examples must not teach us to sinne but they teach us how unable we alone are to keep our selves from sinne they teach us also what need we have to depend upon and look up to Christ that we may be kept from sin if he leave us but a little unto our selves the flesh will discover much of it self and we shall quickly shew what our natures are though we are renewed by grace We must trust to the supplies not to the receipts of grace Secondly When Job saith My soul is weary of my life We learn That Soul and life in man are two distinct things For howsoever as was toucht in explication the soul is often put for the whole man and so the sense of my soul is weary may be but this I am weary of my life yet the holy Ghost would never denominate all man by that which is 〈◊〉 not a part of man That 's a brutish opinion which makes the soul nothing or nothing else but life and this life no more in entity then the life of a beast which vanisheth when it dieth That these opinionists tell us they believe the body shall rise again by the power of God cannot satisfie for this fall which their opinion gives the soul neither doth the immortality of the soul at all contradict which was threatned for and is the wages of sin the death of the whole man For death consists not if we may say a privation doth consist in the annihilation but in the separation of those parts of man soul and body which by life are united and kept close together Thirdly When Job saith My soul is weary of my life we learn That the life of man may grow to be a burthen to him In the third Chapter Job wished for death his wish was examined there about the lawfulnesse of it I shall now only examine a touch about which was given lately whence this wearinesse of life causing wishes to be rid of life doth arise There is a wearinesse of life incident only and proper to wicked men And there is a wearinesse of life which may grow upon the best of men Take a brief account of the usuall grounds of both First Carnall men are often sick with discontent and die of a humour If the Lord will not give them their lusts they bid him take their lives Necessaries and competencies will not satisfie them they must have superfluities they languish if they have not quails to their Manna as Israel once desired and had Was it any thing but this which made Ahab goe home sullen and sad Sullen sadnesse is a degree of this wearinesse Ahab had a Kingdom and yet he could not live without a vineyard He that takes away another mans life to obtain what he desires thinkes his own life searee desirable unlesse he may obtain it There was a spice of this distemper in Jonah though a good man and a Prophet Jonah 4.8 because the Lord did but kill his gourd kill me too saith Ionah He wished himself to die and said his gourd being dead It is better for me to die then to live It is an excesse of desire when we desire any outward thing much more when we desire things unnecessary things not to supply our wants but to serve our lusts As Rachel did children who are the best and noblest of outward things Give me them or else I die Gen. 30.1 Secondly Some wicked men are wearied of their lives by the horrour of their consciences A hell within makes the world without a hell too They who have a sight of eternall death as the wages of sin without the sight of a remedy may soon be weary of a temporall life As much peace of conscience and soul joy in believing makes some of the Saints wish themselves out of the body so also doth trouble of conscience and grief of soul make many of the wicked A man who is not at all weary of committing sin may be weary of his life because he hath committed it And he who was never troubled that his wickednesse is as an offence against God may feel his wickednesse extremely offensive against himself To such a soul the evil of sinne is so great an evil of punishment that he is ready to cry out with Cain My punishment is greater then I can bear Yea what his guilty conscience feared comes to be the desire of many under the same guilt That every one that findeth them would slay them And some are so weary of their lives at the sight of sinne that they make away their lives themselves hoping to get out of the sight of sin There are sins which cry to God for vengeance and some cry to the sinner himself for vengeance This cry was so loud and forcible in the ears of Judas that it caused him to go away and hang himself And what made Ahithophel weary of his life but his wickednesse The rejecting of his counsel was not so much the reason of it as the sinfulnesse of his counsel A good man may be troubled at others when his good counsel is not accepted but he grows not unacceptable to himself nay he is well-pleased that he hath given honest counsel though none will take it though all are displeased at it But they who aim not at the pleasing of God in what they doe thinke themselves undone and die they will if they please not men Thirdly Inordinate cares for the things of this life make others weary of their lives He that cannot cast his care upon God may soon be cast down himself Christ Luk. 21.34 cautions his Disciples Take heed lest your hearts be over-charged with the cares of this life That which Christ would prevent in the Saints fals often upon carnall men their hearts are over-charged with cares cares are compared to a burden and they are compared to thorns they doe not only presse but vex and wound Their weight presses some to death their sharpnesse wounds others to death And not a few would go out of the world because they cannot get so much of it as they would These things among others make wicked men weary of their lives There are other things which make godly men weary of their lives such are these First The violence of Satans and the worlds temptations The soul would gladly be rid of the body that it might be beyond the reach and assaults of the devil and his assistants There 's a serpent every where but in the heavenly paradise Only they complain not of temptation who are willing slaves to the tempter The Apostle 1 Cor. 10.13 assures the Corinthians There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it as if he had said Temptations are sore burdens and although yours hitherto have been but ordinary temptations such
