to make an escape from the hands of sorrow When I think of leaving off my heavinesse or of getting out of the sight of it sorrows come upon me with greater violence then before While a prisoner is quiet and content with his restraint the keeper laies no great restraint upon him but if he perceive him meditating an escape or attempting to break prison and set himself at liberty presently more irons are clapt upon him and an advantage taken even to load him with chains Such hard usage this poor prisoner feared at the hand of his sorrows If I say I will leave off my heavinesse I will throw off my bolts and fetters and get out of these troubles I am afraid of all my sorrows I shall have all the Keepers and Jailers about me they will lay more load upon me and watch me more strictly then before You tell me I am in love with my sorrows but the truth is fears of sorrow incompasse me round about I am afraid of all my sorrows Note hence First this generall truth That affliction is the matter of fear Naturall fear arises from the apprehension of some approaching evil and as fear grows more boisterous and inordinate so it represents us with sadder though but supposed evils Secondly Observe A godly man may be much opprest with the fear of afflictions When I would comfort my self I am afraid of all my sorrows It is terrible to me to think that they still encrease upon me and that whilest I hope to escape I am more ensnared Christ himself when he was in our nature and clothed with our flesh was afraid of all his sorrows he was a man of sorrows and he was afraid of his sorrows too Matth. 26.38 He said My soul is exceeding sorrowfull even unto death and he offered up praiers and supplications with strong cries and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared Heb. 5. His were extraordinary sorrows indeed such as no creature ever felt or tasted The Cup of sorrow which he drank was mixed and tempered with all our sorrows and with the cause of them our sins This was it he feared being in our nature though as that nature was hypostatically united unto the divine nature it had infinitely more power to bear all those sorrows then we have in our nature to bear the least sorrow Now if Christ himself
the displeasednesse or irksomnesse of our mindes All burdens upon the body are light compared with those which reach the soul Three things weary and load the soul First The filth and guilt of our own sins I will sprinkle you saith the Lord Ezek. 36.31 with clean water c. What 's the effect of this It follows Then shall you remember your own evil waies and loath or be weary of your selves it is this word because of all your abominations As if the Lord had said before I change your hearts ye sinne and are not wearâ—â— of your sins nay ye make a sport of and dally with them But when I shall work that great change upon your hearts your opinion and apprehensions of sin will change too nothing will be so bitter or burdensome so unpleasant or wearisome to your souls as sinne Fools make a mock of sin they who are truly wise mourn and groan under the sense and weight of it Secondly The unsutablenesse and perversenesse of other mens manners or dispositions weary the soul The righteous soul of Lot was vexed from day to day in seeing and hearing the unrighteous deeds of the debauched Sodomites 2 Pet. 2.8 The soul of God is said to be wearied by such courses of the sons of men Psal 95.10 Fourty years long was I grieved or wearied with that generation The Lord as we may speak with reverence was even weary of his life he had such a troublesome people to deal with they grieved him at the heart as the old world did Gen. 6.6 and were a heavy burden to his Spirit That 's the Apostles language in his description of that peoples frowardnesse and of Gods patience towards them Act. 13.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He suffered their manners fourty years in the wildernesse which some render He bare them as a burthen the continuall murmurings and unbelief of that people were to the Lord who is yet above all passion as a heavy weight is to a man or as the peevishnesse and unquietnesse of a sucking childe is to the nurse as our translatours conceive the Greek word should rather be Thus also he reproves the same people by the Prophet Isa 43.24 Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities And Christ though by another word speaks the same thing of his own Disciples Mark 9.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tolero 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 autem dâ—â—untur translatitiè qui volentes onus subeunt sub eo perdurant when the man possest with an unclean spirit being brought to them they could not cast him out How long shall I be with you How long shall I suffer you I am wearied with your unbelief O ye of little faith The Disciples were still so slow of heart and came so short of a Gospel-spirit that Christ professeth He was burthened even with them How long shall I suffer you The il manners of all are a wearinesse to the good but theirs most who are neerest to them Which is also the reason why a godly man is wearied most of all with the corruption of his own heart for that is nearest to him of all Now as our own sins and the il manners of others weary the soul so Thirdly The pains and troubles which are upon the body often cause such grief of minde as is an extream wearinesse to the soul That 's the meaning of this text My soul is weary of my life That is my life is filled with such outward troubles as fill my inward man with trouble and weary my very soul Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exsententia R. David R. Mardoc significat excidere aut succidere Excisa est anima meaâ—n me Pag. Vatao c. Aâ—um est de vita mea en mar or vel perinde ac si mortuâ—s pâ—are sum Secondly The word is translated by divers of the learned Rabbies To cut yea to cut off as with a sword or any other edged instrument These render Jobs minde thus My soul is cut off in me or My soul is cut off from my life As if he had said My daies are at an end I am ready to die the threed of my life is cut I am but a dead man While life continues soul and body are as it were one peece but death divides them or the recourse of night and day runs the threed of time thorow our lives till our web longer or shorter be finished and then the threed is cut To which similitude Hezekiah alludes in his mourning death-bed song as he supposed Isa 38.10 12. I said in the cutting off of my daies c. Mine age is removed from me as a shepherds tent I have cut off like a Weaver my life he will cut me off with pining sicknesse or from the thrum which being woond about the beam the Weaver having finished his work cuts the web off from it The same word in the Hebrew signifies pining sicknesse and a thrum because of the thinnesse and weaknesse of it My life saith Hezekiah is spent I am at the very last cast the yern of time is all wrought off therefore my life is ready to be cut off I am a borderer upon death and to be numbred among the dead rather then among the living Such a sense this reading gives the text of Job My soul is cut off from my life Denotat displicentiam qua homo interius tabescit prae doloru sensu Propriè significat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. remputidaÌ„ quae nauseaÌ„ parit aversari Thirdly The word signifies a reluctance or displicency of spirit arising from the sight and sense of that which is very loathsome filthy and of an evil savour It answers the Greek work rendered Abomination Matth. 24.15 The abomination of desolation he means the Romans who being Idolaters their worship was abominable and who being Lords of the world their power was formidable and laid all countries waste and desolate which opposed them or which they had a minde to oppose And so when Job saith My soul is weary of my life his meaning is represented thus My soul refuses to inhabit or to act so filthy a body as mine My soul loaths to dwell or stay any longer in this nasty lodging As David Psal 120.5 speaks of his wearinesse in dwelling amongst wicked men because of their morall filthinesse or the pollution of their mindes and waies Woe is me that I sojourn in Meshec that I dwell in the tâ—nts of Kedar So Job seems to speak in reference to the naturall pollution and filthinesse of his own body Woe is me that I sojourn in such a diseased body and dwell which yet will not die in such a dying carease The noble tenant my soul is wearie of staying in such a stinking and filthy habitation and I perceive for I have moved him hitherto in vain the great land-lord will neither repair it nor as yet let it fall As then a man who lives in an ill or incommodious
