of their hearts is to God and they love God with all their hearts which is the fulfilling of the Law So that the obedience of the Angels in Heaven is made the copy and patterne of our obedience here on earth as Christ hath taught us to pray though I say the Angels are thus perfectly righteous in reference to the Law yet there is a higher righteousnesse and holinesse in God There 's but the holinesse of obeying a Law God hath the holinesse of being a Law They have a holinesse without spot yet it is but a finite a created holinesse now what comparison is there betweene finite and infinite created and uncreated therefore though there be no blemish in the obedience of Angels none in their nature none in their lives yet God puts no trust in them he cannot lay the weight of his confidence upon them because they are creatures The next clause doubles this point And the Heavens are not cleane in his sight There is a difference among Interpreters what these Heavens are The Chaldee Paraphrast and some of the Ancients understand the Angels as in the former part of the Verse and they say the Angels are called the Heavens under a twofold consideration First Because Angels are like the Heavens in their spirituality and incorruptibility in their order and subordination among themselves as also in their power over sublunary or earthly bodies Secondly By a Synechdoche because the Angels have their habitation in Heaven that 's their dwelling place so Master Broughton translates Nor they of Heaven be cleane in his eyes that is the Inhabitants of Heaven are not cleane in his eyes Caeruleus Tibris caelo gratissimus amnis i. e. diis vel caelicolis Virg. l. 8. The Heathen Poet calls those whom he supposed dwellers in Heaven by the Name of Heaven describing a pleasant River he calls it A River pleasant to Heaven that is to those who are in Heaven Others by Heaven understand the Saints in Heaven not the Angels and that also upon a twofold reason First Because God is said to dwell in the Saints Sancti in quibus tanquam in caelis habitare dicitur Deus caeli dicuntur quae allegoria frequentissima est inter antiquos patres Pined they are his habitation and wheresoever God dwels he makes a Heaven Secondly Because the Saints not onely those in Heaven but they on earth have their conversation in Heaven Phil. 3.20 As carnall and earthly minded men are called Earth because their hearts and conversations are fixed to the earth so spirituall and heavenly minded men may be called Heaven because their hearts and conversations are fixed in Heaven Thirdly We may rather understand it in a proper sense the heavens that is The heavenly bodies are not cleare in thy sight the heavens are the most excellent and purest part of the Creation And therefore this interpretation or rather plaine construction of the words suites the scope of Eliphaz fully who as he spake before of the Angels who are the purest of all rationall creatures so here of the heavens which are the purest of all inanimate creatures Caeli qui maxÃmè sunt lucidi suas habent maculas partesque crassiores magisque opacas materiales in re igitur er fectissima vidit Deus ma ulas Pineâ— yet these are not pure in the sight of God therefore no man is The heavens have a kinde of uncleannesse in them the Moone hath her spots yea the Moone is but a spot if Philosophers may be credited who tell us that all the Stars in their sense the Moone is a Star are but as the spots of Heaven A Starre as they define being the thicker and grosser part of its Orbe The heavens themselves are so fine and liquid so thin and fluid that they cannot hold the light therefore the Lord made those Celestiall bodies the Sunne Moone and Stars more compact and grosse that so they might both receive and retaine the light as also transmit and give it out to the World here below These are spots in the Heavens and though they appeare as the glory or Beauty-spots of Heaven to our sight and are so indeed yet these are not cleane in the sight of God Againe the heavens are furthest removed from all earthly dregs and drosse In conspectu ejus Aliud est purum esse simpliciter aliud purum esse coram Deo ut justus justus coram Deo differunt Luc. 1. 6. Drus so that they are cleane not onely in regard of their nature and constitution but also in regard of their site and position being placed so far from the sinck of the World the earth they never received any staine or defilement from it yet these heavens are not cleane in his sight God doth not make that which is cleane not cleane by his seeing it but his sight is infinitely above all the cleannesse which he sees That may be cleane considered simply or in it selfe which before God or to the eye of God is as an uncleane thing Hence Note God is so clear-sighted that the cleanest creatures are uncleane in his sight the very cleannesse of the creature is uncleannesse before him much more compared to him For if one creature may be so cleane that another creature which is cleane may be sayd to have no cleannesse in comparison of it Then surely God is so cleane that the cleanest creatures have indeed no cleannesse in comparison of his The Stars are very beautifull bodies and full of light yet the Sunne hath so much light that it darkens all the Stars and causeth them to disappeare when it appeareth Now if the Stars have no light in the sight of the Sunne what light hath the Sunne in the sight of God he that puts all the perfections that the creature hath into the creature hath infinitely more perfection in himselfe Those excellencies which are divided and scattered all the Creation over are not onely contracted and united in God but unconceiveably exceeded by him Job having thus layd downe the former part of his argument he applyes it Vers 16. How much more abominable and filthy is man who drinketh iniquity like water Concerning the Saints he sayd onely God puts no trust in them and concerning the Heavens They are not cleane in his sight But now that he speakes of man he doth not say God puts no trust in him or he is not cleane in his sight but he layes load upon him He is abominable and filthy and as if that were not enough he aggravates it with How much more abominable c. If he put no trust in glorified Saints in whom yet there is no iniquity then no marvell if man be called abominable who drinketh iniquity like water The whole Verse is a description of mans sinfulnesse First of the sinfulnesse of his nature in those words He is abominable and filthy Secondly of the sinfulnesse of his life He drinketh iniquity like water How much more
Noah and his Sonnes who indeed had the World to themselves for the Flood having swept away all mankinde except that Family to him and his Sons the earth was given alone these were the wise men saith this opinion from whom Eliphaz received the Doctrine which he communicated to Ista phâ—asi circumlo â—uitur mihi patriarcham Noe cum tribus ejus filiis Bold Methodius aliique patres antiqui vocant Noe tres filios Mundi chiliarchos and pressed upon Job there was never such a Monarch except Adam the first man as Noah was he had the whole World given him Hence the Ancients stile Noahs three Sonnes The Commanders and Colonels of the whole World But I conceive we need not determine it upon those though possibly Eliphaz might have an aime at them Most Interpreters take it in generall of the old good Princes of whom it may be said The earth was given to them and to them alone Abraham was a great Prince and to him The earth in one sense was given alone But who made this great deed of gift even the most high God whom Abraham calls Gen. 14. The possessor of Heaven and Earth He it is that then gave and still gives the earth and he gives it two wayes first by an act of common providence thus as Job expresseth it Chap. 9.24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked Secondly he gives the earth by an act of speciall providence or by vertue of a promise so Canaan was given to Abraham and his seed the people of Israel and thus the Kingdome of Israel and Judah was given to David and his seed When it is said here that the earth was given to such alone Sapientibus solis terra data esse dicitur quia bonorum terrenorum ipse sunt domini utentes iis ad suum bonum Aquin. in loc the meaning is not that none had any of the earth given them but they but none had the earth given them as they by peculiar promise and speciall providence Further the giving of the earth may be considered either as the giving that which is good or as the giving it for good as a gift of bounty or as a gift of mercy in the latter considerations the earth is given to good men alone None have it for good but they who are good and they onely make a good use of it Hence Observe That the earth or earthly things are disposed to the Sons of men by a deed of gift from God Secondly Wise holy men receive the earth and the things of the earth by speciall gift These alone receive the earth from a Fathers hand and good will it comes to them in the Covenant of grace to which the promise of the earth belongs as well as of Heaven Godlinesse hath the promise of this life and of that which is to come Optimorum principum circumloqutio est quorum administratio respublicas suas tuebatur omnemque hostium injuriam propulsabat Pined Authoritate sua usi sunt ad jus bonum aequum tuenduÌ„ ad injustum quodvis alienum propulsandum Jun. in loc Saints have the earth and all earthly things given to them in reference to their being in Covenant with God and thus the earth is given to them alone Againe we may expound that terme Alone by the next clause To whom alone the earth was given that is as they had great possessions in the earth so they had those possessions to themselves without any to trouble vex or molest them which Eliphaz thus expresseth And no stranger passed among them Some read No strange thing passed among them Both readings are a description of wise and godly Princes who having the earth given them No stranger or no strange thing passeth among them Strangers are here taken under a double notion First no stranger that is no enemy To cleare which notion of the word Stranger we must remember that as the Grecians conceiting themselves the best bred people in the World called all other Nations Barbarians so the people of Israel the stock of Abraham being Gods peculiar Covenant-people called all other Nations aliens or strangers and because they were hated and maligned by all other Nations therefore they called all professed strangers enemies so the word is used Isa 1.7 Your land strangers shall devoure that is enemies shall invade and prevaile over you Psalm 144.7 Deliver me out of the hand of strange Children or out of the hand of strangers that is Alienus hoc loco idem est qui hostis Sanct. Hostis apud majores nostros quem nunc peregrinum dicimus Cic. lib. 1. Offic. out of the hand of mine enemies The Latine word Alienus is often put for Hostis and the Roman Oratour telleth us That he who is now called a stranger was called an enemy by our Ancestors The reason was because strangers proved unkinde to yea turned enemies against those that entertained them As formerly Kings were called Tyrants but because many Kings oppressed their people therefore now oppressing Princes onely are called Tyrants So then to say no stranger passed among them is as much as to say no enemy none to molest or afflict passed among them Satis apparet non de hoste temporali sed de eo qui alteri quam verae religioni addictus est vel qui numina extranea â—olit Bold Againe the word Stranger is taken for one that is erroneous or idolatrous for a man unsound in Doctrine or superstitious in Worship Wise men to whom alone the earth was given had no such stranger passing among them they were not mixed with idolatrous and uncircumcised Nations they did not communicate with them in worship as in after times the people of Israel did This notion of the stranger is an advantage to Eliphaz as if he had sayd The wise men whose authority I produce in this cause were sound in judgement and pure in worship they did not mingle themselves with Idolaters and Hereticks they neither learned their workes not received their Doctrines and are therefore witnesses worthy of credit and against whom there lyes no just exception No stranger passed among them If we take stranger in the first sense for an enemy then the word Passed signifies as much as invaded and may well be translated to a military motion No stranger or enemy passed that is none matched among them or through their Land to disturbe or plunder them when God is sayd to give Laws to the Sea or set it bounds which it should not passe this imports that the Sea like an enemy would march through the earth and overwhelme all unlesse bridled by a Divine decree But if we take Stranger in the second sense for an Idolater or a man of unsound Principles then No stranger passed among them is such were not received and embraced by them nor admitted among them From the first Observe That it is as the honour of a people to releive oppressed
but so to destroy as workes the beholders into amazement and wonder This word signifes both to wonder and to destroy because great destructions cause wonder Thou hast made desolate all my company Thou hast made such a desolation among them that all who are about me lift up their hands as we say and blesse themselves admiring to see this day God brought such a desolation upon Jerusalem as set the World a wondering Lam. 4.12 The Kings of the Earth and all the Inhabitants of the World would not have beleeved that the Adversary and the Enemy should not have entered into the Gates of Jerusalem Christ will come at last with such mercies to be glorified in his Saints as will cause him to be admired in all them that beleeve 2 Thes 1.10 He now comes sometimes with such afflictions to his Saints as easily cause them who beleeve much more those who beleeve not to admire Thou hast wonderfully desolated or wasted All my company Et in nihilum redacti sunt omnes auctus mei Vulg. All my company The word which we translate Company is rendred The joynts or members of the body by the Vulgar Latine Thou hast reduced all my members to nothing As if hee had sayd Thou hast loosened the whole compages or structure of my bones and body thou hast untyed or cut asunder all the ligaments that held me together This translation is but an allusion because the members of the naturall body are like a company of men joyned together in a civill or spirituall body which is therefore commonly called a Corporation Some contend much for this sense Thou hast made desolate all the members of my body Especially because the scattering of his Family doth not so well agree or comply say they with the wearinesse before complained of nor with the leanenesse and wrinkles which are spoken of afterward both which belong properly to the body Yet I passe that and take the word as we read it to expresse a distinct affliction thou hast wearyed me in my person and hast made desolate all my company What company First q. d. desolasti omnem Synagogam meam Bold Some understand it of the company which used to flock to his Synagogue in holy duties and excercises As if he had answered the words of Eliphaz Chap. 15.34 The Congregation or Company of Hypocrites shall be desolate Here saith Job I grant it God hath made desolate all my company The Synagogues and places of publick meeting were wont to be filled but now that resort is stayed they are all scattered or diverted and those publick places are filled with howlings and lamentations Thus he grants Eliphaz what he had objected and yet denyes what hee thnnce inferred that he was an Hypocrite Secondly Rather interpret it of the company he had in his owne House or for his particular Family So it is a renewed complaint of the losse of his Children and Servants of his Freinds and Familiars who used to resort to him and stay about him Thou hast made desolate all my company Some of Jobs company were made desolate that is they were destroyed most of his Servants were slaine by the Chaldeans and Sabeans and all his Children were slaine by the fall of a House Chap. 1. This company was made desolate indeed Yet when he saith Thou hast made desolate all my company his meaning is as Master Broughton translates Thou hast made me desolate of all my company that is I am left alone Hence Observe The company of Children and Freinds is a very great mercy Heman complaines much when he wanted this mercy Lover and Freind hast thou put farr from me and mine acquaintance into darknesse Job makes as a more particular so a more patheticall enumeration of this losse Chap. 19.13 14. To be desolate in so great an affliction that it is often put for all afflictions and to be desolate of company is the worst desolatenesse When David had sayd I am desolate and afflicted he presently adds The sorrowes of my heart are enlarged Psal 25.16 17. A man may be much afflicted and yet not desolate but a man cannot beat all desolate but he must be extreamely afflicted When the Prophet would put all the miseries of the Jewes into one word he puts it into this Isa 1.7 Your Countrey is desolate your Land strangers shall devoure it in your presence And when a Land is devoured of strangers either it is made desolate of its owne company or its owne company is made desolate Babylon boasts Revel 18.7 I sit a Queene and am no widdow that is as I have power so I have resort and company enough I am not desolate The Apostle puts these two together Widdow-hood and Desolatenesse 1 Tim. 5.5 Now shee that is a widdow and desolate c. So that when Babylon saith I am no widdow her meaning is I am not desolate and hence the punishment of Babylon is threatned in this language Revel 17.16 The ten hornes which thou sawest upon the Beast these shall hate the Whore and make her desolate c. Those ten hornes are ten Kings who sometime doted upon the painted beauty of that Whore and then made frequent addresses to her and did throng about her from all parts of the World but when once their eyes shall be opened their hearts will soone be alienated They shall hate the Whore And then as they withdraw affection so visits and messages Babylons Courts shall be crouded with Suiters no longer Thus they shall make her desolate of the company of her old freinds before they make her desolate by bringing in new enemies who shall strip her not onely of her company but of her cloathes yea of her skin they shall make her naked and eate her flesh and burne her with fire Revel 17.16 Thus as the misery which came upon Jerusalem so the misery which shall come upon Babylon meet in this The making of their company desolate yet in this they differ the desolations of Jerusalem shall be at least mystically repaired but the desolations of mysticall Babylon when they are fully come upon her shall be irreparable Man is naturally as the Philosopher calls him a sociable creature he loves company they who are for a solitary life Monkes and Anchorets seeme to have put off the nature of man There is an elective alonenesse or retyrednesse at some times very usefull for contemplation and prayer And we are never lesse alone then when we are so alone for then God is more specially with us and we with him It is sayd of Jacob Gen. 32.24 Then Jacob was left alone not that Jacobs company had left and forsaken him but that Jacob for a time had left his company So some render the Text actively Hee stayed or remained alone Jacob stayed alone pueposely that hee might have freer communion with God in that recesse and retirement from the creature It is good for man to be alone from the company of man that he may
enjoy more fully the presence of God Yet God himselfe sayd at the first when man was created It is not good for man to be alone There was no morall evill in that alonenesse for when God spake this word there was no such evill in the visible World but God called it evill because it was so inconvenient for the civill well-being and inconsistent with the naturall propagation of man And therefore as in reference to both these evils God sayd with his own mouth It is not good for man to be alone so in reference to the former of the two God sayd by Solomon Two is better then one and woe to him that is alone Eccles 4.9 10. Job puts his alonenesse among his woes Thou hast made desolate all my company But it may be said Had Job no company Were not his Freinds about him Did not these three come to mourn with him and to comfort him And had they not been in discourse with him all this while Yes he had company but it was not suitable company he had evill ones about him as he complaines Chap. 19. and Chap. 30. and though his three Freinds were good men yet to him they were no good company because so unpleasant in their converse with him Hence Note Some company is a burthen We say of many men Wee had rather have their roome then their company Man loves company but 't is the company of those he loves The comfort of our lives depends much upon society but more upon the suitablenesse of society It is better to dwell in the corner of a house top then with a brawling Woman in a wide house Prov. 21.9 And it is better to be in a Desert among wilde Beasts then in a populous City among beastly men This made the Prophet desire a lodging in the Wildernesse Jer. 9.2 The Countrey about Sodome was pleasant like the Garden of God yet how was the righteous soule of Lot vexed with the filthy and unrighteous conversation of the Sodomites How uneasie are our lives made to us by dwelling among either false Freinds or open Enemies In the Creation when God said It is not good for man to be alone he subjoynes Let us make him a helpe meet for him Adam had all the beasts of the earth about him but they were no company for him man knowes not how to converse with beasts or employ his reason with those that have none As it is not good for man to be alone so to be in company that is not meet for him is as bad or worse then to be alone Therefore saith God Let us make him a helpe meet for him the making of a Woman brought in meet company for mankinde yet some men are as unmeet company for men as beasts are and are therefore in Scripture called Beasts Paul fought with such beasts at Ephesus there are few places free of them and many places are full of them David cryes out Woe is me that I am constrained to dwell in Mesech c. There was company enough but it was wofull company The Primitive Saints associated themselves they continued in fellowship one with another as well as in the Apostles Doctrine or in breaking of bread and prayer Acts 2.42 They were all of one minde and were therefore fâ—t to make one body The communion and fellowship of the Saints is the lower heaven of Saints And the making of such a company desolate is the saddest desolation that can be made on earth Communion of Saints in Heaven is one great accession to the joy of Heaven And 't is a great comfort to the Saints in the midst of all the ill neighbourhood which they meet with here to remember that they shall meet with no ill neighboures there none but Freinds there none but loving Freinds There shall not be a crosse thought much lesse a crosse word or action among those many millions of glorified Saints for ever nor shall there be any among them there but Saints no tares in that feild nor chaffe in that floore no Goates in that Fold no nor any Wolves in Sheep-skins no prophane ones there no nor any Hypocrites there Uunsutable company would render our lives miserable in Heaven it self If God should say to the godly and the wicked as David once did to Mephibosheth and Ziba Thou and Ziba divide the Land divide Heaven among you might they not answer with reverence as Mephibosheth did to David Nay let them take it all to themselves O our soules come not into their secret and unto their assembly let not our honour be joyned if Swearers Adulterers Lyers should be our company in Heaven Heaven it selfe were unheaven'd and everlasting life would bee an everlasting death And that which further argues the burdensomness of unsutable company is that even wicked men themselves cannot but confess that they are burdned with the company of those who are good if such come in presence where they associate in any sinfull converse how weary are they of their company How do they even sweat at the sight of them And how glad are they when such turne their backs and are gone the onely reason why they like them not is because they are not like them and they are not good company because they are good All company is made desolate to us which is not made suitable to us Job had many about him yet he complaines Thou hast made desolate all my company Job goes on yet to describe his troubles he wanted desireable company about him but he had store of witnesses against him he was emptyed of his comforts but filled with sorrowes as might be seen in the symptomes and effects of sorrow Vers 8. Thou hast filled me with wrinckles which is a witnesse against me and my leannesse rising up in me beareth witnesse to my face As if he had sayd Though I hold my peace and say nothing Si vellem caelare aut verbis extenuare dolorem meum rugae meae testimonium daub c. though I doe not aggravate my griefe yea though I should extenuate and hide it yet there are witnesses enow of it my wrinkles speake my griefe and my leannesse shewes that I am feasted with the sowre hearbes of sorrow That 's the generall sense of this Verse Thou hast filled me with wrinkles It is but one word in the Hebrew we might render it Thou hast wrinkled me or as Master Broughton Thou hast made me all wrinkled The word is not found in this sense any where else in Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rugas contraxit active corrugavit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corrugastime Non alibi quam in hoc libro in scriptura reperitur Quod succidisti me testimonio est Merc. but very frequently among the Rabbins There are also two other significations of it which Interpreters have taken in here First It signifies To cut off or to cut downe Chap. 22.15 16. Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have troden