before Impositio manâ—um potestatis signum q. d qui utrumque nostruÌ„ valet mano imposita coâ—rcere Merc. Ponere manum est litem companere controversiae authores ad fâ—edus concordeâ—â—que adducere Paâ—â—fi aâ—oris esfigies describitur ad alterutrum litigant um manum alte natim exâ—endens ut junctis dex ris pacis foedus iniretur Qâ—intil were sent away with fasting and praier and the laying on of hands Act. 13.3 3. The hand specially signifies civil power Ps 89.25 I will set his hand also in the sea and his right-hand in the flouds that is I will give him power over them who dwel by the seas And then Laying on of hands implies the authority which one man hath over another to determine or resolve a case or to settle a businesse between them and that is the intendment of it here There is no Daieâ—-man that might lay his hands upon us both that is who may authoritatively decide and make an end of this controversie To impose the hand was to compose the difference I finde a three-fold posture of the Daies-man observed in the action of his hand First He put forth his hand towards the parties desiring them to joyn hands or as we speak to shake hands and be friends Joyning hands signifies consent Exod. 23.1 Thou shalt not put thy hand with the wicked that is thou shalt make no agreement with him Some of the Ancients describe the Pacificatour or Daies-man having his hands closed into the hands of those between whom he was to make peace Hence they who are unfaithfull in Covenant are said to have a lying or a deceitfull right-hand Quibus nulla foederis servati fides mendacem dextram habere dicuntur The Prophet Isaiah speaking of a false worshipper who had engaged his faith to serve Idols concludes He feedeth of ashes a deceived heart hath turned him aside that he cannot deliver his soul nor say Is there not a lie in my right-hand Isa 44.20 or as others translate Is there not a lie at my right-hand noting that the Idol to which he had given his heart and hand would deceive him most when he trusted most to it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cum qualâ—m attentione studio industria ponâ—re Arbiter medius inter litigantes benignè manum nunc super hunc nunc super illam ponere selâ—bat dicenâ— Tum hoc hallucinariâ— tu veno bene egisti sed hoc hoc sacere non debuisti Bold Secondly The Daies-man eying the temper or distemper both of the complainant and defendant laid his hand gently now upon one and then upon another using his best Rhetorick to perswade yea to conjure them to peace and quietnesse Sir said he to one I beseech you to accept of these terms and conditions 't is you that have done the wrong and trespassed against your neighbour and presently he bespake the other that he would passe by the offence heal the breach forget the injury or take reasonable satisfaction for his damage Thirdly The Daies-man giving sentence laid his hand upon the head of him whom he found faulty and to have done the wrong in token of condemnation Among the Ceremonies of consecrating the Leviticall Priests this is given in command Exod. 29.10 Thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the Tabernacle of the Congregation and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock And in the rules given concerning the burnt offerings of the people it is directed that the bringer shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering c. Levit. 1.4 Now this laying of their hands upon the head of the Sacrifice implied the laying of their sins upon the head of the Sacrifice and that the laying of their sins upon the head of Christ on whom the Prophet assures us The Lord laid the iniquity of us all Isa 53.6 And as the laying on of the hand upon the head of the beast transfer'd their sins upon him so likewise that sentence of death and condemnation which was due to their sin and was presently executed by slaying of the beast which was a lively type of Christ the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world dying under a sentence of condemnation in the stead of sinners Lastly The laying on of the hand notes the keeping of the parties in compasse for contenders use to be very violent one against another Thus to the present text The laying on of the hand signifies only the composing or compounding of a difference When Job complained or affirmed only There is no Daies-man betwixt us his meaning was that there was no man who could take up the matter betwixt God and him there was none such to be found Non potest dari Deo mihique simul litigantibus arbiter quasi in Deum aequè ac in me potestateÌ„ exercendo for he speaks not only De facto that there was no Daies-man but de impossibili as of a thing which was impossible to be As if he had said I would gladly referre this matter to arbitration but the Lord who is engaged with me is above the arbitration of men or Angels Creatures may not meddle with any of his matters further then they are called and I know not of any whom God hath called to or appointed over this matter Hence observe First When controversies arise the rule of love bids us refer our differences to the determination of brethren Job speaks according to the usage of those daies men did not presently run to law and call one another before the Judge they had daies-men and umpires to determine matters between them Thus Jacob bespeaks Laban Gen. 31.37 Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff what hast thou found of all thy housholdstuff set it here before my brethren and thy brethren that they may judge betwixt us both The Apostle 1 Cor. 6.1 5. is very angry with the Corinthians because they were so hasty to go to Law Verily there is utterly a fault among you because you go to law one with another What is there not a Daies-man among you Is there not a man among you fit to be an Arbitratour I speak to your shame saith Paul Is it so that there is not a wise man among you no not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren But brother goeth to law with brother and that before the unbelievers The sin of these Corinthians was the greater because the Judges were Heathen yet such contendings bear a proportion of sinfulnesse though Judges be Christians To bring every matter to the judgment seat when possibly a brother or a friend might take up the matter is a transgression against the law of love We should rather labour after reconcilements then sutes in Law which are a cause not only of trouble and expence In proverbio est portores esse iniquas pacis conditiones optiâ— a judicis sententia but of great breaches and