not what your selves are To doe so is a sin and a sinne in respect of the body very common Many are ashamed to be seen as God hath made them few are ashamed to be seen what the devil hath made them Many are troubled at small defects in the outward man Few are troubled at the greatest deformities of their inner man they call for no repairs for no fresh colours to be laid on there many buy artificiall beauty to supply the defects of naturall who never had a thought of buying without money spirituall beauty to supply the defects of supernaturall The crookednesse and distortions the blacknesse and uncomelinesse of the soul are most deplorable yet are they little deplored we are called every day to mend and cure them we are told where and how we may have all set right and made fair again and yet the most stirre not or not to purpose God will not know any body at the last day unlesse his souls be mended by grace and some do so mend their bodies by art that God will not know their souls at that day Depart from me I know you not will be all their entertainment ye have mended your bodies till ye have mar'd your souls Besides What can the man do that cometh after the King saith Solomon Eccles 2.12 The work of the wisest among men is beyond the correction of an ordinary man Much more may we say What can the man doe that cometh after God The work of the most wise God is beyond the correction of the wisest among men They who thus come after God to mend his work lest they should be despised will but make themselves more despicable There is more worth in the very defects of Gods work then in the perfection of mans We may use means to help many bodily infirmities but they who are discontent with Gods work are quickly proud of their own and will one day be ashamed of their own Secondly Consider how Job argues Is it good that thou shouldest despise the work of thy hands Hence observe It is an argument moving the Lord to much compassion to tell him that we are his work as we are creatures and his work especially as we are new creatures When we are under such afflictions as threaten to ruine us 't is seasonable to tell the Lord he made us David strengthens prayer upon this argument Psal 138.8 Forsake not the work of thy own hands All men love their own works many dote upon them Shall we think God will forsake his See how the people of God plead with God in greatest distresse Isa 64.8 But now O Lord thou art our Father we are the clay and thou our Potter and we all are the work of thine hand Be not wroth very sore O Lord. Wilt thou be angry with thy work Lord be angry with the works of wicked men and destroy the work of Satan Doe not destroy the work of thine own hands thy people are thy work Hast thou not formed them for thy self They will shew forth thy praise That invitation to prayer Isa 45.11 seems to intimate that this plea hath a kinde of command upon God Thus saith the Lord the holy One of Israel and his maker Ask me of things to come concerning my sonnes and concerning the work of my hands command ye me while ye come to me under that notion that these are the work of my hands I cannot deny you Doe but name this and it is a law upon me ye may have any thing of me or doe any thing with me while ye speak for the work of mine hands Hence when the Prophet had put the Jews from that plea they were a lost people and their case was desperate This is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Isa 27.11 As if he had said Ye were wont I know to come to God with this motive of mercy when he afflicted you Lord thou didst make and forme us therefore have mercy upon us but this shall prevail no more He that made you will not have mercy on you He that formed you will shew you no favour There is but one argument stronger then this among all the Topicks of prayer and that never fails namely that God hath redeemed us or that we are his redeemed ones God bestowed much cost upon us in the work of Creation and therefore under that title he can hardly cast us off but he hath bestowed so much cost upon us in the work of redemption that he will never cast us off Further The Scripture makes frequent use of this argument to represse the pride and presumption of man and to stop his mouth when he begins to question and call God to account about any of his dealings with why is it thus Or why am I thus Thus the Prophet silences the murmurings both of mans heart and tongue Isa 45.9 10. Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker shall the clay say to him that fashioned it Why hast thou made me thus And when the Apostle found unquiet and bold spirits busied in contesting with God about his eternall counsels in chusing some and rejecting others in shewing mercy to some and hardening others he stops them with Who art thou O man that repliest against God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus Remember thou art the clay and he is the Potter That we are the work of Gods hand moveth his compassion towards us and represseth our presumption against him We must not proudly dispute it out with him for we are the vvork of his hands and we may humbly plead with him not to despise the work of his hands or to Shine upon the counsel of the wicked God is light and he hath light but he hath none for wicked men or for their counsels To shine upon the counsel of the wicked notes three things Impiorum consitia illustrare idem est quod juvare illorum caeptis ac conatibus favere First To favour or delight in them Secondly To succour or assist them Thirdly To make them prosperous and successefull David praying against his enemies saith Let their way be dark and slippery Psal 35.6 And when the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwinde he questions Who is this that darkneth counsel by words without knowledge Job 38.2 As to darken waies and to darken counsel is to hinder and trouble them so to shine upon waies and counsels is to help and favour them The Sunne is the candle of the world and Sunshine is the comfort of the world The Psalmist praies in this language Thou that dwellest between the Cherubims shine forth that is help and favour us so it is expounded in the next verse Before Ephraim Benjamin and Manasses stir up thy strength and come and save us Psal 80.1 2. Thou wilt light my candle was Davids confidence
Thus God seeth or looketh not as man seeth he looketh not disdainfully upon a poor afflicted soul as men do upon their friends in their affliction or as ye my friends do upon me in mine affliction This is the fourth dishonourable thought which Iob removeth from God His eyes are not eyes of flesh he seeth not as man seeth either in reference to the truth or manner the clearnesse or speedinesse the certainty or impartiality the infallibility or charity of his judgement Upon all which his former request is again to be inferred Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me He proceedeth to a fifth which he also by way of interrogation removeth from God and so virtually reneweth the same petition Verse 5. Are thy daies as the daies of men Are thy years as mans daies I know they are not Are thy daies at mans daies Some interpreters take the word day for judgement Are thy daies as mans daies that is Are thy judging daies Ponitur dies pro judicio ex Cilicum idiotismo Hieron Putarim Paulum potius diem maluisse dicere quam judicium u◠alluderet ad diem illum supremum in quo Dominus ipse judex sedebit Bez. or thy judgement given upon those daies like mans daies or the judgement which man giveth We have the word in that sense 1 Cor. 4.3 where the Apostle concludes in his own case It is a very small thing with me to be judged of you or of mans judgement the Greek is To be judged of mans day and according to the idiom of that language in some countreys the day of a man is put for the judgement of a man Though others conceive Paul calls it a day rather then a judgement in allusion to that last day wherein God will sit in judgement upon the whole world So the meaning of Job is plainly this The Lords judgement is not like mans judgement This Exposition falls in with the sense of the former verse men judge by outward proofs and probabilities by questions and interrogatories by testimonies and witnesses God needs none of these humane helps in his day of judgement yet in Jobs case he carried it as if he needed them The suit depending so long before him and such variety of experiments and trials being put upon or taken of him But we may better interpret daies for a part of time and so Enos cujus vitae duratio brevissima pene nulla Are thy daies as mans daies is Art thou short liv'd as man is The word Man signifies man in his worst condition Are thy daies like the daies of a weak man of a miserable sickly man Are they like the daies of a man whom we number among the dead and who is giving up the ghost every hour There are some men whom we call long-liv'd that is men who in probability may live very long we say of a healthy strong man we would take a lease of his life or if we were to take a lease for lives we would put his life in for one he is a man of a good complexion and constitution a man like to live and see many daies But saith Jo◠Are thy daies as the daies of Enosh As the daies of a weak sickly man as the daies of one who looks as if he would drop into the grave every day as the daies of a very borderer upon death of the next neighbour and heir apparent to the king of terrours Lord I am sure thy daies are not as the daies of such a weakling