trials of the Saints They are occasions to shew forth their vertues and their graces They give proofs both to God and the world what manner of men they are Tried ones are precious ones many others are so but these appear what they are they have shewed their metall All true faith is good but tried faith is best 1 Pet. 1.7 That the triall of your faith that is that your tried faith being much more precious then of gold that perisheth may be found unto praise c. Prudens futuri temporis exitū Caliginosa nocte premit Deus Ridetque si mortalis ultra Fas trepidat c. Horat l 3. Car Od. 29. Besides these two interpretations I shall adde for a close two more which may further illustrate the meaning of this laughter ascribed to God at the triall of the innocent First or Thirdly He laughs at the fears and sad fore-casts of his people who not being able to look thorow second causes and see the ends of things in their beginnings presently judge all 's lost the Church must be ruin'd and the Saints undone because thus tried Now God knowing the end of all actions not only at their beginning but from the beginning yea from eternity he looking thorow the blackest clouds and darkest nights upon the issues of all things derides the simple conjectures of men about them The very Heathens have given us such a notion of God in laughter Secondly or Fourthly God laughs at the laughter and derides the joies of wicked men who see his innocent ones tried For they say in their hearts and it may be with their tongues Happy we who have scaped such a scouring we would not have been in their coats for a world better die then live to bring our selves into such troubles Or thus Now the day is ours we have prevailed These men are catcht and entangled we shall doe well enough with them now The Lord hearing such language at the triall of the innocent laughs to thinke how those wretches shall see themselves deceived when they see these who were fallen rising again or God by their fall raising others and setting his King upon his holy hill of Sion Lastly As God laughs at the triall of the innocent so let the nocent and impenitent remember and tremble at it that God will laugh at the approach of their torments and mock when their fear commeth when their fear commeth as a desolation and their destruction as a whirlwinde Job having thus shewed how the innocent are afflicted shews in the next verse how the wicked are exalted from both he infers that there can be no judgement made of any mans inward state whether he be innocent or wicked upon his outward state whether he be prosperous or afflicted The innocent are under the scourge and the wicked are upon the throne and who doth these things but God himself that 's the sum of this 24th verse Verse 24. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked he covereth the faces of the Judges thereof if not where and who is he The earth is given into the hand of the wicked The earth Earth may be taken strictly for the element of earth as it is opposed to fire water and air Not so in this place But more largely earth is put for all earthly things as Psal 115.6 The heaven of heavens is the Lords but the earth hath he given unto the children of men that is he hath divided all earthly comforts as a portion or inheritance among men their lot falleth there Thirdly Earth is put for the inhabitants or people of the earth Psal 100.1 Praise him all ye earth so the Hebrew which we translate Praise him all ye people of the earth Isa 24.4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away that is they who dwell on the earth Fourthly By the earth we may understand speciall Countries or Nations tracts or parts of the earth Fiftly The earth is put for earthly minded men and for the false Church Revel 14.3 The Saints are redeemed from the earth that is God hath fetcht them out from amongst false worshippers and impure ones he hath rescued them from the world of Idolaters and from the superstitious multitude In this place earth is to be understood in the second third or fourth notion namely for all earthly comforts or for the Provinces and Kingdoms of the earth or for the inhabitants and people of the earth These are given into the hand of the wicked Given The Lord makes as it were a deed of gift of these things unto wicked men So in the 15th of this book ver 19. Vnto whom alone the earth was given and no stranger passed among them which some expound of the righteous No stranger passed among them that is none came in to invade them Or as others render it No strange thing that is no unjust thing came in amongst them they had the earth in their own power and rightfull possession Nihil alienum sc injustum Jun. To be given noteth two things or there is a double act of giving There is a gift by providence and a gift by promise When the Lord is said to give the earth into the hand of the wicked we are to understand it of that common providentiall gift whereby he disposeth of all things to all men no man hath any thing but by the gift of God Thus wicked Jeroboam had the Kingdome of Israel given him and so had hypocriticall Jehu for four generations They served the providence of God and the providence of God exalted them Act. 17.26 He hath made of one bloud all Nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation that is he hath as it were chalked out and drawn a line where the bounds and habitations whither the dominions and possessions of such men shall be extended and where they shall be confined That 's a gift of providence There is a speciall gift of promise peculiar to believers Ro. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son but gave him to die for us how shall he not with him also freely give us all things that is all worldy things or we may take in whatsoever else concerns our spirituall estate besides Christ All the things of Christ yea and all worldly things come in to the Saints as a gift by Christ who is himself the greatest gift that ever man received or that God could bestow How shall he deny us any thing when he hath given us him who is above all things 1 Cor. 3.22 23. Whether Paul or Apollos or the world all is yours for ye are Christs Believers enjoy earthly things by an heavenly title Christ is their conveiance In this sense the earth is not given to the wicked the Lord gives them nothing in Christ or for Christ as a Saviour in the Covenant of Grace Christ as a Lord hath bought the wicked 2 Pet.
2.1 and he gives them what they have as they are his creatures as he hath given them a subsistence and a breathing in the world so he allots them maintenance in the world So then to receive by donation from God may note any way of possession What wicked men inherit by succession and descent from their ancestours is a gift of God Yea what they get and hold by violence and oppression is a gift of God The earth which wicked men tear out of the hands of the godly the earth which they stain with the bloud of lawfull owners that they may enjoy it even this is said to be given unto them by God in that common way of providence Nebuchadnezzar was a cruell oppressour yet he had the earth given him by God Jer. 27.6 Now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon my servant and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him God gave him the land yet Nebuchadnezzar invaded it and got it by violence God sent him Isa 10.6 but he went of his own errand vers 7. He had no thought of serving the will and commands of God but of serving his own ambition and covetousnesse yet of this cruell oppressour the Lord saith I have given him all these lands c. Thus The earth is given Into the hand of the wicked There is a question whom we are to understand by these Donees or the receivers of this gift Some expound the text with a speciality of the devil The earth is given into the hand of that wicked one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is us the Prince of the air so the Prince of this world and hath great power upon the earth But take it of wicked men who are the servants and heirs of Satan as the Saints are the heirs of Christ and receive all things from him so wicked men are the heirs of Satan his children and what they receive as a common gift from God they receive by a speciall gift from Satan The devil boasted to Christ Mat. 4. All these things will I give thee if thou will fall down and worship me Though the devil be a very beggar and hath not a shoe-latchet of his own to give yet for such services and homages he gives out large possessions of the world common providence so ordering it to wicked men his vassals Hence these words are interpreted as a reason of that confusion before spoken of Si flagellatur innocens quid mirum cum mundi judices corruptissimi sint Terrae potestas permissa est impiissimo daemoni qui dicitur mundi rector I de efficit ut reges principes judices quasi obvelatos haberent oculos caecè sine discrimine de rebus judicantes Eugub No wonder if innocent men are under the scourge for the earth is given into the hand of the wicked When they have most power who have least honesty things must needs be turned up-side-down and all put into disorder What can be expected from such a tyrannous Prince as Satan from such wicked instruments as rule under him but continuall disturbance amongst the children of men especially that good men should goe by the worst Godly men are like to have but little peace while these have the preeminence The devil clouds the understandings and vails the eies of those Princes and Judges whom he in this sense advances And justice is equally wounded and distorted when Judges cannot see Things as when they see Persons in judgement The bounty of God to the wicked is an occasion of their injury to the righteous But rather take the words which was hinted before as an argument whereby Job further proves that there can be no ground of judgement upon any mans spirituall estate by the appearances of his temporall for as righteous and innocent persons are under the scourge and laid low in the world so wicked men have the earth given them and are exalted I finde some reading the text as an expostulation Wherefore is the earth given into the hand of the wicked Wherefore doth he cover the faces of the Judges As if Joh did chide with God about this unequall carriage of things in the world and called him to give a reason of it But we have found Job in other places acquitting himself from the suspitions of such a charge and therefore I cannot joyn with these in laying it upon him here Job doth not complain but affirm That the earth is given into the hand of the wicked Whence observe First Wicked men may abound in earthly things They may have the earth and the fulnesse of it The earth and all that is earthly their bellies are filled by God himself with hidden treasure Psal 17.14 Precious things are usually hidden and all that 's named treasure though it be but earthly hath a preciousnesse in it Hidden treasures of the earth fill their bellies who sleight the treasures of heaven and whose souls shall never have so much as a taste of heavenly treasures riches and honour are the lot of their inheritance who have no inheritance among those whose lot is glory They have the earth in their hands who have nothing of heaven in their hearts they bear sway in the world who are slaves to the world they govern and order others at their will who are led captive by Satan at his will Be not offended and troubled to see the rains of government in their hands who know not how to govern themselves or to see them rule the world who are unworthy to live in the world Remember the earth is given into the hand of the wicked We must submit to the judgement of God though it leave us under the injustice 〈◊〉 men And we have little reason to envy them a great portion 〈◊〉 his life who have all their portion in this life The most wise God who hath all things to dispose disposes them with infinite wisdom He gives good things to those that are evil but he gives better things to those who are good He hath a Benjamins messe a rich portion for his own children after all these disbursments to the children of disobedience Their portion lies not in earth and dust or in the rubbish of the world Heaven is given into the hand of the Saints Spirituall blessings in heavenly things are given into the hand of the Saints The pardon of sin the love and favour of God the bloud of Jesus Christ peace of conscience joy in the holy Ghost are gifts worth the having These are given into the hand of the Saints As for the earth He giveth that into the hand of the wicked and yet all that is not given into their hands Wicked men have not all the earth and some wicked men have none of the earth The Lord often makes the portion of his own people fat and plenteous and the portion of his enemies lean and poor Heaven hath not all the
be humbled under the mighty hand of God If we know not what God hath done he can quickly doe enough to make himself known They who will not see the hand of God when it is lifted up that they may be humbled shall see it and be ashamed Isa 26.11 if the removing and shaking of our mountains doe not awaken us the overturning of them shall That 's the next act of divine power in this noble description And overturneth them in his anger 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vertit subvertit significat versionem vel in nibilum vel in formam aut qualitatem aliam vel in locū alium The word signifies to over-turn a thing so as to change the form and fashion of it yea to bring it to nothing not only to remove a thing out of its place but to take away the very being of it and to remove it out of the world He not only turns mountains into mole-hils but into plains yea into pits they shall not be mountains any longer nor any thing like a mountain It is much to remove a mountain and set it in another place but more to crumble it in a moment all to dust that you shall not finde a piece or a clod of it The Prophet threatens the obstinate Jews in such a language Isa 30.13 14. Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall swelling out in a high wall whose breaking commeth suddenly at an instant and he shall break it as the breaking of the Potters vessel c. So that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sheard to take fire from the hearth or to take water withall out of the pit He overturneth them in his anger Anger in man is a mixt affection made up chiefly of these two ingredients sorrow and revenge Some call anger the boiling of the bloud about the heart or the boiling of the heart in bloud The fumes whereof rise so fast into the brain Ira suror brevis that anger sometimes dislodges reason and is therefore called by others a short madnesse The word in the text signifies the Nostrils and the Scripture frequently applies that to anger 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ira inde transfertur a l nasum qui est instrumentum trae in quo ira precipuè apparet Fames morabilèm in nasum conciunt Plaut because anger is seen and made visible in the nostrils Quick breathing is a sign of anger God is without parts and passions he is not angry as man but is said to be angry when he doth like man in his anger The Lord is not moved or stirred by anger but he is angry when he makes motions and stirrings in the creature he lets out the effects of anger but himself hath not the affection much lesse the perturbation of anger Hence observe That the troubles and confusions which are in the creature are tokens and effects of the anger of God As the setling and establishment of the creature is an effect or sign of his goodnesse or as these tell us that God is pleased So when the Lord hurls the creature this way and that way when he tosses it up and down as if he cared not how this is an argument of his anger when Moses came down from the Mount and saw what the people of Israel had done how they had made a golden calf and polluted themselves with idols such a passion of anger came upon him that he threw the Tables of the Law out of his hand and brake them So when the Lord would signifie his displeasure he throws the creature out of his hand and breaks man against man Nation against Nation as a Potters vessell one against another The comfort and well-being of the creature consist in this that God holds it in his hand if he doe but let it goe out of his hand it perishes much more when he casts it with violence out of his hand The Prophet Hab. 3.8 describing the great confusions which God made in the world questions thus Was thine anger against the rivers Was thy wrath against the sea that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation God being angry with the enemies of his people made strange work amongst them Rather then his people shall not be delivered the world shall be confounded Was the Lord angry with the sea when he compelled the rivers to change their courses and discover the bottome of their chanels as in the passage of his Israel thorow the red sea No God was not angry with the sea but with Pharaoh and his host with the oppressours and troublers of his Israel and when he was thus angry he check'd the course of nature and turned things up-side-down When David was in a distresse and his enemies encompast him round about what then Then the earth strook and trembled Tanta extiti◠divinae irae vis pro Davide contra hostes defendendo ut videbatur orbē invertere omnia miscere c. Pined the foundations of the hils were moved and were shaken because he was wrath Psal 18.7 That God might rescue David out of the hand of trouble he troubled the foundations of the earth he made the world shake and Kingdoms tremble that his David might be setled upon his throne The Lord threatneth Hag. 2.6 that he will shake the heaven and the earth and the sea and the dry land he will move all creatures why so He shakes them for the setling of his Zion vers 7. I will shake all Nations and the desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this house with glory saith the Lord of hostes When the Lord comes against the superstition and idolatry and profanenesse and wickednesses of the world in anger no wonder if Kingdoms shake yea he therefore shakes Kingdoms that he may establish Jerusalem a quiet habitation a tabernacle that shall not be taken down not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken Isa 33.20 We are waiting when God will shake Babylon and in his anger overturn the seven mountains thereof Babylon is built upon mountains upon seven mountains to note the strength and power of it yet the Lord will remove Babylon out of her place and overturn those mountains in the fiercenesse of his anger and in jealousie poured out Then every Island shall flee away and the mountains shall not be found Revel 16.20 That is the remotest and strongest places which owned and maintained Babylon shall either be converted or confounded they shall appear no more under that spirituall notion though in a naturall and civill they doe remain That which is not as it was is spoken of as if it were not A great change in our condition is called a change of our very being The anger of God overturns things as if it did annihilate them Job goes on Verse 6. Which shakes the earth out of her place
of the mighty power of God See how Jobs discourse moves from earth to heaven and from the heavens down to the sea He searches for the wonders of Gods power and wisdome in heaven and earth and in the waters Before he shews God stopping the course of the Sunne and sealing up the stars now spreading out of the heavens and treading upon the sea He spreadeth out the heavens The heavens in reference to the earth are the upper part of the world The heavens are as it were the roof of the great house which God made or as a spangled Canopy over our heads He spreadeth out the heavens The word is of the Duall number in the Hebrew and hath divers derivations which are considerable to enlighten us in the point 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à He spreadeth out the heavens Some derive it from Shem which signifies a name a name of honour and dignity Men of Name are men of renown Gen. 6.4 Nomen gloria decus quia coelum est nominatissima pars mundi Mâ—rtin in Lex â—bilos Anshi Hashem the heavens are the most glorious beautifull and renowned part of the Creation Their name is above every name of inanimate creatures Others because there are waters above in these heavens derive the word from Sham which is an adverb of place and Majim which signifies waters as much as to say there are waters or there is the place where God hath fountains and stores of water All his waters are not upon the earth he hath waters and springs in heaven A third takes it for a simple not a compound word Paulus Fagius in Gen. 1. being neer the Ishmaelitish word Shama noting only superiority in place high or above A fourth opinion derives it from Schamem which signifies to be amazed or to make one at a stand with wonder And the reason is given because the heavens are such a vast stupendious body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obstupuit propter insignem vastitatem istius corporis quae ipsa nos aspicientes in stuporem rapit Pisc in Gen. 1. that if a man look upon them exactly they will amaze him Who can observe the Sunne Moon and Stars and not wonder and be transported at their vastnesse and beauty at the swiftnesse and regularity of their motions it is above the reach and apprehension of naturall reason how the Lord should fashion and spread out such heavens But what are these heavens which he spreadeth forth Heaven is sometimes expressed with an addition the highest heavens the third heavens in 2 Cor. 12.12 The heaven of heavens 1 King 8.27 Paul was rapt up to the third heavens that is in visions and revelations he was brought as neer to God himself as a creature possibly can Of this heaven we are to understand that Gen. 1.1 where Moses saith In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and the earth was without form and void He doth not say the heaven which God created at first was without form and void but the earth was without form and void for that heaven was a perfect creature We read further of the creating of those heavens which we see of the visible heavens which are the continent of the Sunne Moon and Starres But In the beginning God created the heaven that heaven which by way of eminency is called The habitation of his holinesse and of his glory Isa 63.15 This was created in the beginning and then it is conceived the Angels were likewise created but the earth which was then made was an imperfect creature and all other corporeall creatures with their severall forms and fulnesse were extracted out of that earth which was without form and void The very heavens which we see were made out of that first earth the Sunne Moon and the Stars yea the very light it self was made out of that earth that generall heap of matter which the Lord created at first and is said to have been without form and void But the heaven which we call the heaven of heavens the third heaven or the highest heaven was a perfect creature the first day made without any pre-existent matter whatsoever by the power of God This heaven is the largest of all the heavens which God spread out Secondly Take heavens for the visible heavens I intend not to stay upon philosophicall considerations only what the Scripture holds forth we finde heavens put first for the starry heavens or the firmament where the stars have their motion that 's the heaven meant Gen. 1.17 Psal 8.7 Psal 19.1 This aâ—cording to the doctrine of Astronomers is distinguished into severall orbs and sphears in seven of which seven speciall starres are said to move and all the rest to be fixed in the eighth The Apostle Jude seems to give a hint of those planeticall orbs Jude v. 13. where he justly reproacheth unsetled spirits by the name of wandering stars or planets to whom is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever Thirdly Heaven is taken in Scripture for a nearer heaven for all that which is below the Moon for the air and the clouds Hence the birds are said to flie in the heavens and Gen. 8.2 the rain from heaven was restrained that is the rain from the clouds for there is no rain in that heaven above the clouds Triplex est coelum aerium sidereum ac aliud his superius invisible divinum Dam. l. â— de orthodoxa fide Heaven is a building of three stories The first story is the air and the clouds up to the moon The second story reaches all the planets and stars The third story is also called the third heaven or the heaven of heavens the place of his most glorious residence who filleth heaven and earth All these heavens the Lord spreadeth out There is a threefold spreading forth of a thing First By contusion or beating with hammers as a masse of gold or silver c. is spread into thin plates and leaves Secondly By way of rarefaction or attenuation water is rarefied by fire and so are metals when they are melted or caused to runne with extreme heat In allusion to which Elihu speaks in his challenge to Job Chap. 37.18 Hast thou with him spread out the skie which is strong and as a molten looking-glasse The skie is of a weak sleight matter not hard massie or elementall yet it is strong the nature of it being incorruptible the figure of it round and indissoluble And it is compared to a looking-glasse for the clearnesse of it those instruments were made some of glasse some of steel or brasse molten and polisht for that purpose Thirdly A thing is spread forth by unfolding the parts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Extendit disteâ—dit sicut tentoriâ—m as a tent or a curtain is spread and thus the spreading of the heavens is described Psal 104.1 2. O Lord thou art cloathed with honour and majesty thou stretchest out the heavens
24.63 The subject of his meditation was the starres or the heavens It is good to take field-room sometimes to view contemplate the works of God round about Only take heed of the former folly of Astrologicall curiosities confining the providence of God to secondary causes avoid that and the heart may have admirable elevations unto God from the meditation of the works of God Psal 19.1 The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy work if the heavens declare the glory of God we should observe what that glory is which they declare The heavens preach to us every day Their line is gone out thorow all the earth and their words to the end of the world Psal 19.4 Sun Moon and Stars are Preachers they are universall preachers they are naturall Apostles the world is their charge their words saith the Psalm go to the ends of the earth We may have good doctrine from them especially this doctrine in the text of the wisdom and power of God And it is very observable that the Apostle alludes to this text in the Psalm for a proof of Gospel-preaching to the whole world Rom. 10.18 So then faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God But I say have they not heard Yes verily their sound went into all the earth and their words unto the end of the world The Gospel like the Sun casts his beams over and sheds his light into all the world David in the Psalm saith Their line is gone out c. By which word he shews that the heavens being so curious a fabrick made as it were by line and levell do clearly though silently preach the skill and perfections of God Or that we may read divine truths in them as in a line formed by a pen into words and sentences the originall signifies both a measuring line 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat lineam non modo extensam hoc est funiculum sed etiam scriptam hoc est scripturam Par. in Rom. 10 and a written line Letters and words in writing being nothing but lines drawn into severall forms or figures But the Septuagint whose translation the Apostle citeth for Kavam their line read Kolam their sound either mis-reading the word or studiously mollifying the sense into a nearer compliance with the later clause of the verse And their words into the ends of the world Pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus I have endeavoured to make those things plain which are here represented to vulgar ears under strange unusuall and hidden expressions Job is full of Philosophy and Astronomy he was a great student in the heavens doubtlesse and a holy student Job having given these severall instances gathers them all into a generall conclusion in the tenth verse Verse 10. Which doth great things past finding out yea and wonders without number These words are repeated from the discourse of Eliphaz in the 5th Chap. v. 9. I would seek unto God and unto God would I commit my cause which doth great things and unsearchable marvellous things without number I will not stay in a particular disoussion of them but refer the Reader to the place before cited where the text is opened at large and particular observations given from it Take only this observation in generall That A godly man labours to exalt God both in his thoughts and in his words with heart and tongue when God depresses and humbles him most Mark in what a condition Job was when he speaks thus honourably of the name and power of God One would think Job had little reason to extoll the power of God which he felt to his own smart Job was stript of all he had his outward comforts were taken from him and the arrows of the Almighty wounded his very spirit Now when he had wounded Job thorow and thorow thorow flesh and thorow spirit even at this time when God appeared making no use of his power but to undo Job Job is in his Encomium all in the praise and commendation of God He endites a Chapter on purpose to set forth the power and wisdom of God while he imploied both to make his afflictions both great and accurate This shews the admirable frame of his spirit in all his distempers his heart stood right and he would speak good of God what evil soever befell him from Gods hand Let God afflict with his power yet a gracious heart rejoices in it A gracious heart will lift up that power which weakens and throws it down Let the Lord imploy his wisdom to undo to impoverish such a man to bring him into such straits that he cannot get out yet he hath enlarged thoughts of that wisdom He sees God is as wise in troubling us as he is in delivering That language of Spira is the right language of hell I judge not his person but his speech who in a great temptation spake thus I would I had more power then God or O that I were above God He was angry that God had so much power because God used his power against him A carnall man would be above God especially if God at any time puts forth his power against him When he is hard bestead and hungry he frets himself and curses his King and his God looking upward Isa 8.21 to murmur at God not to pray unto him or speake good of him Tertullian Illud est impiorum ingenium ut Deum non ulterius celebrent quam cum benefacit Fer. It is observed by one of the Ancients concerning the Heathen That if God did not please them he should be no longer God Such are our hearts by nature if God do not use his power wisdom mercy for us we presently wish he had no power wisdom nor mercy for any in the world we would be above God unles God will serve us but an holy heart saith thus Let God improve his power and wisdom which way he pleaseth if to afflict and chasten me yea to destroy and cast me to hell his be the power for ever I extoll his power Nature can only praise God and speak good of him when he is doing of us good But grace prompts the heart to indite a good matter and bids the tongue be as the pen of a ready writer to advance God when sense feels nothing but smart and sees nothing but sorrow round about Then grace is in her heights when she can lift up God highest while he is casting us down and laying us lowest When we can honour God frowning as well as smiling upon us smiting and wounding as well as kissing and imbracing us then we have learned to honour God indeed JOB Chap. 9. Vers 11 12 13. Loe he goeth by me and I see him not he passeth on also but I perceive him not Behold he taketh away who can hinder him who shall say unto him What doest thou If God will not withdraw his anger the proud helpers doe stoop under him JOB having in
the great Monarchs who were as the mountains and hils of the world bowed under the Lord. The word is used to the same sense Isa 49.23 where the Lord promiseth his people That Kings shall be their nursing Fathers and Queens their nursing Mothers they shall bow downe to thee with their face toward the earth and lick the dust of thy feet The Church shall have the honour to be honoured by the Kings and Princes of the world they being converted shall bow downe so low to the Scepter of Jesus Christ held forth by the Church as if they would lick up the very dust and shall employ their power and authority for the good and protection of the Church The speech of Israel Gen. 27.29 in his prophetick blessing upon Jacob Let thy mothers sons bow downe to thee and of Jacob in his upon Judah Gen. 49.8 Thy fathers children shall bow downe before thee note greatest honour and subjection to them both The meaning of all is plainly this That except the Lord himself suspend his own act and restrain his anger no power in heaven or earth how strong how proud how confident of successe soever is able to force him or to alter him Helpers shall not help themselves much lesse those to whose help they come against the minde and purpose of God Observe here first Those passions which are ascribed to God are fully under the command of God The passion of anger is ascribed to God yet the anger which we say is in God hath no power over God Mans anger usually masters him but God is alwaies master of his anger that is he can turn and with-draw his anger when he pleaseth There is no perturbation in God when he is offended he is not moved his motions are all without upon the creatures he hath none in his own bosom The passions of the Lord are his most serious counsels determinations and we therefore say he is angry because those counsels of his acted look like the effects of anger Secondly observe That It is not in the power of man to turn away the anger of God He doth not say except men by praier or other means stop the anger of God but Except the Lord with-draw his anger all help is vain Praier is said to appease the wrath of God and to stay his anger Moses stood in the gap and Aaron came out with incense to turn away his wrath yet it is an act of Gods will which turns away his anger not the force of our praier praier therefore prevails with God because he hath said it shall He is infinitely free when himself acknowledges that we laythe powerfullest restraint upon him when the Lord is turned by praier it is his will to be turned it was his counsell and is his command that praier should be made as a means to turn him and it is his promise that he will turn to us when we pray Then it appears to us that the Lord hath decreed to do a thing when he stirs up the hearts of his people to pray for the doing of it and that he is purposed to with-draw his anger when he draws out their hearts strongly to entreat his favour Thirdly observe That untill God be appeased towards a person or a people there is no remedy for them in the world The proud helpers shall stoop under him If the helpers themselves fall who can rise by these helpers if they are cast down how shall we be upheld by them What if the people of a provoking Nation associate themselves together or associate themselves with other Nations or call in help and aid from all that are round about them shall they therefore escape in their wickednesse they shall not escape Unlesse God help our helpers they are helplesse to us When many companies and great Commanders repaired to David at Ziklag David went out to meet them Chron. 12.17 and said If ye be come peaceably to help me mine heart shall be knit to you but if ye be come to betray me c. Amasai who was chief of the Captains answers v. 18. Thine are we David and on thy side thou son of Jesse peace peace be unto thee and peace be to thy helpers for thy God helpeth thee Our helpers cannot give us peace unlesse God give them peace our helpers must be helped by God before they can give us help The anger of God breaks all the staves we lean on and makes them as reeds which wound rather then support till God is quiet all is unquiet and when he is unpacified men shall be unpacified or their peace shall be to our losse As if he with-draw his anger enemies shall oppose in vain so except he with-draw his anger friends shall help in vain Lastly They who strive to deliver those whom God will destroy shall fall themselves before God If God be resolved upon the thing not only they that are helped but the helpers also shall stoop under him helpers cannot help themselves when he is angry they shall be like Idols which have eyes and see not hands and cannot act either to save themselves or those that trust upon them The greatest strength in the world without God it is no better then an Idol which is nothing in the world Strength cannot be strong for it self and help cannot help it self Our help stands in the Name of the Lord which made heaven and earth and not in the name of any creature under any part of heaven or upon the face of the whole earth JOB Chap. 9. Vers 14 15. How much lesse shall I answer him and chuse out my words to reason with him Whom though I were righteous yet would I not answer I would make supplication to my Judge JOB having in the former passages of this Chapter lifted up the glory and majesty of God in his power and justice and shewed the utter insufficiency of creatures to implead his justice or to rescue themselves out of the hand of his power he now draws his speech nearer home and calling his thoughts from those remoter journies up to the heavens and among the stars over the mountains and hils down to the depths of the sea and foundations of the earth about all which he had discoursed I say calling his thoughts from these remoter travels he comes now closer to the matter and from all those premisses deduces a conclusion iâ— the words of the Text to vindicate himself from that charge which his friends laid upon him as if he were a contender with the power or an accuser of the wisdome and justice of God From the folly and blasphemy of both which imputations he disasperseth himself in these two verses by an argument taken from the greater to the lesse and we may form it up thus He who is so strong wise and just that all the powers in heaven and earth are not able to oppose or stay him surely I I alone or single I a poor weak creature am not able to
as usually befall the Saints though yours be moderate afflictions and 〈◊〉 common stature such as in the eye of reason any man may 〈◊〉 with by a common assistance of grace yet there are temptations which if God the faithfull God should not come in with greater assistances then usuall you are not able to bear They who wrestle with more then flesh and bloud alwaies need more then the strength of flesh and bloud to help them in their wrestlings And because they are often assaulted with greater strength therefore they are assisted with greater strength For if God doe either with-draw his help from the Saints or leave them to wrestle with Satan alone and to fight single with his Armies or if he doe not proportion the aid he sends to the temptation he permits they are sadly over-charged though they can never be totally overcome and 't is possible to grow weary of the battell though we are assured of the victory It is the honour of the Saints to conquer when they are tempted but it is their happinesse to be above or without temptation How many poor souls put up bils of complaint and beg praiers against temptations Paul praid thrice that is often and much when the messenger of Satan buffeted him whether his were an inward or an outward temptation is doubted but without doubt that temptation made his life burdensome to him till he received that answer from God My grace is sufficient for thee Secondly The Saints are wearied with the weight of their sinfull hearts Inward corruption burdens more then outward temptation and were it not for corruption within temptation without could not be very burdensome The devil tempted Christ but because he found nothing at all in him complying with or sutable to his temptations therefore Christ threw them off with ease That enemy without could doe us no hurt he might put us to some trouble if he found no correspondence within The traitour in our own bowels opens our ports and lets in the adversary His sparks could never enflame us if he found no tindar in us The basenesse and unbelief the lusts and vanities of our mindes are apt to take fire at every injection A gracious soul cannot live here without sinne and yet can easier die then sinne Paul Rom. 7.24 cries out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death or from this body of death That is from my body which is subject to death by reason of these remains of carnall corruption or from my carnall corruptions which are the remains of my spirituall death and are worse to me then any death All the afflictions of his 〈◊〉 and the pains of his body were but a play and a kinde of so 〈◊〉 compared with the trouble which this body of death put him to He rejoyced in tribulation but he could not but mourn under corruption Many poor souls are so vexed with these mysticall Canaanites that their spirituall Canaan the state of grace is to them like Egypt the land of their captivity And when they are commanded to rejoyce they answer if we could not sin we could rejoyce How shall we sing the Lords song in a strange land O that we might goe home Thirdly The Saints grow weary of their lives through the wickednesse of other mens lives not only doe their own corruptions burthen them but which shews the holinesse of their hearts more the corruptions of others The sinfulnesse and pollutions of the times and places wherein they live especially of persons they are related to makes their lives grievous and imbitters all their comforts Rebekah that good woman tels her husband Isaac Gen. 27.46 I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth for if Iacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth such as these which are of the daughters of the land What good shall my life doe me The sweetnesse of my life is gone if this son miscarry as his brother hath done before him The Prophet Jeremy cries out O that I had in the wildernesse a lodging place of waifaring men that I might leave my people and go from them What made him so weary of living among them and that was but a step on this side being weary of his life The next words shew us They be all adulterers an assembly of treacherous men Jer. 9.2 Better be in a waste wildernesse among vvilde beasts then in a populous City among beastly men 'T is a part of our compleat happinesse in heaven that vve shall have no ill neighbours there They vvho are evil can take pleasure in those who do evil But the more holinesse any one hath the more is he burthened with the unholinesse of others And that 's the reason why God himself is exprest to be so exceedingly burdened with the sins of men to be wearied and broken with them to be laden with them as a Cart with sheaves He is infinitely holy Grieve not the holy Spirit of God Ephes 4.30 The Spirit is so holy that sin which is unholinesse grieves him presently And in proportion look how much any man is more holy then others by so much is he more afflicted with the impurity of others As the holy Spirit of God who is all holy so the spirits of holy men who yet have a mixture of sin cannot but be afflicted with the sins of men Fourthly Some of the Saints would part with this life because they have got such assurance and evidence of a better life When much of eternall life appears to a godly man he is weary of a temporall life Naturall things are but burdensome trifles to those who are stored with spirituall Christ saith Luk. 5.39 No man having drunke old wine straight way desireth new for he saith the old is better He that tastes what is better then he enjoyes is unsatisfied with all he enjoyes We can hardly be perswaded what we have is good when we see better of the same kinde How much more hardly is this perswasion wrought in us that earthly things which differ in kinde from heavenly are any great good when heavenly things are open before us When the Disciples at the transfiguration had but a glimpse of glory They say It is good to be here Let us build three tabernacles They do not speak comparatively as if now they had met with somewhat better then ever they had before but positively as if they had never met with any good before When the Spirit carries the Saints into his wine-cellar and gives them a draught of everlasting consolations the wine of worldly comforts will not down they begin to disrelish the dainties and delicacies of the creature A true sight of heaven makes the earth scarce worth the looking after or the living in Such live because God will have them live to doe him service not because they desire to live to serve their own ends Paul was in a great straight betwixt two Phil. 1.23 whether he
knowledge of us beyond ours though he know us better then we know our selves yet no man can tell the Lord Thou knowest that I am not wicked but he who knows that he is not The excellency of our condition consists in being godly the comfort of it consists in knowing that we are godly When David offers himself to the triall Psal 139.24 Search me O Lord and see if there be any way of wickednesse in me He speaks not as doubting whether he were wicked or no but as being assured that he was not As if he had said There are many weaknesses in me I know but I know not of any wickednesse He that offers himself to Gods search for his wickednesse gives a strong argument of his own uprightnesse The best of the Saints may be at a losse sometimes for their assurances and not know they are good They may stand sometimes hovering between heaven and earth yea between heaven and hell as uncertain to which they shall be accounted Yet many of the Saints are fully perswaded they are Saints and sit with Christ in heavenly places while they are wâ—ndering here upon on the earth A godly man may know this two vvaies First By the vvorkings of grace in his heart Secondly By the testimony of the Spirit with his heart First By the vvorkings of grace in his heart 1 Joh. 2.3 Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his Commandments and chap. 3.14 We know that we are passed from death to life because we love the brethren There may be such workings of grace in the heart as may amount to an evidence of grace What our being is is discernable in our workings The word is as clear as light that our justification may have a light or evidence in our sanctification though no cause or foundation there Grace is the image of Christ stamped upon the soul and they who reflecting upon their souls see the image of Christ there may be sure that Christ is theirs Christ hath given all himself to those to whom he hath given this part of himself Secondly This may be known by the testimony of the Spirit with the heart 2 Cor. 5.5 He that hath wrought us for the self same thing is God God sets up a frame of holinesse in every believer He hath wrought us and how are we assured that he hath Who also hath given us the earnest of his Spirit The graces of the Spirit are a reall earnest of the Spirit yet they are not alwaies an evidentiall earnest therefore an earnest is often superadded to our graces There is a three-fold work of the Spirit First To conveigh and plant grace in the soul Secondly To act and help us to exercise the graces which are planted there Thirdly To shine upon and enlighten those graces or to give an earnest of those graces This last work the Spirit fullfils two waies First By arguments and inferences which is a mediate work Secondly By presence and influence which is an immediate work This the Apostle cals witnesse-bearing 1 Joh. 5.8 There are three that bear witnesse in earth The Spirit and the water and the bloud The Spirit brings in the witnesse of the water and of the bloud which is his mediate work but besides and above these he gives a distinct witnesse of his own which is his immediate work and is in a way of peculiarity and transcendency called the witnesse of the Spirit Hence that of the Apostle Paul We have not received the spirit of the world but we have received the Spirit which is of Christ that we may know the things that are freely given us of God 1 Cor. 2.12 The things freely given may be received by us and yet the receit of them not known to us therefore we receive the Spirit that we may know what is given us and what we have received The Spirit doth as it were put his hand to our receits and his seal also whence he is said To seal us up to the day of redemption Ephes 4.30 Sixthly Observe A godly man dares appeal to God himself that he is not wicked He dares stand before God to justifie his sincerity though he dares not stand to justifie himself before God Job had often laid all thoughts of his own righteousnesse in the dust but he alwaies stands up for his own uprightnesse God is my witnesse saith the Apostle Paul Rom 9.1 whom I serve in my spirit in the Gospel of his Sonne I serve God in my spirit and God knows that I do so I dare appeal unto him that it is so God is my witnesse When Christ put that question and drove it home upon Peter thrice Simon Lovest thou me Lord saith he Thou knowest all things Thou knowest that I love thee Joh. 21. As if he had said I will not give testimony of my self thou shalt not have it upon my word but upon thine own knowledge It were easie for me to say Master I love thee with all my heart with all my soul but I refer my self to thy own bosome Thou knowest I love thee So when Hezekiah lay as he thought upon his death-bed he turned himself to the wall desiring God to look upon the integrity of his life Lord remember how I have walked before thee in truth Isa 38.3 I do not go to the world for their good word of me I rest not in what my Subjects or neighbour Princes say of me Lord it is enough for me that what I have been and what I am is laid up safe in the treasury of thy thoughts This brings strong consolation when we take not up the testimony of men nor rest in the good opinion of our brethren but can have God himself to make affidavit or bear witnesse with us and for us That such a man will say I am an honest man that such a man will give his word for me is cold comfort but when the soul can say God will give his word for me The Lord knows that I am not wicked here 's enough to warm our hearts when the love of the world is waxen so cold and their tongues so frozen with uncharitablenesse that they will not speak a good word of us how much good soever they know by us Seventhly Consider the condition wherein Job was when he spake this he was upon the rack and as it were under an inquisition God laid his hand extream hard upon him yet at that time even then he saith Lord thou knowest that I am not wicked Hence observe A man of an upright heart and good conscience will not be brought to think that God hath ill thoughts of him how much evil so ever God brings upon him The actings of God toward us are often full of changes and turnings but the thoughts of God never change A soul may be afflicted till he is weary of himself yet he knows God is not weary of him Whomsoever he hath once made good he cannot but for ever esteem good