What dost thou 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold he taketh away Rapuit more latronum Significat velocitatem rapinae Rab Mord Raptim auferre Tigur The word signifies to take away by violence and force to take away as a robber takes to steal away As if he had said suppose the Lord come by open violence to take a thing from thee or secretly and as it were by stealth to bereave thee of thy estate or of thy life if he take all from thee and strip thee naked What canst thou doe So the word is used Prov. 23.28 speaking of a wicked woman an harlot She lieth in wait as for a prey the Hebrew is She lieth in wait as a robber to take away the estate yea and the life of those whom she shall entangle Si rapuerit hominem è muâ—do Targ. Si morti tradiderit August Quoâ—ies ipsi visum fuerit ut mihi nunc eve nit â—uempiam vel bonis ipsis spoliare quis illumut raptorem ad restitutionem cogeâ— imo quis illum jure in disquisitionem vocarit voluntas enim ipsius est juâ—tlâ—iae norma Bez 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 è ralice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some understand this more specially of taking away life If he will stop thy breath and deliver thee up to death so Augustine upon the place or as the Chaldee If he take one out of the world who can hinder him As if Job had said The Lord may not only take away so much as he hath taken from me but more without wrong to me He hath taken away my goods and my estate my children and friends he hath fetched away my health and strength my beauty and outward comforts if he come and take away my life also at next bout I cannot hinder him I can neither compell him to restore nor call him to an account I can neither urge him to restitution nor charge him with oppression He plainly intimates the rapine of his goods by the Chaldeans c. Of which he spake positively Chap. 1.21 The Lord hath taken and here by way of generall supposition If he take away Who shall hinder him Mr Broughton translates Who shall make him restore So he carries it in allusion unto men who violently take away the goods and estate of another If a man come with force and take away my goods Vertere aut reducere quis reâ—â— uere eum faciet quis recuperabit aut reduâ—et praedam I may make him restore them again by a greater force but if the Lord take away and ask me no leave I cannot make him restore The word signifies to stop or turn a thing and because in recovering of a prey or in making a man restore we stop and stay his course therefore the word is indifferently applied to both Others understand it in this sense If he taketh away who shall hinder him That is who can turn him from his purpose Who can stop him in the thing he hath a minde to doe Quidam non de praeca sed dâ— ipso Deo intelligunt Quu revocabit eum à proposito Si repentè interroget quis respondebit ei Vulg. Vel quòd respondens convertit se ad ìnterrogaÌ„tem vel quòd responsum regeraâ—ur restituaturque tanquam debitum interroganti The Vulgar translation varies much If he suddenly ask a man a question who shall be able to answer him The Hebrew word which signifies to return signifies to answer answering is the return of a word Prov. 8.13 He that answereth or returneth a word before he heareth a matter But I shall lay that by though the abettours of the Vulgar make great store of it interpreting their meaning thus if the Lord cite a man to judgement and bring him to triall man is not able to answer him or to plead his own cause Man cannot stand before the Lord. Observe hence First That All our comforts are in the power of God If he taketh away supposeth he can take away and he can take all away and doe us no wrong It is no robbery if God rob us his robbery is no wrong why because he comes not as a thief but as a Lord and Master of our estates he may come and take them away as he pleaseth and when he pleaseth Secondly Note this from it He taketh away That which God doth by the hand of the creature is to be reâ—koned as his own act He taketh away when creatures take away It is seldom that God dealeth immediately with us in these outward providences he sends men stirs instruments to do what is done But that which man doth the Lord doth Isa 42.24 Who gave Jacob to the spoilers and Israel to the robbers Did not I the Lord Men spoil'd and robbed them yet it was the Lords act to send those spoilers Did not I the Lord As that which man doth in spirituals is the Lords act when man converteth and saveth it is the Lord that saveth and converteth when man comforteth and refresheth by applying the promises it is the Lord that comforteth and refresheth when man gives resolution in doubts it is the Lord that resolveth doubts mans act is the Lords So here when man robbeth and spoileth us the act is from the Lord though the wickednesse of the act is from the man The Lord suffers men to spoil and undoe us yea the Lord orders them to spoil us it is done not only by his permission but by his commission not only with his leave but by his appointment I will send him against an hypocriticall Nation and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire of the streets Isa 10. Observe thirdly What the Lord will doe either by himself or by instruments no man can stop or prevent If he taketh away who shall hinder him The Lord hath absolute power if he will overthrow men or families or whole Kingdoms none can stay him There have been four great Monarchies in the world and the Lord comming in judgement against them hath taken all away The united strength of all creatures cannot stand before him when he is angry and resolved The Babylonian could not say and perform it I will keep my throne The Persian could not say and do it I will keep my State The Grecian could not say and maintain it I will keep my glory The Roman could not say and make it good I will keep my empire When the Lord had a minde to it he came and fetch away the power and glory the crown and dignity of those Monarchs he threw down their thrones brake their states darkned their glory dissipated their empires no man could hinder him How are ye fallen from heaven O Lucifers sons of the morning how are ye cut down to the ground which did weaken the Nations Though ye said in your hearts We will ascend into heaven we will