of such mouldring sickly clod of earth This sense may have a double reference Perslat Iob in excludenda ignorantia à Deo judice Dies hominis significant vitam bre vissimam quae cum multa ignorantia conjuncta est Sanct Ars longa vita brevis Hypocr 1. To the knowledge of God concerning Iob. 2. To the manner of Gods dealing with Iob. 1. Thy daies are not as the daies of man thou hast had and hast time enough to gather knowledge and experience if thou didst need such help to make thee more knowing It was the ancient complaint of that great Physitian when he saw how much of his art he had to learn and how little time he had to learn it in Art is long and time is short what can I learn in such a span-long life as mine Hence it is conceived that though the fathers before the flood some of whose lives reached eight or nine Centuries wanted the help of Libraries and Academies which we enjoy yet that by the experience of so many years they gathered a great stock of knowledge and proved men of eminent learning Men whose daies are not as the daies of ordinary men attain knowledge beyond ordinary men How then can the Lord want any perfection of the most perfect knowledge who numbereth not only by hundreds and thousands of years but by an eternity of years His knowledge must needs be full concerning the state both of things and persons who not only hath Antiquity of daies but is the Ancient of daies Dan. 7.9 Many men have lived so many daies that they are justly called Ancient but no man ever lived or shall live so long as to deserve this title Ancient of daies God is called the Ancient of daies not only because he hath been many daies yea all the daies that ever have been but because he is ancienter then daies He is the daies ancient for he made the day His daies cannot be like mans daies who made five daies ancienter then man God hath more then all daies therfore he hath all knowledg he hath all experience therfore he hath neither ignorance nor nescience Upon this ground Job argues it out with God that he must needs know all thing who was before all times and that he was acquainted with him better then all men who lived at that day because he lived and was acquainted with what he would be before man had a day even from eternity 2. These words Thy daies are not as mans daies may refer to the dealing of God with Job As if he had said Lord why then doest thou make such haste to enquire after me why dost thou so incessantly follow me with afflictions Why dost thou keep me upon the rack from day to day night and day and wilt give me no rest Lord thou needest not fear to loose time for thou hast all time at thy command thou canst not want opportunity who hast eternity The reason why man is called upon so earnestly to redeem the time is because he hath so little time given him and no time at all but what is given him His daies are short daies and they are but few and which should provoke him more to make haste he knows not how few unlesse he lay hold upon the present day he is not sure of any day But Lord thou art Lord of time and Master not only over thy work but also over thy daies thou canst allow thy self as many daies
as thou pleasest to doe thy work in Why then doest thou deal thus severely with me as if thou were afraid thou shouldest over-slip thy day or want a season to deal with me in Again When he saith Are thy daies as mans daies it may referre to the changes which happen in the daies of man Deo nihil affert novi crastina dies the daies of man are sometimes fair and sometimes cloudy sometimes he hath good daies and sometimes he hath ill daies therefore he must take his time and lay hold upon his opportunity He must make his hay while the Sunshines who cannot command the Sun to shine But the daies of the Lord are like himself alwaies the same alwaies alike There are no changes of time to him who is himself unchangeable Lastly Are thy daies as the daies of man Aâ—iam suarum miseriarum causam excludit à Deo q.d. si non esset firma Dei voluntas atque benevolentia erga suos sed innata illi esset inconstantia nihil mirum esset si me queÌ„ quondam ingentibus beneficiis cumula vit odio prosequatur Bold 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may have reference to man himself man is as mutable a creature as his time is and man is mutable not only in his condition but in his affection now he loveth anon he hateth now he rejoyceth anon he sorroweth now he esteemeth anon he rejecteth now he imbraceth anon he contemneth Lord saith Job I know thou art not in thy daies as man is in his Where thou art once a friend thou art alwaies a friend whom thou lovest thou lovest for ever Thy affections are as unchangeable as thy nature There is a difference in the later clause of the verse for whereas he saith in the first Are thy daies as the daies of man In the second he saith Are thy years as mans daies The daies of God in the first part are the same with the years of God in the second But man hath not years ascribed to him in the second The time of man is so short that it is reckoned by the shortest compleat time a day And when David computes the longest date of mans life he doth not say The years of man are threescore years and ten but the daies of our years are threescore years and ten Psa 90.10 There is yet another difference in the originall about the word man In the first clause the Hebrew word for man was Enosh here it is Geber which signifies a strong man a mighty man a man of the most masculine spirit and strongest body of the most vigorous abilities and greatest probabilities to live long A man of brasse and heart of oake rather then of clay and dust of the earth Lord Thy daies are not only not as the daies of Enosh a weak sickly man but Thy years are not as the daies of Geber as the daies of the mightiest and healthiest of the strongest and stoutest among the sons of men Observe hence more distinctly the difference between the daies of God and the daies of man First Gods day is the day of eternity Mans daies are but daies of time God is said To inhabit eternity Isa 57.15 that is he is fixed in eternity he is without beginning and without end yea his daies are without succession of daies All the daies of God are but a day Not only are a thousand years to him as one day but eternity is to him as one day All that God doth is said to be done to day Thou art my sonne to day have I begotten thee Psal 2.7 yet he speaks say some of the eternall generation of the Son or as it referreth to the resurrection of Christ so the Apostle expounds it Act. 13.33 God cals that time To day though it came a long time after all is present with God Past and to come in relation to God is neither past nor to come all is now or to day That was not past to God which never had beginning the eternall generation of his Son nor was that to come to God which was alwaies before him The temporall resurrection of his Son To day have I begotten thee is the most proper stile for God Tempus est mensura hominum habens principium finem aeviternitas est Angelorum principium habeus sed non finem aeternitas est propria Deo nec principiuÌ„ habens nec finem Some distinguish thus between these three Eternity Eviternity and Time Eternity is that which is peculiar unto God his are the daies of eternity Eviternity is proper to Angels and spirits which have a beginning but shall have no end Time is the portion and lot of man who hath had a beginning and shall have an end Time is the measure of those things which actually corrupt and change Eviternity is the measure of things incorruptible and unchangeable not in themselves but by the appointment of God Eternity is peculiar to God in whom it is absolutely impossible any change should be Time hath continuall successions eternity a constant permanency eviternity partakes of both Hence The second difference Mans daies are moveable the daies of God move not Aeternitas est quae nihil habet mutabile ibi nihil est praeteritum quasi jam non fit nihil futaruÌ„ quasi nondum fit quia â—oÌ„ est ibi nisi est Aug. in Ps 101. Erat erit nostri temporis fluxaeque naturae segmenta sunt Aeternitas est semper immutabile esse Thirdly Mans daies being past cannot be recalled Gods day is ever within his call for that which is past is as much present to him as that which is present and that which is to come is as much present to him as that which is Mans day was is and shall be Gods day alwaies is his name is I am It was and it will be are divisions and fragments morsels and bits of time eternity is an It is This teaches us First That God hath time enough to do his work in His daies are not as mans daies He needs not hasten his work lest he should loose his opportunity who is possessed of eternity And Secondly This by the way sheweth us the infinite happinesse and unconceivable blessednesse of God His daies are not as mans daies one of mans daies carrieth away one comfort and the next a second This day brings one comfort and the next a second and so he looseth or receiveth his comforts by daies and by daies by the fluxes and refluxes of time God hath all his happines in eternity that is he hath all at once Time neither bringeth nor carrieth away from God He enjoyeth as much at this present what he ever had as what he hath at this present and he enjoys as much what shall be as he doth what is present he enjoyeth all at once because he seeth all at once God hath not one thing after another but all together Eternity is the longest and the shortest it is