of two sorts First When wee are called by others who have lawfull power to testifie the truth such is swearing before a Magistrate Secondly When we offer it our selves for the removall of such jealousies as are cast upon us and wee have no other way left to free or vindicate our selves from This latter was the occasion of Jobs Oath as also of those alleadged concerning Paul and Abraham but whether it be an Oath of the one sort or of the other both meet in this that God is appealed to and called to witnesse by such as use them and seeing he is a jealous God who will not hold them guiltlesse that take his name in vaine I shall add some cautions for the bounding and directing of our practice First We may call God to witnesse in weighty matters and unlesse the matter be weighty eyther in it selfe or in the consequents of it wee may not God is my witnesse and God is my Judge are not for common much lesse for vaine things There are two things in every Oath or appeale to God which shew this First An Oath is for confirmation Heb. 6.16 vaine things are not worthy the mentioning much lesse are they worthy the confirming we ought not to strive at all about them much lesse ought we to sweare about them which is an end of all strife Secondly In every Oath or appeale to God there is an invocation of the Name of God but the name of God must not be taken in vaine which it cannot but be when it is taken into our mouthes about a vaine thing Secondly We may call God to witnesse when men give a wrong witnesse of us or will not give a right witnesse for us but if we can have testimony upon earth wee must not goe to Heaven for it God must be our last resort Job found none on earth to witnesse for him and his afflictions were looked upon as sufficient witnesses against him and therefore he was necessitated to make his addresse to God Thirdly When the matter is not onely such as others will not testifie when they might but such as no man can testifie none being privy to it but onely God and our owne soules then wee have a just ground of appeale to God who will bring to light the hidden things of darknesse and will make manifest the counsels of the heart Jobs sincerity was suspected and that is such a secret as man hath no accesse unto and therefore can give no witnesse to it Who is sincere and who is an hypocrite is resolved onely by the testimony of God and of our owne soules Fourthly We must be sure to call God to witnesse in truth Thou shall sweare the Lord liveth in truth in righteousnesse and in judgement Jer. 4.2 Vnlesse we have a witnesse within us wee must not call God to witnesse who is above us God is ready to witnesse with our consciences but woe to those who call God to witnesse against their consciences Holy Paul called God to record upon his soule 2 Cor. 1.23 that is He did as it were which is also done in every Oath engage or pawne his soule and salvation upon it that he spake the truth When our soules beare record with us we may venture to call God to record upon our soules But some when they have no witnesse from their soules yea when their soules witnesse against them will yet venture to call God to record upon their soules They will needs be tryed by God who dare not abide the just tryall of men such would make God who cannot lye witnesse to a lye They use the glorious God as some doe a sort of miscreants called Knights of the Post who for a Fee will not onely say but sweare what you will This is highest prophanation of the name of God For as he that beleeves not the truth of God makes him a lyar so also doth he that appeales to God for the witnesse of an untruth More partiularly My witnesse is in Heaven my record is on high Job speakes this not onely because he wanted the witnesse of men but because of the high esteeme hee had of the witnesse of God Hence Observe The witnesse of God is the most desirâ—â—ble witnesse The witnesse wee have on 〈◊〉 is nothing worth unlesse we have a witnesse in Heaven Iâ— we have not the inward witnesse of our owne conscience it is little advantage though we have a thousand outward witnesses conscience is more then a thousand witnesses but God is more then ten thousand consciences Therefore never rest in any witnesse till you have the witnesse of God We labour saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.9 and that word signifies not onely an earnest or an industrious but an ambitious labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him As if he had sayd Possibly we might gaine acceptation and applause among men would wee but study to please and apply our selves to them but the favour of men will not serve our turne nor can we sit downe and rest our selves under their shadow Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight O Lord was Davids prayer Psal 19.14 David could not beare it that a word or a thought of his should misse acceptation with God It did not satisfie him that his actions were vvell vvitnessed unto by men on earth unlesse his very thoughts were witnessed to by the Lord in Heaven Some as it is sayd of those Rulers John 12.42 Love the praise of men more then the praise of God So long as they have a record here below they little regard his record who is on high There is no greater argument of a carnall minde then this He that loves the praise or testimony of men as much as he loves the praise or testimony of God doth indeed love it more Seeing there is nothing more unequall then an equall partition of our esteeme betweene God and Man Where our obligation unto two is unequall wee can never be discharged by paying each of them an equall summ We have cause to blesse God when we have vvitnesse among men but the witnesse of men should be of no price with us in comparison of the witnesse of God Not onely may wee have recourse to the vvitnesse of God vvhen we cannot obtaine the witnesse of men but wee must preferr the single witnesse of God before a throng of humane witnesses and when wee have enough on earth yet say with Job My witnes is in Heaven The witnesse of the men of this world or of evill men while wee keepe a good conscience is a mercy But as the witnesse of good men is more desireable than the witnesse of all other men and the witnesse of a good conscience is more desireable than the witnesse of good men so the vvitnes of God is more desireable than without which we cannot have it and with which we shal have it the witnesse of a good conscience For
places and wheresoever God is Heaven is yet there is more in Heaven then is common to all places That 's Heaven properly where the glory of God shines most and where there is the speciall revealings of his honour and power therefore it is called The habitation of his holinesse and of his glory Isa 63.15 Heaven is as we may speake the place of Gods glorious residence This Heaven is not every where for though God be every where yet he doth not manifest himselfe equally every where God hath built Heaven as that great Monarch Dan. 4.3 spake boastingly of Babylon for the house of his Kingdome and for the honour of his Majesty Quasi a natura insitam suisse opinionem Deum in caelo habitate asserit Aristoteles lib. 1. de Anima cap. 3. A meere Naturalist hath told us That this principle is stampt upon the nature of man that God hath his dwelling place on high or in Heaven Heaven is so proper to God that God is often by a Metonimy called Heaven in the holy Scriptures Thy Kingdome saith Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4.26 shall be sure unto thee after that thou shalt have knowne that the heavens doe rule that is When thou shalt be humbled and brought to this acknowledgement that the God whose Throne and dwelling place is in Heaven sits also upon all earthly Thrones and is King in all the Kingdomes of Men. Christ puts the Question to the Jewes Matth. 21.25 The baptisme of John Whence was it from Heaven or of Men that is Was it from God or from Men Was it a humane invention or a Divine Institution The prodigall Son cryes out Father I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight that is Both against my earthly and heavenly Father Some because these and the like Scriptures call God Heaven and because it is sayd after the resurrection when all the Saints shall be gathered into Heaven That God shall be all in all upon these mistakes I say they have run into that grosse errour That Heaven is God But when the Scripture calls Heaven the habitation of God the Throne of God the City of God the building of God an house not made with hands it cannot be but a perverting of Scripture and a throwing up of reason to call it God or to say that God and Heaven are the same Nor doth it at all follow that God is Heaven because God shall be all in all to us in Heaven Paul was not teaching the Corinthians there what Heaven is but wherein the happinesse of the Saints shall consist when they shall all be called up to Heaven after the generall resurrection from the dead Then Christ shall resigne up his Kingdome as Mediator to his Father then God shall be all in all in All that is There will be no more need of a Mediator betweene God and Man there will be no more need of Preaching nor of making prayers nor of using Seals All the glasses through which we saw God and the outward Ordinances in which vve enjoyed God in this life shall be layd aside when vve see him face to face and then God will be King and Teacher light and life glory and happinesse to his Saints immediately and for ever 'T is granted That Heaven is nothing to us without God yet God is something yea he is infinitely more then Heaven Solomon bespeakes God thus in his prayer at the dedication of the Temple 1 Kings 8.27 Behold the Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens cannot containe thee how much lesse this house that I have builded If Heaven even the Heaven of Heavens cannot containe God then it is not God That which doth containe a thing is not the thing contained much lesse is that which cannot containe a thing the thing which it cannot containe Againe that which Job cals heaven in one part of the verse he cals high in the other My witnesse is in Heaven my record is on high God dwels in the high and holy place Isai 57.15 And Christ after he had finished the work of mans redemption is said To sit downe on the right hand of the Majesty on high Heb. 1.3 This high place is the highest place all that wee call Heaven is high but all that wee call Heaven is not alike high Heaven is a building of three Stories The aire is called heaven The fowles of the aire are said to flye above the earth in the Firmament of heaven Gen. 1.20 The Clouds are called Heaven Lev. 2.19 I will make your Heaven as Iron and your Earth as Brasse that is I will make the clouds which are soft like Spunges hard like Iron they shall not yeeld a drop of water to refresh the wearyed earth The second Storie is the starrie Heaven where the Sun and Moon move and where those other glorious lights are set like golden studs to adorne comfort and direct the World His going for this from the end of Heaven and his circuit unto the ends of it Psal 19.6 The third is called The habitation of God the heaven of heavens the third Heaven the highest Heaven The Apostle saith of Christ that He ascended farr above all Heavens Ephes 4.10 And yet he then ascended into Heaven the meaning is Christ ascended above all the visible heavens into that which is invisible to us who are on earth This Heaven Job pointed at while he said My record is on high Take foure deductions from it First If Heaven be highest then there is nothing but serenety in Heaven The highest places in a civill sense are full of stormes and so are high places in a naturall sense but the highest places in nature are free from clouds stormes and vapours Naturalists tell us of Olympus a very high Mountaine lifting up its head beyond the middle Region whither no breath of winde ever comes you may draw Letters and Figures in the Sand and come many yeares after and finde them no more stirred then if they had been written in Marble and if the highest places in nature are alwayes serene how serene is the high place of glory When you are once in Heaven you are beyond not onely proper but figurative stormes and winds for ever Secondly Heaven is high therefore it is a pure place Every thing in nature the more high it is the more pure it is Earth is the lowest and the grossest of the Elements the Water next to that is more grosse then the Ayre the Ayre is more grosse then the Fire which Philosophers call the highest of the Elements The higher wee goe the more purity wee finde and when we are in altissimis at the highest there is nothing but purity perfect purity there is not the least mixture of drosse nor the least spot of dirt in Heaven Heaven is all pure and none shall come thither but such as are pure Pure persons are fit for a pure place and only they art fit No uncleane thing shall enter there and he that hath this hope
the people This reading rises cleerely enough from the words of the Text yet I have one exception against it as to the constant tenour of Jobs profession who though he were full of Faith in God that it should goe well with him for eternity yet hee constantly disclaimes any hope of restauration to a temporall greatnesse and having sayd at the beginning of this Chapter My dayes are extinct the Graves are ready for me it seemes unsuitable to say hâ—re which is the sense of this translation My worldly joyes are blossoming the Throanes are ready for me And therefore with much reverence to the learned Author I lay by this Interpretation Lastly Master Broughton translates thus That maketh mee a by-word to the people and I am openly a Taber He applyes it not as we to the former time but to that time I am a Tabret and that openly or in open view in the sight of all We say of a man that is abused and jeered He is played upon so saith Job according to this rendring They play upon me as a Taber they rejoyce in my sufferings they make themselves merry with my sorrowes and rejoyce at my calamity so the Lords of the Philistims dealt with Sampson having put out his eyes and imprisoned him they sent for him to make them Blessed sport Judg. 16.25 Thus as the sense of this Translation leads us Job aggravates his sorrowes Posuisti autem me fabulam in gentibus risus eis deveni Sept. by the joy which others discovered at it which is also the meaning of the Septuagint whose reading is Thou hast made me a talke among the people and I became a laughing-stock to them Hence Observe Greife is most greivous when others rejoyce at it Those afflictions which make others laugh make us most mournefull when Nero had set Rome on fire hee made himselfe musick at it and that calamity upon the City was as a Tabret to him while they were sorrowing he was singing As to rejoyce at the evill which others suffer is base joy the worst of joyes in it selfe so it makes the evills which wee suffer worse to our apprehension The Prophet laments over Jerusalem because of this Lament 2.15 All that passe by clap their hands at thee they hisse and wagg their head at the Daughter of Jerusalem saying Is this the City that men call the perfection of beauty the joy of the whole earth All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee they hisse and gnash the teeth they say We have swallowed her up certainely this is the day that we looked for we have found we have seene it Jerusalem was as much burdened with her Enemies joy as with her owne sorrows If when we mourne wee have some to mourne with us wee are comforted in our mournings but when God leaves us to the scorne and contempt of men when they make themselves merry with our troubles and exult at our calamities when our teares are as Wine to them and the Bread of our affliction becomes the Bread of their desire this renders our sorrowes out of measure sorrowfull Hence David Psal 25.2 prayes so hard Lord let not mine Enemy tryumph over me It is easier to lose a Battel yea to dye in Battel then to be led in tryumph or to be triumphed over after the battel David being freed from that feare gathers a strong argument that God had respect to him Ps 41.11 By this I know that thou favourest me because mine Enemy doth not tryumph over me It is greatest mercy when we tryumph over our Enemies but it is great mercy when God delivers us from being tryumphed over by our Enemies for as the mercies of the wicked so the joyes of the mercilesse are cruell The Apostle reports it as a great part of his affliction that he was made a â—aging stock or a spectacle to the World to Angels and men 1 Cor. 4.9 The word vvhich the Apostle useth is an Allusion to the Romane Theaters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whither all the people resorted to sport themselves and their speciall sport was to behold the Combates of Men with Men or of Men with Beasts such a sporting spectacle were the Apostles made in their combates with the World to the World and to Angels and to Men They had Spectators enow they were a Spectacle to the World that is To the Inhabitants of the World who are distributed into their first and greatest division in the next word Angels and men Heaven and Earth are the Fabricke of the whole World Angels and men are all the Inhabitants of both yet some restraine Pauls Text to evill Angels onely or Devils because it sounds harsh to the eare that the good Angels should delight themselves in beholding the sufferings of good men but it is not Pauls scope to shew that every beholder of their sufferings tooke delight in their sufferings but that all did or might behold them for those things were not done in a corner The Apostles were set forth by their Adversaries as if they had invited all the World Angels and Men good and bad to laugh at them yet as good men could not behold them without weeping so the good Angels could not behold them with rejoycing unlesse it were at their constancy and courage for God or at that Crowne vvhich they saw ready prepared for those vvho overcome And in this sense good men â—lso rejoyced at their sufferings But when any mans sufferings are rejoyced at because he suffers and is in paine this is very painefull This was Moabs burden Jer. 48.39 They shall howle saying How is it broken downe How hath Moab turned the back with shame So shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him And vvhen the Psalmist vvould expresse how highly God vvas offended at the counsels and plottings of wicked ones he tells us He that sitteth in Heaven shall laugh he shall have them in derision Psal 2. And if ever people had cause to blesse God because he hath not made their Enemies to rejoyce over them wee have cause to doe it What a by-word should we have been by this time what a Tabret to the Nations round about what musick to many thousands at home had the Lord given but that occasion to them that he hath oft and oft put into our hands Blessed be his Name that he hath not made us a Tabret to others but hath often put a Tabret into our hands and a new Song into our mouthes even of thanksgiving to our God Job having aggravated his sorrowes by their effects upon others now shewes vvhat effect they had upon himselfe Vers 7. My eye also is dim by reason of sorrow and all my members are as a shadow Mine eye The eye is taken two wayes eyther properly for the corporall eye Vt illa de inferiori sensibili cognitione quae fit per phantasmata sic ista de intellectuali oculo exponi debet Bold 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Denotatur in illo verbo activa provocatio indignatio irritatio Caligavit ab indignatione oculus meus Vulg. or tropically for the understanding Some interpret Job of the eye of the minde and that hath complyance with the translation vvhich is also given of the latter clause as I shall shew vvhen I come thither But I rather take it literally for the eye of the body Mine eye that is That Organ of sight which is as the Glasse or light of the vvhole body even that is dim by reason of Sorrow The word signifies more then ordinary sorrow it signifies sorrow vvith indignation or from provocation Jobs sorrow had a touch of indignation and it stirred him up to some undue provocations Sorrow is taken two wayes Actively Passively Actively for the sorrow sorrowing Passively for the sorrow sorrowed Magna cogitatio obcaecat adducto intus visu in morbo comitiali aperti nihil cernunt animo caligante Plin. lib. 11. c. 37. de oculis lachrymis Sorrow is the affliction it selfe or sorrow is that passion vvhich moves in us vvhen vve are afflicted By reason of sorrow mine eye is dim Sorrow is a wast both to the vitall and visive powers Psal 6.7 Mine eye is consumed because of greife Againe Psal 31.9 10. Have mercy on me O Lord for I am in trouble mine eye is consumed with greife yea my soule and my belly This effect of greife hath been toucht before Chap. 16.16 Mine eye is dim by reason of sorrow And all my members are as a shadow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Formavit Members That is First all the members of my body Secondly the Hebrew beares it all the creatures and imaginations of my minde are as a shadow The same word is used Gen. 6.5 The thoughts of the imaginations of mans heart that is The figments Creata in◠ea quasiuinb a omnia Merc. Per creata alij membra alii cogitationes volunt Rab. Lev. Vocabulum illud quadrat in illa omnia quae externa figura aut interna cogitatione effigiantur hinc multi legunt cogitationes phantasias Pagn Reg. Vatabl. or features of things vvhich are formed up there are evill and onely evill continually Wee put All my thoughts in the Margine of our Translation As if he had sayd My minde is so enfeebled that I can scarse thinke or frame any solid notion my minde is so unsetled that I know not how to make up my thoughts or bring them to a rationall issue about any point Sorrow weakens the intellective part as vvell as the sensitive As if hee had sayd My minde which heretofore was apt to conceive and to bring forth the exactest Ideas and platformes of truth I who could shape and fashion excellent meditations am now so weak-headed that I can scarse put two thoughts together and all I doe is but a shadow to what I have been able to doe This is a faire sense yet considering the context I rather understand it of the members of his body vvhich vvere so decayed and poore that he look'd like a Skeleton or as vvee say of such an Anatomy nothing being left but skin and bone nothing but a pack of bones so that hee vvas rather the shadow and appearance of a man then a man Hence Observe The sorrowes of the minde breake the body as well as the minde This effect of sorrow hath been met with in other places and particularly Chap. 16.16 I shall onely add that although godly sorrow as was there shewed may worke deeply to the expence of bodily strength yet there is a very gracious promise Isa 58.11 that God will make the bones of such fat that is Fill them with marrow vvhich is the strength of the vvhole outward man And they who are weakned by the continuall exercises of godly sorrow here are in preparation to an estate vvhere they shall sorrow no more There will be no dimm eyes in Heaven nor members like a shadow Our vile body shall be fashioned like unto his glorious body and all teares and mourning shall flee away Perfect happinesse is inconsistent vvith a blubbered eye And though in Heaven a Saint may be called Adam because his body for the substance of it shall be the same that it was here on earth though extreamely refined and sublimated yea spiritualiz'd yet earth still now I say though a Saint in Heaven after the resurrection may in this sense be called Adam made of Earth yet no Saint can be there called Enosh that state being incapable of the least mixture of sorrow JOB CHAP. 17. Vers 8 9. Vpright men shall be astonied at this and the innocent shall stirr up himselfe against the Hypocrite The righteous also shall hold on his way and he that hath cleane hands shall be stronger and stronger IN the two former Verses Job shewed the greatnesse of his affliction from a twofold effect In these two Verses he shewes two reasons vvhy his afflictions vvere so great not as Eliphaz and his Associates had suggested because hee was a great sinner or had sinned beyond the common line of man but First That men even upright men might be astonied at the strangenesse of this dispensation of God and of his strength supporting a vveake creature under it and carrying him through it God will doe some things which shall at once teach and astonish his people and gives them not onely matter of instruction but cause of wonder Secondly That the innocent and righteous might be encouraged by my example to proceed vigorously in the vvayes of holinesse notwithstanding all the opposition they finde from men and the afflictions layd upon them by the hand of God for as much as the favour of God shines in upon mee through all these Clouds and I have no doubt of his love though I feele all this smart Naki non tam in conscientia purum a peccato quam ab omni passione humanoque respectu immunem virum hic significat Bold Vers 8. Vpright men shall be astonied at this Who is an upright man hath been opened before yet here the upright man is a man free from passion and prejudice as well as from hypocrisie and false-heartednesse The word which we translate Astonied signifies astonishment with admiration or such an admiration as leaves a man astonied and senselesse or puts him quite beside himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tacitu miratus est prae admiratione stupuit when naturall reason is much overpowred we act as if we had had no reason Vpright men shall be astonied Master Broughton reads it in the Imperative Mood Let upright men be astonied at this Hee carries the same forme to the end of the context Let upright men be astonished at this and let the innocent stirr up himselfe against the Hypocrite Let the righteous hold on his way and let him that hath cleane hands be stronger and stronger As if the words contained a use of exhortation or direction
account as idle Now if unprofitable talke be sinfull and speeches that can doe no good then what is prophane talke and speeches which doe hurt infection gets quickly in at the eare defiling the minde and corrupting the manners of those that heare them The Apostle gives us the rule of speaking both in the negative and in the affirmative Ephes 4.29 Let no corrupt communications proceed out of your mouths but that which is good to the use of edifying which may administer grace to the hearer Againe Colos 4.6 Let your speeches be alwaies with grace that is such as testifieth that there is grace in your heart never speake a word but such as may stand with grace yea speake such words as may be a witnesse of grace wrought in your selves and a meanes of working grace in others Let your words be seasoned with salt the salt of our words is holinesse and truth prudence also is the salt of words good words and true spoken unseasonably may doe hurt Prudence teaches us the time when and the manner how to answer every man Belial ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod in hiphil significat prodesse ut denotet inutilem qui nec sibi nec alijs prodest Thirdly observe It is matter of just reproofe against every man to be unprofitable and to doe no good Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen downe and cast into the fire Matth. 3.10 Some conceive that the word Belial comes from Beli which in Hebrew signifies Not and the word Jagnal which here in the Text signifies to doe good Because a Belialist or a Son of Belial is such a one as neither doth good to himselfe nor to any other The unprofitable Servant who hid and did not improve his Talent shall be condemned And he who uses his talent unprofitably and vainely shall not escape Should he reason with unprofitable talke Thus farre we have seen Eliphaz reproving Job of folly in speaking unlike and below a wise man he proceeds to reprove him for acting unlike and below a godly man This he sets home with a particle of aggravation Vers 4. Yea thou castest off feare and restrainest Prayer before God As if he had said besides or above all this that thou hast uttered vaine knowledge words that cannot profit thou hast also cast off the feare of God c. The word which we translate to cast off signifies to make voyd to scatter to dissolve 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Labefactasti irritum fecisti dissolvisti fregisti to break in peices to make as nothing or to make nothing of It is often used in Scripture for breaking the Commandements of God imploying such a breach as makes the Commandements voyd which is the proper character of an evill heart A godly man may sin against the Commandements but a wicked man would sinne away the Commandements he would repeale the Law of God and enact his owne lusts Such is the force of the word here Thou castest off feare There is a naturall feare and a spirituall feare we are not to understand this Text of a naturall feare which is a trouble of spirit arising upon the apprehension of some approaching evill but of a spirituall Feare is here put alone but we are to take it with its best adjunct the feare of God for as the word sometimes is put alone to signifie the word of God as if there were no word but his and as the word Commandements is put alone to note the Commandements of God as if no Commandements deserved the name but onely the Commandements of God so feare is put alone by way of excellency for the feare of God as importing that his feare is excellent and no feare to be desired but his This Divine feare comes under a double notion First it is taken for the holy awe or reverence we beare to God in our spirits which is the worship of the first Commandement and the sanctifying of God in our hearts Secondly For the outward acts of Religion which is the worship of the second Commandement Their feare is taught by the precepts of men Isa 29.13 that is their outward worship and Religion is such as men have invented not such as God hath appointed Some take it here in the first sense onely thou castest off feare that is thou castest off that awe reverence and regard thou owest to the Name of God others understand it in the second Thou castest off feare that is the outward worship and service of God but I conceive we have that expressed in the next clause Timor hoc loco pro reverentia tremore potius quam pro religione cultu licet utrumque cohaereat Pined And restrainest prayer before God there he taxeth him with neglect of outward worship and here with neglect of inward Thou casteth off feare feare is as the bridle of the soule feare holds us in compasse it is the bank to the Sea feare keeps in the overflowing of sinne Thou casteth off feare But what cause had Job given Eliphaz to charge him with casting off the feare of the Lord we finde Eliphaz touching upon this point before and upbraiding Job Chap. 4.6 Is this thy feare Nullo pudore loquutus es coram Deo Symmach Is this thy confidence As if he had sayd Is all thy profession come to this here he chargeth him expresly thou hast cast off feare Job had not given him any just cause to speak or thinke thus hardly of him but Eliphaz might possibly ground this accusation upon those words Chap. 9. v. 23. This is one thing therefore I sayd it he destroyeth the perfect and the wicked c. Which Eliphaz did interpret as a casting off the feare of God hath he awfull and reverent thoughts of God who affirmeth that God laugheth at the afflictions and tryals of his people Againe Chap. 12.6 The Tabernacles of Robbers prosper and they that provoke God are secure into whose hands God bringeth abundantly Hath not this man cast off all feare of God who dares say the wicked prosper and are secure Is God become a freind to those that professe themselves enemies to him Others referre the ground of this to Chap. 13.21 22. where he seemes to speake boldly and as some have taxed him impudently Doe not two things to me withdraw thy hand from me c. Then call thou and I will answer or let me speake and answer thou me Hence Eliphaz concludes surely the man hath cast off the feare of God he speaks to God as if he were Gods fellow Speake thou and I will answer or let me speake and answer thou me are these words becomming the great God of Heaven and Earth art not thou growne over bold with God doest thou speake as becomes the distance that is betweene the Creator and the Creature the Greek translates to this sense Thou speakest to God without any modesty thou hast put on a brasen