earthly-poor nor hell all the earthly-rich God doth not give wicked men all the earth but all the earth which they have is of his giving Most of the earth is given to be their possession and all the possession which is given them is of earth therefore it is said He giveth the earth into the hand of the wicked And seeing God giveth the earth into the hand of the wicked we may observe also That wicked men have a just title to the earthly things which they enjoy They are not meer usurpers neither shall they be dealt with as meer usurpers They have no spirituall title no title by Christ they claim not by promise which the Saints doe They have forfeited their title by sinne all is lapsed and escheated into the hand of the great land-Lord Their goods are forfeited and so are their lives into the hand of God and he gives both back for a while into their hands He gives them their lives back and reprieveth them for which time of their reprieve he giveth them the earth to live upon or to maintain their lives and so farre as they use earthly things for the continuance of life they shall not be accounted or reckoned with as usurpers They shall not be charged for using the creaturâ— but for abusing it for making the earth serve their lusts not 〈◊〉 making it a support of their lives And seeing as the Lord hath given them back their forfeited lives so also their forfeited lands by a deed of gift sealed with generall providence this is enough to secure them in those worldly possessions which they have neither got nor hold by injustice from the brand of usurpation Dominium non fundatur in gratia and from the violence of dispossession As what God hath joyned no man may put asunder So what God hath given no man must take away Neither riches nor rule are founded in grace He hath given the earth into the hand of the wicked He covereth the faces of the Judges thereof He covereth There is some Question whom we are to understand as the antecedent to this relative He who is he that co-covereth Tegit ne videant quod aequuÌ„ justum est â—rus Some make the antecedent a wicked man Others say 't is God The earth is given into the hand of the wicked and he that is the wicked one covereth the faces of the Judges thereof Or He that is God covereth the faces of the Judges thereof I shall a little open this expression it needeth some uncovering for it is dark in both relations First Look upon that interpretation which refers it to wicked men He covereth namely That wicked man who is preferred and exalted covereth the faces of the Judges that is he stops the course of justice And there are four waies by which wicked men cover the faces of the Judges Munera caecos reddunt judices First By gifts and rewards Bribes vail yea put out the eyes of a Judge that he cannot see to give every one his due Hence that charge Exod. 23.8 thou shalt take no gift for the gift blindeth the wise and perverteth the words of the righteous Secondly The faces of the Judges are covered by threatnings Fear of losse blindes as well as hope of gain Some send terrible messages to the judge Will not you doe as we would have you Will not you give your sentence and opinion thus at your peril be it Now the Judges face is covered his eyes are put out by a threat the mist and cloud of a Princes displeasure of a great mans indignation is before his eyes His face is covered Thirdly The Judges faces are covered by actuall putting them to shame by casting them out of favour and clouding them with disgrace by taking away their commissions or sending them a Quietus est laying them by as unfit for service any of these is a covering of the Judges face There is a fourth way of covering the Judges face to which the second and third are often made a preparatory And that is by putting the judge to death So much that expression implies in the 40th of this book of Job vers 13. where the Lord with infinite wisdome and holinesse insulting over Job to humble him bids him arise and doe some great thing somewhat which might speak him a man of might Deck thy self now with majesty and excellency and aray thy self with glory and beauty cast abroad the rage of thy wrath and behold every one that is proud and abase him look on every one that is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked in their place Hide them in the dust together and binde their faces in secret that is cover their faces as men prepared for death as men ready to goe out to execution We may expound it by that Esth 7.8 where as soon as ever the word went out of the Kings mouth They covered Hamans face And by that Mark 14.65 where when Christ was judged worthy of death the text saith They spit on him and covered his face The covering of the face was a mark of a condemned man held as unworthy to behold and enjoy the light of the Sunne or the light of the Princes countenance Thus to cover the faces of the Judges is to condemn the Judges and to take them out of the world by sufferings rather then suffer them to doe right I finde that of Elihu Job 34.29 interpreted to this sense When he giveth quietnesse who can make trouble That is when the Lord doth absolve and acquit a man giving him a discharge then he is free no man can sue him or trouble him much lesse condemn him but if he hide his face who then can behold him So we translate it meaning thus If the Lord hide his own face But this exposition saith If the Lord hide the face of that man that is If the Lord condemn that man or passe sentence of death upon him of which covering or hiding the face was a symboll then Quâ— rei faciem poterit amplius videre quasi absolutus sit Bold I lictor colliga manus caput obnubito in foe lici arbori suspendito Cic. in orat pro Rabir. who can behold him That is who then can see his face or have society with him whom God hath separated to death It was a custom also among the Romans when sentence was pronounced upon a malefactour thus to command the executioner Take him away binde his hands cover his face hang him up And usually with us malefactours who are ready to suffer the pains of death put a covering upon their faces This also may be a good sense of the words He covereth the faces of the Judges that is a wicked Prince oppresseth and putteth the Judges to death And whereas good Princes say Let justice be donâ— though the world perish he saith Let the Judges perish rather then justice should be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudices
am very confident that how pure and righteous so ever I am or by further washing and cleansing believing and repenting shall appear to be yet the Lord hath an intent to try me further even to the uttermost and will cast me into the ditch mire and dirt of further afflictions so that they who make up their judgements by your rule though they were as neer to me as the clothes upon my back must yet abhor and loath me as ye my friends now doe as a wicked person He seems to speak as the Apostle doth 1 Cor. 4.9 I thinke that God hath set forth us the Apostles last as it were men appointed unto death for we are made a spectacle to the world and to Angels and to men This is the summe and generall sense of these five verses The words are full of difficulty and there is much variety of judgements about them but I hope in the close to make out a sense upon every particular which shall be matching and sutable with this which hath been given in generall If I say I will forget my complaint If I say In this Iob answereth directly to the charge of Bildad at the 8th Chapter ver 2. How long wilt thou speak these things and shall thy words be like an East-winde To which Iob answers Bildad If I should cease speaking as thou seemest to chide me into silence If I should say I will not complain any more I will give over these mournfull discourses and bite in my strongest pains What then will the event prove what thou hast promised surely no I am afraid of all my sorrows and almost assured that they will return upon me If I say I will forget my complaint I will forget The word which we render forget may signifie a three-fold forgetfulnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est oblivisoi ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 First Forgetfulnesse coming from the neglect of our naturall abilities when we are carelesse and take no heed to remember Recordari cum cura diligentia Secondly Forgetfulnesse arising from the weaknesse of our naturall abilities when though we are carefull yet we cannot remember But Iob means neither of these he intends a third kinde of forgetfulnesse even a studied and an affected forgetfulnesse when how able soever we are yet we will not or would not remember If I say I will forget my complaint that is If I purposely set my self or labour to forget my sorrows yet I cannot get off their remembrance As the Hebrew Zachar signifies not only the naturall act of memory but diligence in remembring So doth the Hebrew Sachah to forget It is sometimes as hard a work to forget as it is at any time to remember How do the damned in hell strive to forget their pains and complaints they would count it a happinesse if they could put their misery out of minde and memory one hour but they cannot And they can no more forget what they have felt then not be sensible of what they feel If I say I will forget 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My complaint Sapit hoc verbum meditabuÌ„dum quendam sermonem anxium intellectiâ— vocisque discursum The word notes meditation and here a mournfull meditation a breathing forth in mournfull expressions The same word is used Chap. 7. vers 13. When I say My bed shall comfort me and my couch shall case my complaint or my mournfull meditation then thou scarest me with dreams Miseriae memoriam omnem depoâ—am Drus So then Jobs meaning is If I should set my self with greatest intention to forget that is to lay aside the thought of my troubles and sorrows and say I will leave off my heavinesse and complain no more I will not pore upon my afflictions but resolve to be above them yet it will not be I finde no case forgetfulnesse is a medicine for some diseases and pains but I finde no cure no remedy that way for mine Whence observe There are some things which man can very hardly forget or get out of his minde We may study their forgetfulnesse and yet not be able to forget them And they are of two sorts First Worldly pleasures Secondly Worldly sorrows These will not fail to minde us We need the art or rather the grace of forgetfulnesse to lay these aside And there are two things which we are slow to remember First Our own duties And secondly The mercies of God About these we need the art or rather the grace of memory And usually they who have most neglected to remember duty are most afflicted with the constrained remembrance of their own sorrow And they shall not be able at all to forget the wrath of God who would not remember the mercies of God If I say I will forget my complaint I will leave off my heavinesse and comfort my self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leave off my heavinesse The Hebrew word for word is I will lay aside my face for that which strictly and in the letter of that language Notat faciem iram etiam â—â—istitiâ—m signifies the face or countenance of a man doth also signifie First Anger and wrath Secondly Sorrow and heavinesse 'T is put for anger Psal 34.16 The face or anger of the Lord is against such as doe evil So Lam. 4.16 Levit. 17.10 I will set my face that is I will shew my anger and manifest my displeasure against them And the reason why that word which signifies the countenance or face signifies also anger and wrath sorrow and heavinesse is because both anger and sorrow break forth in the face If a man be very angry you shall see his anger scribled in the uneven character of his countenance If a man be very heavy and sorrowfull you shall see the lines of sorrow drawn in his face Therefore it is said of Hannah 1 Sam. 1.18 when she received a refreshing and reviving answer from the Lord in praier the poor soul sate drooping and mourning as much as praying but as soon as she had a hint of audience and acceptance it is said She went away and did eat and her countenance was no more sad the sadnesse of her heart appeared no more in her countenance there was fair weather in her face and Sunne-shine in her fore-head the rain and showres of her tears were blown over and dried up As in some sinners The shew of their countenance doth testifie against them Isa 3.9 that is they are so grossely wicked that you may see sinne in their faces whereas others can keep sinne close enough in their hearts they can keep the disease in and shut themselves up when they are sick of the plague of their hearts 1 King 8. nothing but holinesse is discernable in the face of their conversation when nothing but rottennesse and corruption lies at the bottome of their spirits But as the corruption of many a mans heart breaks forth in botches upon the face of his actions and the