longest in duration and the shortest in fruition not that the enjoyment of any thing there is short but because in the shortest enjoyment there is all Every moment of eternity being filled with all the blessednesse of eternity Thirdly This shews the reason why the Lord taketh such leisure to do his work he doth not precipitate or thrust on his designs because he may take what time he will God hath all time at his command Men bear sway and rule over persons and places God only ruleth times Man hath not one day in his power not only not the day to come but not the day present Go to now saith the Apostle James chap. 4.13 14. 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 whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow Nor indeed doth any man know whether he shall be on the morrow or on all the day wherein he is God can boast of to morrow that is of eternity or of all time to come Man cannot boast of tomorrow that is of the next day no nor of the next time to come of the same day Hence it is that man must hasten lest he misse his season When David had Saul at an advantage 1 Sam. 24.5 they about him advise him to make use of it and not to let it slip Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee c. Sr having such a day take hold of it if you let this go you may never see such another Time is no part of the dominion of Kings So likewise Abishai counsels David upon the same advantage 1 Sam. 26.8 God hath delivered thy enemy into thine hand this day let him go this day and probably thou shalt never have the like day again Now therefore let me smite him I pray thee with the spear even to the earth at once and I will not smite him the second time I can dispatch him at one time and possibly thou shalt not have a second time In a good work it is good yea t is best to do our work at once and not to expect what we may or may never have a second time when we have a time To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts He hath much hardnes but no wisdom in his heart who hopes to do that good to morrow which he resolvs to neglect untill to morrow A wise man may hope to do that to morrow which he cannot do to day but it is highest folly to resolve upon a neglect of any duty this day upon a hope of doing it next day It is said Revel 12.6 Woe to the inhabitants of the earth because the devil is come down having great wrath why so angry because he knoweth that his time is but short When the devil knows he hath but a little time he will do as much work as he can and do it presently he sees all will scape out of his hands else Only the Lord hastens not neither needeth he to hasten his work at any time upon this ground because he hath but a short time He can take what time he will and make his day as long and his daies as many as himself pleaseth for the acting of his counsels whether to punish or to shew mercy And hence it is that he delaieth till wicked profane spirits wonder yea scoff at his delay and think surely the Lord will never do any such thing as he hath threatned or promised because he staieth so long before he doth it wheras indeed to him that inhabiteth eternity deferment is no delay though to us it seem so whose times are measured out by inches and hours by moments and by minutes Those profane wretches Isa 5.19 call the Lord and provoke him to action Let him make speed and hasten his work that we may see it The Lord appears slow and slack to many men but the Lord is not slack as some men count slacknesse 2 Pet. 3.9 Men think he is slack when he is only patient and themselves ignorant That a thousand years to the Lord are but as one day God doth not measure time by our pole nor cast it up by our Arithmetike Eternity doth not only like the unjust steward bid us write fifty for an hundred but one for a thousand and which bears the disproportion of divers hundreds in every one of that thousand one day for a thousand years Time is not only a small thing but nothing unto God Mine age saith David is nothing unto thee Psal 39.5 And if all Nations before him are as nothing if they are counted to him lesse then nothing Isa 40.17 Then not only the age of one man but the ages of all men added together are before him as nothing and are counted to him lesse then nothing Surely he cannot want time to do all things before whom all times are nothing He cannot want time to pour out his judgements and to empty the vials of his wrath upon wicked men nor can he want time to fulfill his promises and to make good every word of blessing which he hath spoken to or concerning his own people Wicked men Doe not ye hope Godly men Do not ye fear God will not doe what he hath said because he hath not already done it He hath not lost his time or season because he hath not accepted that which ye thought to be the time or season Christ warns his Disciples Joh. 9.4 to make haste about their work for the night namely of death cometh wherein no man can work while you have the day do your work for I know what day yours is your day will be gone and the night will come then you can work no more But Gods day fears no night what ever comes he can do his work The Preacher gives the same counsel upon the same ground Eccles 9. Whatsoever thine hand findeth to do do it with all thy might lay hold upon the fore-lock of time why There is no wisdom or counsel in the grave whither thou goest When thou diest there is an end of all thy working time doe thy work well for thou canst not recall a day of thy life to mend thy work in neither canst thou work at all in that night of death The Lords day knows nothing of a grave nor is his Sunne acquainted with going down if he seem slack to his work or slack at his work this day and the next c. yet he hath another day at his call and after that another and another all which are to him but one day Therefore he takes or leaves defers or hastens comes or goes at pleasure Are thy daies O Lord as mans daies Are thy years as the daies of men I know they are not But why doth Job make so many of these negative queries The next words will answer Verse 6. That thou enquirest after mine iniquity and searchest after my sinne Here
eminently in it Our conception our formation our birth and production are all ascribed to yea assumed by God himself Of which second act the next verse gives us a noble and an elegant proof Verse 11. Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh and fenced me with bones and sinews Job proceeds like a great Philosopher about the production of man For when by that former work of nature Semen in utero mulieris primis septem d ebus conglobatur coagulatur sitque ad capiendam figuram idoneū Gel. the matter is poured out and crudled God by nature makes a further progresse and prepares for another work the forming and fashioning of that unshapen lump into the parts and lineaments of an organicall body Some Naturalists undertake to tell us exactly what is wrought the first seven daies and what the next when the brain heart and liver are formed and when the flesh the bones and sinews Gal. l. 7 de sem ex doctrina Hippocratis The ancient and learned Physicians have distinguished this whole work of God in perfecting mankinde into four periods The first is while the matter or principles out of which man is made being mingled together retain their own form The second is when those principles are grossed into a rude fleshy masse These two periods Job hath taught us long before Galen and Hippocrates in the former verse under those notions of pouring out as milk and curdling as cheese The third period is when a representation is made of those principall parts the brain the heart and the liver together with the threeds and as some allude the warp of mans constitution or as others the lines and shadows of a man such as a skilfull artisan makes with a ruder pensil when he is about to draw a curious picture The fourth period is when both the similar and organicall parts are compleated and also beautified with proper and lively colours These two later periods are described by Job in this verse and in the beginning of the next Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nudavit The originall word for skin comes from a root signifying naked We commonly say he is naked who hath nothing upon him but his skin And Job who here saith Thou hast clothed me with skin said Chap. 1.20 Naked came I out of my mothers womb and naked shall I return thither That is with nothing but my skin He that wears only skin and flesh hath no artificiall clothing but he hath a naturall clothing We are drest in garments taken out of the Wardrobe of God and nature before the world puts a rag upon us Thus man is born naked yet clothed unarmed yet fenced Pellis ita dicta quod externas injurias tegendo repellat Drus Vlterius progreditur informatione faetus nam post corsolidatum semen formata jam mēbra accedunt extrinsecus cutis caro ad protegenda interiora quae absque hoc velut sepimento munimento essent obnoxia exposita periculis Merc. Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh c. Which some interpret in reference to the soul which is covered over and enclosed with the skin and flesh But this clothing of skin and flesh refers rather to those inward more noble and tender parts the heart liver brain and bowels these are enclosed with skin and flesh lest they should take cold these are fenced with bones and sinews lest they should take hurt Hence death is called an unclothing Death strips us not only to the skin but of the skin We that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened not for that we would be unclothed 2 Cor. 5.4 that is not that we would put off this garment of skin and flesh this naturall clothing but we would have a supernaturall clothing upon it even a vest of glory put upon these vests of frailty This Scripture in Job is of the same language with that of Paul Thou hast clothed me with skinne and flesh It is said of the vertuous woman Prov. 31.21 That she is not afraid of the snow for her houshold for all her houshold are all clothed with skarlet or double garments The great and most wise God hath prepared such clothing for mans inward parts that he needs not fear snow or cold he hath provided double garments two sutes skin and flesh Flesh is an under garment and skin is an upper garment flesh covers the bones and skin covers the flesh Anatomists observe That man hath two distinct coats of skin upon his flesh or mans skin is a lined garment yet differing from other garments for here the lining is uppermost This uppermost skin or as some call it the scarf-skin is without sense you may thrust a needle thorow it without pain There was great reason it should be so that it might defend the skin under it from externall injuries as also attemper the exquisite sense thereof and so become the medium or mean of touching for all sensation is made by some mean and is either altogether hindered or much disturbed by the immediety of the object and the organ Hence when this cuticle or scarf-skin is off or broken the gentlest touch upon that bared part breedeth much pain but spoileth the true sensation Under this curtain or scarf-skin the true and proper skin lieth The Greeks call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it may be flaied off or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a band because it compasseth or knitteth together the whole body This skin is a seamelesse garment yet it hath divers out-lets made for the relief and ease of nature some of which are obvious to sence others called pores are both innumerable and imperceptible To this double vesture of skin flesh is added as having according to Jobs philosophy an immediate conjunction or contiguity with one another But our Philosophers in their professed descriptions of mans anatomy place two parts between the skin and the flesh namely fat and the fleshy membrane Concerning which they who please may consult the writings of learned Naturalists I shall not step out into such digressions Further As God hath given us a clothing of skin and flesh so he hath given us armour under that clothing Thou hast fenced me with bones and sinews The word which we translate fenced is the same used Chap. 1.10 where Satan tels the Lord that he had secured the state of Iob so that he could not come nigh it Hast not thou made an hedge about him The devil made many assaults against Job but he could not batter down that hedge it was Cannon-proof As the state so the body of Job was fenced if we look upon the skelleton of a man we shall see the proportion of an armour brest and back formed up with bones and sinews 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ossa à robore firmitate dicta Bones are for strength and sinews for motion bones
The greatest wonders of creation are unseen God hath packt many rarities mysteries yea miracles together in mans chest All the vitall instruments and wheels whereby the watch of our life is perpetually moved from the first hour to the last are locked up in a curious internall cabinet where God himself prepared the pulleys hung on the weights and wound up the chime by the hand of his infinite power without opening of any part As our own learned Anatomist elegantly teacheth us in the Preface to his sixth book Fourthly The dimensions proportions and poise of mans body are so exact and due that they are made the model of all structures and artificials Castles Houses Ships yea the Ark of Noah was framed after the measure and plot of mans body In him is found a circulate figure and a perfect quadrat yea the true quadrature of a circle whose imaginary lines have so much troubled the Mathematicians of many ages Fifthly In every part usefulnesse and commodiousnesse comelinesse and convenience meet together What beauty is stampt upon the face What majesty in the eye What strength is put into the arms What activity into the hands What musick and melody in the tongue Nothing in this whole fabrique could be well left out or better placed either for ornament or for use Some men make great houses which have many spare rooms or rooms seldom used but as in this house there is not any one room wanting so every room is of continuall use Was ever clay thus honoured thus fashioned Galen gave Epicurus an hundred years to imagine a more commodious scituation configuration or composition of any one part of the body And surely if all the Angels in heaven had studied to this day they could not have cast man into a more curious mould or have given a fairer and more correct edition of him This clay cannot say to him that fashioneth it What makest thou Or this work he hath no hands Isa 45.9 The Lord hath made man so well that man cannot tell which way to be made better This work cannot say He that wrought me had no hands that is I am ill wrought as to say you have no eyes you have no ears are reproofs of negligence and inadvertency both in hearing and seeing So when we say to a man Surely you have no hands our meaning is he hath done his work either slothfully or unskilfully But this work of mans body shall not need to say unto God he hath no hands he hath given proof enough that hands and head too were imploied about this work Let us make it appear that we have hands and tongues and hearts for him that we have skin and flesh bones and sinews for him that we have strength and health and life and all for him seeing all these are also derived from him as appears in the next words Thou hast granted me life and favour Job having thus described the naturall conception and formation of his body descendeth to his quickning and preservation When God had formed man out of the dust of the earth he then breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul and thus when God hath formed man in the womb given him skin and flesh bones and sinews then he gives life and breath and all things necessary to the continuation of what he hath wrought up to such excellent perfections Our divine Philosopher teacheth us this doctrine Verse 12. Thou hast granted me life and favour and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit This verse holds out to us the great Charter of God to man consisting of three royall grants First Life Secondly Favour Thirdly Visitation The bounty of God appears much in granting life more in granting favour most of all in his grant of gracious visitations Thou hast granted me life c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vitas fecisti Mont. Vitam disposuisti mihi Sep. Quasi debito loco ordine The letter of the Hebrew is Thou hast made or fitted for me life and favour The soul is the ornament of the body life the lustre of our clay Thou hast not thrown or hudled my life into my body Thou hast put it in exquisitely and orderly The frame of the body is an exquisite frame but the frame the faculties and powers the actings and motions of the soul are farre more exquisite The inhabitant is more noble then the house and the jewell then the cabinet As the life is better then meat and the body then artificiall raiment Mat. 6.25 So the life is better then the body which is to it a naturall raiment Thou hast granted me life c. Life is here put metonymically for the soul of which it is an effect as the soul is often put for the life whereof it is a cause We translate in the singular number life the Hebrew is plurall Thou hast granted me lives But hath a man more lives then one Some understand Job speaking not only of corporall but spirituall life as our naturall life is the salt of the body to keep that from corrupting so spirituall life or the life of grace is the salt of the soul to keep that from corrupting Secondly Thou hast granted me lives that is say others temporall life and eternall life Thirdly Lives may be taken for the three great powers of life Man hath one life