the words abstractly they yeeld us this usefull observation That it is an argument of an evill heart to shorten Hic proponitur tanquam ingens piaculum quod homo afflictus remittat orandi studium or restraine to lessen or to give off Prayer in times of trouble That King spake to the height of prophanenesse when he said 2 Kings 6. This evill is of the Lord and why should I waite on the Lord any longer When we have done waiting we have done praying No man will aske for that which he doth not expect to receive How long so ever affliction lasteth so long prayer-season lasteth if the Winter day of our trouble be a Summer day in length if it be continued many dayes yea many moneths and yeares prayer should continue Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will heare and thou shalt glorifie me Let the day of trouble be short or long God lookes to heare of us all that day Is any afflicted let him pray saith the Apostle James it is a duty to pray when we are not afflicted when we prosper in the World But is any man afflicted then is a speciall season for prayer A sincere heart prayes alwayes or continues in prayer an hypocrite never loves to pray and at two seasons he will restraine or lay aside prayer First when he is got out or thinks he hath prayed himselfe out of affliction Prosperity and worldly fulnesse stop the mouth of prayer and he hath no more to say to God when he hath received much from God Secondly a Hypocrite restraines prayer when he perceives he hath got nothing by prayer he sees he cannot or feares he shall not get out of trouble and therefore he will pray no more in trouble his spirit failes because his afflictions hold out Upon which soever of these two grounds the Hypocrite restraines prayer he shewes the wickednesse of his heart If from the former he shewes that he beares no true love to God if from the latter he shewes that he hath no true faith in God or dares not trust him Further to cast off prayer is to cast off God and he that lives without prayer in the World lives without God in the World Hence the Heathen who know not God and the Families that call not upon his Name are joyned together or rather are the same Jer. 10.25 Further to restraine prayer is worse then not to pray The latter notes onely a neglect of the duty the fromer a distast of the duty To give over any holy exercise is more dangerous then not to begin or take it up The one is the prophane mans sin the other is the Hypocrites Thou restrainest prayer and hee that doth not utter prayer with his mouth will soone utter wickednesse with his mouth as it follows Vers 5. For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity and thou chusest the tongue of the crafty Here Eliphaz explaines and proves what he said before that Job had cast off the feare of God and restrained prayer as if he had said If thou hadst kept in holy feare that would have kept in thine iniquity Hadst thou not restrained prayer that would have restrained and bridled downe thy sin but thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity and that sheweth that prayer is restrained and that feare is cast off here is a demonstration of it If you should come to a Princes Court and see a great croud about the doore you would say the Porter is there he stops and examines them if at another time you see all going in as fast as they please you will say the Porter is out of the way Thus while the feare of the Lord stands like a Porter at the doore of the soule we keep our thoughts and actions in compasse we examine what goes in and what comes out but when once that 's gone Non opus est ut te doceam in quo pecces cum ipse tuus sermo doceat te iniquum esse Vatab Reus verbis oris tui Sept order is gone Any thing may be sayd any thing may be done by him who feares not who prayes not Thou hast cast off feare and restrained prayer for thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity out it comes as fast as it can I need not tell thee wherein thou hast offended thy mouth powres it out Hence Note That the evill which is in the heart will out at the mouth unlesse prayer and the feare of God restraine it As the good that is in the heart will come out of the mouth especially when prayer unlocks the mouth David prayes Lord open thou my lips and then he undertakes for his mouth that it shall shew forth the praise of God Psal 51.1 My heart is inditing a good matter the heart doth this in prayer or meditation what follows My tongue is as the Pen of a ready Writer Heavenly thoughts in the heart shoot out at the tongue in heavenly words When the heart is devising of a good matter the tongue will be swift to speake and set all to a good tune Thus also while the heart is inditing an evill matter the tongue runs to evill Such a man needs not learne from others he hath a root of bitternesse in himselfe Hence our Saviour concludes Matth. 12.37 By thy words thou shalt be condemned and by thy words thou shalt be justified Why shall we be condemned by our words Qualis vir talis oratio Mens mala linguam movet vos fingit ad improbos sensus neque aliud os loquitur quam quod interior suggerit atque imperat sensus The Prophet complaines of those who made a man an offender for a word I answer our words shew what we are they declare our hearts as a man may be discovered of what Country he is when he speakes so of what spirit he is The tongue is the scholler of the heart and speakes what that dictates A man is justly condemned by evill words because they testifie that he is evill Thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity Observe Secondly There are some iniquities which are more properly ours then some others are Thine iniquity Job had as Eliphaz seemes to suggest a kind of peculiarity in it As God ownes some people in a speciall manner though all the people of the earth be his yet they are his beloved people So man ownes some sin in a speciall manner though a corrupt heart hath a relation to all the sins in the World yet some one is his beloved sin and may be called by way of emminency his iniquity 'T is his as his Houses and Lands as the Money in his Purse and the Garments on his backe are his Observe thirdly Every man is most ready to act and utter his speciall iniquity Thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity There are some sins in a mans heart which possibly he may never utter all his dayes but he must be talking of or acting his beloved one Hence David speakes it as a high worke
to be borne the first of any part of the earth For the earth was covered with water it was a great deep till a word of command came from God that the waters should retire to certaine Channells and receptacles which his wisedome had assigned them now when the waters were thus gathered and put into those vast Vessells then the Hills and Mountaines Quod prius conspicuum est antiquius esse videâ—ur which are the highest parts of the earth appeared first and so the Mountaines are elder in regard of view thâ—n the Plaines and Valleys of the earth That is sayd to be first which appeareth first So then whether we take hills by a Synecdoche for the whole earth or plainely for a part of the earth both reach at highest antiquity There is an opinion I confesse which if true takes away the ground of this notion That hills and mountaines grew up or were as so many excrescencies of the earth since it was created and that they grow dayly as Naturalists expresse it by Juxtaposition But I fully adhere to their judgement under which this notion stands safe that the earth was distinguisht into hills plaines and valleys by the same immediate power which created it though I easily grant that many hills have been accidentally caused and cast up since especially in the deluge And this doth more advance the wisedome of God in the frame of this mighty masse which hath in it greater ornament and yeelds greater delight by this variety then if it had been smoothed all over into Plaines and Levels Quod longe anti suum montium collium comparatione indicari solet Further to cleare the Text consider that it is usuall in Scripture when a thing of great antiquity is spoken of to compare it to the Hills Prov. 8.23 24 25. Wisedome which is Christ speakes thus I was set up from everlasting from the beginning ere the earth was when there were no depths I was brought forth when there were no fountaines abounding with water before the mountaines were setled before the Hills was I brought forth while as yet he had not made the earth nor the fields nor the highest part of the dust of the World Where note also by the way a full confirmation of the opinion even now asserted that God made the Hills immediately which are here also called The highest part of the dust of the earth Againe Psal 90.2 O Lord thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations which he explaines in the next words Before the mountaines were brought forth from everlasting to everlasting thou art God Old Jacob speakes this Divine Philosophy upon his death-bed while he was blessing his sonne Joseph Gen. 49.26 The blessings of thy Father have prevailed above the blessings of my Progenitors above the utmost bounds of the everlasting Hills Once more Hab. 3.6 He stood and measured the earth he beheld and drove asunder the Nations and the everlasting Mountaines were scattered the perpetuall Hills did bow Now a thing is called everlasting either strictly because it shall last for ever or because it lasteth very long in this latter sense the Hills are everlasting The Hills were from the beginning and shall continue to the end As for Job he began to live but lately and he must shortly dye Wast thou made before the Hills Eliphaz proceeds to a second branch of his third reproofe Vers 8. Hast thou heard the secret of God or doest thou restraine wisedome to thy selfe As if he had sayd Possibly thou wilt wave or not stand to this plea of thy great antiquity What is it then that swells thee into such proud and daring thoughts of thy infallible knowledge Is it because Thou hast heard the secret of God The Hebrew word signifies either counsell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secretum vel consilium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 arcana indicendae Aquil. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theod. or any thing that is secret and mysterious some render it Hast thou heard things unspeakable when the Apostle was caught up to Heaven 2 Corinth 12. He heard words unspeakable which it is not lawfull for a man to utter Hast thou heard unutterable secrets A second translates Hast thou heard the mysteries of God A third Hast thou had discourse with God or hast thou heard God discourse about the great things of wisedome The Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Constitutionem domini audivisti consiliario te usus est Deus Sept. Eadem vox quae est secretum est etiam consilium aut concilum quod in conciliis arcana tractantur consilia non nisi secretò iniri debent Pined Hast thou heard the constitutions of Heaven or knowest thou in what manner God hath setled all the affaires of mankind naturall civill and spirituall Art thou of privy counsell to the King of Heaven or art thou a member of the Celestiall conclave Thus he reproves him for arrogating to himselfe such knowledge as is not attaineable but by speciall inspiration or revelation from God himselfe The Prophet puts the question Jer. 23.18 Who hath stood in the counsell of the Lord and hath perceived and heard his word Who hath marked his word and heard it So the Apostle Rom. 11.34 Who hath knowne the minde of the Lord or who hath been his Counsellor God is able to make knowne the whole mystery of his will in a moment to the meanest soul he can let in stoods upon the understanding without our study he can make a foole wise and drawing back the curtaine of ignorance irradiate the darkest minde with the cleareest light of all things knowable But hast thou heard such secrets There are two sorts of Divine secrets First Secrets of Providence Secondly Secrets of Doctrine The former are of such things as God will doe the latter such as Man is either to doe or beleeve God reveales both to his people The ordinary way for us is by the Word written the extraordinary by a word spoken Thus God opened his secrets to the ancient Prophets and Apostles The Prophet Amos Chap. 3.7 speakes of the secrets of providence Surely the Lord will doe nothing but he revealeth his sacrets to his Servants the Prophets And the Lord himselfe saith of Abraham Shall I hide from Abraham the things that I am about to doe Now as there is a revealing of Providence or of the workes of God so there is a revealing of Doctrines and of the holy Truths of God This he promiseth Joel 2.28 I will powre out my spirit upon all flesh and your Sons and your Daughters shall prophesie your old men shall dreame dreames your young men shall see visions Young men cannot claime to be the first men they were not before the Hills yet to them the visions of Heaven are promised Yet we must not neglect that command of our attendance upon the teachings of the Word because wee have received a promise of the teachings of the Spirit The spirit
usually teacheth by the Word never against it and it is a tempting of God while he gives us meanes to linger after immediate Revelations yea when the Lord reveales himselfe immediately he uses to doe it without mans fore-thought or expectations The Prophets did not set themselves to receive Revelations from God but his Spirit came upon them with mighty power and irresistible evidence And though God doth reveale some of his secrets yet he hath secrets which he will not reveale The secret of the Lord is with them that feare him Psal 24.14 And his secret is with the righteous Prov. 3.32 This secret is either the good will and favour of God of which the World knowes nothing or the good Word and Faith of God of which the World knowes as little Both these sorts of Divine secrets are with the righteous and men fearing God but the secrets of his Counsel are reserved in his owne breast He reveales to his people the secrets of his bounty and of their duty what he will doe for them and what they must doe for him but many things which himselfe will doe shall never be revealed but by the doing of them Hast thou heard the secrets of God And doest thou restraine wisedome to thy selfe That is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Detrahis ad te quod sensu in idem recidit cum eo quod est tibi ascribis fraudando alios negatam aliis sapientiam tibi assumpsisti ex divino arcano Sapientia ultra te suos terminos non porriget Tygur Doest thou thinke there is no wisedome besides thine art thou at the very border and utmost limit of knowledge and understanding is all beyond thee ignorance and folly Hast thou got and engrossed all the learning from others and reserved it to thy selfe alone as thy peculiar with which none must intermedle without a license obtained from thee hast thou the monopoly of wisdome or is all but enough for thee Shall none of thy neighbours share with thee This is either a charge of greater arrogancy then the former Doest thou restraine wisedome to thy selfe or at least a charge of greatest uncharitablenesse goodnesse is diffusive and so is wisedome and it is the duty of good men to diffuse wisedome When they have heard the secrets of God they must communicate them to others not restraine all to themselves But I conceive Eliphaz intends onely the former charge Hence observe It is the highest straine of pride for a man to restraine wisedome to himselfe or to thinke himselfe so wise that all must addresse to him for wisedome God hath not given all wisedome to any one man or sort of men though he hath trusted some with more Talents of it then he hath done others The Priests lips of old under the Law and so the lips of Ministers under the Gospel should preserve knowledge and the people should seek both Law and Gospel at their mouth Mal. 2.7 Yet neither might the Priests then nor may Ministers now restraine wisedome to themselves The rule of the Apostle is Be not wise above what is written that is above holy Writ or above what is written from the immediate dictates of the Spirit of God They are as we say fooles in Print who say they are wise above what is thus written but we may be wise above what is spoken or written by any man for no man ought to restraine all wisedome to himselfe to doe so is the top-staire of Antichristian pride The Pope restraines wisedome to himselfe he boasts that he hath the secrets of God and that all must come to him if they will have them unlockt and opened His sentences from the Chayre are Oracles and there he is infallible all are obliged to receive what he saith because he saith it no man must scruple much lesse oppose or contradict it Thus to impose upon men is to set our selves in the place of the God of Heaven yea to arrogate to our selves that we are Gods on earth So the Apostle hath characteriz'd that man of sin 2 Thes 2.4 He opposeth and exalteth himselfe above all that is called God or that is worshipped that is above all civill powers or Magistracy So that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God And as he out of all measure wickedly so many others in a very great measure have shewed themselves as God while they have taken upon them as we speake proverbially To give the Law yea to give the Gospel to other mens consciences or to bind up all mens tongues and judgements unto the rule of their apprehensions When the Apostle had called God to record that he alwayes purposed to be bold and plaine with the Corinthians he presently subjoynes this corrective 2 Cor. 1.24 Not that we have Dominion over your Faith but are helpers of your joy As if he had sayd Doe not thinke that I take upon me as a Lord over your consciences to charge any command or observations of my owne upon them No I am but as a servant of God to instruct you in his counsels and to comfort you with his promises The Grecians who were men of great knowledge and learning a very witty and Philosophicall people called all other Nations Barbarians Such pride appeares among some in name Christians they speake and act as if all knowledge and truth were centred in them or as if all were in the darke who see not by their light Knowledge is apt to puffe up how are they puffed up who thinke they know all though indeed they who thinke they know any thing know nothing as they ought to know 1 Cor. 8.2 God reveales that to Babes and Sucklings which he hides from such wise and prudent ones who restraine all wisedome to themselves God in judgement restraines wisedome from them who in pride restraine it to themselves and as God takes all wisedome from them who in another sense restraine wisedome to themselves that is who will not use it because they have but one Talent of it or but a little so he will give them no wisedome at all who thinke they are possessors or Lord-Treasurers of all the Talents of it as if all wisedome were layd up in them The Babâ—s and Sucklings such as are low humble and meek are the objects of this bounty as for the proud God beholdeth them affar off and they can never get neere wisedome who are farre from the God of wisedome While such vainely restraine wisedome to themselves the hand of God is justly restrained from bestowing it upon them Eliphaz having thus reproved Job for entitling himselfe to so rich a stock of knowledge either brought in by his owne long experience or from the speciall inspirations and teachings of God proceeds to challenge to himselfe and his Freinds a knowledge equall at least to what he really had in the ninth and tenth Verses Vers 9. What knowest thou that we know not what understandest thou that is not in us
whom God comforts shall say Thou hast comforted me and I was comforted This the Apostle speaks out to the praise of God 2 Cor. 1.3 4. Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all consolations all consolation belongs to God he hath all comfort in his owne power and dispose there is not any creature in the World can give out the least dram of comfort to us without the commission or leave of God it is possible for one man to give another man riches but he cannot give him comfort man may give honour to man but he cannot give him comfort A man may have a pleasant dwelling a loving Wife sweet Children and yet none of these a comfort to him The consolation of all our possessions and relations is from God Whosoever would have comfort must trade to Heaven for it that 's a commodity can be found upon no earthly coast you may fetch in wealth from many coasts of the earth but you cannot fetch in comfort till you addresse your selves to the God of Heaven We can procure our owne sorrow quickly but God onely makes us to rejoyce our releife from outward affliction or inward griefe is the gift of God He onely can comfort us in outward afflictions who can command the creature and he onely can comfort us against our inward griefes who can convince the conscience None can doe either of these but God therefore consolations are from God Luther spake true It is easier to make a World then to comfort the conscience the Hebrew phrase to comfort used in diverse places of the old Testament is To speake to the heart Now God onely can speake to the heart man can speake to the eare he can speake words but he can goe no further Therefore the act and art of comforting belongs properly to God Christ is the true Noah Lamech saith of Noah Gen. 5.29 This man shall comfort us concerning our worke and the toyle of our hands it was not in Noah to comfort but as God made him a comfort and he was said to comfort as a type of Christ Christ is true comfort He is comfort cloathed in our flesh he is as it were comfort incarnate Noah sent a Dove out of his Arke which returned with an Olive branch Jesus Christ sends the holy Ghost who is called the Comforter with the Olive branch of true peace to our wearied souls and to shew that it is now the highest act of Christs love care as mediator to give comfort he promised to send the holy Ghost when himselfe was taking his leave of the Church in regard of any visible abode or bodily presence being ready to ascend and step into Heaven he sayd I will send the comforter When God rained fire and brimstone from Heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah it is sayd by some of the Ancients that he sent a Hell out of Heaven But when he powres the holy Spirit from Heaven upon his Sion we may say he sends a heaven out of heaven Heaven above is nothing else but holy comfort and the comforts of the holy Spirit are the onely Heaven below How highly then ought we to esteeme how carefully to maintaine communion with God who hath all comfort seeing comfort is more to us then all we have If wee have comfort let our estate be what it will we are well enough comfort is as the spring of our yeare as the light of our day as the Sun in our Firmament as the life of our lives Have we not reason then to draw yea to presse neerer unto God who hath all comfort in his hand and without whom the best things cannot comfort us Not our riches nor our relations not Wife nor Children not health nor beauty not credit nor honour none of these can comfort us without God and if God please he can make any thing comfort us he can make a crust of dry bread a feast of fat things a cup of cold water a banquet of Wine to us And as he can make our comforts crosses so our crosse a comfort as David speakes Psal 23.4 Thy rod and thy staffe comfort me not onely the supporting staffe but the correcting rod shall comfort if God command it to be a comforter Who would not maintaine communion with this God who can make a comfort of any thing who can answer every crosse with a comfort If we have a thousand crosses God hath ten thousand comforts hee can multiply comforts faster then the World can multiply crosses Againe if God be the God of all consolation then goe to God for consolation as the Angel said to the women when they came to the Sepulcher enquiring for Christ Why seek yee the living among the dead he is risen he is not here So I may say Why seek yee living comforts among dead or dying creatures Seeke them there no longer Job complaines in this Booke When I sayd my bed shall comfort me then thou scarest me with dreames Chap. 7. Job went to a wrong place when he went to his bed for comfort most soules misse of comfort because they goe to a wrong place for it one goes to his bed another to his freind for comfort a third to his wife and Children these saith he shall comfort me alas why seeke yee the living among the dead none of these can comfort though these may be meanes of comfort Who or whatsoever is the instrument God is the author of all our comfort whatsoever hand brings it God sends it God saith Paul who comforteth those who are cast downe comforted us by the comming of Titus 2 Cor. 7.6 Titus was a good man and brought good tydings yet Paul doth not say that the comming of Titus did not comfort them but saith Paul God comforted us by the comming of Titus T is not your freind who comforts you but God who comforts you by the comming of such a freind when you are in sorrow by sending in such reliefe when you are poor by sending such medicines when you are sick such salves when you are sore such counsell when you are in doubt and know not what to doe Once more It is happy for Saints that consolation is in the hand of God if it were in the hand of the creature sure they should have but little of it but it is in the hand of God There are these foure considerations which may comfort Saints that comfort is in the hand of God First Considering his nature he is willing and ready to do good he is full of compassion and to shew mercy pleaseth him more then it releeveth us Secondly Considering his relation to his people he is a Father Will a Father let a Child lye comfortlesse when he can help him he is our Husband he is our Freind all relations provoke God to give out comfort to the Saints Thirdly Considering his Omniscience and Omnipresence he knowes where the shooe wrings he knowes what comfort we want a
Fathers as if he had sayd Doe not despise what I say as ordinary or as a novelty no nor as received from corrupt antiquity for besides what I have seen Rambam subtitius a patribus suis exponit a patribus eorum Vt hic tres aetates considerentur una sapientum haec indicantium altera patrum tertia majorum atavorum Merc. I have good authority for what I speake the ancient and the wise vote with me Wise men have told it from their Fathers here is the conveyance Wise men He doth not meane worldly wise men Philosophers and Polititians but godly wise men these haue told it from their Fathers their Fathers told it them and they told it me so that this position claimes by two descents at least One of the Rabbins gives it three if not more for by the Fathers of the wise men he understands not their immediate Fathers onely but those who were more remote and further off yea possibly those who were furthest off even as far as Adam Hence Observe First It is an ingenuity to acknowledge by whom we profit wise men have told me this I received it from others as well as collected it by my owne experience Secondly Note Truth should be conveyed downe to our Posterity Truth is a more precious inheritance then Land or Money if Parents are carefull to secure as much as they can earthly things to their Children how much more should they be carefull to secure heavenly In the first Ages of the World till the Law was given on Mount Sinai faithfull men were in stead of Books and Tradition supplyed the want of Scripture But now our recourse must be to what God hath commanded to be written not to what men have said No Tradition is of any force but as consentient with Scripture and none of so much force as Scripture The Councill of Trent in the fifth Session thunders out Anathemaes against those who receive not Tradition with the same godly affection and devotion with which they receive the Scripture it selfe Bellarmin in his controversie about Tradition entitles his Book thus Of the Word of God not written as if the Word of God were to be divided into these two orders The Word written and the Word not written Tradition with him is the Vnwritten word and must be held of as much authority as the Word written This is as Christ taxeth the Pharisees to make the word of God of none effect through mans Tradition It is still a wise mans duty to to tell Posterity what the Word and Truth of God is but we must not receive any thing as a truth of God upon the bare Word of the wisest men Wise men have told their Fathers And have not hid it There is a twofold hiding first a hiding to keep a thing safe that we loose it not secondly a hiding that we keep it close and not communicate it In the former sense we must hide the truth of God but we may not in the latter When David saith I have hid thy Commandements in my heart when Mary hid the sayings of Christ in her hart and when the man that found the treasure Ma. 13.44 Went away and hid it and for joy thereof sould all he had and bought the field All these hid it that it might be forth-comming for their owne use they did not hide it as unwilling to bring it forth for the use of others so the idle Servant hid his Talent and was justly condemned for hiding it Matth. 25. Hence Observe Truth must not be hid from others Truth is a common good no man hath the sole property of it every one may challenge his part of this poffession and the more we part with it to others the more we increase our owne possession Truth multiplies in its degree to us while we make division of it to thousands A Candle gives not the less light to the owner because many standers by see by it and this Candle gives a clearer light to us when we let many see by it Our knowledge is perfected while it is communicated This Candle therfore is not to be put under a bushell but must be set upon a Candlestick that all may see by the light of it Shall I saith the Lord Gen. 18. hide from Abraham the thing that I am about to doe No I will not For I know Abraham will not hide it Hee will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord. The Israelites were charged to communicate the wonders which God wrought for them and the Ordinances which he appointed them when they were delivered out of Aegypt Exod. 12. I will open my mouth in a Parable saith the Psalmist I will utter darke sayings of old which wee have heard and knowne And our Fathers have told us we will not hide them from their Children shewing to the Generations to come the praises of the Lord and his strength and the wonderfull works which hee hath done Psal 78.2 3 4. 'T is our duty to preserve memorialls of the workes of God and to declare his word to all that are about us What wise men know from their Fathers they will not hide Eliphaz yet goes on to describe the men whose consent in opinion he had received about the controversie in hand Vers 19. To whom alone the earth was given and no stranger passed among them If any man aske who were these wise men He answers They were wise men To whom alone the earth was given In these words Eliphaz seemes to remove a prejudice that might lye in Jobs Spirit against the testimony of those Ancients For suppose they were Wise men yet he might say 't is like they were but meane men men of no ranke or quality men of small credit or authority and we know what Solomon saith Affertur hoc ad amplificandum authoritatem horum sapientum q. d. hi tales tanti fuerunt ut c. Merc. Eccles 9.16 A poore mans wisedome is despised and his words not heard Therefore saith Eliphaz you shall not put me off thus nor disable my witnesses upon a supposition that these wise men were meane men for these were Cheifes and Princes in their Generation And he advanceth their honour two wayes First in regard of their riches and power To whom alone the earth was given Secondly in regard of their righteous and just administrations No stranger or strange thing passed among them as if he had sayd Job I speake of men that were fit to sit at the helme of a Kingdome and governe Nations yea to have the raines of the World put into their hands I speake of wise men who by their wisedome and the blessing of God have kept the earth quiet and so have possessed it alone But it may yet be said who were these Monarchs of the world and sole possessors of the Earth To whom alone the earth was given Some conceive that Eliphaz meanes it of
of the Battell is given by sound of Trumpet beat of Drum or discharge of Cannon they run on upon one another and when the Battell comes to the heat and hight they charge home even upon the necks of one another and upon the Bosses of their Bucklers Here 's the description of a fierce charge This wicked one is a Champion for Hell he challenges the God of Heaven and runs upon him c. with utmost violence Quia impius manum in Deum extendit ideo currit in eum Deus ad collum in densitate dorsorum clypeorum ejus q.d. in ea quibus ille maxime roboratur Rab. Lev. Vatabl. Beza Multo aptior est ut describatur adhuc ille impiorum conatus adversus Deum Pined Inauditam impii temeritatem describere prosequitur Bold That 's the sum of the words I shall now open them a little further He runs upon him even upon his neck There is a difference among Interpreters about that Antecedent some understand God As it the meaning were God runneth upon a wicked man like a strong Warrier with incredible swiftnesse and irresistible force to cast him downe The wicked man having stretched out his hand and strengthned himselfe against the Almighty now the Almighty runs upon his necke even upon the thick bosses of his Buckler Come saith God I will have about with thee if thou darest I will try it out with thee I am not afrayd of thy stiffe necke though it hath Iron sinews nor of the thick bosses of thy Buckler though they be of Steele Thus some both later Writers and ancient Rabbins give the sense but I rather conceive with others that Eliphaz still prosecutes the strange progresse and hightned wickednesse of man who having strengthned himselfe by hardning his heart against God runs upon him even upon his necke c. Taking this sense there is a different reading thus He runs upon him with his necke we say the wicked man runs upon the neck of God they say A wicked man runs upon God with his neck their meaning is He runs upon him audaciously and proudly The neck lifted up is a token of pride and presumptuous boldnesse And to run with the neck is to run with the neck lifted up or stretched out Currere collo est collo duro erecto sunilia sunt cum lana ponitur pro lana alba c. Drus which is indeed the periphrasis of pride Psalm 75.5 Speake not with a stiffe necke that is with a spirit unwilling to submit to my dispensations The Prophet Isaiah complaines and threatens Isa 3.16 Because the Daughters of Sion are haughty and walke with stretched out necks That is because they testifie the pride of their hearts by the gate and postures of the body as much as by the vaine attire and apparrell of the body Therefore the Lord will smite c. The Lord tells Moses Exod. 32.9 I have seen this people and behold it is a stiffe-necked people He complaines by the Prophet Isa 48.4 I knew that thou art obstinate and thy neck is an Iron sinew Stephen the Proto-Martyr gives a breviate of all their rebellions Acts 7. and concludes Vers 51. Yee stiffe necked c. The stiffe neck and the proud hard heart are the same all the Bible over Thus the wicked man runneth upon God with his stiffe In erectione colli fastus agnoscitur Merc. that is his proud daring spirit As before Hee stretched out his hand so now which is more his necke against God The metaphor is taken either from Souldiers in battell Metaphora a milite Fortissimo in hostem impetum faciente Metaphora a lascivienti procaci vitulo Pined who to shew their valour hold up their heads and stretch out their necks running head to head and shoulder to shoulder when they come to close fight Or It is a metaphor taken from a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoake who therefore will not submit his neck to bear it Wicked men are called Children of Belial because they endure not the yoak of obedience when God would put his yoak upon their necks they lift up their necks or run upon him with their stiffe necks Hence Note It is pride of spirit which causeth man to oppose God The Apostle James saith God resisteth the proud Jam. 4. which intimates yea and speakes out that the proud assault God As the wicked in his pride persecutes the poore Psal 10.2 So in his pride he opposeth God And as he that loveth God follows yea runs after God to obey him so he that hates God runs upon him by disobedience An act of ignorant disobedience is a going froâ— God Per superbiam homo maximè deo resistit superbus propter praesumptionem spiritus contra Deum currere dicitur Aquin. an act of knowne disobedience is a running upon God Running upon God is not onely sinning but impudent sinning The Angels in Heaven cover their faces before God dâ—â—ing not to behold him Humble sinners on earth such as the poor Publican Luke 18. venture not to lift up their eyes to Heaven but proud sinners lift up their necks against God They who care not what God saith to them care as little what they doe to God And they who have no faith in God seldome have any feare of him these run upon him with their necks But I returne to our Translation He runs upon him even on his necke That is on the neck of God that is he sins fiercely and fearelessely he doth not dare God at a distance or like a Coward speak great words and vaunt of what he will doe when his Adversary is out of sight and hearing but he charges on boldly in his very face It is sayd of the Ramm by whom the Prophet meanes Alexander the Great King of Greece That when he saw the Hee-Goat that is Darius King of Persia he ran upon him That is he assaulted him speedily and boldly overthrowing his whole estate and so making himselfe sole Lord of Asia The whole course of his Victories are described by this word He ran upon him Dan. 8.6 And when Job would shew how fiercely the Lord handled him he gives it in this language I was at ease but he hath broken me asunder he hath also taken me by the necke and shaken me to peeces Job 16.12 Cum eo concurrens collum invadet Tigur As God in a way of highest punishment or chastisement is sayd to take a man by the neck so man in a way of highest sinning and rebelling is sayd to take God by the neck or to run upon his neck He that ventures upon the necke cares not where he ventures and he that runs upon the neck of God cares not on whom he ventures And as in height of love a freind runs and falls upon the neck of his freind thus Joseph did on his Brethrens necks Gen. 45.14 and the Father of the Prodigall Luke 15.20 Ran and fell upon
alluding to the naturall conception formation and production of Children We have these three in the Text before us the order of the words being a little altered Here is first Conception They conceive mischeife Secondly Formation Their belly prepareth deceit Thirdly The birth Bring forth vanity More strictly to the method of Eliphaz we have first The conception secondly the birth of sin And as if one birth were not enough they returne to their work providing for a new birth of the old man Their belly prepareth deceit They conceive mischeife The word which we translate Mischiefe signifies properly labour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Labor molestia perversitas hard labour or labour accompanied with a great deal of paines and sorrow it signifies also wickednesse perversnesse We translate mischeife They conceive mischeife or some mischeivous devise to the dishonour of God and the wrong of man They conceive Conception is here the worke of the minde we ordinarily say We conceive such a thing that is We take it in or apprehend it by an act of the understanding Here 's the truest character of a wicked man he is one that conceives mischeife The allusion teacheth us First That a wicked man sins with much freedome of spirit or he sins freely He conceives mischeife The conceptions of the minde cannot be forced nor can the conceptions of the body and therefore the Law resolves it That there is no rape where conception follows These conceptions are the joynt actings of the will and understanding both concur in them an unregenerate person is free to doe evill he needs not be forced to it he cannot be forced from it and every evill is the more evill by how much the more freely it is done The more voluntarily we sin the more wickedly we sin Againe The conceptions of the minde are deliberate there is a collecting of one thing from another a debating in conceiving Hence Note Secondly Wicked men sin with deliberation They sit downe and meditate they lay the frame of wickednesse in their hearts and then set it up or act it with their hands Note thirdly All the conceptions of wicked men are wickednesse They are very fruitfull in wickednesse and they beare no other fruit Mischeife is not onely that which he conceives but all that he conceives he conceives nothing else A wicked man cannot think or conceive one good thought he may think of that which is materially good but he conceives no good Gen. 6.5 All the thoughts of the imaginations of his heart are onely evill and that continually All the Creatures which he formes in his minde all the children of his understanding are deformed and monstrous He conceives mischeife which as it notes a continued act so an act continued about or upon the same object Fourthly Observe To be a contriver a plotter a conceiver of mischeife is worse then then to be an actor or a doer of mischeife It is ill to have a hand in any sinfull evill it is worse to have a head in it but worst of all to have a heart in it Conceivers of mischeife alwayes have their hearts and heads in mischeife and if they are not stopt will have their hands to it too they who are plotters and designers would be actors Hence they are called Workers of iniquity They have an inward Shop and an outward Shop first they work it in their thoughts and mould it there and then it comes out To conceive mischeife is properly the Devils trade he rather deviseth then acts wickednesse There are many wickednesses in the World which he cannot act but he is or would be the plotter setter and contriver of them all This is the wickednesse of the Devill and every conceiver and deviser of mischeife is of the Devils trade A good man may possibly doe evill but a wicked man deviseth evill As it notes the spiritualnesse of a man in holinesse when he doth not onely act that which is good but his heart is upon it he conceives and frames it in his minde So it notes a man spiritually wicked when his minde frames wickednesse The Apostle concludes of himselfe Rom. 7.25 So then with my minde I serve the Law of God but with the flesh the Law of sin Not that he willingly gave up his flesh to sin but that he was carryed through the infirmity of the flesh to some sinfull actings while his minde his devisings and contrivings were according to the Law of God and he delighted in the Law of God concerning the inward man This is the spiritualnesse of holinesse and without this there is no outward act of any account with God It is what the minde moves to not what the mouth speaks or the hand doth which commends us to God What is it to God that we serve his Law with our flesh if with our minds we either serve the Law of sin or doe not serve the Law of God Man is not what he acts but what he conceives unlesse he act what he hath conceived They conceive mischeife And bring forth vanity Now they come to the birth they are in travell after conception they bring forth and the Childs name is Vanity The Originall word is rendred three wayes First We say Vanity Secondly Another saith Lyes A third saith Iniquity The word will beare any of or all the three translations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vanitat mendacium perversitas They bring forth vanity a lye iniquity They who conceive mischeife may bring forth any thing but what is good Those three words may serve the same thing every vanity is a lye and any lye is vanity and iniquity is both lye and vanity The persons of whom Eliphaz discourseth are sayd to bring forth vanity on these three grounds First Because they somtimes bring forth no fruit at all they are conceiving mischeif but they can make nothing of it their conceptions end in abortions they devise and plot but all is hatching of winde The Church is so expressed though in a different case Isa 26.17 18. Like as a Woman with Childe neer the time of her delivery is in paine and cryes out in her pangs so have we been in thy sight O Lord Wee have beene with childe we have been in paine The Church had conceptions for good shee hoped that the Lord would have done some great thing for her yet after her conception and travell see what shee brings forth We have beene in paine and brought forth winde that is nothing at all it proved a meer timpany for so he explaines it We have not wrought any deliverance in the earth neither have the Inhabitants of the World fallen that is we have not obtained that deliverance that we hoped for in the earth neither have our Enemies who are called by the Prophet The Inhabitants of the World been subdued under our power they have not fallen Now as the Church and people of God sometimes are disappointed in their expectations they conceive yet
the right hand let him give thee a smarter a hander blow that is If a man disgrace thee a little reward him not with disgrace but prepare to beare a greater turne the left cheek And the reason of this was because slaves and condemned persons were thus smitten as also such as were supposed to speake irreverently to the Magistrate Hence it was that when Paul had spoken freely to the Councell saying Men and brethren I have lived in all good conscience before God untill this day presently Ananias the high Priest commanded those that stood by him to smite him on the mouth Acts 23.1 2. In which case Christ himselfe was smitten by an Officer that stood by John 18.22 From all which Scripture testimonies it is more then manifest that to smite a man on the cheek is to disgrace because they who fell under disgrace were usually smitten on the cheek and this I take to be the most suitable interpretation of Jobs complaint in this place They smite me on the cheek reproachfully Hence Observe First The best Saints on earth have been smitten and deepely wounded with reproach God himselfe gave an honourable testimony of Job there was none like him he had no peere on earth for holinesse and uprightnesse yet men gave testimony against him as if he had been the scumm of the World for unholinesse and hypocrisie David a man after Gods owne heart was not onely reproached but a reproach among all his Enemies but especially among his neighbours or neerest Freinds both in habitation and relation and he heard the slander of many Psal 31.11 13. The word of God was made a reproach to the Prophet Jeremy Chap. 20.8 And the spirit was made a reproach to the Apostles Acts 2.13 Others mocked saying These men are full of new Wine When indeed they were filled with the holy Ghost Vers 4. Drunkards made Songs upon David but the Apostles were sung about for Drunkards We are fools saith Paul that is We are so called and accounted for Christ and being defamed or as the word bears blasphemed to speake against any thing of God in Man is blasphemy as well as speaking directly against God we entreat And to shew that this was no prick with a Pin or small scratch upon their credit which made him complaine hee tels us what this fame did amount unto We are made as the filth of the World and as the off-scouring of all things unto this day 1 Cor. 4 13. The whole World lieth in wickednesse which is a morall filthinesse so that to be the filth of the World is to be the filth of filthinesse the filth of a cleane thing is bad enough what then is the filth of a filthy thing The off-scouring of any thing is base then what is the off-scouring of all things which must needs include the basest things These Apostles who were the ornament and glory the purest and most refined peeces of the whole inferiour World were yet made not that these reproaches did at all change them from what they were in themselves but they made them to be in the opinion of others what they least of all were the rubbish and the refuse the sweepings and the drosse of the whole World The Apologies of Tertullian and others doe abundantly testifie what reproaches the Primitive Christians suffered both in reference to their practice and worship Athanasius was called Sathanasius as if he had been a Devil incarnate by the Abbettors of the Arrian Heresie which he stiffely opposed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est stercoreus hinc Coprion scarabeus a luto scilicet Bech de Orig. Ling. Lat. And some who were displeased with the Opinions and Writings of Cyprianus called him in contempt Coprianus or one that gathers dung as if his Bookes were nothing but dung heaps How Luther Calvin and other Reformers of the former age were smitten reproachfully both by the tongues and Pens of the Popish Party is knowne of all these parts of the World And how much this trade which is indeed the Devils trade of slandering the footsteps of Gods annoynted ones is continued unto this day we have but too much evidence A man can scarse appeare indeed for God but he is thus smitten on the cheek by men Religion and the power of godlinesse have ever been an occasion of contention and for the most part to smite with reproach hath been the manner of contending There are not many enemies of good men who have a Sword to draw against them but all the Enemies of good men have ill words enow at command to throwe against them and of them they are seldome sparing And though which is bad enough yet no better can be expected of them this trade of reproaching be driven most by evill men against those who are good yet which is farre worse wee may learne from this instance betweene Job and his Freinds for even they did not spare to reproach him that which shall be A second Observation A good man may so farr forget himselfe as to speake reproachfully against his Brother Yea the reproaches of Professors one against another have been as they are the saddest so the sharpest and bitterest reproaches They who agree in most things take it most unkindely when they differ in any thing and are more ready to revile one another about the points wherein they differ then to blesse God for those wherein they are agreed The Papists did not more reproach Luther and Calvin whose judgements concurred in opposing them then Lutherans and Calvinists have reproached each other where they are opposite in judgement The corrupt remaines even in good men tell them that whosoever differs from them stands in their light and obscures their excellency and therefore that themselves may shine the brighter in what they hold they little care when master'd by selfe and passion how obscure yea foule they render them who hold the contrary While Infidels reproached Christians it was the glory of Christianity and while the wicked reproach the godly it is the glory of godlinesse but while one Christian reproaches another the glory is departed from godlinesse Is it not enough that the Servants of God are thus smitten by the world must they needs smits their fellow-Servants and revile those who are upon the maine in the same way of God wherein they are onely because they are not fully in their way Yea when possibly they may be in a higher and more perfect way then they Is it not enough that the Bryars and Thornes which are among the Lillyes teare and scratch them Shall the Lillyes degenerate into Bryars and Thornes one towards another Or if at any time a Lilly of the one side teare and be harsh should not the Lilly on the other side be kinde and gentle If Israel transgresse let not Judah offend too Luther was often at Sharps with Calvin but Calvin professed and that was a Noble profession Though Luther call me Devill yet I will honour Luther as