per loquelae instrumenta in verba formate Bald. And how long shall the words of thy mouth be as a strong winde The Hebrew word for word runs thus And the words of thy mouth a strong winde We resume in this later clause How long and adde be like to supply the sense There is no tearm of comparison expressed in the originall yet the strength of one is implyed and therefore to fill up the meaning we render And how long shall the words of thy mouth be as a strong winde M. Broughton translates it without a note of similitude How long wilt thou talk in this sort that the words of thy mouth be a vehement winde Words are air or breath formed and articulated by the instruments of speech Hence breath and words are put for the same in divers Scriptures Psal 33.6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth Breath in the later clause is no more then word in the first for it was a powerfull word which caused all the creatures to stand out in their severall forms So Isa 11.4 He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips or with the winde of his lips shall he stay the wicked It is not blowing upon wicked men that will slay them but it is speaking to them there is a power in the word of a Prophet when spoken in the Name of Christ which destroyes those who will not obey it Hos 6.5 I have hewed them by my Prophets I have slain them by the words of my mouth Secondly * Graeci latini Prophetas quosdam ex Hebraeo Cabiros cognominarunt ob insignem eorum ad extra gravitatem loquacitatem idem dicti Corybantes Bold Quos Authores latini Divos potes seu potentes vocant Graecis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicuntur ab hac voce quae potem sive potentem denotat Drus Ad magnanimitatem referri potest quod corpore attenuato exhaustisque viribus fortiter tamen persisteret in loquendo respondendo Cajet Iobi oratio non fuit frigida languidased vehemens concitata Pined Bildad is conceived to allude to a certain sort or sect of men For from Cabir here translated strong the name of certain Poets or old Prophets is derived whom the Greeks and Latines called Cabirs or Cabirims These men had an affected outward gravity yet were full of words and much given to Battologie repeating the same things over and over Bildad ranks Job say some with those Prophets How long shall the words of thy mouth be like those roming Cabirs who by a needlesse multiplying of words grated the eares and burdened the spirits of all the hearers Why doest thou speak as if thou couldst carry the matter with empty words and bare repetitions Thirdly The word strong winde may note the stoutnesse of Jobs spirit or the magnanimity he exprest in his words Jobs language was not cold and chill as if his breath were frozen but he spake with hight and heat The spirit and courage of a man breaths out at his lips How long shall the words of thy mouth be a strong winde When wilt thou yeeld to God and lie humbly at his feet What a heart hast thou Thou speakest as big as if thou hadst never been touched as if God never laid one stroke upon thee thou hast a weak body but a stiff spirit Thou speakest as if thou wouldst bear all down before thee and by thy boldnesse storm and bluster those out of countenance who are here to give thee counsell Fourthly Take in the similitude How long shall the words of thy mouth be as a strong winde That is how long wilt thou speak so much and speak so fiercely For the word Caber is more then Gadol which signifies barely great Gramarians note that it signifies both continued quantity and discreet quantity multitude and magnitude How many words wilt thou speak and how great words wilt thou speak Spiritus multiplex ermones oris tui Vulg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spiritus multiloquus Sept. Shall thy words be as a great various enfolded winde so the Vulgar Wilt thou blow all the points of the compasse at once and like a whirle-winde invade and circle us on every side Such words are like a strong winde First Because of their blustering noise There are stormy and tempestuous words The tempest of the tongue is one of the greatest tempests in the world Passionate language troubles both the air and ear makes all unquiet like an enraged angry winde Secondly In such words as in stormy windes there is great strength to bear all down before them or to sway all to that point they blow for As all the trees in a forrest look that way which the winde sits so all the spirits in any Assembly are apt to turn that way which words bearing a fair shew of reason direct How often are the judgements and opinions of men carried by words either to good or evil to truth or errour And unlesse a man have good abilities of judgement and reason to manage what he knows or holds and to make himself master of it It is a hard thing upon a large winde of anothers discourse not to have his opinion turned Hence the Apostle Tit. 1.11 speaking of vain-talkers saith Their words subvert whole houses as a strong winde so strong words blow houses down They subvert whole houses as that subverts the frame and materials of the house so this the people or inhabitants of the house when Christ breathed graciously towards Zacheus he said Luk. 19.9 This day is salvation come to this house when false teachers breathe erroniously subversion comes to many houses The Apostle Ephes 4.14 using this similitude about the doctrines of men adviseth us to look to our ground and that we be well rooted That we be no more children tossed too and fro and carried with every winde of doctrine as if he had said The winde that blows from the lips of seducers unlesse you be well established will carry you to and fro like children or wave your tops up and down as trees yea endanger the pulling you up by the roots Thirdly Strong words are as strong windes in a good sense for as many strong windes purge and cleanse the air making it more pure and healthy so those strong wholesome windes from the mouths of men purge the minde of errour and cleanse the soul of sinne This is the speciall means which Christ hath set up to cleanse his people from infectious and noisome opinions These he disperses and dispels by the breath of his Ministers in the faithfull and authoritative dispensation of the Gospel Fourthly There are ill qualities in strong windes some are infectious windes they corrupt the ayr conveying ill vapours to the places on which they breathe So there is a strong unwholsome winde of words which carries unto
sin or errour How often are the spirits and manners of men infected and poison'd by such a breath Fifthly They may be compared unto strong windes in regard of the lightnesse of them the winde hath little solidity in it and that 's it which Bildad especially reproveth in Job here are a great many words much of the tongue but here 's little matter Words without weight are but winde when you gather them up weigh and consider them fully you can make nothing of them ther 's no tack in them Winde will not feed no more will such words but wholesome and faithfull words are meat and drinke strength and nourishment to the soul Sound discourse yeelds a well tempered understanding many refreshing morsels Lastly They are like strong windes for the swiftnesse of them words passe speedily and fill all quickly Their line is gone out thorow all the earth and their words to the end of the world Psal 19.4 Another Psalm speaks as much of wicked men Their tongue walketh thorow the earth Psal 73.9 as the winde runs from one part of the world to another So doe words when they are sent upon an errand either to doe good or to doe hurt Therefore God chose the Ministery of the Word as an instrument to save his people And it is the fittest instrument running swiftly into the ears and so conducting truth into the hearts of thousands at once Upon the day of Pentecost Act. 2.2 3. when the Disciples met together the text saith Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty winde and it filled all the house where they were sitting first comes a rushing winde what followeth There appeared unto them cloven tongues with fire These represented the manner how the Gospel should be conveyed thorow the world The holy Ghost is sent in tongues to shew that by tongues tipt and inspired acted and moved by the holy Ghost the world should be subdued to the knowledge of Jesus Christ The tongue is the chief Organ of speech And observe with the tongues there comes a wind a rushing wind implying that words spoken by those tongues should be as a mighty rushing winde and like that winde which filled all the house where they sate should fill the world even all Nations with the sound of the Gospel that like a strong winde they should bear down the errours sins and lusts of men before them and like a wholsome winde purge and winnow out all the filthines and uncleannesse the chaff and dust of mens spirits By cloven tongues and a rushing winde wonders have been wrought in the world As those unruly talkers Tit. 1.11 subverted so those who talk by rule have converted whole houses The winde of words blows both good and evil to the world and we may as much encourage holy tongues Let your words he long and long a strong winde as check a vain talker in the language of Bildad How long shall thy words be a strong winde From this generall reproof Bildad descends to a speciall charge against Job 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Injustè aget judicans Sept. Thesis est dicendorum Verse 3. Doth God pervert judgement or doth the Almighty pervert justice As if he had said Job thou hast spoken words which like a strong winde pervert all things and turn them up-side-down But Doth God pervert Doth he turn things up-side-down This blasphemy is the interpretation of many of thy complaints Thou seemest to lay this aspersion upon God But with indignation I speak it doth God pervert judgement The Question is resolvable into a vehement negation God doth not pervert judgement neither doth the Almighty pervert justice He gives it with a question for greater emphasis Doth God pervert judgement Dost thou thinke he will Farre be it from thee to thinke so Injustice lies farre from the heart of God justice lies at his heart He loveth judgement Psal 37.28 To clear the Text I shall briefly touch upon the single terms 1. God 2. Almighty 3. Judgement 4. Justice And then shew what it is to pervert judgement and justice from all it will appear how extremely opposite it is to the very nature of God to pervert either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fortis potens Doth God The word is El signifying the strong God the mighty God the powerfull God In the second clause Doth the Almighty pervert justice We have the word Shaddai which name of God was largely opened at the seventeenth verse of the fifth Chapter I shall not stay upon it here but only as it respects the point in hand Shaddai netat robustum sufficientem ad omnia perpetraÌ„da executioni mandaâ—da quae facienda jud caverit aliqui vertunt invictum Alij vertunt ubetrimum abundantem coplosuÌ„ cujus virtus munificentia per omnia permeat cujus uberibus bonitare omnia alantar nutriantur qui nullius indiget qui bonorum nostrorum nulla cupiditate tangitur Pined 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. Quod sic explicant qui cunctarum rerum naturas summo ordine equitate constituit is in te affligerdo quod justum est non subvertet and so there are three interpretations of that title observable 1. It notes God all-sufficient to doe what he pleaseth or to effect what he designeth if he gives direction for any judgement to be executed he is Shaddai It shall be done As he is El a powerfull Judge to give sentence so he is Shaddai an Almighty God to execute the sentence There is no resisting his power no getting out of his hands his name is Shaddai Secondly The word signifies one who hath all abundance plenty and fulnesse in himself As also whose power goodnesse and bounty flow out to the supply of others himself having no need to receive from any other He is a fountain of all for all Hence Shaddai cannot but doe justice He that hath abundance in himself needs not take bribes to pervert justice Needy Judges are often covetous Judges they who have not a fulnesse of their own are under a great temptation to wrong others to supply their wants But he that gives to all needs not receive from any This consideration sets God infinitely above one of the strongest temptations to injustice Thirdly The word Shaddai is rendered The maker of all things Will the Almighty the maker of all things who hath set the world in such an exquisite forme and order who hath given so much beauty to the creature will he put things out of order or doe such a deformed act as this pervert justice He that is the maker of all things and hath made them in number weight and measure will he turn the world up-side-down or make confusion in the world it is not possible he should So then the name Shaddai in these three senses is aptly applied to God in opposition to the perverting of justice As Abraham debates the matter with him Gen. 18.25 Shall not the
their own sinfull hearts or had laid the raines in their necks suffering their lusts to hurry them whither they would to carry them captive unto every sinne and rush them head-long into every evil The word here used signifies either simply to send or violently to cast or to put a thing away from us and so it is as much as if Bildad had said For â—â—â—uch as thy children would sin against God he suffered them to sin their fill they being wicked he gave them up to doe all wickednesses They loved to wander from him and he let them wander We have this sense of the word Prov. 29.15 A childe left unto himself brings his mother to shame The Hebrew is A childe sent away sent to himself or put into his own hands A childe sent away to himself or left alone bringeth shame that is will certainly runne into vile and enormious courses to the shame of her that bare him A childe left or sent to himself is one that hath no guide no governour no instructour but himself A man that will learn only of himself hath but a fool to his Master How much more then a weak childe what a master what a tutour hath a childe if he have none but himself To be left or sent out to themselves is to have none to counsell or advise them in a right way or to give them any stop and check in an ill way The character that Paul and Barnabas gave of the former times when they preached to the Heathens at Lystra was this Act. 14.16 We exhort you to turn unto the living God that made heaven and earth who in times past suffered all Nations to walk in their own waies He let them goe and never staied them at all they had no bridle of restraint not so much as a word to bring them back He suffered all Nations as if he had said He left them in the hand of their transgression that their own evil hearts should doe what they would with them In which sense we may also understand that place Act. 17.30 when Paul at Athens disputed with the Philosophers he tels them that now God began to look towards them and had sent them the knowledge of Christ The times of that ignorance God wicked at but now he calleth all men every where to repent The words undergoe a two-fold interpretation Some thus to note the indulgence of God The time past of that ignorance God winked at that is he did not deal severely and strictly with them when they sinned because they had no means or so little means to keep them from sinne And there is a truth in it Nâ—hil aliud filtie volunt Pauli verba quam caecitati addict oâ— fuisse homines donec se illis Deus patefaciat Calv. for though ignorance doth not totally excuse sinne yet it doth abate the degree and measure of sinne But there is another sense which I rather embrace The times of that ignorance God winked at that is in those times wherein there was so much darknesse and blindenesse in the world God let men goe on in their sinne they sinned and he never called upon them he never opposed them or sent any to teach them better God did not manifest his will to them as unto the Jews Psal 147.19 20. He sheweth his word unto Jacob his statutes and judgements unto Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation c. So that this winking is opposed to favour rather then to justice To have the eye upon a place or upon persons is to shew them favour 1 King 8.29 The later branch clears this meaning But now he calleth all men every where to repent now he doth not leave men in the hands of their transgressions He doth not winke and let them doe what they list now Gospel-light is risen to the world and there are many sent out to call in and reclaim wandering prodigals many to cry Return return He speaks of it as of the mercy and priviledge of that age beyond what the former ages had enjoyed That of the same Apostle hath a parallel sense Rom. 1.20 26. where describing the dealings of God with the Gentiles who sinned against the light of nature he concludes Therefore God left them in the darknesse of nature in the worst of nature they came not up so high as the principles of nature might have led them in the worship of God therefore he left them below the principles of nature in the things of man He gave them up to vile affectâ—ons which is as much as to say He put them in the hands of their transgressions And ver 28. He gave them over to a reprobate minde to a minde that could not judge aright which had not a true understanding of any thing Hence they elected the worst and reprobated the best things The like we have Psal 81.11 of Gods own people the Jews So I gave them up unto their own hearts lusts and they walked in their own counsels The Hebrew is I sent them into the pertinacy of their hearts because I had so often called upon them and they would not hearken nor return unto me therefore I said forasmuch as you will not hear you shall not hear because you will not obey you shall have none to call you to obedience follow the counsels of your own hearts as long as you will This is the first sense of putting or sending them into the hand of their transgression scil a leaving them to the raign of their lusts Expulit eos è mundo propter praevaricitâ—â—nem Pagn Permifit eis pervenire quod scelus eorum postulabat Tygur Secondly Which is the sense our translation holds out Thou hast left them or sent them into the hand of their transgression That is Thou hast left them in those evils which their transgressions did deserve and call for Our reading carries that meaning He hath cast them away for their transgression Others thus He hath thrust them out of the world for their transgression He hath suffered that to befall them which their transgression called for According to these the sense is Thy children sinned against him and he hath let those evils which their sinne deserved fall upon them He hath rewarded them according to their iniquity Isa 64.6 7. Our iniquities like the winde have taken us away Thou hast hid thy face from us and hast consumed or melted us because of our iniquities The Hebrew is Allisisti nos in manu iniquitatis nostrae Vol. Thou hast consumed or melted us in the hand or in the power of our iniquities And somewhat parallel to this sense is that Gen. 4.6 If thou dost ill saith God to Cain sinne lies at the door As if he had said Thou shalt be given into the hand of sinne presently thy sinne shall arrest thee and bring those evils upon thee which it deserveth thou shalt not need any other punishment then thy own wickednesse Hands and
way of his providence is called his sleep The complaint runnes high Psal 44.9 c. Lord thou goest not forth with our Armies we are become a reproach unto our enemies Thou sellest thy people for nought we are killed like sheep all the day long There 's a description of the confusion of things then followeth vers 23. Awake why sleepest thou O Lord Arise cast us not off for ever wherefore hidest thou thy face and forgettest our affliction and our oppression Such a time was accounted the sleeping time of God Hence when God in the workings of his providence searcheth out the wicked and brings them to destruction when he breaks their designs and turns their counsels backwards when he turns their wickednesse upon their own heads and catches them in the snare which they have laid for others then he is said to awake Ps 78.65 He gave his people over to the sword and the fire consumed the young men then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep and like a giant refreshed with wine He smote his enemies in the hinder parts and put them to a perpetuall shame Such a time was accounted Gods waking time So then Sleeping and awaking note only the changes of providence Hence also the providence of God is described by an eye 2 Chron. 16.9 which is the proper organ of sleeping or waking and the exactnesse of providence is set out by seven eyes Zech. 3.9 The Scripture speaks this language in reference to our soul-sleep and awakening When we sin and let things goe which way they will in our hearts without taking any care or keeping our watch against temptation then we are asleep in sinne And when we begin to consider our estates and return to our selves when we take notice how it is with us and ask our hearts the question What have we done This in a spirituall sense is our awakening Awake thou that sleepest Ephes 5.14 Our spirituall sleeping and waking are the decaies or quicknings of soul-endeavours And Gods providentiall sleeping and waking are the seeming stops and visible motions of his power mercy and justice in the world This is the awaking which Bildad promises If thou wouldest seek God c. Surely he would awake for thee The words opened teach us First That holy prayer shall certainly be heard If thou make thy supplication to him surely he will awake God cannot sleep when a poor believing soul cries in his ears If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear my prayer Psal 66.18 But verily God hath heard me he hath not turned away my prayer nor his mercy from me What God turn prayer away No he cannot lie still as I may so speak when prayer knocks at the door he must arise and open presently That 's a second note Prayer shall be heard presently What presently Yes presently heard though not presently answered Surely now he will awaken for thee even now Holy prayers are never deferred the hearing no not a minute Isa 65.24 Before they call I will hear and while they are yet speaking I will answer In the very act of praying the answer came forth yea the answer sometimes antedates our asking and the grant commeth before the petition The giving out of the answer may be deferr'd but the answer is not deferr'd We may be heard and heard graciously and yet not presently receive the thing we ask but every prayer is heard and laid up assoon as put up he hangs it upon the file he hath it safe by him Prayer receives an answer in heaven assoon as spoken upon earth though the answer be not returned to us on earth God sleeps not at the prayer of those who are awake in prayer Thirdly Observe Prayer is the best means to awaken God God hath many waies to awaken man and he hath directed man a way to awaken himself When we are asleep he awakeneth us chiefly two waies First by the voice of his word Secondly by the voice of his rod. He now awakens us by the loud sounding trumpet and the alarms of warre when God awakeneth us by judgements it is time for us to awaken him by prayer We finde two things in Scripture which awaken God First the prayers of his own people And secondly the rage and blasphemy of his enemies Psal 78.65 The Prophet having described the cruelty and rage of the enemy adds Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine David makes this an argument in prayer Psal 7. Because of the rage of mine enemies awake for me to the judgement which thou hast commanded As if he had said Lord shall mine enemies rage and wilt thou sleep Wilt not thou awake for me Arise I pray thee The noise of blasphemy and the cry of violence from wicked men stir up God when he seems to lie asleep The noise of prayer the cries and cals of faith in his own people will not let him sleep A man whose heart is drenched in the world and drowned in rivers of earthly pleasures praies himself asleep and his prayers bring God asleep to he sleeps when he praies and God sleeps at his prayers that is God regards not his prayer he is as one that sleepeth as if he heard not what was said A wordly man doth not hear what he speaks he knows not what his own requests are God sleepeth when men are thus asleep But when we as the Apostle directs watch and pray then God awakes at our prayers As in the former verse Job was counselled to awake to pray to God so now he is promised That the Lord will awake when he praieth Fourthly Seeing the Lord is awakened by prayer Wâ— learn That Prayer ought to be very strong and fervent As men are graduall in their sleep so is the Lord in his A man is sometimes so slumberingly asleep that the least noise will awake him you cannot stirre but he will hear it At another time a man is so dead asleep that though you hollow in his ear you cannot awake him thunder cannot stirre him Sometimes God departs so little that the least voice calleth him again he comes at the first word at another time he is gone so farre that as to a man in a deep sleep you must crie and cry again call and call again cry aloud before he hears And we may in a safe sense apply that to the true God which Elijah did to that false god Baal when his Priests were calling to him from morning to night Elijah mocking bids them cry aloud it may be saith he he sleepeth We may say with reverence thus when any pray to God and he doth not hear pray aloud not in regard of the voice and outward sound but pray with louder desires of heart with more fervency and zeal of spirit Peradventure God sleepeth peradventure he is in a deep sleep at this time and he will not suddenly be awakened therefore cry aloud When God
seemed to depart farre from the Church of the Jews with how much fervency do they cry after him Isa 51.9 Awake awake put on strength O arm of the Lord awake as in the ancient daies c They double and treble it upon him and cry with an out-stretched voice Art not thou he that hath cut Rahab and wounded the dragon What a clamour what a holy stirre was here to awaken God God himself sometimes seems as it were willing to take his rest as when he said to Moses Let me alone he spake like a man that is in bed or very sleepy Doe not trouble me let me alone as he in the Gospel Luk. 11.7 when he was awakened in the night to come and give bread unto his neighbour Doe not trouble me saith he the doors are shut and I am in bed with my children I cannot rise and give thee let me alone Thus in some sense the Lord expresses himself to his people I am now in bed doe not trouble me Let me alone What must we do in this case We must knock harder at the door as he in the Gospel did For whom though his neighbour would not rise and give him because he was his friend yet because of his importunity he rises and gives him as many loaves as he needed We must be the more importunate to awake God by how much he seems more unwilling to hear us our modesty in this case pleases him not we must call and call again He will take it well at our hands if we doe so We must give our selves no rest and let him take none so the Prophet resolves Isa 62.1 For Jerusalems sake I will take no rest I will never give over praying and at the sixth verse I have set watchmen upon thy wals O Jerusalem which shall never hold their peace day nor night you that make mention of the Lord keep not silence and give him no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth If the Lord should carry it in the present answers of his providence as if he were willing to rest and desired not to be troubled in this businesse be not you so put off but with a holy boldnesse and confidence come to him and awaken him take no answer till ye have an answer He is best pleased and most at ease when in prayer we give him no rest Lastly Observe If God doe but awake for us all is presently well with us If the eye of God be upon us for good that brings us in all good therefore Zech. 2. ult when the Church was in her return from Babylon the Prophet concludes with an exultation of spirit Be silent O all flesh before the Lord for he is raised up out of his holy habitation it is this word He is awaked out of his holy habitation now be silent O all flesh before the Lord All flesh ye that are the wicked of the world ye that are enemies be ye silent leave your boasting your reproaching and blaspheming for the Lord is awaked now he begins to stirre for his people he will stop your mouths shortly All flesh takes in the Church and people of God too O be ye silent in regard of your fears and doubtings murmurings and distracted complainings silence all these why The Lord is awaked he is raised up out of his holy habitation that is he that seemed before to confine himself to those higher regions and as the Atheist speaks in Job to walk in the circle of the heavens not intermedling with the earth This God is now awaked he is raised out of his holy habitation and now ye shall know that he orders all things here below therefore be silent O all flesh When Christ was asleep Matth. 8.25 A grievous tempest arose saith the text insomuch as the Ship was covered with waves When storms and tempests are upon the Church God is then asleep though even then he directs the storms and gives law to the proud waves But what did the Disciples in this storm They awoke Christ Master save us we perish and assoon as ever Christ was awakened He rebuked the storme and there was a great calm Thus when we are tost up and down with contrary windes and in danger to be split and sunke if God once awake all is calm How quietly may they sleep for whom God wakes I doe not say they should sleep carelesly but confidently they may God doth not wake for us to the intent we should sleep in security but we may sleepe quietly when He shewes himselfe awake for us who indeed never slumbereth nor sleepeth And if God awake not for us all our watchfulnesse is as uselesse to us as our sleepinesse The watchman waketh but in vain except the Lord keep the City Except he awake our watching can doe no good and if he awake good will come though we be asleep It is our duty to be carefull and it is our comfort that the care of God is enough for us The eye of divine providence helps us in many humane improvidences What their happinesse is for whom God awakes see in the next words He will make the habitation of thy righteousnesse prosperous This is the second degree or step of mercy promised when the Lord awakes he vvill awake to purpose We say of some men Early up and never the near They awake and doe little work but if God awakes see what he doth He will make the habitation of thy righteousnesse prosperous Some of the Rabbins understand these words as a description of the soul The habitation of thy righteousnesse that is Anima est justitiae omniū virtutum domicilium Aben. Ezr. thy soul shall prosper because the soul is the proper seat of righteousnesse and holinesse Righteousnesse belongeth to the inward man Righteousnesse being a spirituall thing is housed and lodged in the spirit that 's the habitation of it There are others of the Jews who take this habitation of righteousnes for the body because the body is the habitation of the soul in which righteousnesse is seated and so the habitation of righteousnesse by a second remove is the outward man The Lord shall blesse thy body which now lieth in a wofull plight distemper'd and disfigured with sores and sicknesses But rather take the word habitation in those two ordinary Scripture-senses either strictly for the place where Job dwelt or more largely for all that did belong unto him The habitation of a man is all his estate and all that appertains to his estate He will make thy habitation that is thy children thy servants thy fields thy cattell thy stock thy all to be prosperous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Chaldee Paraphrase readeth Significat domū vel speciem pul chritudinem justitiae tuae Tar. He will make thy beautifull place to be prosperous The word signifies beauty as well as an habitation as was shewed upon Chap. 5. ver 3. thither I referre the Reader
God is to forget what God requires this Forgetfulnesse of these three sorts is productive of any of every sin Lastly Observe They that forget God shall quickly wither how great and flourishing soever they are The reason is this because the forgetting of God is a departing from God and he that departs from God departs from the fountain of life If the rush go out of the water it quickly withers and if men will depart from God they shall quickly decay neither grace nor comforts can hold out separated from Christ Why is the godly man compared to a tree planted by the river side which brings forth fruit in his season whose leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doth shall prosper Why is the man that trusts in the Lord compared to a Tree planted by the waters that spreads out her roots by the river and shall not see when heat commeth Jer. 17.7 8. is it not because the Saints alwaies keep close to God by Jesus Christ who is as an everliving fountain of water to them refreshing and moistening them so with continuall supplies of the Spirit that they shall not see when heat commeth that is they shall not be afflicted with those evil effects of heat drought and barrennesse They who keep Covenant with God may possibly feel some decaies but die they shall not they shall revive and sprout up again They shall again put forth their leaves as a plant and their fruit as the garden of Eden They shall bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing And the hypocrites hope shall perish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Similavit dissimulavit ce ulte peccavit per Metaphoram pollutus contaminatus The word which we translate hypocrite comes from a root that signifies close and covered and by a Metaphor polluted defiled contaminated because an hypocrite though he be outwardly covered and beautifully painted over yet his paint is a spot upon him All painting is but a spot in comparison of naturall beauty An hypocrite is not so much painted as polluted Hence he is called a vile person Isa 32.6 The vile person will speak villany and his heart will work iniquity to practise hypocrisie and to utter errour against the Lord. We have the character of hypocrites Isa 58.3 They daily call upon my Name as a people that would know the Lord As a people an hypocrite doth but play a part in religion he doth but personate another like an actour upon a stage who puts forth the severall postures and gestures of a King when as himself is some mean fellow An hypocrite is described acting a double part the one is similation he labours to appear what he is not he would seem to have some good which he hath not Externasaâ—ie internam sanctitatem mentitur And the other is dissimulation he labours not to appear what he is he would hide and cover the evil that he hath An hypocrite is one who seems to be what he is not and would not seem what he is He is a Jew outwardly and his religion circumcision outward in the flesh Rom. 1.18 He seems to be religious Jam. 1.26 He is a whited sepulchre Mat. 23.27 stately on the out-side within nothing but rottennesse and dead bones The hypocrite hath a divided heart Hos 10.3 and a double minde Jam. 1.8 He is not half enough for God and too much for himself Hypocrites are of two sorts some in a large others in a strict sense Most wicked men are hypocrites in a large sense though some are above hypocrisie they are arrived at impudence The Prophet speaks of such Isa 3.9 The shew of their countenance doth witnesse against them and they declare their sin as Sodome they hide it not They declare it not as the mourners in Zion declare their sinne who are ashamed of it but they declare it as Sodome her sin that they may delight in it But though there are some such as these yet the greatest number of wicked men fall under the notion of hypocrisie in a large sense because they keep their sins close and hide them Hence the works of sinne are called works of darknesse Wicked men usually hide their wickednesse and shew that which hath but a shew their goodnesse But in a strict sense he is an hypocrite that seems to be very religious who hath nothing but God and Christ and heaven in his mouth but in his heart and secret practices nothing but earth and hell The hypocrite is like the Onyx-stone of which Naturalists write that it is clear and bright in the superficies but the center is dark and earthy This generation is pure not only in their own eyes Prov. 30.12 but in the eyes of many men possibly in the eyes of all men yet are they not cleansed from their wickednesse The hypocrites hope shall perish That is the time shall come when he shall give over the hope which he hath hoped or the thing shall fail him wherein he hoped First the object of his hope shall fail him that is those benefits blessings accommodations and comforts which he looked for in the profession of religion these shall fail him and prove false hopes Hypocrites Mat. 7. plead with Christ for heaven Lord we have prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out devils c. but their hopes perished Depart from me saith Christ I know you not His hope perisheth when he cannot have the things he hoped for Secondly The act of his hope shall fail his hope shall be so long deferred that his hope shall die he never had any true ground of hope and at the last he shall not have a shew of hope His hope shall perish Observe from the name given hypocrites First That hypocrites are filthy and polluted persons None are so ugly in the eye of God as they who paint for spirituall beauty Pretended holines is more unlovely then professed unholines to them that can discern it As it is said of Nabal 1 Sam. 20. Nabal is his name and folly is with him So we may say of an hypocrite filthinesse is his name and filth is in him Nabal had his name from folly and hypocrites have theirs from filthines Observe secondly Hypocrites may be full of hope for a time They have somewhat though it be unsound upon which they build they think what they do and are will serve turn and go for currant with God This raises up their spirits Some hypocrites will be full of hope even while they are descending to the pit of despair Some hypocrites are not convinced of their hypocrisie to the very last such die in peace while they are going down to eternall warre They go away as we use to say like lambs when their souls are among lions and they are tumbling into the place of dragons Observe thirdly The hope of hypocrites will deceive and fail them God rejects their confidences they shall not prosper in them Jer. 2.37 Lastly
go on boldly till he meets with opposition he will work in a fair day till he meets with a storm and dangers threaten but there he gives over He that is not acquainted with the assurance office of heaven will seldome if at all runne hazards here on earth True trust brings God and the soul together but the hypocrite never comes near God and then no marvell if he be afraid to come near danger Note from it before we put the words together thus much That an hypocrite hath a trust of his own a trust like himself Whose trust An hypocrite doth most things which the upright and sincere hearted doe and he seems to have every thing which the upright and sincere hearted have Doe they pray so doth he Doe they hear se doth he Do they fast so doth he Have they faith He hath a faith too Have they the fear of God he also hath a kinde of fear Have they zeal so hath he yea the zeal of hypocrisie burns hotter for a blast then the zeal of sincerity He hath grace proper to his state false grace for his false heart he hath trust such as it is a trust which belongeth to all of his rank see the character of it in the next words It shall be a spiders web 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tam animal quam rete ejus quod solet contexere significat The Hebrew is It shall be the spiders house the web is the house of the spider We have the same word Isa 59.5 They weave the spiders webbe Isaiah speaks of such pretenders They trust in vanity and speaklie These were the spiders web which they weaved But why is the trust of the hypocrite compared unto the spiders web I shall clear that in four or five particulars which will be as so many notes upon this text 1. Because the profession and all the works of an hypocrite are very weak and unstable as the spiders web is There is a kinde of curiosity in them but there is no strength or stability in them The spider works very curiously but her house will not bear any stresse of weather much lesse force of battery The spiders web is no match for a broom or a whisk Thus it is with the profession the trust of hypocrites you may see a neat spinning a fine threed of profession accurate weavings and contrivances but when it comes to a push it is not able to stand if you doe but touch it 't is gone Some will stand out longer then others yet all fall as Christ assures us Mat. 7. ult it is the hypocrite who buildeth his house upon the sand to have a house built upon the sand is no better then to have a house built in the cicling when the storm comes that house fals and when the broom comes this must down 2. The trust of an hypocrite is called a spiders web because he fetches and frames it as it were out of his own bowels that whereunto he trusteth is wrought out of himself That 's the nature of the spider she hath no extrinsecall materials to build her house with she doth not hew her stones out of any quarry or fetch her timber from any forest as we may allude the materials which she hath she fetcheth out of her own bowels The Bee makes an house and fetcheth the materials from this and that flower so the Bee makes a comb for a house but the spider sucks no flowers Thus it is with hypocrites their trust and hope is as the spiders web made out of their own substance they eviscerate themselves they fetch all out of themselves The meaning is all their trust is in their own duties in their own strength in their own stock in their own gifts upon these they build these are their house We finde the Pharisees trust thus grounded such was his house Luk. 18. I fast twice a week I give alms I pay all men their due He was very exact in righteousnesse according to the Law upon this and out of this he makes his house this is to make an house like a spider Though it be our graces we trust upon our trust will be a spiders web The believer is well compared to a Bee the Bee hath an house and honey but the Bee fetcheth all from abroad from herbs and flowers Believers have their house to dwell in and their honey to feed upon but they such all from the promises of Christ yea they suck it from Christ himself they rest not in the letter of the promises but they go to Christ who is the matter promised and the accomplisher of all the promises Here they build their house and hew out the pillars of it 3. Their trust shall be a spiders web in the issue it shall perish like a spiders web How is that Assoon as the house comes to be cleansed down go the spiders webs when the house is swept the cob-webs are first swept away Thus it is with the trust of all hypocrites when God sweeps his house his Church he quickly sweeps out these spiders webs Isa 14.23 the Prophet speaks of the besome of God the judgements of God are the besome of God by which he sweepeth his house God hath a double besome or a double use of his besome he hath a besome of destruction and a besome of purgation It is a besome of destruction to hypocrites and it is a besome of purgation to his Saints When either the besome of destruction or the besome of purgation is in hand the trust of hypocrites is swept away When the Prophet describes the Lord in his great and terrible judgements Isa 33.14 the text saith The sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulnesse surprizeth the hypocrite who shall dwell with devouring fire God provoked is a devouring fire How shall stubble and spiders webs stand before him When trouble comes the trust of hypocrites goes to wrack they tremble then for their trust is but a spiders web it cannot stand one stroak or endure the flaming heat The hope of a godly man grows strongest in times of trouble he is purified in the fire and the hope of an hypocrite weakens till it be none at all in times of trouble it is cast out of doors amongst the rubbish or is consumed with the fire 4. Take this parallel between the spiders web and the profession of hypocrites The spider makes his web to catch and ensnare others to catch the poor flies She hath a double use of her house to lie in it and to entrap flies in it Her house is a snare The profession of an hypocrite is a spiders web in this notion he makes it to catch flies with to ensnare and deceive the simple that he may prey upon them He would count godlinesse a poor thing did he not make a gain of godlines That brings him in food and cloathing he lives upon it This his deceitfull web is so fine spun and fairly woven that you cannot easily discern any
in the eye of the world yet at last himself and his family shall be so clean removed and swept away his name and memory so blotted out that there shall not be any print or foot-step of his being upon the face of the earth Whence note That the memory of wicked men shall perish for ever none shall own them If they be asked about them they shall say We have not seen them Peter in his temptation denied Christ Mat. 27. when they asked him saying Art not thou one of his Disciples No saith he I know not the man As the Saints under temptation and as hypocrites in their daily conversation deny Christ so the time will come when hypocrites and wicked men shall be denied themselves their places shall say We know them no more They shall be remembred only as Pilate is remembred in that which is called the Apostles Creed who stands there upon record for his wickednesse cowardize and injustice in condemning Christ whom he knew to be innocent Wicked men are either forgotten or else remembred with a brand of disgrace They who have been adored and flattered and crept to like little gods shall not be owned by the meanest men Even their parasites who have hung about them will fall off from them and say Who we know them we know no such men It is prophesied Zech. 8.23 of the Jews who are now a despised and scattered people yet still a people in the heart of Christ that God will bring them forth at last and they shall be a people so much honoured that ten men out of every Nation shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew saying We will go with you for we have heard that God is with you The despised Saints such as the world hath cast out and said We will not see or take notice of them shall be honoured or envied of all Men will be glad to take hold of their skirts and say Come let us go with you O that we might have a part and a portion with you for we know that God is with you O that we had lived the lives and might die the deaths of the righteous O that our beginnings had been and that our later ends might be like theirs Likewise a time will come when hypocrites and wicked men shall be despised by their admirers and cast out as not worth the looking on by their grossest flatterers It was a great honour which the Oratour gives Homer Cic. in Orat. pro Arch. poet a Heathen Poet who was a man of such reputation that many great Cities strove for him One said he was born here another said he was born there a third among us was the place of his birth All desired to own him because he was a man highly honoured for his learning in those times So on the other side every place shall be ashamed of some men this place shall say we have nothing to do with him and that place shall say we have nothing to doe with him one shall disclaim him and another shall disclaim him all shall refuse him It shall be the honour of Saints to be desired of all and it shall be the shame and punishment of wicked men to be cast out and disregarded by all They who despise God shall at last be lightly esteemed among men Bildad having thus enlarged his similitude in all the parts of it and at last laid the hypocrite as low as forgetfulnesse so low that no man will own him as he is alwaies so low that God will not own him he concludes tryumphantly against him Verse 19. Behold this is the joy of his way and out of the earth shall others grow Here 's his conclusion This is the joy The word which we translate joy signifies the highest joy a kinde of leaping for joy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dicitur quando gaudio gestimus ut canes solent quando peregre advenienti Domino adulantur En haec est exultatio viae ejus ironicâ—â—s dictum Haec est laetitia qua sibi placebit in magnitudine suâ Viam appellat statum in quo erat q. d. en quo redeat ejus gaudium dum ita sese efferret Merc. It is an allusion to dogs or spaniels who you know when their Masters come home leap about them for joy and in their language bid them welcome Such a joy is here meant a joy lifting up the heart a leaping an exulting joy The word is often applied to the joy of the Saints they rejoyce and as it were leap about Jesus Christ they triumph in the favour of God The leaping the exulting joy the best joy all the joy which an hypocrite hath is but this vvhich hath been described Is it not a desirable joy a goodly joy sure the words are ironicall This is the joy of his way Of his way Way is taken for the course purpose and institution of a mans life for the tenour of his conversation which he holds in the world This is the joy of his way This is it The particle is demonstrative This is it which I have told you as if he had said cast up all the comfort and happinesse of that flourishing tree of the hypocrite this is all that it comes to his end is to be rooted up and not so much as to be owned by those that knew him before There are three things which I should observe from this This is the joy of his way First That an hypocrite may have much joy in his way He may rejoyce much in his condition and thinke all 's well False hopes can produce false joyes False faith brings forth a comfort like it self a fading comfort a shadow of comfort as that is but a shadow of faith The fancy of faith is usually fuller of joy then true faith Satan helps forward this joy and God for a time will not hinder it Faith though feigned gives the soul a sight of such things as are worth the rejoycing in and a supposed title to them will move joy as well as a reall title doth The stony ground received the word with joy The promises are delicious to the sensitive and rationall part as well as to the spirituall and regenerate part Hence Heb. 6. they that fall away are said to have had tastes of the joyes of the world to come An hypocrite may thinke himself in heaven sometimes and then like one in heaven he cannot but rejoyce He may have a glimpse of heaven upon earth all whose heaven is earth This is his joy Secondly This may be demonstrative and answers the question what is his joy It is this His worldly comforts his flourishing outward condition is his chiefest joy Then note The joy of hypocrites is chiefly boâ—tomed upon outward things It is not the joy of the Lord no nor joy in the Lord Rejoyce in the Lord and again I say rejoyce is the Gospell-command An hypocrite cannot rejoyce thus When he rejoyces in the Lord