consisting of three distinct lives For whereas there is a life of vegetation and growth such as is in trees and plants and a life of sense and motion such as is in beasts of the earth fowls of the air and fishes of the sea And a life of reason such as is in Angels whereby they understand and discourse these three lives which are divided and shared among all other living creatures are brought together and compacted into the life of man Whole man is the epitome or summe of the whole Creation being enriched and dignified with the powers of the invisible world and of the visible put together under which notion we may expound this Text Thou hast granted me lives a three-fold life or a three-fold acting and exercise of the same life Thou hast granted me lives Observe hence Life is the gift of God With thee is the fountain of lives the well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vena vitarum or the vein of lives Psal 36.9 The Psalmist alludes either first to waters which flow from a fountain and so doth life from God Or secondly To metals With thee is the vein of lives as all minerall veins the veins of gold and silver of lead and iron c. lie as it were in bank in the bosom and bowels of the earth so doth life in God There is not the lest vein of this quick-silver in all the world but comes from him Or thirdly The Psalmist alludeth to the veins of the body which as so many rivers and rivolets derive their bloud from tha◠red-sea the liver God hath a sea of life in himself
our visiting God as providence is Gods visiting of us we should visit God by praier not only as they Isa 26. in trouble but in our peace we should desire him to visit our estates our families but especially our souls and spirits in their most flourishing condition The Apostle useth it as an argument to keep us from distracting thoughts Phil. 4.2 Let your moderation be known unto all men The Lord is at hand be carefull in nothing but in every thing by praier and supplication let your requests be made known unto God The Lord is at hand let not your hearts be troubled Visit God in duty who is at hand to visit you in mercy Though there be an infinite distance between God and man yet God is not farre from any man and he is ever near some men Let not us be strangers to God when we hear he maketh continuall visits to us Thy visitation doth preserve my spirit Verse 13. And these things hast thou hid in thine heart I know that this is with thee Some read the first clause which adds sharpnesse to it with an interrogation And hast thou hid these things in thine heart Is it so with thee or hast thou dealt so with me indeed The heart of God is the will purpose or decree of God These are a vast repository wherein all things are laid up And these things hast thou hid c. What things what is the antecedent to these things 1. Some say His afflictions These things that is these afflictions which thou hast now laid upon me were hid in thine heart thou hast shewed me many favours while in secret thou didst prepare rods for me 2. The antecedent to these things is mercy life favour and visitation spoken of before say others As if Job had spoken thus This bill of blâ—ssings now read these priviledges now reekoned up were hidden in thiâ—e heart thou hast had gratious intentions towards me while thou hast been smiting me I know all this is with thee Scio quia universorum me mâ—eris Vulg. That is Thou remembrest all this and keepest a record of it by thee The Vulgar makes this the text I know thou remembrest all things or all men Some supposing the antecedent to be his afflictions make out this harsh and unbecoming sense Quasi haec mala velut in animo recondita in tempus opportunum asservasset ut nec opinanteÌ„ opprimeret Atrox querimonia Merl As if Job had thus uttered his minde to God I now perceive thou hast had coles of anger raked up in the ashes while those warm beams of love did shine upon me Thou hast held out mercy in thine hand but somewhat else lay in thine heart This interpretation in the common understanding of it is most unworthy of God It is the wickednesse of men to speak fair and to doe some courtesies while cruelty and revenges are hid in their hearts When Esau Gen. 27.41 saw himself defeated of the blessing by his brother He said in his heart The daies of mourning for my father are at hand then will I slay my brother Iacob Here 's the character of malice he gave neither brother nor mother ill language but he said in his heart The holy God never speaks good to them to whom he intends evil The Creatour needs not daub or pervaricate with his creatures I grant indeed that the Lord giveth wicked men many outward favours and speaks them fair in his works but he never speaks them fair in his Word Say Woe to the wicked it shall be ill with him for the reward of his hands shall be given him Isa 3.11 Men are apt to flatter but flattery is much an abomination to the Lord as it is below him I grant also That the Lord giveth his own people many favours and speaketh reall kindenesses to them while he hides affliction in his heart What evil soever he brings upon them he hath thoughts to do them good and hath nothing but good for them in his thoughts We understand by those hidden things the mercies which Iob with his last breath had enumerated then the words import two things First An argument to move the Lord not to destroy him or or to assure his own heart that he would not As if he had said Lord I know thou remembrest well what thou hast done for me what cost thou hast been at in making me at first and in preserving me hitherto surely then thou wilt not pull all down in a moment Secondly The words may import that the Lord in afflicting Job had used only a kinde of sacred dissimulation A dissembler carrieth himself as if he had no intent to do what he is resolved to do It is usuall with men thus to dissemble hatred and so have some their love He that purposeth much good to another hideth it sometimes under sowre language and unkindest usage Ioseph had most endeared affection toward his brethren yet he put a disguise of anger upon it acting the part of a severe man who lieth at catch to finde out advantages and pick quarrels Ioseph used many stratagems of love to entangle his brethren and wrapt up his good will in hard speeches and rough carriages Nothing appearing lesse then what indeed he most was A loving brother forgetfull of nothing but injuries Job seems to have had such a conception of God while he saith These things hast thou hid in thine heart And then his sense riseth thus Lord I know thou bearest favour and good will towards me still The fire of thy love is not extinct but covered Thou dost but personate an enemy thou art my friend thou drawest a cloud betwixt me and the light of thy countenance but thy countenance is still as full of light towards me as ever and though I see nothing but sorrows on every side yet I know mercies are hid in thine heart Thus the words are an assertion of Jobs faith and assurance that God loved him while his chastnings lay most heavy upon him Hence observe First That the Saints while they are strong in faith are able to discern the favour of God through the clouds and coverings of his most angry dispensations This they can do and when they can they are arrived at a great height in grace To maintain our interest in Christ through disadvantages is strong faith The woman of Canaan Mat. 15.26 knew her pardon and acceptance were hid in the heart of Christ while he called her dog and would scarce vouchsafe to cast an eye upon her Faith did this and faith can do the like at this day But every true faith will not do it There is a kinde of miracle wrought in such believing So Christ concludes with that woman ver 28. O woman great is thy faith Truth of grace is not enough for every work of grace some works will not be done without strength as well as truth Weak faith is ready to say Mercy is lost when it is but hidden