should depart or abide in the flesh but the straight was not in reference to himself he was assured dying would be to him but a travelling to Christ and therefore death was to him an easie election His straight was only this whether he should not abide still in the flesh to to supply the needs of the Church and forbear glory a while that he might prepare others for glory The same Apostle 2 Cor. 5.4 saith in the first verse We know that if the earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved we have a building of God an house made without hands eternall in the heavens When their faith was thus upon the wing soaring up to the assurance of an house made without hands they grew weary of their smoaky cottages presently they could not endure to live in those poor lodges corruptible bodies having a view of such glorious pallaces therefore he adds In this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is from heaven The word signifies groaning as a man that hath a weighty burden lying upon him which makes him fetch his winde even from his bowels The body is the burden rather then the house or the clothing of the soul when once the soul knows it shall be clothed with an house which is from heaven As I said before much of hell in this life makes wicked men vveary of this life so also doth much of heaven Cic. in Tuscul Quest de Cleombroto The Roman Oratour tels us that a young man who lived in great prosperity having read Plato about the immortality of the soul was so affected that he threw himself violently from a high wall into the sea that he might have a proof of that immortality by his experience of it The Gospel forbids such haste and knows no such vvaies to happinesse As Christ not vve hath purchased that estate so Christ must lead us we must not thrust our selves into the possession of it but yet the earnests the fore-tastes and first-fruits of heaven which the Saints finde in this life though they be such as eat the marrow and fatnesse such as may have the very cream and spirits of the creature to live upon make them groan often and earnestly for the next life This is good but heaven is better Lastly Which is the case of this text the Saints may grow vveary of their lives from the outward afflictions and troubles of this life Sicknesse and pains upon the body poverty and vvant in the estate reproaches and unkindenesses put upon our persons vvith a thousand evils to vvhich this life is subject every day cause many to vvish and long for an end of their daies And though they are ready to submit to the vvill of God if he have appointed them to a longer conflict vvith these evils yet they cannot but shew their vvillignesse yea their gladnesse to part vvith their lives that they may part vvith such troubles accompaning their lives And as the afflictions of the body naturall so of the body politike may make them vveary of their lives How many in Germany and Ireland have been so vvearied vvith hearing the voice of the oppressour that they have vvished themselves in their graves only to get out of their hearing And vvith us since these troubles began have not many been tired with living Have they not cried after death and wooed the grave as being weary of the world The Prophet Isa 32.2 speaks of a weary land A man meaning Christ shall be as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land The land it self being insensible could not be weary but he cals it a weary land because the inhabitants living in the land were wearied with the troubles and continuall vexations which they found there In these cases the soul of a believer stands like Abraham when the Angels passed by at the tent door of his body ready to come forth looking when God will but call yea he cries out that he may be called in the language of Job My soul is weary of my life I will leave my complaint upon my self I will speak in the bitternesse of my soul I will leave c. That is I will carry my complaint no further it shall trouble none but my self The originall signifies also to strengthen or fortifie Nehem. 3.8 They fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall we put in the Margin They left Jerusalem to the broad wall So the sense of Job may be this My pains do not abate but increase why then should I remit or abate my complaint I will strengthen my complaint as long as my sorrows are strengthened My complaint That word hath been explained before it signifies an inward as well as an outward complaint and that most properly Some translate it so here I will groan in silence with my self Per mittam mihi mussitationē Tygur Silentio egomet ingemiscam Philosophabor Polychron Deponam à me querimoniam meam Jun. But the text requires rather that we interpret it of an externall complaint formed up into words The Septuagint are expresse and so is Austin I will leave my words upon my self both interpreting it of a vocall declaration of his minde and meaning The greatest difficulty lies in those words upon my self One renders I will leave my complaint off or lay it aside from my self As if Iob meant to give over this work of complaining and to compose his heart to quietnesse how unquiet soever his estate continued But his following practice seems to confute this interpretation and to deny any such intention Others give this sense I will speak at my own peril and if any danger or inconvenience come of it I will bear it my self I will run that venture Job uses such language chap. 13.13 Hold your peace let me alone that I may speak and let come on me what will We may glosse it with that heroicall resolution of Queen Esther Esth 4.16 So will I go in unto the King which is not according to the Law and if I perish I perish The Hebrew preposition hath various acceptions Praepositio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 frequenter per super nonnunquam per cum aliquando per adversus redditur Nihil contra Deum in me tantum desaeviam Pined First As we It is translated Vpon Secondly With. Thirdly Against Fourthly Concerning or about We may take in any of or all these translations And from all the meaning of Job seems to rise thus I intend not to speak a word against God I will not charge the Almighty with injustice or with rigour to doe which were highest wickednesse I purpose indeed to complain but I will complain only upon or with my self concerning or against my self I will not utter a word against the wisdome of God or accuse his providence I will not shoot an arrow against heaven or send out a murmur against the most high There are two waies of leaving our complaints