somewhat besides the Lord causeth his joy He rejoyces in his green boughs in his goodly branches in his supposed strong root but to rejoyce in God as God he knows not how Davids joy was the opposite of this Psal 4.6 Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me and that will put gladnesse in my heart more then in the time that their corn and wine encreased Let me have the Sun-shine of thy love and then though I have nothing but darknesse and clouds from the world I shall rejoyce But what saith the hypocrite let my corn and wine encrease let the Sunne of outward prosperity shine warm upon me let me have my greennesse of creature-contentments let me have credit and fair repute among men these will put gladnesse in my heart These glad his heart when he hath not a dram of grace or goodnesse there Thirdly The joy of an hypocrite is but for a moment It is a perishing joy This is the joy of his way you see what it amounts to how well it last His greennesse is turned into withering his root rots and his fruit fals off This is his joy He is like those spoken of in the Epistle of Jude vers 14. Trees twice dead and plucked up by the roots That 's the conclusion of the hypocrite he hath a name to live but he is dead twice dead naturally dead in sinne and judicially dead under wrath he was born spiritually dead and his whole life is a passage to eternall death He hath rejoyced a while but he must mourn for ever The portion of hypocrites is weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat. 24.51 Their joy is but for a morning or a day weeping comes at night that night hath no morning after it And out of the earth shall others grow Some read Out of the earth shall somewhat else some other thing grow We out of the earth when these are removed other persons shall grow who shall inherit the place and possesse the dwelling of these prosperous trees For he follows the similitude of a tree when or where one is pulled up another is planted and grows up in it's room Or others shall possesse what he hath gotten In which sense Job speaks Chap. 27.16 17. Alij qui alieni erunt ab eo quasi è terra alia germinabuÌ„t in bona ipsius su cedeâ—tes juxta illud repositâ—e sunt justo opes peccatoris Dâ—â—l Though he heap up silver as the dust and prepare raiment as the clay he may prepare it but the just shall put it on and the innocent shall divide the silver Which words may be a Comment upon these Out of the earth shall others grow that is others shall rise up God will bring a new generation to enjoy his ill-gotten substance and eat the sweet of all his labours Solomon Eccles 2.18 was much afflicted because he knew not who should grow up after him I hated saith he all my labour which I have taken under the Sunne because I shall leave it to a man and I know not what he shall be whether a wise man or a fool It is a part of the vanity which lies upon man-kinde that after all a mans labour and pains he must leave all unto some body he knows not certainly who But there is a greater and sorer vanity upon the hypocrite he seldome staies to take his part He shall not rost that which he hath takâ—n in hunting Pro. 12. that is he shall not have the benefit himself of what he hath but others unthought of shall come out of the ground and grow in his place This is the upshot or summe of all his misery he hath laboured for others in temporall things and he hath got nothing for himself in spirituall things Further the words may carry this sense That When wiâ—ked men are taken away the righteous shall grow in their roome Pull up the bryars and thorns and then vines and fig-trees lilies and roses will grow the better When wicked men are removed good men will prosper Again Out of the earth shall others grow they were not worth the ground they went upon though they were worth a great deal of ground therefore out of the ground shall others grow God will raise up a generation which shall be more faithfull and serviceable unto him There is a fourth sense of this expression Out of the earth shall others grow that is out of the meanest and lowest condition others shall grow and so it carries an opposition between the condition of an hypocrite and of a godly man The hypocrite in his flourishing greennesse shall be cut down to the ground but they whose hearts are sincere and upright though they are as low as the ground though they are upon the earth and are trodden down as mire in the streets yet they shall grow up They who were growing high shall be cut down and they who were below shall grow up such as they feared not nor suspected shall prevail over them They who are lowest even as low as the earth shall be raised built up and set on high in the world when God speaks the word There is an Exposition of this whole context about which because many close with it I shall give a brief account Divers of the learned understand this third similitude not as describing the state of an hypocrite but as an instance in opposition to the state of an hypocrite set forth by the rush and by the spider in the former verses Hence it is that the Italian version begins the sixteenth verse thus But the perfect man is green before the Sun c. And so the sense may be given to this effect As if Bildad had said Though hypocrites wither like a rush or like a flag though they are suddenly swept down like a spiders web yet a godly man is a green tree before the Sunne he is not like a rush without water but like a tree planted by the rivers side which is able to endure the heat of the Sunne yea the hottest Sunne of persecution His branches shoot forth in his garden he is no wilde tree no tree of the forest or of the wildernesse he is a tree of the inclosed garden which if it want the water from the clouds the Gardener will take care to water it with his hand Or his roots are wrapped about the heap about the fountain he is strongly set and he hath water continually to feed and supply his branches Thus the Church is so described by Balaam Numb 24.6 How goodly are thy tents O Jacob and thy tabernacles O Israel as the valleys are they spread forth as gardens by the rivers sides as the trees of Lign aloes which the Lord hath planted and as Cedar-trees besides the waters Thus the godly mans roots are wrapped about the fountain and there he is fruitfull though the Sunne shine hot upon him yet it cannot exhale his moysture faster then the river can supply him with
all these the Lord is mighty in strength Vis confilij expers mole ruit sua Never fear either a defect of power in God or a defect in mannaging that power Sometimes power overthrows it self by it's own bulk and greatnesse but mighty strength ordered with equall wisdome is dreadfull to enemies and comfortable to friends A rude rout an undigested Chaos of men though very great never did any great thing But suppose a very numerous army of men and every man in that army having as much wisdome as would fit a Generall to lead and command them all what could stand before them Thus it is with God and how admirable is the union and marriage of these two together he hath all power and all wisdome Every degree of power in God is acted with a sutable degree of wisdome therefore there can be no miscarriage Note further how this Attribute runs thorow all the Attributes of God He is mighty in strength he is mighty also in truth mighty in love mighty in mercy mighty in faithfulnesse a mighty strength is in whatsoever God is Again Take this generall concerning all the Attributes of God when it is said He is wise in heart and mighty in strength c. These are not qualities in God they are in men Wisdome is to them an accident and so is strength whether civill strength or naturall it may be severed from them and they still keep their being But the wisdome of God is the wise God and the power of God is the powerfull God and the knowledge of God is the knowing God These Attributes are not accidents but his essence not qualities but his nature From both these Attributes laid together Job draws down his great conclusion which he puts by way of question Who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered Shew me the man having described the Lord in his wisdome and power he challengeth all the world and sends defiance to all creatures in heaven and in earth to meet with this God As if he had said Friends Doe ye thinke I have any thought to contend with God No I know not one who hath accepted this challenge or hardened himself against God and prospered If my own conscience would not yet their harms who have attempted it might warn me from such presumption Hardened himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Indurare aut obdurescere Metaphoricè à tactu ad alios sensus transfertur denotat crudele saevum difficile quod dura sunt difficilia Durum est quod in se per superficiem non cedit Arist l. 4. Met. c. 4. Durities est qualitas densas bene compactas habens partes difficulter cedens tactui Arist l. 2. de Gener. Hardening under a naturall consideration comes by withdrawing the moisture out of any substance whence the parts of it are condensed grew stiff and unyeelding to the touch So Philosophers define it That is hard which doth not easily submit to impressions from without In a morall sense to harden is to settle the spirit or immoveably to resolve upon the doing or not doing of a thing when a man doth purposely resolve and resolvedly purpose to carry on a design he hardeneth himself to doe it The word is used both in a good sense and in an ill sense In a good sense when a man is resolute to do the will of God that is when he grows so resolved that he will not be removed by hopes or fears by promises or by threats When a man hath not a soft sequacious spirit to be swaied this way and that way but stands fixed and firm like a rock such a resolute spirit in goodnesse is a spirit hardened to doe good When the Lord had told Ezekiel that he should finde the ears of Israel lock'd against his messages and their hearts hardened he gives him assurance of a sutable ability to deal even with such Ezek. 3.8 9. Behold I have made thy face strong against their faces and thy fore-head strong against their fore-heads as an adamant harder then flint have I made thy fore-head The words seem to carry an allusion to Buls or Rams who use to run head against head when they are enraged against one another And so the sense is as if the Lord had said I know this people will be mad at thee and runne upon thee like furious beasts but trouble not thy self I will through my grace make thee as strong in declaring my will as they through pride and unbelief are strong in opposing it Thou needest not fear to encounter these Buls and Rams holinesse shall make thy fore-head that is thy purpose to performe my command harder then wickednesse shall make their fore-heads that is their purposes to disobey what I command As to be hardened in sinne is worse then sinning so to be hardened in doing good is better then doing good Sinne and grace act most like themselves when they act against all opposition As an adamant have I made thy face The adamant is insuperable as the notation of the * Adamas ejus creditur esse naturae ut domet omnia neque ipse ab ulla vifive arte domari possit Vnde nomen traxit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sonat indomitum Sanct. in Ezek. 3. word imports A heart thus hardened in holinesse overcomes all the fears and terrours which the world can raise against it Heroicall Luther was thus hardened when he said he would goe to Worms though the tiles upon every house in that City were matcht with a like number of Devils ready to resist him and the truth of Christ But usually hardening is taken in an ill sense and so to harden the spirit noteth First A resolving to sin whatsoever God saith or doth Obdurare cor est Deum loquentē nolle audire contemnere pervicaciter resistere nec se ejus verbo subjicere velle Par. in Heb. c. 3. v. 8. To sin against the word and works of God that 's hardening of the heart against God when a man will go on in his way though a threat be sounding in his ears a judgment appear terribly before his eyes such a man is hardned indeed he is grown valiant and couragious in wickednes Secondly A man hardens himself against God when he speaks stoutly against God the hardnesse of the heart appears in the tongue Mal. 3.13 Your words have been stout against me Stout words are a sign of stout spirits Our language is usually the image of our mindes So the word of the text is used 2 Sam. 19.43 The words of the men of Judah were fiercer then the words of the men of Israel Their words were harder then the words of the men of Israel they spake more resolutely and manly When a man sets himself to speak boldly against God the waies or the works of God he hardens himself against God fearfully Thirdly We harden our selves against God when we are displeased with what God doth That man
sin and provoke When God afflicts his people he hardens his heart against them and it is seldome that he hardeneth his heart against them till they harden their hearts against him And the truth is if they who are dearest to him do harden their hearts against him if they quarrell and contend with him if they rise up against his commands or neglect his will he will make their hearts submit or he will make their hearts ake and break their bones If they harden their hearts against his fear they shall feel his rod upon their backs and spirits too Which of the Saints ever hardened himself against God and hath prospered No man whether holy or prophane righteous or wicked could ever glory of a conquest over God or triumph after a war with him JOB Chap. 9. Vers 5 6 7 8 9 10. Which removeth the mountains and they know not which overturneth them in his anger Which shaketh the earth out of her place and the pillars thereof tremble Which commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not and sealeth up the starres Which alone spreadeth out the heavens and treadeth upon the waves of the Sea Which maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiadis and the chambers of the South Which doth great things past finding out yea and wonders without number JOB having in generall asserted the power and wisdome of God he must have infinite power and wisdome against whom no man ever prospered by contending Having I say asserted this in generall he descends to make a particular proof of it as if he had said I will not only give you this argument that God is mighty in strength because no man could ever harden his heart against him and prosper he hath foyl'd all that ever medled with him but besides I will give you particular instances of it and you shall see that the Lord hath done such things as speak him mighty in strength and prove him as powerfull as I have reported him These particulars are reported in the 5 6 7 8 9. verses all closed with a triumphant Elogy in the tenth Subjicit Job confirmationem proximè praecedentis syâ—ogismi ab effectis potentiae sapientiae Dei quae amplissima oratione describit Merl. Which doth great things past finding out yea and wonders without number The Argument may be thus formed He is infinite in power and wisdome who removeth mountains and shakes the earth who commands the Sunne who spreads out the heavens and disposeth of the starres in the firmament But the Lord doth all these things he removeth mountains he shakes the earth he commandeth the Sun c. Therefore he is mighty in power and infinite in wisdome The first part of this argument is here implied The assumption or the minor is proved in the 5 6 7 8 and 9. verses by so many instances Here then is an evident demonstration of the power of God from visible things from acts apparent to the eye As if he had said If you have not faith to beleeve that God is infinite in power let your senses teach it you for he removeth mountains and they know it not He overturneth them in his anger c. He removeth mountains 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That 's the first instance The word which we translate to remove Senescere quia quae sic inveterascunt forticra robustiora cum tempore solent evadere ideo idem verbum significat roborari 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. signifies to wax old and strong because things as they grow in age grow in strength There is a declining age and an encreasing age Things very old impair and things growing older encrease in strength we have the word in that sense Job 21.2 Wherefore doe the wicked become old yea they are mighty in power he putteth these two together growing old and mighty in power The Septuagint render Who maketh the mountains wax old because that which waxeth old is ready to vanish away Heb. 8.13 or to be removed and taken away as the Ceremoniall Law was of which the Apostle speaks in that place And because growing old implies a kinde of motion therefore the word also signifies motion even locall motion a moving from or out of a place Gen. 12.4 Abraham departed he removed from the place where he was This locall motion is either naturall or violent of this later understand the Text Which removeth the mountains The mountains There are naturall mountains and metaphoricall or figurative mountains it is an act of the mighty power of God to remove either Some understand this of metaphoricall or figurative mountains and so mountains are great men men of eminency or of preeminency the Kings and Princes of the world Chaldeus per montes intelligit reges qui loco movet reges fortes ut montâ—s Targ. The Chaldee is expresse for this sense He removeth Kings who are as strong and high as mountains For as God hath ordered the superficies of the earth and made some parts of it plain others mountainous some valleys and some hils So he hath disposed of men some men stand as upon levell ground men of an ordinary condition others are as the low vallies men of a poor condition others are as the high mountains over-topping and over-looking the rest The word is used in this metaphoricall sense Isa 41.15 I will make thee saith the Lord to the Prophet a new threshing instrument having teeth And what shall this new threshing iestrument do Thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small and shalt make the hils as chaff Here is a Prophet sent with a flail or a threshing instrument and his businesse is to thresh the mountains and to beat the hils the meaning is thou shalt destroy the great ones of the world the hils the mountains those that thinke themselves impregnable or inaccessible But how could the Prophet thresh these mountains and what was his flail Gideon Judg. 8.7 threatens the men of Succoth that he will tear or thresh their flesh with the thorns of the wildernesse and with briars And Damascus is threatned because they threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron Am. 1.3 That is they put them to extreamest tortures Our Prophet could not thus torture men His threshing instrument having iron teeth was only his tongue the instrument of speech With this he beat those proud mountains to dust that is he declared they should be beaten and destroied Of such a mountain the Lord by his Prophet speaks Jer. 51.25 Behold I am against thee O destroying mountain saith the Lord which destroiest all the earth Behold I will stretch out mine hand upon thee and will roll thâ—e down from the rocks and make thee a burnt mountain This mountain was the proud State of Babylon which was opposite to the Church of God this devouring mountain shall at last be a devoured mountain devoured by fire therefore he cals it a burnt mountain Thus Zech. 4.7 Who art thou O great mountain before Zerubbabel thou
standeth fast for ever The righteousnesse of God is compared to a great mountain Psal 36.6 because his righteousnesse is firm and unmoveable Thy righteousnesse is like the great mountains or the mountains of God And Psal 46.2 the doing of the greatest things Isa 54.10 the mountains and the making of the greatest changes that possibly can happen in any Nation or in the whole world are exprest by the removing of mountains Though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the Sea yet will we not fear c. That is things which carry the greatest impossibility to be done or which are seldomest done shall be done before we will doe this As men when they would shew how farre they are from submitting to such a thing say We will die first c. So here Who we fear No mountains shall be removed first He breaths out the highest confidence of the Church in the lowest not only of her present but possible dangers As faith can represent to us better things then any we enjoy to raise our joy so it can represent to us worse things and put us harder cases then any we feel and yet carry us above fear A faith removing mountains is put for the strongest faith Though I had all faith so that I could remove mountains 1 Cor. 13.2 that is though I had the strongest faith the faith of miracles When Christ Mat. 21.21 would shew to the utmost what faith can doe he faith If ye have faith and doubt not ye shall not only doe this which is done to the fig-tree but also if ye shall say to this mountain be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea and it shall be done As if he had said if you have faith ye may doe the greatest things imaginable or desirable ye shall remove mountains A mountain is immovable by the meer power of a creature Faith takes that in hand because faith acts in the power of the Creatour And as the faith of man removing mountains notes a faith of miracles so the power of God removing mountains notes a miraculous power So then taking this speech either for the removing of naturall mountains or taking it proverbially as it noteth the doing of the greatest things and putting forth of the greatest power it proveth the point which Job hath here in hand viz. That God is mighty in strength Why He is able to remove mountains Observe from hence First That the Lord if he pleaseth can alter and remove the parts of the earth and change the frame and fabrique of nature He that made the mountains unmoveable to us can himself remove them The Histories and Records of former times tell us how God hath miraculously tossed mountains out of their places Josephus in his ninth book of Antiquities Mons in Burgundia a proximo monte dehiâ—cens vallesque proximas coâ—rctaâ—s multa agricolarum millia oppressit c. Vvernerus in fasciculo Josephus Ant. l 9. c 12. Vide Senâ—cam l. 5. c 15 l. l. â— 15. Natur. Quest Plinium Nat. Hist l. 8. c 38. Cum in agro Mutinensi montes duo inter se concurrehaÌ„t crepâ—tu maximo ossultantes c. Eo concursau villae omnes â—lisae sunt c. cap. 11. mentions the removing of a mountain and Pliny in the eighth book of his naturall History Cap. 30. A later writer reports that in Burgundy in the year 1230. there were mountains seen moving which overthrew many houses to the great terrour of all the inhabitants of those countries Josephus also reports the like done by an earthquake And another tels us of Mount Ossa joyned to Olympus by an earth-quake So that take it in the letter the Lord is able to remove mountains It should make us fear before the Lord and give him glory while we remember that even the outward frame of the world is subject to sudden changes there is no mountain no rock but the little finger of God can move or pull it down As David spake of his metaphoricall mountain his great outward estate Lord thou hadst made it stand strong yet thou didst hide away thy face and I was troubled Psal 30.6 his mountain began to shake and became a very mole-hill uselesse to him when God was displeased If the Lord with-draw himself from our civill mountains we are troubled and if he touch the naturall mountains they are troubled Our mountains will skip like Rams and the little hils like Lambs Psal 114.4 when he is displeased Secondly observe That the power of God is made visible to us in the changes which he works in the creature as well as in the constitution of the creature The power of God made the mountains and created the hils the same power removes mountains and turns them upside down It argues as great a power to destroy the world as to settle the world As the Apostle shews what divinity the Gentiles might have learned in that great book of the worlds creation Rom. 1.20 The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things which are made even his eternall power and Godhead So we may say on the other side The invisible things of him from the confusions which are in the world are clearly seen or they may be understood by the things which are removed and changed in these you may read his eternall power and God-head When God breaks the laws and course of nature he shews his power as well as when he setled the laws and course of nature He shews his power when he lets the sea out of it's place to overflow the earth as well as when he bounded the sea that it shall not overflow the earth Some things are with farre lesse power destroied then made removed then setled but no power can destroy the world but that which made it or suddenly remove a mountain but that which setled it The power of God must be acknowledged in altering as well as in ordering the naturall course or constitution of the creature And if we look to the change of Metaphoricall mountains it is a truth an illustrious truth that the Lord displaies his mighty power in removing and over-turning the great estates and establishments of men or kingdoms When God removes the mountain of our peace of our riches the mountain of outward prosperity and of civill power it becomes us to say He is mighty in power who doth all these things God hath given us great tokens and testimonies of his power in this How many mountains great mountains men who were mountains and things which stood like mountains in our way how many I say of these hath the Lord removed Our eies have seen mountains removing and mighty hils melting the power of God and the faith of his people have wrought such miracles in our daies He removeth the mountains And they know it not They who who or what is the antecedent to
and the pillars thereof tremble This is a second instance but in higher expressions of the same power of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e terram universam Sept. Which shakes the earth out of her place He had said before God removeth mountains Mountains are great bulky bodies but no mountain is so great as the Globe of the whole earth Now saith he the Lord doth not only shake mountains some great parts of the earth but if he pleaseth he can take up the whole earth and throw it out of its place as a man would take up a little ball and throw it into the air He shakes the earth out of her place The word which we translate to shake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non significat motum naturalem sed commotionem quandaÌ„ ex metu trepidationem tremorem Didacus Astunica putat hunc locum illustrari posse ex sententia Pythagoricorum existi mantium terraÌ„ moveri natura sua Copernieus signifies a violent motion of the minde caused either by fear Deut. 2.25 or grief 2 Sam. 18.33 we read of a trembling heart from both Deut. 28.25 It is also applied to civill shakings and commotions by the troublesome spirits of men Prov. 30.21 For three things the earth is disquieted And to unnaturall shakings of the earth by the power of God 2 Sam. 22.8 c. So in the text Some expound this of a naturall motion Those men have surely a motion and turning in their brains who tell us that there is a continued motion of the earth that it turns and never stands still they would ground the motion of the earth upon this Scripture translating thus Which moveth the earth in her place But the text tels us that the earth hath pillars and not wheels Pillars are made for rest not for motion Further This text speaks of it as of an act of Gods anger therefore no ordinary act appointed in nature and the word notes a violent motion not a naturall But we need not stand to refute this motion As when some denied all motion a Philosopher to prove it rose up and walked So when any affirm or give reason for this motion we may shew their senses that the earth stands This shaking then is extraordinary the Lord who made the earth firm upon pillars can make the earth move as if it went on wheels This he doth first by earthquakes these shake the earth as it were out of her place and make it tremble Histories are full and many mens experience can give instances of such terrible shakings of the earth This earthquake is not meant here for there is a reason in nature for that Philosophers dispute much about it and tell us when there is a strong vapour included or imprisoned in the bowels of the earth that vapour seeking vent maketh a combustion there and so the earth shakes This indeed shews the mighty power of God but it is in a naturall way whereas the text seems to imply somewhat more somewhat beyond the learning of Philosophers and Naturalists Besides the text saith He shaketh the earth out of her place Whereas an earthquake shakes the earth in her place and causes it to tremble upon the pillars thereof But did God ever shake the earth out of her place We must understand the text conditionally We have not any instance that the Lord hath actually done so but this supposition may be put The Lord can remove mountains and shake the earth not only in but out of her place We finde such conditionall expressions often put in Scripture not as if the things ever had been or ever should be done but if the Lord will he is able to doe them Amos 9.5 The Lord God of Hosts is he that toucheth the land Terrificam capitis concussit terque quaterque Caesariem cum qua terraÌ„ mare sidera moâ—it Ovid. Met. and it shall melt that is if the Lord doe but touch the land he can melt it As the three children cast into a fiery fornace had not so much as a garment or a threed about them touched with it because the Lord forbad the fire to burn So if the Lord bid a spark but touch us it shall melt and consume us as if we were cast into and continued in a fiery fornace As a word made so a touch shall mar the world when God will yet he hath not done thus unto this day So in the text He shakes the earth out of her place imports what God can not what he hath or will do Note from it That the Lord is able to doe greater things then ever he actually hath done He hath not put the earth out of her place the earth is where it was but he can displace it God hath never acted any of his attributes to the height for they are infinite he never acted power so high but he is able to act it higher He hath never acted mercy in pardoning so farre but he is able to act it further a greater sinner then ever yet was pardoned may be pardoned A greater enemy then ever was overcome may be overcome He hath runne with foot-men and they have not wearied him and he is able to contend with horses in a land of peace he was never wearied and he knows how to wade thorow the swellings of Jordan It is comfortable to consider that the Lord cannot only doe the same things again which he hath done but he hath never done to the utmost of what he is able to doe he can out-doe all that he hath done as much as the shaking of the whole earth out of her place is more then to remove a mountain yea or a mole-hill of earth And the pillars thereof tremble We have the pillars of heaven Chap. 26.11 here of the earth The pillars 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Columna erecta a stando dicta The word in the originall signifies to stand upright to be erect because pillars doe so There are two sorts of pillars upon which there is a different interpretation of the word There are first Supporting pillars And Secondly Supported pillars Or there are pillars for ornament and pillars for strength We set up pillars or pinacles upon the tops of great buildings for ornament and they are supported pillars We may call mountains such pillars for as when some stately palace is built great pillars or pinacles are set upon the towers and battlements so the Lord having framed the earth hath set up mountains as great pillars for the adorning of it He shaketh the earth and the pillars thereof tremble it is true of these upper pillars the mountains they tremble But I take it rather to be meant of supporting pillars under-pillars which bear the frame above and are as the bases or under-props of the earth Psal 105. Who laid the foundation of the earth the earth hath a foundation the Hebrew is He hath founded the earth upon her basis alluding to a building
Most buildings have their foundations in the earth but some upon it being raised upon pillars So Hannah 1 Sam. 2.8 in her Song The pillars of the earth are the Lords and he hath set the world upon them What are these pillars that the Lord hath set the world upon or where shall we finde them David shews us Psal 24.1 2. The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof the world and they that dwell therein for he hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the flouds It is strange that pillars of liquid water should bear up the massie earth the earth seems rather to be the pillar and foundation of the waters Some interpret super which signifies upon by prope or juxta neer he hath founded it upon the seas that is He hath founded it by or neer the seas But take it in the letter and it is a truth for the sea is as much the pillar of the earth as the earth is the pillar of the sea earth and sea being a globe and round the sea is as much under the earth as the earth is under the sea Thus the pillars of the earth are waters And the earth is established upon the flouds Further If you would know what these pillars are hear what Job saith Chap. 26.7 where he assures us that God hangeth the earth upon nothing We are not to think that the Lord in framing and building the earth did first set up pillars and then set the earth upon them for the earth hangeth as a ball in the midst of the air without any pillars under it Hence Jobs Philosophy teaches us That he hangeth the earth upon nothing there are no materiall or visible pillars to sustain it What is then the pillar of the earth What is it that supports and bears it up The reall pillar of the earth it is the power of God But the power of God cannot tremble How then doth he say When he shaketh the earth the pillars thereof tremble Terrae columnae infimas terrae partes significant quae reliquam terrae molem impositam sustineat haec sunt veluti fundamenta fulcra terrae In this place therefore we may expound the pillars of the earth for the lower parts of the earth and so though the whole globe of the earth taken together be neither higher nor lower yet in the parts of it from any point some are higher and some are lower some above and some beneath upon what superficies soever we are the under parts thereof are to us the pillars of the earth So the meaning is He shaketh the earth out of her place and the pillars thereof tremble that is he shaketh it so terribly that if it had any outward visible pillars those pillars must needs tremble Quo pacto terra firma immota consistit quidnā pro vehiculo habet cujus rei adminiculo fulcitur rationi nihil occurrit cui innitatur si divinam voluntatem exceperis Greg Nazianz Orat. 34. Suis l brata ponderibus fixa manet In this we may observe the great power of God in upholding the earth We see what the pillars of the earth are the supposed pillars are no other then the lower parts of the earth and the true pillar of the earth is no other but the power of God there are no other buttresses or pillars upon which the earth is set or by which it is sustained This huge weight of the whole earth and seas is borne up by the thin air Is not this an argument of the mighty power of God that the air which is a body so weak that if you throw a feather up into it it will not stay there but descend yet the whole masse or globe of earth and waters hangs there God poiseth it meerly by its own weight For he weighed the mountains in scales and the hils in balances Isa 40.12 He upholds all things by the word of his power And hath built this great Castle in the air Could we enter into the secrets of nature and set our faith a work by our senses about these things we should be raised above all fear in the greatest difficulties If we saw but a bullet or a piece of lead of a pound yea of a peny weight lifted up and hang in the air without any thing to support it we would conclude it a miracle What thinke you when all the lead and iron and brasse and stone that is in the world hang in the air without any visible stay I finde some interpreting this clause as the former in a figurative sense He shaketh the earth that is States Kingdoms and Common-wealths And the pillars thereof tremble that is they who seemed to be their strongest supporters tremble and shake This is a truth and a profitable one for our meditation To clear this First We finde the earth in Scripture often put for States and Kingdoms Isa 24.20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard and shall be removed like a cottage and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it and it shall fall and not rise again The earth shall doe this what earth He doth not mean the naturall earth ☜ upon which men tread but the people who tread upon the earth or that Common-wealth wherein people are united and governed these shall reel to and fro and be removed like a cottage As if he had said you thought your State and Kingdome was setled like a strong Castle but I will take it down as a man takes down a little cottage raddl'd only with a few sticks and reeds Or the meaning of it is your Common-wealth that hath been founded by the wisdome of so many Law-givers Fundavit legibus urbes and is established in so much riches and power shall be removed as a poor cottage thorow which every puff of winde findes a passage The strongest Kingdoms and Bulwarks of the earth are but as thatcht cottages when God takes them in hand Secondly Pillars are as often taken in a politicall sense Psal 75.3 The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved How comes it then to passe that they are not utterly destroied It follows I bear up the pillars of it that is I maintain Governours and Magistrates some in places of power and authority by whom shaking tottering Kingdoms are upheld Our experience teaches us this We live in a Nation of which we may say Our earth with the inhabitants thereof are dissolved we are a broken and a shattered people yet the Lord bears up our Pillar * the Parliament the politique pillar of our Nation we had long ago lain in the dust if God had not borne up this pillar The chief counsels of the adversary have been to weaken and undermine to ruine and pull down this pillar They like Samson have taken hold of our two pillars and bowed themselves with all their might Judg. 16.28 but neither have they proved Samsons nor proved us Philistines
Further There are Church-pillars as well as State-pillars men of eminency in knowledge and learning in parts and piety These are pillars of the Church of God So the Apostle cals James and Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 2.9 As the Church it self is the pillar of truth so some particular members are pillars of truth bearing it up and holding it forth as pillars doe the Laws or edicts of Princes and Common-wealths As these pillars are of Gods setting up so of Gods bearing up In great shakings of the earth Common-wealth-pillars tremble and Church-pillars tremble yea they would fall did not the Lord sustain them with his hand From all learn the instability of the creature If that which is the basis or foundation of all outward comforts be so easily shaken and tost up and down what are the comforts themselves If Kingdoms and Common-wealths totter who can stand fast When the Saints feel the world shake and tremble under them their comfort is They have received a Kingdom that cannot be shaken Neither man nor devils have any power to shake it and God will not shake it nay with reverence we may speak it the Lord cannot shake that Kingdom for it is his own he cannot doe any thing to his own wrong or dishonour Earth may but heaven shakes not neither shall any of the pillars thereof tremble for ever We have seen two acts of the mighty power of God first in removing those mountains those great massie parts of the earth Secondly In shaking the whole masse of the earth Now the thoughts of Job grow higher and he ascends from earth to heaven and brings an instance of the power of God there in the 7th verse Verse 7. Which commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not and sealeth up the stars And the instance which he makes in the heaven stands as heaven doth to earth in a direct line of opposition to that which he gave about the earth The earth in all the parts of it is a setled fixed body â—â—cut de natura terrae est immobolitas qâ—â—es ita de naturâ coeli ut semper moveatur Aquin. and therefore the power of God is clearly seen in causing it to move but the Sunne is a moveable body a creature in continuall motion and therefore the power of God is clearly seen in checking and stopping the motion of it It cals for as strong a hand to make the Sunne stand still as to shake and remove the earth The staying of that which naturally cannot but move and the moving of that which naturally cannot but stand still require a like power and that which stands as the earth doth or moves as the Sunne doth requires an Almighty power to move or stay it Which commandeth the Sun and it riseth not Which commandeth the Sunne He describes God in the posture and language of a King giving out commands He commandeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dixiâ— illud dicere est cum potestate imperandi God is the Soveraign of the Sunne Yet the word in the Hebrew is no more but he saith or he speaks to the Sunne so Mr Broughton translates He speaks to the Sunne that it riseth not We clearly to the sense He commandeth the Sun because the Word of God to the creature is a Law or a Command upon the creature He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not The phrase implies an ordinary or a common event But when was there such a thing as this How rare are such events I may ask Did the Lord ever command the Sunne that it should not rise Or did ever any day appear when the Sun did not appear we may answer four or five waies First Non ad factum sed ad Dei potentiam refertur qui si velit possit vicissitudinem ortus occasus solis tollere Olymp. Some conceive Job speaks only of what God can doe as in the former instance not of what he ever did He never actually gave out his command to the Sunne that it should not rise but he hath power to doe it if he pleaseth Many things are spoken of the power of God as presently done which onely are things possible for him to doe That 's a good interpretation of the place Secondly We may carry it further for when he saith It riseth not we need not take it strictly as if the Sunne were staid from making day at all but it may note any stop or sudden disappearing of the Sunne The Sunnes rising is the Suns appearing Non oritur sol tantum est non apparet nam vâ—tas solis apparitio quedam est Bold and when the Sunne disappeareth or is hidden it is to us as if the Sun were not risen Thus God hath actually more then once given out a command to the Sun not to rise Lavater in his comment upon this place reports that in the year 1585. March 12th such a darknesse fell upon the earth that the fowls went to roost at noon as if it had been Sunne setting and all the common people thought the day of judgement was come That of the Prophet is true in the letter as well as in the figure Amos 4.13 He maketh the morning darknesse And Chap. 5.8 He turneth the shadow of death into the morning and maketh the day dark with night The holy story records one famous act of God commanding the Sunne to stand still Josh 10.12 When Joshua was in pursute of his enemies he praied that the day might not hasten down Sunne stand thou still upon Gibeon and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon And the Sunne stood still c. Joshua speaks as if himself could command the Sunne Sunne stand thou still he talks to the Sunne as to his servant or childe stand still It was indeed at the voice of Joshua but by the word and power of God that the Sunne stood still So the Text resolves There was no day like that before it or after it no day so long as that that the Lord hearkned to the voice of a man So then the Lord hearkned to the voice of a man and then the Sâ—â—â—â— hearkened to the voice of a man First the Lord hearkned and then the Sunne hearkned that is by a command from God at the request of a man the Sunne stood still Thirdly It may be understood of ordinary eclipses which are disappearings of the Sunne and though they come in a course of nature and are by naturall light fore-seen many years before they come yet there is somewhat in them which should fill us with high thoughts of the power of God And though an eclipse of the Sun be no miracle yet God once made and can again make a miraculous eclipse When Christ the Sun of righteousnes was shamefully crucified the Sun in the heavens as ashamed to look upon that act as from man of prodigious cruelty and injustice hid his face and from the sixth hour that is Dionysius Areopagita from