q d. in me jam seme◠mortuo pene confecto Merc. my pains know not only no period but no pause I have storm upon storm grief upon grief here much and there much I am all waies and everywhere again afflicted though already half-dead with affliction Whence observe God doth often renew the same or send new afflictions upon his choisest servants One would think that light should follow darknesse and day succeed the night that though sorrow continue all the night yet joy should come in the morning that after wounding we should have healing and after sicknesse health So they promised themselves Hos 6.1 Come and let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will binde us up yet many have felt wounding after wounds and smiting after blows darknesse hath stept after darknesse and their sorrow hath had a succession of greater sorrows It was a speciall favour to Paul when Epaphroditus was restored Phil. 2.27 He was sick nigh unto death but saith he God had mercy on him and not on him only but on me also and why Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow God would not do what some of his enemies thought to do adde affliction to his bonds therefore he healed Pauls helper and kept him alive in whom he so much delighted Sorrow upon sorrow is a mournfull bearing yet many a precious Saint hath born that coat The promise to the Church is That her peace shall be as a river and her prosperity as the waves of the sea Isa 66.12 When the Church shall come to her full beauty and attain a perfect restauration then her peace shall be a continued peace she shall have peace upon peace everlasting successions of peace a river being supplied and fed with a constant stream the waters that flow to day will flow again to morrow peace like a river is peace peace or perpetuall peace Sions peace shall not be as a land-floud soon up and as soon down again but as a river and which yet heightens it her prosperity shall be as the waves of the sea If the winde do but stir upon the face of the sea you shall have wave upon wave waves rolling and riding one upon the back of another Such shall be the prosperity of Zion on earth for a time and such it will be for ever in heaven there peace shall be as a river to eternity and prosperity as the waves of the sea joy upon joy and comfort upon comfort riding and rolling one upon the back of another As it shall be thus with the peace of the Church at last so it may be with the afflictions of the Church or of any member of the Church at present Their afflictions may be as a river and their sorrows as the waves of the sea coming on again and again renewed as often as abated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mirabilis sis in me Again Thou shewest thy self wonderfull or marvellous against or upon me Both renderings are consistent with the originall Marvellous upon me That is thou dost not punish or afflict me in an ordinary way Marvels are not every daies work Thou takest a new a strange course to try me such afflictions as mine have no parallel such have scarce been heard of or recorded in the history of any age Who hath heard of such a thing as this thou seemest to design me for a president to posterity Mirificum fit spectaculum homo qui tam dira patitur tam constanti invictoque animo or to shew in my example what thou canst do upon a creature Thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me As Moses speaks concerning Korah Dathan and Abiram when they murmured and mutined against him and against Aaron If these men die the common death of all men or if they be visited after the visitation of all men then the Lord hath not sent me but if the Lord make a new thing and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up then c. The Lord to manifest his extream displeasure against those mutineers did as it were devise a new kinde of death for them If these men die the common or the ordinary death of all men then the Lord hath not sent me These men have given a new example of sinne and surely God will make them a new example of punishment Iob speaks the same sense Thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me thou wilt not be satisfied in afflicting me after the rate or measure of other men All the Saints should do some singular thing and many of them suffer some singular thing The Apostle assures his Corinthians 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no temptation taken you but that which is common to man Iob seems to speak the contrary A temptation hath taken me which is not common to man Further These words Thou art marvellous upon me have reference to God who sent those afflictions as well as unto the afflictions which he sent As if he had said Lord thou actest now besides thy nature and thy custom thou art mercifull and thou delightest in mercy Thou art good and thou doest good how or whence is it then that thou art so fierce against me and pourest out so many evils upon me I could not knowing thee as I do have beleeved though it had been told me that thou wouldest have been so rigorous and incompassionate if a professed enemy had done this he had done like himself and had been no wonder unto me But now as thou hast afflicted me till I am become a wonder unto many so thou O Lord art become a wonder unto me and to all who hear how thou hast afflicted me Meek Moses made himself a wonder when he broke out in anger Every man is wondered at when he doth that which he is not enclined to doe or not used to do Is it not a wonder to see the patient God angry the mercifull God severe the compassionate God inexorable Thus saith Iob Thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me Hence observe First That some afflictions of the Saints are wonderfull afflictions As God doth not often send his people strange deliverances and works wonders to preserve them so he sends them many strange afflictions and works wonders to trouble them And as many punishments of sin upon wicked men so some trials of grace upon godly men are very wonderfull The Lord threatneth the Jews Deut. 28.59 that he would make their plagues wonderfull he would make strange work among them And he saith of Ierusalem I will wipe it as a man wipeth a dish wiping it and turning it up-side down or wiping it and turning it upon the face thereof 2 King 21.13 To see a great City handled like a little dish or a strong Nation turned topsie turvy as we say or the bottom upwards is a strange thing It is an ordinary thing to see cups platters turned up-side down but it is not ordinary to see Kingdoms and Nations
Hebraei ad vices diei noctis aestatis hiemis c. referuÌ„t Expertem vicissitudinem Jun. First Without order because it hath no changes or vicissitudes in it there is no difference in the grave between night and day winter and summer hot and cold wet and dry between the rising and setting of the Sun This is the order which God hath set in nature and when the floud had put all things into a kinde of confusion God promised That seed-time and harvest and cold and heat summer and winter day and night should not cease that is there should be an everlasting order continued in the creature The dead know none of those changes and vicissitudes as much of the vanity so some of the comforts of this life consist in changes but all is alike in death Secondly There is no order in going to the grave men do not keep to a rule in dying nor observe their ranks The old go not alwaies first and then the young the great before and the mean following after Death hath no master of the Ceremonies but takes promiscuously here a childe and there a man here a rich man and there a beggar And as there is no order in going thither so none when we are there the grave mingleth the dust and bones of one with another We cannot distinguish the rich mans dust from the dust of the poor nor the bones of Kings from those of the lowest subject Though rich men are buried in more eminent places and Kings under stately Monuments though their Tombs differ from their inferiours yet their bones do not An old Philosopher was observed searching a caemitery and prying busily among the Tombs and being asked what he looked for answered I come to see if I can finde the dust of rich men and the bones of Princes but I cannot see which is which the dust of the rich and of the poor of Princes and pesants are all alike to my eye And seeing Iob makes this an aggravation of the misery of death that it is without order We may observe That order hath an excellency and a beauty in it The lesse order there is in any place or state the worse it is and where is no order there it is worst of all Civil order is the beauty of Common-wealths and spirituall order is the beauty of the Church The Apostle rejoyced to behold the order of the Colossians as well as their faith Col. 2.5 His charge to the Corinthians is Let all things be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14.40 He had warned them ver 33. to take heed of disorder because God is not the God of confusion but of peace where order is not kept the peace cannot be kept Death is evil and that 's without order hell is worst of all and there is no order at all It is a kinde of death to see any disorder and a very hell to see all in disorder And where the light is as darknesse Some read by the verb where it shineth like darknesse or thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aâ—radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Floruit splenduit fulgorem magnifiâ—entiam exercuit Tenebrescet ficut caligo Mon. Quod in ea spâ—endidissimum est caligini fim le est where it lighteth like darknesse The Vulgar paraphrases rather then translates Where there is everlasting horrour Job said before it was a land of darknes and of darknes like darknesse it self yet now he seemeth to affirm that there is light in the grave and if there be how is that darknes like darknes it self His meaning is that which looks most like to light in the grave is darknes and it is therefore darknes like darknes it self because if you can imagin any thing to have a shew of light in the grave that very light is as darknes When the Apostle would invincibly argue the infinite wisdom and strength of God he saith The foolishnesse of God is wiser then men and the weaknesse