signifie say others nothing else but the grave or those lower parts of the earth in which mens bodies deceased are buried and laid up to rest till the resurrection When we that are earth in our constitution Per portas mortis intâ—lliguntur loca subterraneana eò quòd ibimortui se peliuntur Pisc Dicuntur portae mortis i. e. mortuorum go out of the world by dissolution our return is into the earth into the lower parts of the earth we sleep in the dust According to this sense it is as if the Lord had said Hast thou seen the state of the dead or how it fares with them that are gone to their graves Hast thou visited the courts and palaces of the King of terrors Thus the gates of death are the gates of the dead Fifthly We may understand by the gates of death in general An nosti quae fiunt in visceribus terrae Vatabl. whatsoever is most remote and farthest off from our sight and view As if the Lord who said before Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea had said here Hast thou entred into the bowels or deepest abysses of the earth which are dark and uncomfortable as the grave or like the very gates of death Knowest thou or canst thou tell me what is done or how things go there Portae mortis umbrae mortis sunt ea loca ad quae vivus non penetrat quae nulla lux â—â—radiat c. Coc. Or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death These words are of a like intendment with the former The gates of death and the doors of the shadow of death are the same thing under a little difference of expression What the shadow of death is hath been shewed chap. 3.5 as alâ—o câ—â—p 10.21 thither I refer the Reader Hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death Surely thou hast not Thou neither desirest nor darest visit the doors leading to those dismal shadows which no light can pierce or where as Job spake chap. 10.21 The light is as darkness The scope of both the queries in this verse is the same also with those in the former even to repulse Jobs curiosity in searching into the secrets of God or to convince him that God had secrets which were no more opened to him than the gates of death and which he could see no more than the doors of the shadow of death Hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death Taking death in a proper sense Note Fiâ—st Bodyly death hath gates and doors passages and entrances into it Deadly sicknesses and extream dangers are as was shewed in opening the words those gates and doors Many have been brought to those gates and have been stepping into those shadows who yet have been recalled and brought back again as David and Hezekiah were and as the Apostle Paul was who had the sentence of death in himself yet was delivered trusting in him who raiseth the dead 2 Cor. 1.9 10. And therefore in all such cases whenever we are brought to the gates of death and to the doors of the shadow of death let us have recourse to the living God to that God to whom belong the issues from death Psal 68.20 He that is our God is the God of salvation of eternal salvation and of temporal salvation of salvation from death by sickness and of salvation from death by danger and trouble our God is the God of salvation to him belong the issues from death As God openeth the gates of death to let man in so he can open the gates of death to let man out As there is a gate to go in unto so there is a gate to go out from or an out-gate from death As the ways to so the issues from death belong to God Davids heart was full of this when having said Psal 141.7 Our bones are scattered at the graves mouth as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth that is we are ready to be cut in pieces and perish by our enemies having I say said this he presently adds vers 8 9. But mine eyes are unto thee O God the Lord in thee is my trust leave not my soul destitute keep me from the snare which they have laid for me c. It is the royal priviledge of Jesus Christ to be key-keeper of the grave Rev. 1.18 I have the keys of hell and of death that is I have power to deliver over to and to deliver or keep from both hell and death The keys are an emblem of power and authority Stewards have the keys He that hath the keys of death can deliver from death Secondly Taking death properly note No living man knoweth how or in what way he shall die The gates of death are not revealed to any man he hath no certainty by what means he shall passe out of this world to the grave he cannot tell through what gate he shall go whether through the gate of a natural death or of a violent death as Christ spake to Peter John 21.18 When thou wast young thou girdest thy self and wentest whether thou wouldest but when thou shalt be old another shall gird thee and carry thee whether thou wouldst not this spake he signifying by what death he should glorifie God Peter did not know what death he should die whether a natural or a violent death till Christ signified it to him And if man knoweth not at what kind of gate he shall enter the house of death that is whether by sickness or violence then much less doth he know the particular sicknesse or violence by which as a gate he must pass into the house of death these things the Lord keeps in his own hand And seeing we know not these gates of death we should alwayes pray that we may know the path of life Psal 16.11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life was Davids assurance as a type of Christ And though Christ should not shew any man the gate of his own temporal death yet he sheweth every godly man the path of eternal life and that 's enough for us Thirdly Note God onely knoweth when how and in what way we shall die as also what the state and condition of the dead is Death is the darkest and obscurest thing in the world The grave is a gloomy place and filled not only with natural but metaphorical darkness yet all is light to God he knows the gates of death and the state of the dead Prov. 15.11 The grave and destruction are before the Lord how much more the hearts of the children of men Fourthly Taking the gates of death generally for any secret or hidden thing Note Man knoweth no more than God revealeth to him When God puts the question Have the gates of death been opened or revealed to thee it is as if he had said thou canst not know them unless they are opened to thee And who can open them if I my self do not As all the
of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth such as these which are of the daughters of the Land what good shall my life do me Better be out of the world than see my sons miscarry These two sights to see children suffering or to see them sinning are a pain not only to the eyes but to the hearts of parents But to see them First Prosperous in their way Secondly Pious keeping the way of the Lord to have and see such children and childrens Children to the third and fourth generation how delightful is this The Apostle John professed 3 Epist ver 4. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth He means his spiritual children those whom he had converted to the faith and begotten to Christ in the ministery of the Word O what a joy was it to that holy Apostles heart to see them walk answerably to the profession of the Gospel and his expectation Now as that was so great a joy to him that he had no greater so 't is an unspeakable joy when godly parents see their natural children spiritual and walking in the truth To see children new born to see them gracious and to see them prosperous also what a blessed sight is this And this was the sight doubtless which Job had he saw his children His sons and his sons sons to the fourth generation His blessedness as to all without him in this life was at the highest when he saw the prosperity of his children both in soul and body Thus Job was blessed every way he was blessed with riches blessed with long life blessed in the multiplication of his family he was blessed also in his death as appeareth in the next and last words of this Chapter and Book Vers 17. So Job died being old and full of days As Solomon said Eccles 12.13 Hear the conclusion of the whole matter Fear God and keep his commandements So I may say now Hear the conclusion of all men To fear God and keep his commandements is the consumating end of our lives but to dye is the consuming end of all our lives and to a good man 't is an entrance into eternal life Such and so Job died The Lord having spoken of his life is not silent about his death The story the holy story brings Job to his grave and that could not but be a blessed death which was the close of a gracious life So Job died Death is the separation of the soul from the body 't is the sleep of the body in the grave and thâ— rest of their souls in heaven who dye in the Lord. There is no difficulty in these words take a note or two from them First Death takes all sooner or latter Job lived a long time but he did not out-live death Mors ultima clausula vitae Mors ultima linea rerum he enjoyed an hundred and forty years prosperity in this world yet he left the world He lived long yet a day came when he could not live a day longer 'T is said of all the long livers Gen. 5. They died Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years and he died Seth lived nine hundred and twelve years and he died Methuselah the longest liver in this world lived nine hundred sixty and nine years and he died Here Job lived an hundred and forty and so he dyed David put the question of all men Psal 89.48 What man is he that liveth and shall not see death How great or how good how rich or how wise how strong or how valiant soever any man living is he must dye How long soever any man hath lived in this world he must dye for the world must dye there must be a dissolution of all things and therefore a dissolution of all men Psal 82.6 7. I said ye are gods but ye shall dye like men Kings and Princes who have the priviledge to be called gods have not the priviledge of God not to dye like men This is a common theam I intend not to stay upon it only let me tell you death will overtake us all sooner or later upon a double account First Because it is appointed Secondly Because it is deserved It is appointed unto men once to dye Heb. 9.27 and all men have deserved to dye to dye eternally and therefore much more to dye naturally Rom. 5.12 As by one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and so death past upon all men for that all have sinned Now seing the condition of all men is a dying condition receive these four cautions First Prepare for death There is no avoiding it at the long run therefore be ready to entertain it at last and because we may dye at any time be preparing for death at all times How miserable are they who are so old that they cannot live and yet so unprepared that they are afraid to dye Job died and we must If so Is it not our wisdome to prepare for death Secondly Submit quietly to the arrest of death There is no striving with the decrees of God Our death is under a divine appointment Eccles 8.8 There is no discharge in that war no priviledge to be pleaded no exemption no prescription Your strength cannot stand against the assaults of death your prudence and policy cannot find any way of escape from it nor can your piety or godliness deliver you out of the hands of natural death As there is no work nor devise nor knowledge in the grave whither we are going Eccles 9.10 so there is no knowledg no device no wisdom can keep us from going into the grave no not our graces Grace is as salt to the soul preserving it from moral corruption for ever But it cannot keep the body from natural corruption in this world Mors est nobis nimis domestica utpote quam in viscaribus nostris circumserimâ— Plutarch in Consol ad Apoll. because our graces in this world are mingled with corruption Death is domestical to us that is we have the seed of it within our selves we carry it daily in our bowels and in our bosomes therefore submit quietly to it for there is no avoiding it Thirdly Seing all must dye get that removed which is the troubler of a death-bed and the sting of death get that removed which makes death bitter get that removed which makes death the King of terrours so terrible that is sin This should be our study all the days of our life to get rid of sin to be dying to sin daily because we must dye at last and may dye for all that we know or can assure our selves any day we live 1 Cor. 13.56 The sting of death is sin Whensoever or in what way soever we dye it will be well with us if the sting of death be first pulled out and whensoever we dye after never so long a life it will be miserable if we dye in our sins as Christ told the Jews in
without them but a foundation is of absolute necessity there cannot be continuing house without a foundation Fourthly The foundation is the support of the whole building that bears and upholds all the rest But some may say What are the foundations of the Earth I answer A foundation may be taken either properly or metaphorically formally or allusively The foundations of the Earth are not formal but metaphorical foundations 'T is a speech borrowed from men who must have a proper foundation for their buildings The Earth is not laid upon any formal but it hath a vertual foundation The Scripture saith sometimes that the Earth is founded upon the seas and established upon the floods Psal 24.2 yet in a proper sense the Sea is not the foundation of the Earth It 's said also Job 26.7 He hangeth the Earth upon nothing The whole bulk of Sea and Earth together are one Globe one Building formed and compacted together But the Earth may be said to have foundations and that God hath laid the foundations of it for this reason Because the Earth is set fast and firm it is like a house that hath foundations not only a foundation but foundations it stands most firm A house builded upon a rock Matth. 7.25 stands fast and immoveably in all weathers because built upon a sure foundation A house builded upon the sands falls it hath no sure foundation The Earth is made firm strong and sure as those houses or buildings that are raised upon rocks and is therefore said to have foundations Why is Heaven or the state of glory called a City having foundations Heb. 11.10 but because the state of glory or that glorious City is a firm state or as it is called in another place Chap. 13.14 a continuing City A City which shall it self continue for ever and whose Citizens without succession continue for ever Now though the Earth be but a moveable tent or weak cottage in comparison of Heaven or our heavenly state yet God in his infinite Wisdom and Power hath formed and established it so firmly for the habitation of man and all inferiour creatures upon its own center that the Lord may truly be said to have built it upon foundations or to have appointed foundations for it as 't is often expressed elsewhere Psal 102.25 Psal 104.5 Prov. 8.29 as well as here Where wast thou When I laid the foundations of the Earth The form of the words is considerable in opposition to that opinion of some of the Ancients Aquin. in loc who attributed the site of the Earth and of the other Elements not to any divine supernatural Power of the Maker but to the very Nature of the Earth or the necessity of the Matter according to which heavy things tend downward and light things rise high so according to that opinion the Earth being a heavy body falleth lowest or took its place of its self Now that this opinion may be consuted and shut out of doors the Lord compares his making of the World to the building of a house which is ordered according to the reason of the builder so that though it be a truth in Nature that heavy things fall lowest yet we are to ascribe all to the Wisdom of God the Disposer of them who hath done all things according to the pleasure of his own Will and that with such admirable contrivance that man is not able to comprehend it as the last words of the verse intimate Where wast thou when I laid the foundation of the Earth Declare if thou hast understanding But before I pass to those words in the latter part of the verse I shall gather up some observations from this former part of it Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the Earth c. Hence Note First The time of man upon Earth compared with the Eternity of God is nothing Where wast thou David Psal 39.4 prayed that God would teach him how frail he was as to the duration of his life and he adds in the next verse Mine age is nothing before thee The age of man is nothing before God if we consider it as to its beginning or if we consider it as to its ending When began the age of the most aged man Are not all men of yesterday God had an eternity of Being before man was upon the face of the earth And what 's the age of man as to its continuance As it began but yesterday that is a very little while ago or but the day past so it may end to morrow that is within a few dayes to come yea possibly before the next day or the morrow cometh Boast not of to morrow Prov. 27.1 both because thou knowest not what a day may bring forth nor whether as to thee a to morrow shall be brought forth Death sweeps men suddenly from the face of the earth only the Lord alwayes is and is alwayes the same All things change but God is not changed He is himself and his years fails not Then what 's mans age compared to God Note Secondly God is the first Being Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the Earth God alone was before all things yet he was not at all alone Anteomnia erat deus solus ipse sibi mundus locus tempus omnia Tertul. adversus Praxeam cap. 5. For as one of the Ancients saith He was to himself a world place and time and all things Thirdly God is an Eternal Being It 's possible for one to be first and not to be eternal One man may have a Being before another and not have a Being from eternity but God had an eternal Being before the world had a Being or man any Being in the world There are Things of three sorts First Such as have had a beginning and shall have an end and be no more Thus it is with all meer sensitive Creatures the Beasts of the Earth and Fowls of the Ayre they perish there 's an end of their being when they die or come to the end of their lives Secondly There are other things which have had a beginning yet shall have no end As Spirits Angels good or bad and the souls of men yea the bodies of men though they are subject to and are cut off by death yet they shall return again and having been sown in corruption shall be raised in incorruption and be clothed with immortality which is a piece of Eternity Thirdly There is a Being which is without beginning and without ending and that is Gods Being only or the Being of God who thus exprest himself to Moses I am and I am that I am Exod. 3.14 That word takes in all Time past present and to come yea past present and to come are all one in Gods Being Psal 90.1 Thou hast been our habitation from generation to generation That is We thy people have alwayes or in all revolutions of time dwelt or sheltered our selves in thee and then at the second
wrath but of this City the Lord said it is wholly oppression they are given up to oppression every one is oppressing and wronging his brother now when they sinned at this rate when their arm was thus high in wickedness then it was to be broken There is a righteous God that judgeth the earth and therefore the high arm of unrighteouness shall be broken JOB Chap. 38. Vers 16 17 18. 16. Hast thou entred the springs of the Sea or hast thou walked in the search of the depth 17. Have the gates of death been opened unto thee or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death 18. Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth declare if thou knowest 〈◊〉 all IN the former Context the Lord made a short dâ—gression from those questionings with which he had begun with Job concerning his Works the occasion whereof was the mentioning of the wicked who improved not but abused his works In this Context the Lord returns to his former way of interrogating Job and having questioned him about the birth or production of the Sea the bands and bounds of the Sea at the 8th 9th 10th and 11th verses he questions him here First About the depth of the unsearchable depth of the Sea vers 16 17. Secondly About the vast breadth of the Earth vers 18. Thereby to convince Job that he not being able to reach the depth of those mighty waters nor to comprehend the breadth of the earth was much less able to comprehend the depth of those counsels or the breadth of those ways of providence in which himself had been walking towards him That 's the general scope and sum of these three verses as also of all that follow as hath been shewed formerly The last thing about which the Lord put the question was the Light whereby hidden and secret things are discovered here the question is about things that lie out of the light about hidden and secret things all which yet are more plain and obvious to more open and naked before the eye of God with whom we have to do than the Noon-day light to us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Numquâ—d ingressus es vel penetrâ—stâ— Vers 16. Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea Hast thou Doubtless thou hast not nor hast thou any mind to enter into those springs Who hath Hast thou entred or penetrated the springs of the sea There is a twofold entring into the springs of the sea or into any thing that lies remote from us Fiâ—st A Local Secondly An Intellectual entring To be sure Job had not locally entred the springs of the sea and it was as sure that he was not able to make any perfect intellectual entrance thither When therefore the Lord asked Job this question Opartet judicem nosse ea de quiâ—us judicaâ—â—â— us est tu voâ—â— judicas de operibus mo is cum ea non noris â—atabl Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea it is as if he had said It becomes him that makes a judgement upon any matter to enter into it either locally to view it with the eye or intellectually to view it with his understanding but thou O Job hast neither of these ways entred into the springs of the sea and there dâ—scovered how the waters flow or rise up out of the earth how then canst thou make up a judgement about the waters and if not what judgment canst thou make up concerning my deep counsels concerning the secret springs of my judgements Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad plorâ—ta i. e. lacrymas mâ—riâ— Drus There is an elegancy in the word rendred springs which some derive from a root which signifies to weep or shed tears Hast thoâ— entred among the tears oâ— weeping places of the sea The same word in the Hebrew signifies an eye Aliqui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fluenta non a flendo sed a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perplexâ—m esse deducunt Et reddunt perplexitates mâ—ris Sensus eodem recidit sed Grammatica magis quadrat ut a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 flevit destectatur Mâ—rc as also a spring or fountain because as the eye drops yea pours out tears David saith Rivers of tears run down mine eyes so springs pour out waters and are as it were weeping continually Others derive the word from a root which signifieth to be infolden or intangled and so they render it Hast thou entred into the perplexities or intricacies of the sea Pharaoh used that word in the Verb Exod. 14.3 concerning the people of Israel They are intangled or perplexed in the land he thought he had caught them in the briars and should have had his will or satisfied his lust on them The sense is much the same whether we read the springs or the perplexities and intricate places of the sea both tending to the same purpose to shew Job his utter incompetency and inability for such an adventure Hast thou entred into the springs Of the sea The sea is a consluence of many waters the great vessel which God prepared to hold the multitude of waters as was shewed before at the eighth verse onely take notice Mâ—re dicitur Jâ—mim voce deducta à Maiim transpositis quibusdam literis that the word which signifies the sea is composed of the same letters a little transposed with that which signifies the water The sea being the gathering together of waters and water being the substance of the Sea one word in substance serves them both in the Hebrew tongue Yet others say it alludes at least to a word signifying to make a noise or to roar seas and floods make a terrible noise and roaâ—ing David ascribes a voice to the floods Psal 93.3 The floods have lifted up O Lord the floods have lifted up their voices These grammatical criticisms about words have their use giving some light about the nature and qualities of things But to the Text Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea And hast thou walked in the search of the depth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abyssus vorago altittulo expers fundi This latter part of the verse is of the same importance with the former The springs of the sea and the search of the depth have little if any difference and walking follows upon entring therefore the Lord having said Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea saith Hast thou walked c. But more distinctly what is the search and what the depth The depth is the sea where 't is deepest so deep that no bottom can be found by sounding The word rendred here search notes the last oâ— utmost of any thing and so the deepest of the depth which possibly may be called the search of the depth because how much or how long soever it is searched for it cannot be found out Mr. Broughton renders it The border of the sea the Vulgar Latine The last or