per flagella conflictum Changes and warre are upon me that is such changes as there is in war when first one regiment charges and another seconds and so regiment after regiment company after company file after file now the right wing and then the left at last the reserve Thus the Lord seemed to bring up his bands and troops of afflictions to assault Job in turns and changes till his whole army had assaulted and skirmished with him Those military terms of shooting and warring are frequent figures in Scripture shewing how God conflicts with sinfull weak man after the manner of men Observe hence First That afflictions are at the command of God He marshals and disposes them as armies are by their Generals in times of war He can say to one affliction as the Centurion to his souldiers Go and it goeth to another Come and it cometh to a third Do this and it doth it All armies of sorrow are led by God in chief They charge whom he pleaseth and where he pleaseth high or low person or nation if he gives the word they fall on presently nor will they return till he orders their retreat Secondly Note That the Lord hath variety of waies and means to afflict and try his people Changes and war are against me The Physitian hath variety of medicines for his sick patient if one removes not the distemper he changes and tries a second There is nothing so full of changes as warre not only in regard of the uncertainty of events but variety of means new forces being raised and new stratagems used from day to day Hast thou but one blessing said Esau to his father Isaac the hand of man may be straightned to one blessing or one blow but the hand of God is never straightned As he hath store of blessings so of blows and can give both out both in degree and kinde diversified if one army of evils doth not humble and conquer us to his obedience he can quickly levy a new one All creatures will come in to his help if he do but set up his standard or give command to beat his drum He changed his armies ten times against Pharaoh Pharaoh had indeed changes and warre upon him yet no change wrought in him therefore the war was changed till he was destroied This war with â—ob was not a destroying one but it was a terrible one so terrible that he cries out in the language of his former complaints Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb JOB Chap. 10. Vers 18 19 20 21 22. Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb O that I had given up the ghost and no eye had seen me I should have been as though I had not been I should have been carried from the womb to the grave Are not my daies few Cease then and let me alone that I may take comfort a little Before I go whence I shall not return even to the land of darknesse and the shadow of death A land of darknesse as darknesse it self and of the shadow of death without any order and where the light is as darknesse THese five verses are the conclusion of Jobs reply to Bildad there are four things remarkable in them First He complaineth that ever he lived a day or an hour in the world at the beginning of the 18th verse Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb Secondly He wisheth that he had died speedily seeing he could not have that supposed happinesse not to be born into the world his next request is that he might not have staied long in the world he would not have appeared as a man no nor as a childe but that birth and buriall might have been contiguous not knowing the distance of a day vers 18 19. O that I had given up the ghost and no eye had seen me I should have been as though I had not been I should have been carried from the womb to the grave Thirdly He sheweth that however he had been disappointed of both those votes yet he could not live long As if he had said Though I have found much trouble in the world yet I shall not much trouble the world the time of my departure is at hand I have lived most of my daies already and all my daies are not many vers 20. Are not my daies few Fourthly He entreateth and sueth that the few daies of those few daies which he had to live might be good daies Are not my daies few Cease then and let me alone that I may take comfort a little before I goe whence I shall not return c. The 18th and 19th verses carry a sense very like to that which hath been opened at the third Chapter of this book where Iob complained of his birth and was troubled that he had the favour of a being Sui obliviscitur ut supra vi doloris Merc. because he found such an il-being in the world His passion runneth out here into a vehement expostulation Wherefore hast thou brought me forth out of the womb As there Why died I not from the womb ver 11. Job puts the Question and demandeth an account of God Why he came out of the womb There are three sorts of questions First Such as arise from a desire of necessary information 'T is good to ask that we may learn Secondly Such as arise from a needlesse curiosity 'T is not good to ask what no duty enjoyns us to learn Thirdly Such as arise from pure passion or rather from mudded perturbation not so much desiring information from others as to vent our selves 'T is very ill to ask when we care not to learn Such is the question here put say some a passionate question arising from the fume and vapours of a distempered minde desiring to ask rather then to be answered Wherefore hast thou brought me forth out of the womb As if he had said Was I born only to be an object of evil Came I into the world to be made a sad spectacle to the world to Angels and to men Have my daies been lengthened out on purpose that my troubles might be lengthened Such a troubled sense there is in these words The complaints of Saints may sometimes look like the blasphemies of wicked men Iob complaineth of his birth and seems forgetfull of all former benefits Hence observe Dum ita agis mecum fit ex beneficio tuo noÌ„ beneficium Coc. When we want the mercies we would have we grow angry with the mercies which we have had David speaks it to the praise of God Thou art he that tookest me out of my mothers womb Psal 22. Iob speaks it as a damage to himself Wherefore hast thou brought me forth out of the womb Secondly observe We are ready to think we live to no end if we have not our own ends That 's the voice of nature and so far as nature prevails in us it speaks in us Thirdly