of God is stronger then men 1 Cor. 1.25 God is only wise only strong how then speaks this Apostle of the foolishnesse or weaknes of God His meaning is look what act soever of God appears to man as having foolishnes or weaknes in it even that foolishnes is wiser and that weaknesse stronger then men In what sense Paul saith The foolishnes of God is wisdom the weaknes of God is strength or which is all one the darknes of God is light in the same Iob saith The light of the grave is darknes For as God is wisdom and in him there is no foolishnes at all strength and in him there is no weaknes at all light and in him there is no darknes at all So Iob supposeth of the grave that in it there is darknes and no light at all while he affirms the light found there is as darknes Christ speaks near this language of Job Mat. 6.23 If therefore the light that is in thee be darknes how great is that darknes he had said before The light of the body is the eye and if the eye be single the whole body is light that is if a man have right aims and pure ends these will keep him right in all his course but if his eye be dark his ends base how base will his actions be how great his darknes We may argue thus to the point in hand if the light of the grave be darknes how great is that darknes The Prophet Amos sets forth great changes in States and Kingdoms by prodigious changes in the air Lo he makes the morning darknes Cha. 4.15 Again He turneth the shadow of death into the morning and maketh the day dark with night Chap. 5.8 When either civil or morall good is turned into evil we are past all hope of good if once our light be dark we must expect nothing but darknes The best works of hypocrites will be found wickednes how wicked then will they be in their worst If their holines be unclean how unclean is their unholines All their morall light is as darknes and all their civil light shall be turned into darknes Some especially Popish Interpreters understand this description not of the grave but of hell The same word in the Hebrew serves both hell and the grave Death looks like hell and bears much of it's image What is there in hell but the agonies and sweat of death the pangs and palenes of death the chains and bonds of death The state of the damned in hell is an eternall act of dying And all that Job speaks of the grave is fulfilled there to the utmost There is darknes like darknes it self called therefore utter darknes there is the shadow of death without any order there the light is as darknes But though the Text be true of hell yet Job had nothing to do or suffer beyond the grave and I shall carry his discourse no further keeping within those confines We may learn That death in it self is no way desirable
hand p. 389. No creature can be a daies-man between God and man only Christ is p. 392. Daies of God not like the days of man p. 459. Death Sudden death or to be slain suddenly in what sense a mercy p. 313. Death Man dies by statute p. 508. Whether death was naturall to man or no p. 509. Death without order two waies p. 584. No naturall return from it p. 580. Delight in sinne worse then the committing of sin p. 478. Despair is the cutting off of hope p. 88. Duties dangerous to lean upon them p. 97. How hypocrites duties fail p. 98. How we must hold duties fast and how not p. 99. E EAgles flight time compared to it p. 339. Earth taken five waies in Scripture p. 321. How the earth is given to wicked men p. 322. Earth-quake the force of it p. 183. The cause of it ib. Eclipse of the Sun when Christ suffered was miraculous in two respects p. 190. Egypt called Rahab in Scripture and why p. 245. Eternity is Gods day p. 462. Difference between eternity eviternity and time ib. God hath time enough to do his work in p. 463. Evil-doers who p. 127. God will not help such ib. How God concurs with evil-doers and how not p. 128 129. God resists them a two-fold resistance p. 131. Example The examples of others falling into sin or under punishment should be our warnings p. 31. Eyes of God what p. 451. Seven differences between the eyes of God and man p. 452. F FAces of Judges covered what it imports p. 326. Face put for anger c. why p. 346. Faith must have somewhat to lean upon p. 93. Faith necessary in prayer p. 273. Faith in prayer doth not deserve an answer though it get one p. 274. Faith hath its decaies pag. 276. Fear taken two waies p. 404. Sutream fear binders speech p. 405. Forgetfulnesse of God consists in four things p. 78. Hypocrites are forgetters of God p. 79. To forget God is a very great sinne p. 80. Forgetfulnesse of God is a mother sinne p. 81. Forgetfulnesse of three sorts p. 345. Some things can hardly be forgotten others as hardly remembred p. 346. G GIfts not to be trusted to p. 95 God gives to men two waies p. 322. God The best way for man to get his heart humbled is to look up to the holinesse of God p. 148. God is invisible and incomprehensible p. 229. As God is so he works above man p. 375. The consideration that God is above man should humble man p. 376. The unevennesse of mans acting towards God arises from thoughts of his evennesse with God p. 377. 378. Man was made in the image of God but God is not in the image of man p. 380. Man should take heed of measuring God especially in three things p. 381. Man cannot contend with God shewed in seven things 384. Why it is so fearfull to fall into the hands of God p 394. Presence of God both joyfull and terrible p. 402 403. Man cannot bear the anger of God p. 403. God knows the state of every man p. 471. God knoweth all things in and of himself p 473. Godly man shall never be cast away p. 122. How God may be said to east his people away p. 123 God highly honours them p. 124. A godly man exalts God while God is casting him down p. 222. Godly men are a safety and a support to the places where they live p. 244. Yet sometimes God will not be entreated by the godly ib. A godly man may put the worst cases to himself p. 543. Good and bad alike dealt with by God in outward things p. 310. Grace acts alwaies like it self but a gracious man doth not p. 364. Guilt Till guilt be removed fear will not p. 357. Guilt of sin wearieth the soul p. 413. H HAnd Putting forth the hand notes three things in Scripture p. 125 126. Hand put for outward conversation or action p. 367. Washing hands an emblem of freedom from guilt p. 368. Laying on of the hand what it signifies p. 387. Hands How ascribed to God his hand implies two things p. 442. Hands of God what p. 489. Hardning the heart what 160 A hardning the heart to do either good or evil ib. The heart hardned appears in six things p. 161. A three-fold hardnesse of heart p. 162. Man hardens himself against God upon four grounds p. 163. Nine degrees or steps of hardnesse of heart p. 164 165. None ever prospered by hardning themselves against God p. 166. A hard heart is Satans cushion p. 166. Hatred taken two waies 137. Wicked men haters of the righteous p. 141. Hearkning is more then hearing p. 272. Head Lifting up of the head what it imports in Scripture 545. Heart the best repository for truth p. 70. Heaven The various acceptations of it in the Scriptures 199. Heaven is a building of three stories p. 200. Help given by God two-fold p. 128. Holy persons fit for holy duties p. 34. It is not contrary to free grace to say we must be holy if we would be heard p. 35. Hopelesse To be so is the worst condition p. 84 88. Where hope faileth indeavour faileth also 364 Humility a godly mans thoughts are lowest of himself p 251. The more holinesse any man hath the more humility he hath p. 547. Hypocrite compared to a rush in six particulars p. 75 76 77. What an hypocrite is p. 82. Two sorts of hypocrites p. 83. They are filthy they may be full of hopes their hopes will deceive them p. 84 He shall loath himself p. 85 86. his whole course is nothing but foolishnes p. 87. He shall be hopelesse 88. His hope like a spiders-web shewed in five things p. 90 91. He hath two houses p. 94. His hopes may be very strong p. 96. He hath three witnesses ib. All he trusts to shall fail p 97. He may abound in outward blessings p. 104. They do all to be seen p. 105. They may endure persecution a while p 105. They care not whom they wrong so they may thrive 108. They are often destroied in the height of their prosperity 110. They shall be forgotten or remembred with disgrace p. 113 114 He may have much joy p. 115. His joy is most from outward things 116. His joy is short ib. I IDol The same word in Hebrew signifies sorrow and an idol two reasons of it 353. Idols why called Emims p. 401. Immortality three-fold 510. Instruments and second causes What God doth by them is to be reckoned as his own act p. 235. Joy is the portion of the Saints and they shall receive it in good time p 135. They rejoyce in the works of Gods mercies to themselves judgements on enemies 136 Justice and judgement how they differ p. 12. Judgement opposed to three things ib. Judgement subverted two waies p. 14. To pervert judgement what p. 13 15. Judgements of God finde most men secure p. 178. Judgement taken three waies p. 291. Judgement of God