about to frame and O how many how exceeding many or innumerable are they yet God saw not onely some or many but every one of them It was said by one of the Ancients upon this place Profundum mâ—ris deuâ— ingreditâ—r quâ—ndo visitare mentes etiam pressâ—â— sceleribus non dedignatur Greg. l. 29. c. 7 God goes to the depth of the sea as often as he goeth into the depth of mans heart and beholds what is there And there â—e beholds not onely the great but small beasts as the Psalmist calls the fish of the sea that is not onely great but small lusts and foolish imaginations the huge multitudes and shoals of vain thoughts which swim and play in that wide sea of mans heart are distinctly seen and as distinctly judged as if but one were there Thirdly From the scope of this place note That seeing we cannot search into the depth of the sea it should stay our curiosity in searching into and stay us from discontent when we cannot find the depth of Gods Counsels concerning us and of his Providences towards us There is a dutiful search into the Works of God David speaks of it Psal 111.2 The works of the Lord are great sought out of all those that have pleasure in them They are sought out that is they who have pleasure in them do and will endeavour soberly to search them out as much as may be but let all take heed of searching them wantonly or presumptuously that is either to satisfie their curiosity or with an opinion that they can reach the depth of them The Lord would have us satisfie our selves in the ignorance or rather nescience of those natural things which he hath not made known to us Surely then which is as hath been said the scope of this Chapter we should be satisfied though we in some cases know not nor can perceive the reason of Gods providential dealings either towaâ—ds particular persons and families or his Church in general Will any wise or sober man vex and disquiet himself will he be angry and pettish because he knows not all the secrets of the earâ—h and sea as some say Aristotle the Philosopher was to death and drowning because he could not find out the reason why the sea in one place ebbed and slowed seven times in one day Why then should we be impatient because the reason of Gods proceedings with the sons of men or of the strange ebbings and slowings of things in the sea of this world is secreted and hidden fâ—om us And therefore when we are not able to enter into the springs of this sea nor to walk in the search of this depth let it not trouble us but humble us as it did Job to whom the Lord put these questions and proceeded to put more and more hard questions if harder can be in the next words Vers 17. Have the gates of death been opened or revealed unto thee Or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death Here is another strange question Who among the living hath had the gates of death opened to him Oâ— hath viewed the doors of the shadow of death We read often in Scripture of the gates of death Psal 9.13 Num illius profunda quae verè dixirim mortis regiam c. rimatus es Bez. Psal 107.18 and which is all one of the gates of the grave Isa 38.10 but who knows what these gates are yet we may say something towards the clearing of this question A gate in strict sense is that by which we are admitted into any place and so the gates of death are That whatsoever it is by which we enter into death or go into the black hall of the grave Again The gates of death are any great and eminent danger Then we may be said to be at the gates of death when our lives are in great hazard to be lost either by the violence of enemies or by any violent sickness In the former sense David spake in way of supplication Psal 9.13 Have mercy on me O Lord consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me thou that liftest me up from the gates of death that is from deadly danger In the latter he spake by way of narration in his elegant description of the sick Psal 107.18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat and they draw near unto the gates of death that is they are ready to die or sick unto death And thus said King Hezekiah upon his sick-bed and as he thought a little before upon his death-bed Isa 38.10 I shall go to the gates of the grave I am deprived of the residue of my years that is of those years which I might have reckoned upon as mine according to the common account of mans life or the usual course of nature These are the more general gates of death and about these all agree But there are several opinions what should be specially intended by the gates of death in this place Portae mortis sunt causae corruptionis quantum advirtutes corporum â—â—lestium Aquin. in loc First One riseth very high saying that by the gates of death we are to understand the visible heavens because the heavenly bodies send down sometimes malignant influences which have a mighty power to corrupt the bodies of men here below so causing death to carry them away Thus he imagins death issuing out of the clouds as out of opened gates upon men on earth But that 's a far fetcht interpretation Secondly Oâ—hers go to the utmost contrary point and say by the gates of death we are to understand Hell The Papists give a description of several receptacles for souls departed under the earth they make at least three distinctions First Limbus Patrum The place where they affiâ—m the souls of the Fathers were before Christ came in the flesh and had accomplished the work of our redemption here on earth Secondly Purgatory the place where the souls of all that die not in mortal sin as they distinguish are reserved to be purged by temporary punishments before they can get to heaven Thirdly The lowest of all is that which we call Hell the place of the damned whither all go say they and we too who die in sin without repentance This place of torment some take for the gates of death But seeing the Lord is here speaking of natural things not of moral actions not of the consequents of them rewards and punishments therefore though we may truly call Hell the gates or power of death yet that notion as well as the former is altogether heterogeneal in this Text. Thirdly Several expound the gates of death in connection with the former verse for the depth or bottom of the sea where many dead carcases lie rotting all such as are cast away by shipwracks or die at sea being usually thrown into the deep and therefore at last the sea shall give up her dead as well as the earth Fourthly The gates of death
mysteries of the Gospel are hidden from us till God is pleased to reveal them so in nature there are many things which are mysteries and secrets to us till God makes them known to us And there are some things which God will no more open to us than he hath the gates of death or the doors of the shadow of death And if so then as God will never blame us for not knowing those things which he hath hidden so we should not busie our selves with any enquiries about hidden things Though the secret of the Lord be with those that fear him Psal 25.14 yet they that fear him will not dare not meddle with nor search into the Lords secret Therefore Lastly Observe Whatsoever God is not pleased to reveal to us or is pleased to hide from us that we should be content not to know and be satisfied that it is hidden from us Deut. 29.29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and our children for ever It is both our duty and our interest to be content with our own share or to be satisfied with what belongs to us and not to invade Gods peculiars or reserves It was Jobs fault he would be entring into the secrets of God but saith God Have the gates of death been opened unto thee or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death if not then be not troubled that those things are not opened to thee which I have reserved to my self God hath not straitned us in any needful point of knowledge there is enough opened to us though the gates of death be not Is it not enough for us that in the glass of the Gospel God hath set before us the mysteries of eternal salvation unless he also acquaint us in the day of our trial which was Jobs case with all the whole mystery of his temporal dispensations The Lord having urged Job with these hard questions about the depth of the Sea and the gates of death seems now to offer him a more easie question in the next verse Vers 18. Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth Declare if thou knowest it all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. Sic terram elegantèr circumloquuntur nâ—m qui quid sub coelo â—â—reâ— terra est â—er terram ambit Drus The Septuagint render Hast thou perceived the breadth of that which is under the heavens Under the Cope or Canopy of the heavens Hast thou perceived how broad that is which is spanned or compassed about by the heavens that is as we translate the breadth of the earth That which is circled or suâ—rounded by the aereal heavens is the earth Hast thou perceived the breadth of that Though the earth be better known to man than the depth of the sea yet no man ever saw the whole earth Many parts of the earth are deserts and unpassable by man The best Writers say the whole compass of the earth is 21600 miles yet that is rather a supposition than a demonstration no man having ever visited or viewed the whole face of the earth We find Job 11.9 length ascribed to the earth and breadth to the sea But in this place the Lord having ascribed depth to the sea gives breadth to the earth We are not here to take the breadth of the earth according to the rules of Geography for so the length of the earth is from East to West Terrae latitudo hoc in locâ— est universus terrae ambitus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pluralis a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 latitudo In qualibet re major dimensâ—o vocâ—tur longitudo minor latitudo Aquiâ— and the breadth from North to South but breadth is here put sinecdochically for all the dimensions or the whole circumference of the Earth As it the Lord had said Dost thou know how big how spacious the Earth is The breadth of the Earth imports the largeness of it opposed to straitness or narrowness and to shew that here the breadth contains all dimensions the word is in the Plural Number Hast thou known the breadths of the Earth that is the whole compass of it how broad and how long and so how big the Earth is Hast thou perceived the breadth of the Earth Hence Note First The earth is a huge vast body That is very big whose bigness is not easily perceived if at all perceivable and such is the breadth or bigness of the earth Whence take this double Inference First If the earth be such a great thing that a man cannot perceive the breadth or dimensions of it then how great are the heavens The earth in comparison of the heavens is but as a point 't is as little as is imaginable O what a broad thing is heaven if the earth be such that we cannot reach the breadth of it Secondly If the earth be so great how great is God who made the heavens and the earth too That 's it which God would lead Job to the consideration of even of his own infinite greatness How great is God who made this great earth To him as the prophet Isaiah speaks chap. 40.15 16. The Nations the people of the earth are but as the drop of a bucket and as the dust of the ballance He weighs the mountains in scales and the hills in a ballance He holds the dust as one single grain in his hand What a nothing are all things to God seeing the earth is a nothing to the heavens God puts the question to Job Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth and we may put that question into this negative Proposition O Job Thou hast not perceived the breadth of the earth The wisest of men know not the breadth or bigness of the earth Some have undertaken to tell us how great the circle of the earth is but theirs are but guesses though somewhat may be said that way yet no man can give it exactly and therefore the Roman Orator attempting to write about the earth and the dimensions of it prefaceth or apologizeth thus for himself De Geographia dabo operam ut tibi satisfaciam sed nihil certi polliceor magnum opus est Cicero ad Atticum l. 2. ep 4. I will do my endeavour to satisfie thee about Geography or the dimensions of the earth but I promise nothing of certainty 't is a great work Hast thou known the breadth of the earth Declare if thou knowest it all As if the Lord had said I have put the question to thee come now answer me declare what thou knowest let me know what her thou knowest it all God provokes or challengeth Job to say his utmost We may refer these last words either strictly to the immediate question only or generally to all the questions before yet I conceive they are rather to be restrained to the last question concerning the breadth of the earth because they run in the singular number Declare if thou knowest it all
His largeness of heart though like the sand of the sea will be but narrowness of heart compared with the enlargements which Saints shall have there Glorified Saints shall be in natural things exact Philosophers able to answer all the questions here put to Job In spiritual things they shall be exact Divines all dark Scriptures shall be clear to them Châ—ist will be their Comment all daâ—k questions will be clear to them Christ will be their light Those perplexed Cases and fatal Controversies which have troubled the peace of the Church and have occasioned the calling together of some hundreds of the ablest Scholars to debate and determine them shall at one view be understood shall have all their knots untied and their difficulties removed by the meanest if among them there shall be found any meaner than others of glorified understandings What sweetness the soul shall feel at this revelation of all knowledge a little knowledge will serve to judge For then not only to this challenge which the Lord made to Job about those special matters the gates of death and the breadth of the earth but also to any other Declare if thou knowest it all Every soul will readily and confidently answer Lord in thy light I know it all JOB Chap. 38. Vers 19 20 21. 19. Where is the way where light dwelleth and as for darkness where is the place thereof 20. That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof 21. Knowest thou it because thou wast then born Or because the number of thy days is great THe Lord having posed Job in the former Context about the depth of the Sea the darkness of Death and the vastness of the Earth here calleth him to an account about the light of the Sun and the darkness of the Air in these three verses As if he had said If thou knowest the breadth of the whole earth about which I enquired last of thee then tell me in what part of the earth doth the light dwell and where is the place of darkness Vers 19. Where is the way where light dwelleth The Septuagint translate In what land doth light dwell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In qua terra Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vbi via in quae habitat scil â—post viae itineris spatium emensum Or where is the land of light We say Where is the way The Hebrew word notes a trodden beaten way or as we speak a high-way Where is the way where light dwelleth That is whither light retireth and doth as it were betake it self in the night when it hath gone its journey and is past thy Horizon For every one knows where light dwells while the Sun is up with us and shines upon us But what becomes of it or whither it goes when 't is gone from us that 's a question and here say some the question The word which we translate dwelleth implieth a retirement Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est ad quietem noctem traducendam alicubicommorari a rest after long labour and travel Where is the way where light-dwelleth and as for darkness where is the place of it Here are two gâ—eat contraâ—ies which cannot agree nor dwell together in any one subject yet met together in this Text Light and darkness and there is some yea not a little darkness in this question about the light We need a great measure of Divine Light to answer this question about the Light Where is the way where light dwelleth Tell me O Job if thou canst where light lodgeth where it reposeth it self when the Sun is gone down and departed out of thy sight Tell me what way leadeth to the lodging of light The words as Interpreters give it have in them a poetâ—cal tincture as if the Sun setting retired to his chamber as we do when the light and business of the day is ended David speaks of the Sun as a Bridegroom coming out of his chamber Psal 19.5 And when his race as to us is run every day he hath a chamber ready for him not that the Sun doth at all end its motion or sit down to rest but because it seems to rest when it goeth down to us As if the Lord had said Hast thou travelled to the place of the Suns rising and setting Where is the way where the light dwelleth There may be a threefold answer given to these questions as light is taken properly for the natural light the light of the day caused by the Suns approach and as darkness is taken properly for natural darkness caused by the with-drawing of the Sun First Some because the word dwelleth notes a stay or an abode for such is a dwelling place answer the question geographically and say light dwelleth under the Poles There are two poles of the earth the Northern and the Southern under both which interchangeably light and darkness abide six moneths together and because of the long stay and abode of light and darkness there Geographers reckon and conclude the dwelling of light and the place of darkness to be there and that therefore the Sun hath two dwelling houses one in the North the other in the South Secondly When Astronomers answer these questions Where is the way where light dwelleth and where is the place of darkness They say The East is the place of light and the West the dwelling of darkness And the reason given is this Because the Sun riseth in the East and goes down in the West leaving the World Forvide Titan obitus pariter tecum Alcides vid it Ortus novitque tuas utrasque domos Sen. in Herc. Act. 4. Alludere videtur ad signorum Zodiaci spatia per quae Sol cursum suum perragit quae ab astrologis Mansiones vel Domus solent appellari Itáque Zona illa sive fascia Zodiaci in cujus medio protenditur eccliptica est via solis qui in tot habitare domus dicitur quot in illa sunt signa Bold that half of the World upon which it shined in the day over-shadowed with darkness It is by the access and recess by the rising and setting of the Sun that we enjoy light or are wrapped up in darkness And so East and West are called by the ancient Poets the houses or dwellings of the Sun Astronomers have found out according to their doctrine twelve houses or dwelling places of the Sun they imagine a girdle or bond passing quite through the heavens which they call the Zodiack and there a line which they call the Ecliptick in which the Sun moveth or which is the way of the light and in this line they place the twelve signs the first of which the Sun entreth the first moneth of the year and is called Aries the second Taurus the third Gemini c. These are onely fictions by which they represent the gradual motions of the Sun in the several seasons of the year and
the Egyptians with all their learning could not tell the way how God parted the light then that it should be light in Goshen and darkness to feeling or darkness that might be felt in all the other parts of Egypt so who can give a reason of that distribution of Gospel light which God makes to some parts of the world while other parts of it sit in darkness and in the very shadow of death Secondly In that the Lord puts the Qâ—estion to Job Knowest thou c. for we are still to repeat those words in these questions though not exprest Knowest thou that is thou knowest not Hence Note Man is much in the dark about the light and how God distrubuteth disposeth and dispenseth forth the light Those things that are clear to our sense are often very obscure to our undeâ—standing Nothing more clear to sense than that the light is parted yet what is more obscure than this in what way and how the light is parted And as this parting of the light is marvellous so also in the effect of it held out in the latter part of the Verse Which scattereth the East-wind upon the Earth Some because the relative Which is not expressed in the Original take these words as a distinct question 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ventum Orientálem seu trentem subsolanum signifiâ—at per synechdochen hic omnem ventum Sanct. Eurum ventum vehementissimum loco omnium ponit Scult Sol dicitur ventorum pater eurus dicitur subsolanus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod sit sub regimine solis Knowest thou by what way the light is parted and taking up that again by what way he scattereth the East-wind upon the Earth But I shall speak of these words as intending this effect of light the scattering the East-wind The Hebrew Word signifies strictly the Eastern part of the World the Sun-rising and so the East-wind which riseth often with the Sun or upon which the Sun hath a great command and may be here put synechdechically for all the Winds Naturalists tell us that lightning which was the first interpretation doth raise the East-wind or causeth it to blow and that the light of the Sun or the Sun-rising hatâ— also an influence upon the wind or raiseth the East-wind is both the observation of Naturalists and an assertion which hath ground in Scripture The Sun is by some called the Father of the Winds and especially of the East-wind and the East-wind hath denominations both in the Greek and Latine Tongue as the Margin shews implying that it is much as it were under the dominion of the Sun It is said Jonah 4.8 that The Lord at the Sun-rising commanded or prepared a vehement East-wind to blow upon the head of Jonah As if the rising of the Sun had some power in the bâ—inging the East-wind and without all doubt the East-wind as one elegantly describes it at that time by Gods Call fought under the banner of the Sun and was confederate with him for the affliction of that angry Prophet Jonah The East-wind is a vehement wind a drying wind a scorching wind Exod. 14.21 When the Lord lead the people of Israel through the Red Sea it is said He commanded a strong East wind to blow all night and divided the Sea The East-wind it seems was the most proper instrument to serve the Providence of God in dividing or scattering and then in gathering the waters of the Sea as here the light is said to scatter the East-wind upon the Earth Mr. Broughton renders these words as expressing the natural aptitude of the wind to spread it self thus And which way the East-wind scattereth it self over the Earth That is which way it will scatter or in what Country it will blow The winds are of a most diffusive nature they scatter themselves they disperse and pass through the air with much violence and vehemence But I shall not stay upon that The main scope and purpose of the Lord in putting this question being onely this To shew that as the light take it either for the lightning or for the light of the Sun is in the hands of God so also that the wind even the East-wind is at his dispose too Hence Note Winds the most vehement and violent winds are under the power of God He who commands the light commands the winds Prov. 30.4 He gathereth the winds in his fist he comprehends them all in his hand 'Ts a wonderful expression of the power of God that he hath the loose winds as fast as a man hath that which he gripes in his fist and 't is at the opening of his hand that they pass forth Whatever natural causes there are of the winds we must look beyond them all at the power of God as the cause reigning over all other causes Christ John 3. treating with Nicodemus about that most spiritual Doctrine of Regeneration or the New Birth to shew how free an agent the Spirit of God is in it compares his workings to that of the Wind of which he saith vers 8. The wind bloweth where it listeth which yet we are not to understand as if the winds did blow at randome or were carried out by their own power and impression Christ speaks of the wind there as if it had a will or wilfulness rather but we are to understand it thus The wind bloweth where it listeth for any thing man can do or say to it let man say what he will let man do what he can the wind blows where it listeth The wind is not under the controul or command of any man no not of the mightiest Prince on Earth yet it bloweth not absolutely where it self but where God listeth The power and skill of all the men in the World cannot alter oâ— controul the wind Some indeed have traded with Witches for winds as if they had the command of them yet know it is onely the Lords chusing their delusions or his giving them up to those delusions and wickednesses which their hearts chuse if at any time any gain a breath of winâ— by trading with them We should onely look by faith and trade with him by pâ—ayer for the managing and disposing of the winds it is he that scattereth the East-wind over the Earth Knowest thou how the East-winds are scattered over the Earth or by what way the Lord scattereth the East-wind over the Earth Hence Note Secondly The way of the Wind is a secret to man as well as the way of the Light The Lord Christ sheweth mans ignorance with respect to the way of the wind John 3.8 Thou hearest the sound thereof but thou knowest not whence it cometh nor whither it goeth Which we are not to understand as if when a man perceives the wind to blow he did not know whence or out of what part of the compasse it comes or towards what point it goes We know when it comes from the East and when it comes from thence we know