high-noon there was darknesse over all the Land unto the ninth hour that is till three in the afternoon Matth. 27.45 This eclipse was miraculous first because it was the full of the moon Which as we receive from Antiquitie caused a great Philosopher not knowing what was doing or who was suffering at Jerusalem to cry out Either the God of nature suffers or the frame of nature dissolves 2. Because it was universall as some affirm over all the world or as others which makes it more strange that it was only in the Land of Judea all the world besides enjoying the light of the Sunne at that time Which miracle stands opposite to that in Aegypt which was plagued with darknesse when the Israelites in Goshen enjoyed light whereas then Judea where the Israelites dwelt was covered with darknesse the rest of the world enjoying light Fourthly Some referre this speech of Jobs to that particular plague of darknesse for three daies in Aegypt last mentioned which they conceive was then fresh in memory and so Job had reference especially unto that when he saith He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not For though God at that time did not give a command to stop the Sunne from rising upon all parts of the earth yet he commanded the Sunne not to rise upon that part when his own people had light in Goshen the Lord charged the Sunne not to rise upon the Aegyptians This is a more distinct act of the power of God For as he speaks Amos 4.7 to note the accuratenesse as well as the power of God in his judgements concerning the rain I commanded the clouds saith he and I caused it to rain upon one City and caused it not to rain upon another City So the Lord can cause the Sunne if he please to rise upon one Countrey and not upon another upon one Nation and not upon another upon one City and not upon another Thus we may understand it He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not upon one people though it shineth upon others according to the manner of that Aegyptian plague Lastly We may interpret it of any extraordinary tempestuous time He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not that is he makes such storms and tempests and causeth such vapours and clouds in the air that the Sunne is mufled up and is as if it did not rise Such a day he means it of any troubles and afflictions we have described in the Prophet Joel Chap. 2.2 A day of darknesse and of gloominesse a day of clouds and thick darknesse as the morning upon the mountains But how is a day of darknesse as the morning c. The speech intends thus much that this darknesse shall spread it self as suddenly as the morning light spreads it self upon the mountains which being highest are blest and gilded with the first issuing raies of the rising Sunne God is said to command the Sunne not to rise when he vails and masks the face of the Sunne with sudden clouds as if there were no Sunne at all but clouds Paul in his voiage to Rome was under such a tempest and the Text saith That neither Sunne nor starre for many daies appeared Act. 27.20 they were as if the Sunne had not risen for many daies Such stormy gloomy weather God can make Ezek. 32.7 When I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the Sunne with a cloud that is I will put a black vail or cloak upon the heavens that the Sunne shall not put out any light when I put them out when I extinguish thee I will for a time extinguish the Sunne also The constellations of heaven are often expressed sympathizing with the dispensations of God on earth Isa 13.10 Joel 2.31 Mat. 24.29 He commandeth or speaketh to the Sun Observe hence First The bare word of God is a command Os in Scriptura pro voluntate saepe accipitur significat enim locutionem locutione enim homines quid volunt manifestant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He speaks to the Sunne and it riseth not The Apostle useth that word about the creation of light 2 Cor. 4.6 The Lord who commanded light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts the Greek is The Lord who spake light out of darknesse which we translate The Lord who commanded the light out of darknesse The words of God are Laws and therefore the ten Commandments that part of the word which carries the name of commands from all the rest is yet called The ten words of God The Greeks call the ten Commandments the Decalogue or the ten words so many words so many commands The devil seems to acknowledge this great power of God only that he might abuse it in Christ that his word was a command If thou be the Sonne of God Mat. 4.3 command that these stones be made bread The Greek is If thou be the Sonne of God speak to these stones that they become bread or speak these stones into bread he would take that as a proof of his Divinity If thou be the Sonne of God doe this God can doe this his Word is a command to all creatures for whatsoever he imposeth upon them they must submit to it therefore doe thou so likewise speak to these stones or command these stones to become bread It should be matter of comfort to us while we remember that every word of God is a command upon all creatures He hath made a decree which shall not passe Psal 148.6 The Hebrew is only a word which shall not passe his word is a decree which none shall reverse Secondly As from the former clause He commandeth the Sun we learn that every word of God is a command so from that which followeth and it riseth not We may learn That every creature obeies the command and submits to the will of God Men often speak and speak in the highest language of commanding and yet the thing is not done but whatsoever the Lord speaks is done Every thing hath an ear to hear his voice who made both voice and ear Psal 148.8 Fire and hail snow and vapour stormy winde fulfilling his Word Senslesse creatures act at Gods command and goe upon his errand They fulfill his Word The Lord sent a message unto Hezekiah to assure him that his sicknesse was at his command because the Sunne was 2 King 20.9 10. Shall the shadow goe forward ten degrees or goe backward ten degrees in the diall of Ahaz either way saith the Lord I can doe it either way as thou shalt ask a sign it shall be done And Hezekiah answered It is a light thing for the shadow to goe down ten degrees but let the shadow return backward ten degrees Yet he knew the Lord did not offer him a light thing in either when he said Shall the Sunne goe forward or backward The Sunnes going forward was within a degree as great a matter as it 's going backward but Hezekiah
cals it a light matter in regard of common apprehension and observation The Sunnes motion is naturally forward and though it should mend it's pace many would not much regard it but all would stand and wonder at a retrograde motion or at the Sun going backward Hence Hezekiah cals it a light matter for the Sunne to goe forward comparatively to it 's going backward And from either the Lord would teach Hezekiah that the creatures will doe what he bids them even the Sunne will move miraculously at his Word How great a rebuke will it be to man if he move not at the command of God and as God commands Shall the Lord say to the Sunne Rise not and it riseth not and shall he say to man Swear not and he will swear pray and he will not pray shall the Lord have better obedience from creatures without life then from man who hath not only life but reason or from Saints who have not only reason but grace They who have grace give not such universal obedience as things without life for though there be a part in them active to obey yet there is a part in them backward to all obedience Let it shame us that there should be any thing in us who have life reason and grace resisting or not readily complying with all the commands of God when the Sunne which hath not so much as life obeies his voice He commandeth the Sun and it riseth not Thirdly Observe from the manner of this speech That The Lord hath a negative voice upon the motion of all creatures He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not It is a royall Prerogative that the Lord commands the Sunne to rise but that the Lord hath a power to stay the Sun from rising lifts up his Prerogative to the highest In all disputes about power his is resolved to be greatest who hath the negative voice which checks and supersedeats all others This is the Prerogative of God he can stay the motion of the Sun and of man The Sun dares not do his office to the day nor the stars to the night if the Lord say No. The Sun is described Psal 19.5 like a bridegroom comming out of his Chamber drest and prepared and as a Giant rejoycing to runne his race but though the Sunne be thus prepared and drest and ready yet if the Lord send a writ and a prohibition to the Sunne to keep within his chamber he cannot come forth his journey is stopt Thus also he stops man in his neerest preparations for any action If the Lord will work who shall let it Isa 43.13 That is there is no power in heaven or earth which can hinder him But if the Lord will let who shall work neither Sunne nor stars nor men nor devils can work if he forbid them The point is full of comfort God tels Abimelech in the case of Sarah Abrahams wife whom he took into his house I know that thou didst it in the integrity of thy heart but I with held thee and I suffered thee not to touch her Gen. 20.6 And when Laban pursued Jacob with hard thoughts against him and strong resolutions to deal harshly with him The Lord gave a negative voice Gen. 31.24 Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad Laban had not the use of his own tongue He could not speak either good or bad Not good or bad Was there any hurt for Laban to speak good to Jacob And the story tels us that Laban spake many words and some bad enough to Jacob charging him with a double theft First for stealing himself away vers 27. Wherefore didst thou steal away from me Secondly for stealing his Idols vers 30. And now though thou wouldest needs be gone because thou longest sore after thy fathers house yet wherefore hast thou stoln away my gods Foul language all though God charged him not to speak a bad word to Jacob. For answer know We must restrain that restraint to the point of bringing Jacob back again Thou shalt not speak either good or bad to him to stop or turn him from his way thou shalt use no threatnings to bring him back to thee no nor any promises or allurements thou shalt make no offers of better entertainment to winne him to thy service which was the thing he so much desired Good and bad are the two terms of all that can be spoken and where the utmost extreams of speaking are forbidden all speaking to that purpose is forbidden When the ancient people of God were few in number yea very few and strangers in the land when they went from one Nation to another from one Kingdome to another people one would thinke that all the world would have been upon them but here was their protection God had a negative voice Psal 105.15 He suffered no man to doe them wrong Many had as we say an aking tooth at the people of God their fingers itcht to be dealing with them and the text shews four advantages the world had against them First They were few Secondly Very few Thirdly Strangers Fourthly Unsetled What hindered their enemies It was the Lords negative voice He reproved Kings for their sake saying Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harm We see an instance of this Gen. 35.5 when Jacob and his family journeyed the terrour of God was upon the Cities that were round about them and they did not pursue after the sonnes of Jacob They had a minde to pursue after them to revenge the slaughter of the Sichemites but God said Pursue not and then they could not pursue they must stay at home And when his people the Jews were safe in Canaan he encourages them to come up freely to worship at Jerusalem by this assurance No man shall desire thy Land when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year Exod. 24.34 God can stop not only hands from spoiling but hearts from desiring Our appetite whether concupiscible or irascible is under his command as well as our actions The Prophet asserts this by way of question Lam. 3.37 Who is he that saith and it cometh to passe when the Lord commandeth it not That is if the Lord doth not concurre if the Lord vote against the saying or command of any man in the world what he saith shall never come to passe We should consider this to help our faith in these times God hath a negative voice upon those counsels and conclusions which are carried with one consent of men And the wrath of man shall either turn to his praise or all that is beyond that he will stop the remainder of wrath namely so much as remains over and above what turns to the praise of God shalt thou restrain Psal 76.6 The sword is in motion amongst us even as the Sunne and the sword seemeth to have received a charge to passe from one end of the Land to the other yet a counter-command from God
will stop this sword from going on If he speak to the sword the sword shall wound no more We may entreat the sword to wound no more as they Jer. 47.6 cried out O thou sword of the Lord how long will it be ere thou be quiet put thy self into thy scabbard rest and be still The answer was How can it be quiet seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Askelon c. Our answer might be changing place the same How can it be quiet seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against England A word from God draws and a word from God sheaths the sword He that commands the Sunne and it riseth not can command the sword and it smiteth not the fire and it burns not the water and it drowns not the Lions and they devour not How happy are they who serve the Lord over all Observe fourthly seeing He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not That The daily rising of the Sunne is an act of grace and favour to the world The Sunne doth not rise alone of it self it is the Lord as we may say that helps it up every morning Therefore it is said Mat. 5.45 He makes his Sunne to rise His Sunne mark how Christ speaks of the Sunne as Gods own that Sunne which he can either cause to rise or not to rise cause to rise upon one people and not upon another He makes his Sunne to rise there is an act of common grace in making it to rise upon any especially in making it to rise upon all upon the evil and upon the good Mat. 5.41 That God makes the Sunne rise to give them light who use their eyes onely to rebell against the light how admirable is it Lastly As to the speciall aim of Job we see what a proof we have of the omnipotency of God He is great in power and mighty in strength Why because he can stop the Sunne He that can stay the Sunne what can he not doe We say to men that attempt impossibilities Climb up to the Moon it is more to stay the Sun than to climb the moon And if the Lord be able to overcome this difficulty what difficulty can he not overcome Here 's a clear proof of the infinite power and wisdome of God Qui efficit noctem diem nam donec oritur sol est nox adveniente die quasi obsignatae occultantur stellae Juâ— He speaks to the Sunne and it riseth not And He sealeth up the stars The Sunne is the light of the day the stars the light of the night He sealeth up the stars Some take it to be a Periphrasis or a description of night and day because till the Sunne riseth it is night and when day appears the stars are sealed up or disappear The Sun riseth and the stars are obscured we see them not So the former clause He commandeth the Sun and it riseth not is a description of the night and this later he sealeth up the stars is a description of the day The plain sense of both being this He maketh both night and day Secondly say others This seal is set upon the Sunne in behalf of the stars He sealeth up the Sunne for the stars that is Pro stellis signavit â—â—solem signaculo quasi in favorem stellarum Deus continet solis splendorem in altero Haemispherto Cajet in favour of the starres that the starres might sometime appear in their lustre and glory to the world he keepeth the Sunne from appearing But as we translate we may better keep the seal upon the stars He sealeth up the stars And so sealing may import either of those two things First The safe custody of the stars He sealeth up the stars that is he preserveth the stars in their orbs in the places where he hath set them they shall never drop out Sealing is often used for assurance and safe-keeping Darius Dan. 6. Anrulos non tam oâ—natus quam custodiae gratia olim inventos diâ—it Macrobius l. 7. Saturn c. 3. sealed the stone upon the den of Lions that so Daniel might not be rescued or fetcht out from the danger The Jews that they might keep Christ fast enough seal'd the stone of the sepulchre wherein his body was laid Mat. 27. And in a spirituall sense the sealing of the Spirit is to make the soul safe in the love and favour of God A soul that is sealed by the Spirit of God is secured of the love of God and shall never drop out of his heart So He sealeth up the stars is He makes the stars firm and fast in their Sphears But rather Secondly Sealing is for secrecie or for the hiding of a thing from the sight of others So in the sealing of letters that they be not seen and of treasures that they be not stoln or taken away Deut. 32.34 Job 14.17 Thus the Lord seals up the stars Clausae videntur cum non videntur Stellae omnia coeli lumina vetur characteres quidam efficiunt librum Pined when he clouds or obscures the stars and will not let them be seen Some make it an allusion to a book The heavens are a great volume wherein many truths of God are written his name is there and the stars are as so many characters or letters of his Name He often seals up this great volume and so blots these letters that no man can read or distinguish them Thirdly The meaning of He sealeth up the stars may be taken thus He keeps in and closes up the vertue and influences of the stars he stops those treasures which usually come down from the stars upon the earth Naturall Philosophy teaches us that all the fatnesse and fruitfulnesse of the earth is convaied from the heavens Heaven nurses and suckles the earth and if the Lord please he can dry up those brests seal up those influences stop those secret workings which the heavenly bodies have upon the earth Observe hence That the influences of the heavens are in the hand of God to let them out or stay them as he pleaseth As he can seal up the spirituall treasures of heaven that the soul shall receive no light comfort or refreshing from them in ordinances so he seals up the naturall influences of the heavens that the earth and the fruits of it here below shall receive no quickning no refreshing from them And the earth languishes when the Lord suspendeth and sealeth up the naturall influences of heaven as the soul languisheth when the Lord stops up the spirituall influences of heaven when he seals up that star of Jacob that day-star from on high Jesus Christ What we hear of God in naturall things should keep us in continuall dependance upon him for spirituals he seals with the comforts of his own Spirit and he seales up all comforts from our spirits Verse 8. Which alone spreadeth out the heavens and treadeth upon the waves of the sea This verse gives us a further argument
without any thing that he hath made And treadeth upon the waves of the sea The sea is a fluid body to sail or swim in the waters is ordinary but to tread upon the waters that 's another act of wonder He treadeth upon the waves of the sea or he walks on them as upon a pavement To tread upon the waves imports that God hath a command over the sea and the waves of it Verbum Dorac aliquando est ducis praeltantis debellantis hostes Quasi jure belli subjicere To tread upon a thing is to have it under our power or in subjection to us Psal 91.13 the promise is Thou shalt tread upon the Lion and upon the Asp that is thou shalt prevail and triumph over the greatest evils over enemies as strong and fierce as Lions as poisonous and stinging as the Asp Psal 108.9 Over Edom will I cast out my shoe which notes either contempt of them as if he had said I look upon them as worthy only to scrape and make clean my shoes Or secondly Conquest over them I will walk thorow Edom and subdue it Deut. 11.24 Every place whereon the sole of your feet shall tread shall be yours that is yours shall be conquering feet you shall tread as lords upon all lands Yours shall be all the ground you go on that is it shall be subject to you Jud. 5.21 O my soul thou hast troden down strength and Mic. 1.3 The Lord shall tread upon the high places of the earth that is the Lord shall subject the highest things that are upon the earth to his power That place is very observable Numb 24.17 Where Balaam prophesying of Christ saith as we translate A starre shall come out of Jacob Calcabit stella è Jacob. the Hebrew is A starre shall tread out of Jacob noting Christ a victorious a triumphing starre who should come treading and trampling upon the world as conquerour though the world in regard of his out-side trod and trampled upon him So it is explained in the later words of the verse He shall smite the corners of Moab and destroy all the children of Sheth A starre shall tread out of Jacob. A treading starre is a triumphing starre 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Excelsa maris Ambulat super altiâ—udinem to boâ—is maris Tar. Robur maris dicit vehementiaÌ„ maris quando à ventis turbatur commovetur Dorsum immare summo mari attribuit Virg. Aeneiad l. 1. The Hebrew is He treadeth upon the high places of the sea the word Bamoth is used frequently for the places where idolatrous worship was set up their high places Mr Broughton translates the high waves of the sea because sea-waves rise high so high that the Psalmist describes them mounting up to the heaven Psal 107.26 When these high waves threaten to swallow all then the Lord treads upon them that is his power is above them and he makes them submit to his command As to ride upon the high places of the earth Deut. 32.13 Isa 58.14 is to have highest command and to be a chief upon the earth or to dwell safely and free from anoiance upon the earth So to tread upon the high places or high waves of the sea implies Gods Empire or Soveraignty over the Sea Hence observe first That the sea in its highest rage is at the beck and under the treadings of God When the waves are most stirring and raging he speaks them quiet Psal 89.9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea when the waves thereof arise thou stillest them As to walk upon the sea is an argument of a divine power so to command the sea When Christ Mat. 8.26 rebuked the sea and said as another Gospel hath it Mark 4.38 Peace and be still as if one should hush a childe The men marvelled saying What manner of man is this that even the windes and the sea obey him Windes and waves seem the most disobedient stubborn and unteachable creatures in the world yet a word from God calms the one and smooths the other Egyptij ut rem prorsus impossisibilem demonstrarent hominem pedibus super aquas ambulanâ—em in suis Hieroglyphicis depingebant Verâ—res cum suum Neptunum super aquas ambulantem pingere non auderent à nando ei nomen dederunt Herod l. 1. Delectat Canuti regis Anglorum exemplum qui assentationis procellam procella maris in se admâ—ssa compescuit Bold ex Camb. Brit. Ex alto incitatum flâ—ctum ita alloquutus est unda tibi jubeo ut ne pedes meas tangas When the old Egyptians would by their Hieroglyphicks expresse an impossibility they did it by the picture of a man treading upon the waves as if they should say this is as impossible as for a man to walk upon the waves The Heathen Poets describe Neptune their Sea-god swimming not walking upon or treading the waters To tread upon the waters is so much above man that meer Naturalists thought it too much for God Man shews his pride and arrogancy to the height when he pretends to lord it over the waves of the sea When the Hellespont a strait of the sea by a sudden storm rising upon it broke the bridge of Boats which Xerxes had made to passe into Greece and so opposed the project of that Persian Monarch he cast fetters into it as if he would teach it to know it's Lord and caused it to be beaten with 300. stripes to chasten its former disobedience It is recorded in the history of this Nation concerning Canute an ancient Danish King that when a mighty storm of flattery rose upon him he appeased it by shewing he could not appease the storms of the sea One of his Courtiers told him in his progresse as he rode near the sea side that he was Lord not only of the land but of the sea and that all those seas which he saw were at his command Well saith he we shall see that by and by and so walketh down to the shore and pulling off his upper garment wraps it together and sits upon it neer the flowing of the waves and with a loud voice speaks thus O ye seas and waves come no further Touch not my feet c. But the sea came up notwithstanding his charge and confuted that flattery God only hath this Prerogative He treadeth upon the high waves of the sea There are also mysticall waves which the Lord treadeth upon people and Nations are called waters and many waters in the book of the Revelation The waves of the sea cannot be in a greater rage then the Nations of the earth sometimes are And the same Hebrew word by which the rage of the sea is properly exprest expresses also the rage of men Psal 2.1 Why doe the Heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing Why are the Gentiles the great waters up as high waves threatning a deluge to the throne of Christ The power of Christ is as eminent in stilling the
the stars which are under the Southern pole are hidden from us and are enclosed lodged as in a chamber God locks them up in his treasury and they are secrets to this part of the world the southern Pole being under or below our Horizon In the artificiall sphears of heaven we finde few Asterismes or descriptions of the starres about those parts there are many but we perceive them not And the vertue and operation of these chambered hidden stars is as strong as of those which appear in greatest lustre and beauty Again When he saith Which maketh Arcturus c. his meaning is Which makes them appear or do their office These stars were made when the heavens were made and Jobs discourse is not about creation but providence So that to make Arcturus c. in the sense of this Text is only this to order the times of their rising and setting to distinguish the seasons of the year and to produce their severall effects in every season which providentiall acts are here especially aimed at Thus he maketh Arcturus to rise about the middle of September which is the time of the Equinox when the civill day and night are even and share the hours of the naturall day equally between them Or as others account this star rises about eleven daies before the Equinox So by Arcturus we may understand that season of the year And he maketh Arcturus is he orders and disposeth of the season commonly called Autumn Orion shines forth in our Hemisphear about the moneth of December and by that winter is designed The Pleiades begin at the spring therefore called Vergiliae because they arise vere in the spring and disappear or go down toward winter The chambers of the South are fiery stars which have their chief influence upon us in heat of Summer And so we may put the Text into these plain expressions He maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiades and the chambers of the South That is First He makes and orders Summer and winter spring and harvest because these stars divide the four seasons of the year Or secondly thus He makes hot and cold wet and dry storm and calm Or thirdly as these foâ—â— constellations are assigned to the four chief points of heaven Arcturus is known by all who know any thing in the heavens to be seated about the Northern Pole whose opposites are those stars in the chambers of the South Orion dwels in the East and the Pleiades in the West So the plain English of the words is this That the Lord by his mighty power and wisdome ordereth and appointeth the motions of heaven from East to West from North to South Lastly To clear up the sense of this Text we must understand these four constellations Synecdochically these being put for all the rest For as God orders these so every star in the firmament the least are under his eie and at his dispose as well as the greatest But because these are the most eminent usefull and efficacious in their appearances motions and influences therefore these are named He maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiades and the chambers of the South We may observe from the words thus opened divers profitable instructions First All the stars are placed in the heavens by the speciall designment of God for the use and good of man Moses Deut. 4.19 gives a caution to Israel from the Lord that they should take heed of imitating the Heathens in their abominations and this is one particular Lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven and when thou seest the Sunne and the Moon and the stars even all the host of heaven shouldest be driven to worship them which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all Nations under the whole heaven Observe that The Lord thy God hath divided them unto all Nations under heaven Therefore take heed that thou do not worship them They are the work of God they are creatures and worship which is proper to the Creatour must not be given to them It is a remarkable Text Lest saith he thou shouldest be driven to worship them How driven Not by externall force and power but driven by the strong inclination of thine heart ravished with such beautifull objects The excellency that is in the works of God hath power to draw yea to drive the heart of man to commit idolatry Job shews this while he acquits himself so industriously from it Chap. 31.26 27. If I beheld the Sunne when it shined or the Moon walking in brightnesse and my heart hath been secretly enticed or my mouth had kissed my hand this also were an iniquity to be punished by the Iudge c. Some translate that Deut. 4. in this language of Iob Lest thou be deceived tâ— worship the Sunne Moon and stars and host of heaven this is very considerable but the thing I chiefly note in that Scripture to the point in hand is this That the Lord hath made and appointed the stars to the severall parts of the heavens he hath divided them to all Nations under the whole heaven Some stars are the portion of one people others of another As the earth is an inheritance divided among the children of men so also are the stars and heavens Per hanc divisionem intelligit ordinem morum planetaruÌ„ qui in suis orbibus ita disponuntur ut unaquaeque regio suo tempore eorum gaudeat influxibus Pined We seldom consider what riches we receive from that part of our inheritance most think they live by the earth only No saith Moses The Lord hath divided the heavens the Sunne Moon and Stars unto all Nations under heaven He hath setled it what starre such a Land shall have and in what seasons as also what proportions of the Sunne and Moon for light heat and influence He hath made them for the children of men Man is fed and cloathed warmed and cherished from heaven more then from the earth and the lot and divisions which we have of the earth are naturally and usually good or bad rich or barren pleasant or unpleasant healthy or unwholsome according as the aspects of the heaven and stars are more or lesse benigne or favourable unto them Moses Deut. 29.26 reproves the ingratitude of the Jews by this argument Because they went and served other gods and worshipped them gods whom they knew not and whom he had not given to them So we translate But the letter of the Hebrew gives it thus who had not given to them or divided among them any portion As if Moses had said The Lord divided and gave the heavens and the stars among you and these base dunghill-gods never gave you so much as a clod of earth and will ye depart from Jehovah to serve them Secondly Observe God knoweth the number the names and the nature of all the stars He gives them speciall names These in the translation are names of mans imposition Yet the holy Ghost uses Heathenish names in the new Testament Act. 28.11
we read of a Ship in which Paul sailed to Rome whose sign was Castor and Pollux two Pagan Sea-gods It is said that God brought all the beasts of the earth to Adam that he should give them names but he brought not the host of heaven to Adam that he should give them names he named them himself Psal 147.4 He telleth the number of the stars he calleth them all by their names Men are not able to tell the number of the stars they tell distinctly but to a thousand three hundered or a few more and they are not able to tell all these by distinct names but they are constrained to reckon them by constellations where a whole family of stars are called by one name The Lord hath made it his speciall priviledge to tell the number of the stars and to call them all by their names And these are named in the Text for all the rest Observe Thirdly Some stars are more excellent of greater vertue and name then others when these are named it is for speciall reason The Lord nameth these as stars of more then ordinary dignity These are in degree next to the Sunne and Moon when a few are named for many we usually name the chiefest as the whole people of the Jews are set forth by the heads of their Tribes by the Chiefs and when a Nation is spoken of it is by those greater names the Magistrates and the Ministers These are named because they have most to doe and the greatest businesse in a Nation So these stars are here named because they are of speciall use and influence The Apostle gives us this clearly 1 Cor. 15.41 There is one glory of the Sunne another of the Moon and another glory of the Starres for one star differeth from another star in glory One star hath a more honourable name then another Some starres God doth not vouchsafe to name particularly to us when others which are of greater glory are As in a building some parts of it are chief The foundation the top stone the corner stone the strength and beauty of the whole building are comprehended under these God hath made differences and degrees in all creatures in the heavenly as well as earthly The names of most stars are concealed as being of a lower degree And we finde that whensoever in Scriptare stars are spoken of scarce any are named but these and these are often named which implies their superiority and dignity The Prophet urges this as an argument of humblest addresses unto and dependance upon God Amos 5.8 Seek him that maketh the seven stars that is Pleiades and Orion and turneth the shadow of death into the morning c. He doth not say Seek him that maketh all the stars the Lord made all But because he hath given so much vertue and excellency to these these only are reported as of his making Here Which maketh Arcturus there Seek him which maketh the seven stars As if he had said In those stars God hath laid out much of himself and made his power and wisdome most visible How much hath God in himself who hath communicated so much to one senslesse creature And though stars differ thus one from another yet they envy not one another Which lessons us to be content though God make our names lesse named in the world than the names of many of our brethren though he trust more talents to or put more light into others than into our selves One star differs from another star in glory but no star envies anothers glory Fourthly Job being about to declare the power and wisdome of God gives instance among other things in this He maketh Arcturus Orion c. Then observe The power and wisdome of God shine eminently in the stars The power and wisdome of God shine in every grasse that grows out of the ground yea in every clod of earth much more then in the stars of heaven Much of God is seen in those works of God yea so much that many have been drawn to make them gods There is so much of God seen in the heavens that not only Heathens who had not the true knowledge of God but his Covenant-people who knew him and whom he knew above all the Families of the earth have been drawn away to worship the host of heaven That place before cited Deut. 4. hinteth as much Take heed lest when thou liftest up thine eyes to heaven and seest the Sunne and the Moon and the stars even all the host of heaven thou shouldest be driven to worship them and serve them If thou lift up thine eies to the stars and not higher even to God who made the stars thou wilt quickly mistake the stars for God or make the stars thy god the heart of man is mad upon idolatry Read how often the Jews are taxed with this sinne 2 King 21.3 and in 2 King 17.16 and in Amos 5.26 which clears this truth that much of the power and wisdome of God is stamped upon the stars if God did not much appear in the stars so many had not taken the stars for God or given them which is proper and peculiar to God religious worship There are five or six things which shew the power of God and his wisdome in making of the stars First The greatnesse of the Stars such vast bodies shew an infinite power in their constitution It is incredible to ordinary reason unlesse men have skill and learning to make it out and to lay the course of nature together that the stars are so great The Sunne is reckoned by Astronomers to be one hundred sixty six times bigger than all the earth The Moon indeed which is called a great light is thirty nine times lesse then the earth yet that magnitude is farre beyond common apprehension Some other of the planets are almost an hundred times bigger then the earth And whereas the fixed stars are distinguished into six magnitudes or differences of greatnesse Those of the first magnitude which are many are conceived to be one hundred and seven times bigger then the whole earth We look upon a star as if it were no bigger then the blaze of a Candle and the Countrey-man wonders if the Moon be bigger then his bushell or broader then his Cart-wheel If the most judicious enter the consideration of these things they may soon come to amazement that so many stars in the heavens should be more then an hundred times bigger then all the earth And if there are such vast bodies in heaven what a vast body is heaven That continent must needs be exceedingly exceeding vast which contains so many exceeding vast bodies in it If we get but a nook or a corner of the earth for our portion we presently thinke our selves great men yet what is all the earth to the heavens And what are the heavens we see to that heaven which is unseen to which these are but a pavement The heavens which are to us a roof are but a floor to the
highest heavens A second thing which shews the mighty power and wisdome of God in the stars is the multitude of them they are innumerable Man cannot tell them only God can they are like the sand of the sea for number A multitude of little sands make a huge body then how great a body doe a multitude of great bodies make Thirdly The swiftnesse of their motion that these mighty vast bodies should be carried about every day so long a journey and never tire or wear shews infinite power and wisdom Fourthly This is more admirable the exact order of their motion That innumerable stars should move continually in the heavens and yet not one of them move out of course this regularity of their motion is setled by an ordinance of heaven Jer. 31.35 where the Lord to assure his people that he would be steady and stedfast in the waies of his love to them and that he would not cast them off tels them that he would be as firm to them in his Covenant as he is in the ordinances of heaven Thus saith the Lord which giveth the Sunne for a light by day and the ordinances of the Moon and of the stars for a light by night c. As if he had said I have made a statute and a decree which is irrepealable and irrevocable concerning the motion of the stars There is an ordinance of heaven for it so that as the celestiall bodies cannot but continue the course I have assigned them for the enlightning of these inferiour parts while the world lasts So the Covenant which I have made with you shall not fail to give you light Thus he infers in the next verse If these ordinances depart from before me saith the Lord then shall the seed of Israel also cease from being a Nation before me for ever but that cannot be I have established these starres by a firm and perpetuall decree therefore you are much more established And such is the exactnesse of their order and motion that the stars of heaven are frequently in Scripture called an host or an army Now an army as it consists of many persons which is one reason why the stars are called an host so an army rightly marshalled is cast into an exact form and so regular for motion that it is one of the good liest sights in the world Now the stars are the host of heaven they stand as it were in battalia they keep rank and file there is not so much as one of that great multitude out of place therefore Judg. 5.20 where they are said to fight against Sisera they are described fighting in courses The stars in their courses fought against Sisera as if the stars had been drawn up now one regiment then another regiment of them to charge upon Sisera and his host the heavens fought and the stars fought that is the Lord by an heavenly power and influence of the stars confounded Sisera and all the enemies of Israel Fifthly There is a most efficacious vertue in the stars It is a secret vertue and it is a strong irresistable vertue no power in the creature can stop it Therefore God challenges Job in the 38. of this book of Job v. 31. Canst thou binde the sweet influences of Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion There are influences in the stars and canst thou binde them Is it in the power of any creature to stop the issues and out-flowings of the stars Their influences are so efficacious that none can binde them but he that looseth them none can binde them but the hand and power which made them there is so much efficacy in them that if God let them go on in their naturall vigour their effects are wonderfull I saith the Lord Hos 2.21 22. will hear the heavens and they shall hear the earth and the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oil and they shall hear Jezreel As if he had said The heavens are next in power to me they are second to my self in working Therefore I will hear the heavens the heavens cannot do it unles I give them a commission but I will hear the heavens I will leave a power in the heavens And the heavens shall hear the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the earth shall hear the corn c. There is a gradation a descent from God to us and the heavens are the next receptacle the immediate vessel receiving and taking in power and vertue from God to defuse and send down upon the creatures here below I will hear the heavens and they shall hear the earth Sixtly Observe That the stars and constellations of heaven can do nothing of themselvs but as they receive order commission from the Lord. He maketh Arcturus and Orion c. They have great power but it is the Lord that maketh them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non tantum facere sed etiam aptare disponere dirigere praeparare significat That word He maketh doth not so much signifie the Creation as the providentiall disposition of the stars as was noted in the Exposition of it He maketh them that is he orders and disposeth them or he acts the stars he trims up those lamps of heaven the word is so used 2 Sam. 19.24 Mephibosheth while David was in trouble had not dressed his feet the Hebrew is He had not made his feet that is he had neglected his body now saith Job the Lord is he that makes dresses or trims up those lamps of heaven though they have a naturall vertue yet that vertue is quickned by providence Providence is a continued creation He maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiades The stars are the servants of God they receive orders and directions from him for all they do And the reason why the Lord did so often call his people off from gazing upon the stars and reproved star-gazers was because they looked no further than the stars they thought the stars did all they did not eie God that made Arcturus Orion c. but they only eied Arcturus c. Therefore he threatens the star-gazers and monethly prognosticatours who took upon them to resolve future events by the conjunction of planets and planetary aspects placing an uncontrolable power in the hands of the heavens and stars whereas I saith the Lord make Arcturus I made him and I make him do what I command not what you fore-tell Therefore Isa 44.24 25. the Prophet speaking of Gods work in making the heavens and the stars presently adds how he befools men that will prophesie from the stars as if they could tell infallibly what shall come to passe I am the Lord that maketh all things that stretcheth forth the heavens alone that spreadeth abroad the earth by my self What follows That frustrateth the tokens of the liars and maketh diviners mad I stretch out the heavens some will needs prophesie out of the heavens I have set the stars in the heavens and they are for signs Gen. 1.14
but I have not set them for Prophets If any presume to declare or resolve what shall be done I resolve to punish their presumption I take delight to frustrate men who delight in this and to befool them who would be thus wise This is my name The God that stretcheth out the heavens alone and that maketh diviners mad Great disappointments enrage and some men lose their reason when they lose the credit of doing things above reason Because they cannot be as Gods to fore-tell good or evil they will not be so much as men He makes the diviners mad The Law was peremptory and severe against them Deut. 18.9 There shall not be found amongst you any one that useth divination or is an observer of times why not an observer of times may we not observe times and seasons May we not look up to the heavens and consider their motions Yes we may observe times holily but not superstitiously as if some times were good others bad some lucky others unlucky as if the power of God were shut up in or over-ruled by his own instruments and inferiour causes this is dishonourable unto God and thus the Jews were forbidden to use any divination or to observe times The heavens and stars are for signs but they are not infallible signs They are ordinary signs of the change of weather Mat. 16.2 3. They are ordinary signs of the seasons of the year Spring and Summer and harvest and winter they are ordinary signs of a fit time to till and manure the ground to plow sowe and reap The earth is fitted and prepared for culture by the motion of the heavens The heavens are at once the Alphabet of the power and wisdom of God and of our works we may read there when to do many businesses Gen. 8.22 While the earth remaineth seed-time and harvest and cold and heat and summer and winter and day and night shall not cease Those seasons shall continually return according to the time of the year measured by the Sun Moon and Stars Thus they are signs of ordinary events And God sometimes puts the sign of an extraordinary event in them Mat. 24.29 Immediately after the tribulation of those daies shall the Sunne be darkned and the Moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken which some understand allegorically others literally of strange apparitions and impressions in heaven either before the destruction of Jerusalem or the day of judgement So Act. 2.19 20 c. Thus God puts a sign in them of extraordinary events But shall man from them prognosticate and fore-tell extraordinary events as when there shall be famine and pestilence war and trouble in Nations This the Lord abhorreth The counsels of God about these things are written in his own heart what is man that he should transcribe them from the heavens But if men will say they are written there God will blot out what they say and prove theirs to be but humane divinations yea that they were received from hell not written in heaven Isa 47.13 I will destroy the signs of them that divine let now the Astrologers the star-gazers the monethly Prognosticatours stand up and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee Behold they shall be as stubble they shall not be able to deliver themselves It is good to be a starre-beholder but a wicked thing to be a starre-gazer that is to look upon the stars so as if we could spell out the secret providences of God and read future events in the book of those creatures It is our duty to look upon the heavens as they declare the glory of God but it is a sin to look upon the heavens as if they could declare the destinies fates and fortunes of men All which vanities are largely and learnedly confuted by M Perkins in his book called The resolution of the Countrey-man about Prognostications Now that the successe of every creature is in God not in the stars we may see first in the order of the creation God created the earth and commanded it to bring forth fruit upon the third day but the lights in the firmament were made the fourth day The earth can bring forth without the midwifery or help of the heavens God himself made the earth fruitfull without yea before the stars were made Philo Judaers de opificio munâ—i Upon which one of the Ancients gives this observation Surely saith he the Lord in his providence made the earth fruitfull in all its glory before he put the stars in the heavens to the intent to make men see that the fruitfulnesse of the earth doth not depend upon the heavens or stars God needs neither the rain of the clouds nor the warmth of the Sun to produce these effects He that made all second causes to work in their ranks can work without the intervention of any second cause And because the Lord fore-saw men would dote much upon second causes and venture to prognosticate by the heavens the fates of men and the fruitfulnesse of the earth therefore he made the earth fruitfull before he made Arcturus or placed those constellations in the heavens Secondly The providence of God works under the decree of God His providence is the execution of his decree Therefore we must not bring the decrees down to providence but we must raise providence up to the decrees Thirdly The heavens and those heavenly bodies Arcturus c. are but generall causes there are speciall causes besides of the earths barrennesse or fruitfulnesse of tempests at sea and troubles at land and the Lord is able to invert all causes to work beyond causes without causes and against causes So that nothing can be infallibly fore-told from the positions conjunctions or revolutions of those heavenly bodies Lastly Observe That it is our duty to study the heavens and be acquainted with the stars In them the wonderfull works of God are seen and a sober knowledge in nature may be an advantage unto grace Holy David was such a student Psal 8.3 When I consider thy heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast ordained Consideration is not a transient or accidental but a resolved and a deliberate act Shall we think that God hath made those mighty bodies the stars to be past by without consideration Shall men only pore upon a lump of earth and not have their hearts lifted up to consider those lamps of light Shall man make no more use of the stars then the beasts of the earth do namely to see by them When I consider thy heavens saith David Heaven is the most considerable of all inanimate creatures and more considerable then most of the animate and Davids when when I consider the heavens notes not only a certainty that he did it but frequency in doing it Some of the Rabbins tell us that when Isaac went out into the field to meditate Gen.