great affliction and now a little comfort would go a great way with him When the people of Israel were in bondage under Pharaoh and his task-masters and had heavier burdens laid upon them they do not so much as move for a totall release from their task but modestly complain There is no straw given unto thy servants and they say to us Make brick As if they had said Let us have straw and we are willing to make brick A poor man cries out for a half-peny for a farthing not for hundreds or thousands He that is ready to starve will not ask good chear or a plentifull feast but let me have a crust of bread or a little water When Dives was in hell what did he desire of Abraham Did he beg to come into his bosome Doth he say Lazarus is in a good place let me come too No he desired but a drop of water and what was a drop of water to flames of fire O how would it delight the damned in hell to think of a cessation but for one hour from their pain What a joy would it be unto them if it should be told them that a thousand or ten thousand years hence they should have one good day or that they might be let alone to take comfort a little They who are low make low demands Think of this ye that enjoy much comfort and swim in rivers of pleasure Let not the great consolations of God be small to you when you hear Job thus instant and importunate for the smallest Let me alone that I may take comfort a little But why is he in such haste for a little comfort One ground is in the former words My daies are few and he backs it with a second in the next If it come not quickly it will come too late I am ready to take my last journey Therefore let me take a little comfort Verse 21. Before I go whence I shall not return even to the land of darknesse and the shadow of death Before I go That is before I die Death is a going out of the world Periphrasis moriendi qui m ritur dicitur abire unde abitionem pro morte veteres usurparunt Drus Christ intimates his death under this notion Joh. 16.7 If I goe the Comforter will come And I go from you c. Dying is a journeying from one region to another Death is a changing of our place though not of our company Before I go Whether Whence I shall not return That 's a strange journey indeed That which pleaseth us in our longest journeys while we live is a hope of returning to our own homes again But when we die we take a journey from whence there is no returning Not return Shall not man return when he dieth Is death an everlasting departure an eternall night No Man shall return but he shall not return to such a life or state as he had before Fidem resurrectionis non laedit Pin. He is gone for ever out of this world and out of all worldly interests Job believed a resurrection or a returning from the grave by the power of God and he knew there was no returning by the power of nature or by the help of any creature In that reference we go whence we shall not return So David speaks of his dead Infant I shall go to him but he shall not return to me Indicat nullam esse vim in natura cui pareat mors cui receptacula animarum obediaÌ„t reddereque cogaÌ„tur quem semel receperunt Pin. 2 Sam. 12.25 When once we are shut up in those chambers of death and made prisoners in the grave though all the Princes in the world send warrants for our release we cannot get released The pertinacy and stiffnesse of the grave is such as yeelds to none We are fast shut up when we are shut up there Love and the grave will hardly part with that which they have closed with and are possessed of The grave is one of those three things which are never satisfied or say it is enough Prov. 30.15 And as it is unsatiable in receiving so it is as close in keeping it will part with nothing A grave is the Parable of a covetous man he is greedy to get and watchfull to hold when his money goes into his purse he saith it shall not return The grave hath a strong appetite to take down and as strong a stomack to digest Till God as I may so speak by his mighty power gives the grave a vomit and makes the earth stomack-sick with eating mans flesh Veteres Romani dicere solebant abâ—it reversurus est resurrectionem carnis haud obscurè innuentes Ter. Salve aeternum mihi maxime Palla Aeternumque vale Virg. Aenead it will not return one morsel At the resurrection this great Eater shall cast up all again And as they who take strong vomits are put into a kinde of trembling convulsion all the powers of the body being shaken such will the prognosticks be of the resurrection there was an earth-quake when Christ arose God made the earth shake and commanded it to give back the prisoner because it was not possible that he should be holden of it And when God speaks the word it will not be possible for the grave to hold us prisoners till then it will It was usuall among the Ancients to say of a dead friend He is gone and he will come again intimating a resurrection Heathens not knowing nor believing it call earth Valeant qui inter nos dissidiuÌ„ volunt Terent. An eternall leave-taking or farewell never to meet again Observe from this description of the grave That the statutes of death are unrepealable Death is an everlasting banishment from the world I shall goâ— whence I shall not return This may lie very sad upon their spirits Animula vagula blandula c. quae nunc abibis in loca Aâ—r. who have not a better place then the world to go to when they go from the world To go whence we shall never return and yet where we cannot endure to be a moment is deepest misery Such a man cannot chuse but set out with a sad heart And that 's the reason why wicked men whose consciences are awakened go so unwillingly to this sleep they know whither they are going only they know they cannot return Make ye friends 't is Christs counsel of the Mammon of unrighteousnesse that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations Luk. 10.9 Mammon of unrighteousnesse that is say most Interpreters Mammon gotten unrighteously but surely Christ would not teach any to make men our friends by that which makes God our enemy Quod est falsum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab Hellenistis usu HebraeoruÌ„ dicitur Hens exercit Sacr. They translate better who render it Make ye friends of the false or unfaithfull Mammon that is of that Mammon which will deceive and leave you shortly