them down O Job canst thou do thus or do thou thus Tread down the wicked in their place And as it followeth in the next verse to the same effect Verse 13. Hide them in the dust together and bind their faces in secret That is Bring them to utter destruction to condign punishment even to death Some expound hiding in the dust by laying in dungeons and filthy prisons Secondly Others say to hide in the dust notes death or to lay them in their graves Dust thou art said God to Adam Gen. 3.19 and to dust thou shalt return That is thou shalt die and be put in thy grave which possibly is called the dust of death Psal 22.15 Hide them in the dust of the earth let them appear no more above ground to trouble thee or others Hide them in the dust Together That is either First All at a time Thus the Lord can do he can destroy all the wicked at once at one time in one hour Or Secondly Together that is in one place God can gather the wicked all together and so make an end of them together both as to time and place Yet I conceive neither of these are here intended for God doth not usually destroy the wicked all at one time nor all in one place he hath several times and stages to act his providences in and upon so that to hide them in the dust together is but this to hide them alike to put them all into the same condition at one time or other in one place or other that they may be able to do no more mischief And bind their faces in secret That 's the last expression shewing what God doth and what he bid Job do Bind their faces in secret There may be a twofold interpretation of these words either First In allusion to men condemned whose faces use to be covered a Sentence of death being pronounced and passed upon them they were as it were hid from the light of the living Thus as soon as Ahasuerus the King had passed sentence against Haman they covered his face Esth 7.8 or Secondly This covering their faces may be an allusion to actually dead men whose faces if they die among men especially among friends are alwayes bound up and decently covered When Christ called Lazarus out of the grave the Text saith John 11.44 He came forth his face being bound about with a napkin So then to bind their faces in secret is as if it had been said bring them to death or put them to death Thus the Lord calls Job to that in three particulars which himself will certainly do First To Tread down the wicked Secondly To Hide them in the dust together Thirdly To Bind their faces in secret The Notes which I shall give from these words will be grounded upon that three-fold interpretation of the word wicked And First As the wicked are taken for the same with the proud in the former verse Observe Proud men are wicked men Behold saith the Prophet Mal. 4.1 The day of the Lord shall burn as an oven and all the proud and all that do wickedly shall be stubble The proud â—â—d they that do wickedly go together The proud do wickedly and are therefore deservedly numbred among the wicked Pride is the first of those seven things which are an abomination to the Lord Prov. 6.16 17. There are six things that the Lord hates yea seven are abomination to him A proud look that 's first and if a proud look then certainly a proud heart and a proud spirit Proud persons have not onely a chief but the first place by name among those whom the Lord abominates And in that black Catalogue of eighteen sorts of wicked ones that shall trouble the world in the latter dayes the proud are not the last nor the least 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4 5. In the last dayes perilous times shall come why what shall make them so The reason follows For men shall be lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud Now though the proud man comes in the fourth place by name yet he is in the first place as to influence for what is the reason why men over-love themselves is it not because they are proud and have too high thoughts of themselves David Psal 119.21 sheweth the wickedness of proud men or that proud men are extreamly wicked while he saith to and of God Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed which do erre from thy Commandements The proud are such as continually wander out of the wayes of truth and holinesse Pride will not let us keep Commandements 't is the humble soul which keeps them and therefore pride may be called the breach of all the Commandements and if so proud men must needs be the very first-born of the wicked and therefore David saith of them that they are not onely under the rebuke of God but under his curse which is the peculiar portion and punishment of the wicked And what the way of proud men is both in doing and speaking the same David tells us Psal 75.45 I said unto the fools deal not foolishly and to the wicked lift not up the horn lift not up your horn on high speak not with a stiffe neck that is be not proud Wicked men lift up their horn and tongue they cannot but shew their pride in word and deed The Devil is the wicked one Matth. 13.19 The high-way ground having received the seed 't is said the wicked one that is the Devil cometh and catcheth it away And when the world is said to lie in wickedness or in the wicked one 1 John 5.19 The meaning is the Devil over-rules the carnal world Now as the Devil is the wicked one so he is the proud one also Pride was that wickededness for which God trod him down and his wickedness still continueth in tempting men to or in puffing them up with pride It is the businesse of the wicked one the Devil to make men proud because he knows pride will make them wicked and do wickedly Pride hardeneth the mind as Daniel saith it did Nebuchadnezar Chap. 5.20 Now what wickednesse is there which a hardened mind will not attempt to do Pride put Herod upon seeking the bloud of Christ who came to save and wash sinners with his blood Proud men are very wicked as they despise other men a proud man thinks no man so good as himself or himself too good for all other men Some proud men are so wicked that they despise even God himself The proud man lifts up himself against the Word of God slights the promises regards not the threatnings of God his heart is lifted up against the Commandements of God nor doth he value the comforts of God he neglects the Ordinances of God nor doth he reverence the Providences of God He that doth or is ready to do all this is surely a despiser of God himself How wicked a man is he whose heart is lifted up both against God and man
more than a bare rebuke here was a blow given and that a sore one The Lord deals gently with some sinners that none may despair and severely with others though his servants that none may presume Only let us remember that when the Lord at any time doth chasten and rebuke his servants for sin with great severity he doth not drive them away nor discourage them but would have them look to him for pardon and healing When he judgeth them as the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 11.32 he doth not condemn them or if we call it a condemnation yet he doth not condemn them with the world nor as he condemns the world God condemns the unbelieving world to destruction but he condemns his servants only for their humiliation The goodness of God appears much in these two things First In his flowness to anger his mercy doth even clog his justice and gives it leaden feet it comes slowly Secondly In his readiness to show mercy The Scripture saith he is slow to wrath and ready to forgive his goodness doth even adde wings to his mercy causing it to fly swiftly to the relief of sensible and humbled sinners or as one of the Ancients expresseth he sharpneth the sword of his justice with the oile of his mercy and so it becomes a healing as well as a wounding sword Secondly In that the Lord himself gave this direction Take unto you seven bullocks and seven rams c. Observe God against whom we sin sheweth us the way to get peace and the pardon of our sins When man sinned at first or when the first man fell into sin there he had lain for ever if the Lord had not shewed him a way out Had it been left to man to devise a way to recover himself when he was fallen his fall had been irrecoverable he had never found how to get at once his sin pardoned and the justice of God satisfied This was the Lords own invention and it was the most noble and excellent one that ever was in the world he shewed fallen man at first how to get up and here he gave direction to these fallen men what to do that they might The Lord who was their Judge was also their Counsellor Thirdly Consider the particular way of their peace-making it was by sacrifice Take unto you seven bullocks and seven rams c. Hence note Sacrifices for sin were appointed and commanded by God not devised by man Sacrifices have been from the beginning Cain and Abel brought their offerings unto the Lord Gen. 4.3 4. Noah also builded an altar unto the Lord and offered burnt-offerings on the altar Gen. 8.20 Abraham offered the ram for a burnt-offering Gen. 22.13 Now though the law for sacrifices was not formally given in those times yet it was really given All those elder sacrifices were of the Lords appointment and by his direction as well as those in and after the days of Moses There is no expiating of sin against God by the inventions of man Heathens offered sacrifices to their Idol-gods imitating the worship of the true God The Devil is Gods ape Typical sacrifices were of God for the taking away of the sin of man And so was the true sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ when he that is Christ said sacrifice and offering and burnt-offering and offering for sin thou wouldst not that is thou wouldst not have those legal sacrifices nor didst ever intend to have them as satisfactions to thy offended justice ultimately to rest in them then said he that is Christ Lo I come to do thy will O God Heb. 10.8 9. It was the will of God that Jesus Christ should be the expiatory sacrifice for the sin of man by the which will v. 10. We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all The sacrifice of Christ himself had not saved us if it had not been of Gods appointment nor could any sacrifice have so much as shadowed the way or means of our salvation if God had not appointed it Fourthly Consider the purpose for which the Lord commanded Eliphaz c. to offer their sacrifice it was to make an attonement for their sin Hence Observe Sin must have a sacrifice There was never any way in the world from first to last to help a sinner but by a sacrifice and who was the sacrifice Surely Jesus Christ was the sacrifice it was not the blood of bulls and goats of bullocks and rams that could take away sin as the Apostle argueth at large in the Epistle to the Hebrews these could never take away sin these only pointed at Jesus Christ who alone did it by bearing our sins and by being made a sacrifice for them To typifie or shew this we read in the law of Moses that the sin of the offender was laid upon the sacrifice and a sacrifice for sin was called sin by the Prophet long before Christ came Dan. 9.24 He shall make an end of sin that is when Christ shall come in the flesh he shall make an end of all sacrifices for sin and so the Apostle called it after Christ was come and had suffered in the flesh 2 Cor. 5.21 He made him to be sin that is a sacrifice for sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him The sacrifice was called sin because the sin of the person who brought it and in whose behalf it was offered was laid upon the sacrifice there was as it were a translation of the sin from the person to the sacrifice In which sence Luther is to be understood when he said Jesus Christ was the greatest sinner in the world not that he had any sin in his nature or any sin in his life but because he had the sins of all that are or shall be saved laid upon him as the Prophet spake Isa 53.6 The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all or as our Margin hath it He hath made the iniquity of us all to meet on him And there is no atonement for sin but by a sacrifice So the Lord ordained the offering up of a whole burnt-offering for the taking away of sin that sinners might see what they had deserved even to die and not only so but to be wholly burnt and consumed in the fire of his wrath Impenitent sinners shall be consumed in fire that shall never be extinguished nor ever extinguish them they shall abide in an ever-living death or in an ever-dying life They who rest not upon the sacrifice of Christ once offered must be a sacrifice themselves alwayes offered to the justice and wrath of God Here it may be questioned why the Lord commanded them to offer seven Bullocks and seven Rams what could the blood of seven do more than the blood of one I answer First This being a great sacrifice possibly the Lord commanded it thereby to intimate the greatness of their sin Two things chiefly shew the greatness of a
1009. Inward beauty most desirable 1010 Beginning taken two ways 623 Behemoth described six wayes 606 607. Behemoth may signifie all the beasts of the field 609. Why though a word of the plural number applicable to one 609. Behemoth how the chief of the wayes of God 624 Beholding of things or persons twofold 577 Believers why called the first fruits of Gods creatures 221. A believer mounts high like the Eagle especially in two things 478. Believers do not only mount high but abide on high 480 Belief that which is much desired in some cases is hardly believed 454. Why the same word signifieth to stand fast or steddy and to believe 456. Birth new birth three things in it 322 Blessing two wayes of blessing one 977. The blessing of God effectual for the good of man 978. Seven characters of those whom the Lord will bless 979 980. They who are blessed are also loved of God 981. Three things whence it is that many mind not a blessing from God 982. All successes are not from the blessing of God 984. Temporal things are blessings but spiritual things are the best blessings 989. How we may know when temporal things are a blessing and come to us in love 990 Bochartus his opinion that Behemoth is not the Elephant but Hippopotame 611 612. Borrowing fear not to lose what God borrows of us 951 Brethren and sisters two wayes taken Scripture 956 Building two things most considerable in it both eminent in Gods building the World 59 C Canutus his answer to his flattering Courtiers 110 Captivity how taken in Scripture 931 Any affliction is a kind of captivity 932 Care to be cast upon God 177. Care of God over the beasts of the earth and fowls of the air should convince man that God will take care of him 279 288. Care of God to provide for the vilest creatures 296. Care of God for his p ople seen in two things 643 Carefulness what to be avoided 746 Carnal men judge of God by themselves 834 Causes natural causes produce natural effects and so do spiritual causes spiritual effects 214 Charity a great trial of it 880 Children not to charge their parents when able to help themselves 324. They who excel in any thing are elegantly called the children of it 781 Children a great blessing 993. Parents duty in naming them See names how it is a blessing to have many children 1023. Good children a great joy 1024 Christ his eternity 45. He is the corner-stone 69 70. Christ a light for two great ends 122. Christ compared to a Lion in four respects 283. Christ resembled by the Hind in three things 312. Why Christ is called a horn of salvation 381. Christ like the Eagle shewed in seven things 489 490. Christ a relief against all evil 648. Christ the best friend 958 Church a vain thing to oppose it 685 Church set out by Christ in her spiritual excellencies 721. God terrible in the Church 729 Cloathed to be cloathed with any thing what it imports 428 429 Cloud how a garment to the sea 101. Clouds called the Arcenal of heaven why 192. The wisest men can neither tell how many the clouds are nor fully what they are 272 Cock why crows at Mid-night 254. He is a natural clock 270 Cold whether natural or spiritual is a great binder 243 Comforting the sorrowful a great duty 967 Six cases which call us to comfort others together with so many ways of ministering comfort to them 968. Four considerations moving to this duty 969 Command of God creating 114 115 Comeliness it consisteth in three things 717 Company no company pleaseth but such as is sutable 340 Compulsion grievous to beasts much more to men 341 Condemnation of self what good 545 Confession of sin when right 525 Contending of two sorts 497. How man contendeth with the word how with the works of God 497 498. There is a spirit in weak man ready to contend with the strong God 499. In two cases we are apt to contend with God about his works 501. Four considerations moving us to beware of all contendings with God 502 503. In what way we may contend with God 503 504. They who contend with God would seem wiser than he 505 Conversion why so difficult a work 360 Covenant Hebrew word notes two things and why 670 Counsel what it is 25. The word counsel put absolutely or alone notes Gods counsel 25 Counsel of God may soon be darkned by us 30. Some do it intentionally the greatness of their sin 30 31 Courage where God gives courage man cannot make afraid 438. True courage fears not present danger 449 Craft Some creatures full of it 292. What some cannot do by strength they do by craft 292 293 Creation that work calls us to praise God 89. Four things in creation move us to praise God 90 Creatures God can make any of them hurtful to us 188. Two things shew the power of God in the creature 189. Several degrees of excellency in the creatures 625. An inference from it 626. God can easily subdue the strongest creatures 638. Two inferences from it 638 639. God to be magnified in the qualities and quantity or bigness of his creatures 663. All creatures made serviceable to man 672. Some creatures terrible to man 690. An inference from it 690. God pleased in setting forth the natural excellencies of his creatures 718. The excellencies of the creature shew the excellency of God 722. God would have man know the excellencies of the creature 723 Crocodile not tongueless 662 D Danger to leave any thing in danger and not provide against it is great folly 402. Dangers put all creatures to their utmost shifts 419. They who think themselves out of danger despise danger 420. Danger is the Element of courage 446. It is best not to do or quickly give over doing that which is dangerous 680. They are cruel to themselves who run upon danger unadvisedly 692. Great dangers may make the stoutest afraid 753. Great dangers put bad men upon repentance 758 Darkness what 166 Day of Judgment like to be a terrible day 18. It will be a discovering day 125. Days when and whose days may be said to be full 1029 1031. Day-light never riseth two days together exactly in the same place 126 Death the Gates of it what 151 152 154. No man knoweth how or in what manner he shall dye 155. Death takes all and that upon a two-fold ground 1025. Four cautions from it 1025. A good man willing to dye 1031 Deering his discourse upon his death-bed 168 Deliverance out of trouble is Gods work 933. He can soon work it 934 Demanding of two sorts 818 Desire what we most desire we would fain be at 441 444 457 Devil in bonds always 111. Devil like the Hawk 473. With what weapons we may prevail against him 766 Dew how caused 222. Two things considerable in the falling of the dew 222. God the Father of it 223. The great benefit of
Job having with steddy yet trembling attention heard all these words spoken to him with irrefragable authority by the Lord himself out of the whirlwind sate down convinced that surely the great God the Creator of the ends of the earth who had so exact an eye upon all those creatures both for the continuance of their species or kinds and the preservation of their individuals or particulars could not possibly cast off the care of man-kind nor of him in particular no nor put any man to any hardship or suffering but for some great end or ends glorious always to himself and in the issue good for the wise and patient sufferer He was also convinced that himself not well understanding the mysteries of providence nor indeed could any more fully understand them than he did the mysteries of creation or the manner how God laid the foundations of the earth and shut up the sea with doors he I say not well understanding the mysteries of providence was convinced that he had done very ill to make such long and loud complaints about it that is about the severity of Gods dealings with him as if like an enemy he intended him nothing but pain and sorrow by the pains and sorrows which he endured Thus at last Job began to see that as being himself Gods creature God might do with him what he pleased and that God being his absolute Soveraign could not wrong him whatever he was pleased to do with him so that forasmuch as God was so careful of and kind to those inferior reasonless creatures there was no shadow of a reason why he should have the least jealousie of Gods kindness to him and regard of him much less make such an out-cry that God was unkind to and regardless of Him whom he had not only ennobled as the rest of mankind with reason but renewed by grace and filled with the holy fear of his great and glorious name These impressions being made upon Job by the mighty power of God speaking to him out of the whirlwind he presently cryed out as fast against himself and against his own ignorance and rashness as he had done before concerning the harshness of his sufferings under the hand of God confessing chap. 40.4 Behold I am vile what shall I answer thee And chap. 42.3 6. I have uttered that I understood not things too wonderful for me which I knew not wherefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes Job being thus humbled and melted down Job who was lately in the dust of dishonour and almost in the dust of death being thus brought to the dust of repentance the Lord suffered him not to lye long there but quickly raised him up out of all his sufferings and passing by all his mispeakings while sufferings lay heavy upon him he The Lord passed sentence upon or gave judgment against Eliphaz and his two friends as not having spoken of him the thing that was right as his servant Job and not only so but commanded them to do him right by acknowledging that they had wronged him why else were they ordered by the Lord to go unto him as a mediator for their peace why else were they ordered by the Lord to bring their sacrifice unto him that he offering it up and praying for them the wrath of God which was kindled against them might be quenched and they received into favour All these offices of love Job freely did for them and no sooner had he done them but God heaped favours upon him doubling his former substance and causing all his former friends who had carried it unfriendly unhandsomely towards him and would not own him in the day of his distress to hasten their addresses to bring him honourable presents and redintegrate their broken friendship with him In all these things God blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning and he found by comfortable experience which was mentioned at the beginning of this prefatory Epistle out of Solomon's Ecclesiastes that the end of a thing is better than the beginning of it the latter end of his life being fuller of peace riches and honour than the former and he not ending his life in this world till he was full of days fuller of grace and fully fitted for an endless life in glory Thus as in the foregoing parts of this book we have heard of the patience of Job so in this we may see as the Apostle James saith chap. 5.11 the end of the Lord. But what was that end of the Lord Any man of ordinary capacity reading the holy story may resolve it in the common way that The Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before that being restored his seven thousand sheep were multiplyed to fourteen thousand his three thousand camels to six thousand his five hundred yoke of oxen to a thousand and his five hundred she-asses to as many This end of the Lord with Job is obvious and runs in sight to every Reader nor can it be denied but that this was a very good and an honourable end yet behold the Lord made a much better and more honourable end for Job than this This was the end of Jobs cross that was not only so but also of his controversie Satan charged Job as an Hypocrite his friends joyned with Satan in that yet stayed not there they charged him likewise as Hetorodox as a man not only unsincere in his profession of religion but unsound in the principles of it The Lord made an end for Job in this matter also abetting his opinion in that great and difficult probleme of providence rather than theirs giving him the day and putting the crown of victory upon his head in that dispute while he said to Eliphaz and his two friends Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right as my servant Job This this was The end of the Lord. To hear this gracious determination from the mouth of the supream and infallible moderator of all controversies was without controversie a thousand times more pleasing and satisfactory to Jobs spirit not only than the double cattle which the Lord gave him but than if the Lord had given him all the cattle upon a thousand hills or than if all the fowls of the air and fishes of the sea had been given to him In this end of the Lord for Job we may see not only that the Lord is infinitely wise and just but as it followeth in that place of the Apostle James very pitiful and of tender mercy The Lord shews himself very pitiful and of tender mercy when he puts an end to the crosses of his servants by doubling their outward comforts he doth so too when he puts an end to the controversies of his servants by vindicating their credit and making it appear that they have spoken of him and of his ways the thing that is right or more rightly than their opposers and reproachers This example of the Lords pity and tender mercy in doing both