the former context exalted the power and wisdom of God in many instances and closed all with an admiring sentence He doth great things and unsearchable marvellous things without number He in these words seems to give a proof of those attributes of Gods works that they are innumerable and unsearchable c. Verse 11. For loe he goeth by me and I see him not he passeth on also but I perceive him not As if he had said I am not able to reckon how often he worketh for I cannot alwaies perceive when he worketh I am not able to search out all his great and wonderfull actings for I cannot see him in many of his actings He goeth by me and I see him not The Lord is said to goe by us not in regard of any locall motion for he that filleth all places moves to none Doe not I fill heaven and earth is the Lords query of himself to those who thought to play least in sight with him And he convinces them that they could not be hid from him in secret places because he fils all places There is no place to be found beyond the line of heaven and earth both which God fils Jer. 23.24 Then his motion is not locall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mutavit variavit rem vel locum denotat mutationem conditionis vel loci Mol. in Ps 90. 6. but providentiall God doth not move to act but his acting is his moving He goeth by us doing marvellous things for us and we see not when he is doing or what he is doing The other word here used He passeth on is of the same sense yet more peculiar and proper to the motion of spirits we had it in the fourth Chapter vers 15. A spirit passed before me saith Eliphaz when he speaks of the vision that appeared It signifies to change and vary either place or condition The transitory changablenesse of the creature is expressed by it Psal 102.27 Thou doest change them and they shall be changed the creatures passe on as from place to place so from condition to condition The fashion of them passeth away 1 Cor. 7.31 They have not only a perfective change but a corruptive change but of the Lord he saith Thou art the same and thy years shall have no end The word is used for changing by oppressive destruction Prov. 31.8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction or death Such as are appointed to that great change are called a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Filij excidij i. e. qui traâ—untur excidio Jun. in loc The Sons of change or destruction Thus the Originall So that the word signifieth any change or motion whether perfective or corruptive The Lord saith Job passeth on he maketh changes he worketh sometimes to perfect sometimes to destroy but I perceive him not I am not able to make out what he doth Here are two words one referring to sense the other to understanding He goeth by me and I see him not that is my senses cannot finde him He passeth on also and I perceive him not that is he destroieth he buildeth he planteth he rooteth up but I am not able to apprehend him or unriddle the meaning of his wonderfull works He doth great things and things unsearchable b NoÌ„ est una interpretatio hujus divini ac cessuâ— recessus Pined There is much variety of opinion about the meaning of these words though I think the meaning is clear in that generall I have now given Yet I will touch a little First Some interpret Jobs discourse conversing still in and about the c Multa sunt naturalia quorum suprenum auctorem Deum vel opus inchoantem vel ab opere cessantem noÌ„ observamus atque ita praecedenti sententiae haec innectitur tanquam illius subjecta ratio Id. Quemadmodum sit in omnibus extra omnia supra omnia sciri non potest Olymp. naturall works of God the earth the heavens the waters and the air of which he had spoken before as also about the body of man Act. 17.28 In him we live and move and have our being God is about us he is ever with us and yet we observe not either when he begins to work or resteth from working How he is in all things without all things and above all things is not known Secondly Others take his going and passing for the acts of his d Deum venire miserentis est discedere punientis Phil. Presb. Aquinas ad beneficia praestita vel denegata refert Transit eum quem impunituÌ„ relinquit Drus favour or dis-favour He goeth by me in bestowing favours and He passeth on in taking them away his accesses or recesses in mercy or judgement his love and his wrath are often indiscernable He goeth by me he passeth on he varieth his workings and I perceive him not To passe by is taken sometimes for sparing pardoning or shewing mercy The Lord by his Prophet Amos 7.8 reports severall judgements from a full execution of which he was taken off yet at last he resolves I will not passe by them any more it is the word here that is I will not have mercy on them any more I will not spare them any more the next time I come with my drawn sword in my hand I will be sure to smite and wound before I put it up I will not passe by them any more So He passeth by me may note here the sparing mercy of God The Lord spareth man many times and pardons him not suffering his whole displeasure to arise when man takes no notice but is insensible of it The word is used in this sense Prov. 19.11 It is the glory of man to passe by an offence that is to spare a man that hath offended not to punish him or take revenge and it is ordinary in our phrase of speech to say I will passe you by for this time that is I will not take any severe notice or strict account of what you have done And we finde in the same prophecy of Amos that to passe thorow notes judgement and wrath in the opposite sense In the fifth Chapter vers 17. In all vineyards shall be wailing Why For I will passe thorow thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In interiori tuo or I will passe into thy bowels or inwards So the letter of the originall that is I will come to judge thee I will passe thorow thee as a revenger and wound thee deeply insomuch that in all vineyards there shall be wailing why in all vineyards When he saith There shall be wailing in all vineyards it implies there should be wailing every where for if there were joy in any place it would be in the vineyards vineyards are places of mirth and refreshing grapes make the wine which makes glad the heart of man Therefore when he threatens That in all vineyards there shall be wailing it is as much as
shall have so direct and full manifestation of God that these glasses which reflect him shall be out of use The Saints on earth have sometimes a sight of God without a glasse that is out of all ordinances promises and works either wrought in them or for them God comes near to their spirits and lifts them above means and shews them his love and their interest in him by an immediate witnesse of the Spirit 1 Joh. 5.8 For although the water and the bloud justification and sanctification never witnesse without the Spirit and though the Spirit never witnesses against them or where they are not yet the Spirit doth often witnesse above them and without them that is they not being called forth to give their witnesse This is next door to heaven only the vision in heaven will be exceedingly heightned and raised not only above our vision by ordinances but above our vision by immediate revelation or witnesse Further consider The sight we have of God is in Christ God is seen in every creature Rom. 1. much more in ordinances but Christ is the expresse image of his person and the brightnesse of his glory Heb. 1.3 He is the medium by which we see God now and some have thought we shall see him only in Christ for ever But it is out of doubt that in this life God is seen only in Christ savingly We of our selves are so farre off from God that we cannot see him There must be a due distance between the organ and the object we are afarre off from God untill Christ bring us near we come to and see the Father through the Sonne And how neer soever we are to any object we cannot see it without an eye We are naturally blinde the eyes of our minde must be enlightned before we see him Christ cleareth our understandings and cures our blindenesse He is made to us of God wisdom to see our need of him to be made righteousnesse to us and sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 Again The medium must be light if the eye be clear yet while the air is dark we cannot see There must be an outward light as well as an inward light to see by that Jesus Christ makes also for He is the light of the world as well as the enlightner of every one that commeth into the world He sends the means of knowledge as well as gives an ability to know He sends light to the eyes of our minde and he is light in the eyes of our minde What we ought to know comes from him and how to know as we ought comes from him Without him God goeth by us in the Gospel and we see him not he may passe on for ever and we never perceive him Secondly Observe That as the Lord in his nature cannot be seen at all So such is the weaknesse of man that we cannot see him fully in his word or works How little is it that we see that we know of God in either What admirable operations are there in the course of naturall things in the Sunne Moon and Stars in the growth of herbs and plants and in our own bodies which we see not What admirable administrations are there in the course of civill things The beginnings growths and declinings of Common-wealths the transplantations of people from Countrey to Countrey their oppressions by injustice their confusions by warre their establishments by peace their consumptions by plague and famine their encrease by health and abundance are little minded by the most of men How doth God turn Nations up-side-down and hurl Kingdoms together and we perceive him not Some take no notice at all of God as doing such things none taking such notice as they ought We observe creatures what this man did and what the other such men were malicious and unfaithfull such were valiant and wise such were self-seekers such self-deniers such constant Patriots and such were Apostates Thus we see men but we seldom see God in the great transactions and motions of Kingdoms And we see him least of all in the course of spirituall things in his working upon our hearts God works wonders in us and we perceive him not We regard not his commings or goings his comfortings or with-drawings when our spirits are heated or when they are cold when we are strong or when we are weak There are continuall varieties and changes in our spirits had we a clearnesse to make observation The work of God in the heart of a believer moving it ordering it preserving it comforting it purging it is as wonderfull and more then any of his works in the whole world Thirdly Note Man is not fit to fit as a Judge upon the works and dealings of God Shall we judge God in what he doth when we cannot apprehend what he doth A Judge must have the full cognizance of the matter before him how else can he passe sentence about it Shall man be so bold as to get up into the throne and passe sentence upon what God doth when he cannot apprehend or take in evidence of what he doth He goeth by thee and thou seest him not he passeth on also and thou perceivest him not And wilt thou censure what thou canst not perceive Fourthly Which is Jobs scope It should be matter of great humiliation to us that we see so little of God God works round about us and in us and yet we know little of him Our blindenesse should abase us in our own eyes God is all eye and all hand and we so blinde that we cannot see what his hand doth It must lay man low in his own sight to consider how little he sees of God Verse 12. Behold he taketh away who can hinder him who shall say unto him What dost thou This and the next verse contain a proof of mans weaknesse as the former doth of mans ignorance and blindenesse He passeth by and I see him not There is mans blindenesse He taketh away and who can hinder him There is mans weaknesse Suppose a man should see God in his works and apprehend what he is about yet though he hath so much light as to see God he hath not so much strength as to hinder God Is not this an argument of mans weaknesse What! contend with God God doth many things and thou canst not see him or if thou seest him yet it is not in thy power to stop him Behold he taketh away and who can hinder him Yea man is so farre from being able to stop or hinder God in what he is about to doe that man hath not right to question God or to ask him what he is about to doe Man is neither strong enough to stop him from what he will doe nor righteous enough to question him for what he doth This is the totall denying of any possibility in man to deal with God How can he stop God in what he doth who cannot so much as ask him what he doth Who shall say unto him
The superiour may ask the inferiour and call him to an account Every inferâ—our Judge and Court is accountable to those above that is the highest Court and he the highest Judge to whom no man can say What doest thou The Parliament of England is therefore the highest Judicatory in this Kingdom because their actions are not questionable in any other Court one Parliament may say to another What hast thou done This Parliament hath said to Parliaments that have gone before What have ye done in making such and such Laws No power of man besides their own can question some men much lesse can any man question God and say to him What doest thou He is supreme there is no appeal to any other higher Judge or higher Court. Hence observe Whatsoever God resolveth and determineth concerning us we must bear it and quietly submit No man may say unto him What doest thou Quicquid de nobis Deus statuit libenter ferendum est Why doe ye sit still saith the Prophet Jer. 8.14 Assemble your selves and let us enter into the defenced Cities and let us be silent there for the Lord hath put us to silence and given us waters of gall to drinke because we have sinned against him The Lord hath put us to silence that is the Lord hath done these things and we are not to question him about them or to ask him what he hath done or why he hath done thus Therefore let us be silent say they Let us not murmure at and complain over our own sufferings much lesse tax and charge God for his doings It becomes us to obey Gods suspension to be silent when he puts us to silence The Lord never silences any unlesse in wrath to those who would not hear from speaking in his name and publishing his vvord But he hath silenced all from speaking against his works and it will be ill with us if our passions how much soever God seems to act against us shall take off this suspension The Lord is uncontrollable in all his works When Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4.35 came to himself and began to think and speak like a man after he had been among the beasts see what an humble acknowledgement he makes concerning God All the inhabitants of the earth saith he are reputed as nothing and he doth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say unto him What doest thou Here we have both parts of Jobs speech none can stay his hand which is the former and none can say unto him What doest thou which is the later That great Monarch acknowledged he had no power to question God though he at that time had power to question all the men upon the earth Nebuchadnezzar speaks like Job A wicked man may make a true report of God Many speak right of the Lord whose hearts are not right with him Nebuchadnezzar was converted from beastlinesse but I finde not that he was converted to holinesse He came home to his own Court but I see no proof that he came home to the Church of God yet see how divinely he speaks and how humbly he walks not so much as offering to ask God who had chang'd him from a Commander of men to a companion of beasts What doest thou We may ask the Lord in one sense what he doth Yea the Lord doth nothing in the world but his Saints and servants are enquiring of him about it He invites them to petition for what they would have Ask of me things to come concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands command ye me Isa 45.11 Though man cannot order or enjoyn the least thing upon God yet at the entreaty of his people he is as ready to doe as if he were at their command And as we are thus envited to ask things to come so we are not totally denied to ask about things already done We may ask him in an humble way for information not in a bold way of contradiction We may in zeal to his glory not in discontent with our own condition expostulate with him about what he hath done So Joshua Chap. 7.7 8. Alas O Lord God wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us Would to God we had been content and dwelt on the other side Jordan c. but how durst Joshua speak thus What if God vvould destroy them vvas it not his dury to bear it and let God alone Yes doubtlesse and such I doubt not vvas the frame of Joshuas spirit If Israel only had been to suffer Joshua had held his peace at least from such language but he saw a further matter in it the glory of God vvas like to suffer in their sufferings the close of his praier betraies this holy disposition of his heart vers 9. And what wilt thou doe unto thy great name As if he had said Lord the matter were not much though the name of Israel were blotted out from under heaven so thy Name were written in fairer characters But I fear a blow to Israel will be a blot to thy name and therefore I have taken upon me to pray this praier unto thee and I have praied rather for thee than to thee All praiers are made to God and yet some are made for him Not that he hath any want or is in any the remotest possibility of any danger but only for the promoting of his glory and that the world may not have occasion of a dishonourable thought of him whose honour never abates in it self or in the eyes of his own people Thus we may ask him what he hath done and why he hath brought such desolations upon his people But we may not ask him what he hath done either to question his right to doe it or to question his righteousnesse in doing of it No creature may put the question upon either of these terms What hast thou done much lesse conclude Thou hast done that which thou hast no right to do or thou hast been unrighteous in doing it Either of these is highest blasphemy for whatsoever the Lord doth he hath right to doe and whatsoever the Lord doth he is righteous in doing it Hence it followeth by way of corollary That The Lord is of absolute power He is the Soveraign Lord Lord over all there is no appeal from him no questioning of him Solomon speaketh of the power of a King in this language Eccles 8.4 Where the word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him What doest thou But is there nothing which a King doth about which it may be said unto him What dost thou And what is this word of a King The word of a King is the Law of his Kingdom all that a King doth or speaks besides the Law he speaks as a man not as a King and that 's the meaning of Solomons
text vvhich Court-flatterers have corrupted with their unsound glosses as if every word of a King were of absolute power and must have peremptory obedience A King is for his Kingdom and while he commands according to the rules and laws of his Kingdom no Subject may question him or say unto him What doest thou There is no power above his power as he is armed with the power of his Laws And because wheresoever the Word of God is there is his Law therefore wheresoever the Word of God is there is power and no man may say unto him What doest thou Every vvord of direction spoken by God is a Law because his vvill is the Law of all things and persons As the will of man by nature is not subject by obeying to the righteous Law of God neither indeed can be so the will of God by nature is the subject containing all righteous Laws neither indeed can it not be for though God be voluntarily and with highest freenesse righteous yet he is righteous necessarily and with greatest undeclinablenesse As he is freely what he is so it is impossible for him not to be what he is And therefore no man ought to say to God What doest thou seeing God can doe nothing but what he ought In vain then is God either attempted by power or sollicited by praier against his own minde For Verse 13. If God will not with-draw his anger the proud helpers doe stoop under him Though If God taketh away none can hinder him though none ought to say unto him What doest thou whatsoever he doth yet possibly some will be venturing upon this hard task and undertake this impossible adventure attempting to recover Gods booty and his prisoners out of his hand but see the issue If God will not withdraw his anger the proud helpers doe stoop under him Suppose any should come to help protect and patronize those whom God hath a minde to take away and destroy shall they prosper or speed No not only they themselves whom the Lord hath taken away but their assistants and their seconds all that appear for them except God call in his anger shall fall before him If God will not with-draw his anger 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non revocabit nasum non redibit à furere The letter of the Hebrew is If the Lord will not turn away his nostrils or his face Nostrils or face are taken here as in many other Scriptures for anger because there is such an appearance of anger in the face and nostrils acted passion is seated there as was noted Chap. 4.9 Therefore to turn away the face or nostrill is to turn away from anger Psal 78.38 Many a time turned be away his anger â—vertit nasum suum quasi se vinci permittat ab hu milâ—ante se peccatore fugeret it is this word When the Lord is angry the turning of his face towards a man sheweth he is reconciled and when he is angry the not turning away of his face shews that he is unreconciled or resolved to continue angry And while God is so resolved man is in a sad case his helpers must stoop The strength of Israel will not lie or repent 1 Sam. 15.29 Ipsamet victoâ—ia vinci neâ—cit The Hebrew is The victory of Israel The Lords strength is victory victorious persons can hardly be overcome but victory cannot therefore except himself will with-draw except himself overcome himself it is not in the power of all creatures to overcome him Job 23.13 He is in one minde and who can turn him As if he had said except the Lord will turn himself and alter what he himself hath determined it is not in men to cause him to alter He is in one minde and who can turn him And what his soul desireth even that he doth which is the highest expression of power imaginable How many things doe our souls desire which we cannot doe We are desiring and desiring yet our hands are not able to bring it to passe The desires of the slothfull alwaies slay them because saith Solomon Prov. 21.25 their hands refuse to labour and the desires of the diligent slay them sometimes because they cannot compasse the thing desired with all their labour but as for the Lord What his soul desireth even that he doth And as his desires are irresistible so is his anger his irascible appetite is as victorious as his concupiscible unlesse God withdraw his anger The proud helpers doe stoop under him The vvord is Helpers of pride that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as think themselves most powerfull and able to help The helpers of pride Invaluit robore insolenâ— suit Freti superbia Fagn Auxiliatores superbiae Regia or the strong helpers The same word note that by the vvay signifies strength and pride because we are so apt to be proud of our strength If a man have a little strength in the world strength of friends or of riches strength of body or of minde strength of understanding strength of memory strong parts he is under a strong temptation to pride Pride is one of the greatest weaknesses of man but it is alwaies grounded upon supposed strength But who are these proud these strong helpers Some understand it of the good angels vvho are the strongest the highest of created helpers Angels stoop under the power of God as well as men Others expound these strong helpers to be devils who are evil angels to whom evil men seek sometimes for help If the Lord will not turn away his anger though men seek to the devil for help as Saul did that helper shall stoop under him Saul consulted with a witch the devils oracle yet he could not be delivered by a witch Others understand by these strong helpers godly men if the Lord vvill not turn away his anger the righteous shall stoop under him that is they shall not be able to rescue a person or a Nation from the anger of God by praier or by the utmost improvements of their interest with God Some places have fallen because they wanted godly men to support them and some places have fallen though they had godly men to support them Qui portant orbem Vulg. The Vulgar Latine translation renders They that bear up the pillars of the world shall fall Godly men bear up the pillars of the vvorld Though the Hebrew vvill not bear their translation yet the sense is good Godly men are the worlds supporters It is said Revel 12.16 That the earth helped the woman that is vvorldly men for carnall ends helped the Church vvhen a floud of persecution cast out of the mouth of the dragon vvas ready to swallow her up But the Church continually helps the vvorld and swallows up many of those flouds of Gods displeasure vvhich else vvould drown the vvorld And because the Church vvas so thin and there vvere so few godly men in the old vvorld therefore it vvas drowned Gen.
oppose or stay him But as I have cleared by those former instances God is so strong wise and just that all the powers of heaven Cum robust issimae illae creaturae moÌ„tes mare coeli ei cedaÌ„t et quaecunque rohore efferuntur praestant quanto minus egâ—â— Merl. the sea the mountains and the pillars of the earth the Sunne Moon and Stars together with the greatest and mightiest of the children of men are not able to resist him Therefore I a poor weak creature lying here in this sad condition am not able nor have I any design to do it Only the conclusion of this syllogisme is exprest in the fourteenth and fifteenth verses the premisses are couched in the foregoing context Here take notice in generall that Job fals in the conclusion somewhat below the premisses There the intendment was to demonstrate strongest creatures unable to resist the power of God But Job speaks lower of himself I am so farre from being able to set my strength against the strength of God that I acknowledge I am not able to hold discourse with him or to speak with him about these things I have not only no power to oppose but I have no words to oppose him Verse 14. How much lesse shall I answer him and chuse out my words to reason with him Si robusti nihil valent contra illum quanto minus ego debi lis infirmus homuncio Dâ—u How much lesse The word is used in the fourth Chapter How much lesse in them that dwell in houses of clay Both Texts bear the same sense If he charge his angels with folly and put no trust in those his servants then how much lesse in them who dwell in houses of clay So the argument lies here If those mighty and powerfull creatures and the mightiest of the children of men are not able to contend with God Nunquam animo finxi quod vos de me fingitis me posse aut velle illi ex aequo respondere pâ—ned How much lesse shall I answer him and chuse out my words to reason with him As if he had said It never so much as canâ—â— into my thoughts to contend with God I confesse I have complained grievously about my troubles and have spoken some things unadvisedly but it never entred into my heart to quarrell with God or stand in battell aray against him no not so much as in a battell of words How much lesse shall I answer Shall I answer There is a two-fold answering both appliable to this Text. First There is an answering by way of fact a reall answer or answering to a condition Thus one man answers another that is of equall power and strength of the same measure in abilities and gifts with him Thus also as Solomon speaks Prov. 27.19 Face answers face in the water that is the face seen in the water is of the same feature and complexion with that which looks upon the water Thus bodies and buildings answer one another when they carry the same dimensions and thus money answers all things because it bears value with every thing Secondly There is answering by word which is two-fold First Contradictory Secondly Satisfactory The former is that which the Apostle forbids servants to use Tit. 2.9 Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters and to please them well in all things not answering again Servants cannot plaase their masters unlesse they answer to what they are demanded and they cannot please their masters if they oppose what is duly commanded this answering again is unseemly in servants The later kinde of answering is that which the Apostle Peter charges upon all Christians 1 Epist 3.15 Be alwaies ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meeknesse and fear To answer thus is every mans duty both to God and man To answer by contradicting the command of God is rebellion To answer by satisfying the demands of God is a duty To answer by a proportion to the power or wisdom of God is infinitely beyond mans ability Job abhor'd the first he was ready as well as he could to perform the second and therefore Job is chiefly to be understood of the third How much lesse shall I answer him That is I doe not look upon my self as a match for God as if I had strength proportionable to his strength or wisdome sutable to his as if I could thunder like him I do not thinke that I am able to answer his reason by my reason no I am so farre from an ability to answer him with reason that I know not how to chuse out words to reason with him How much lesse shall answer him c. From the whole observe before I come to particulars A godly mans tâ—oughts are lowest of himself Job had gone thorow the severall series of the creatures and finding them unable to contend with God concludes himself more unable then they Doubtlesse he might have answered God as well as any If any are able to contend with God godly men are they have the greatest strength Such of them especially as Job a man of that height and elevation of spirit in holinesse of whom God had given his word That there was none like him in the earth What creature except an Angel came so nigh the Creatour as Job and yet when he had looked over them all he saith How much lesse shall I He thought any one might enter the lists and contend with the Lord better then he Man having reason is more able then all the irrationall creatures and amongst men godly men and among godly men they who reach the highest degrees of godlinesse are most able and yet Job a man set upon the top and pinacle of all perfection attainable in this life saith How much lesse shall I They of whom God hath the highest thoughts have the meanest thoughts of and put the lowest rates upon themselves No man ever received a fairer or more valuable certificate from God then Job did and yet no man could speak more undervaluingly of himself then Job did Secondly Observe The more we know God the more humble we are before him Job having much knowledge of God quickly found out his own utter insufficiency to deal with God How much lesse shall I answer him Not that he had lesse ability to answer God then others but being more acquainted with God and living nearer God then others he saw his own insufficiency more then others The more communion we have with God the more knowledge we have of God the lesse and the lower we are in our own eyes The reason why men are so full of pride is because they are strangers from God they know nothing of him as they ought And proportionably as any one is further distant from or more ignorant of God the more doth pride prevail upon him even as humility grows more humble in proportion to his nearer approaches
for our obedience he usually adds perswasion to his precept and reasons with us as well as directs us His commands are not alwaies barely authoritative and the resolves of his prerogative So when we call upon God for audience we should adde perswasions to our petitions and reason with him as well as entreat him Only we should be carefull to reason from right Topicks and heads of argument such as these First From the freenesse of the grace of God Secondly From the firmnesse of his promise Thirdly From the greatnesse of our need or of the Churches misery Fourthly From all the concernments of his own glory c. Thus we may reason with God for the doing of any thing we ask according to his will and in these reasonings the spirit life and strength of praier consists So then the only thing which Job declineth as sinfull and unbecomming is to reason with God as a contender he might humbly reason with him as a Petitioner or as a remembrancer Put me in remembrance saith the Lord Isa 43.26 Let us plead together declare thou that thou maiest be justified We may declare our cause and we need not fear to declare our sinnes that God may justifie us but we must not presume to declare our righteousnesse that we may justifie our selves this Job disclaims How much lesse shall I answer him and choose out words to reason with him Towards the further clearing of these words we may take notice that Job puts himself under a double relation In the former part of the verse he puts himself in the Respondents place How much lesse shall I answer him And in the later part of the verse he puts himself in the Opponents place and chuse out words to reason with him His meaning is If the Lord will object against me I am not the man who dares or is able to answer him And if I should take upon me to object against the Lord the Lord may and can easily answer me From which notion of the words two points may be observed First No man can answer what God hath to object against him The Lord hath a thousand arguments which we are not able to give him satisfaction in as was touched in the beginning of this Chapter vers 3. We cannot answer him one of a thousand If God should cast a man to hell what hath he to say for himself as from himself when God objects Thou hast sinned If God afflict a man and lay him low giving him this argument for what he doth I am thy Creatour I formed and made thee if I break thee to peeces what canst thou say against me If the Lord should say I am thy Soveraign I have supreme power over thee may I not doe with thee what I will What hath man to answer Man must be silent and lay his hand upon his mouth he hath not a word of reason or holinesse to reason against God in any of his dispensations Let man on the other side gather as many arguments as he can to object against God he is able to wipe them all off presently to blow them away with a breath All the shifts and apologies the excuses and arguings which any make for their sinnes or which they make for themselves against the justice and wisdome of God are answered with a word So that put man in the opponents or in the respondents place he can make no worke of it Secondly Observe from this phrase Shall I choose out words to reason with him God is not taken with words Fine phrases and eloquent speeches will not carry it with him If we would prevail with God we must speak our hearts to him rather then our words yet we ought to chuse out words as was touched before when we speak to God As we must take heed how we hear while he speaks so we have need to take heed what we speak in his hearing That 's Solomons advice Eccles 5.2 Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God That is speak not vainly and unadvisedly thy tongue running before thy wit Let wisdome guide thy tongue and let thy heart shew thee wisdome Let not thy heart be hasty to utter when it 's office is to conceive not to utter But how can the heart be hasty to utter Utterance is the businesse of the tongue The heart is then hasty to utter when it suffers the tongue to utter what it self hath not thorowly concocted by meditation and made it's own As in the body so in the minde the third concoction is that which nourishes and assimilates So then Solomons meaning is Let not raw unboiled undigested thoughts passe out into discourses or be stampt into words before the Lord. As there is a sinne of curiosity so there may be a sinne of neglect Extreams are equally dangerous The distance that is between God and us proclaims this duty of our most reverent addresses to him He is in heaven and thou upon earth therefore let thy words be few and yet the fewnesse of words pleases God no more then the multitude of them doth We say In many words there can hardly be a scarcity of errours and in a few words there may be not a few errours possibly more errours then words Fewnesse simply taken is not the grace of words But because they who speak but little doe usually thinke the more and so their words are steept long in their hearts therefore few words are usually choice words It is sinne if we are well conceited of our words And it is sinne if our words be not our best conceptions How shall I choose out words to reason with him Verse 15. Whom though I were righteous yet would I not answer but I would make supplication to my Judge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This brings the matter to the height Who I reason and plead with God I answer him No Though I were righteous yet would I not answer him The strength of the argument lies thus as if Job had said I am so farre from entring a contest with God that I professe I would not doe it though I had the greatest advantage and fitnesse to doe it of any man in the world though I were righteous I would not do it I doe not say that the reason why I would not plead with God is because I am wicked sinfull and abominable more guilty and unrighteous then my neighbours or then you my friends but how righteous soever I were I would not do it Job speaks as a man who would shew how much he dreads the power and strength of another What I fight with such a man I contend with such a man No I professe I would not fight with him though I were as well weapon'd arm'd and prepared as any man in the world I would not come near him If there be any armour or weapon any furniture or preparations which may enable man to contend with God it
saith he men are not my Judges God is my Judge It is a comfort to the Saints to remember that God is their Judge Job vvas not afraid of God in that relation no it was a rich consolation to think that God vvas his Judge He is a righteous Judge a mercifull Judge a pitifull Judge we need not be afraid to speak to him under that notion Iob saith not I vvill make supplications to my father vvhich is a sweet relation but vvhich is most dreadfull to vvicked men he considers God as a Judge The Saints are enabled by faith to look upon God as a Judge vvith assurances of mercy Lastly Observe The whole world stands guilty before God Rom. 3.19 Every mouth must be stopped Iob vvill only make supplication he had nothing else to doe or say We doe not present our supplications unto thee for our righteousnesse but for thy great mercy Dan. 9.8 We can get nothing from God by opening our mouths in any other stile or upon any other title then this of an humble acknowledgement of our unworthinesse the lower we goe in our own thoughts the higher we are in the thoughts of God and we finde the more acceptance with him by how much the lesse acceptance vve think vve deserve Nothing is gained from God either by disputing or by boasting All our victory is humility JOB Chap. 9. Vers 16 17 18. If I had called and he had answered me yet would I not believe that he had hearkned unto my voice For he breaketh me with a tempest and multiplieth my wounds without cause He will not suffer me to take my breath but filleth me with bitternesse THis holy man having abased himself in the sense of his own inability and unrighteousnesse before the Lord and disclaimed the least intendment of contending or disputing with him as vvas seen in the former context now confirms it by a further supposition in the 16 17 18. verses and so forward As if he had said Ye shall finde I am so farre from vvording it with God or standing upon mine own justification vvith him though I have pleaded mine integrity before you my friends that I here make this hypothesis or supposition If I had called and he had answered yet would I not believe that he had hearkned unto my voice There is much variety in making out the sense of these vvords 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. The Septuagint read it negatively If I had called and he had not answered me I would not believe c. Most of the Hebrew vvriters fall very foul upon Job and tax him harshly for this speech What Would he not believe that God hearkned unto him when he had answered him Is not this unbelief a plain deniall of providence Atrae loliginis succum hic aspergit Rab. Levi. Asserons JobuÌ„ nâ—gare provident tam sivecuram particularium Coc. Verba diffiâ—entis desperantis de divina misericordia Opinio Rab. Moyses R. Levi. apudi Merc. or at least of speciall providence I would not believe that he had hearkned unto my voice is in their sense as if he had said I thinke God takes no care or makes no account of particulars he looks not after this or that man what he speaks or for what he praies I can scarce believe that my condition is under the care of God or that he will take notice of me if I should call upon him or if I plead before him what shall I get by it Doe ye thinke he will descend to the relief of such a one as I am Why then doe ye move me to call upon him c. If I should pray and if he should answer me I can hardly be perswaded that he will pity me and do me good A second opinion casts him into the deeps of despair as if Job had altogether laid aside hope of receiving any favour by calling upon God or of comfort by putting his case to him Iudaicum commentum atque Jobi sanctitate indignissimum Pined But all these aspersions are unworthily cast upon Job a man full of humility and submission to the will of God his frequent praiers and applications of himselfe to God doe abundantly confute all such unsavoury conjectures But the Jewish Commentatours carry on their former strain being all along very rigid towards this holy man very apt to put the vvorst constructions upon doubtfull passages and sometimes ill ones upon those vvhich are plainly good More distinctly There is a difficulty about the Grammaticall meaning of one word in the text vvhich carries the sense two vvaies If I had called and he had answered me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alij invocare alij provocare vertunt The Hebrew vvord vvhich vve translate call signifies sometimes to pray and sometimes to plead or challenge An act of invocation or an act of provocation it is rendered both waies here By most as we If I had called upon him that is if I had praied or made my sute unto him By some If I had sent in my plea as to begin a sute of law with him or my challenge as to enter the combate with him c. As it is taken for a challenge so the sense lies thus If I should stand upon terms with God and call him to an account to make good what he hath done And he had answered me that is if he had condescended to give me an account of his vvaies yet I would not believe that he had hearkned unto my voice that is that he had yeelded to me or acknowledged that he had done me wrong Shall I who am but dust and ashes prevail in my sute and get the day by pleading and contending vvith the great God of heaven and earth Take the word as it signifies invocation or calling by vvay of petition Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee And so two or three interpretations are offered Tam infirma est caro ut etiaÌ„ propositis divinis promissionibus nolit credere Isidor Clar. First Some in favour of Job conceive that he speaks this only through the infirmity of his flesh that it was sin within him that spake and not Job according to that of the Apostle Rom. 7. Not I but sinne that dwelleth in me So Job speaks as if he did not believe that God would hear him when he praid but whose voice was this Not Jobs but his sinnes the corruption the infirmitie of Job gave out such language not he As we may say in reference to an action I did it not but sinne that dwelleth in me so to a word I spake it not but sinne and corruption that dwelleth in me gave out such language Secondly I would not believe that God had hearkned to me Plerique Latini ad eas conditiones referunt quas oratio efficax requirit quarum defectus non exaudimur atque ea ratione sibi timere Jobum though he had answered me may referre