to a godly heart The reason why a godly man chuses rather to be smitten by the righteous then the wicked is because they have somewhat possibly much of God in them therefore much more doth hee say Let the righteous God smite me It is a mercy if we must needs be chastised when God will chastise us himselfe and not give us into the hands of men whose mercies are cruell There are two things which make it so greivous to the people of God when they are delivered up into the hands of the ungodly First Their cruelty Their mercies are cruell how unmercifull then are they in their cruelties As they know no measure in sinning against God so they keep none in vexing man The Lord promiseth Psal 126.3 The Rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous implying that by the good will of evill men it should rest there they would never take it off if God did not Secondly which troubles more then the former Their blasphâ—my And that first against God himselfe as if he either could not deliver out of their hands 2 Chron. 32 14. What is your God that he should be able to deliver you out of my hand Psal 42. Where is now their God Thus the wicked Jewes into whose hand God delivered his Son did even dare God to come to his rescue Mat. 27.43 or as if he took their part and favoured the cause which they have in hand Secondly They blaspheame or speak evill both of the wayes and people of God What 's become of your prayers now Where 's your fasting now Of which you boasted that it would doe such wonders It is a soare affliction to be under the rule of wicked men much more to be under their rage that prophetick curse which David denounceth against his Enemy is thus expressed Psal 109.6 Set thou a wicked man over him A wicked man were better be under the power of good men then of the wicked for a good man cannot be so severe to a wicked man as one wicked man is to another but if a wicked man be so cruell to wicked men who are so like him how cruell must he needs be to godly men who are altogether unlike him Fourthly Note Godly men looke through all second causes to the first As they rest not in the creature for the good which they receive so they stay not in the creature when they receive evill they see a hand of God in and over all Note Fifthly We glorifie God as much in acknowledging afflictions as in acknowledging mercies and blessings to come from him He is the Author of both he takes it as much upon him that he creates darknesse as that he formes light that is As the next words expound it That hee creates evill as well as makes peace Isa 45.7 Now if the Lord challenges this as a part of that glory which he will not give to Idols then we give him the glory of the onely true God while wee acknowledge this Sixthly Note There is no way to settle or quiet the heart till it looke up to God as the disposer of our troubles This was Jobs last resort And this was Davids when Shimei cursed him God hath bid Shimei curse This kept downe those angry motions which must else have boyled up as high in his spirit as they did in Abishaes himselfe being more deeply concerned in it then Abishai was Job having discovered this frame of spirit more then once before I here onely touch upon it Lastly Take this comfortable Corolary from the whole Though God doth often deliver his choycest Servants into the power of wicked men yet he never delivers them up to the will of wicked men They cannot doe with his people what they please they shall onely doe what God himselfe pleaseth though they displease God highly in doing it God never turnes the least of those who beleeve in his Name out of his owne hand though he turne them over into the hand of the ungodly as God keeps his title to them still so hee still keepes the possession of them Saints in the hand of the vilest men are in the hand or possession of God two wayes First They are in the hand of his power he can fetch them out of the hands of men when he will Secondly They are under the hand of his care and this five wayes First To provide that though they endure much hardship in their hands yet they shall receive no hurt God doth not turn his into the hands of evill men for evill but for good Secondly He hath them in the hand of his care to furnish them with strength to suffer Thirdly To teach them how to profit by sufferings Fourthly To moderate the hands of the wicked towards them their hands shall not be heavier then he hath appointed they shall not give you a stroak more then hee hath numbred out Lastly As to order how much so likewise how long they shall suffer Our times are in Gods hand when we are in the hand of men As they cannot add a drop to our cup so not a Sand to our Glasse beyond what the Lord hath appointed out JOB Chap. 16. Vers 12 13 14. I was at ease but he hath broken me asunder hee hath also taken me by my neck and shaken me to peices and set me up for his marke His Archers compasse me round about he cleaveth my reines asunder and doth not spare he powreth out my Gall upon the ground He breaketh me with breach upon breach he runneth upon me like a Giant JOB still prosecutes the same argument setting out his afflictions in their darkest colours to the seventeenth Verse of this Chapter and then with highest confidence attesting yea calling Heaven and Earth to attest both the righteousnesse of his wayes towards men and the rightnesse of his worship tendered unto God These three with the two Verses following containe two generall points First He tels us how and in what manner he was handled by God in those dayes of his affliction Vers 12 13 14. Secondly He tels us how he behaved himselfe under the hand of God or how he was affected with these afflictions Vers 15 16. I have sowed sackcloath upon my skin and defiled my horne in the dust c. As Gods hand was heavy upon him so he held out all the demonstrations and emblemes of a heavy heart I sowed sackcloth upon my skin He begins with or rather prosecutes the description for he had spoken much of it before of his sad afflictions And because contraries illustrate and set forth one another therefore he first shewes what condition he had been in secondly what he then was in Our present wants and evills are aggravated by our former comforts and enjoyments This course and method Job takes to aggravate his First Telling us that he was once whole and at ease Secondly What hee at that time was pained and broken to peices I was at ease But
onely this hee gives him the spirit abundantly infinitely without stint or limit So when it is sayd that he corrects man in measure the meaning is onely this that he corrects him moderately mercifully with many stints and limits It is of the Lords mercy saith Jeremie Lam. 3.22 What That we are delivered That we are crowned with comforts These are of the Lords mercy indeed but hee speakes not of these the mercy hee speakes of is That we are not utterly consumed What kinde of mercy is this Sparing mercy Suppose God take away many Children yet if he leave but one here is sparing mercy to the Parents Suppose hee take many hundreds and thousands of a mans estate yet if he leave him a little to buy Bread and to stand betweene him and Beggery this is sparing mercy Suppose we are much consumed yet if we are not utterly consumed this also is sparing mercy In the Prophesie of Daniel we read of a goodly tree And behold a watcher and an holy one came downe from Heaven and cryed aloud Hew downe the Tree and cut off his branches shake off his leaves and scatter his fruit c. Neverthelesse leave the stumpe of his root in the earth c. Though it was judgement to shake off the leaves and fruit to hew downe the boughes and stock yet it was sparing mercy to leave the roote that gave hopes it might grow againe and not be utterly consumed 't is sparing mercy when any thing is reserved But God did not spare Job he took all he did not leave him as we say A Shirt to his back nor a sound patch in his skin Satans power had no limit put to it but as to life onely Chap. 2.6 Behold he is in thine hand but or onely save his life There was indeed somewhat of sparing mercy in that and that was more then Satan would have spared yet it was but so much as without which he could not have groaned out this complaint as to the losse of all other comforts He doth not spare Fourthly There is a sparing mercy of God in the very act of afflicting when hee shewes that he is unwilling to afflict or discovers tendernesse to them that are afflicted Lam. 3.12 He doth not willingly afflict nor greive the children of men As there are many who will serve God in an outward forme of worship whom yet they neither serve nor worship with their will So God will afflict some whom he doth not afflict with his will he doth not give out his spirit or take delight in smiting while he smites them Thus the Lord expressed himselfe towards his ancient people the Jewes he threatens Israel That the Assyrian shall be his King that is the Assyrian shall carry them Captives to Babylon and exercise a tyrannicall power over them Hos 11.5 Yea the Sword shall abide on his Cities and shall consume his branches Vers 6. Now though God were resolved to doe this and did also bring it to passe yet he saith Vers 8. How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel sc into the Enemies hand How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zeboim Mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together I will not execute the fiercenesse of mine anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim that is I will not destroy him wholly by redoubling evill upon him I will destroy once but I will not returne to destroy a remnant shall be saved The Lord gave up Ephraim but he did not make Ephraim as Admah and Zeboim he did not utterly ruine him and what hee did against Ephraim he did it with a secret contest in his owne spirit How shall I doe this I doe it not with my heart and whole minde my heart is turned within me while my hand is turned against thee it grieveth me while thou art grieved while I kindle this fire of affliction in thy borders the fire of compassion kindles in my owne bowels My repentings are kindled together while I punish thee for thine impenitency and my heart is turned within me while I must correct thee for refusing to returne Vers 5. Nero being desired to signe a Writ for the execution of an Offender was so pittifull at his first entrance upon the Empire though he proved a Monster for cruelty after that he could hardly be perswaded or wrought to subscribe it and when he did it Quam vellem nescire literas in doing it he sayd How glad should I be if I could not write my name which wish occasioned Seneca his Tutor to write a Book of Clemencie in which he extols Nero as the patterne and mirrour of clemencie When either God or man doe acts of severest Justice with meltings of spirit and tendernesse of affection towards those who fall under their hand those acts of Justice have a great temperament of sparing mercy in them For as it is in sinning when a Beleever falls into a great sin yet because his heart cannot goe fully with it he cannot delight or take pleasure in it therefore his may be called Sparing sinfulnesse whereas a carnall heart committing onely a little sin for the matter yet because he delighteth in it and is pleased with sin he doth not spare to sin Now I say as it is in sinning so in punishing he doth not spare to punish who doth it with his whole heart and takes delight in it though the actuall punishment be but little whereas he whose heart retreats while his hand is stretched out in greater punishments may be sayd to spare in punishing Hence to shew that God exacted the utmost of his Justice upon his Son our Lord Jesus Christ when hee stood in our place the Apostle saith Rom. 8.32 He spared not his Son How did he not spare him He did not spare him any of these foure wayes He did not spare him so as not to punish him at all for the Cup could not passe from him He did not spare him by deferring the time but when the houre was come that he must suffer he suffered in that moment Nor did he spare him in the degree he suffered to the utmost for our sins God did not abate one drop out of his Cup not one dram of the weight of his sorrows Yea fourthly God did not spare him in regard of the affection with which he punished him The Lord may be sayd willingly to afflict him for the sins of the Children of men though he doth not willingly afflict the Children of men He was pleased to bruise him Isa 53. and that signifies not onely Voluntatem Dei that it was the purpose and resolution of God that his Son should be bruised for our sins but it signifies also Voluptatem Dei the delight and contentment that the Lord had in bruising his Son He did not spare but gave him up with his heart to those punishments which were due to sinners God shewed no more
Oracles of God like little Children who must have the same precepts and lines often and often inculcated upon them he gives it us in the forme of this Text Isa 28.10 For precept must be upon precept line upon line that is they must be continually followed with precepts they must have many and yet they scarse learne one or as others expound that place the Prophet describes the scornefulnesse of that people who jeered the Messengers of God for their frequency in Preaching with a riming scoffe Precept upon precept line upon line here a little and there a little which single tearms the Prophets had often used in their Sermons Now which way soever we take the proper sense of that place yet the common sense of the words reaches this in Job for precept upon precept speakes there a multitude of precepts even as here breach upon breach speakes a multitude of breaches or breaches all over And the Apostle Paul expresseth himselfe in this straine while he gives the reason of the recovery of Epaphroditus from a dangerous sicknesse Phil. 2.27 He was sick saith Paul nigh unto death but God had mercy on him and not onely on him but on mee also least I should have sorrow upon sorrow that is many sorrows heaped up together So then when Job complaines of his breaking with breach upon breach the plaine meaning is that he had many very many breaches His very wounds were wounded there was nothing in him Vulnera ipsa vulnerat Non habet in nobis jam nova plag◠locum or about him to be smitten but what had been smitten already As if he had said I am so full of breaches and afflictions that there is no whole space or roome left for a new breach for another affliction As he that lyes upon the ground can fall no lower so he that is all broken cannot be broken any more Job had breach upon breach in his estate his Cattle and goods were taken away Job had breach upon breach in his Family most of his Servants and all his Children were destroyed Job had breach upon breach in his body that was sick and soare Job had breach upon breach in his credit hee was called Hypocrite againe and againe Job had breach upon breach in his soule that was filled with feare and terrour from the Lord. Hence Note The best Saints on earth are subject not onely to great but various troubles to breach upon breach God is pleased to smite them sundry times and he smites them sundry wayes 'T is no argument that a man shall be no more afflicted because he is afflicted or that God will not smite againe because he hath smitten already God doth not stay his hand by looking upon the number but upon the effect and fruite of our afflictions Every Childe of his whom he corrects must looke for more corrections till repentance hath had its perfect worke and every Champion of his whom he tryes must looke for more tryalls till faith and patience have had their perfect worke God would not give his Children so much as one blow or one breach not so much as a little finger of theirs should ake were it not for one of these ends and untill these ends be attained they shall have many blowes and breaches even till the whole head be sick and the whole heart faint till from the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundnesse in them but wounds and bruises and putrifying soares As the Vine-dresser cuts and cuts Vt in vineis labor labori cura curae semper additur c. Sanct. prunes and prunes the Vine this day and the next day because once cutting or pruning will not serve to make it fruitfull So the Lord prunes and cuts and pares and breaks and breaks not to destroy his people but to make them as pleasant Vines bring forth abundantly eyther the fruits of godly sorrow for their sins committed against him or the proofes and experiments of the graces which they have received from him This latter was Jobs case and the cheife cause why he was broken with breach upon breach And no sooner had the Lord by his roaring Cannon made breaches in him fayre and assaultable but he presently takes his advantage as Job shewes elegantly pursuing the Allegory in the last clause He runs vpon me as a Giant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sicut fortis potens idem valet Gigas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When a breach is made in the wall the beseigers run up to assault and storme the place Job keepes to the Souldiers language the Lord hath made breach upon breach and now He runs upon me as a Giant There are three things in this expression First The speed which God made to assault him He runs Secondly The strength that God puts forth in assaulting him he runs not as a Childe not as a weak man no nor as the ordinary sort of strong men but as a Giant or mighty man who exceeds other men as Goliah did David both in strength and stature Quando aliquis dicitur aut currere aut aliquid agere sicut Gigas nihil aliud denotat quam magno animo strenuè rem aliquam aggredi Bold Thirdly Running as a Giant notes courage as well as strength A Giant runs fiercely and fearelesly David compares the Sun at his rising to a Bridegroome comming out of his Chamber and to a Giant or strong man it is the word of this Text who rejoyceth to run a race Psal 19.5 Giants are swift and Giants are strong Some men are strong but not swift of foot but no man can be swift of foot unlesse he be competently strong Giants are both in excesse And therefore Job puts both together He runs upon me as a Giant And yet I conceive this running doth rather imply the fiercenesse of the Giant then his swiftnesse Giants are dreadfull and terrible to behold they are called Nephilim in the Hebrew of diverse Texts which comming from the root Naphal to fall signifies fallers and that in a twofold sense First Because they Apostatiz'd or fell from God his truth and worship which Moses seemes to intimate while he describes the first great personall defection of the World Gen. 6.4 There were Giants in the earth in those dayes these he opposeth to the Sons of God in the same Verse who had also greatly corrupted themselves so that Vers 5. God saw the wickednesse of man was great upon the earth For the Sons of God they who owned a profession of Religion being the Posterity of Seth they mingled themselves with the wicked of the World as for the Giants they disowned God and were totally departed or fallen from his obedience and were therefore as some apprehend called Nephilim or Fallers Secondly They were so called because either through the vastnesse of their strength and stature or through the feircenesse of their mindes and spirits they were men of violence great oppressors
lives in any knowne sinne unrepented of Secondly That which is unquiet and unsetled about the pardon of those sins which we have repented of We should get both these evil consciences but especially the first cured and removed by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ before we draw nigh to God in prayer as also our bodies washed in pure water which is either an allusion to the old Ceremonies among the Jewes who before they came to worship at the Tabernacle purged themselves with diverse outward washings leading them to the consideration of that morall puritie both of heart and life in which God is to be worshipped or it is an allusion to Baptisme in speciall in which there is an externall washing of the body signifying the washing of the soule by the blood of Christ and by the effectuall working of the spirit The sum of all is unlesse the person be pure his prayer is not pure These are the ingredients which constitute pure prayer all these met in Job and therefore he concluded not onely confidently but truely My prayer is pure And as these are the ingredients of prayer so they are all necessary ingredients so necessary that if any one of them be wanting the whole prayer is impure They are necessary by a double necessity First As commanded by God in prayer Secondly As meanes without which man cannot attaine his end in prayer The generall end of prayer is that prayer may be heard accepted and answered God heares accepts answers no one prayer without some concurrence of all these The Incense of the Ceremoniall Law was a shadow of prayer which is so great a duty of the morall Law But if this Incense had not been made exactly according to the will of God both for the matter and the manner of the composition prescribed Exod. 30.34 35 36. If after it had been thus made it had not also been offered according to those rules given Levit. 16.12 13. it had been an abomination to the Lord or as the Prophet Isaiah speaks Chap. 66.3 Such a burning of Incense had been but as the blessing of an Idol We may conclude also That if prayer be either composed or presented in any other way then God himselfe hath directed it is not onely turned away but turned into sin That man hath spoken a great word who can say in Jobs sense My prayer is pure Thus Job justifies the prayer he made to God and mainetaines his justice towards men There is no injustice in my hands also my prayer is pure A high profession yet in the next words he goes higher and makes both an imprecation against himselfe if it were not thus with him and an appeale to God for his testimony that it was thus with him JOB CHAP. 16. Vers 18 19. O Earth cover not thou my blood and let my cry have no place Also now behold my witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high JOB having with much confidence asserted the integrity of his heart and the righteousnesse of his way both towards God and Man confirmes what he had thus confidently asserted by a double Argument First By a vehement imprecation Vers 18. O earth cover not thou my blood and let my cry have no place Secondly By a free appeale an appeale to God himselfe Vers 19. Also now behold my witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high He shewes the necessity of this appeale Vers 20. My Freinds scorne me therefore I am constrained to goe to God When men have done us wrong and will not doe us right it is both time and duty to appeale to God Upon this ground Job appeales Est juramenti deprecatorii forma quo asseverat nullius sibi iniquitatis consâ—ium esse Aben. Ezra and he concludes according to our translation his appeale with a passionate yet holy wish Vers 21. O that one might plead for a man with God as a man pleadeth for his Neighbour The reason both of his appeale and wish is given us further Vers 22. he looked on himselfe as a man standing upon the very confines of death the Grave was ready for him therefore hee beggs that this businesse might be dispatched and his integrity cleared before hee dyed Hee was loath to goe out of the World like a Candle burnt downe to the Socket with an ill savour He that hath lived unstained in his reputation cannot well beare it to dye with a blot and therefore he will be diligent by all due meanes to maintaine the credit which he hath got and to recover what he hath lost This was the reason of Jobs importunity discovered in these two Verses now further to be opened Vers 18. O earth cover not thou my blood and let my cry have no place There are two branches of this imprecation or rather these make two distinct imprecations The first in these words O earth cover not thou my blood The second in these Let my cry have no place Job engages all upon the truth of what he had sayd being willing that his worst might be seen and his best not heard if he had not spoken truth O earth cover not thou my blood Poeticum sane patheticum in dolore aut re alia gravissima res mutas mortuasve omni sensu audituque carentes testes auditores compellare Job speaks pathetically or as some render him Poetically while he bespeakes the earth and makes the inanimate creature his hearer The sacred Pen-men doe often turne their speech to the Heavens and to the Earth Thus Moses Deut. 32.2 in the Preface of his Sermon his last Sermon to that people Give eare O yee Heavens and I will speak and hear O earth the words of my mouth So the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 1.2 Heare O Heavens and give eare O Earth I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me God speaks to that which hath no eares to heare eyther to reprove those who have eares but heare not or to raise up and provoke their attention in hearing Thus Job O earth c. as if the earth were able to take his complaint and returne an answer as if the earth were able to make inquisition and bring in a verdict about his blood O earth cover not thou my blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 texit operuit abscondit The word signifies not onely common but a twofold metaphoricall covering First Covering by way of dissimulation to dissemble a matter is to cover a matter In that sense Solomon speakes Prov. 12.16 A fooles wraâ—h is presently knowne but a prudent man covereth shame that is He dissembleth his wrath or his anger he will not let it alway break forth for that would be a shame to him Secondly The word signifies to cover by forgetfulnesse That which is not remembred is hid or covered Eccles 6.4 He commeth in with vanity speaking of man and departeth in darknesse and his name shall be covered with darknesse that
that is One wickednesse is heaped upon another There is an aggregation Aggrâ—gant peccata peccatis Chald. or a combination of many sins together their sins are so thick set that there is not the least space eyther of time or place betweene them they sin continually and they sin contiguously sin toucheth sin Thirdly By blood in this active sense we may understand those speciall sins which draw blood the sin of oppression and the sin of murder The Scriptures last cited include these principally though not these alone or not these exclusively to other sins Sins of cruelty are often called blood by name and such are named bloody men who commit such sins Psal 55.24 Blood-thirsty and deceitfull men shall not live out halfe their dayes that is Murderers and Oppressours shall not When Shimei cursed David he sayd Goe thou bloody man thou Son of Belial 2 Sam. 16.7 8. He calls him bloody man in reference to that particular act with which David had stained his hands the murder of Vriah Hab. 2.12 Woe to him that buildeth a Towne with blood that stablisheth a City with iniquity that is By the iniquity of oppression Hee builds with blood who to set his owne nest on high throwes downe the right or takes away the lives of others Under this third as also the second notion of blood wee may best interpret Jobs imprecation O earth cover not thou my blood that is The oppressions and cruelties which I have committed if I have committed any Some conceive that Job referrs to the story of Cain and Abel Gen. 4.10 The earth would not cover Cains blood that is the blood of Abel which Cain had spilt Eliphaz told Job before in a third person that his Tabernacle was a Tabernacle of bribery as much as to say That hee had done wrong in his place Si quam caedem maleficiumvè quod objicitis patravi illud revelet testificetur terra Jun. O Tellus ne celes scelera mea capitalia Tygur and had been a grinder of the faces of the poore Now saith Job O earth cover not my blood if I have been an oppressour if I have drank the blood of the poore or am guilty of such like abominations I desire that the earth would not cover or dissemble it but let it be published to my shame and brought forth to my judgement Master Broughtons note is full to this sense If there be any injury in my hands let the earth reveale it And the Tygurine O earth doe not conceale my capitall crimes The second branch of the imprecation fals crosse to this for in this Job prayes that his evill deeds might be discovered in that he prays that his very prayers which were his best deeds might not be accepted if he had eyther been or done as was suspected And let my cry have no place The word signifies a loud cry a greevous cry the cry of a man extreamely pressed yea even utterly opprest This cry is expounded three wayes First For the very cry of griefe or for a cry caused meerly by griefe Let my cry have no place that is Let not my paines and sorrows my groanes and sighes in midst of all these evills be regarded either by God or Men if I have done such evils as I am accused of 'T is a great affliction which puts a man to his cry whether to God or Man but it is a greater affliction to cry and not to be heard neither by God nor man The cry of a poore man is then said to have no place with a Judge when he will not heare it or take notice of it Secondly Others expound this for the cry of sin Great sins are called a cry not onely because they make others cry but because themselves are very clamarous and crying Clamat quia innocens effusus est dicitur inter pellare dominum non prosecutione Eloquii sed indignitate commissi Ambros Sin hath a tongue to speake and it hath teeth to bite every sin speakes but some sins have a loud voice they cry The blood of thy Brother which thou hast spilt cryes unto me saith God to Cain Gen. 4.10 The sin of Sodome cryed up to Heaven Gen. 18.20 Oppression causeth a cry so here Let my cry that is my crying sins or the cry of my sins have no place that is none to hide or shelter themselves in And then this clause of the imprecation is of the same sense with the former O earth cover not thou my blood Thirdly By this cry we may understand Jobs prayer and that of two sorts First Prayers Petitions or complaints to men let not any Freind regard my cry Secondly Prayers to God for as there are crying sins so there are crying prayers The Lord sayd to Moses Wherefore cryest thou unto mee Exod. 14.15 Asa cryed unto the Lord 2 Chron. 14. The Ninevites were commanded to cry mightily to God John 3.8 and Christ himselfe prayed with strong cryes Heb. 5.7 As there are two things especially which make sins crying sins First When they are earnestly committed Secondly When they are constantly committed So two things make prayers crying prayers First When we pray with earnestnesse Secondly When we pray with continuance or perseverance Ne in Caelum efferatur suscipiaturce clamor meus si sim eâ—â—smodi Jun. We find David often crying to God in prayer so that when Job saith Let my cry have no place his meaning is Let not God hear my most earnest prayer A dreadfull imprecation When wee who have no helpe on earth shall wish that we may have none in Heaven neither what can wee wish worse to our selves then this From the words in generall Observe It is lawfull to use imprecations Job did not sin in this There are imprecations of two sorts First Upon others when we wish them evill or curse them this in some rare cases may be done David useth imprecations against the incorrigible enemies of the Church and so may we but in reference to personall injuries the Gospel-rule is Blesse them that curse you pray for them that despitefully use you Matth. 5.44 Secondly Upon our selves such are the imprecations intended in this point Job cals downe mischeife upon his owne head in both parts of the Verse Let all my sins be discovered let all my prayers be refused if ever I have done this thing Imprecations or wishes of evill upon our selves may proceed upon a double ground First For the assuring of what we promise or engage our selves to doe As to say I will doe such a thing or I promise to doe it if I doe it not I wish evill may befall me This is to put our selves under a curse which we doe at least implicitely in taking any promissory Oath There are two sorts of Oaths First Assertory Oaths when we affirme such a thing to be true Secondly Promissory Oaths when wee promise to doe such a thing calling God to witnesse and laying our selves under a penalty
spoke my conscience and the truth The Jewes accused Christ falsely yet called for his blood upon their heads therefore God gave them their wicked wish and they lye under the weight of this imprecation to this very day they prayed that the blood of Christ might be upon them and it is upon them As God poures the blood of Christ upon some in mercy so upon others in wrath The blood of Christ is upon Beleevers to wash and cleanse them from their sins but the blood of Christ hath been upon the Jewes to condemne and scatter them as a vile people all the World over for their sin The Lord hath been most exact in answering this cry even in the very place where they made it The History of the Jewes reports that about thirty eight years after this dreadfull curse upon themselves Herod called the Jewes together and demanded a summ of Money of them for making a water-course which they refusing to give he sent for Souldiers to come secretly armed who slew great multitudes of them in that place where they cryed Let his blood be upon us c. At another time Florus who was Generall of the Common Souldiers made a second and that a more bloody massacre of them there And when Jerusalem was taken by Vespasian the blood of Christ was powred upon the heads of many hundred thousands who were slaine by Fire and Sword Famine and Pestilence besides more then seven thousand of them who were led Captive And the Story informes us further that Caesar sold the younger and common sort of those Captives at that contemptible rate of thirty a penny as they or their Fathers sold Christ for thirty pence so by the just judgement of God thirty of them were sold for a penny There was never any people in the World who tasted more justly or more deeply of that cup of self-cursing then the Jews have done yet many persons have tasted deeply of it too besides the Jewes This sin hath so much not only of wickednesse but boldnesse in it that God never lets it goe altogether unpunished though being repented of it may be pardoned Master Perkins in his Booke of the right government of the tongue touching upon this point tels us of certaine English Souldiers in the time of King Edward the sixth who were cast upon the French shore by a storme in which stresse they went to prayer that they might be delivered but one Souldier in stead of praying cryed out Gallowes take thy right or claime thy due and when hee came home he was hanged indeed Master Fox in his Booke of Acts and Monuments hath a notable example to this purpose of one John Peters Keeper of Newgate who was wont at every ordinary thing he spoke whether it were true or false it made with him no great matter to averr it with this imprecation if it be not so I pray God I may rot before I dye and so it came to passe I might give many such instances of rash imprecations which God hath followed with severest vengeance I shall add one more which is fresh in the memory of many yet living of a Gentleman of quality a Knight Sir Gervaise Ellowayes that suffered at the Tower-hill about the death of Sir Thomas Overburie who confessed it was just with God that hee should undergoe that ignominious death for oft in Gaming sayd he I have used this wish I pray God I be hanged if it be not so I wil conclude this point with a neerer instance A Woman who accidentally came into the Congregation while this word was Preached did afterwards by writing certifie me that shee being convinced in conscience of her sin in wishing evill upon her selfe thereby to cover a sin which shee had committed but denyed did feele the sad effects of it according to her wish begging earnest prayers that it might be forgiveâ— her and that God would be entreated to take off his hand Let those wretches heare and feare and doe no more so presumptuously who feare not to wish The Devill take them and God damne them lest indeed God let the Devill loose upon them and take them at their word And here it may be observed that such as are most guilty are most apt to imprecate vengeance upon themselves that they may appeare guiltlesse They have no way left to perswade others that they are good or have not done evill but by wishing evill to themselves Such is the stupidity of a misled conscience that when it is deepest in sin it dares defie Gods justice to gaine an opinion among men of its owne innocency O earth cover not thou my bloood More particularly Observe Great sins bloody sins especially this sin of shedding innocent blood shall not passe undiscovered God will give a tongue to the earth he will make speechlesse creatures speak rather then blood shall be concealed Blood may be concealed a long time but blood shall not alwayes be concealed Gen. 4.7 What hast thou done The voyce of thy Brethers blood cryeth to me from the ground The blood had no voyce and the ground was silent blood hath no more voyce of its owne then water hath or then a Fish that lives in the water hath these did not speake formally but the Lord speakes thus to shew that hee will certainely bring bloody sins chiefely the sin of blood to light The justice of God in all Ages hath sent out his Writ of enquirie after bloody men and for the blood of the innocent Psal 9.12 When he maketh inquisition for blood he remembreth them he forgetteth not the cry of the poore But doth not the Lord make inquisition for all sin Or is there any sin that God doth not enquire after Surely no there was never any sin committed in the World but the Lord inquired hath after it sin shal not be lost God wil finde it out and keep it upon record But when it is sayd God makes inquisition for blood it argues the greatnesse of that sin For while that act of God which extendeth to every sin is appropriated to some one particular sin it is an argument that God takes speciall noâ—ice of it or that it is a very provoking sin Though God makes inquisition for all sin yet as if he would let all other sins passe unsought and un enquired after it is sayd onely of this sin that he makes inquisition for it we finde not the like expression about any other particular sin in all the Book of God though it be a truth that hee enquires for all sin Thirdly Observe O earth cover not thou my blood Innocency feares no discovery Come who will Angels from Heaven Devils from Hell Men on Earth let all creatures be summoned into one Jury of grand Inquest an innocent person will neyther run nor hide his head for it He whose heart beares witnesse with him feares no witnesse that can be brought against him While conscience acquits the matter is not much who accuseth
or condemnes He that is righteous knowes that all his sins are covered by the freegrace of God in the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ and he knowes that he hath not covered his sin as Adam by excuses nor sewed the Fig-leaves of carnall reasonings together to hide his nakednesse he knowes also that he lives not in any knowne sin nor hath wickedly departed from the Lord. Now because in all these respects he knowes nothing by himselfe therefore he cares not who knows him he cals not for Masks or Visors for Curtaines or coverings to obscure or disguise himselfe or his actions under eyther from the sight of God or man but is willing to stand forth in the open light For though the best of men may have done some act which is not fit for the open light yet considering the whole frame of their hearts and lives towards God together with what hath past betweene God and their soules about that act they are not afrayd that the worst act which ever they have done should stand forth in the open light and as for those crimes which men uncharitably charge upon them every honest heart speakes boldly the sense of this first part of Jobs imprecation O earth cover not thou my blood From the second branch of Jobs imprecation Let my cry have no place Observe Not to have prayer heard and accepted by God is the greatest misery that can befall man God is the last refuge of a distressed soule and the meanes by which we make God our refuge or flye to him for refuge is beleeving and servent prayer Prayer is a duty and yet it is a priviledge it is a priviledge not onely to receive an answer of prayer but to put up our requests in prayer he therefore that askes a stop upon his owne prayers hath at once asked a stop upon all his mercies he cannot looke to be releeved who tells God he doth not looke to be heard and when prayer hath no place of acceptance in Heaven wee can have no place of contentment on the Earth Upon this account we may conclude That Man cannot bespeake any thing worse for himselfe then not to be heard when he speakes to God As it is one of the highest honours done to God that men make prayers to him so it is one of the deepest afflictions of man for God not to heare his prayers Such was Sauls condition 2 Sam. 28. God doth not answer me neither by dreames nor by Vrim nor by Prophets He could get no answer from God his cry had no place This troubled him more then the invasion of the Philistims I am sore distressed saith he the Philistims make Warr upon me and God is departed from me When trouble comes and God goes away man is in a wofull estate We have no promise to receive unlesse we aske and though we doe aske wee cannot receive unlesse our prayer be received God receives the prayer of man before man receives any thing from God in prayer All our treasure lies in Heaven our comfort is in Heaven our protection is in Heaven and prayer is the messenger which we send to Heaven in the name of Christ for all things or for whatsoever else we need on earth Now if prayer cannot get in if God will not heare prayer if hee send back our messenger without audience what can wee receive The sinfulnesse of man appeares in nothing more then in this That he calleth not upon God Psal 14.4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge Who eate up my people as they eate bread and call not upon the Lord Now as the sin of man appeares exceedingly in not calling upon God so the wrath of God appeares exceedingly in not hearing man when he cals Prov. 1.20 Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seeke me early but they shall not finde me God will powre out wrath upon the Families that call not upon his name Jer. 10.25 but hee powres out most wrath upon those Families whom he heares not when they call upon his name All our mercies are shut out at once when prayer is shut out nor shall that person have any place or roome in Gods heart whose cry hath no place in his eare Holy Job was sensible enough of this nor durst hee have imprecated that his cry should have no place but that being conscious of no evill hee was assured that his cry had place and therefore as in the sincerity of his soule he made that imprecation so in the confidence of his soule he proceeds to make his Appeale to God in the next words Vers 19. Also now behold my witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high As if he had sayd I feare no evidence that can be brought against me on earth and I rejoyce in the witnesse I have in Heaven though I have none to testifie for me here yet I have one that will testifie for me above My witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high Vtitur testificatione caeli postquam terrae testimonium produxit Eugub Some conceive that as Job had spoken to the earth before so now he speakes to Heaven O earth cover not my blood O Heaven witnesse for me But he saith not my witnesse is Heaven but my witnesse is in Heaven nor doth he call the Heavens to witnesse for him but he cals him who is in Heaven to witnesse and that is God There are two branches of this appeal Idem bis dicit conscientiae suae integrae declarandae causa Lavat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synonymum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hieron in Trad. and they both intend the same thing My witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high The words witnesse and record are of the same signification though they differ in the letter The one is properly an Hebrew word and the other Syriack When Jacob and Laban were in that contest Gen. 31.47 Jacob tooke a Stone and set up a Pillar for a witnesse And Jacob sayd to his Brethren Gather stones and they made an heape and they did eate there upon the heap and Laban called it Jegar-sahadatha that is a heap of witnesses as it is in the Margin but Jacob called it Galeed or Gilead Jacob speaking the pure Hebrew and Laban the Syriack language they take in both the words of Jobs appeale My witnesse is in Heaven my record is on high Est forma juramenti quo deum invocat innocentiae suae testem atque conscientiae spectatorem Cajet Job speakes the same thing twice to shew how strongly he beleeved that the Lord would be witnesse for him My witnesse is in Heaven my record is on high Heaven and high are the same as witnesse and record are And when he saith on high or in the high place he useth not the word Bamoth by which those high places are expressed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In excelsis malimin altissimis quia excelsa
vocantur quae Ebraeis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in quibus sacrificabant idolis Caeterum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proprie de Deo usurpatur de caelo de Deo in singulari numero de caelo in utroque Drus Dicitur Deus testis in excelsis propter locum aptissimum ad contemplandum tanquam in sublimi specula quicquid agitur Pined wherein the false gods were worshipped or the true God falsely Job puts that word into his appeale which belongs properly to God and signifies in Scripture the place of his glorious residence Jobs record was not onely on high but Bemerumim the Hebrew is Plurall in the heights Some translate it in the Superlative not in excelsis on high but in altissimis in the highests As if he had sayd My witnesse is above all witnesses and therefore he is a witnesse above all exception And Job did well for his purpose to say his record was on high not onely because of the dignity of that which is high but for the advantage which hee hath who is on high or in the highest to be a witnesse God is sayd to be a witnesse in Heaven or on high to shew how easily he can observe and take notice of those things which are below God hath eyes infinitely pure and piercing he beholds all things and hee beholds them from on high as from a watch-tower which renders the object more obvious to the eye The sight is soone intercepted upon a levell but The Lord saith David Psal 14.2 looked downe from Heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seeke God If but one had sought God God had found him out but the report which he makes upon that surveigh tels us They are all gone aside they are altogether become filthy there is none that doth good no not one Vers 3. Further he saith My witnesse is in Heaven or on high implying that he was such a witnesse as was able to protect him a witnesse who is above all feare and who needs no favour Some witnesses are not onely men of no state but of no conscience Such underlings will be hirelings upon Oath against the truth and are ready to testifie any thing for hope of gaine or for feare of a frown My witnesse saith Job is in Heaven my record is on high such a witnesse he is as cannot be corrupted by gifts such as hath no need of any mans gifts seeing he gives to all men life and breath and all things Hence Observe First That as God is the Judge of all men so hee is their witnesse God is the Judge of all the earth and God is the witnesse of all the earth too Jer. 29.23 Because they have committed villanie in Israel and have committed adultery with their neighbours Wives and have spoken lying words in my name that I have not commanded them even I know and am a witnesse saith the Lord Hee saith not I know and am Judge but I know and am witnesse Let no man hope to escape the judgement of God because there is none to witnesse against him for if God hath not the witnesse of man if our sin be a secret to all the World yet God hath alwayes two witnesses First Our owne conscience Secondly Himselfe An earthly Judge must not be a witnesse his duty is to give sentence not to give evidence hee must determine according to what is alleaged and proved upon testimony given but he cannot give testimony he cannot be Judge and Party too But God is so transcendently Soveraigne that hee is both Judge and Partie he pronounceth sentence and gives in evidence Christ is called The faithfull and the true witnesse Revel 3.14 And yet All judgement is given into his hand John 5.22 27. God judgeth upon his owne knowledge not upon the knowledge of others and therefore as there can be no fayling in so no avoyding of his judgement Secondly Observe It is lawfull to appeale to God or to take God to witnesse An Oath is the calling of God to witnesse and whensoever we appeale to God or call him to witnesse it is an Oath The Apostle Paul tooke an Oath when he sayd Rom. 1.9 God is my witnesse whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son that without ceasing I make mention of you in my prayers Thus in highest holinesse he sware that he prayed for the Romans spirituall good while he was absent from them and had never so much as seene them and that he passionately desired to be present with them and see them that hee might impart unto them some spirituall gift Because being a meere stranger he had not yet made his actions a witnesse of his love to them and because no man can be an unerring witnesse of another mans heart or of the moving of his affections therefore he calls God to witnesse who alone knowes the heart and can tell how much we love eyther himselfe or one another He speakes as much though in another case to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 1.23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soule that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth As if he had sayd By this my earnest adjuration I assure you that the reason why I have deferred my comming to you was not from any levity of minde or change of purpose in me but onely because I was unwilling to use such severity as the distempers among you call for and would have pressed mee unto being present We find him in the same tenour of speech towards the Philippians Chap. 1.8 For God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Christ that is I call God to witnesse I love you And againe 1 Thes 2.5 Neyther at any time used wee flattering words as you know nor a cloak of covetousnesse God is witnesse As if he had sayd Had I used flattering words you might witnesse it and that I have not used a cloake of covetousnesse God is witnesse I might have worne a cloak of covetousnesse so closely that you could not have seene it but God could he can judge through the darkest clouds and see through the thickest cloaks and coverings but I appeale to him whether I have put on such a cloake or no. As Paul by Oath purged himselfe from covetousnesse of spirit so Abraham protested by Oath against all covetous practices Gen. 14.22 I have lifted up mine hand to the most high God the possessour of Heaven and Earth that I will not take any thing that is thine This gesture of lifting up the hand when an Oath is taken is there put for an Oath it selfe by which Abraham appealed to God as a witnesse of his sincere intentions in taking up those Armes for the rescue of his Nephew Lot and that as he had overcome his Enemies so he had overcome covetousnesse which was of the two the farr more noble victory This calling of God to witnesse is
as the testimonie of God against us is more terrible than that of our owne hearts 1 Joh. 3.20 If our heart condemne us God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things and therefore knoweth more evill by us and every evill more than our owne hearts doe so the testimony of God for us is more comfortable than that of our owne hearts If our hearts acquit us God is greater than our hearts and knowing all things he knoweth more good by us and every good more than our owne hearts doe who can expresse or tell how pleasant it is to receive this testimonie from God that wee please God Behold saith David Psal 133.1 how good and pleasant a thing it is for Brethren to dwell together in unitie But O how good and pleasant a thing it is for God and man to dwell together in unitie for man to be alwayes giving witnesse to God that he is good and gracious and for God to be alwayes giving witnesse to man that he is upright and righteous When conscience speaks us fair we have peace and a continual feast but when God speaks us faire and gives us an euge from Heaven Well done good and faithfull Servants wee have peace which passeth all understanding and not only a joyfull feast but a feast of joyes which are unspeakable and full of glory Yea vvhen wee are at the fullest Tables of this world this is the sauce in our dish and the sugar in our cup Goe thy way saith the Preacher Eccl. 9.7 eate thy bread with joy and drinke thy wine with a merry heart why what 's the matter now For now God accepteth thy workes Thou hast a witnesse in Heaven Thirdly Observe A good man dares appeale and put his cause to God A wicked man will sometimes appeale and put his cause to God out of presumption and impudence but a good man appeales to God in faith and holy confidence As it is an act of grace or favour in God to receive an appeal from man so it is an act not only of grace but of courage in man to make an appeale to God It is an act of grace as it is a part of the worshipp of God but it is an act of courage or as I may call it a daring worke as it is a putting our selves under the justice of God yea an implicit imprecating of the vengeance of God in case wee speake untrue Thus to appeale or sweare is a daring worke and such as no man durst doe if he knew what he did but in a good cause It is a fearefull thing thus to fall into the hands of the living God Some have ventured upon false oathes and appeales to God only for feare of men Such say commonly They had rather trust God with their soules by swearing falsely then man with their estates lives or libertyes by confessing the truth Which is not only as if a man should flee from a Lyon and a Bear should meet but infinitely more than if a man for feare of the biting of a Whippet or of the stinging of a Bee should willingly offer himself to the mouth of a Lyon and to the sting of a Serpent To sweare is not only to set our naked breasts before the Cannons mouth but with our owne mouthes to give fire to it if wee utter falshood Fourthly Observe It is the joy and comfort of an upright heart that there is a God in heaven who knowes his heart and beares witnesse of all his wayes It is the terrour of wicked men to thinke that there is a witnesse in Heaven and a record on high Hypocrites may pretend they rejoyce that God is their vvitnesse but it s only a joy of the tongue and from the teeth outwards or to serve their turne but an upright heart rejoyceth indeed at this he riseth every morning and walks all the day long and at night lyes downe and rests upon this thought God is my record God is my witnesse he hath searched me and knowne me he knoweth my down sitting and my uprising he understands my thoughts a farr off he compasseth my path and my lying downe and is acquainted with all my wayes In the mid'st of all the clamours misapprehensions and mis-judgings of men it is an aboundant refreshing and consolation to the Saints that there sits one in heaven who as he knowes them fully so he judgeth all men rightly and will render to every man according to his vvords Lastly consider the place into which Jobs faith ascended while he speakes of God My witnesse is in Heaven my record is on high Who is in Heaven who is on high you may know whom he meanes when he saith He that is in Heaven he that is on high though his name be not exprest There are Angels in Heaven but they are nothing compared to God there are the soules of just men departed and made perfect in heaven but they are nothing compared to God there 's no name in heaven but God God is all in all in heaven and he should take up all our hearts and thoughts while we are on earth especially when wee discourse of heaven Hence observe Though God be every where yet he is especially in heaven God is upon the earth yea God is in hell If I make my Bed in hell thou art there Psal 139.8 yet when Job acts faith upon God he saith not I have a witnesse on earth but my witnesse is in heaven Psal 2.4 He that sitteth in heaven shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision God doth not sit as circumscribed in heaven but there the scripture describes him sitting Psal 123.1 Vnto thee lift I up mine eyes O thou that dwellest in the Heavens Christ teacheth us to pray Matth. 6. Our Father which art in heaven and when he himselfe prayed He lift up his eyes to Heaven and said Father the houre is come glorifie thy Sonne c. Joh. 17.1 Jesus Christ speakes to God as in that place and he speaks of heaven as of a place as of a speciall and distinct place to vvhich he lifted up his eyes when he prayed to his Father There is a new Divinity which tels us that Heaven is every place and every place is Heaven But why did Christ ascend why was he carryed up Luke 24.51 when he went to Heaven If Heaven be every where there 's no need of ascending to get into Heaven and wee may as properly descend into Heaven as ascend up to Heaven if Heaven be every where Peter Martyr lying upon his death bed and having many Freinds about him discoursed sweetly of Heaven and heavenly things Bullenger standing by alleadged that of the Apostle Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in Heaven True sayd the sick man it is in Heaven but not in the Heaven of Brentius Non in caelo Brentij quod nusquam est Vit. P. Mart. which is no where He that makes Heaven every where makes it no where Though God be in all
of entring there purifies himselfe not onely as Heaven is pure but as God is pure in whose sight Heaven it selfe is impure Chap. 15.15 Thirdly Heaven is high Then Heaven is a safe place High places are secure places the high places of the earth are so accounted and when God promises safety to his people he tels them they shall dwell on high while they are here below Isa 33.16 He shall dwell on high his place of defence shall be the munition of rocks and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth Isa 58.14 When those builders of the Tower of Babell thought to make themselves safe they sayd Let us build a Towre whose top may reach to Heaven If there should come another flood they hoped to be dry and to get above the danger Once in Heaven and we are out of Gun-shott not onely beyond the reach of man but of Devils too They who are got into that high place shall neyther feele nor feare the Destroyer any more Fourthly Heaven is a high place then it is a large and capacious place As a Sphericall or round Figure is the most capacious so the utmost round of that Figure is the most capacious round in Heaven there is roome enough though we are crouded here yet there we shall not We may call Heaven as Isaac did the Well about which there was no contention betweene his Herdmen and the Herdmen of Gerar Rehoboth roome Gen. 26.22 In Heaven we shall not contend for roome Christ assures us that in his Fathers house are many mansions John 14.2 He had sayd before to his Disciples Chap. 13.33 Whither I goe yee cannot come And when Peter troubled at this speech put the Question Vers 36. Lord whither goest thou Jesus answered him Whither I goe thou canst not follow me now but thou shalt follow me afterwards Christ perceived his Disciples more plunged in their spirits with this answer and promise to Peter and therefore adds a prohibition of their feares at the beginning of this Chapter Let not your hearts be troubled yee beleeve in God beleeve also in me in my Fathers house are many mansions As if he had sayd Doe not thinke that I told you yee cannot follow me now and that Peter shall follow me afterwards as if the place I goe to were onely large enough for me and Peter for beleeve me there are many mansions I tell you not how many neyther can they be told but there are enow not onely for my selfe and Peter but for you all yea for all those who eyther have or shall beleeve on my Name if it were not so I would have told you I would not delude you with vaine hopes I am well acquainted with all the roomes in my Fathers house and though when I came into the World for your sakes there was no roome in the Inn for me to be borne in but a Stable among Beasts yet I will take care that when you come to my Fathers house you shall not be straitned for Quarters I who am your Redeemer will also be your Harbinger I goe to prepare a place for you and I am certaine my Fathers house will hold all his houshold Tophet is prepared of old it is deep and large Isa 30.33 Hell is large enough for a Prison there 's roome for all the Children of disobedience to lye bound for ever But Heaven is large as a Pallace or as a Paradise there 's roome enough for all the heyres of promise to walke at liberty for ever JOB Chap. 16. Vers 20 21 22. My Freinds scorne mee but mine eye powreth out teares unto God O that one might plead for a man with God as a man pleadeth for his neighbour When a few yeares are come then I shall goe the way whence I shall not returne JOB having strongly asserted his owne integrity at the seventeenth Verse of this Chapter and thereupon as strongly imprecated the heaviest vengeance upon his owne head 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in hiphil significat Eloqui facundum esse su mitur etiam pro illudere quia id non sine sermonis venustate fieri solet Merc. Collâ—quutores mei Vatab. Rhetores Pagn Cum amici mei Rhetorica oratione contra me agunt manâ—ntibus lachrymis Dei opem imploro Tygur in case he had not spoken truth Vers 18. Having also made his appeale to Heaven calling God to witnesse that it was truth which hee had spoken Vers 19. Here at the twentieth Verse he gives us a reason why hee made that appeale and the reason was he found no comfort in the creature he had no hope of helpe on earth and therefore he resorts to Heaven Vers 20. My Friends scorne me but mine eye powreth out teares to God There is some variety in the translation but the sense of all meets in one My Freinds scorne me or Scorners are my Friends The word signifies to deride or scorne not in a rude homely way but to doe it with quaintnesse of speech or in refined language to doe it wittily and cunningly close and home Hence the word signifies a Rhetorician or an Orator and is so translated here by diverse of the Learned My friends play the Rhetoricians they speake eloquently they compose fine orations and set speeches against me but alas I onely speak teares Yet further it signifies to interpret Gen. 42.23 Joseph spake unto his Brethren by an Interpreter it is this word That 's the interlineall reading of this Text Interpretes socii mei Mont. My Friends are Interpreters or rather for that must be the meaning Misinterpreters they put wrong expositions upon all my speeches and corrupt my Text with their unfreindly glosses We read in the ordinary acception of the word My freinds scorne me or My freinds are scorners As if Job had sayd These my freinds whose profession and relation call them to administer serious and wholesome counsell to my troubled minde even they breake forth into scorne they powre the Vinegar of their sharpest censures into my already wrankled wounds in stead of the suppling skinning Oyle of comfort and consolation Quis talia fando temperet a lachrymis and therefore mine eye is pressed to powre out teares to God Who can forbeare weeping while hee is but reporting my sufferings How then should I who suffer My freinds scorne me c. Hence Observe The best of freinds may prove unfreindly Men are but men and so they act There is no repose eyther upon the wisedome or strength or affection of the creature they are all mutable and may doe that which is most opposite both to their profession and relation A Freind a Scorner What more unsutable And that may be a second Note Scorne is wholly opposite to the Law of love He departs farr enough from the rules of freindship who doth not pitty and assist his afflicted Freind how farr is hee gone from it who scornes and derides
perished Fourthly There are teares of love unfeigned and strong affection Thus David and Jonathan kissed one another and wept one with another untill David exceeded 1 Sam. 20.41 When Jesus Christ wept at the Sepulcher of Lazarus The Jewes sayd Behold how he loved him John 11.35 36. They saw his heart at his eyes These teares spake mutuall and reall endearements Fifthly There are the teares of holy prayers and fervent desires Jacob wept and made supplication Hos 12.4 He cryed and prayed The voyce of his teares was lowder then the voyce of his supplication and his prayers were in this sense even drowned in teares Jacobs teares spake the fervency of his spirit and his faith in prayer The Angell understood them so and he prevayled Sixthly There are teares of compassion for the miseries of others Weep with them that weeP is the Apostles rule Rom. 12.15 When Nehemiah heard the report of Jerusalems ruine and of the sad condition of his Brethren there He sate downe and wept Nehem. 1.4 His teares spake pitty to his Country-men and zeale for God Seventhly There are the teares of passion in reference to our owne afflictions Such teares speak humane frailty or the common infirmity of the flesh Eighthly There are the teares of damnation Hypocrites and their associates in Hell are described Weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth for evermore Their teares speak despayre or misery without hope of remedy The tears which Job powred forth were of the seventh sort teares of passion or sorrow caused by the afflicting hand of God but especially by the unkindnesses of his Freinds My freinds scorne me but mine eye powreth out teares unto God Job knew that as God had a Book for his prayers so a Bottle for his teares yea he knew teares should be heard as well as prayers Teares are powerfull Oratours God reads our hearts in those lines which teares draw on our faces One of the Ancient Phylosophers hath adjudged weeping unworthy a man Lachrymae a viris claris auferendae sunt mulieribus autem relinquendae Plat. de rep Dial. 3. and tells us it is onely for Women and Children to weepe But as there are teares of effeminate and childish pusillanimity so there are teares of heroicall and holy importunity To weep for feare of sufferings from man is indeed below man but to weep to God when we suffer eyther under the hand of God or man doth well become the best of men not to weep to God when we eyther suffer or have sinned proceeds not from courage but from sullennesse and is not the argument of a noble spirit but of a hard heart Who so couragious as David who feared not a Lyon nor a Beare who would not be afrayd though an Hoast of men encamped against him and though he walked in the valley of the shadow of death yet how often do we read him weeping and crying to God Psal 39.12 Hold not thy peace saith he at my teares David in that case could not hold his peace from crying to God and he was perswaded that God would not hold his peace at his cry he expected to have his teares answered He did not say Hold not thy peace at my words or at my prayer but as importing that his very teares had a voyce and language in them he desired that they might be answered David did not weep for feare of men but in faith to God And so did Job Mine eye powreth out teares vnto God God was the object of his teares as much as of his prayers God is above and yet our teares fall into his bosome these waters ascend this raine doth not fall but rise these showres doe not come from the Clouds but they peirce the Clouds As the heate of the Sun drawes the water upward so doth the heate of Gods love Some of the Ancients use strange Hyperbolies about the power and motion of teares I will not stay upon them we may say too much of them but thus much we may safely say that from a heart rightly affected and touched with the sense eyther of sin or suffering they have much weight in them and are pressing upon God Mine eye powreth out teares unto God From the conexion of this latter part of the Verse with the former Observe When wee are scorned by men it is good for us to mourne to God My Freinds scorne me now I weep and pray It is best for us to apply our selves to God when we live in the embraces of men when all men speake well of us and applaud us what is all this if we have not the good word and the good will of God unlesse we have an applause in Heaven it will doe us no good to have the true applause much lesse the flatteries of men on earth Suppose they speake right and give us but our due yet we must not rest in that but goe to God The good word of God is better to us infinitely then the best vvord of the best men to him let us have recourse when we have the greatest favour and fairest Quarter in the World but when the World scornes and rejects us then is a speciall season for us to hasten into the presence of God wee should live neerest and closest to God when men cast us off or throw us out of their societies and affections There is a twofold recourse to God whereof the first is from choice the second from necessity It is best to make our recourse to God upon choise but he will not refuse us if necessity drive us to him God is most worthy to be our choyce but he is willing to be our refuge yet he is indeed a refuge to those onely in evill times who have made him their choyce in the best times When all goes well with us in the World we should not thinke our selves well till we enjoy God It is good for me to draw neere to God saith David Psal 73.28 It is good for me to doe it in good times in the best times this I make my election And when David saith It is good he meanes it is best that positive beares the sense of a Superlative and therefore he had sayd a little before Vers 25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee But in an evill time God is both the choyce and the refuge of his people He is our refuge properly to whom we come when others cast us off and hee is our choyce to whom we come when others call for us and seeme ambitious to be kinde unto us It is not thank-worthy to make God barely a refuge to come to him because wee can goe no where else we should thinke our selves no where till we are in his presence wheresoever we are and that we have nothing till we have him whatsoever we have Not to preferr the least of God before all the World is not onely un-ingenuous in us but sinfull against and
dishonourable unto God Job who here wept to God in his low estate had often rejoyced in God in his best estate and preferred him before his cheifest joy They may confidently weep to God in sad times who have delighted themselves with God in comfortable times Secondly Observe Liberty of addresse to God when men scorne and reject us is the great priviledge of the Saints Every man cannot do this can the men of the world powre out teares to God when they are scorned by the world can they powre out prayers to God when they are ill intreated by the world Can they goe into the imbraces of God when they are cast out by men they cannot They can vexe themselves when they are vexed by others and perhaps vexe those that vexe them they can be angrie when they are scorned and perhaps scorne their scorners but how to spread their condition before God or to powre out tears to him they know not they who can doe thus are honoured by God when scorned by men and God will powre out comforts into their bosomes who can powre their teares into his they can never be at any losse who finde out God to weepe to Job having thus given the reason of his appeale to Heaven enforceth it farther with a stong wish according to our translation which is also confirmed by the concurring vote of divers other translations Vers 21. O that one might plead for a man with God as a man pleadeth for his Neighbour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vtinam disputare posset vir cum deo et filius hominis sodali suo Pagn Optat ex aequari haeo duo hominis cum deo et hominis cum homine disceptationem Merc. Certe hic aliquid subauditur ut et quis deo viro vel ut faciat ac concedat Deus sc hoc viro Merc. The Summe of his desire may be drawne up into this Breife that he might argue his case as freely with God as men of the same rank and degree argue out their cases with one another Some expound it as a correction of his boldnes in appealing to God As if he had said I have indeed called God to witnes but what am I or what is my Fathers house that God should descend to my concernments The infinit distance which is between the Creator and the creature seemes to forbid and check my motion bidding me keep within my owne line or spheare and medle with my equals But O that I might speake with God as man with man or man for man I doubt not but I should carry the day and prove my selfe innocent not that Job intended a controversie with God or would stand upon his defence with the most high I have before shew'd how far this was from the temper of his broken spirit All that he intends by the proposall of this desire is the gaining of an opportunity to set himselfe right in the opinion of men by that impartiall dâ—cision of his cause which he was vvell assured God would give upon the whole matter in question betweene him and his friends if once he would be pleased to vouchsafe him a free and familiar hearing of it As if he had further said I have not apealed to Heaven because I am unwilling to have my condition knowne on earth Vtinam mihi conâ—ederetur causam meam adversum vos apud Dei Tribunal disceptare sicut agere homines cum hominibus consueverunt Bez. that men should see the worst of me for my desire is that I might plead before God as a man for his Neighbour and that I might be laid open in open Court by the evidence of witnesses and a full examination of my cause Taking these explications of the text in the forme of a wish The scope of it seemes to be the same with what he spak before Chap. 9. 33.34.35 God is not a man as I am that I should answer him and we should come together in judgement neither is there any Dayes-man betwixt us c. In which words as in these before us while Job lifts up the Majesty of God and humbleth himselfe as unworthy to have to doe with God yet he discovers the vehement longings of his soule to receive a judgement or determination from God in this suit or controversie which had depended so long between him and his friends The Observations which arise from this reading and sence of the Text are of the same straine with those formerly given upon that and some other passages where Job knowing his own uprightnes and integritie declares not only willingnesse but extreame earnestnesse to have his cause tryed at the Bar and before the Tribunal of God who both saw his wayes and searched his heart who as he had justified him from all guilt in reference to himselfe by not imputing sinne unto him so he would justifie him against the sinnes which men imputed to him by saying he was not at all guilty These points having been more then once hinted already I shall not insist upon them here Secondly The words are rendred as noting the designe which Job had in powring out teares to God and then the connection betweene this and the former verse stands thus Apud Deum stillat oculus meus utdisceptet causam viri cum deo sicut filius hominis causam amici sui Jun. I powre out teares to God that he would be pleased to plead the cause of a man with God as the Sonne of man pleades the cause of his friend Mr. Broughton joynes fully with this Vnto the puissant doth mine eye drop that he mould decide the cause for earthly-wight before the puissant as the sonne of Adam doth with his Neighbour Our translation carries the sence of a wish that a man might have liberty to plead with God as man with man this carries the sence of a wish that God would plead the cause of a man with God as a man pleades the cause of his friend which is indeed to desire God to be his advocat Ad Deum stillat oculus meus ut judicet viro cum Deo silium hominis respectu proximi sui Coc. How God is an advocat with God wil appear further in the prosecution of the text A third reading keepes to this dependance upon the former verse and to the same scope of this yet varyes the translation Thus Mine eye powreth out teares to God that he would judge for a man with God and that he would judge the Sonne man in respect of his Neighour The first reading makes the latter branch of the vvords a description of the manner how Job desired to plead with God even as man doth with man The second makes it a description of the manner how Job desired God to plead the cause of man with God even as man pleades with man This third makes it a second distinct desire and the whole verse to consist of two distinct desires First That God would judge for a man
Christ his being a Paraclete or an Advocate and the spirits being an Advocate John 16.7 If I goe not away saith Christ the Comforter or the Advocate will not come unto you that is The holy Ghost will not come unto you One Advocate goeth away that the other Advocate may come Christ is an Advocate by way of impetration the spirit is Advocate by way of application Christ is an Advocate vvith God to get mercy for us the spirit is an Advocate with us to prevaile on our hearts to receive that mercy Though Christ be our Advocate in Heaven pleading for us with the Father yet if we had not the spirit to plead in our hearts on earth we â—ould never receive the good that Christ hath purchased for us of his Father Christ appeares for us in Heaven Heb. 9.24 He appeares as an Atturney in Court for his Client he is gone to Heaven to appeare for us the spirit comes from Heaven and appeares in us Christ began the worke of his intercession here John 17. Hee is gone into Heaven to continue and perfect it The spirit doth both begin and perfect his intercession here he doth not plead for us but in us or the spirit makes intercession for us by stirring us up to prayer by teaching us how to word and mould or rather how to sigh and groane our prayers Christ makes intercession for us by presenting and tendering those prayers to the Father which the spirit helpes us to make or by making prayers for us himselfe to the Father Some dispute how they inquire much after the manner how Christ makes intercession or performes the office of an Advocate for us but it is enough for us to know that hee is an Advocate or that he makes intercession for us though we are not able to describe the manner how Whether it be First Onely by presenting himselfe to the Father and his appearing for us which is an equivalent if not a formall intercession Or secondly By the tendering of his righteousnesse and merits as satisfaction to the Father Or thirdly By expressing our wants and his desires for us Whether by all these or by which of these or whether by some other way is not determinable by us yet this is cleare that he performes the office of an Advocate for us and that we receive every good thing from the hand of God through his hand Further Christ may be considered First As an Advocate for the whole Church There are some causes of common concernement to all the people of God Thus he was an Advocate for Jerusalem when under bonds and captivity in Babylon Zech. 1.12 Then the Angell of the Lord not a created but the creating Angell or the Angel of the Covenant who is the Son of God answered and sayd O Lord of Hosts how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the Cities of Judah against which thou hast had indignation these three score and ten yeares And as Christ pleads for the whole Church so for every particular member of the Church and that also under a twofold notion He is Advocate first to take away our sins If any man sin saith the Apostle John 1 Epist 2.1 we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous c. Secondly Christ is an Advocate for us with the Father in our sufferings and troubles to get them taken off from us or sanctified to us Doubtlesse Job made use of Christ continually as an Advocate to take off the guilt of sin yet here he makes use of Christ as an Advocate to get off his sufferings especially these misjudgings of his Freinds who deeply censured and aspersed him because of his sufferings yea a Beleever makes use of Christ as an Advocate to get any good thing whether little or great whether for soule or for body as much as he doth for the removing of any evill whether of sin or trouble Secondly Observe The Doctrine of a Mediator betweene God and Man was knowne and beleeved in the World long before Christ came into the World Many saw Christ by Faith before he was seene in the flesh Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seene Heb. 1.1 And as it is the evidence of things so of persons that are not seen Christ tells the Jewes John 8.56 Your Father Abraham rejoyced to see my day and he saw it and was glad And when the Jewes quarrelled at this Thou art not yet fifty yeares old and hast thou seen Abraham Jesus sayd unto them Verily verily I say unto you before Abraham was I am As Abraham saw his day by Faith so David in spirit called him Lord Mat. 22.43 And as these persons with all the holy Elders saw Christ by Faith in the promise so the whole Ceremoniall Law was a representation of Christ to faith by sense Every slaine Sacrifice spake the death of Christ and the sprinkling of that blood the sprinkling of their consciences and ours for the remission of sins Yea They did all eate the same spirituall meat that is the same which we now eate and did all drinke the same spirituall drinke for they dranke of that spirituall Rock that followed them and least we should mistake what was meant by that Rock the Apostle expounds it himselfe And that Rock was Christ The Rock did not follow them but Christ who was signified by that Rock did follow them They who are built upon Christ the Rock shall never be moved yet Christ is a moving as well as a living Rock to those who are built upon him whither soever they move he follows them Thus Jesus Christ was meate and drinke to the Jewes as well as to us for he is the Lamb slaine from the foundation of the World Revel 13.8 that is The vertue ot his death saved all who have been saved from the foundation of the World As Christ was slaine from Eternity in the counsell of God so he was slaine from the beginning of time in the promise of God Gen. 3.15 which was the publication of his death he was then also slaine as to the heart of Beleevers whose Faith having once a word for it makes that which is absent in regard of place spiritually present and that which is not in regard of time truely to be Thirdly Observe The Mediatour betweene God and man hath beene knowne and beleeved in all Ages under a twofold nature both God and Man We have both in this profession of Jobs Faith He beleeved the Mediatour to be God for he saith Mine eye powreth teares to God There is the divine nature He beleeved that the Mediatour should be man and therefore adds The Son of man for his freind there is his humane nature so that not onely the generall Doctrine of the mediatorship of Christ but this particular about the constitution of his person as Mediator was also knowne Had not our Advocate been man he could not have suffered for us and had hee
Brethren may be carryed beyond their usuall course in holinesse Thus he tels the Corinthians 2. Epist 9.2 That their zeale had provoked many But to what had it provoked them Not to anger and passion towards any but to charity yea and liberality towards the poore And though the Apostle useth another word in the Greek yet he meanes the same thing when hee assures us Rom. 11.11 that the Jewes stumbled not that they should fall but that they might rise for so it followes But rather through their fall salvation is come to the Gentiles for to provoke them to jealousie The salvation of the Gentiles bred emulation in the Jewes What Shall they goe away with all the salvation Shall the Gentiles possesse Heaven alone whom wee thought the meanest people upon the Earth Come let us also put in at least for a part and get a share in Gospel-mercies and priviledges with them Thus they were provoked to emulation and this emulation was and shall be through the power of God who is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working a help to faith in Christ and so to their rising from their fall And the Apostle was so intent upon the promoting of this designe of God that he professeth Vers 13 14. that he magnified his Office among the Gentiles not onely to save them but saith he If by any meanes I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh and might save some of them He hoped the Jewes would at last beleeve for anger or for very shame and goe to Heaven in a holy chafe Now I say as there is a provocation which heates and hightens the minde of man to an eager pursuite of the best things so there is a provocation which abates and blunts his edge which chills and flats his spirits to any thing that is good which was the ground of the Apostles dehortation Provoke not your Children lest they be discouraged And as the effect of such provocations is to some a discouragement in doing their duty so the effect of it in others is a thrusting them onn to doe that which is most contrary not onely to their duty but to their disposition Rayling speeches uncomely and uncivill language have provoked many both to speak and to doe that which they never dreamt of or which was most remote from their naturall temper and inclination For though such distempers lye in the bottome of nature yet unlesse they had been stirred and spurred up those distempers would not have appeared and broken out Moses was the meekest man upon the earth yet when they provoked his spirit he spake unadvisedly with his lips Psal 106.33 There are three ill effects of provocations First Provoking speeches raise up hard thoughts of the speaker It is a high worke of grace to thinke well of them who speak ill of us or to us Secondly Provoking speeches blow up hard words of the speaker many excuse it when they give ill language You provoked me And though they be not to be excused who doe so when they are provoked yet their sin is the greater who provoke them Thirdly Provoking speeches are sometimes the cause of revengefull practices and very often of licentious practices Sober admonitions and grave reproofes reclaime those who goe astray but violent rebukes make them desperate Some care not what they doe when they heare others say they care not what Many Children have run ill courses by over much indulgence and neglect of discipline and so have not a few by the over mvch severity and sharpnesse of those that are over them Patience is hard put to it to keep eyther minde or tongue or hand in compasse when wee are provoked Great provocations are great temptations When God is provoked he is tempted Heb. 3.8 Harden not your hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the Wildernesse when your Fathers tempted me c. Wee may expound it two wayes First That while they tempted God by questioning his power for them and presence with them they provoked him he was greatly displeased with them for it Secondly That while they provoked God they tempted him they tempted him to destroy them or to act that power against them which they did not beleeve after so many experiences able enough to deliver or protect them If then God himselfe be so tempted that as he is pleased often to expresse himselfe after the manner of men hee can scarce hold his hands or forbeare to doe that which he had no mind to doe when he is provoked how much more is weake man tempted to doe that which his corruptions are alwayes forward enough and too too much to doe when hee is provoked Againe When he saith Doth not mine eye continue in their provocation Learne thirdly Hard words stick upon the spirit They hang about the minde and are not easily gotten off Good words dwell much upon the spirit and so doe ill words when a man hath onee got a word of promise from God about any mercy set home upon his heart the eye continues in that consolation O it is a sweet word the soule lyes sucking at it night and day And when a man hath once got a word of command from God about any duty set home upon his spirit his eye continues in the direction of it O how I love thy Law saith David Psal 119.97 It is my meditation all the day he could not beate his thoughts off from it when love had fastned on it As these good words cleave to a gracious soule and dwell with it so it is hard even for a gracious soule to dislodge hard words O how doth the eye continue in those provocations And doth not experience teach us that vaine thoughts throwne into the minde by Satan will not easily be driven out How often doth the eye continue in his provocations The spirit of a man hath a strong retentive faculty it will hold the object close and as it were live and lodge in it How many make their abode in provocations and reside upon bitter words received from their Brethren How many lye downe with them at night and rise with them in the morning yea and walke with their eye upon them all the day long And here it may be questioned Was not this a sin in Job That rule of love then was in being which is now expressed Ephes 4.26 Be yee angry and sin not let not the Sun goe downe upon your wrath Then how could Job suffer his eye to continue in these provocations I answer There was an infirmity in this 't is our duty as to forgive so to forget or lay aside the thought of injuries and wrongs received And it is the Character of wicked men They sleep not unlesse they have done mischiefe Pro. 4.16 Their eye continues in their owne corruption or in the temptation of Satan till they have brough it forth For as when good men have strong impressions unto good upon their spirits they cannot sleep
light and puft up with knowledg Secondly vvhen men are unthankfull for the light and vvill not acknowledge God the giver of it Thirdly vvhen men grow vvanton or vaine in the light vvhen they abuse it and having the light vvalke in darknesse All vvhich reasons of Gods vvithdrawing light as many Scriptures testifie so they are all testified in that one Scripture Rom. 1.21 22. Fourthly As God may be sayd to hide the heart from understanding by a totall withdrawing of light so by vvithholding it for a time or in part by clouding or eclipsing it God hides the heart of some men from understanding onely in such a point or at such a season giving them light in other things yea and in that thing too at another season This fourth way I conceive most proper to this Text of Job for his Freinds vvere not under that terrible judgement of a totall hiding their hearts from understanding onely the light was with-held from them in and about that transaction As vvhen Christ after his resurrection appeared to those Disciples Luke 24.26 the Text saith Their eyes were held that they should not know him And Vers 31. Their eyes were opened and they knew him Thus God at one time holds the intellectuall eye of some good men that they cannot discerne such or such a Truth yet afterwards he opens their eyes and they discerne it Hence Observe First The wisest men doe not see all truths nor are they able to judge of all matters These were vvise men very vvise men they spake excellent things and very understandingly about God they gave Job very good counsell but yet they failed here Elihu Ch. 32.9 saith Great men are not alwayes wise vve may say vvise men are not alwayes wise and as no man is wise at all times so there is no man wise in all things We cannot conclude that because a man hath given a right judgement in some one or in many points that therefore we may trust his decisions in all points As God hides all wisedome from some men so he very rarely if at all trusts any one man or sort of men at one time with all vvisedome Jobs Freinds were vvell acquainted with and they have acquainted us with many excellent notions about that great Doctrine of Providence but they were much mistaken about the Providence of God with Job nor did they shew themselves acquainted vvith that excellent Designe of God in his afflicting Providences thereby to try the strength and manifest the graces vvhich hee hath bestowed upon his people Secondly Observe The hiding of the heart from and the opening of the heart to understanding are the worke of God We see no further then God gives us light and so farr as he leads us we goe right if hee vvithdraw vve turne aside and quickly vvander from the way of truth and righteousnesse We have nothing of our owne but sin and ignorance wisedome is of God Every good and perfect gift comes from above As God hides all Gospell-truths and mysteries from vvorldly vvise men so no Gospell mysterie is knowne to any man till God discover and make it knowne Matth. 11.25 At that time Jesus answered and sayd I thanke thee O Father Lord of Heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent but hast revealed them unto babes By vvise and prudent he meanes wordly vvise men meere Philosophers and Politicians or hypocriticall Professors such as the Scribes and Pharisees were from these God in judgement hides the things of the Kingdome of Heaven and reveales them unto Babes even to such as are at the greatest distance in naturall considerations from the capacity of such rich and heavenly manifestations There is no greater argument that God opens the heart to understand then to see Babes understand If true knowledge in spirituall mysteries vvere from man they vvho have most of man in them vvould have most of that knowledge but vvee are taught by experience that such men as the World calls Fooles doe not erre in the way of holinesse Isa 35.8 And that the course of all Worldly vvise men is a continuall erring from that vvay and that some godly men who are higher by head and shoulders then some of their Brethren in naturall wisedome have run into and maintained errors whither can we ascribe all this but to the power of God Moses speakes of the many signes and miracles which God wrought in the midst of that people vvhich they did not understand Why what was the reason Moses tells us expressely vvhat Yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to conceive nor eyes to see nor eares to heare to this day Deut. 29.4 They had sensitive eyes and eares yea they had a rationall heart or minde but they vvanted a spirituall eye to see a spirituall care to heare a spirituall heart or minde to apprehend and improve those wonderfull vvorkes of God And these they had not because God had not given them such eyes eares and hearts Wonders without grace cannot open the eyes fully but grace without wonders can And as man hath not an eye to see the wonderfull workes of God spiritually untill it is given so much lesse hath he an eye to see the wonders of the Word of God till it be given him from above and therefore David prayes Psal 119.18 Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wonderous things out of thy Law And if the wondrous things of the Law are not much seene till God give an eye then much lesse are the vvondrous things of the Gospell The light of nature shewes us somwhat of the Law but nothing of the Gospell was ever seen by the light of nature Many who have seene and admired some excellencies in the Law could never see and therefore have derided that which is the excellency of the Gospell till God hath opened their heart to understanding Thirdly Observe It is a great judgement to have our hearts hidden from understanding in the things of God It is a sore judgement not to have the light but it is a sorer judgement not to see by the light when we have it To have a heart hid from understanding is farr worse then to have a heart unable to understand Our inability to understand ariseth two vvayes First From a naturall infirmity in the understanding Secondly From the naturall obscurity of the matter presented to the understanding Plaine truthes are not apprehended by a weake understanding and the strongest understanding cannot apprehend some obscure truthes as the Apostle Peter saith of Saint Pauls Epistles that in them there are some things hard to be understood 2 Pet. 3.16 Now as there is an affliction in it not to be able to understand any truth which God hath revealed for our use so there is much wrath and judgement in it when God hides understanding from the heart in any of those things which he hath revealed for our use but especially in those things which are necessary
but as Parties putting in their accusation and pleading against him Hence Observe It is an honour and an exaltation to win the day in any cause or to get the better Whatsoever the contention be or in what way so ever mannaged whether by the Sword or by the tongue or by the Pen to be victorious in it is honourable and hee that loses his Causes loses much of his credit also And though prevailing or successe doth not at all justifie the matter it is the matter which must justifie the successe yet successe doth alwayes exalt the man He that overcomes in a dispute carries away the honour though possibly he carry not away the truth Lastly From the connexion of this with the former part of the Verse Observe They who maintaine errour among men shall not finde favour with God A heart hid from understanding is hid from the truth God loves his truth so well that he will not exalt those who depresse his truth Jobs Freinds being left in the darke as to that point in question Did not speake of God the thing that was right Chap. 42.7 And therefore the Lord sayd to Eliphaz My wrath is kindled against thee and against thy two Freinds Though an error be held unknowne and in zeale for God as they did yet the jealousie of God waxeth hot against such These repenting were and such as they repenting may be pardoned but they shall not be exalted And if they who for want of light of knowledge and in much heat of honest zeale defend a lesser error such was theirs shall not be exalted how will the Lord cast them downe who broach and spread blasphemous errors and damnable Doctrines in a time of cleere light and against frequent admonitions if not convictions Whosoever saith Christ Matth. 5.19 shall breake one of these least Commandements and teach men so Joyning the error of his practice with or turning it into the error of his opinion he shall be called least that is nothing at all or No-body in the Kingdome of Heaven And he who is nothing in the Kingdome of Heaven is not exalted how high soever he may get in the Kingdomes of the earth And if the teacher of error against the least Commandement of the Law shall have no place in Heaven where vvill their place be who teach errors against the greatest Commandements of the Law yea against the most precious and absolute necessary principles and foundations of the Gospell Vers 5. He that speakes flattery to his freind even the eyes of his Children shall faile There is some variety in expounding these words because of the severall notions into which the Originall is rendred As we read the Text it is a plaine affirmation of judgment upon the posterity of Flatterers The word vvhich we translate Flatterie signifies in the Verbe to divide into parts and hence in the Noune 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Divisit in partes in Hiphil emollivit laevigavit blanditus fuit a lott or portion because every lott or portion is divided from the whole it signifies also a prey or booty which men take in Warr or which Theeves and Robbers take from Travellers upon the high way and that upon the former reason because when a prey is taken they divide or cast it into severall portions or parts Hence also say some it signifies to flatter because the tongue of a flatterer is divided from his heart Further It signifieth to smooth and pollish or as wee say to make a thing very glib and neate This comes neerest our translation for a flatterer hath a smooth pollished tongue and his trade is to smooth or sooth both things and persons The flatterers tongue is like the Harlots tongue to whom this word is applyed Prov. 7.21 With much faire speech shee caused him to yeild with the flattering of her lips with the smoothnesse or as some translate with the lenity of her lips shee forced him Flattery seemes to be farr from force yet nothing puts or holds men under a greater force then flattery He that speakes flattery to his freind Flattery is a speciall language though it be spoken in all languages 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Men learne to speake flattery even as we learne to speake Latine French Italian Spanish or any other language Flattery is an Art it hath rules of its owne and termes of its owne he that speakes flattery Master Broughton in this place calls it Vaine-goodly-speech And the Apostle Paul calls it Good words and faire speeches Rom. 16.18 The expressions which the Apostle useth are most proper to the description of flattery they are both Compounds as the spirit of the Flatterer also is He hates simplicity or singlenesse of heart making a shew of much goodnesse in word but is voyd of deed and substance Hee promiseth faire and when hee speakes you would thinke hee minded nothing or were sollicitous about nothing but the Honour and advantage of him to whom hee speakes when indeed he minds nothing but himselfe and selfe-concernements as the Apostle in that place desciphers him He serves not our Lord Jesus Christ Haec est blandities quae a Graecis vocatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristoteles vulgo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appellari docet eos qui comiter cum omnibus conversantur sed veram amicitiam cum nemine colunt Arist l. 8. ad Nicom Pertinax Imperator dictus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod blandus esset magis quam benignus Bez. in loc ex Aurelio Vict. but his owne belly and by his good words and faire speeches he deceives the hearts of the simple The Greeks have another characteristicall word for this sort of men by which they meane all such as seeme to carry it faire with all men but maintaine true freindship with no man wee may call them Men-pleasers but Selfe-seekers As also one of the old Emperours had his Sir-name from that word used by the Apostle in the place last mentioned because hee was observed very ready to give all men good words but had no regard to doe good yea he did very much evill or as another gives the reason because he was a Fanning Prince rather then a kinde one Job seemes to charge his Freinds that they were men of such a temperament and had rather faund upon him then been reall freinds to him But here it may be questioned Why doth Job speake his Freinds speakers of flattery Hee had little reason to complaine he was flattered and wee finde him often complaining that he was roughly dealt with Job heard few pollished or buttered words but bitter words great store why then doth he say He that speakes flattery to his freind We may understand it two wayes In reference to Job God First His Freinds had spoken flattery to him for though in some things they were very severe and harsh yet in other things he might interpret their sayings to be but soothings Is est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 qui
Woe to those who put off their beginnings in grace till they are readdy to finish in nature A dying man is unfit for any businesse how much more for this He is extreamely indisposed for worldly purposes much more for heavenly and therefore as soone as a man that hath any Estate begins to be sick Freinds will move him Pray Sir settle your Estate make your Will you know not how God may deale with you if your disease should encrease a little more you may be totally disabled to doe it therefore pray hasten Yea we finde that most men of valuable Estates in the World make their Wills in their health when they are free from sicknesse and furthest from death when they have the greatest activity of minde and body They wisely remember how some who had a full purpose to make their Wills in sicknesse have been suddenly overpowred by the malignity of a disease and could never doe it but have left all at six and sevens If so shall any man leave his soule undisposed of or at six and sevens till such a time A sick man being minded of any worldly businesse unlesse he have a great minde to it thinkes it excuse enough to wave it because he is sick I pray doe not trouble me with it saith he I cannot thinke of it now you and I will speak about it hereafter when I am recovered Doe sick men thinke it reason they should be excused from worldly businesse because they are sick and shall any man resolve that it is best to deale about spirituall businesses when he is sick If Job who had a holy and a sound minde under a diseased body sayd My purposes are broken off and the thoughts or possessions of my heart how much more will they feele these breaches whose minds are sick and more diseased then their bodyes Further Observe The difference betweene God and man what a vaine creature man is and how excellent God is God never had one of his purposes broken whatever hee purposed he hath carryed to perfection hee never lost a thought nor any of the possessions of his heart The counsell of the Lord stanâ—eth for ever and the thoughts of his heart to all Generations Psal 33.11 'T is the glory of God that his purposes stand he is able to make them stand though all the World should combine as one man to cast them downe 'T is the dishonour of man that hee so often falls from his owne purposes and eates up his owne resolves and 't is the punishment of some men that their purposes receive a fall that their most solemne debates and setled resolves are scattered and confounded The Lord in judgement bringeth the counsell of the Heathen to nought he maketh the devices of the people of none effect Psal 33.10 All the thoughts of man are loseable and most men lose their thoughts It is the comfort of Beleevers that they are not bottom'd upon their owne purposes or thoughts but upon the thoughts and purposes of God that 's their basis and that shall never be broken God is unchangeable and therefore his purposes cannot break When mans purposes are broken hee eyther changeth or suffers a change of which Job complaines in the next Verse Vers 12. They change the night into day and the light is short because of darknesse Here are two things to be opened First What is meant by changing the night into day Secondly Who it is that changeth the night into day They change the night into day Hath not the Lord made a promise yea a Covenant which is more then a promise and annexed a signe to it which is the ratification of a Covenant Gen. 8.22 that to the end of the World while the earth remaineth Seed time and harvest and Summer and Winter and cold and heate and day and night shall not cease that is they shall not cease in their turnes and seasons How is it here sayd They change the night into day as if the night and day were out of course when as the Lord hath covenanted that they shall continue in their course I answer There is a twofold change of times of day and night First A naturall Change Secondly A metaphoricall Change The united power of all creatures in Heaven and Earth cannot make a naturall change of day into night and God the Creator hath promised that he will not make that change he will not breake the succession of night and day while the Earth remaineth But a metaphoricall change of night into day and of day into night hath been often made for when the night is so full of trouble to us that we cannot sleep the night is changed into day and when the day is so full of trouble to us that wee can neyther doe our worke Hoc tormentum cordis nec nox interrumpebat quae est tempus deputatum humanae quieti graviuâ— est pati somni defectum in nocte quam in die Aquin. Meae cogitationes molestae animum rodentes noctem mihi convertunt in diem efficiunt ut noctes ducam in somnes Merc nor take our comforts then the day is changed into night The night is the time appointed for naturall rest therefore the night may be sayd to be changed into day when we cannot rest and this is a great affliction for though in some sense and in Scripture sense too to have the night changed into day is a mercy and notes a change from a troubled estate into a comfortable estate yet to have the night changed by our restlesnesse or want of sleep is both an affliction it selfe and an argument that we are burdned and over-pressed with other manifold afflictions In this sense Job complaines of the change of his night into day and thus God often changeth times and seasons both to particular persons and whole Nations Dan. 2.21 Daniel answered and sayd Blessed be the Name of God for ever and ever for wisedome and might are his and hee changeth the times and the seasons hee removeth Kings and hee sets up Kings He changeth the times and seasons that is He makes seasons comfortable or troublesome peaceable or unquiet hee changeth the night into day or the day into night as himselfe pleaseth And the light is short because of darknesse Propter calamitates Jun. That is The day is to me as no day because of my calamity and misery my day is short because darknesse suddenly overtakes it Artificiall dayes are long or short according to the distance which the darknesse of the night keepes from them Our metaphoricall dayes are long or short according to the distance which the darknesse of trouble keepes from them Thus the change of day into night and of night into day is to be reckoned by the condition we are in When we cannot sleep in the night our night is changed into day and when sorrow seazeth on us in the day our day is changed into night or The light is short to us by
considered his owne body as dead too much and so attained not to Abrahams strength of Faith Yet we have three things to say for him First there was a great difference between his case and Abrahams Job had no such ground of Faith as Abraham had Abraham received a speciall yea an absolute promise from God that he should have a Son but Job received only a conditionall promise from man grounded upon the generall promises of God that he should be restored This consideration abates much from the objection of his unbeleife though it cannot be denyed but his Faith might and should have risen higher upon the power of God who as he was Al-sufficiently able so he did afterwards actually raise him up Secondly The designe of God being in Jobs example to set forth a patterne of patience as his designe was in Abrahams example to set forth a patterne of Faith he was pleased to let Jobs Faith run it selfe out about spirituals and eternals not minding temporals that so his patience might have a perfect worke in bearing the full weight of his affliction to the end while his Faith did not so much as put under a little finger to ease him with the least beleife that it should as to this life be taken off or have an end Lastly As 't was hinted Job had much Faith to some purposes though none to this hee had a full trust in God though he should kil him but he had no trust that God would not kill him he beleeved God loved him while he did afflict him though hee did not beleeve that God would deliver him from his afflictions As no mans Faith workes alike at all times so 't is rare that any mans Faith workes alike to all things Some who beleeve and hope mightily for the things of Heaven have but little eyther Faith or Hope for earthly things Not because a Faith which serves for Heaven is not enough 't is rather more then enough to serve for Earth But because most of those whose Faith is strong and much enlarged for Heaven take so much satisfaction there and are there so much at home that they account themselves Pilgrims and strangers here and are not much mindfull as the Apostle speakes Heb. 11.15 or desirous of their earthly Countrey and concernments What wee doe not much desire to have wee doe not much beleeve though we beleeve that we shall have it A full soule saith Solomon loatheth the Honey combe Those soules which are full of Heaven though they doe not loath yet they are not hungry after though they can thankfully receive and enjoy any Honey-combe of this World No man having drunk old Wine straightway desireth new for hee saith the old is better Luke 5.39 Doubtlesse Job had drunk the old Wine of Gods favour and love in the Redeemer and so his thirst was much slacked if not totally quenched towards the new Wine of a temporall restauration And hence we may not onely charitably but more then probably conclude That it was not for want of Faith that Job did not beleeve or hope for what his Freinds promised him but because he had employed his Faith upon better and more pleasing pâ—â—â—ises Thus Job hath finisht his answer to the second charge of Eliphaz And through the helpe of Christ somewhat is here tendered for the illustration and exposition of it His other two Freinds Bildad and Zophar stand ready to enter the Lists with him and to renew their charge what they sayd and what answer they received shall if God continue life and strength with these peaceable opportunities in convenient time be presented to publick view A TABLE Directing to some speciall points noted in the precedent EXPOSITIONS A ABominable what that is which is called abominable or an abomination p. 65 66. Sinfull man how abominable to God 66 67. Abundance cannot satisfie 113. Advocate between God and man 389. How the holy Ghost is an Advocatâ— 389 390. In what manner Christ performes the offiâ—e of an Advocate 390. Christ is an effectuall mediatour or Advocate 393. Five things to shew the effectualnesse of Christs pleading for us as an Advocate 394. Affections of men and their opinions of others are very variable 452. Affliction great afflictions hinder the sense of tendred mercies 39. Some afflictions bring a wearinesse boâ—h upon soule and body 247. Some afflictions distract 248. A godly man may grow extreame weary of affliction 249. Great afflictions like great sins leave a mark 261. Great afflictions how made witnesses of sin against a man 262. The witnesse which affliction gives censured two wayes 262 263. God afflicts his owne severely 290. God seemes to take pleasure in afflicting his 294. Affliction comes not by chance but by speciall direction 295. God hath many wayes to afflict 297. He sends breach upon breach 309. Great afflictions have three things in them in reference to others 451. Age old age three degrees of it among the Jewes 31. Amalekites their enmity against the Jewes 126. Angels how imperfect 62. Angels by some called Heavens and why 63. Answering two things alwayes may two things usually doe embolden men to answer 222. Antiochus Epiphanes his painefull life 89 Appetite of the end infinite 207. Appeales to God lawfull 363. It is a daring worke to appeale to Gâ—d 368. Apis the Aegyptian Idol why his Preists did not give him the water of Nilus to drinke 147. Apostacy from profession worse then continued prophanenesse 286. Archers seven Archers shot at Job 297. Arminians why they deny the Intercession of Christ for all 393. Assurance of approaching miseries how great a trouble to the minde 118. A wicked man may have this assurance 118. Arrhabo an earnest whence it comes 420. Astonishment at the dealings of God 468. Augustus Caesar his peircing eye 266. Aygoland a King of the Moores why he refused baptisme 471. B. Barathrum why it signifies Hell 455. Begging or wandring for bread a great affliction 111. Beleeving a wicked man hath neyther a ground nor a heart to beleeve 104. A wicked mans beleeving is presuming 104. Belial whence derived 10. Who is Belial 85. Blood what it signifies in Scripture 347. Bloody sins shal not passe undiscovered 357. Why God is sayd to make inquisition for blood in speciall 358. Body to minde the seeding of it sinfull 148. They take little care for their soules who take overmuch care for their bodies 150. Branch what it signifies in Scripture 189. Bread what it signifies in Scripture 111. Breath of God what it signifies in Scripture 164. Breath of man 167 168. Breath of man taken three wayes 402. The breath of man is corruptible 403. Breath is not the soule ibid. Bribe-takers and Bribe-givers both alike wicked 195. Bribery is an odious sin 197. That which is got by bribery will not hold long 197. By-word to be made a by-word notes two things 447. Great sufferers are usually made a by-word 447 448. It is very burdensome to the spirit of a man