the first day of the world God is the Father not onely of spiritual light Jam. 1.17 but of natural Psal 74.16 The day is thiâ—e the night also is thine thou hast prepared the light and the Sun This glory is ascribed to God by his holy Prophet also Jer. 31.35 Thus saith the Lord which giveth the Sun for a light by day and the ordinances of the Moon and of the Stars for a light by night The Lord gives these as well as command these and who but God can do either None can command the creatures unto their daily motion but God much less could any command the creatures into their first being but God How wise how great soever men are or seem to be in their own eyes or sight they cannot make nor bring forth the least ray of light much less can they make such a world of light as God hath made for the world And surely there is no creature wherein we may see and contemplate more of God than in the light which he made the first day and now commandeth to make the morning day by day Nor is there any thing in the whole compass of Nature either more comfoâ—table or more admirable than the light The commonness of it lessens our esteem of it and because it comes so constantly and never fails we are apt to look upon it as no great matter as no great mercy whereas indeed the light is not onely useful and comfortable but admirable and that it deserves these three attributes I shall briefly shew by giving a touch at each of them That light is an admirable creature must be confessed if we consider First It s original or the way of its production The Apostle treating about spiritual light tells us whence the natural light came 2 Cor. 4.6 God who commanded light to shine out of darkness c. Light came as it were out of the womb of darkness Now that out of darkness black darkness such a beautiful child such a goodly creature as light should be brought forth is it not marvellous Yet thus it was God commanded light to shine out of darkness The History of the Creation reports There was nothing but darkness upon the face of the earth when the Lord said Let there be light Darkness is totally contrary to light 't is the privation of light Now that the habit should come forth out of the privation light out of darkness or life out of death joy out of sorrow peace out of trouble these are the wonderful works of God And we may comfortably meditate upon this when we want any kind of light Whence did the Lord bring light at first even out of darkness therefore let us not think any darkness of trouble a leâ—t to the Lords production of light When we are in spiritual darkness the state of nature is a state of darkness that doth not hinder the Loâ—d can easily bring the light of the new creatuâ—e out of it and when we are in the darkness of any trouble though it be thick darkness darkâ—ess as Job spake chap. 10.22 like darkness it self and where the light is as darkness yet this doth not hinder the Lord can bring light out of it There 's the first wonder the Lord brought light out of darkness Secondly Light is wonderful in its operation power and efficacy in that it doth so suddenly chase away conquer and overcome darkness Light gets victory over darkness in a moment There 's no darkness can abide the face of light As soon as God commands the morning let it be as da k as pitch the darkness must away and fly before it Daâ—kness cannot withstand light nor stand in the presence of it there 's no long dispute light instantly gets the hands the day of darknâ—ss Thirdly If we consider the pure nature oâ— lighâ— 't is as pure as purity it self Light hath an inseparable and an insuperable purity though it may be a while obâ—cured yet it cannot be at all polluted Philosophers have spoken much about the natuâ—e of light but none were ever able to comprehend it Some said it is a habit or quality of a light some body Lâ—x diunt Physici est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seu qualitas corporis â—ucidi yet none of their definitions reach it fully They make it a quality yet we may conceive it is rather to be ranked and reckoned among substances than accidents it being a principal part of the Creation and the express subject of Gods work the first day of it Fourthly The light is very wonderful in the changes and vicissitudes of it How it passeth and repasseth how it increaseth and decreaseth how it comes and goes is an amazing consideration Fifthly Though the light be in continual changes yet there 's nothing more constant than the light to its appointed time Light never fails to come in its season Secondly That light is a most useful and beneficial creature who can deny seeing without light the whole Creation were a nothing to us What had the world been to us if God had not made light and set up lights in it The eye of the body whiâ—h is the light of the body Matth. 6.22 were of no use to us without outward light Till the Sun which is the eye of the great world shines the eye which is the Sun of the little world is no advantage to us There must be light in the aire as well as light in the eye else the most beautiful objects have no appearing beauty and therefore the Lord made light the first day that by it the beauty of the whole Creation might be seen Light discovers it self and all other things Light illustrates all the works of God and sets them in our sight And as all that God hath done would be nothing to us without light so we our selves could do nothing without light We cannot work at all or very hardly or very badly without light hence that of David Psal 104.22 23. The Sun ariseth man goeth forth to his work and to his labour until the evening John 9.4 The night cometh wherein no man can work Night of any sort is not for work because 't is dark and therefore they who work in the night get artificial light to supply the want of natural When the plague of darkness was upon the Egyptians they sate still and no man moved from the place where he was till that plague was removed Exod. 10.22 23. And as we cannot do the work of our Civil Callings without light either natural or artificial so we cannot do the work of our Christian Calling without spiritual light When Christ the Sun of righteousness ariseth with healing in his wings then we go forth to our spiritual labour as Christians and grow up as the calves of the stall Mal. 4.2 How long soever we live in this world we never go forth to that labour till the Sun of righteousness the Lord Jesus Christ ariseth upon us It was
our blessed Saviouâ— the light and life of the world hath counselled us Let our light shine and so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorifie our father which is in heaven Matth. 5.16 We that have light commanded for us every day how should we be lights and go forth as the Sun casting out our rays and beams in a holy and godly conversation And while we go forth and walk in such a conversation we go forth and walk as the Sun in its strength we enlighten all the world where we come and dazel the eyes of the wicked world or of the wicked in the world Sixthly How should we who have light commanded for us avoid all the works of darkness yea We should as the Apostle exhorts Rom. 13.12 13. cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light we should walk honestly as in the day As in the day which the light of the natural Sun makes and as in the day which the light of the mystical Sun our Lord Jesus Christ hath made Seventhly Remember as God hath commanded a morning for us here so he will command a light or a morning a morning light for all our actions hereafter As God hath made the the light so he will bring all things to light Many now live in the light of this world whose works are in the dark as well as theirs are works of darkness Now as the Lord hath commanded a morning to shine for us to worke by so he will have a morning wherein all our works shall be seen 1 Cor. 4.5 He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and the manifest the counsels of the heart Men may dig deep to hide their counsels from God but God knows how to bring them and their counsels to the morning and will cause a light to shine upon them though they have no light of truth or righteousness in them God will bring every work into judgement with every secret thing Eccl. 12.14 We must all appear saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.10 or we must all be manifest we must appear and so must our works too Those works of men shall be light as to their discovery which are nothing but darkness as to their impurity Those deeds which have no light in them shall come in the clearest light and be plainly seen to the bottom both by Men and Angels The Lord who hath commanded this moâ—ning light for us to do our work in will command another morning light to judge our works in and to give us the reward of them And let all the wicked of the earth to whom the morning of any day because they are in danger to be discovered by it is as the shadow of death Job 24.17 Let them I say consider how many thousand deaths that morning will be to them which will actually fully and impartially discover all their wickedness with all the secrets of it Lastly Consider if the Lord hath bestowed so great a mercy upon us in commanding the morning or in giving us light the light of the Sun then let us be minded how great a mercy the Lord hath bestowed upon us in commanding the light or morning of the Gospel to come upon us It was night with us and so it would have been for ever for any means we could have devised or used to help out selves out of it till God commanded Christ the bright Morning Star Rev. 22.16 and Sun of Righteousness to rise and shine upon us How unspeakable a mercy is it that such a light should appear to us who not only were in darkness but were darkness If we account it a mercy that God hath commanded a morning to shine to us O what a mercy is it that we have a Christ to shine upon us That the Day-Star from on high hath visited us That he who is the true light that enlightens every man that cometh into the world John 1.9 hath risen upon us both to scatter the darkness of sin and ignorance and to chear our souls with the sweet beams of his healing wings So much of the first part of the verse Hast thou commanded the mâ—rning since thy day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sâ—ir◠〈◊〉 auâ—â—râ—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mane 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aurora dâ—ssâ—runt Nam prima dici 〈…〉 diâ—tum 〈…〉 hâ—c a nigri◠〈◊〉 specio ut vid tur Nam 〈◊〉 res sub diâ—â—rulo apparere inâ—pturâ— nigricâ—â—â— viâ—entur Câ—c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eâ—t nigrescâ—re bin nigrescentem lucem scil diluculum significat Sol varie nec uno loco oritur quotidie ejus loâ—â—s mutatirut sol ascendit aut descendit in signis Zodiaci Merc. And caused the day-spring to know his place That is when and where it should break forth and appear every morning The day-spring is exprest by a different word in the original from the morning light it implieth the first of the morning when the air is darkish or duskish we commonly call it the gray of the morning The word signifies to be dark or that darkness which we call twilight When the day-spring ushers in the morning there is a kind of dimness in the light Now saith the Lord Hast thou caused the day-spring to know its place hast thou taught it where to shew it self to the world The Lord speaks nere of the day-spring as if it were a rational creature that took instructions or a word of direction where to begin the morning light God not man hath taught the day-spring to know its place We have a like expression Psal 16.11 Thou wilt shew me or thou wilt cause me to know the path of life Thus the Lord makes the day-spring know the path to its own place The day never springs twice immediately in one place but is in a continual variation as Astronomers with experience teach The place of the light or Sun-rising differeth every morning and from thence we have the difference of the dayes The Sun passing through the twelve signs of the Zodiack beginning with Aries c. I shall not trouble you with their names which have been devised and are used only for learning sake the Sun I say passing every year thâ—ough these twelve Signs all which Astronomers present unto us under various forms or figures such as themselves fancied most useful to subserve the understanding of that Art according to the situation of these Signs through which the Sun runs his course in the Heavens the day-spring to us on Earth changeth its place every day appearing sometimes more southerly and sometimes more easterly as the Sun either ascends to the Summer Solstice at which time the day is at longest and the night at shortest as about the eleventh of our Moneth called June or when it descends to the Winter Solstice at which time the day is shortest and the night longest as about the eleventh of our December To which we may add the Suns coming in its
bones upon a wheel To be broken is to be utterly spoiled A broken heart is a great mercy Psal 51.17 but a broken arm notes a great misery This Scripture threatens the high arm with breaking yet it leaves us unresolved or faith nothing expresly about these three Queries First Whose high arm is here threatned with breaking Secondly By whom the high arm shall be broken Thirdly How or by what means or in what manner it shall be broken I answer to the first These terrible words are not levell'd nor intended against any high arm eo nomine upon that account because it is high God is not angry with the highness of men They who are highest and have the highest arm among men may be highly pleasing unto God The highest powers on earth are of Gods ordaining and appointing now God cannot be against his own ordinances and appointments therefore he never bâ—eaks the high arm because 't is high in power but because 't is high in wickedness So then we may be confident 't is only the high arm of the wicked which is here threatned to be broken To the second and third Queries I answer in a word It is God who breaks the high arm and he breaks it in what manner and by what means soever pleaseth him In which we may see a signal work of divine Providence which doth not suffer the difference of good and evil of right and wrong to pass long unobserved And in this passage possibly the Lord might intend a refutation of what Job said Chap. 10.3 That God shined upon the Counsels of the wicked For seeing the very light or life of the wicked is with-holden from them and their high arm broken doth not God declare and testifie that he loveth righteousness and hateth iniquity And if the ministration of Divine Justice lye in the dark at any time doth not the return of the light every day intimate that a day of the revelation of the righteous Judgment of God is at hand The high arm shall be broken Hence Note First Wicked men may grow high and have a very high and strong arm Therefore be not scandalized when 't is so The most high God often suffers it to be so The wicked man in the Text is he that hath the high arm Note Secondly As all men by nature are altogether wâ—cked in their state so some of them are extreamly wicked in their lives They sin with an high hand or with an high arm they sin as if they would dare God himself Not onely have wicked men been high in power and high in place but there they have sinned highly and stretched forth their hand against Heaven it self Note Thirdly Observa in voce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hoc versiculo v. 13. literam צ in Bibliis magnis â—â—empl emendatis suspensam esse i. e. non eodem tenore cum aliis scriptam sed supra caeteras sursum versas penderâ— hoc modo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod forsun mysterio non caret quasi lux impiis totus eorum splendor sit in suspenso non stabilis Merc. The wicked how high or how strong soever they are they shall be broken A learned Interpreter takes notice that in the larger Bibles and most correct Copies the Hebrew Word signifying the wicked both in this 15th verse and in the 13th verse hath one letter raised up higher than the rest and exceeding the ordinary form of writing as may be seen if the Reader please to cast his eye upon the quotation in the Margin This saith my Author is not possibly without a mistery even to intimate thus much that all the prosperity and outward splendor of the wicked hangs in suspence or is very tottering and unstable But whatever occasioned that irregularity in the Hebrew writing or whatever it may import this is a sure truth that the highest estate of the wicked is very unsure The Lord who as Solomon saith Eccl. 5.8 is higher than the highest on earth can quickly bring down the highest and break or crush the strong arm as one would break a reed or crush a moth Thus the Lord bespake Edom by his Prophet Jer. 49.16 O thou that dwellest in the clifts of the rock that holdest the height of the hill though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the Eagle I will bring thee down from thence saith the Lord. And thus the Lord spake by another Prophet concerning the Amorite Amos 2.9 His height was like the height of the Cedars and he was strong as the Oaks yet I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from beneath that is I utterly destroyed him Yea the very being of the wicked high and strong is an argument that they shall be brought low destroyed and broken to pieces When Babylons arm shall be in its highest height When she shall say in her heart I sit as a Queen that is on high and am no Widdow and shall see no sorrow When Babylon is thus prophecying all good of her self and promising all good to her self then shall her plague come in one day death and famine and mourning and she shall be utterly burnt with fire for strong is the Lord who judgeth her Rev. 18.7 8. He will break her high arm and break it when she thinks it highest and her self safest David whose arm God raised on high affirmed all this of wicked high ones in general or of all those who should be found high in wickedness Psal 92.7 8. When the wicked spring as grass and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish it is that they shall be destroyed for ever As if he had said that 's the meaning of their prosperity you may spell that our of it or make that interpretation of it they shall be destroyed for ever As the Lord remembers his people in their low estate because his mercy endureth for ever Psal 136.23 so he will take vengeance on the wicked in their high estate because his justice endureth for ever The least sin deserves a breaking but when the arm of sin is grown very high we may say the Lords arm cannot hold he must break such high arms The Prophet Jeremy chap. 6.6 speaking of Jerusalem saith This City is to be visited how visited There is a twofold visiting First In favour care and kindness Secondly In wrath and judgement Usually when the Scripture speaks of visiting a City or a Land it is meant in wrath and in judgement Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord Jer. 5.9 Surely I shall there is no avoiding my visitation What kind of visitation is meant the next woâ—ds evidence Shall not my soul be avenged on such a Nation as this To be visited with vengeance and wrath is a sad Visitation and so was Jerusalem to be visited But why was the City Jerusalem to be visited in wrath there 's no City whose inhabitants are so just and righteous but the Lord may visit them in
fill of them he fills the hungry with good things Psal 81.10 Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it God hath much respect to fill us with outward good things but much more to fill us with spiâ—iâ—ual good things open thy mouth wide and raise up thy desires after the things of heaven growth in grace encrease in faith and love in patience and holiness and I will fill it He that fills the appetite of the young Lions with natural food will fill the appetite of his Servants with spiritual food which is best of all they shall be abundantly satisfied with the goodness of his house and he will make them drink of the river of his pleasures Psal 36.8 He that fills the appetite of the young Lions will not send hungry souls away empâ—y We may rest in much assurance that God will deal well with us both for soul and body while he questions Job whether he would do that which himself only doth Wilt thou hunt the prey for the Lion or fâ—ll the appetite of the young Lions Vers 40. When they couch in their dens and abide in the covert to lye in wait This Verse gives a further discription of the Lion whether young or old Before we had them hunting abroad in the fields here we have them couching in their dens and abiding in their covert When they couch in their dens This couching or bowing down in their dens may be upon a three-fold account and so there is a three-fold interpretation of the words First Some taking the Lion for the old Lion and the young Lions for such as are very young interpret this couching as proceeding from weakness they couch in their dens as not being able to go abroad Secondly Others say they câ—uch in their dens only for rest and ease having tired themselves in hunting for their prey 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deprimit gestus hominis insidiantis alicui Drus Thirdly That they couch in their dens upon design to catch their prey thus the latter part of the Verse seems to carry it where 't is said they lyè in wait So then this couching in their dens is either from necessity as not being able to go forth or it is a couching in policy which I rather pitch upon They couch in their dens As if they were asleep as if they minded nothing but their ease yet even then they are busily minding how to catch their prey As if the Lord had said Hast thou O Job taught the Lion that art and cunning to lye couchant in his den that he may steal upon beasts passant and surprize them unawares They couch in their dens And abide in the covert to lye in wait The word rendred Covert signifieth a Tabernacle or Tent in which men abode for a time and is therefore here opposed as some conceive to the Lions dens or houses spoken of in the beginning of the verse Beasts say they are aware of Lions dens and so avoid them but they may pass unawares by the coverts and thickets where they lye in ambush But I suppose we need not be thus critical in distinguishing between dens and coverts both words may signifie the same place and thing or at least in both places Lions do the same thing Lye in wait It is said of the Lord himself Jerem. 25.38 he hath forsaken his covert as a Lion The meaning of the Prophet was to shew the Lords purpose to come forth and tear and rend his enemies by some sore judgment as a young Lion that rangeth about for his prey We read a little before at the 34th verse of the howling of the shepherds that is of the rulers and governours and of the cry of the principal of the flock that is of the wealthiest among the people When the Lion came forth of his covert there was a howling and a cry made why so the Lion came forth to destroy both sheep and shepherds Thus the Lord comes forth even as a young Lion full of wrath and fury to destroy the wicked He is sometimes like a Lion couching in his den and abiding in his covert but he doth it as the Lion To lye in wait This expression may have a twofold allusion First To Fowlers and Hunters who in some cases keep out of sight that they may with the more advantage take birds or beasts in their snaâ—es and toils For in vain saith Solomon Prov. 1.17 the net is spread in the sight of any bird Secondly To Souldiers who lye in ambush to surprize their enemy Thus do Lions They saith the Text couch in their dens and abide in the covert to lye in wait Here First Taking that interpretation of the words which supposeth the Lion lying down in his den through age and weakness Observe The strongest creatures are tamed anâ— weakened by age The Lion is the strongest among beasts yet he cannot always range in the fields and hunt for prey he must come to his den and keep house there 'T is so with men how strong soever they have been yet old age necessitates them at last to keep house and home All must submit to time and yield to those infirmities which old age inevitably bring upon us Time is called Tempus eâ—aâ— rerum The eater of things 'T is so also of persons that great eater will eat out the strength of the eater himself that is the Lion as Sampson called him in his riddle proposed to the Philistines Judg. 14.14 Time reduceth our strength to weakness our life to death Time confines us first to our chambers then to our beds and then to our graves The Lion must give over his hunting and couch in his den Secondly Taking the Lion as politickly abiding in covert and waiting for his prey Observe As the Lord gives much strength so much craft to some creatures There are creatures of little strength which have much craft others have little craft but much strength in some both meet together and among them we may number the Lion he is a crafty one as well as a strong one he hath his covert there he waits for his prey We may parallel men with beasts in this regard among them some are strong but not crafty others are crafty but not strong and not a few are both Such David compared to a Lion Psal 10.4 8 9. The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God What will he seek after then the 8th and 9th verses tell us He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages in the secret places doth he murder the innocent his eyes are privily set against the poor he lieth in wait secretly as a Lion in his den he lyeth in wait to catch the poor he doth catch the poor when he draweth him into his net He croucheth and humbleth himself that the poor may fall by his strong ones Thus the subtle practices of a wicked man are set forth by the subtlety of the Lion He coucheth and croucheth
great men Jer. 5.5 said These have altogether broken the yoak and burst the bonds that is the yoak of duty which God hath laid upon them They have no cause of boasting that are free from the bonds of service but they who cast off the bonds of duty have great cause to be ashamed Thus the Prophet reproves that people as one man Hos 8.9 They are gone up to Assy iâ— a wilde Ass alone by himself As if the Prophet had said Thâ—y loâ—k not up to the high God for help but to Assyria the high God was not so high in their eyes as Assyria doing thus they weâ—e like a wilde Ass saith the Prophet and so they were in two things First They weâ—e extream stubborn resolved to have their will and satisfie their lusts Ephâ—aim was as violent in his way as a wilde Ass Secondly â—hey were like a wilde Ass they would be alone A wilde Ass alone by himself that is they would be at liberty free from all command to do what they list they had rather be in a barren wilderness where none could controul them than in good pastures under any thing that looked like a restraint or a rule This is a very unworthy spirit this is liberty in a way of licenciousness this liberty is libertinism They who submit to no rule but that of their unruly head-strong passions and affections nor will be reclaimed nor tamed by any whether fair or foul means these in Scripture are compared to the wilde Ass for their folly and vanity Zâ—phar offered this rebuke to Job in the 11th Chapter of this book vers 12. and possibly he could not altogether free himself from it Vain man would be wise though he be born like a wilde Asses colt that is though this be all his wisdom to be free from that subjection which he oweth to God and man The Prophet Jer. 2.24 compares the whole people of Israel when they cast off the service of God to a wilde Ass which Scripture was toucht at the second verse upon another occasion that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure in her occasion who can turn her away all they that seek her will not weary themselves in her month they shall find her There is no bringing such into compass till they are compassed with pains We may call all such nominal Israelites real Ishmaelites it being said of Ishmael Gen. 16.12 that he was pere Adam a wilde man having more of the wilde Ass than of the man in them Thus it is with vain and unbridled spirits they cannot bear the yoak of service and therefore remember though this be spoken of as a priviledge yet it is a low priviledge to be free from any honest service and to be be free from all service is worse than the worst of outward servitudes 'T is a mercy to be free from slavery to man but to be free from service to man is to be unmanly every man should be a servant in one kind or another and therefore the Law saith To call a man a servant distinguisheth no man seeing every man is supposed in the way of his life a servant The Apostle speaking to those whose very calling is to serve and are therefore in strict sense called servants 1 Cor. 7.21 22. saith Art thou called being a servant care not for it that is be not troubled that thou art a servant service to man is not inconsistent with the service of God but if thou maist be made free use it rather for he that is called in the Lord being a servant is the Lords free man Let every man v. 24. wherein he is called therein abide with God that is let him continue to serve man in all things according to the will of God To be wholly free from the service of man is no better than the freedom of the worser sort of beasts the wilde Ass Christ Mat. 11.29 30. calls his to the yoak and Christs yoak implyeth all manner of dutiful service even service to man as well as to God Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest take my yoak upon you and learn of me c. for my yoak is easie and my burden is light If we refuse Christs easie yoak we may quickly get a heavy one yea an iron one as the Prophet told him who broke the wooden one Jer. 28.13 There are some yoaks which to bear is our honour 't is surely so to bear the yoak of Christ to be under Christs bonds is a favour woe to those that seek to be loosed from them The Prophet Jeremiah tells us Lam. 3.37 It is good for a man to bear the yoak in his youth There is a threefold bond or yoak from which it is a favour to be wholly freed and that freedom we should seek after but neither of the three is a freedom from duty and service or from due service First To be free from the yoak of sin and to have the bonds of our iniquities loosed that is a blessed priviledge John 8.36 If the Son make you free you shall be free indeed The chief part of a Sons freedom which we have by Christ the Son is freedom from sin Freedom from the condemning power of sin and freedom from the ruling power of sin is our spiritual or Gospel freedom Peter said to Simon Magus Acts 8.23 I perceive thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity thou art still a prisoner a slave to sin the guilt of sin holds thee fast nor art thou delivered from the filth of it To have our sin-bonds loosed is to be free like Saints to loose our selves from duty-bonds whether to God or man is to be free like wilde Asses Secondly There is a great mercy in being loosed and made free from the curse of the Law Thus also the Son makes us free Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us that is enduring the curse for us or dying acursed death for us that we might have and for ever enjoy a blessed life This is a glorious liberty Thirdly To be freed from the old legal ceremonies is the priviledge of all believers under the Gospel and 't is such a priviledge as the Apostle exhorted the Galatians and us with them to maintain with all our might Gal. 5.1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not intangled again with the yoak of bondage that is with the bondage of the ceremonial Law from which Christ hath made us free Gal. 4.26 Jerusalem which is above is free which is the mother of us all free First from the slavery of sin free Secondly from the curse of the Law free Thirdly from the yoak of legal ceremonies All believers are made thus free by Christ but Christ hath not made so much as one believer free from service Christ makes us free to serve not free
lifts up her self that is her head 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 juxta tompus neck and wings on high that she may run the swifter she scorneth c. And this she doth when beset by those who would take her then she lifteth up her self on high that is as high as she can though as was said very high she cannot and then she casts back stones upon her persecuters Aelian l. 14. c. 20. Plin. l. 10. c. 1. And hence some conceive these words give answer to a secret or un-expressed objection For it might be said If the Ostrich which is of so heavy a body be likewise of so dull a wit having no wisdom nor understanding surely then she may be easily taken and destroyed Not so neither for God hath provided her a help against this time of danger and therefore though she be of a heavy body and have little understanding in other things yet she understands how to shift for her self she raiseth up her self as high as she can and fluttering with her wings which she holds up like sails to the wind she drives on amain though she keepeth still upon her feet Sublatis alis ut navigii velis cursu pernicissiono venaâ—ores deludit or riseth very little at any time above the ground and is therefore said to fly running or to run flying or in a sort to sail in the air very lightly touching the earth is yet she is somewhat lifted up and being thus lifted up She scorneth the Horse and his Rider As much as to say she can out-run them all and so cares not a straw for them let them do their worst she scorns them not because able to resist them or as if she thought her self stronger than they but because by help of her wings though on her feet she is swifter than they So that in plain course they can never overtake her and therefore not take her only by some slights and stratagems she is intangled and taken she may be over-reacht but she cannot be over-run And so swift is her course that is hath long since grown into a Proverb among the Arabians who thus signifie a man of great expedition in business He hath ridden upon the wings of the Ostrich What time she lifteth up her self on high she scorneth the Horse and his Rider Hence Note First Dangers put all creatures to their utmost shifts The Ostrich being heavy bodied hath no great mind to run and being short or weak-winged hath little power to fly yet when she must she runs to purpose she will not lose her life to spare her labour Great dangers make us do great thing Fear adds wings to our feet and makes a heavy body mount and fly rather than go The Ostrich in that case lifteth up her self on high Note Secondly Nature teacheth us to seek our safety above or on high Though the Ostrich cannot sore aloft in the air as the Eagle yet she lifts up her self as high as she can above the earth Some seek for safety by creeping into the ground and running into the holes of the earth Isa 2.19 Rev. 6.16 But the best way for our safety when we are pursued is by lifting up our selves on high and that to God to get into his power and mercy and goodness that 's our way and that 's our wisdom when we are hunted and pursued by our enemies I saith David Psal 121.1 will lift up mine eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help that is to God ver 2. When the Ostrich is thus lifted up she scorneth the Horse and his Rider Hence Note They who think they are out of danger despise danger The Ostrich looks upon her self as out of danger when she is on high and therefore scorns the Horse and his Rider Danger is not to be laughed at when we are under or within the reach of it but we may laugh at it when we are out of the fear of it Job 5.22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh Why because through the goodness of God thou shalt be provided against them and prepared for them A believer scorns the Horse and his Rider his swiftest and most eager pursuers because he can lift up himself on high or as the Prophet speaks Isa 33.16 He dwels on high his place of defence is the munition of rocks bread shall be given him his waters shall be sure he is safe from danger and out of gun-shot This makes him laugh at danger at trouble and the sword God who sitteth in heaven laughs at his enemies and hath them in dirision Psal 2.4 why because he knows they who oppose him can do nothing to annoy him they cannot ruin his kingdom nor hurt his servants how much soever they molest them he sits on high he is above all his enemies And as God lifted up in himself so a godly man lifted up on high in God upon the wings of faith and love scorns the Horse and his Rider For as the Apostle was Rom. 8.38 39. so he is perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor priâ—cipalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate him from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord that is they shall not be able to separate him either from that love that Christ bears to him nor draw him off from that love which he bears to Christ When once his soul is drawn up to a due height in believing he scorns all dangers and in all these things is more than a conqueror A man that is a conqueror much more he that is more than a conqueror may scorn all dangers and conquer them who think they have more than conquered him From this whole verse take these brief inferences First That which will not serve all turns may yet serve many turns We might chink the wings of the Ostrich were given her to no purpose because he cannot fly aloft nor make a lofty slight Pennae struthionis currentem sâ—lum adjuvani volatilem non reddunt yet they help her for another purpose they help her much in running though little or nothing in flying Secondly That which is very beautiful may not be very useful The Ostrich hath more beautiful wings than the Eagle yet makes little use of them We may in appearance be fit to do that which we cannot do Thirdly God doth not usually give all to one He bestows one thing upon this creatures and that upon another The Ostrich hath goodly feathers yet bad wings the Eagle hath no goodly feathers yet good wings One man excess in this gift another in that scarce any one hath all 1 Cor. 12.8 9 10. All have not the same gift and none have all gifts that all may be kept in dependance upon God and be humble one towards another seeing they must be beholding one to another All men cannot do all things And though all
made strong even forgetting God who hath made him strong That people thought themselves strong enough with horses without the strong God and therefore the Lord told them at the third verse The Egyptians are men and not God and their horses are flesh and not spirit that is they are weak and not strong not that they were weak in themselves but weak to save and deliver them or to give them victory in battel they are but flesh and not spirit flesh notes weakness and spirit notes strength so that though a horse hath a mighty strength yet if you trust to him he is but flesh that is he is weak And some conceive this was the reason why the Lord commanded Joshua in his war with the Canaanites to hough their horses as the rule is given Josh 11.6 Thou shalt hough their horses and burn their chariots with fire that is cut their nerves or as we say their ham-strings Why did the Lord command him to hough their horses why might he not preserve them for service in his wars Doubtless it was lest he should think that horses could do the work And therefore according to this command of God when David took a thousand chariots and seven hundred horse-men from the Moabites he houghed all the chariot-horses but reserved of them for an hundred chariots 2 Sam. 8.4 He would not multiply horses to himself out of the spoyls of the enemy lest he should seem to trust their strength and numbers Fifthly Fear not the strength of horses The Prophet saith to the fearful Jer. 12.5 If thou hast run with foot-men and they have wearied thee how canst thou contend with horses When we have horses to contend with 't is a very dangerous conflict The Prophet by foot-men and horse-men intends lesser and greater oppositions when we have to deal with lesser difficulties we have to deal with foot-men but when with greater then with horse-men If then you have to do with horses either in the metaphor or in plain sense fear them not why for they are but creatures and God who hath given them their strength can take away their strength and make them useless Psal 76.6 At thy rebuke O God of Jacob both the chariot and the horse are cast into a deep sleep Suppose a multitude of chariots and horses should come against us yet at the Lords rebuke if he doth but speak the word if the God of Jacob do but give a rebuke the chariots and horses are laid in a deep sleep that is they are as nothing or as dead Death is a deep sleep therefore though horses have a mighty strength yet be no more afraid of them than of that which is dead the Lord God who hath given them their strength can defend us against their strength or disable them notwithstanding their strength to offend us Hast thou given the Horse strength Hast thou cloathed his neck with thunder To cloath with or to be cloathed with this or that is a very common Scriptural phrase metaphorically applyed to things both corporeal and incorporeal Of the first sort are all those places of Scripture where man is said to be cloathed with skin and flesh Job 10.11 The flesh with worms and clods of dust Job 7.5 The fields with flocks Psal 65.13 The earth with Sea Psal 104.6 The Sea with clouds Job 38.9 The heavens with blackness Isa 50.3 Of the second sort are all those Scriptures which say A person is cloathed with righteousness Job 39.14 Psal 132.9 With salvation Psal 132.16 With glory and beauty Job 40.10 With power or strength Psal 93.1 Isa 51.9 With the Spirit of God Judg. 6.34 2 Chron. 24.20 With desolation Ezek. 7.27 With shame Psal 71.13 Psal 109.29 And as both things and persons are said to be cloathed with these so to be cloathed with any thing notes two things either First that such have much of it Thus to be cloathed with glory is to be exceeding glorious and to be cloathed with shame is to be exceedingly ashamed and to be cloathed with pride is to be exceeding proud and to be cloathed with righteousness and honour is to be exceeding righteous and honourable and to be cloathed with humility is to be exceeding humble and lastly to be cloathed with the Spirit is to be exceeding spiritual and full of the Spirit Or Secondly to be cloathed with any thing that is good notes it to be very becoming and ornamental to us as rich and sutable garments are or if it be bad that it is very disgraceful and detrimental to us as filthy and uncomely garments are Now here in the Text when the neck of the horse is said to be cloathed with thunder it must needs note somewhat in which the horse exceeds and which is both an honour and an ornament to the horse Hast thou saith God to Job or I cloathed his neck with thunder There are various interpretations of the word which we here translate thunder First Some affirm That the word by us rendred thunder Hic tonitru est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eum tonitru alias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicatur Vestimenti nomine intelligo Jubas densas crisâ—â—antes Cajet signifies nothing less than thunder or that it doth not signifie thunder at all neither in a proper nor in a metaphorical sense but that it signifies the horses mane Nor can it be denyed but that this form of speaking is very apt and elegant to say the neck of a horse is cloathed with his mane as birds may be said to be cloathed with feathers or beasts with hair And here the mention of the horses mane is fitly brought in because the scope of the place is to set forth the chief signes and conditions of a generous stomackful War-horse For though the meanest horses have manes and that of an ancient Author be true in part of all horses That the mane is given them for an ornament Zenophon in Comment de re equestri yet generous horses have thickest and fullest manes hanging down and covering their necks as the old Poets often describe noble and warlikâ— Horses And that in this place of Job not an ordinary thin or shoâ—t mane but a thick and a deep one is intended we may collect from the word cloathed which will not well agree with those of ordinary Horses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arnol. Bootius Animad Sacrae l. 3. c. 6. sect 10. The only difficulty with which this interpretation is attended is how to make it out that the Hebrew word Ragnemah signifies the mane of a Horse it being never used in any place of Scripture but this and it is much questioned whither the word be to be found in the writings of any of the Jewish Rabbins in that sense The only answer is that it is to be reckoned among those words of which there are several in Scripture which are only once read or used and so the sense of them is to be given from the
would confess that his own right hand could save him Note He that can destroy all others can save himself Illa facere posse seipsum salvare unius ejusdem sunt virtutis There goes no more to save our selves out of any trouble than to destroy all others The Apostle James saith Chap. 4.12 There is one law-giver who is able to save and destroy God is this law-giver he is able to do both and because he can destroy all he can save all and will save all that trust in him The devil is called a destroyer he is called Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek that is a destroyer Rev. 9.11 but he cannot destroy all if he could he would soon make sad work none should be saved There is but one law-giver who can save and destroy take away life and give life he can do the one as well as the other and both as often as he will The Lord hath an absolutely supream power over men and may dispose of them for life or death as he pleaseth even eternal life and death salvation and damnation are in his hand 't is therefore a fearful thing to fall into the hand the revenging hand of the living God Heb. 10.31 upon the neglect much more upon the despising and contempt of the covenant of life and peace by Jesus Christ as 't is said at the 29th verse of that Chapter Christ is the best friend and the worst enemy To him belong the issues from death Psal 68.20 and he hath the keyes af death and hell Rev. 1.18 Let us rejoyce with trembling before him who is able to save and destroy Secondly Note Man cannot save himself by the best of his power No not by his own right hand Man cannot save himself First from temporal evils he cannot save himself from sickness nor from poverty he cannot save himself from any danger that is ready to fall upon him nor can the strongest creatures save him Psal 33.17 A horse is a vain thing to save a man and man is as vain a thing to save himself a horse cannot deliver us by his great strength or by the greatness of his skill and wisdom Secondly much less can man save himself from spiritual and eternal evils While we consider First out of what misery we are saved Secondly from what mighty enemies we are saved Thirdly from whose wrath we are saved Fourthly what price was required that we might be saved Fifthly what mercy and grace were needful to save us we must needs confess that our right hand cannot save us spiritually and eternally Who can save himself out of the hand of that great enemy the devil and his legions of darkness who can save himself from that gulf of misery into which sin hath plunged us who can deliver himself from the curse of the Law or from sin the sting of death who can deliver himself from the power of his lusts from the pride unbelief covetousness and hardness of his own heart Our own right hand cannot save us from any of these evils The devil and the world are too strong for us and so is every lust and corruption of our own evil hearts Can we by any power of our own convert our selves or preserve our selves after conversion Can we get out of the Kingdom of darkness by our own power or put our selves into the Kingdom of light by our own poâ—er That we are either temporally or spiritually or eternally saved is all from the power from the right hand of God not at all from our own Unless we give all to God we take all from him He that is our God is the God of salvation and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death Psal 68.20 Salvation of every kind and the issues from every kind of death are of the Lord. Thirdly Note God can save alone or by his own right hand That the Lord would have Job understand and this we understand from other Scriptures Psal 17.7 Shew thy marvellous loving kindness O thou that savest by thy right hand those that put their trust in thee This is one of Gods royal Titles Thou that savest by thy right hand Psal 98.1 O sing unto the Lord a new song for he hath done marvellous things his right hand and his holy arm hath gotten him the victory Psal 44.4 Thou art my King of old commanding deliverances for Jacob. How easily can the Lord save with his hand who can save with his tongue and deliver by commanding deliverances Nor is it one deliverance only which the Lord commands but many yea any That Psalm gives it plurally commanding deliverances The Prophet speaks of this sole and solitary saving power of God Isa 59.16 He saw that there was no man that is no man that offered any help and wondred that there was no intercessor that is no man to speak a good word for them therefore his arm brought salvation to him and his righteousness it sustained him And again Isa 63.5 I looked and there was none to help and I wondred that there was none to uphold therefore mine own arm brought salvation to me This is it which was said before vers 3. I have trodden the wine-press alone and of the people there was none with me Hence we may infer First If the Lords right hand can save alone Then there can never be too few hands for God to save us by There may be sometimes too many for God to save us by but never too few Why because he can save by his own right hand The Lord said to Gideon Judg. 7.2 The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands they were so many that the sole salvation of God would not appear lest Israel vaunt themselves against me saying mine own hand hath saved me Though we have but little strength yet it may be too much for Gods purpose we being apt to boast our selves when we have any hands to save us as if our own right hand had saved us Secondly If God can save by his own right hand Then when we see none when we see nothing to save us by let us trust God alone If God be with us we have strength enough and hands enough with us It is all one with the Lord to save by few or by many yea by few or by none at all for his own right hand can do it Thirdly Then trust in Gods right hand alone for salvation how many hands soever you have at any time at work for your salvation This is our sin that when we have many hands to save us we trust in them rather than in the right hand of God The Lord often and usually makes use of mans hand to save us by Obad. ver ult And Saviours shall come upon mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau and the Kingdom shall be the Lords Now though the Lord useth other right hands to save us by and to judge
things their being in the beginning hath hitherto preserved their being and will to the end And not only so but Thirdly all things are his in possession the Lord hath all in his hand In whose hand soever the things of the world are they are all in the Lords hand As Abraham said in his Treaty with the King of Sodom Gen. 14.22 I have lift up my hands to the most high God the possessor of heaven and of earth Psal 24.1 The earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof the world and they that dwell therein that is they are all at his dispose And again The world is mine and the fulness thereof saith the Lord himself Psal 50.12 and therefore if I were hungry that is if I needed any thing I would not tell thee that is complain to thee or go a begging to thee who art but a beggar I can help my self and take what and where I will There is a fourth title by which all things under heaven are the Lords even by Redemption The Lord hath restored the whole world to a kind of new life by the death of his Son Jesus Christ is the Saviour of all men especially of them which believe 1 Tim. 4.10 All have some benefit by redemption and so whatsoever is under the whole heaven the whole Systome of heaven and earth is the Lords by redemption though the specialty of redemption be theirs only and intended to them only who believe who as they have a peculiar portion a Benjamins Mess in the grace of redemption so the Lord calleth them his peculiars Exod. 19.5 Ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people for all the earth is mine And they are called the Lords portion Deut. 32.9 The Lords portion is his people Jacob is the lot of his inheritance Thus as all under the whole heaven is the Lords so all is his by a fourfold title by the titles of creation and sustentation and possession and redemption All things visible and invisible have been created are sustained and possessed by him as their great Lord and all things visible have been redeemed by him from present perishing and a world of them in this world that they should never perish but have everlasting life John 3.16 From this general Assertion That whatsoever is under the whole heaven is the Lords take these following Inferences First Then the Devil is a lyar a great lyar for Mat. 4. in his last assault against Christ he boasted that he would give him all the Kingdoms of the earth and the glory of them whereas the truth is he hath not a shoe latchet at his dispose While the Devil saith all is mine the truth is nothing is his but a lye of that he is the father As he hath not given a being to the least worm so he cannot dispose of the least worm he is not worth a straw for all is the Lords Secondly Hence we learn That there is a lying spirit in most of the children of men even in all them who look upon any thing they have as their own There is a sense in which we have a right to and a propriety in what we have and may call it ours but that spirit which moves in most of the children of men is a lying spirit when they say this and that is their own David Psal 12.4 brings in the wicked saying With our tongue will we prevail our lips are our own who is Lord over us What have not we who have so many Lordships the Lordship of our selves the Lordship of that little piece of our selves our lips But were not their lips their own not in the sense they spake it as if they were accountable to none for them for their next word was Who is Lord over us Thus most do they look upon their lips and all the members of their body as their own but what saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.20 Glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods And vers 19. Ye are not your own Your body is not your own but it is the Lords then much less are the things that you have your own your Land is not your own nor your cattel your own the beasts of the earth are not your own nor the fishes of the Sea your own nor is a hair of your head your own nor a pin upon your sleeve they are all the Lords Is it not then a lying spirit which possesseth very many among the children of men who look upon themselves and what they have as their own Their houses and lands are their own their gold and silver are their own who is Lord over them or theirs O let such remember that themselves their houses and lands their gold and silver are the Lords and that the Lord saith expressly The silver is mine and the gold is mine Hag. 2.8 Thirdly If all be the Lords then the Lord is able to supply the wants of all who wait upon him and to supply them plentifully The Lord supplieth the wants of all creatures The Lord keepeth a great house he feedeth all that he hath made he provideth food for Leviathan he satisfieth every living thing Psal 145 16. and Psal 115.16 The heaven even the heavens are the Lords but the earth hath he given to the children of men that is whatsoever of the earth the children of men that is men in common or mankind have the Lord hath given it to them and seing his own children have need of it surely he will not deny it them The Lord I say hath given the earth to the children of men and if the Lord hath bestowed the earth on men as men then much more hath he the earth to bestow upon his own children Christ in his Sermon upon the mount Mat. 6.32 assureth them of it Your heavenly father knoweth that ye have need of these things Food and cloathing is in your fathers hand your father is rich he is rich indeed and therefore he can supply your wants If children do but remember that their father hath such and such lands and houses they think they shall be well provided for how much more may a godly man say my father hath a great deal of land the whole earth is his and therefore I shall be provided for The Apostle improves this position twice 1 Cor. 10. First to makâ— use of our liberty in eating whatsoever is fold in the shambles asking no question for conscience sake for saith he the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof vers 26. He makes use of it Secondly to perswade us not to abuse our liberty ver 28. But if any man say unto you this is offered in sacrifice unto idols eat not for his sake that shewed it do not offend him and for conscience sake do not offend thy self The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof As if he had said why shouldst thou trouble thy self or others by eating such meat seing there is enough
might declare himself in Leviathan Hence note The parts powers and comely proportions of the creature clearly evidence the excellencies of God The Lord chiefly proclaimed his own name when he proclaimed the name of Leviathan Rom. 1.20 The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and Godhead The unseen God hath made all things that he may be seen in them When he makes a Comment upon his own works why is it but that he may make a Comment upon himself and expound his own glory in them And as the excellencies of the Lord are seen in the works of creation so in the works of providence and he hath therefore made so many declarations of them to us that his power wisdom and justice may shine through them to us Psal 75.1 That thy name is neer thy wondrous works declare And he said to Pharaoh Exod. 9.16 For this cause have I raised thee up for to shew in thee my power and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth All that the Lord doth to or in the creature is to get himself a name and a glory therefore let us give God the glory of his power wisdom and goodness in all his works Negare Pagaganus Christum potest negare Deum omnipotentem non potest August ser 139. de Temp. It was the saying of one of the Ancients A Pagan may deny that there is a Christ but a Pagan cannot deny Almighty God A Pagan may deny Christ for that 's meerly matter of faith but sense will lead a Pagan to believe there is a God or some omnipotent power that hath wrought all these things If we see a stream that assures us there is a Spring or Fountain if we see a goodly Palace built that assures us it had a builder a maker And if the stream be full what is the fountain If the Palace built be great and magnificent how great how magnificent was the builder Every house as the Author to the Hebrews said upon another occasion Chap. 3.4 is builded by some man but he that built all things is God Fourthly Seeing the Lord is pleased to read such a natural Phylosophy Lecture upon this creature we may take this Observation from it God would have man know the parts and powers of the creatures Why doth the Lord in this book speak at large of them and of their powers but that we may take notice of them and understand them or that we should search and study them What the Psalmist speaks concerning the works of providence is true of the Lords works in nature Psal 111.2 The works of the Lord are great And vers 4. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembred that is that they should be spoken of and memoriz'd And therefore having said at the beginning of the second verse The works of the Lord are great he adds in the close of it Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein His work is honourable and glorious c. The works of God are to be searched to the bottom though their bottom cannot be found by all those that have pleasure and delight either in God or in his works and they therefore search them out also because they encrease and better their knowledge of God the Creator by encreasing and bettering their knowledge about the creature From the whole verse we may infer First If God will not conceal the parts the power and comliness of his creatures then let not us conceal the power the glory and the excellency of God Yea let us with heart and tongue declare the glorious perfections of God how holy how just how wise how merciful how patient and long-suffering a God he is When God makes the creature known to us he would much more have us know himself and make him known Davids heart was set upon this duty Psal 9.14 Thou hast lifted me up from the gates of death that I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Sion As if he had said This O Lord was thy design in lifting me up from the gates of death that is from deadly dangers or killing diseases that I might declare thy praise in Sions gates or that I might declare how praise-worthy thou art to all who come into the gates of Sion And again Psal 118.17 I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord. In the 40th Psalm which is a Prophecy of Christ he speaks in the words of the Text vers 10. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great congregation As the Lord saith here concerning Leviathan I will not conceal his parts so saith the Prophet I will not conceal his loving kindness and truth c. Which as it is most true of Christ whose work it was to do so as also the end of all his works so it sheweth what we ought to do and what should be the end of all our works not to conceal the righteousness and goodness of God but declare them in the great congregation And as Christ declared the glory of the Father so should we the glory of Christ We read the Church engaged in this As I shewed before Christ could not conceal the parts of the Church so the Church could not conceal the parts of Christ Cant. 5.9 There the question is put to the Church What is thy beloved more than another beloved that thou dost thus charge us The Church being asked this question will not conceal the parts nor the power nor the comely proportion of Christ her Beloved but gives a copious Narrative of his gracious excellencies vers 10. My Beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest among ten thousand his head is as most fine gold his locks are bushy and black as a Raven his eyes are as the eyes of Doves by the rivers of waters washed with milk and fitly set his cheeks are as a bed of spices as sweet flowers his lips like Lillies dropping sweet smelling myrrh his hands are as gold rings set with Beryle his belly is as bright Ivory overlaid with Saphyres his legs are as pillars of marble set upon sockets of fine gold his countenance is as Lebanon excellent as the Cedars his mouth is sweet yea he is altogether lovely This is my beloved and this is my friend O daughters of Jerusalem Thus as Christ concealed not the parts of the Church so the Church concealed not the parts the power and comely proportion of Christ And did we more consider who Christ is and what he is both in himself and unto us we should be more both in admiring within our selves and in reporting to others his parts his power and comely proportion Secondly If God hath not concealed the knowledge of his creatures from us if
call neesing So then neesing is an effect of the expulsive faculty in the brain The Jewish Rabbins have two observations about neesing First They say neesing is a good sign in prayer and the reason of it as I conceive is this because it shews there is warmth and heat in the brain and some fervency of spirit in the duty That 's the reason I suppose why they say neesing is a good sign in prayer Secondly Both they and others say Neesing is a good sign in a sick man We say commonly Neesing is a sign of health it shews a vigour and quickness in the natural spirits residing in the brain His neesings But what are these neesings of Leviathan They who hold Leviathan to be the Crocodile say Si ronchos edit sternutanti similis emicat flamma Bez. when he is sunning himself or lyeth open with his face to the Sun this causeth him to neese or sneese and then his breath breaking out forcibly at his nostrils is like a shining light 'T is said also that the Whale neesing Baloens ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab emittendo fundendo aquas Isid Ora Balenae habent in frontibus ideoque summa aqua natantes in sublime nimbos efflant Plin. Natur. Hist l. 9. c. 6. Sternutationes ejus faciunt splâ—ndorem dum aqua albescens in aero dispergitur Pisc Aquae qua per duas fistulas quam longissimè sursum ejaculatur Balona splendores dicuntur quia lucant candidant Sanct. spouts out water at those pipes or holes which he hath placed or made naturally upon his head or forehead he hath a mouth as it were on the top of his head not to eat with but to spout out water with as when a man neeseth there comes out a vapour at his nostrils so the Whale is supposed to neese when he blows out showers of water through those pipes up into the Air. The word by which the Whale is expressed in Latine signifies this action or his spouting out water and by these spoutings or neesings we may say as it followeth in the Text A light doth shine Because the water which he spouts up into the Air with a great and vehement force meeting and as it were mingling with the light there looks like light and hath a great brightness in it so that this action of Leviathan and the effect or concomitant of it is as applicable to the Whale as to the Crocodile And his eyes are like the eye-lids of the morning or like the dawning of the day So we translate these words Job 3.9 Let it not that is let not the night in which I was conceived see the dawning of the day or as the Margin hath it the eye-lids of the morning Leviathans eyes are said to be like the eye-lids of the morning because of the lightsomeness of them Christ saith Mat. 6.22 The light of the body is the eye We may call it so in a double respect First because the eye is the most lightsom part of the body or hath most light in it Secondly because the eye gives or lets in light to the whole body They that want eyes or their eye-sight dwell in darkness The eyes of Leviathan are not only light in themselves Palpebrae pro oculis metonymicè sumuntur but are like the eye-lids that is eyes of the morning But wherein doth this likeness consist I answer in two things First His eyes are very great in proportion to his head and body Secondly His eyes are very clear And so Leviathans eyes may be said to be like the eye-lids of the morning First in their greatness Secondly in their brightness or clearness It is usual in Scripture to mention the morning light when it would express the clearest light The Prophet Isa 58.8 assuring the Jews of the greatest outward prosperity in case they kept a true Fast saith Then shall thy light break forth as the morning And when the Prophet Amos describes God making the morning darkness Chap. 4.13 As also turning the shadow of death into the morning Chap. 5.8 his meaning is that the Lord can easily and at pleasure change a state of greatest prosperity into adversity and a state of deepest adversity into clearest or highest prosperity But some may say if the Lord intended to set forth the exceeding clearness of Leviathans eyes it might seem more proper to have compared them to the light at noon-day than to the morning light I answer Though the light at noon-day is clearer than that in the morning considered in it self yet considering the morning light with respect to its neerness or neighbourhood to the foregoing darkness so we are more sensible of that than of the light at noon-day Contraries placed neer together illustrate each other For as soon as the morning appears light conveys it self all over the Hemisphear and makes a wonderful change in the Air. The morning light coming suddenly and immediately after dismal darkness affects us more than the light at noon-day Ardentos oculos suffectos sanguine igne Virg. l. 2. Aeniad Exilit in siccum flammantia lumina torquet Virg. l. 3. Georg. though greater and clearer Leviathans eyes shine bright even like the eye-lids or eyes that is the light of the morning The Ancients give report that Dragons and Serpents have flaming eyes This saith Bochartus is very true of the Crocodile whose eyes are so bright that the Egyptians used to paint a Crocodiles eye when they would signifie the morning light whereas great Authors write that the eyes of the Whale are even covered with the weight of their eye-brows or with fat and are little bigger than the eyes of some sort of bullocks whence it comes to pass that the Whale losing his guide Oculi noctu coruscant ingentium flammarum modo Procul enim visi à piscatoribus ignes esse grandes putantur Olaus lib. 21. c. 5. dasheth against rocks and Sea-shallows Thus he To which I shall only oppose the testimony of no inconsiderable Writer who affirms of the Whales in the Seas of Norway that their eyes in the night-time shine like a huge flame so that the fisher-men who are abroad at Sea judge them to be great fires And to what Bochartus saith of the Whale that he is so dim-sighted when deep in the Sea that he cannot find his way without a guide I may reply from his own shewing out of several Authors that the Crocodile is no better at seeing when much under water they teaching that the Crocodiles eyes are dull while in the water but out of the water very quick or sharp-sighted as if then at last he recovered his eye-sight and if so he hath no advantage of the Whale in that particular Vers 19. Out of his mouth go burning lamps and sparks of fire leap out That is somewhat goes out of his mouâ—h like burning lamps and sparks of fire This is a demonstration of the extream natural heat of
those plagues and they repented not to give him glory And of othe s under the fifth vial ver 11. They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their plagues and of their sores and repented not of their deeds It was the character of that bad King Ahaz that in the time of his distress he sinned yet more What! sin in a storm sin when God is scorching plaguing and distressing us This is not only greatest impenitency but highest impudency or most senseless stupidity Such are like him of whom Solomon speaks Prov. 23.33 34. They are as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea or as he that lieth sleeping 't is meant upon the top of a mast where by any strong blast of wind or great sway and yawing of the ship he may be tumbled into the deep There are two things we should do when we see breakings or great dangers ready to break us First We should hold fast all the good we have if we have any When we are like to lose all outward good things and that which is better than any or all of them our lives we have reason to hold fast all our spiritual and inward good things the truths of God our faith in God our love to God and all his ways Secondly If as yet we have not really taken hold of God and good things 't is high time for us do it when we can no longer hold but must let go all our loved good things of this life and even our beloved life Thirdly We should in a day of evil Let go all that is evil that is purifie our selves our consciences our lives our hearts our hands from all our sins from all that is sinful then if ever let us be found in the practice of that Apostical counsel Jam. 4.8 Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts ye double minded They surely are minded or resolved to be filthy still and never to purifie either heart or hand who do not set their minds to purifie themselves from evil in an evil day When the Lord breaks us by any judgment or visitation then 't is high time for us to break off our sins by righteousness as Daniel advised Nebuchadnezzar chap. 4.27 JOB Chap. 41. Vers 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34. 26. The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold the spear the dart nor the harbergeon 27. He esteemeth iron as straw and brass as rotten wood 28. The arrow cannot make him flee sling-stones are turned with him into stubble 29. Darts are counted as stubble he laugheth at the shaking of a spear 30. Sharp stones are under him he spreadeth sharp-pointed things upon the mire 31. He make the deep to boil like a pot he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment 32 He maketh a path to shine after him one would think the deep to be hoary 33. Vpon the earth there is not his like who is made without fear 34. He beholdeth all high things he is a king over all the children of pride IN the former context we have had an accurate delineation of the several parts of this mighty creature Leviathan together with their wonderful operations and effects even to the terrifying of mighty men and the putting them upon speedy preparations for death at his appearance In this the Lord gives proof First Of the imperitrableness or impregnableness of the scales skin and flesh of this Leviathan Secondly Of the greatness of his courage stomack and spirit in the midst of greatest dangers and oppositions both which are shewed in the 26 27 28 and 29. verses of this context which are all of a sence and therefore I shall very briefly pass through them Vers 26. The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold We have in the compass of these four verses as it were a whole magazine of armes of war-like instruments and engines Armes are of two sorts First Offensive Secondly Defensive Offensive armes are likewise of two sorts First Such as we strike with or make use of at hand of which sort we reckon the sword and the spear Secondly Such as are used at a distance of which sort are arrows and darts and sling-stones All these offensive weapons are here expresly mentioned And likewise we have here defensive armes with which we cover and shelter the body in a time of battle or danger from taking hurt of which sort the helmet is a piece of armour for the head and the habergeon or breast-plate for the fore-part of the body So that here I say we have all sorts of armes And as we have all sorts of armes brought together so we have the unprofitableness or unserviceableness of them all or their utter insufficiency to hurt Leviathan or to save any man harmless or from being hurt by him as will appear while I run over and touch upon these words The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold The sword is an offensive weapon with which we assault our adversary at hand Now though a man doth lay at Leviathan with a sword that is useth his utmost skill and strength to make the sword enter yet it cannot hold or as the Hebrew is Resilit duritiè tergaris repulsus gladius Bez. will not stand or abide It will either be broken or dulled and the edge of it turned and abated or it will rebound without leaving any impression Master Broughton renders The sword of him that layeth at him will not fasten As if God had said if any be so bold as to come near with a sword in his hand to strike Leviathan it is to no purpose for such is the strength of his natural armour such the hardness of his scales and skin he is so protected fenced and fortified with these that the sword can do him no more hurt than a thrust or stroke with a bull-rush The sword cannot enter No nor the spear That 's another offensive hand-weapon which we use at hand No nor the dart That 's another offensive weapon which we use at a distance Some put these two the spear and the dart into one conceiving that by these two 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lauco profectionis i. e. quam homo proficisci facit de manu sua Jaculum à jaciendo Bold Hastati spargunt hestas fit ferreus imber Ennius we are to understand not a spear and a dart distinctly but a darting-spear or the spear that goeth forth For there are two sorts of spears There are some spears which are held fast in the hand of him that assaults There are another sort of spears called Javelins which are cast out of the hand Thus some I say conceive that we are to put these two words into one Nor can the darting spear or Javelin which is cast out of a mans hand against an enemy with greatest force enter to wound him Nor the habergeon As if he had said not only cannot these offensive weapons spear and dart or the darting-spear
Leviathans description is taken by Bochartus as a further proof that the Leviathan here spoken of is the Crocodile whose scales are not penetrable by the force of any weapon whereas saith he the skin of the Whale gives passage to the forcible stroke or thrust of any sharp-edged or sharp-pointed instrument For answer to this I have no more to say than what hath been said at the 15th 16th and 17th verses of this Chapter concerning the scales of Leviathan to which I refer the Reader and shall pass on when I have given three or four hints by way of improvement from the whole First If the Lord hath made a creature that no weapon can hurt then surely the Lord himself is exalted above all hurt from the creature as it is said in another place of this Book Chap. 35.6 If thou sinnest what dost thou against him or if thy transgressions be multiplyed what dost thou unto him that is thou canst not hurt God with thy sin Though men by sin lay at him as with sword and spear though they throw their sling-stones of blasphemy at him they cannot hurt him Gamaliel Acts 5.39 gives warning against this take heed what ye do refrain from these men lest haply ye be found even to fight against God They fight against God who set themselves to do mischief but what mischief soever they do to men or among men they can do none to God their weapons reach him not As Solomon tells us Prov. 21.30 There is no wisdom nor counsel against the Lord so there is no weapon against the Lord Sword and spear and dart whether material or metaphorical are but stubble before him And as the Lord himself is beyond the reach of weapons and the rage of man so are they who are under the Lords protection therefore it is said of the Church Isa 54.17 No weapon formed against thee shall prosper that is it shall not have the intended effect of the Smith that made it as that Scripture speaks nor of the hand that weilds it The sword of him that layeth at the Church of God shall not hold the spear the dart nor the habergeon As none are so much assaulted as the Church so none are so well armed and defended Secondly As no offensive weapon can hurt the Lord so no defensive weapon can shelter us from hurt if under the wrath of the Lord. Though we have got an Habergeon though we have scales or bucklers like Leviathan yet the Lord hath a sword a spear a dart that can strike through them that is through all the defences of the most hardned sinners in the world There is no shelter to be found nor defence to be made against the weapons of divine wrath but only in and by Jesus Christ God is a shield and Buckler a Helmet and an Habergeon for believers against all offensive weapons of men or devils but where shall unbelievers find a shield or a buckler to secure themselves against the offensive weapons of God! Again some in allegorizing this Scripture say that Leviathan is an emblem of the Devil Now though it be a truth that no outward weapon no sword nor dart can terrifie or hurt the Devil yet the Lord hath furnished us with weapons that can pierce the Devil that Leviathan and defend us from his power Eph. 6.14 15 16. The sword of the Spirit the Word of God will wound that old Leviathan the Breast-plate of Righteousness the Helmet of Salvation the Shield of Faith will preserve us from woundings in the midst of all his fiery darts How soon would the Devil that cunning and cursed and cruel Darter and Archer wound our souls to death with his fiery darts and poysonous arrows if the Lord had not given us a shield a breast-plate and an helmet more impenetrable than the scales of Leviathan Lastly This description of Leviathan carrieth in it a fit resemblance of a hardned sinner of a sinner resolved upon his evil wayes Some sinners come at last to such a hardness that they are like Leviathan nothing will pierce them the sword of the Spirit doth not enter them Though you lay at them with all your might in the Ministry of the Word though you cast darts and shoot arrows of terrible threatnings against them they esteem them but straw and stubble sin hath so hardned them that they as we may express it are Sermon-proof threatning-proof yea judgement-proof too as to amendment by them though they are broken and perish under them Let God say what he will in his Word or do what he will in his works they regard it not they laugh at the shaking of these spears As a man that hath armour of proof cares not for sword or spears fears not an arrow nor a bullet so 't is in a spiritual sense with resolved sinners God having as a just judgement for former sins given them a shield upon their hearts as the word signifieth Lam 3.65 which we render sorrow of heart and put in the margin obstinacy that is hardness of heart they then account reproofs threats admonitions the most terrible words in all the armoury of God no more than a straw or rotten wood Woe to these Leviathans to those who harden their hearts against the Word of God Who hath hardned himself against the Word of the Lord and prospered And let all such know that as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 10.4 The weapons of our warfare are not carnal that is weak dull edgeless pointless tools but mighty through God c. And that though now they prevail not to conversion yet they will prevail to condemnation and that while they go on to sin they are but going as Solomon speaks of the young wanton Prov. 7.22 As an Ox goeth to the slaughter or as a fool to the correction of the stocks till a dart strike through his liver God will have a dart at last which shall enter a dart which those Leviathans shall not count stubble nor find to be so The Lord proceeds to describe Leviathan and as we may conceive to give a further demonstration of the hardness of his scales and skin Vers 30. Sharp stones are under him he spreadeth sharpe pointed things upon the mire Mr. Broughton reads it His underneath-places be as sharp-sheards The word rendred Sharp stones properly signifies the sharp pieces of a pot-sâ—â—â—rd that is stones or other hard things as sharp and pricking as the pieces of a broken pot-sheard We may expound this verse two wayes First As being a proof of the hardness and firmness of Leviathans skin and flesh so hard they are that he can lye down and rest himself upon hard and sharp stones even upon the sharp tops of rocks in the Sea as we lye down upon our beds Sharp stones are under him but he feels them not which may be the meaning also of the next words He spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire That is Leviathan like some hardy man or iron-sides scorns to lye
petitioner to the Lord for instruction having confessed his own ignorance and weakness And that he had formerly profited under the teachings of God and was now in a further way of profiting is evident by that which followeth Vers 5. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee Job had no sooner asked for teaching but God taught him though not formally and explicitely as he desired yet really and effectually as he needed For this verse seems to be a real answer to the petition he made in the former verse and in it Job asserts two things First That he had heard of God by the hearing of the ear Secondly That now his eye did see him There are two opinions about the general sense of this verse and I shall conclude in a third First Some conceive these discoveries of God to Job were only inward to his soul so that when he saith I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee we are not to understand him as if he had had any visible appearance of God but that these words may be taken First as a comparison between a slight hearing when the mind is not intent upon what the ear heareth and a serious hearing which brings the mind fully into the ear As if Job had formerly been a careless hearer but now an attentive one and so the knowledge which Job had of God formerly was little compared with his present knowledge He had a knowledge of God by hearing only before but his mind was not intent upon it he heard only with the hearing of his ear but his eye did not see that is he had not a clear sight or knowledge which is an intellectual sight of the things which he heard But doubtless Job was no slight hearer of the word in former times he did not hear the word in the dayes of his prosperity as if he had only as we say given it the hearing for had he not seriously hearkned to the voice of God in those dayes he had never obtained such a testimony as God gave of him towards the end of those dayes yea this very phrase I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear implyeth serious and attentive hearing Secondly Others who deny any visible manifestation of God to Job grant that the first part of the verse notes serious hearing and receiving of the word the latter more so that here say they is a comparison between that lesser light or knowledge which Job had of the will of God before and that fuller light which he got upon this discourse which the Lord had with him the former being but as of a matter heard this as of things seen The Scripture sometimes calls clear knowledge sight So that look how much that which we see with our bodily eyes is clearer to us than that whereof we have only heard the report by so much the knowledge which Job had now of the things of God especially about the whole mystery of Gods dealing with him was clearer and fuller than what he had before even as if he now saw what before he only heard As we say One eye-witness is better than ten ear-witnesses so one eying of the word of God the eye of the mind fully and distinctly taken in what is heard is better than ten earings of it that is when little or nothing is taken in at the ear but a sound of words For then only we may be said to know divine things by the seeing of the eye when we know them not only from without by the report of others but from experience within our selves The Apostle saith of those who took joyfully the spoyling of their goods for the truths sake They knew in themselves that they had in heaven a better and a more enduring substance Heb. 10.34 that is they had even got a sight of that heavenly enduring substance Hence in Scripture vision is applied to spiritual things heard and we are said to see the Word of God Jer. 2.31 O generation see ye the Word of the Lord have I been a wilderness c. As if the Lord had said Ye have heard it before but now see it Seeing notes the highest knowledge then we see what we hear when we fully understand what we have heard Thus they expound this Text who judge there was no outward vision at all but that Jobs seeing was only spiritual and intellectual Secondly Others affirm that Job had an outward apparition and that the eye of his sense was affected And concerning this First Some are so much of this opinion that they say Christ appeared in humane shape to Job as he did to many of the holy Patriarks and Prophets of old which apparitions are by the Ancients called preludes to his incarnation And some Jewish Writers tell us that Job upon this sight of God had a spirit of prophesie given him but they need not insist upon that for several have had apparitions who were no Prophets Secondly others say the appearance of God to Job was only in or by a cloud with the whirlwind But that he had a vision or sight of God one way or other is asserted as by many of the Jewish Writers so by most of the Christian Ancients And doubtless when the Lord spake to him out of the whirlwind he had a vision or an extraordinary manifestation of God even to his eye Not that God in himself can be seen No man hath seen God at any time 1 John 4.12 It is reported by the Jewish Writers that the Prophet Isaiah was sawn asunder by his own Nation for saying that he had seen the Lord Isa 6.1 I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up This they counted blasphemy and put him to death for it say some yet others say he was put to death for his plainness in reproving the Princes and people of Israel in those words Isa 1.10 Hear the word of the Lord ye Rulers of Sodom give ear to the Law of our God ye people of Gomorrah But of that by the way I say God in himself cannot be seen he is seen only by those visible demonstrations of his presence which he is pleased to make of himself as here he spake to Job out of the whirlwind I conceive we may take in both so that when Job speaketh of his hearing by the ear he intends that teaching which he had in former times by the Ministry of his Ancestors And that when he saith But now mine eye seeth thee he intends that teaching which he had from the present appearance of God to him for his instruction and humiliation I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee As if he had said Lord heretofore I heard of thee for I was religiously brought up I had Parents and Ancestors who declared to me who the Lord was and I heard many things of thee which
I wished so often for death that I wooed the grave and so haâ—tily called for my return to the dust in the day of my affliction Thirdly I abhor that ever I despaired of my restauration or that I gave up my self as a man utterly lost for this world Fourthly I abhor that I used so many complaints of the severity of the Lords dealings with me Fifthly I abhor that I was so bold as to desire to plead with God Sixthly I abhor that I was so much in setting out my own righteousness and innocency Seventhly I abhor that ever I spake any word which should in the least darken or reflect upon the goodness mercy faithfulness righteousness and soveraignity of God in his dispensations towards me These are the things which had unwarily passed him in the heat of disputation with his friends and these he now abhorreth Take it either way I abhor my self or these things it comes all to one for the truth is he did abhor himself for those things which he had spoken with so much imprudence and impatience while he was under the hand of God I abhor my self neither is that all And repent Job was not only affected to abhorrence but to repentance The word translated repent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Niphal significat consolari in Piel poenitere Drus signifies two contrary things in Scripture First To grieve which is proper to repentance sorrow and repentance ought to go together Secondly To comfort or to take comfort thus it is rendered Gen. 24.67 Isaac was comforted concerning the death of his mother 2 Sam. 13.39 David was comforted concerning Amnon Psal 77.2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord my sore ran in the night and ceased not my soul refused to be comforted It may seem strange that the same word which signifies sorrow and repentance should signifie also comfort and to be comforted but sorrow and comfort meet in true repentance godly sorrow doth not hinder much less quite exclude and shut out joy in God Repentance is ushered in by godly sorrow and grief of heart for sin and it concludes with comfort and joy of heart in God who pardoneth sinners and therefore the same word which signifies to repent may well signifie both to grieve and to take comfort Repentance is a change from a bad state to a good and a turning from the worst of evils sin to the chiefest good God himself and therefore must needs be followed if not accompanied with much sweetness and comfort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et consolationem accepi in pulvere cinere A Greek translator renders it expressly so in this place Wherefore I abhor my self and take comfort in dust and ashes and doubtless while Job was repenting in floods of sorrow his comforts came flowing in There is a laughter in the midst of which the heart is sorrowful and the end of that mirth is heaviness saith Solom Prov. 14.13 and there is a sorrow that 's a blessed sorrow in the midst of which the heart laughs and the end of which heaviness is mirth To repent in the general nature of it is to change both the mind and way and so take up new principles and new practices A man that truly repenteth is not the same man he was before he repented he can say I am not I. And as in true repentance there is a change from a bad to a good mind and from a perverse to a right and righteous way so in repentance there is a change from a troubled to a quiet mind and from a painful to a pleasant and delightful way So then there is a two-fold change in repentance First A change of the mind from sin Secondly A change in the mind from sorrow Many are the griefs and gripes the troubles and perplexities with which the conscience of an awakened sinner is followeth till he hath unburdened himself by confession and repentance when once he hath truly done so how great is his peace how sweet are his consolations And therefore when the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 7.10 Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of his meaning is the repentance which it works is matter of great rejoycing or fills the soul of an humbled believing sinner with great joy I abhor my self saith Job and repent But how did Job repent his was no ordinary repentance therefore he adds I repent In dust and ashes That is either First Throwing my self upon the ground Jer. 6.26 Jer. 25.34 2 Sam. 12.16 or Secondly Sitting upon the ground in the dust as Job 2.8 Isa 58.5 Jonah 3.6 or Thirdly Casting dust upon my head Job 2.12 Dust cast upon the head was the embleme of an afflicted heart And to sit in the dust or to cast dust upon the head was anciently the ceremonial part of repentance Job doth not leave that out I repent saith he in dust and ashes Solitis ceremoniis poenitentiam agâ— and so some express it I repent with outward wonted ceremonies But I conceive we need not take it strictly to repent in dust and ashes being only a proverbial speech implying very great solemn and serious repentance There is another rendring of this latter part of the verse thus I repent as looking upon or accounting my self dust and ashes 't is an argument of much humility and humiliation to do so Abraham gave himself no higher a title before the Lord Gen. 18.27 I have begun to speak who am but dust and ashes If we take it thus I abhor my self and repent looking upon my self but as dust and ashes it is a good sence also and reacheth the purpose which Job was upon or which was upon Jobs spirit in that day and duty of repentance There is no difficulty in the words they yield many useful observations Wherefore I abhor my self First As the word wherefore refers to that signal discovery which Job had of God who did not only manifest himself to him by the hearing of the ear but by the seeing of the eye that is more fully than before Observe The clearer manifestations we have of God the greater and deeper are our humiliations Job saw more of the power more of the soveraignity more of the holiness of God in himself and more of his goodness to him Qui Deum vidit fieri non potest quin seso accuset contemnat despiciat non enim certiâ— noveris tuam impuritatem quam si divina puritas op osita fuerit Brent than he had done before and therefore he abhor'd himself That place is parallel to this Isa 6. where as soon as the Lord had declared himself in his holiness and glory the Prophet cried out ver 5. Wo is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts that is my bodily eyes have see the signs of his presence and
tryals and troubles which would have sunk him a thousand times had not he stood by him and assisted him The Lord is a master in Covenant with his servants and that a Covenant of grace in which every command hath a promise annexed to it and that not only a promise of reward when we have done it but of strength to do it and if so then we may conclude it easie as well as hohonourable and profitable to serve the Lord. Therefore Let us labour to approve our selves the Lords servants And if any ask who is the Lords servant I answer Fiâ—st He is the Lords servant that doth the Lords work His servants we are whom we obey he is our master whose work we do It is good for us to consider whose work we are about Jesus Christ was the fathers servant in that great undertaking the redemption of lost man Now all his work on earth was his fathers work John 9.4 I said he must work the work of him that sent me Unless we are in the Lords work and doing the Lords will we cannot be reckoned among his servants Secondly If you are the Lords servants then as you do the Lords work so you are ready to do all his work He is not a servant that doth what he pleaseth Some say they will do the Lords work but they pick and chuse they do this and leave the other undone He is the Lords servant that goeth through all the Lords work If we do easie work and refuse hard work if we refuse that work which displeaseth the world and chuse only that which is pleasing to the world we serve not the Lord but the world and our selves Here is the tryal when we do what God willeth whether the world will it and like it yea or no. The Lord said of David He is my servant and what will he do he will do all my will that is he will not stick at any of my work Thirdly If ye are the Lords servants as ye will do all his work so no woâ—k but his you will not do the work of the flesh you will not do any work for man in opposition to the work of God In subordination to the will of God we should readily do the work of man In serving men thus we are also the servants of God But he that is the Lords servant will not do any work for man which contradicteth or crosseth the service of God Christ saith expresly No man serveth two Masters ye cannot serve God and Mammon Mat. 6.24 We may serve many Masters if they command the same thing or things subordinate but we cannot serve two Masters if their commands interfere and clash one with the other as the work of God and Mammon doth And thus the Apostles caution is to be understood 1 Cor. 7.23 Ye are bought with a price be not ye the servants of men Fourthly If ye are the Lords servants as ye do the Lords work and all his work and only his work so ye will do his work willingly All the Lords servants are free men his servants are sons they do not serve as slaves but as children and God dealeth with them as a Father more than as a Master Consider have ye a free spirit for the service of God His servants find themselves indeed constrained to serve him but they do not serve him by constraint they are constrained by love not by base fear to serve him Fifthly If ye are the Lords servants ye do his work for his sake the will of the Lord is as much the reason why ye do his work as the rule by which ye do it Should we do never so much of that which is materially the Lords work unless we do it because it is his work we are not his servants in doing it He that doth the Lords work for self-ends only or chiefly is not the Lords servant but his own Sixthly If ye are the Lords servants ye have resolved to be his servants for ever your ears are bored at his post and ye have have said as the servant under the Law that loved his Master Exod. 21.5 6. Ye will not go out free It was so with Job he was the Lords servant before his rrouble and he was so at the end of his troubles The Lord doth not take servants for months and for years we must be his everlasting servants alwayes his servants if his servants at all And this should rejoyce our souls that we are and shall be for ever in the Lords work To serve the Lord is better than to rule the world God is so good a Master that we shall never have any the least occasion to desire a change and he is so sure a Master that we need not fear it Lastly Though the Lord said his wrath was kindled against Eliphaz and his two friends yet in the very next words he is directing them how to make their peace and return or be received again into his favour Hence note God often manifests more displeasure than ever he intends to act Yea when ever he manifests displeasure against his children it is that he might not act it Nineveh was threatned with destruction that repenting it might not be destroyed Sinners of all sorts are threatned with death and damnation that believing they may be saved and live What could Eliphaz and his two friends expect when the Lord said My wrath is kindled but that his wrath should have swallowed them up and consumed them in a moment Solomon saith Prov. 16.14 The wrath of a King is as messengers of death and like the roaring of a Lion Prov. 19.12 much more is the wrath of God like the roaring of a Lion and as the messengers of death But though the Lord told Jobs friends of wrath and of kindled wrath yet he only First reproved them mildly and Secondly instead of blowing up that fire sheweth or directeth them how to quench it and get into the Sun-shine of his favour as will appear further in the verse Vers 8. Therefore take unto you now seven Bullocks and seven Rams and go to my servant Job and offer up for your selves a burnt-offering and my servant Job shall pray for you for him will I accept lest I deal with you after your folly in that ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right like my servant Job This verse holds out the counsel or direction which the Lord gave Eliphaz and his two friends for the making of their peace and the reconciling of themselves to his Majesty whose wrath was kindled against them And here the Lord directs them to a twofold means of their reconciliation First The offering up of a sacrifice in which we may consider two things First The matter of the sacrifice or what was to be sacrificed Bullocks and Rams Secondly The quantity or number of the sacrifice seven and seven seven Bullocks and seven Rams such was the matter such the quantity of the sacrifice which they were
as a prayer for their return out of proper captivity and largely for their deliverance out of any adversity So Psal 126.1 When the Lord turned the captivity of Sion we were like them that dream Read also Zeph. 2.7 Secondly From the author of this turn The Lord turned the captivity c. Observe Deliverance out of an afflicted state is of the Lord. He is the authour of these comfortable turns and he is to be acknowledged as the authour of them The Psalmist prayed thrice Turn us again Psal 80.3 7 19. The waters of affliction would continually rise and swell higher and higher did not the Lord stop and turn them did not he command them back and cause an ebb Satan would never have done bringing the floods of affliction upon Job if the Lord had not forbidden him and turned them It was the Lord who took all from Job as he acknowledged chap. 1.21 and it was the Lord who restored all to him again as we see here the same hand did both in his case and doth both in all such cases Hos 6.1 Let us return to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will bind us up David ascribed both to God Psal 66.11 12. Thou broughtest us into the net thou layedst affliction upon our loins thou hast caused men to ride over our heads we went through fire and through water The hand of God led them in that fire and water of affliction through which they went but who led them out The Psalmist tells us in the next words Thou broughtest us into a wealthy place the Margin saith into a moist place They were in fire and water before Fire is the extremity of heat and driness water is the extremity of moistneâ—s and coldness A moist place notes a due temperament of â—eat and cold of driness and moistness and therefore elâ—gantly shadows that comfortable and contentful condition into which the good hand of God had brought them which is significantly expressed in our translation by a wealthy place those places flourishing most in fruitfulness and so in wealth which are neither over-hot nor over-cold neither oveâ—-dry nor over-moist And as in that Psalm David acknowledged the hand of God in this so in another he celebrated the Lords power and goodness for this Psal 68.20 He that is our God is the God of salvation and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death that is the out-lets or out-gates from death are from the Lord he delivereth from the grave and from every grief The Lord turned the captivity of Job not only p eserving him from death but filling him with the good things and comforts of this life Thirdly Note The Lord can suddenly make a change or turn As he can quickly make a great change from prosperity to adversity and in a moment bâ—ing darkness upon those who injoy the sweetest light so he can quickly make a change from adversity to prosperity from captivity to liberty and turn the darkest night into a morning light For such a turn the Church prayed Psal 126.4 Turn again our captivity O Lord as the streams in the south that is do it speedily The south is a dry place thither streams come not by a slow constant currant but as mighty streams or land-floods by a sudden unexpected rain like that 1 Kings 18.41 45. Get thee up said Eliah to Ahab for there is a sound of aboundance of rain and presently the heaven was black with clouds and wind and there was a great rain When great rains come after long drought they make sudden floods and streams Such a sudden income of mercy or deliverance from captivity the Church then prayed for and was in the faith and hope of nor was that hope in vain nor shall any who in that condition wait patiently upon God be ashamed of their hope The holy Evangelist makes report Luke 13.16 that Satan had bound a poor woman eighteen years all that time he had her his prisoner but Jesus Christ in a moment made her free Ought not this woman being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan hath bound lo these eighteen years be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day The devil who had her in his power eighteen years could not hold her a moment when Jesus Christ would turn her captivity and loose her from that bond If the Son undertake to make any free whether from corporal or spiritual bondage they shall not only be free indeed as he spake John 8.36 at the time when he is pleased to do it but he can do it at any time in the shortest time when he pleaseth We find a like turn of captivity is described Psal 107.10 11 12 13 14. such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death being bound in affliction and iron because they rebelled against the word of the Lord c. These vers 13. cryed unto the Lord in their trouble and he saved them out of their distresses He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and brake their bands in sunder Thus far of the first particular considerable in Jobs restitution the Author of it The Lord turned the captivity of Job The second thing to be considered is the season which the Lord took for the turning of Jobs captivity the Lord did it saith the text When he prayed for his friends Some conceive the turn of his captivity was just in his prayer time and that even then his body was healed I shall have occasion to speak further to that afterwards upon another verse Thus much is clear that When he prayed That is either in the very praying time or presently upon it the Lord â—urned his captivity Possibly the Lord did not stay till he had done accorâ—ing to that Isa 65.24 It shall come to pass that before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear Or according to that Dan. 9.20 While I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my supplications before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God Yea while I was speaking in prayer even the man Gabriel whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning being caused to flie swiftly touched me about the time of the evening oblation and he informed me and talked with me and said O Daniel I am come forth to give thee skill and understanding at the beginning of thy supplications the commandement came forth and I am come to shew thee c. What commandement came forth even a command for the turning of their captivity Thus here I say possibly the Lord gave out that word of command for the turning of Jobs captivity at that very time when he was praying for his friends But without question these words when he prayed for his friends note a very speedy return of his prayers that is soon after he had done that gracious office for them he
is said ver 7. How much she hath glorified her self and lived deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her Now as no man can tell nor imagine how much she hath glorified her self nor how deliciously she hath lived so no man can tell how much torment and sorrow she shall have Yea we read not only of a double and quadruble but of a seven-fold reward of wrath for evil men Psal 79.12 Render unto our neighbours seven-fold into their bosome And surely that Scripture means bad neighbours Now as the Lord doth plentifully reward the proud and evil doers in a way of wrath so he will plentifully reward well-doers and well-sufferers whether under his own hand or the hand of man in ways of mercy And if so then First Fear not to lose by God and that in a two-fold respect First When he cometh to borrow of you for the poor He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to the Lord Prov. 19.17 Every time we are asked to give to the poor upon due occasion God sends to borrow of us and he will surely repay what he hath borrowed therefore fear not to lose by God when he borrows of you for the poor Secondly Fear not to lose by God when he takes all from you and makes you poor Sometimes God doth not come a borrowing but he cometh a taking he will have all whether you will or no He will sometimes take all away by fire by losses at sea or land in these and such like cases fear not â—o be losers by God But First Trust him as Job did Secondly Be patient as Job was They that have an interest in God and a portion in the promise need not fear they shall lose a thread or a shoe-latchet by God though his providence takes all away and strips them as it did Job naked What God takes from his servants he keeps for them and will restore to them either in the same kind with much more as he did to Job at last or in some other kind which is much better as he did to Job at first While Job was deprived of his all worldly good things God gave him much patience at first so that when all was lost and gone he could say Naked came I out of my mothers womb and naked shall I return thither The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken blessed be the name of the Lord. While this frame of heart lasted it was better than all that he had lost and though through the extremity of his pains and temptations it was somewhat abated and his patience somewhat ruffled yet it was never wholly lost and when it was worst with him his faith failed not which was best of all Now what the Apostle spake concerning those troubles which befel the Israelites in the wilderness They happened for examples 1 Cor. 10.11 So all these troubles and takings away happened to Job as our example or which the Greek word signifieth as a type that we should be patient under the Lords hand in taking and remember for the encouragement of our faith the Lords bounty in restoring For this end the Apostle James calleth us to consider this dealing of God with Job Jam. 5.11 Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord. What is that to us may some say that Job was patient Yes all the matter is to us it was written for our example and admonition and saith the Apostle ye have not only heard of the patience of Job but have seen the end of the Lord. Here is an exercise of those two noble senses Hearing and Seeing mentioned and doubtless for great purposes both But why doth he adde ye have seen the end of the Lord Some interpret these words as a second instance the Apostle mentioning Job in the former words and Christ in these Ye have seen the end of the Lord that is how it was with Christ in his sufferings The Lord Jesus Christ was well rewarded for all that he suffered God highly exalted him Phil. 2.7 because he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross 'T is a truth if we take those latter words of the verse Ye have seen the end of the Lord for the issue of Christs sufferings But I rather conceive that the whole verse relateth unto Job and so the end of the Lord in the latter part is the end which the Lord made with Job As if the Apostle James had said Hath it not been set before your eyes what end the Lord made with him or how he gave him double in the end Be not afraid to lose by God either borrowing or taking for he is a bountiful rewarder Secondly As we should not be afraid to lose by God when he comes either to borrow a part or as the case was with Job to take all from us so let us not be afraid to lose for God which was toucht before together with the former Inference upon the 11th verse of the 41 Chapter We have no ground in the world of fear when all that we have in the world is taken from us for Gods sake that is for righteousness sake seeing God who here restored to Job double all that himself had taken from him hath also promised to give his faithful servants double for all that is taken from them upon his account by men or which they lose for him That 's the meaning of the Prophet Isa 61.7 For your shame ye shall have double that is ye having suffered shame or been put to shame for Gods sake or for doing that which is honourable and commendable in it self shall receive double What double As by shame we are to understand any evil suffered so by double any good promised as a reward for suffering that evil especially such good as stands in direct opposition to that evil As if it had been said ye shall have double honour for shame and double riches for poverty and double health for sickness and and double liberty for imprisonment and captivity 'T is much to have double reparation of any loss yet this doubling is a poor matter to what is promised in another place to those who lose for God We have Christs word with an asseveration for it Mat. 19.28 29. Verily I say unto you that ye which have followed me in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel And every one that hath forsaken houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my name sake here are great sufferings but behold a greater reward followeth not like Jobs twofold but an hundred-fold so saith that Text shall receive an hundred-fold and which is ten-thousand-fold more than that shall inherit everlasting life Be not afraid to lose for God Job had double who lost by God and so may you but if ye lose
in sickness as well as in health in disgrace with men as well as when most honoured and cryed up by them when naked as well as when cloathed as well in rags as in the richest array Hence that confident conclusion vers 38. I am perswaded that neither death nor life c. shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And if so then we see where our true interest lyeth Let us make sure of Christ he will never leave us all earthly friends may Friends are a great mercy but they are not a sure mercy Again Consider Jobs friends who came not at him when in that afflicted condition yet as soon as ever God turned his captivity and made him prosper in the world then they would own him then they came Hence note Thirdly Such as are no friends in adversity will readily shew themselves friendly in prosperity That they came then is an intimation if not a proof that they came not before but then they came What Christ spake in another case I may apply by way of allusion to this Where the carcase is thither will the Eagles be gathered together When Job was up his friends appear'd All are ready to worship the rising Sun When the face of things and times change with us then the faces of friends change towards us then they have other respects and countenances for us this spirit of the world hath been anciently observed Si fueris foelix multos numerabis amicos Tempora si fuerintnubila solus eris even by Heathens If you be happy or restored to happiness you shall number many friends though you had none before Such friends are like those birds that visit our coasts in Summer when 't is warm weather when every thing flourisheth and is green then some birds visit us who all the Winter when 't is cold frost and snow leave us Faâ—ther it may be conceived that several of Jobs friends left him not only upon the occasion of his poverty and want but upon the supposition of his hypocrisie and wickedness many of them might have the same opinion of him which those three had who particularly dealt with him that surely he was a bad man because the Lord brought so much evil upon him Now when the Lord restored Job they had another a better opinion of him the Lord also giving a visible testimony of his accepting Job Hence note Fourthly God will one time or other vindicate the integrity of his faithful servants and set them right in the opinion of others God suffered Jobs integrity to lie under a cloud of supposed hypocrisie but at last the Lord restored him to his credit as well as to his estate and made his unkind and not only suspicious but censorious friends acknowledge that he was upright and faithful The Lord promiseth Psalm 37.6 to bring forth the righteousness of his servants as the light and their judgement as the noon-day that is a right judgement in others concerning them as well as the rightness of their judgement in what they have done and been or his own most righteous judgement in favour of them They who had a wrong judgement and took a false measure of Job measuring him by the outward dispensations of God and judging of his heart by his state and of his spirit by the face of his affairs these were at last otherwise perswaded of him 'T is as the way so the sin and folly of many to judge upon appearance upon the appearance of Gods outward dealings they conclude men good or bad as their outward condition is good or bad and therefore the Lord to redeem the credit of his faithful servants that lye under such misapprehensions sends prosperity and manifests his gracious acceptance of them that men of that perverse opinion may be convinced and delivered out of their error Note Fifthly The Lords favouring us or turning the light of his countenance towards us can soon cause men to favour us and shine upon us See what a change the Lord made at that time both in the state of things and in the hearts of men when the Lord outwardly forsook Job friends forsook him children mockt him acquaintance despised him his very servants slighted him yet no sooner did the Lord return in the manifestations of his favour but they all returne desiring to ingratiate themselves with him and strive who shall engage him most God can quickly give us new friends or restore the old Expleâ—â— contumelias honoribus detrimenta muneribus execrationes precibus The hearts of all men are in the hand of the Lord who turns them from us or to us as he pleaseth When God manifests his favour he can command our favour with men Though that which is a real motive of the Lords favour to his people their holiness and holy walkings gets them many enemies and they are hated for it by many yet the Lord discovering or owning the graces of his servants by signal favours often gets them credit and sets them right in the opinion of men Thus it was with Job all his friends returned to him upon the Lords high respect to him in turning his captivity Again in that Jobs friends came to him Cui dominus favet ei omnia favent Observe Sixthly It is the duty of friends to be friendly to come to and visit one another It is a duty to do so in both the seasons or in all the changes of our life It is a duty to do so in times of prosperity when God shines upon our Tabernacle When any receive extraordinary mercies it is the duty of friends to shew them extraordinary courtesies and to bless God for them and with them When Elizabeths neighbours and cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her they rejoyced with her Luke 1.58 It is a duty to rejoyce with those that rejoyce and to come to them that we may rejoyce with them It is a duty also to visit those that mourn and to mourn with them Friendly visits are a duty in all the seasons of our lives Once more Then came all his brethren c. It was late e're they came but they came Hence Note It is better to perform a duty late than not at all They had a long time even all the time of his long affliction neglected or at least slackned this duty of visiting Job yet they did not reason thus with themselves It is in vain to visit him now or our visiting him now may be thought but a flattering with him or a fawning upon him No though they had neglected him before they would not add new to their old incivilities We say of repentance which is a coming to God Late repentance is seldom true yet true repentance is never too late None should think it too late to come to God though they have long neglected him nor should sinners who have long neglected God be discouraged Though
the highest threat I go away and ye shall dye in your sins John 8.21 They that dye in their sins dye a double death at once a temporal and an eternal death together And to those who have got the sting of death pulled out that is the guilt of sin removed and washed off by the blood of Christ I would Fourthly Take this caution If you would have death easie to you dye more and more to sin daily Some who are dead to sin may find much life of sin remaining in them and they who have much of the life of sin in them will never dye easily they will find strong bands in their death which in another sense some wicked men find not Psal 73.4 While either sin or self or the world are lively in us death will be greivous to us Therefore let them who are dead to sin never think themselves dead enough to it while they live they who are most dead to sin and the world have the sweetest and most comfortable passage out of the world So Job dyed Being old It must needs be that Job was an old man when he had lived an hundred and forty years after all his changes before this change came Why then is it added he died being old or being an old man Surely to teach us this lesson Old age and death cannot be far asunder 'T is a truth young men and death are not very far asunder youth and death are at no great distance but when we see an old man we may conclude that death and he are very near neighbours While we see an old man with his staff in his hand we may say he carrieth a rapper in his hand by which at every step he knocks at the door of the grave There is no man not the youngest man that can reckon certainly upon one day beyond what he hath and therefore Solomon admonisheth us Prov. 27.1 Beast not of to-morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth And the Apostle James checks those who would reckon upon a day he tells them upon the matter That they reckon without their hoast James 4.13 Go to now ye that say to day or to-morrow we will go into such a City and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain And then at the 14th verse Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow for saith he What is your life it is even a vapour that appeareth for a little while and then vanisheth away They that are youngest have not a day nor an hour in their power to reckon upon what then have they that are old We may say of them They are even past their reckoning A woman near her time will sometimes say she hath but a day to reckon and some will say they have never a day to reckon old men may say so they have not a day to reckon Young men may dye old men must dye Then let old men be much in the meditation of death let them be often looking into their graves their gray hairs that do so are found in the way of wisdom Job dyed being old There was no longer staying for him in this world Once more Job dyed being old And full of days There is a twofold fullness First A fullness of satiety Secondly A fullness of satisfaction They are full in a way of satiety who loath that which they are filled with 't is burthensome to thâ—m They are full in a way of satisfaction who having enough are pleased and desire no more Some expound this Text of Job in the former sence he was full of days that is he had a fullness of satiety upon him he had lived so long that his life was a burden to him he had lived till he was weary of living his life was tedious and grievous to him It is said Revel 9.6 In those days shall men seek death and shall not find it and shall desire to dye and death shall flee from them That which most flee from some pursue and it fleeth from them None are so unfit to dye as they who upon the account spoken of in that Text seek death and desire to dye I do not conceive that Job was full of days in the former notion as the stomack may be full of meat and loath it or be burthened with it but as having had enough of it though well liked to the last morsel And I am sure he was not full of days when he dyed in the latter notion as one wearied with the troubles of his life for all his latter days were a blessing to him and he blessed in them all His last days in this world being his best days of worldly enjoyment he could have no reason upon any worldly account to desire a departure out of the world I grant a good man though he hath not lived many days may be full of days even to weariness by reason of his temptations corruptions and sins of which kind of weariness the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 5.2 In this earthly house of the body we grown earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven And upon this account possibly Job himself might be weary of his life and desire the death of his body that he might be delivered from the body of that death But Jobs worldly life was as sweet as it was long he was as full of blessings as he was of days and therefore doubtless he was only satisfied with living not tired with it He did not loath his natural life nor did he hunger after a longer life in this world he hungred after eternity not time He did not hunger after a longer life as they do who have their portion in this life how long soever they have lived A worldly man is never satisfied with living in the world he never hath his belly full of living here while he sees he may as Job might fill his belly with the good things of this life But as Job had lived very long and very well on earth so he knew there was a better life to be had in heaven and therefore was full of days both as having had many and as having no desire after more on earth As he was not which David deprecated Psal 102.24 taken away in the midst of his days so he was willing to come to the end of his days and for that reason might well be said to dye being old and full of days Secondly These words so Job died being old and full of days may note as his willingness to dye so the easiness of his death he was come to a full ripeness for death Fruit that is fully ripe is soon gathered and sometimes drops off alone from the tree Job was every way ripe for death his body was ripe he was full of days his soul was ripe he was full of grace surely then his was a spontaneous death a very sweet way of dying His natural strength was not much being old
to make resistance against death and his spiritual strength was so much that it caused him to make no resistance against it or rather at once joyfully to embrace and overcome it Thirdly These words so Job dyed being full of days may have this spiritual meaning His days were full He did not live empty days or void blank days but as he was full of days so his days were full full of good works and holy duties That mans days are empty though he be full of days or how many days soever he hath lived who hath lived in vanity and done little good with his life But we have reason to say Job dyed full of days because his days were full of good done as well as of good received he had not a long being only but a long life in the world living to good yea his best in duty both to God and man Thus Job dyed being old and full of days From this latter part of the verse Observe First When a godly man dyeth he is satisfied with the time he hath lived he hath his fill of days he craves no more Though no length of this life can satisfie him yet he is satisfied with the length of his life A godly man in some cases may crave a little more time He may say as Psal 102.24 O take me not away in the midst of my days and as elsewhere O spare me a little that I may recover my strength before I go hence and be no more Psal 39.13 Yet this is a truth specially as to good old men living as Job had done when they dye they have had their fill of living A Heathen said and he spake it after a heathenish manner Si mihi quis Deus largiatur ut ex hac aetate repuerascam in cunis vagiam valdè recusem Cato If any God would give me the priviledg to be young again and to cry in a Craile I would not thank him for it I have had living enough If a vertuous Heathen hath said so by the light of reason and morality then doubtless a godly Christian may much more say so through the power of faith and grace It cannot be said of all men who dye as Job did being old that they in this notion dyed as Job did full of days For as some godly young men have been fully satisfied with a few days and have said they have lived as long as they desired and could say with Paul We desire to be desolved and to be with Christ which is far better Phil. 1.23 Yet some old men are very much unsatisfied with their many days some old men would be young again This argues they have made but little improvement of their days or that they have got little if any thing of that all their days which should be the study of every day an interest in the death of Christ and so a readiness for a better life For an old man to wish himself young again is like one who with great labour hath clamber'd up a steep hill and wisheth he were at the foot or bottome of it again 't is as if a man who having been long tost in a storm between rocks and sands is got near a safe harbour should wish himself out at sea again They have not a true tast much less a lively hope of that life which is to come who would return to this upon such hazardous and uneasie terms Secondly As these words note a readiness or a willingness to dye Observe A good man is willing to leave this world He is not thrust nor forced out of it but departs he is not pluck't off but falls off like ripe fruit from the tree His soul is not required of him as 't is said of the rich man Luke 12.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but given up and resigned by him he is not taken but goes out of the world It is said indeed Psal 57.1 Merciful men are taken away by Gods commission given to death from the evil to come but they are not taken away from as being unwilling to part with and leave any present good A gracious man hath usually a readiness to dye in a twofold notion First As readiness signifies preparedness Secondly As readiness signifies a willingness to dye And always the first readiness promotes the second The more prepared any one is to dye the more willing he is to dye That man can say Lord now let thy servant depart in peace whose eye of faith hath seen his salvation We saith the Apostle speaking of believers 2 Cor. 5.8 are willing to be absent from the body that is to dye And the word there used signifies not only the freest choice but if I may so speak the good will or good pleasure of mans will as it often signifies God's As a godly man hath a peculiar way of living so of dying and the reason of both is because he sees blessed eternity beyond time and himself by a well-grounded that is a Scriptural hope a partaker of the blessedness of it Thirdly Note They dye full of days who fill their days or whose days are full That is who fill their days with or whose days are full of the fruits of righteousness of faith and repentance of love and charitableness Stephen Acts 6.8 was full of faith and power They dye full of days in old age who as it is said Psal 92.14 bring forth such fruit in their old age Nulla dies sinelinea Apelles Diem perdidi Vespatian who dye as Dorcas Acts 9.36 full of good works and almes-deeds which they have done It was said of a famous Painter No day past him without drawing a line A Romane Emperour said I have lost a day when he did no good that day We may well reckon those days lost in which we do no good in which we draw not some white line some golden line of grace and holiness Then what account will their days come to who pass not a day but they draw black lines filthy lines of sin and wickedness or whose days are all blotted with the worst abominations of the day they live in If those days are empty and lost wherein we do no good and are not made better what then becomes of their days and where will they be found but in the Devils Almanack who do nothing but evil and daily become worse and worse So then they only dye full of days who live doing the will of God and denying their own who live mortifying corruptions and resisting temptations who live exercising their graces and answering their duties to God and man This this is to live our days and to dye full of days Again as their days are full who are full of grace in themselves and of good works towards men so are theirs who are full of the mercies and blessings of God especially theirs whose days are full of soul mercies and blessings whose hearts are full of peace with God full of joy