the antecedent to be the wicked As if he had said Who but a wicked man will cover the faces of the Iudges and hinder the execution of justice And so they acquit God accounting it blasphemy to attribute the act of covering unto him The Lord is a God of justice he loves judgement he opens the minde and clears the eye he doth not cast clouds and mists before it It 's true so farre as the act is sinfull God forbid we should ascribe it unto God But as was shewed before we need not use this subterfuge left we should lay any aspersion upon his justice and holinesse God can leave men to their injustice without any thought 〈◊〉 or touch of injustice in himself Others interpret this Question as a challenge It is thus Si non ubi est scil qui me falfi arguat prodeat si quis me potest falfi arguere Merc. Vbi est qui mentiri me censet Pagn If it be not where and who is he Who and where's the man that will argue or implead me of falshood in what I have asserted Who is it that undertakes to convince me of errour in the doctrine I have delivered This is my opinion these positions I have laid down for truth That the Lord destroieth the perfect and the wicked that he laugheth at the triall of the innocent that he gives the earth into ohe hand of the wicked that he covereth the faces of the Judges If it be not thus if any one hold otherwise Let me see the man Let him appear as my Antugonist or Opponent Where and who is he that dares charge me with errour I am ready to answer him But rather take it in the sense before given If it be not the Lord who doth this then shew me who it is Where and who is he There is an elegant concisenesse in the Hebrew which speaks only thus If not where he or who he The sense is If it be not God who doth this shew me tell me Who is it And so the words are an exclusion of any other power ordering and disposing the things of the world When old Isaac was disappointed in his intention of giving the blessing to Esau he trembled exceedingly and spake in the language of this Text Who where is he Gen. 27.33 As if he had said I thought thou my sonne Esau hadst brought me venison before and if it was not thou I know not who it should be I was never so deceived in my life if it was not thou Such a broken speech Job uses here If it be not God who doth these things I am much deceived for I know not any in the world to whom I might probably assign them but only unto him You must be wiser then I if you finde any thus powerfull besides God If not where and who is he Whence observe First That The greatest confusions in the world are ordered by God What greater confusion then this to see the earth given to those who deserve not to live upon the earth that they should rule the world who are unworthy to breathe in the world Yet even these things are disposed of by the Lord and are the issues of his counsels That wherein we see no order receives order from the Lord. Secondly Observe The very confusions that are in the world are an argument of the power of God For seeing the world continues in the midst of such confusions it shews there is a mighty power balancing these confusions so exactly that they cannot ruine the world If there were not an over-ruling power in God wicked men ruling would soon ruine all There are mysteries of providence as well as of faith And many are as much puzzl'd to enterpret what God doth as what he hath spoken I finde Heathens often stumbling at this stone and ungodding their Idol gods at the sight of such distributions among men Cum rapiunt mala fata bonos ignoscite fasso Sollicitor nullos esse putare Deos. Ovid. Marmoreo Licin◠tumulo jacet Cato parvo Pompeius nullo quis puter esse Deos When evil takes away good men this is my next thought saith one of them I am sollicited to thinke there are no gods Another observing how unequally men were buried buries God in that observation Licinus a cruell oppressour lies interred in a stately monument Cato a sober grave wise and just Senatour hath a mean and poor sepulchre scarce looking above the ground Pompey the great that famous Commander and Conquerour had no tomb at all he was buried no man knoweth where When we see saith he things go thus who would thinke that there are any gods Thus they stumbled at the supposed uneven dispensations of their idol gods And we finde great offence taken and an horrible blasphemy belched out against the true God upon the same occasion and almost in the same terms Mal. 2.17 Ye have wearied the Lord with your words yet ye say Wherein have we wearied him When ye say Every one that doth evil is good in the sight of the Lord and he delighteth in them or where is the God of judgement Though they fell not directly into the former blasphemy to conclude there was no God because wicked men prospered yet they fell into a blasphemous opinion that God delighted in and loved wicked men because they prospered Wherein have we wearied the Lord Yes ye have Not that the Lord is at all moved or troubled in himself with the contumelious speeches of men but thus if any thing would tire and weary him this may to hear himself arraigned and judged by the world as a lover of evil men because he doth not presently smite them with the visible marks of his displeasure that because the earth is given into the hands of the wicked therefore the Lord must needs be a friend to the wicked Thirdly Observe That No creature is master of his own waies or ends The Lord giveth the earth into the hand of the wicked Man cannot get the earth into his own hand let him be as wicked as he will The Lord covers the faces of the Judges If he enlighten them no man can cloud them if he open no man can shut No creature can doe good without the directing and enabling hand of God No creature doth any evil without the supporting and over-ruling hand of God Isa 41.23 Shew the things that are to come hereafter that we may know that ye are gods yea doe good or evil that we may be dismaied and behold it together Let us see you doe any mischief if ye can Man is set upon mischief but he cannot act mischief unlesse God at least permit We were in an ill case if man could doe all the evil he hath a minde to It is matter of comfort ☜ to consider that the waies and issues of good and evil are in his hand who is good and doth no evil JOB Chap. 9. Vers 25 26. Now my daies are swifter then a
with it because it staies so little with us Hence Job concludes this similitude They see no good My good daies run so fast that I cannot see the good of them Not to see good is not to have the least experience of good For the eye takes in it's objects and judges of them so much Philosophers teach sooner then any other sense The eye is not long about it's businesse It is the sense of quickest dispatch So that it is as if Job had said The good things of this life are so transient that I am so farre from feeling or tasting them c. that which is done with the least delay Omnia mihi praerepta sunt priusquam ea senserim Bez. and expence of time I have not time enough to see them When men ride upon speed or when any thing passes swiftly before us we have but a glimpse scarce a sight of those objects Besides To see good is to enjoy good as was shewed Chap. 7. vers 7. And when he saith they scil his daies saw no good his meaning is that he saw no good in his daies Till there is a consistency or a fixednesse of good there cannot be a full enjoyment of good The reason why in heaven we shall have so much happinesse is because all the good in heaven is a fixed good Time passes but eternity stands Eternity is a fixed Now. The things of heaven shall not perish in the using nor shall the fashion of them passe away In heaven vision will be everlasting we shall ever see good and that ever-seeing shall be an ever-enjoying of good Here on earth we see God thorow a glasse darkly and we see all good in such post-haste passingly that we rather see it not then see it Especially while we remember that good passes by us in the company yea in a croud of evils our sight of it as when we are called to behold one man riding speedily among many must needs be hindered Yea oftentimes evils stand so thick about us while good posts by us that we cannot look thorow them to the good which is before us In heaven as good stands to our eye so it stands alone there 's no interposition of evil to eclipse the beauty or darken the sight of it There we shall see and see nothing but good Here we see much besides yea see either none at all or very little good and that but a little They flee away they see no good From the Post who runneth upon the Land Jobs next comparison carries us to the motion of a ship at sea and anon to that swifter motion of an Eagle in the air Verse 26. They are passed away as the swift ships as the Eagle that hasteneth to the prey They are passed That is my daies are passed and with them all the contents and comforts which I had in those daies we are to take daies as cloathed with all their contentfull occurrences and circumstances They are passed away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or they are glided away insensibly As the swift ships 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Navis ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not only as the ships but as the swift ships A ship is a fabrique for the sea In Pibil obvenire occurrere fecit quae sic dicta est quod remigum aut ventorum impetu impedatur seratur a house upon the sea a moveable house and as it moveth variably so it moveth swiftly The inconstancy of the windes makes the motion of the ship unconstant and the strength of the windes makes the motion of the ship swift So that to say His daies passed as a ship is an aggravation of their sudden passage A ship passeth without any stop from it self The ship needs not stay to bait to sleep or rest while it is upon it's journey whatsoever they doe who are within the ship the ship moves on if they prepare it for motion Job puts an emphasis upon this comparison His daies were not only as a ship but as a swift ship there is much in that addition The Hebrew is My daies are as the ships of Ebeh which is diversly rendred Ebeh flumen rapidissimum in Arabia Rab. Sâ—l Bold 1. Some take the word Ebeh to be the name of a river in the Eastern part of the world about Arabia neer the place where Job lived A late traveller hath observed a river of a very swift motion neer Damascus and not farre from the sepulchre of Job Now a ship that moveth in a swift river besides that it may have the winde hath also a great addition to the speed of it's motion from the force and strength of such a current Thus saith Job My daies move as the ships upon Ebeh as ships upon the streams of that fierce swift river which goe down with speed as we see boats with the tide and so proportionably greater vessels where there is a river and a current proportionably to bear and carry them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Desideravit Naves voluntarie vel desid rij sc summo desiderio ad portum properantes 2. Others conceive the word not as a proper name but as signifying desire from Abah to desire with earnestnesse and then the sense is rendered thus My daies are passed away as ships of desire that is as ships which being laden with rich commodities the Master and the Pilot desire earnestly to bring the ship speedily to her port that so they may put off the commodities and make sale of the rich lading that is in her The winde doth not so much fill the sails of such a ship as desire doth the mindes of her mariners Vir defiderioruÌ„ Thus Daniel was called a man of desires because he was a man so precious and desirable A ship richly laden is much desired such a ship is a great charge to the owners and merchants they therefore send to speed the ship home as fast as they can Thus saith Job My daies passe as a ship that hath the most desired commodities 3. The Chaldee and others give a further note upon it deriving the word from Abah whence Ebih which signifies a stalk growing up early from the earth Fructus primitivus and bringing forth the first ripe fruit of any kinde and so it is put for any early ripe Summer fruit for early plums apples cherries c. Naves poma portantes Vul. And then the sense is My daies are like to a ship which carrieth early fruit So the Vulgar Like a ship carrying apples Now a ship that carries such fruit makes great haste Pertranseunt cum navibus fructus delicatos portantibus Targ. because the fruit will spoil and rot if not speedily put off Ripe fruit is a commodity that will not keep unlesse they have a quick passage all is lost My daies saith Job passe even as a ship that carries ripe Summer fruit which are hasted away with all speed lest they perish before they
am impure and shall be at my best vvhich sense falleth in directly with the two verses following Though I wash my self with snow-water and make my hands never so clean yet thou wilt plunge me in the ditch and mine own clothes shall abhorre me Taking up that interpretation I shall connect it with these two verses and open them in order Verse 30. If I wash my self with snow-water and make my hands never so clean Washing is an act proper to the cleansing of the body In lege multae erant purificationes quas Deus sortè instituit ut populum aliarum gentiuÌ„ talibus ceremoniis assuetum facilius adduceret ad cultum veram Pined or of bodily things and in Scripture-story we finde travellers had water provided for them at their journeys end to refresh and cool their bodies These were civil washings But besides these we finde many ceremoniall washings of the body or bodily things which implied the removing and taking away of sinne and so were a token of internall purification Therefore the Apostle Heb. 9.10 describing the Jewish worship and shewing the severall parts of it saith It stood we supply that word but it sutes the text well for the substantials the pillars upon which their worship stood were shadows consisting in meats and drinks and divers washings In allusion to which the Lord promises Ezek. 36.25 I will sprinkle you with clean water And the Apostle Peter speaks of the sprinkling of the bloud of Christ 1 Pet. 1.2 And Paul of the laver of regeneration Tit. 3.5 The Saints who came out of great tribulation are said to have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb Revel 7.14 Sanctification which is cleansing from the filth of sinne and justification which is cleansing from the guilt of sinne are set forth by washing 1 Cor. 6.9 But ye are washed Thus the Prophet counsels the polluted Jews Isa 1.16 Wash you make you clean which he expounds by a morall duty in the next words Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to doe evil Antiquèssimum suit uti balneo aut corporis ablutione ad detergendas animi sordes Ab nimium faciles qui tristia crimina caedis Fluminea â—olli posse putatis aqua learn to doe well It was usuall among the Heathen to wash as a sign of purification especially before they went to worship their gods or after they had defiled themselves with some greivous crime One of the Poets gives them a reproof O ye who are so credulous or easie of belief to thinke that the bloody sinne of murthering the bodies of other men can be taken away by washing your own bodies a Romani noâ—uerunt parricidas nudos sed in culeum insutos influmen abjicere ne cum delati esseâ—t in mare ipsum polluerâ—nt quo caetera quae violata sunt expiari putantur Cic. in Oraâ— pro R sc They had a great opinion of a cleansing vertue in the sea to which some thinke the Prophet Micah alludes Chap. 7.19 He will cast all their sinnes into the depths of the sea b â—hristianus lotus oret Tert. de orat c. 10. Clem. l. 8. Const c 88. Aliqui ex latinis legunt aquis vivis non aquis nivis Pined The ancient Christians using to wash before they praied shewed a little touch at least of Judaisme or of their old Gentilisme Some have given this for one reason why the Lord appointed so many washings among his people that the Heathens might be the easier gained to the religion of the Jews when they found somewhat symbolizing with their customes among them which if it were so yet it cannot bear out those who have mixed Christian worship with Heathenish observations thereby to facilitate their conversion But doubtlesse Job had reference to those rites either of the Jews or Gentiles when he said Though I wash my self with snow-water Why with snow-water That is say some with the most pure water with the clearest springing fountain water or in the most crystall streams not in the water of melted snow but in water like snow for purity and orient clearnesse Others Conceive it an allusion to that peculiar rite in those times when they took snow-water to wash with rather then spring or river water because that came from the heavens not from the earth here below and was therefore in their opinion more excellent in it's nature because it had a more excellent originall Thirdly Job is thought to specifie snow-water because in those Countreys the fountain or river-water was not pure and therefore they preserved snow and took that water to wash and cleanse with As the custom still is in those places where good water is a rare commodity Or lastly He may say If I wash in snow-water because he would expresse the cleanest washing such as makes the body look like snow white and pure White as snow is a proverbiall Isa 1.18 for the most resplendent whitenesse In Scriptura talibus aliquis dicitur lotus qualtum reserre videtur similitudinem Sanct. And we finde in Scripture a thing is said to be washed vvith that the likenesse of vvhich after washing it represents Thus the Church glories in Christ That his eyes were as the eyes of a Dove by the rivers of water washed with milk Cant. 5.12 that is his eyes were white as milk after washing So here Though I wash my self with snow-water that is though I wash my self till I become as white and as pure as snow c. We read a like phrase Psal 51.9 Purge me with hysop and I shall be clean in allusion to the Leviticall law which appointed the Priest to sprinkle both things and persons with a bunch of hysop Levit. 14. Numb 19. So the Chaldee paraphrase expounds the Psalm Cleanse me as the Priest sprinkling with hysop cleansed the people Though I wash my self with snow-water And make my hands never so clean The Hebrew text is very emphaticall Though I wash mine hands in purity which some expresse by that which is the instrument of purifying the hands Though I wash my hands with sope So M. Broughton Though I wash my hands with wash-bals to make my hands clean and sweet We translate though not to the letter of the Hebrew yet to the sense Though I wash my hands never so clean yet c. As the former expression referreth to internall holinesse so this later to externall The hands in Scripture note our outward works Hands are the executive part the instruments of action Your hands are full of bloud Isa 1. that is your actions are cruell and bloudy there is not only bloud in your hearts but in your hands too Psal 26.6 I will wash mine hands in innocency so will I compasse thine altar that is I will make all my outward conversation pure and holy The Lord hath rewarded me according to the purity of my hands Psal 18.20 Again Psal 73.13
together in judgement Neither is there any Daies-man betwixt us that might lay his hand upon us both JOB doth two things in the close of this Chapter First He again renounceth all thought or intendment of answering God by any worthinesse or goodnesse in himself A point he had often touched before it being the grand objection which his friends brought against him as if his spirit were heightned up to the presumption of a triall or contest with God himself 'T is a duty to clear our selves most where and in what we are most suspected This he doth in the 32. and 33. verses He is not a man as I am that I should answer him and we should come together in judgement Neither is there any Daies-man betwixt us that might lay his hand upon us both In which words Job offers two things to assure them that he was farre enough from such an engaging with God First From the disparity of their condition vers 32. He is not a man as I am God is not like me I am no match for God and I will not be so fool-hardy as to contend with one who is infinitely above me Secondly Lest any should thinke that though himself hand to hand as we speak would not venture upon God yet he might possibly get some friend or second to interpose and umpire it between them or to determine whether Gods dealings with him were just and equall or no And so though not alone yet by a friend or a third party to them both he would try out the matter No saith Job in the 33. verse Not so neither as I alone will not undertake him so neither is there any Daies-man betwixt us that might lay his hand upon us both In the two last verses Job makes a petition to the Lord desiring a favourable condescension that he would be pleased to abate of the present height and extremity of his pain and then he hoped yet that he might answer him though he would not contend with him answer him in reference to his own integrity about which his friends had charged and wounded him though not in reference to his own righteousnesse about which the Lord might charge and condemn him Let him take his rod away from me and let not his fear terrifie me then would I speak and not fear him but it is not so with me He concludes with the difference of his state from what he desired of God it might be And he begins with the difference of his person from what God himself is It is not with me as I could wish and God is not such an one nor can be as I am and must be Verse 32. For he is not a man as I am c. He doth not say God is not such a man as I am but God is not a man as I am One man may say unto another man Thou art not such a man as I am Every different degree or endowment among men may bear a man out in saying so and pride will prompt a man to say so when he is not in degree better but in kinde worse then other men Such was the language of the Pharisee Luk. 18.11 God I thank thee I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican yet no man can say to another man Thou art not a man as I am But seeing God is not a man at all what is there in this assertion of Job He is not a man as I am The words import a double difference First A difference in qualification Secondly In nature here Job chiefly intends the difference of quality which yet in God is his nature that he was not wise Non tam essentiae ad essentiaÌ„ quam qualitatis ad qualitatem i. e. suae ad divinam puritatem collatio fit denotatur Bold and just and holy and pure as God Moses in his song Exod. 15.3 after the overthrow of the Egyptians in the red sea speaks thus The Lord is a man of warre that phrase intends not a humane nature to God when he saith God is a man of warre he meaneth only this God is a great warriour We call a Ship of warre A man of warre As a man of words signifies an eloquent man though with some only a talkative man So a man of warre signifies a famous warriour or one trained up for warre in which sense Saul saith of Goliah that he had been a man of warre from his youth 1 Sam. 17.33 God is a great warriour the most potent Commander The Generalissimo of all the Armies in heaven and earth The Lord of hosts is his Name He is a man of war though he is not a man Further when Job saith He is not a man as I am he gives us the reason of all he had said before Ratio est omnium superiorum et si justus sim cum Deo tamen contendens pro soâ—te habeor quia non est par utriusque nostrum conditio Merc. especially of what he had said immediately before Though I wash my self with snow-water and make my hands never so clean yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch For he is not a man as I am that is though I by washing my self should thinke I were all white and not a spot to be seen upon me as hypocrites by covering themselves thinke they are all hid and not a sinne to be found about them yet he would throw me into the ditch again as like to like dirt to dirt for he is not a man as I am he hath other eyes and thoughts and waies then creatures have Secondly As they contain a reason why the Lord would judge him impure though he should wash himself with snow-water so also why the Lord would afflict him though he should wash himself with snow-water He is not a man as I am As if he had said Should I see a man without spot or speck without blame or fault yet full of wounds and stripes full of troubles and sorrows Should I see him afflicted of whom I could not say he had sinned it were beyond my reason But though I cannot yet the Lord can see reason to afflict a man in whom I see no iniquity He knows why and wherefore he may and doth cast them into the fire in whom I can see no drosse He is not a man as I am God exceeds man in his actings as much as he doth in his nature as he is what man is not so he can doe what man cannot Every thing is in working as it is in being God alwaies works like himself and infinitely above man As to the present businesse he works above man chiefly in two things First Man cannot justly commence a sute against or contend with another man except he be able to charge him with some wrong that he hath done him or lay some crime to his charge Secondly A humane Judge cannot condemn or cast a man unlesse he first
vvhen great dangers encompasse us we cannot believe deliverance Doe vve not make God like to our selves Doe we not shorten his hand to our own measure and thinke it cannot be done because men cannot doe it And for mercy about the pardon of sin man being awakened sees how he hath provoked God sin stares upon his face and he findes out many aggravations upon his sin then he begins to collect thus certainly if a man had so provoked his neighbour he could never pardon or forgive him Can then such sins as these be forgiven by God Mans mercy cannot reach so high as this therefore surely the mercies of God will not We have a very gracious promise backt with a caution to prevent these jealousies Isa 55.6 7. Let the wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Now as when God cals upon man to obey his will and doe his Commandments he is apt to say at least in his heart the duties are too many and the burdens too great to be born So when the Lord calleth upon wicked men the worst of wicked men to repent or turn unto him and he vvill abundantly pardon or he will multiply to pardon as it is in the originall they are ready to object What Pardon such as vve are We are too filthy and vile for washing Surely he vvill not pardon us These mercies are too many for us and these favours too great for us to receive Well saith God I preconceive your conceits of me ye are measuring me by your selves ye think it cannot be done because ye cannot doe it your hearts are too narrow to passe by so many so great provocations therefore ye say mine is too narrow also Doe ye thus measure me the Lord O foolish people and unwise I would have you know My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your waies my waies for as the heavens are higher then the earth so are my waies higher then your waies and my thoughts then your thoughts vers 8 9. As if he had said Your thoughts are as much below my mercy as your waies were below my holinesse Cease then from doubting vvhat I have promised as I vvould have you cease from doing vvhat I have forbidden Your unbelief that I vvill not pardon your sin dishonours me as much as your disobedience did in committing sinne Till vve believe God is holy above us vve fear not to sinne and till vve believe God is mercifull above us we cannot believe he will pardon our sin Thus we see how the lifting up of our selves in our thoughts to an equality or to some similitude vvith God or the drawing down of God to an equality or some similitude vvith our selves is the ground and cause of all our unequall carriage towards God of our boldnesse in sinning of our boldnesse in pleading with and complaining against him of our extreme unbelief in the point of deliverance from troubles or of the pardon of our sins Secondly Observe There is no comparison between God and man He is not a man as I am Man is like to man face answers face and heart answers heart strength answers strength and vvit answers vvit Solomon concludes this Eccles 6.10 That which hath been is named already and it is known that it is man A man it but a man be he never so great in vvorldly vvealth or honour as he bears the name so he hath the nature of man still Nor can he contend with him that is mightier then he i. e. vvith God If he venture beyond his line or move out of the sphear of his activity if he vvould act more then a man he shall quickly finde that he is but man He cannot contend with him that is mightier then he Man vvas indeed made in the likenesse of God Gen. 1.27 In the image of God created he him yet vve must not say God is like man he is not in our image God put some impressions of himself upon man but he took no impressions of man upon himself He is not a man as I am He hath given us some of his own excellencies but he hath not taken upon him any of our vveaknesses God hath honoured man to give him somewhat of himself but God should dishonour himself to take anything of man Thus man is in the likenesse of God but God is not in the likenesse of man Take heed of such thoughts It is as dangerous to frame a likenesse or a similitude of God to our hearts as to frame a likenesse or a similitude of God upon a wall Exod. 15.10 Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the gods That is there is none like unto thee None amongst the gods neither among those who are falsly called gods the Idols of the Heathen nor among those who are truly called gods for God cals them so the Angels in heaven and Magistrates here upon the earth among these truly called gods there is none like the true God much lesse is there any among the meer pure mortals like unto the immortall God Who is like unto thee glorious in holinesse fearfull in praises doing wonders So Mic. 7.18 Who is a god like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Who is a god like unto thee Not only is there no man that can pardon as God but there is no God that can pardon like God he puts it upon that Who is a god like unto thee Not as if he granted that there were any other gods besides the Lord but to meet with the thoughts of men with those sinfull principles and conceits which lodge in man and make other gods To say of God only this He is God is to say all we cannot say more good of God then to call him God as we cannot say more evil of sin then to call it sin when we have called it sin vve have called it all The Apostle Rom. 7.13 puts that upon it as the worst he could say of it Sinne that it might appear sinne We cannot represent it in a worse likenesse then its own All men say they sin but sin appears sin to very few And when the Apostle would put a disgracefull title or epethite upon sin he invests it with its own name sinfull sin Thus to the point in hand we cannot call God more then when we call him God Nothing can be predicated of him better then himself When God appears to be God all excellency appears All men almost acknowledge God but God appears to very few 'T is but little of God that can be known and there are not many who know that little very many know but little of that little and most know nothing of it at all Thus also to say that man is man is proof and aggravation enough of his depraved condition Hos 6.7 They
heart-burnings among friends and brethren We have a proverbiall speech among us A lean arbitration is better then a fat judgement It is better to the parties they shall get more by it the charge of obtaining right by law many times eating out all and sometimes more then all alwaies a considerable part of that which the law gives us as our right We use to say to dissenters Be friends the Law is costly 'T is very costly to most mens purses and to some mens consciences 'T is rare if a man wrongs not his soul by seeking the rights of his credit or estate Secondly Observe That no creature can umpire the businesse betwixt God and man There is a two-fold reason of it Oportet ut in judice sit altior sapienâ—ia quae sit quaâ— regula ad quam examinantur dicta utriusque partis First He that is our umpire is supposed wiser then our selves They who cannot agree need more wisdom then their own to work their agreement But there is no creature wise as God yea there is no creature wise but God who is therefore called The God only wise God is best able to judge of his own actions No man hath been his Counsellour Rom. 11.34 much lesse shall any man be his Judge Men sometimes abound too much in their own sense but God must abound in his His will is the rule of all much more his wisdom or rather his wisdom is the rule of all because his will is his will and wisdom being the same and of the same extent both infinite Oportet ut in judice sit major potest as quae possit utramque partem comprimere Secondly He that is a Daies-man or Vmpire must according to the rules before spoken of have power to compell the parties to submit or stand to what he shall determine But as we cannot lay any restraint upon God from doing what he will so we cannot lay any constraint upon him to do what we will Who shall force the Lord To whom hath he given an assumpsit or ingaged himself under a penalty to perform what he shall award The Lord doth whatsoever he pleaseth both in heaven and earth and he will do no more then he pleaseth Perswasion cannot move him much lesse can power compell him He that is above all in power cannot be dealt with any way but by perswasion And he who is above all in wisdom cannot be perswaded by any against his own will There is indeed a Daies-man betwixt God and man but God himself hath appointed him God hath referred the differences betwixt himself and man unto Jesus Christ and his own good will and free grace moving him thereunto he stands engaged in the bonds of his everlasting truth and faithfulnes to perform what Jesus Christ as Mediatour should ask for us unto him we may safely commit our cause and our souls with that assurance of the Apostle 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have believed and am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day Christ God-man is umpire between God and man what we trust him with shall not miscarry he will make our cause good and our persons acceptable before God at that great day It is infinite mercy when we were neither able to mannage our own cause nor to finde out any in heaven or earth who could that then God himself should finde out one in wisdom and power like himself one who thought it no robbery to be equall with God to be our Daies-man Many of the Ancients interpret this Text either as Jobs desire and praier that Christ would come in the flesh O that there were a days-man betwixt us or as a prophecy of Jesus Christ to come as our Daies-man in the flesh There is no Daies-man yet but a Daies-man shall come The sense is pious but the context will not bear it In the 16th Chapter v. 21. and Chap. 17. v. 3. We shall finde Job speaking clearly of the Mediatour Jesus Christ and of his great work of atonement between God and man But here he seems to keep to the present controversie about the businesse of affliction not of salvation Take two or three consectaries flowing from the whole matter First Job at the lowest speaks highly of God and humbly of himself The greater his afflictions were the purer was his language He was not able to grapple with God and there was none to be found who could umpire the matter betwixt them The will of God is the supreme law What he will do with us we must be content he should The secrets of his providence are beyond our search and his judgements above our reach Secondly The greatnesse and transcendency of God should keep us low in our own thoughts Our knowledge of God is the present cure of our own pride The knowledge of God causeth us to know our selves and that which makes us know our selves cannot but make us low in our selves Though a proud man is commonly said To know himself too much yet the truth is he doth not know himself enough no nor at all as he should know himself Many are proud of and with their knowledge yet pride is the daughter of ignorance Some pride lodges in every mans heart because more then some ignorance doth Job had some of both in his why doth he lay the thought of the infinite glory and soveraignty of God so often to his heart but to keep down or to cure the swellings of his heart Thirdly It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of God He is not a man as we are we are not able to match him and there is among men no Daies-man betwixt us David made it his election 2 Sam. 24. To fall into the hands of God and not into the hands of man And it is best for us to fall into the hands of God as David put himself into his hands with respect to his great mercies But woe unto uâ— if we fall into his hands as contenders with his great power Shall we thus provoke the Lord Are we stronger then he It is our duty when we do and our priviledge that we may cast our selves into the hands of God when the hand of man oppresses us Satis idoneus est patientiae sequester Deus si injuriam deposueris juxta eum ultor est si damnum restitutor si dolorem medicus si mortem rescuscitator est Tertul. l. de Patient for as one of the Ancients speaks sweetly and feelingly If thou doest deposit thy injuries with him he is able to revenge thee if thy losses he is able to repair thee if thy sicknesse he is able to heal thee and if thy death he can raise thee up and estate thee in life again Thus I say it is best to fall into the hands of God in expectation of mercy through the Mediatour but it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the
fear with reference to the two former verses especially to the verse immediately fore-going There Job desires a Daies-man or complains that there is none here he tels us what he might have expected if he had one As if he had said Had I a Daies-man then I know he would take away the rod from me that is he would give judgement that I should be eased of this affliction and his fear should not terrifie me that is he would never give a sentence which should be a terrour to me That 's a fair sense in reference to what he spake before but I rather keep his meaning within the compasse of what he is speaking here And then by fear we may understand Paveris nomine intelligendum putareÌ„ fulgoreÌ„ splendorem vel majestatem niniam qua priscis illis temporibus nonnunquam Deus vel Angelus pro Deo serviâ— suis apparabat Bol. First Those raies and beams of Majesty which the Lord letting out a little upon Job he was not able to bear them We finde when in those ancient times God appeared the beholders were terrified Manoahs wife tels her husband A man of God came unto me and his countenance was like the countenance of an Angel of God very terrible Judg. 13.6 And when God appeared to Abraham An horrour of great darknesse fell upon him Gen. 15.12 in what a wofull plight was Daniel receiving the visions of God Dan. 10.8 God who is the joy of his people is also a terrour to them Things which are not what they seem to be are not so terrible near hand as at a distance God who is infinitely more then he can seem to be is more terrible near hand then at a distance Hence it is that when God who is alwaies near us shews himself to be so our spirits fail within us In that presence of God which we shall have in glory there will be fulnesse of joy And in that presence of God which we have in the waies of grace there is abundance of joy But if while we are here in a state of grace some little of that presence of God which is proper to the state of glory fals upon us we are more distressed then comforted with it How much more then when God clothes himself with terrour and as he did to Job so reveals himself unto us Secondly We may interpret this fear by the former part of the verse the rod his afflictions were terrible the hand of God lifted up to smite him made him afraid But whether it were this or that the majesty of God overawing him or the rod of God chastening him the sense is plain Job was opprest with fear from the Lord yea with terrour from the Almighty causing this vehement deprecation Let not his fear terrifie me Hence observe First That God sometimes appears terribly to those he loves entirely Job was one of Gods darlings and God was imbracing him while he was scourging him Job had kisses from heaven when he felt nothing but lashes here upon the earth The heart of God was full of love while his hand was filled with a rod his bowels yearn'd upon Job and his face terrified him at the same time That precious man Heman was followed with terrours and visions of amazement all his daies I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up while I suffer thy terrours I am distracted Psal 88.15 The terrours of God even terrours to distraction may be the present portion of those whose portion is everlasting mercy Observe Secondly Man is not able to bear the anger of G d. Though he be but correcting us yet we cannot bear his anger toward us This caused the Prophet to cry out Jer. 10.24 Correct me O Lord but not in thine anger The words are not a praier for correction I know no warrant for that but a submission to it As if he had said Lord I am willing to bear thy correction but I cannot and who can bear thine anger The Church complains Psal 90.7 We are consumed by thine anger and by thy wrath we are troubled The fatherly anger of God is as a consuming fire and we are but as stubble before it What then is the fiercenesse of that anger which he will pour out upon wicked men for ever Who knoweth the power of thine anger Psal 90.11 Man cannot understand how powerfull the anger of God is much lesse stand before the power of his anger As man cannot comprehend the love of God Ephes 3.18 19. The Apostle exhorts To know the love of God which passeth knowledge that is to know so much of it as is knowable the love of God is past the knowledge not only of nature but of grace because it is infinite So we should labour To know the anger of God which passeth knowledge that is to know it so farre as it is knowable The anger of God cannot be fully known because it hath an infinitenesse in it as well as his love And as the one shall never be fully known but by enjoying it so neither can the other but by feeling it Upon this consideration the Lord makes that gracious promise to his people Isa 57.16 I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwaies wroth for the spirit should fail before me and the souls which I have made But is not the spirit or soul of man of an everlasting make And shall not the damned endure the contendings of Gods wrath for ever and not fail The substance of the soul cannot fail and the spirit is incorruptible The spirit is full of morall corruption but it is not subject to naturall corruption or the corruption of its nature How glad would the damned be if their spirits might fail and their souls return to nothing The failing of the spirit under the wrath of God is the failing of its hope and courage Thus the spirit sinks and the immortall soul dies away under the sense and weight of Gods displeasure But what if the Lord should take away his rod and change his â—errours into smiles What will Iob do then when this is granted see what he will do Verse 35. Then would I speak and not fear him but it is not so with me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. But is this the use which Iob would make of the mercy he begs Doth he entreat the Lord to take his terrifying fear away from him and then resolve not to fear him at all Whose voice is this Is this the voice of Job I will speak and not fear him Jobs character in the first Chapter was A man fearing God and dares he now say I will speak and not fear him As the fear of God ought to be the seasoning of all our works and actions so it ought to be the seasoning of all our words and speeches why then doth he say I will speak and not fear him To clear this I answer Fear may be taken two waies Either for the grace of fear or
with me Why am I brought to such a triall I am sure it is not with thee as with mortall Judges who having eyes of flesh can see no further then the out-side of things and know no more then is told them and therefore must fetch out what lies in the heart of man by examination and if examination will not do it they must do it by torture Lord there is no need thou shouldest take this course Thou canst enform thy self fully how it is with me though I should not speak a word though I am silent yet thine ear hears the voice and understands the language of my spirit Though I hide or cover my self yet the eye of thy omniscience looks quite thorow me seeing then thou hast not eyes like the eyes of men wherefore is it that thou enquirest by these afflictions after mine iniquity and searchest as men use to do after my sin Hast thou eyes of flesh or seest thou as man seeth God hath no eyes much lesse eyes of flesh God is a Spirit and therefore he cannot have eyes of flesh He is all eye and therefore properly he hath no eyes The eye is that speciall organ or member of the body into which the power of seeing is contracted but God is all over a power of seeing The body of man hath severall parts and severall honours and offices are bestowed upon every part The eye hath the great office and honour of seeing committed to it The eye is the light of the whole body and knowledge is the eye of the soul The eye of God is the knowledge of God Ipsum nomen Dei Graecum hanc videndi efficacit atem prae sesert 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nimirum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spectare contemplari dicitur Nihil est in intellectu quod noÌ„ priâ— suit in sensu The Greeks expresse God by a word which signifies to see and he is therefore said to have eyes and to see because the eye is a principall instrument and seeing a principall means by which man receives knowledge Naturalists tell us there is nothing in the understanding but that which is first in the sence The sences are doors to the minde the furniture and riches of that are conveyed in by the eyes or ears These bring informations to the understanding Naturall knowledge cannot have an immediate accesse to man and 't is but seldom that spirituall hath Both are commonly let in by sence The superiour powers must traffick with the inferiour otherwise they make no gain Though God hath no need of any help to bring in or improve his knowledge yet that is ascribed to him by which knowledge is improved He hath eyes but not of flesh he seeth but not as man Hast thou eyes of flesh Flesh by a Synechdoche is put for the whole nature of man The Word was made flesh Joh. 1.14 not body or soul but Flesh that is man consisting of soul and body Thus here eyes of flâ—sh that is mans eyes And so the later clause of the verse is an exposition of the former Oculi carnei sunt secundum carnem judicantes When he saith Hast thou eyes of flesh It is no more then this Dost thou see as man seeth To have an eie of flesh is to judge according to the flesh and to see as man seeth is to see no more then man When Samuel was sent to anoint a King over Israel in the place of Saul 1 Sam. 16.7 the Lord said concerning the first-born of Jesse Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused him The reason added is this For the Lord seeth not as man seeth for man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart There we have Jobs doctrine of Gods seeing delivered by God himself Samuel thought he who made the fairest shew to the eie of man must needs be the man who was fairest in the eye of God but the Lord seeth what is not seen and often findes most reality in the least appearance he who hath not eyes of flesh sees beyond the flesh There are seven differences between the eye of flesh or mans eye and the eye of God 1. Mans eye is but a means or an instrument of knowledge Gods eye is his knowledge The act and the faculty are not distinct in God All in God is act Neither is God another thing from his act whatsoever is ascribed to him is himself The eye of God is God seeing The knowledge of God is God knowing The love of God is God loving 2 Man must have a two-fold light to see by an inward light the light of the eye and an outward light the light in the air without both he cannot see man doth not see as Naturalists speak by sending forth a beam or a ray from his eye to the object but by receaving or taking in a beam or a ray from the object into his eie The object issues it's species to the eye which being joyned with the visive power of the eye man seeth But God seeth in himself of himself and from himself he needs no outward light Christ is described having a fiery eye His eyes were as a flame of fire Revel 1.14 Revel 2.18 Even nature teacheth us that those creatures which have fiery eyes see in the dark and see best when it is darkest because they see by sending forth a beam or a flame from their eyes which at once apprehends the object and enlightens the passage to it God who commanded light to come out of darknesse for the use of man commands light in darknesse for his own The darknesse hideth not from thee saith David but the night shineth as the day The darknesse and the light are both alike to thee There is no darknesse nor shadow of death where any of the workers of iniquity can hide themselves Job 34.22 Thus God hath not eyes of flesh he seeth not as man seeth 3. Man seeth one thing after another his eye is not able to take in all objects at once he views now one and then another to make his judgement of them But God seeth all things together he beholdeth all at one view his eye takes and gathers in all objects and all that is in every object by one act The Lord looketh from heaven and beholdeth all the sonnes of men from the place of his habitation he looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth Psal 33.13 14. 4. An eye of flesh seeth at a distance and at such a distance Naturalists tell us there must be a due distance between the eye and the object If you put the object too neer the eye Sensibile positum super sensuÌ„ tollet sensationem the eye cannot see it That which is sensible put upon the sense takes away sensation Again if the object be very remote the eye cannot make any discovery of it The eye cannot see farre and it cannot discern so farre as it
condition Vnderstand ye brutish he speaks to men who acted more like beasts then men He that planted the ear Shall he not hear He that formed the eye shall he not see As if he had said He that made the ear is all hearing and he who formed the eye is all eye all sight The argument holds strong from Gods power in forming man to his power of knowing man and to his power of disposing man I am teneo hujâ—â— rei causam cum enim manus illius me fecerint jure suo potest Deus me destruere Cajet That 's the first way of dependance Secondly Job may be conceived as rendering an account of those things about which he had taken the boldnesse to interrogate the Lord at the third verse Here he answers his own question as if he had said now I see well enough why thou maist despise and destroy thy work It is thy work I will go no further for a reason to vindicate thee in breaking me to pieces then this That thine hands have set me together Thou hast made me and thou maiest unmake me thou hast rais'd me up and thou maiest pull me down So the copulative vau in the originall which we translate by the adversative yet is taken for a conjunction causall and so it is frequently used in Scripture Gen. 30.20 Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return The sense is Dust thou art therefore to dust thou shalt return Exod. 15.23 24. The waters were bitter and the people murmured that is The waters were bitter therefore the people murmured thus here Thine hands have made me and fashioned me therefore thou dost destroy me He that builds the house at his own charge and by his own power may ruin it at his own pleasure Ex sua formatione artificis misericordiam movet ex commemorato pristino beneficio alia denuò efflagitandi ansam arripit Pined Thirdly The words may carry the sense of a strong motive to prevail with God to handle Job more gently or to deal more tenderly with him why The Lord had bestowed much care and cost to make and fashion him therefore he will surely pity and spare him There is a naturall motion of the heart in every agent towards the preservation of that which proceedeth from it Creation is followed with providence If a speechlesse and livelesse creature could speak and understand it would argue with it's maker in Jobs case as Job doth Dost thou yet destroy me David strengthens his heart to ask good at the hands of God because he had spoken good concerning him 2 Sam. 7.27 Thou O Lord of Hosts God of Israel hast revealed to thy servant saying I will build thee an house therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this praier unto thee Now if David were not only emboldned to ask but even assured to receive mercy because God promised to build him a house that is to prosper his estate and family how much more might Job be encouraged to pray for and expect mercy from the hand of God because God had already framed and built that naturall house his body The Prophet Isaiah being about to plead with God for new mercies presents him with a catalogue of his old mercies Chap. 63.7 8 9. I will mention the loving kindenesses of the Lord and the praises of the Lord according to all that the Lord hath done unto us and the great goodnesse towards the house of Israel which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies and according to the multitude of his loving kindenesses c. Having thus at large told the Lord what he had done the Prophet in a holy zeal contends with him about what he was doing vers 15. Look down from heaven and behold fromâ— the habitation of thy holinesse and of thy glory where is thy zeal and thy strength the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies towards me Are they restrained Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us c. As if he had said That great sea of thy goodnesse hath sent out abundant streams of good things heretofore and are all those streams now dried up and the springs exhausted What 's become of thy zeal and strength and compassions Are they all spent and gone Thus Job seems to plead here thine hands have made me Et sic repentè praecipitas me Vulg. Antithesi beneficiorum amplissimorum in se à Domino collatoruÌ„ exaggerat iram qua nunc in se desaevit ac afflictiones quibus exagitatur Jun. thou hast done thus and thus for me and wilt thou now destroy me According to this interpretation the later clause of the verse is rendered by an interrogation Thine hands have made me and fashioned me and dost thou yet destroy me What thou my maker destroy me Remember I beseech thee so in the next verse that thou hast made me as the clay and wilt thou bring me into the dust again Thus by a specification of the great outward benefits which he had received from the hand of God he seems to aggravate his present sorrows and to solicite future mercies Thine hands Hands are often ascribed to God as was shewed vers 3. Many things are made with the hand The maker of all things is without hands and yet he is all hand Hence all things that were made are said to be made by the hands of God not only the forming of man but the forming of the heavens and of the earth is the work of his hand Psal 102.25 Psal 95.5 both are put together Isa 48.13 Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth and my right hand hath spanned the heavens Wheresoever the great works of God are exprest a hand usually is exprest as the instrument working them yet his hand wrought the least as well as the greatest a worm of the earth as well as man upon the earth or the Angels in heaven The heads of men have run into great variety of opinion about these hands forming man First Many of the Ancients understand by the hands of God Ambros in Hexam Hom. 11. Basil c. The Sonne of God the second Person in the Trinity and the holy spirit of God who is the third Thine hands have made me that is the Sonne and the holy Spirit who were assistant to and of counsell with the Father at the Creation of man And God said Let us make man in our image after our likenes Gen. 1.26 Others expound hands literally and formally not as if God had hands that 's below their conceit but thus It hath been said of old that when God at first formed man the Sonne took upon him an outward shape or the shape of a man and so say they Christ not made man but in the form of man formed man Thirdly The hands of God are all second causes which God useth toward the production of any effect Causis secundis veluti quibusdaÌ„
death nothing bearing any the least resemblance of it's image or letter of it's superscription nothing of mortality shall be found or felt there There mortality shall be swallowed up of life here Job complains that his life was almost swallowed up of mortality Yet thou dost destroy or swallow me up As thou hast already swallowed up my estate so thou seemest resolved to swallow up my very breath When Joab besieged Abel a wise woman out of the City cried unto him Thou seekest to destroy a City in Israel why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the Lord 2 Sam. 20.19 Job saw a great Army of afflictions encamping about him and he seems to cry out to the Lord of those hoasts why seekest thou to destroy thy servant why wilt thou swallow me who am the vvork of thy hands Distinctio Habraeorum magis postulat ut verba praecedentia simul circumquaque cum his jungantur absorbistime Merc. Gramarians observe from the exactest reading of the Hebrew that the former words Together round about should be joyn'd with these Thou dost destroy me Thine hands have made me and fashioned me and yet thou dost destroy me together round about that is Thou makest an utter end a totall consumption of me Again These vvords are read by some vvith an interrogation Thine hands have made me and fashioned me and dost thou yet destroy me The question doth not alter but quicken the sense and render it more pressing and patheticall Wilt thou destroy me thus exactly Licet sensus non multum diversus sit interrogatio tamen sensum reddit valde acrem incitatum Merc. whom thou hast made so exactly The yet in the text sounds out an admiration As when God Amos 4. had brought many judgements upon Jerusalem and found them still impenitent he conchides the narrative of every one with Yet have they not returned unto me As if he had said What a wonder is here So Job repeating the favours of God to him concludes with a yet thou dost or dost thou yet destroy me As if he had said What a wonder is here How unsearchable are thy judgements O God Quem diligentissimè fecisti diligentissimè destruis and thy waies past finding out Thus he sets what God then did in opposition to what he had done that so the consideration of former mercies might provoke him to remove or mitigate present judgements Dost thou destroy me who hast made me Hence observe First That to minde God of making us is an argument to stay his hand from breaking us See more of this point ver 3 p. 445. It repented the Lord saith Moses Gen. 6.6 that he had made man and it grieved him at the heart This repentance and grief did not arise from his making of man but from that necessity which his own justice and honour laid upon him to destroy man whom he had made as it follows in the next words And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created The words shew the resolution of God not his propension it went to his heart to do it If God repented and grieved understand both by a figure because he had made man whom he must destroy then it cannot but be a grief to him to destroy that which he hath made It is as easie to the power of God to undo as it is to do but it is not so easie to his will to undo as it is to do Secondly Observe Afflictions destructive to the outward man may be the lot of the best men God never destroies that spirituall creature which the hand of his grace hath made and fashioned but he doth sometimes destroy the naturall creature of those who are spirituall Thirdly Observe A good man will make honourable mention of the goodnesse of God to him while he is under greatest evils Job writes the naturall history of Gods power and wisdom in his constitution while destruction was knocking at his doors Though God will destroy what he hath made yet he ought to be glorified for what he hath made The praise of God for fashioning us is never so comely as when he is putting us out of fashion Fourthly Observe God doth that sometimes which is most improbable he should do He acts strangely in waies of mercy and strangely in waies of judgement He saves those whom we expect he should destroy and he destroies those whom we expect he should save The Kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entred into the gates of Jerusalem Lam. 4.12 and who would have believed that the adversary and the enemy sorrow and destruction should have entred into the gates of Job God comes with such afflictions upon his people now as make him to be admired by all the world Christ vvill come vvith such mercies at the last as vvill make him to be glorified in his Saints and admired in all them that believe 2 Thess 1.10 Christ vvill exceed not only our unbelief but our faith In the former verse Job pleaded vvith God as his maker he proceeds still in the same argument and re-enforceth it from a speciall intimation of the matter out of which he vvas made clay Verse 9. Remember I beseech thee that thou hast made me as the clay ' and wilt thou bring me into dust again Remember I beseech thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Recordatus est memor fuit odoratus suit quaÌ„ do de sacrificijs usurpatur Odoretur omnia muneratua Jun. Zachar mas aut à memoria qua magis pollet quam mulier aut quia memoriam nomen familiae conservat Buxtorf Job speaks heartily his spirit was in a heat Remember I beseech thee The originall vvord is applied to a sensitive act as well as to a rationall Psal 20.3 The Lord remember or smell all thy offerings Memory is the savour or sent of things preserved in the minde The Hebrews expresse man or a male childe by a word of that root and they give two reasons of it Either first because man is of a stronger memory then the woman Or secondly because the man-childe preserveth the memory of the family and is a monument of his fathers honour his name being carried on from generation to generation in opposition to which women or females are called Nashim which vvord implieth forgetfulnesse because theâ—r names and titles are swallowed up in their husbands and forgotten when they are married Memory or the act of remembring is improperly applied to God For remembrance is of things past but to God all things are present Memory is the store-house wherein vve lay up severall notions and keep records of vvhat hath been done which by an act of the understanding vve review and fetch out again All things are ever open before God He needs not turn leaves or search registers he needs not so much as strain a thought to recall vvhat is
nulla mihi illaâ—o injuria Bol. Take the words as a direct assertion Thou wilt bring me into the dust again So they may have reference to the decree of God concerning man as those before had to the creation of man As if he had said By creation and naturall constitution I am frail and weak made of the clay by thy purpose and decree I am appointed unto death Thou wilt bring me into the dust again therefore spare me for the short time I have to live Some change the conjunction And into the adverb of likenesse so to note a right power or priviledge and the text runs in this form Remember that as thou hast made me of or as the clay so thou maist it is thy priviledge none can contradict thee in it and thou doest me no wrong in it thou maiest as thou hast purposed bring me to the dust again Though it be common and naturall to all creatures mixt of elements to be resolved and turned back into that out of which they were made that is to die yet to man it is more then naturall there is a decree upon it besides the naturality of it Man dieth by a statute-law of heaven To die is a penalty inflicted upon man for sinne for he had not been under a necessity of dying if he had not sinned And therefore though God formed man as the holy story informs us Gen. 2.7 out of the dust of the earth yet so long as man stood he never said to him To dust thou shalt return God only put a supposition that in case man did fall he should surely die But when man had fallen by sin then he hears what he was and what he must be For dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return Gen. 3.19 As if God had thus bespoken sinfull man Thy body was framed out of dust and now I charge this burden upon thee thou shalt return to the dust again It is a Question and I shall touch upon it Whether death were naturall to man or no Whether man were made mortall or whether he made himself mortall Some affirm That death was naturall not accidentall or occasionall to man-kinde They argue for this opinion First thus Adam died not the death of the body or a naturall death when he had sinned therefore the death of the body was not inflicted for sin upon his person and his posterity but was seated in or a consequent of his nature I answer Though Adam died not presently a naturall death yet he was presently made subject or liable unto death the sentence was past upon him though the sentence was not executed upon him A malefactour who is cast at the barre is a dead man in law though he be reprieved from the present stroke of death Again Though death it self did not instantly seize upon him yet the symptoms of death and tokens of mortality did Fear and shame pains and distempers sweat and wearinesse quickly shewed themselves as so many harbingers or forerunners of his approaching dissolution we see and feel death in these before we see or feel death it self These bid us prepare our bodies for the grave and our souls for heaven Secondly Others reason thus Christ hath delivered his people the elect from all that punishment which the sin of Adam did contract and deserve but Christ hath not delivered his elect his own people from turning to the dust Godly men die as well as the ungodly believers as well as infidels therefore say they the death of the body was not procured by sin I answer Whatsoever is an evil in death Christ hath delivered his people from he hath taken away all that from death which is punishment or annoiance though death be not taken away Christ hath freed us from the effects of sin as he hath freed us from sin it self that is from their prevalence and dominion over us not from their presence or being in and upon us Hence the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. triumpheth over death O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory As if he had said Death once had a power over man to sting him to death death once had a victorious power and would have bin the great conquerour riding in triumph over all the posterity of Adam but now death hath neither sting nor sword to use against believers it hath nothing of victory over the Saints It is now but a sleep a sleep in Christ a rest from labour a putting off the rags the worn rags of mortality that we may be dress'd in the robes of glory The evil of death is removed and that which remains of death the separation of soul and body proves the greatest good to both it being but a preparatory to their everlasting union Thirdly It is argued That death and corruption were naturall to man because the matter out of which man was made was dying and corruptible Omne principiatum sequitur naturam principiorum for that which is made must follow the nature of that principle out of which it is made The effect cannot be say they more noble then the cause nor the subject constituted more durable then that which goes into its constitution To clear up an answer to this we must distinguish of a three-fold immortality 1. A primitive simple independent essentiall immortality this is proper and peculiar to God in which sense the Apostle affirmeth He only hath immortality 1 Tim. 6.16 2. There is a derivative dependant essentiall immortality Some substances have no seed of corruptibility nor of death in them Being either separate from all matter which is the seat and root of corruption as the Angels or united to matter yet so as not being produced from it or having any affinity with it such are the souls of men Whole man in his creation was not immortall either of these waies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graec. Int. a part of man was but man was not created immortall Man was of a middle state and condition neither altogether so mortall nor altogether immortall but capable of either 3. There is an immortality by the power or gift by the mercy or justice of God The power and justice of God shall give an immortality to the bodies of the damned in hell they shall ever live a dying life who were dead all while they lived They who have slighted the mercy of God shall be upheld by his power to endure his justice to all eternity wicked men would have sinned with delight for ever upon the earth if they could have lived for ever upon the earth and they shall live for ever with pain in hell to suffer for their sinne The power goodnesse and mercy of God shall much more give immortality to the bodies of the Saints in glory they who have had a will to delight in obeying God that short time they lived on earth shall have a power to live for ever in delight praising God in heaven The body of man
The greatest wonders of creation are unseen God hath packt many rarities mysteries yea miracles together in mans chest All the vitall instruments and wheels whereby the watch of our life is perpetually moved from the first hour to the last are locked up in a curious internall cabinet where God himself prepared the pulleys hung on the weights and wound up the chime by the hand of his infinite power without opening of any part As our own learned Anatomist elegantly teacheth us in the Preface to his sixth book Fourthly The dimensions proportions and poise of mans body are so exact and due that they are made the model of all structures and artificials Castles Houses Ships yea the Ark of Noah was framed after the measure and plot of mans body In him is found a circulate figure and a perfect quadrat yea the true quadrature of a circle whose imaginary lines have so much troubled the Mathematicians of many ages Fifthly In every part usefulnesse and commodiousnesse comelinesse and convenience meet together What beauty is stampt upon the face What majesty in the eye What strength is put into the arms What activity into the hands What musick and melody in the tongue Nothing in this whole fabrique could be well left out or better placed either for ornament or for use Some men make great houses which have many spare rooms or rooms seldom used but as in this house there is not any one room wanting so every room is of continuall use Was ever clay thus honoured thus fashioned Galen gave Epicurus an hundred years to imagine a more commodious scituation configuration or composition of any one part of the body And surely if all the Angels in heaven had studied to this day they could not have cast man into a more curious mould or have given a fairer and more correct edition of him This clay cannot say to him that fashioneth it What makest thou Or this work he hath no hands Isa 45.9 The Lord hath made man so well that man cannot tell which way to be made better This work cannot say He that wrought me had no hands that is I am ill wrought as to say you have no eyes you have no ears are reproofs of negligence and inadvertency both in hearing and seeing So when we say to a man Surely you have no hands our meaning is he hath done his work either slothfully or unskilfully But this work of mans body shall not need to say unto God he hath no hands he hath given proof enough that hands and head too were imploied about this work Let us make it appear that we have hands and tongues and hearts for him that we have skin and flesh bones and sinews for him that we have strength and health and life and all for him seeing all these are also derived from him as appears in the next words Thou hast granted me life and favour Job having thus described the naturall conception and formation of his body descendeth to his quickning and preservation When God had formed man out of the dust of the earth he then breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul and thus when God hath formed man in the womb given him skin and flesh bones and sinews then he gives life and breath and all things necessary to the continuation of what he hath wrought up to such excellent perfections Our divine Philosopher teacheth us this doctrine Verse 12. Thou hast granted me life and favour and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit This verse holds out to us the great Charter of God to man consisting of three royall grants First Life Secondly Favour Thirdly Visitation The bounty of God appears much in granting life more in granting favour most of all in his grant of gracious visitations Thou hast granted me life c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vitas fecisti Mont. Vitam disposuisti mihi Sep. Quasi debito loco ordine The letter of the Hebrew is Thou hast made or fitted for me life and favour The soul is the ornament of the body life the lustre of our clay Thou hast not thrown or hudled my life into my body Thou hast put it in exquisitely and orderly The frame of the body is an exquisite frame but the frame the faculties and powers the actings and motions of the soul are farre more exquisite The inhabitant is more noble then the house and the jewell then the cabinet As the life is better then meat and the body then artificiall raiment Mat. 6.25 So the life is better then the body which is to it a naturall raiment Thou hast granted me life c. Life is here put metonymically for the soul of which it is an effect as the soul is often put for the life whereof it is a cause We translate in the singular number life the Hebrew is plurall Thou hast granted me lives But hath a man more lives then one Some understand Job speaking not only of corporall but spirituall life as our naturall life is the salt of the body to keep that from corrupting so spirituall life or the life of grace is the salt of the soul to keep that from corrupting Secondly Thou hast granted me lives that is say others temporall life and eternall life Thirdly Lives may be taken for the three great powers of life Man hath one life consisting of three distinct lives For whereas there is a life of vegetation and growth such as is in trees and plants and a life of sense and motion such as is in beasts of the earth fowls of the air and fishes of the sea And a life of reason such as is in Angels whereby they understand and discourse these three lives which are divided and shared among all other living creatures are brought together and compacted into the life of man Whole man is the epitome or summe of the whole Creation being enriched and dignified with the powers of the invisible world and of the visible put together under which notion we may expound this Text Thou hast granted me lives a three-fold life or a three-fold acting and exercise of the same life Thou hast granted me lives Observe hence Life is the gift of God With thee is the fountain of lives the well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vena vitarum or the vein of lives Psal 36.9 The Psalmist alludes either first to waters which flow from a fountain and so doth life from God Or secondly To metals With thee is the vein of lives as all minerall veins the veins of gold and silver of lead and iron c. lie as it were in bank in the bosom and bowels of the earth so doth life in God There is not the lest vein of this quick-silver in all the world but comes from him Or thirdly The Psalmist alludeth to the veins of the body which as so many rivers and rivolets derive their bloud from tha◠red-sea the liver God hath a sea of life in himself
and all that live are fill'd with life from him This is one of his royall titles The living God He is The living God not only subjectivè because he liveth but effectivè because he enliveneth and quickneth all living creatures From him we receive life and breath Act. 17.25 In him we live and move and have our being vers 28. In him we live c. that is by him or thorow him as the same Apostle teacheth Rom. 11.36 The same power giveth us being and maintains it This is true Iovis omnia plena Virg. Iupiter est aether est terra Iupiter coelumque omnia Iupiter fiquid supra Aeschyl yet the context carrieth the preposition In further For the Apostle having asserted vers 27. He is not farre from every one of us subjoyns this as a proof For in him we live c. implying That man is in a sense contained in or invested with God The divine nature cannot be circumscribed with any thing yet circumscribeth all things For which Paul refers the Athenians to Heathen Poets who spake this truth in a carnall language yet such as might be spiritualiz'd by a sanctified understanding The result of which is That God is the authour and conservatour of our lives This glory is given also unto Christ who is called The Prince of life because he hath life at command The Sonne quickneth whom he will Christ hath the power not only of naturall but of spirituall and eternall life He is the Prince of lives Iob speaks in the language of Princes Thou hast granted c. As they make out grants of lands and offices so God makes a grant of life The civil godship of Kings and Magistrates appears much in this that they can grant a forfeited life either by reprieve for a time or by pardon for ever It is ordinary with men to grant others leases for their lives but they cannot grant them life Princes can grant an offender a lease of that life which he hath but no Prince can grant life to those who have it not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Denotat impâ—n sum studiuÌ„ vel exuberantiam boni Coc. Angusta inâ—ecentia est secuÌ„dum leges justuÌ„ esse latius officiorum pater quam juris regula Quam multa pietas humanitas liberalitas exigunt quae omnia extra publicas tabulas sunt Sen l. 2. dâ—ira Virtutum quaedam seminaria tribuisti mihi praesertim misericordiae quam sibi innatam ipse fatetur Job 31.18 Aquin That 's Gods peculiar Thou hast granted me life And favour The word signifieth the purest sincerest and most tender kindenesse the fullest favour the most courteous courtesie Gen. 21.23 chap. 24.49 Exod. 15.13 Ruth 1.8 Hebricians tell us That it noteth an exuberancy of kindenesse such as breaks the bounds and exceeds the ordinary laws of love It is but a poor way of loving to love only by rule and measure There is no true love can act beyond the rule which God gives but love quickly exceeds the rules of men Hence the Jews call those Chasidim who are not only just by statute giving every man his right paying every man his due but noble heroicall free-hearted and open-handed in their distribution of favours One Expositour by favour understands the seeds of grace and vertue especially of charity and mercifulnesse which saith he seem to have been connaturall to Iob. Another interprets favour by * Liberum arbitrium tribuisti mihi Cajet free-will But I passe these as perversions not expositions of Scripture And shall represent what is both safe and sutable First Some restrain this favour to that which he received in the womb before he was born or the favour which he had to be born which is to be reckoned among very valuable favours Thou art he that took me out of the womb was Davids thankfull acknowledgement Psal 22.9 The womb is to all infants a temporary prison and to some a grave It is favour to have those gates unlockt and the little prisoner set safe at liberty Secondly We may interpret it as an adjunct or an adverb Haebraismus est quaâ—do ex duobâ— simul positis substantivis unum adverbia liter sumitur alâ—erumque determinat Bold shewing how the Lord granted him life It is an usuall Hebraisme to put the later of two Substantives adverbially Josh 2.14 We will deal kindely and truly with thee say the Spies to Rahab The Original is We will deal kindenesse and truth to thee which is also rendered kindenesse in truth or kindenesse truly that is thou maiest trust us we do not flatter thee and we will not deceive thee So here Thou hast granted me life and favour That is life by favour or life favourably importing That the receit of life is the receit of a great mercy as if Iob had said I could not deserve that thou shouldest bestow life upon me When I was firmed and fashioned in the womb it was thy favour to quicken me Mercy put breath into those tender principles and first rudiments of my body And seeing not only sense and motion are brought in by life but reason also and all the noble operations of it Iob had reason enough to say Thou hast granted me life as a great or with abundant favour Hence observe Life is a speciall favour of God There are divers sorts of creatures which have not the favour of life bestowed on them no not the lowest degree of life The Lord hath given man not only lâ—fe but the highest degree of life this is a high favour It was Satans argument chap. 2. Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life As if he had said What is a mans boâ—y to his life What are his estate his lands his gold and silver What are all these dead commodities to his life Life is the most pâ—ecious of naturall blâ—ssings A worm under this consideration is a more noble creature then the Sun because a worm hath life which the Sun hath not The lowest of a superiour order is better then the highest of an inferiour Though the Sun be the excellentest of all inanimate creatures yet it moves though in heaven in a lower orb then any thing that lives groveling on the earth A leaf is more excellent then a pearl or a diamond because a leaf hath a life in it which these have not That opinion of voluptuous Atheists or Epicures delivered us by the Preacher hath a truth in it A living dog is better then a dead lion Eccl. 9.4 For though as that voice spake from heaven Revel 14.13 Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord and though cursed are the living that live without the Lord In which sense the poorest dead dog is better then the proudest lion alive Yet consider man only within the line and compasse of naturall life Then he that lives in the worst condition is better then he that once was in highest dignity but now is
out of order or in danger Achish promiseth David I will make thee the keeper of my head for ever 1 Sam. 28.2 His meaning was he should be Captain of his guard Great Princes have their guards they have keepers of their heads The great King of heaven and earth is a guard to the meanest man and the keeper of his head God enquires of Cain for his brother Abel Gen. 4. Where is Abel thy brother What is become of him Cain was angry at the question Am I saith he my brothers keeper We ought to be one anothers keepers our mutuall visitations should preserve one anothers spirits Some are apt to think themselves too good for the work others that the work is too hard for them It is our comfort and it may be our assurance that God hath neither of these thoughts The Lord is thy keeper the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand The Sunne shall not smite thee by day nor the Moon by night The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil He shall preserve thy soul The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and for evermore Psal 121.5 How large a writ or patent of protection is granted here No time shall be hurtfull neither day nor night which include all times Nothing shall hurt neither Sunne nor Moon nor heat nor cold These include all annoiances Nothing shall be hurt Thy soul shall be preserved thy out-goings and thy comings in shall be preserved These include the whole person of man and him in all his just affairs and actions Nothing of man is safe without a guard and nothing of man can be unsafe which is thus guarded They shall be kept who can say The Lord is our keeper And they cannot be kept no not by legions of Angels who have not the Lord for their keeper None can keep us but he and he hath promised to keep us for evermore Some men are weary of their offices and some are put out of office Praefecturam ejus accipiat alter id est omnia quae in ejus cura sunt quae sub sua potestate habet God is neither In that Prophetical curse against Iudas t is said Let another take his office Ps 109.8 What office It is this word and notes there the office of looking to or of preserving the souls of others we commonly call it The cure of souls Such is the office of all the Ministers of Christ That 's Episcopacy by divine right this in the text is divine Episcopacy That word which here in Job we translate visitation and in the Psalm now cited office is called Episcopacy by the Apostle Act. 1.21 Christ is the great Bishop or visitour both of our souls and bodies He is the oecumenicall Bishop The whole world is his Diocesse He preserveth man and beast See more of this point Chapter 7.20 Again For as much as this visitation which extendeth to the whole man is here in the letter determined upon the spirit We may observe First Taking spirit for life That as our well-being so our being in the world is at the daily dispose of God The living God not only giveth but maintaineth our lives We live not by bread while we are healthy nor by medicines when we are sick but by the Word of God His visitation doth all Secondly Take spirit for the soul then we are taught That our souls are not independently immortall or incorruptible As the life of the whole man is not so neither is the life of the soul of or in it self without support from God The Angelicall spirits who were never married to bodies of earth stand not meerly by Creation but by Providence The visitation of God preserveth those spirits how much more the spirits of men which are espoused to dust and clay Thirdly As spirit signifieth the soul not only in it's naturall but in it's spirituall state or in the state of grace We learn That our spirituall stook and treasure are in danger and would decay if the power and care of God did not preserve our spirits Grace cannot keep it self if left to its self We should loose not only degrees of grace but all grace were it left in our own hands But because it is grace therefore it is not left in our own hands and because grace is not left in our own hands therefore it cannot be lost So the Apostle clearly 1 Pet. 1.4 We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation The word signifies to keep as a City beleaguered without by a strong enemy is kept by a Garison within Man at the first had an excellent estate in spirituals though it cannot be said properly that he had grace for that is in the hand of a Mediator yet he had the image of God and perfect innocency but because God did not visit his spirit by fresh assistances he was stript of all and fell from the throne of his created glory As God visits our souls by preventing grace to give us what we had not so he visits us by his preserving and persevering grace to continue what he hath given Lastly Forasmuch as though God createth and careth for the whole man yet the visitation of God is expressed only as to the spirit We may observe That God doth chiefly take care of and provide for the spirit or soul of man When God formed the body of man at first out of the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life it is not said he became a living body or a living man But man became a living soul So here the work of providence is not enlarged to the whole man but restrained to his spirit As if the Lord did scarce thinke our bodies either worth or needing a visit in comparison of our spirits And seeing God cares for nothing in us so much as for our spirits should not our care be chiefly for our spirits The soul is upon the matter all man ought not man to be most of all for his soul Shall the thoughts of God be most busied his care and inspection most fixed upon our spirits and shall not ours While Christ in a manner dischargeth us of our outward man Mat. 6.25 Take no thought for your life what ye shall ear or what ye shall drink nor yet for your body what ye shall put on His meaning was to charge us more deeply with the inward man yet how many are there whose outward man stands them in more cost and care in more thoughts and visitations for one day then their spirits or inward man doth for a whole year yea for their whole lives Visitations are frequent and serious for the preserving of the body but where shall we finde serious thoughts of visiting the soul Take this word further If it be the visitation of God which preserveth our spirits we should often visit God with praier intreating him to continue these visitations Praier is
Sight which is the chief sense is put for any sense And so the meaning is Though I am righteous yet I cannot hold up my head or take any comfort because I am so full of confusion and see so much affliction As if he had said Can a man at the same time mourn and rejoyce Can a man lift up his head while he hath such a load upon his heart Hence observe They who see much affliction can hardly take in any consolation Come to a godly man under great outward or inward troubles tell him of the love of God of the pardon of sinne of an inheritance among the Saints in light as his portion you can hardly fasten any of these things upon him sorrow within keeps comfort out As till sin be cast out we cannot act holily so till worldly sorrow or the excesse of godly sorrow be cast out we cannot act joyfully The Saints in a right posture of spirit are joyous in all their tribulations and Christ is able to make consolations abound as tribulation doth abound yet where there is abundance of tribulation consolation is usually very scarce Drops will hardly be received where rivers are offered and poured forth Another reading of the words representeth Iob bespeaking God in praier mixed with complaining If I were righteous Satis habeas ignominiae vide impotentiaÌ„ meam Coc. yet cannot I lift up my head be thou satisfied with confusion and behold my affliction So M. Broughton As if Iob had said Let it be enough Lord let it now suffice give me some ease that I may lift up my head a little before I lay it down for altogether Thus David praied Ps 39.11 12. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth surely every man is vanity O spare me that I may recover stâ—ength before I go hence be no more When Nehemiâ—h was humbling himself and confessing his sin and the sinne of that people he concludes according to this interpretation Chap. 9.32 Let not all the trouble seem little before thee that hath come upon us on our Kings on our Princes and on our Priests and on all thy people as if he had said Lord consider that now we have been greatly punished though we have been punished lesse then our sins deserve Thou maist justly inflict more but we are not able to endure more Rectius in imperativo q. d. vide Domine quo sim statu tum cognosces ita esse ut dico Mâ—rc Thirdly We read imperatively Therefore see thou mine affliction So his meaning is Lord take notice of my sad condition I am full of trouble Hence observe That when sorrows are come to a great height it is time for us to pray that God would cast a compassionate eye upon them When we are past the cure and help of man we are fittest objects for God When the pressures of the people of Israel were greatly encreased in Aegypt then the Lord himself saith I have seen I have seen Exod. 3.7 and when affliction is boyl'd up to the height then let us say See Lord see Lord. When the rage and blasphemy of Rabshakeh both by speaking and writing reached even unto heaven Then Hezekiah went and spread the letter before the Lord 2 King 19.14 As if he had said Lord do thou read this letter Lord bow down thine ear and hear Lord behold and see we are full of confusion See thou our affliction And when the enemies of the Jews in Nehemiah's time fell to scoffing and jearing the work they had in hand and them in the work then that zealous Governour puts it unto God Hear O our God for we are despised Secondly Note That when our afflictions are at the highest and greatest thou the Lord is able to master and subdue them I am full of confusion see thou mine affliction As if he had said It is in vain for me to shew my diseases and my wounds to creatures but I know I am not past thy cure though I come thus late or thus I have shewed my wounds and my diseases to the creature I have made my moan to men but they cannot help Now I bring them unto thee O see my affiction All our ruines may be under the hand of God he hath bread and cloathing for us he can be our healer when none can either in heaven or earth Lastly Observe When our afflictions are at the highest then usually God comes to deliver When the waters of affliction swell over the banks and threaten a deluge then God turns the stream when our sores fester and are ready to gangrene then God applies his balsome He seldome appears in a businesse which others can do or undertakes that which is mans work As in the sore travel of women in childe-bearing other helpers undertake it not till as they speak it be past womens work so God seldome meddles eminently he acts alwaies concommitantly till our deliverance is past mans work that so the whole praise of the work may be his When danger is upon the growing hand then desire God to take deliverance in hand then pray and pray earnestly that God would see your afflictions when you perceive them to be encreasing afflictions So it follows in the next verse See thou mine affliction Verse 16. For it encreaseth Thou huntest me as a fierce lion and again thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me This verse with the next are an elegant and patheticall description of Iobs yet growing and prevailing sorrows for having closed the 15th verse with an Assertion and a petition I am full of confusion therefore see thou mine affliction he presseth and pursueth both in these words For it encreaseth Thou huntest me as a fierce lion For it encreaseth M. Broughton renders How it fleeth up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In bonum elevâ—tâ—â— eminuit in malum intumuit superbiit de inanimatis â—revit auctus â—uit The Hebrew word is taken sometimes in a good and sometimes in an ill sense In a good sense it signifies to be lifted up or to be eminent in excellency In an ill sense it signifies to be lifted up or exalted with pride The word is applied also to things without life and then it signifies to augment by addition or encrease The Vulgar takes it in that ill sense as noting pride and high-mindednesse translating by the Noun thus For pride thou dost catch me as a lion or thou dost hunt me as a lion because I am proud A lion is a stout creature and may be an embleme of pride Another gives a sense near that When it lifteth up it self then thou huntest me as a fierce lion When what lifteth up it self when my head lifteth up it self he had said in the former verse If I be righteous yet will I not lift up my head for if I doe lift up my head in pride then thou wilt hunt me as a fierce lion I shall
turned up-side down To wipe Ierusalem as a dish was to do that which was never done before Some expound that place of the frequency of affliction that God would smite them again and again as they that make clean a dish wipe it over and over that no filth may stay in it The Seventy and the Vulgar translate Delebo IerusaleÌ„ sicut deleri soleÌ„t tabulae Vulg. I will blot out Ierusalem as they use to blot out a table-book that is written all over He that hath a table-book full of writing and would write more takes a cloth or a spunge and blotteth out what was written that he may thorowly wipe his table-book he rubs it often with his spunge to get the letters clear out Thus God threatned to do with Ierusalem He would wipe or blot out her golden characters and honourable inscriptions till nothing of Ierusalem but her shame and her sinne should remain unblotted out Was not the judgement brought upon Ierusalem a wonder when the Prophet saith Lam. 4.12 The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world would not have believed it The Apostle speaks thus of his own and of his fellow-Apostles afflictions 1 Cor. 4.9 We are made a spectacle as upon a theater unto the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to Angels and to men All begin to wonder at us what the matter is what strange creatures we are whom the Lord suffers to be thus used The people of God are often a gazingstock to the world in regard of what they do and not seldom in regard of what they suffer Secondly Observe That when God doth greatly afflict his own people he goes out of his ordinary way He shews himself marvellous or wonderfull a man is never marvelled at when he goes his old pace in his old path God loves to have his hand in the hony-pot therefore it is strange to see him give his people a bitter cup to drink or feeding them with wormwood and with gall Judgement is the strange work of God Isa 28.21 The Lord shall be wrath in the valley of Gibeon that he may do his work his strange work and bring to passe his act his strange act And if every work of judgement be his strange work a work he delighteth not to be conversant in what then are great and sore judgements Though the Lord be infinitely pleased in the executions of judgement yet because if a more may be conceived in infinity he is more pleased with mercy therefore judgement is called his strange work his strange act To see a Prince renowned for clemency and pity passing a severe sentence is a strange sight We say he hath shewed himself marvellous he hath gone against both his practice and his nature his custome and his inclination To see any man do what he useth not hath somewhat of wonder in it much more to see God do so When he taketh up his rod we begin to start how much more when he taketh up his sword when he hunts those like a lion whom he dearly loveth and uses those as wilde beasts who are his precious children when he smites them with rigour whom he carrieth in his own bosome These these are acts which represent him to admiration as many acts of his power and mercy cause the Saints to cry out admiringly yet joyfully Who is a God like unto thee So some acts of his visible severity cause others of them to cry out admiringly yet sorrowfully Why O God dost thou act in appearance so unlike thy self Verse 17. Thou renewest thy witnesses against me or thou bringest new witnesses against me and encreasest thine indignation upon me changes and war are against me This 17th verse is but a further amplification of what he had spoken before setting forth the greatnesse and frequent returns of his trouble Thou renewest The first day of the moneth is called Chodesh Chodesh novilunium primus dies mensis quo quasi luna innovatur in the Hebrew from the word here used because then there was a new moon or a change of the moon so Thou renewest thou makest a change I have many new moons but they are all and alwaies at full in sorrow Thou renewest Thy witnesses The Septuagint saith Thy examinations so it is an allusion to the triall of a malefactour who is examined by the Judge and if he deals not plainly in confession then his examination is renewed Thus saith Job Thou sendest as it were new examiners with more articles and additionall Interrogatories as if I had conceal'd somewhat and had not told thee my whole heart We translate and so the word most properly beareth witnesses the sense is the same As some malefactours are often examined so more evidence and new witnesses are brought against them though in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established yet where there are more witnesses then two or three there is more establishment Again As they who are of a wrangling and unquiet disposition will never sit down in a suit when by the examination of some witnesses they have brought the matter to a triall and are cast yet this doth not satisfie them they will have their writ of errour Non tam videtur de instauratione plurium testium queri quam de sententiae ferendae dilatione morâ Pined and bring the matter about again in another Court Thus saith Job as if the Lord were resolved this sute should never have an end He reneweth his witnesses against me When I think all is concluded and agreed between us I am as much to seek as ever he brings all about again So that after all my travell I am as farre from an end as I was at the beginning I am where I was and am like to continue there for I see the Lord renewing his witnesses against me still The doubt is What or whom he meaneth by these Witnesses Philippus in lo. One saith These witnesses were devils Satan accused him at first and he is not alone either in tempting or accusing he can soon have a legion to joyn with him in any design of wickednesse But I passe that opinion Secondly Others say The Witnesses were Iobs three friends they all testified against him Eliphaz began and Bildad was his second Zophar stood ready to follow all against Iob. Poena â—â—ius peccati quasi destatione decedeÌ„te aliam quasi succenturiatam suffecturus es Coc. Thirdly By Witnesses most and they most clearly understand his afflictions Thou renewest thy witnesses that is thou bringest new troubles to testifie against me When one affliction hath spoken at thy bar against me thou callest for the testimony of another and of another and when there will not be another I know not unlesse it be when I am not When Naomi was become Marah her former pleasures being turned into bitternesse she saith Ruth 1.21 The Lord hath testified against me Iob is very expresse in the
should not have sipt or tasted Est non est Octimestris partus Hippocr much lesse have drunk so deep of this cup of sufferings It is said of Abortives who die in the womb and of such as die immediately after they are born They are and they are not they who live but a moment in nature shall live for ever A life here lesse then a span long Abortivuâ— pro non nato ceâ—setur in jure will be eternity long yet as to the world such a life is no life such a being no being Lawyers say They who die before or as soon as they are born are reckoned as unborn they make no change in states they never had a name or an interest in the world and so they go for nothing in the world The Prophet Obadiah verse 16. threatens Edom That they shall be as though they had not been that is they must perish and their memoriall with them Some are so thrust out of the world that they shall be as if they had never been and some come into the world so that their being was as if they had never been A short life is by common estimation no life As in heaven where we shall live for ever we shall be as if we had ever been So on earth some live so little that they are as if they never were That which hath an eternall duration and shall never end is as if it had ever begun and that which is but of a short duration and ends quickly is as if it had never begun The reason why the fruit of sinne goes for nothing is because the pleasure of sinne is but for a season and that a very little season What fruit have ye of those things whereof ye are now ashamed That is Ye have no fruit or your fruit was nothing we may say of all the pleasures of sin their cradle is their grave or more near Iobs language they are carried from the womb to the grave So he speaks next of himself I should have been carried from the womb to the grave I should have passed without noise or notice There would have been little trouble with me in the world I should have made but one journey and that a short one The speech is proverbiall From the womb to the grave Proverbiale est ab uâ—ero ad sepulchrum cum quis simulac natus est moritur is the motto of Infant-death The Septuagint read it as an expostulation Wherefore was I not carried out from the womb to the grave It would have been a happinesse to me either not to have been at all or to have had a being but equivalent in common account to a not being And thus it had been with me if my first step out of my mothers womb had been into the womb of that grandmother the earth Iob is often upon the same point renewing his desires after death he did so as hath been toucht at the third Chapter and at the sixth and now he is as fierce and fresh upon it as ever A godly man may often discover the same infirmity Whilest the same stock of corruption remains in us it is productive of the same corrupt fruit There is a seminall vertue in the earth look how often it is plowed and sowed so often it sends forth a crop there is a seminall vertue in the earthly part of man which makes him to put forth evil as often as occasion plows and temptation soweth his heart Verse 20. Are not my daies few Cease then and let me alone that I may take comfort a little Are not my daies few There is a difference in the reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Primo adjungunt colo Numquid non paucitas dierum meâ—rum finiatur brevi Vulg. Annon pauci dies mei cessantes sc deficientes â—arg Annon paulisper diebus meis cessabit Juâ— Many translatours joyn the verb Cease with this clause so that whereas we read Are not my daies few Cease then and let me alone they read Will not my few daies cease then let me alone that I may take comfort a little M Broughton and he hath a second varieth yet further Will not he leave off a little in my daies Instead of applying the word few unto daies Are not my daies few they taking in the verb joyn it to the act of God Will not he leave off a little in my daies That is Will not God forbear a little to trouble me Will not he give me a breathing time in my daies which are but few Surely he will he will not be so strict with me I doubt not of a gracious answer to this humble petition But rather follow our sense and let the first clause be a question Are not my daies few And then the next words are an inference or use which he makes from it Cease then and let me alone c. Are not my daies few The question doth affirm Yes my daies are few The sense may be made out one of these three waies and not unprofitably by all three First thus As a justification of his former wishes and desires to die Have I not upon good reason wished that I had never lived Who can be in love with a short life and a long trouble Are not my daies few Or Secondly As an answer to such as objected against him for wishing he had not lived Doe you know said they what you have said Is life such a small matter with you Or doe you understand what you desire when you desire death Is deformed death become a beauty in your eye What ever you think of it life is a precious jewel Yes saith Job I know very well what life is and I know of I had died before I was born I had not lost much life What 's the life of a few daiis The life of eternity is worth the having and esteeming but why should you think I have wished away a matter of moment when I wished away this life For are not my daies few Whence observe The losse of a whole life in this world is no great losse We cannot lose a great deal when all is but a little nor many when we have but a few in all He looseth but a few daies who dieth the first day then what have we got when we have lived according to the calculation of nature many daies Job makes this an argument to satisfie others about his wish that all his days had bin cut off May not we satisfie our selves by it when a piece or a part an end the worst end of our daies is cut off What if we have abated ten or twenty of those years which possibly we might have lived Twenty years are but a few daies for a whole life consisting of three twenties and ten is but a few daies This we are sure of that the few daies we loose on earth shall never be missed in heaven it will be no abatement to our comfort there to
great affliction and now a little comfort would go a great way with him When the people of Israel were in bondage under Pharaoh and his task-masters and had heavier burdens laid upon them they do not so much as move for a totall release from their task but modestly complain There is no straw given unto thy servants and they say to us Make brick As if they had said Let us have straw and we are willing to make brick A poor man cries out for a half-peny for a farthing not for hundreds or thousands He that is ready to starve will not ask good chear or a plentifull feast but let me have a crust of bread or a little water When Dives was in hell what did he desire of Abraham Did he beg to come into his bosome Doth he say Lazarus is in a good place let me come too No he desired but a drop of water and what was a drop of water to flames of fire O how would it delight the damned in hell to think of a cessation but for one hour from their pain What a joy would it be unto them if it should be told them that a thousand or ten thousand years hence they should have one good day or that they might be let alone to take comfort a little They who are low make low demands Think of this ye that enjoy much comfort and swim in rivers of pleasure Let not the great consolations of God be small to you when you hear Job thus instant and importunate for the smallest Let me alone that I may take comfort a little But why is he in such haste for a little comfort One ground is in the former words My daies are few and he backs it with a second in the next If it come not quickly it will come too late I am ready to take my last journey Therefore let me take a little comfort Verse 21. Before I go whence I shall not return even to the land of darknesse and the shadow of death Before I go That is before I die Death is a going out of the world Periphrasis moriendi qui m ritur dicitur abire unde abitionem pro morte veteres usurparunt Drus Christ intimates his death under this notion Joh. 16.7 If I goe the Comforter will come And I go from you c. Dying is a journeying from one region to another Death is a changing of our place though not of our company Before I go Whether Whence I shall not return That 's a strange journey indeed That which pleaseth us in our longest journeys while we live is a hope of returning to our own homes again But when we die we take a journey from whence there is no returning Not return Shall not man return when he dieth Is death an everlasting departure an eternall night No Man shall return but he shall not return to such a life or state as he had before Fidem resurrectionis non laedit Pin. He is gone for ever out of this world and out of all worldly interests Job believed a resurrection or a returning from the grave by the power of God and he knew there was no returning by the power of nature or by the help of any creature In that reference we go whence we shall not return So David speaks of his dead Infant I shall go to him but he shall not return to me Indicat nullam esse vim in natura cui pareat mors cui receptacula animarum obediaÌ„t reddereque cogaÌ„tur quem semel receperunt Pin. 2 Sam. 12.25 When once we are shut up in those chambers of death and made prisoners in the grave though all the Princes in the world send warrants for our release we cannot get released The pertinacy and stiffnesse of the grave is such as yeelds to none We are fast shut up when we are shut up there Love and the grave will hardly part with that which they have closed with and are possessed of The grave is one of those three things which are never satisfied or say it is enough Prov. 30.15 And as it is unsatiable in receiving so it is as close in keeping it will part with nothing A grave is the Parable of a covetous man he is greedy to get and watchfull to hold when his money goes into his purse he saith it shall not return The grave hath a strong appetite to take down and as strong a stomack to digest Till God as I may so speak by his mighty power gives the grave a vomit and makes the earth stomack-sick with eating mans flesh Veteres Romani dicere solebant abâ—it reversurus est resurrectionem carnis haud obscurè innuentes Ter. Salve aeternum mihi maxime Palla Aeternumque vale Virg. Aenead it will not return one morsel At the resurrection this great Eater shall cast up all again And as they who take strong vomits are put into a kinde of trembling convulsion all the powers of the body being shaken such will the prognosticks be of the resurrection there was an earth-quake when Christ arose God made the earth shake and commanded it to give back the prisoner because it was not possible that he should be holden of it And when God speaks the word it will not be possible for the grave to hold us prisoners till then it will It was usuall among the Ancients to say of a dead friend He is gone and he will come again intimating a resurrection Heathens not knowing nor believing it call earth Valeant qui inter nos dissidiuÌ„ volunt Terent. An eternall leave-taking or farewell never to meet again Observe from this description of the grave That the statutes of death are unrepealable Death is an everlasting banishment from the world I shall goâ— whence I shall not return This may lie very sad upon their spirits Animula vagula blandula c. quae nunc abibis in loca Aâ—r. who have not a better place then the world to go to when they go from the world To go whence we shall never return and yet where we cannot endure to be a moment is deepest misery Such a man cannot chuse but set out with a sad heart And that 's the reason why wicked men whose consciences are awakened go so unwillingly to this sleep they know whither they are going only they know they cannot return Make ye friends 't is Christs counsel of the Mammon of unrighteousnesse that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations Luk. 10.9 Mammon of unrighteousnesse that is say most Interpreters Mammon gotten unrighteously but surely Christ would not teach any to make men our friends by that which makes God our enemy Quod est falsum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab Hellenistis usu HebraeoruÌ„ dicitur Hens exercit Sacr. They translate better who render it Make ye friends of the false or unfaithfull Mammon that is of that Mammon which will deceive and leave you shortly
p. 49. We must not despise small beginnings p. 52. Sorrow is not easily shaken off p. 347. Soveraignty of God p. 284. Soul taken two waies in Scripture p. 412. Three things weary and load the soul p. 413. Soul and life in man are distinct 418. Spirit A three-fold work of the spirit p. 480. Spirit of man taken three waies p 528. Starre what it is p. 207. The differences of the stars ib. 208. The number of the known stars p. 208. The known stars represented in fourty one images ibid. All the stars are particularly placed in the heavens for the good of man p. 212. Man very apt to commit idolatry with the stars p. 212 215. God knows the number and names of all the stars p. 213. Some stars more excellent then others ib. The power and wisdom of God shine forth from the stars p. 214. Six things shew the power and wisdom of God in making and ordering the stars p. 215. Starres can do nothing of themselves but as God orders p 217. They are for signs but not for infallible signs p. 219. It is a duty to study the starres p. 220. Strength of two sorts p. 158. Strength of God opened ibid. Strength signified by five distinct words in the Hebrew pag. 289. Strength of God insuperable p. 289. The strength of God appears in three things pag. 290. Sunne at Gods command p. 189. Shadow of the Sunne going back in Hezekiahs time p. 193. The rising of the Sunne is an act of favour renewed to the world every day p. 196 Supplication The nature of it p. 29. Supplication properly what it is p. 266. T TEmptation makes the Saints sometimes weary of their lives p. 420. Great afflictions lay us open to great temptations p. 430. Thousand How taken in Scripture p. 151. One of a thousand what it means ib. Time is very swift p. 334. Swift as and swifter then a Post shewed in ten particulars p. 335. Tradition and immediate revelation the rule till the Word was written p. 56. Trust what it is p. 89. A two-fold effect of trust ibid. Trust of hypocrites like a Spiders web in five things p. 90 91. Truth is more ancient then errour p. 59. Truth cannot be had with ease pag. 61. Four things fit us for the search of truth ib. Truth is to be highly esteemed p. 71. We should yeeld to one another in controversies as farre as truth will let us p. 146. Truth is ever the same and we should be the same to truth p. 307. Great truths must be resolutely maintained p. 308. Type what it is properly p. 32. V Vision of God in heaven not in his Essence p. 231. We cannot see God fully on earth in his Word and works p. 228 232. That we see so little of God should humble us p. 233. Visitation of God three-fold p. 527. Untill notes a continued act p. 132. W WAshing What it imports ceremonial washings p. 365 366. Wicked men have their name from unquietnesse p. 309. They often abound with earthly things p. 324. They have a just title to the earthly things which they enjoy p. 325 326. How it is in vain for a wicked man to seek unto God and how not p. 362. 363. To be accounted wicked is a sore affliction p. 434. Wicked men in what sense they may be said to have prosperity p. 448. To be wicked or to do wickedly is inconsistent with grace p. 476. A wicked man who described in five particulars p. 476 c. All men are either godly or wicked p. 482. Wise What it is to be wise in heart p. 156. God is infinitely wise p. 157. Witnesse and party must not be the same man p 295. Woes of two sorts pag. 542. Woe is the portion of the wicked p. 543. Words It is our duty to watch over our words p. 5. It is a duty to give check to the idle or evil words of others ib. Words like a strong winde shewed in six particulars p. 8 9. God is not taken with fine words p. 259. Worldly things have no consistence They are alwaies in motion p. 336 337. They passe as if they had never been 341. Worldly estate of good men as transitory as that of evil men p 342. Works of God are to be recorded for after times p. 57. It is our duty to enquire into former times p. 58. It is but little of God that we are able to see in his works p. 228 â—32 Y YEsterday Taken three waies in Scripture p. 62. A TABLE OF THOSE SCRIPTVRES Which are occasionally cleared and briefly illustrated in the fore-going EXPOSITIONS The first number directs to the Chapter the second to the Verse the third to the Page of the Book Genesis Chap. Vers Pag. 1. 1. 199. 1. 8. 201. 1. 14. 207. 2. 2. 442. 3. 16. 277. 4. 6. 25. 4. 10. 371 6. 6. 498. 7. 23. 99. 11. 5. 15. 11. 15. 474. 18. 21. 474. 18. 25. 11. 19. 16. 126. 22. 12. 474. 25. 23. 49 289 25. 32. 524. 27. 33. 331. 28. 19. 133. 29. 31. 137. 31. 24. 194 385 31. 47. 106. 32. 9 10 11. 256 42. 11 19 31. 406 Exodus Chap. Vers Pag. 10. 28. 166. 13. 4. 73. 15. 11. 380. 20. 6. 31. 23. 1. 389. 23. 1. 125. 23. 2. 164. 33. 20. 229. 34. 7. 36â— Leviticus Chap. Vers Pag. 1. 4. 388 390 4. 15. 388 19. 15. 48 26. 44. 123. Numbers Chap. Vers Pag. 8. 10. 389. 23. 21. 135. 24. 17. 204. Deuteronomy Chap. Vers Pag. 2. 11. 401. 3. 23. 30 4. 19. 212 8. 2. 474 10. 12. 54. 11. 24. 204. 18. 9. 218. 21. 6 7. 368. 29. 26. 213. 32. 13. 204. 33. 9. 303 Joshua Chap. Vers Pag. 6. 5. 134. 7. 7 8. 240. 10. 12. 190. Judges Chap. Vers Pag. 5. 20. 217 6. 21. 150 7. 31. 134 14. 12. 140 1 Samuel Chap. Vers Pag. 1. 18. 346. 1. 19. 501 15. 29. 242 377 15. 32. 286. 17. 33. 375. 22. 18. 289. 24. 14. 26 28. 19. 63 2 Samuel Chap. Vers Pag. 5. 8. 495. 12. 12. 102. 19. 24. 217 21. 1. 437. 22. 19. 93. 1 Kings Chap. Vers Pag. 4. 32 33. 75 7. 21. 100 8. 29. 24. 2 Kings Chap. Vers Pag. 4. 29. 285 9. 26. 62 14. 9. 150 20. 9 10. 193 21. 13. 55â— 2 Chronicles Chap. Vers Pag. 30. 5. 60 Nehemiah Chap. Vers Pag. 6. 9. 126 Esther Chap. Vers Pag. 7. 8. 327 9. 29 31. 99 Job Chap. Vers Pag. 12. 12 13. 473 13. 3. 255 14. 18. 173 15. 19. 322 18. 4. â—74 19. 6. 14 20. 22. 111 21. 2. 171 23. 13. 243 26. 7. 186 26. 12. 245 30. 23. 293 33. 11. 77 33. 19. 416 33. 23. 151 34. 29. 327 37. 18. 200 201 38. 22. 202 38. 31. 217 40. 13. 327 42. 5 6. 252 Psalms Psal Vers Pag. 2. 1. 205 2. 9. 503 4. 2. 4 8. 3. 221 9. 18. 501 14. 5. 55 17. 14. 324 18. 7. 102 18. 25 26. 35 19. 1. 221 19. 4. 9 221 19. 5. 194 22. 29. 507 24. 1 2. 185 33. 6. 7 36. 6. 175 36. 9. 501 46. 2. 175 50. 16. 363 50. 18. 377 51. 4. 21 51. 9. 367 56. 5. 352 58. 8. 177 61. 7. 55 69. 6 7. 139 73. 4. 313 73. 9. 9 73. 15. 33 â—â—â— â—â—â— 187 76. 6. 195 77. 9. 501 77. 9. 78 81. 12. 129 82. 5. 329 89. 15. 134 89. 25. 389 90. 6. 151 90. 11. 403 91. 13. 203 94. 9. 487 95. 10. 88 100. 3. 444 102 27. 225 103 14. 505 104. 32. 174 105. 15. 195 106. 23. 137 108. 1. 57 108. 9. 203 110. 7. 545 119. 116. 139 119. 121. 12 121. 5. 529 130. 3. 539 139. 14 15. 443 143. 2. 154 144. 5. 172 148. 8. 192 Proverbs Chap. Vers Pag. 1. 22. 4 1. 32. 26 7. 27. 210 8. 27. 202 18. 23. 30 19. 11. 226 24. 4. 21â— 23. â— 28. 234 27. 19. 250 28. 14. 161 29. 15. â—23 31. 8. 225 Ecclesiastes Chap. Vers Pag. 1. 16. 13 2. 18. 117 5. 2 259 6. 10. 379 7. 13. 14 8. 4. 241 8. 11. 163 9. 2. 482 10. 7. 328 12. 1. 78 Canticless Chap. Vers Pag. 1. 6. 458 2. 4. 274 5. 10. 151 5. 12. 367 Isaiah Chap. Vers Pag. 1. 18. 255 367 3. 1. 93 3. 9. 138 347 6. 5. 230. 252 8. 9. 167 10. 26. 312 11. 4. 7 11. 3. 425 14. 23. 91 19. 25. 444 24. 20. 187 25. 4. 278 26. 19. 507 27. 8. 556 27. 11. 446 27. 4. 167 28. 15. 312 28. 7. 110 28. 21 560 30. 7. 246 30. 13. 314 32. 17. 46 32. 2. 454 33. 14. 91 38. 10 12. 414 38. 3. 265 40. 31. 340 40. 4. 173 40. 28. 158 41. 15. 172 42. 25. 179 43. 26. 258 43. 13. 194 44. 20. 390 44. 24 25. 218 45. 11. 240 446 47. 3. 556 49. 15 16. 80 81 49. 23. 246 51. 9. 41 245 53. 8. 55 53. 9 12. 359 55. 6 7 8. 378 57. 17. 77 57. 20. 206 57. 1â—â— 404 58. 3. 82 154 59. 6. 97 62. 6. 501 64. 1. 174 64. 6 7. 25 350 484 65. 24. 39 66. 5. 124 66. 12. 557 Jeremiah Chap. Vers Pag. 2. 22. 370 2. 29. 154 2. 31. 80 2. 32. 79 2. 34. 467 7. 1 2. 97 7. 4 9. 363 8. 6. 406 8. 14. 239 10. 24. 403 11. 13. 141 12. 1. 153 15. 2. 26 15. 1. 238 18. 4. 503 22. 24. 17 23. 10. 4â—6 23. 14. 126 27. 6. 323 30. 14. â—79 31. 35. 216 31. 28. 36 50. 20. 467 50. 7. 45 â—â—â— â—â— â—â—â— Lamentations Chap. Vers Pag. 3. 36. 18 3. 59. 14 3. 37. 195 4. 6. 313. Ezekiel Chap. Vers Pag. 3. 8 9. 160 6. 9. 88 16. 49. 126 18. 25. 154 20. 47. 311 21. 3. 310 32. 7. 191 36. 31. 413 Daniel Chap. Vers Pag. 2. 35. 112. 4. 35. 239 7. 9. 460 8. 5. 109 341 9. 14. 37â— Hosea Chap. Vers Pag. 2. 2. 154 2. 21 22. 217 4. 14. â—6
or abide in him or no. And Bellarmine in his 5th book and 5th Chapter concerning justification citeth it to prove That a believer cannot know that he is justified but must believe blinde-fold or take the work of justification by grace in the dark For saith he God goeth by us and we see him not he passeth on and we perceive him not Allenâ—ssi â—e huÌ„c locum citat Bellarâ—inus ut probet nuâ—uÌ„ fidâ—lem scire an justificatus sit Coc. That is as his glosse speaks God commeth in favour to justifie or he leaveth under wrath and yet man remains ignorant both of the one and of the other state Surely he was at a great pinch to finde a proof for his point when he was forced to repair to this Scripture to seek one Providence toward man-kinde not the justification of a sinner is the proper subject of this text And as there is nothing for a blinde-fold justification here so many other Scriptures are expresly against it To say that a man cannot know when God loveth him or shineth upon him is to contradict what our Saviour asserts Joh. 14.17 I will send the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you Ye know him saith Christ to his people the Saints see God in a spirituall sense or in his workings upon their spirits And though God works much upon our spirits which we know not yet we have a promise of the Spirit by whom we know God in his workings Few know when God is nigh or when he is a farre off what his goings away mean or what his commings But when he cometh to the Saints they know he commeth and when he hideth or departeth from them they know his hidings and departures Hence their joies and over-flowings of comfort when he manifests his presence and hence their bitter complainings and cryings after him where he seems to absent himself and hide his face yet this Text hath a truth in it in reference to the inward and spirituall as well as the outward and providentiall dealings of God that sometimes He goeth by us and we see him not he passeth on also and we perceive him not Hence learn First That God is invisible in his essence and incomprehensible in many of his actions Mans eie cannot see him Mans understanding cannot comprehend what he doth But why speaks Job this as a matter of wonder if it be the common condition of man-kinde Behold he passeth by and I see him not who can see him who can perceive or comprehend him When Moses Exod. 33.20 desired to see his face the Lord answers No man can see my face and live God spake to Moses face to face that is familiarly as a man speaketh to his friend yet Moses did not could not see the face of God No man can see God in his essence or nature A sight of God would astonish yea swallow up the creature It is death to see the living God and man must die before he can see God so fully as he may and know as he is known But though the face of God be invisible yet his back-parts may be seen Behold saith the Lord to Moses there is a place by me stand thou there upon a rock and thou shalt see my back-parts thou shalt see much of my glory shining forth as much as thou canst bear as much as will satisfie thy desire were it a thousand times larger then it is though not so much as thou hast not knowing what thou askest desired of me My Name shall be proclaimed Gracious and mercifull c. the back-parts of God may be seen the invisible God discovereth much of himself to man and shews us a shadow of that substance which cannot be seen Some may object that of the Prophet Isaias crying out Woe unto me for mine eies have seen the King the Lord of hosts Chap. 6.5 Seen him could Isaias see him whom Job and Moses could not Isaias did not see him in his essence and nature but in the manifestations and breakings forth of his glory His train filled the Temple saith the Text vers 1. or his skirts It is an allusion to great Kings who when they walk in State have their trains or the skirt of their royall robe held up T' was this train which Isaias saw He saw not God who was present but he saw the manifest signs of his presence That speech of Isaiah seemed to savour of and border upon highest blasphemy and was therefore charged as an article of accusation against him he was indited of blasphemy for speaking those words I have seen the Lord his enemies taking or wresting it as if he had made the Lord corporeall and visible with the eie of the body And it is conceived he was put to death upon that and one other passage in his prophecy Cha. 1.10 calling the Princes of Judah Princes of Sodom and the people thereof the people of Gomorrah But though God be thus invisible in his essence yet there is a way by which the essence of God may be seen And of that Moses to whom the Lord said Thou canst not see my face the Authour to the Hebrews saith Heb. 11.24 That he saw him who was invisible the letter of the text carries a contradiction in the adjunct it is as much as if one should say He saw that which could not be seen The meaning is He saw him by the eye of faith who could not be seen by the eye of sense faith sees not only the back-parts but the face of Jehovah the essence of God is as clear to that eye as any of his attributes yea his essence is as plain to faith as any of his works are to sense Thus he is seen Whom no man hath seen nor can see 1 Tim. 6.16 not the Saints in heaven they are not able to see the Lord in his essence He passeth by them there and they see him not in heaven we are promised a sight of him yet not that fight Blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall see God and without holinesse no man shall see the Lord then holy men shall see him the state of the Saints in glory is vision as here it is faith 2 Cor. 13.12 We shall see him face to face and as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 These Scriptures which speak of the estate of the Saints beholding God in glory are not to be understood as if the nature and essence of God could be seen for no man hath seen that nor ever shall but they are meant of a more full and glorious manifestation of God We shall see then face to face that is more plainly for it is opposed to seeing him in a glasse we see him now in a glasse that is darkly in ordinances in duties in his word and in his works but there shall be no need of these glasses in heaven We
earthly-poor nor hell all the earthly-rich God doth not give wicked men all the earth but all the earth which they have is of his giving Most of the earth is given to be their possession and all the possession which is given them is of earth therefore it is said He giveth the earth into the hand of the wicked And seeing God giveth the earth into the hand of the wicked we may observe also That wicked men have a just title to the earthly things which they enjoy They are not meer usurpers neither shall they be dealt with as meer usurpers They have no spirituall title no title by Christ they claim not by promise which the Saints doe They have forfeited their title by sinne all is lapsed and escheated into the hand of the great land-Lord Their goods are forfeited and so are their lives into the hand of God and he gives both back for a while into their hands He gives them their lives back and reprieveth them for which time of their reprieve he giveth them the earth to live upon or to maintain their lives and so farre as they use earthly things for the continuance of life they shall not be accounted or reckoned with as usurpers They shall not be charged for using the creaturâ— but for abusing it for making the earth serve their lusts not 〈◊〉 making it a support of their lives And seeing as the Lord hath given them back their forfeited lives so also their forfeited lands by a deed of gift sealed with generall providence this is enough to secure them in those worldly possessions which they have neither got nor hold by injustice from the brand of usurpation Dominium non fundatur in gratia and from the violence of dispossession As what God hath joyned no man may put asunder So what God hath given no man must take away Neither riches nor rule are founded in grace He hath given the earth into the hand of the wicked He covereth the faces of the Judges thereof He covereth There is some Question whom we are to understand as the antecedent to this relative He who is he that co-covereth Tegit ne videant quod aequuÌ„ justum est â—rus Some make the antecedent a wicked man Others say 't is God The earth is given into the hand of the wicked and he that is the wicked one covereth the faces of the Judges thereof Or He that is God covereth the faces of the Judges thereof I shall a little open this expression it needeth some uncovering for it is dark in both relations First Look upon that interpretation which refers it to wicked men He covereth namely That wicked man who is preferred and exalted covereth the faces of the Judges that is he stops the course of justice And there are four waies by which wicked men cover the faces of the Judges Munera caecos reddunt judices First By gifts and rewards Bribes vail yea put out the eyes of a Judge that he cannot see to give every one his due Hence that charge Exod. 23.8 thou shalt take no gift for the gift blindeth the wise and perverteth the words of the righteous Secondly The faces of the Judges are covered by threatnings Fear of losse blindes as well as hope of gain Some send terrible messages to the judge Will not you doe as we would have you Will not you give your sentence and opinion thus at your peril be it Now the Judges face is covered his eyes are put out by a threat the mist and cloud of a Princes displeasure of a great mans indignation is before his eyes His face is covered Thirdly The Judges faces are covered by actuall putting them to shame by casting them out of favour and clouding them with disgrace by taking away their commissions or sending them a Quietus est laying them by as unfit for service any of these is a covering of the Judges face There is a fourth way of covering the Judges face to which the second and third are often made a preparatory And that is by putting the judge to death So much that expression implies in the 40th of this book of Job vers 13. where the Lord with infinite wisdome and holinesse insulting over Job to humble him bids him arise and doe some great thing somewhat which might speak him a man of might Deck thy self now with majesty and excellency and aray thy self with glory and beauty cast abroad the rage of thy wrath and behold every one that is proud and abase him look on every one that is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked in their place Hide them in the dust together and binde their faces in secret that is cover their faces as men prepared for death as men ready to goe out to execution We may expound it by that Esth 7.8 where as soon as ever the word went out of the Kings mouth They covered Hamans face And by that Mark 14.65 where when Christ was judged worthy of death the text saith They spit on him and covered his face The covering of the face was a mark of a condemned man held as unworthy to behold and enjoy the light of the Sunne or the light of the Princes countenance Thus to cover the faces of the Judges is to condemn the Judges and to take them out of the world by sufferings rather then suffer them to doe right I finde that of Elihu Job 34.29 interpreted to this sense When he giveth quietnesse who can make trouble That is when the Lord doth absolve and acquit a man giving him a discharge then he is free no man can sue him or trouble him much lesse condemn him but if he hide his face who then can behold him So we translate it meaning thus If the Lord hide his own face But this exposition saith If the Lord hide the face of that man that is If the Lord condemn that man or passe sentence of death upon him of which covering or hiding the face was a symboll then Quâ— rei faciem poterit amplius videre quasi absolutus sit Bold I lictor colliga manus caput obnubito in foe lici arbori suspendito Cic. in orat pro Rabir. who can behold him That is who then can see his face or have society with him whom God hath separated to death It was a custom also among the Romans when sentence was pronounced upon a malefactour thus to command the executioner Take him away binde his hands cover his face hang him up And usually with us malefactours who are ready to suffer the pains of death put a covering upon their faces This also may be a good sense of the words He covereth the faces of the Judges that is a wicked Prince oppresseth and putteth the Judges to death And whereas good Princes say Let justice be donâ— though the world perish he saith Let the Judges perish rather then justice should be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudices