received Sixthly There are gifts of incouragement to those that are industrious and deserve well which we may call remunerative gifts These are as oil to the wheel of ingenuous spirits in a good work it is lawful at any time and sometimes necessary to bestow such gifts Seventhly There are gifts of bribery which pervert justice and put out the eyes of Judges They are not the rewards of industry but the wages of unrighteousness such as Balack would have given Balaam he offered him great gifts I will promote thee to honour But what was it for even to hire him to curse the people of God Let all take heed of giving or taking gifts to pervert justice or to encourage any in the doing of any wickedness or unworthiness these are corruptive gifts Further Whereas they gave not only a piece of money or a lamb but every one an ear-ring of gold which we may consider not only as to the matter as it was gold but as to the form as it was an ear-ring or an artificial piece of gold that an ornamental piece of gold they might have given gold and probably they did in the pieces of money which they gave him but they gave him ear-rings also in which the fashion or use is most considerable and the workmanship more worth than the mettal Hence Note It is lawful to wear ornaments Not only may we wear that which serves for a covering to the body but that which is for the adorning of it An ear-ring is an ornament As all are to wear cloths to hide their shame and nakedness so some may wear robes to shew their state and greatness Job received ear-rings he did not cast them by as vain things When Abraham sent his servant to take a wife for his Son Isaac he stored him with cabinets of precious jewels to bestow upon her Gen. 24. and when he found Rebeccah at the well and found who she was he took a golden ear-ring of half a shekel weight and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold and gave them to Rebeccah And afterwards when her parents had given consent to the marriage then ver 53. The servant brought forth jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment and gave them to Rebeccah c. Abraham would not send such things to a Wife for his Son had they been vain in their own nature or sinful in their use Yet take the point with these cautions We may wear ornaments but First We must not be proud of them Secondly We must not set our affections upon them Thirdly We must beware of an affectation in wearing them Fourthly We must take heed of wastfulness we may not lavish out an estate upon ornaments nor make our selves poor to make our selves fine I grant some Scriptures speak negatively in appearance as to the use and wearing of jewels and ornaments 1 Tim. 2.9 In like manner also let women adorn themselves in modest aparel in shame fastness and sobriety not with broidened hair or gold or pearl or castly array This Scripture seems to cross the point directly and so doth that other 1 Pet. 3.3 Whose adorning speaking of women let it not be that outward adorning of plating the hair and of wearing of gold and of putting on of aparel but let it be the hidden man of the heart How then can good women wear these ornaments I answer These Scriptures do not absolutely forbid the wearing of ornaments but only as to those exceptions before given to wear them in pride or to set our affections upon them or to affect them or to wear them wastfully beyond our purse and place such wearing of ornaments is indeed unlawful Again it is not sinful to have or use ornaments but to make them our ornaments that is sinful our adorning must be the hidden man of the heart that must be grace That this is the Apostles mind is clear because he saith their adorning must not be the putting on of apparrel as well as not the plating of the hair and wearing of gold Therefore the negation is not absolute but comparative let not them count these their ornaments but grace or the hidden man of the heart As the Lord saith I will have mercy and not sacrifice that is mercy rather than sacrifice so I will have the hidden man of the heart not costly jewels and apparel your ornament that is I esteem the one much rather than the other and so ought you to esteem both your selves and others accordingly Take this caution further Times of affliction and suffering are very unseasonable to wear ear-rings of gold and ornaments When there is any great appearance of the displeasure of God against a people then how unsutable are all our pleasant things The Lord said to the people of Israel Put off your ornaments that I may know what to do with you Exod. 32. When we live in such a time in humbling days or are called to humbling duties we should be very watchful about these things and rather appear in raggs than robeâ— with dust upon our heads rather than with ornaments upon our backs Thus far of the first part of Jobs restauration the return of his friends and the significations of their friendliness towards him eating bread with him bemoaning him comforting him and presenting him with gifts of honour if not of enrichment pieces of money and earings of gold Yet all their civilities and bounties reached but a little way if at all towards that restauration which the Lord intended him the doubling of his whole estate which he soon received in full measure heaped up pressed down and running over as will appear in opening the two next verses and those which follow to the end of the chapter JOB Chap. 42. Vers 12 13. 12. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning For he had fourteen thousand Sheep six thousand Camels and a thousand yoak of Oxen and a thousand She-Asses 13. He had also seven sons and three Daughters IN these two verses we have the second and the third part of Jobs restauration His friends were restored to him in the former verse his further restauration is set down in these two verses First generally at the beginning of the 12th verse So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning Secondly Particularly and First With respect to his Cattle of outward estate for he had saith the Text Fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand Camels c. Secondly With respect to his issue or children vers 13. He had also seven Sons and three daughters Vers 12. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning In these words we may take notice of four things First the means or as I may call it the procuring cause of Jobs increase or of his growing and flowing prosperity it was a blessing Secondly We have here the Author or Fountain of this blessing it was the Lord. Thirdly
our lives these are or may be seen of men yet they must not be brought forth that we may be seen in doing them but that men seeing our good works may glorifie our Father which is in Heaven Matth. 5.16 Our inward good fruits which are indeed our choicest and most spiritual good fruits are of three sorts First Good Thoughts To do good is best for others but to think good or to have many good thoughts is the best proof that we our selves are good Solomon saith Prov. 12.12 The root of the righteous yieldeth fruit The root of a righteous man is his heart and the first-fruits of a good heart are good thoughts He is a precious person and hath a precious heart that can say as holy David did Psal 139.17 How precious are thy thoughts unto me O God how great is the sum of them That is the thoughts which I have of thee O God are exceeding precious unto me and I have many very many of them more than I am able to sum or reckon up Secondly Good affections are good inward fruits such are godly sorrow joy in God love to God longing after God Psal 27.4 Psal 42.1 2. Isa 26.9 hatred of evil all these movings of the heart are good and precious fruits Thirdly which are the issue and result of both the former good purposes and holy resolves to cleave fast to God to stick as David expresseth it Psal 119.31 to his testimonies wayes and truths at all times especially in times of trial or to continue with Christ in his temptation these are very good inward fruits Psal 17.3 Dan. 1.8 Acts 11.23 Outward good fruits are of two sorts First Good words are good fruits The lips of the righteous feed many Prov. 10.21 Edifying words Eph. 4.29 words of exhortation to good Heb. 3.13 words of reproof as to evil Gal. 6.1 words of comfort to the sad and sorrowful 1 Thess 5.14 all these words are good fruits Secondly Good works first of holiness towards God secondly of righteousness and love towards all men thirdly of charity to the poor all these are outward good fruits and all these the Lord looks for where-ever or upon whomsoever he sends the rain of his word JOB Chap. 38. Vers 28 29 30. 28. Hath the Rain a Father or who hath begotten the drops of dew 29. Out of whose Womb came the Ice and the hoary frost of Heaven who hath gendred it 30. The Waters are hid as with a stone and the face of the deep is frozen THe Lord having questioned Job in the former context about the course of the Rain and the free dispensation of it even to those places where no man is and to the Wilderness where there is no man here he questions him about the cause and original of the Rain and not only of the Rain but of the Dew the Ice and the Frost So then in these three verses we have four Questions First about the Rain and Secondly about the Dew in the 28th verse Thirdly about the Ice and Fourthly about the Frost in the 29th verse together with the marvelous force and effects of it vers 30. Vers 28. Hath the Rain a Father The Inquiry is who is the Father of the Rain that is who is the Author what is the cause of it Not as if the cauâ—e of that or of the other Meteors here mentioned could not at all be known but to shew First That much of them all is unknown There are many things in this lower Sphear beyond mans Sphear even these are not propagated altogether according to our understanding or apprehensions of them Secondly To shew that he must be plentifully stored with all sorts of good who as a Father begets and as a Mother brings forth such useful and necessary things for the preservation of living Creatures Thirdly To shew that these creatures are not produced by causes which are constant and unvariable in nature but proceed from and daily depend upon the power and will of God who somtimes checks and stops the course of Nature and at other times impregnates it for the production of these effects or brings them forth by the Midwifery and help of second causes Fourthly When the Lord propounds the Question under this Relation of a Father he would shew or teach us that he gives Rain and Dew to the earth as a father gives food and other requisites to his children Further This seems to be the design of God in putting these Questions to Job that forasmuch as he could not fully comprehend the causation and production of these things much less was able to cause or produce them himself but must receive them from the power and according to the dispose and providence of God therefore he should refer all his concernments to the same Providence and so rest satisfied whether God sent him a sweet and refreshing Rain and Dew or a grievous and afflictive season of Ice and Fâ—ost Thus we may conceive the general scope of this Context Now to the particulars Hath the Rain a father The question may be resolved both negatively and affirmatively First Negatively the Rain hath no Father that is on earth or among men There is no creature power that can produce a drop of Rain Secondly affiâ—matively Hath the Rain a father Yes it hath God is the Father of the Rain The Rain is not fatherless there is one who will own the Rain as his child or issue The causation of Rain is a great secret in nature a secret about which though wise and learned men have discoursed much and given out much light about it yet they have not reached the utmost nor attained the full knowledge of it and the reason of that is because the Rain hath a Father whose wayes and workings as in the first constitution of Nature so in the daily motions of it exceed our knowledg Hath the Rain a father Not on earth Nor are the Heavens the Father of the Rain the God of Heaven is As not a shower no nor a drop of Rain falls on the earth at the will or by the power of man Si quis alium praeter Deum pluviae patrem quaerat is erit vapor qui ex humidis locis entractus eâ— alevatus a Solo concrescit in nebulam aut nubem et inde a Sole repefactus liquescit et solvitur Sanct. so not by the power of the Sun drawing up the vapours and dissolving the Clouds nor by the Winds scattering the Clouds The Sun may shine the Moon may change the Winds may blow and turn long enough yet no Rain till the Lord gives the Word Some and that not improperly have called the Sun The father of the Rain The Sun draws up those vapours from the earth into the Air which are the matter of Rain and there those vapours are condensed into Clouds and afterwards rarified and dissolved into Rain yet these natural causes produce these effects only as God sets them on work and he can
by Châ—ist in that invitaâ—ion to his Spouse Cant. 2.10 11 12 13. My beloved spake aâ—d said unto me Rise up my love my fair one and come away f r lâ— the wiâ—ter is past the rain is over and gone that is thy affl cti ns are ended thy clouds of soâ—row and thy tears aâ—â— over-blâ—wn and wiped away and now behold a succession of beâ—â—eâ— things even of whatsoever may call out thy joys and renew thy comfâ—â—ts fâ— the flowers appear on the earth the time of the singiâ—g â—f birds is câ—me the voice of the turtle is heard in our land the figge-tree putteth forth her tender figges and the Vines with the tender grape give a good smell Here 's a new face of things indeed what can be added to the felicity of that estate which is shadowed under these Metaphors Such a Summer of spiritual felicity in temporal liberties after a winter of temporal sufferings in her spirituals did Christ invite his Church in general unto And this may relieve particular Christians in their afflictions The cold Frost seldome lasts long never alwayes Thirdly Though Cold and Frost be pinching and troublesome while they last yet they have a very good effect upon the Earth while they last First they mellow the Earth After a lasting Frost the clods of Earth crumble easily whereas if it lie all the Winter without a Frost they are more stiffe and not so fit for husbandry Thus afflictions mellow the heart of man and make it more fit for Gods husbandry As Frost dries up the ill humours of the Earth so doth affliction those of the soul and thereby prepares it to receive the seed of the Word When God afflicts his people it is for their profit that they may be partakers of his holiness that is that they may profitabâ—y improve all those means which he hath appointed to make them more holy And hence Fourthly As Frost and Cold kill the weeds and worms which eat the roots and hinder the growth of Herbs Corn and Plants so afflictions kill our lusts those worms and weeds that breed and grow in our hearts alwayes hindering the fruitfulness sometime to the utter unfruitfulness of the seed of the word sown among us and upon us Matth. 13.22 The frost of affliction is a means to prevent the worm which breeds naturally out of the corruption of our hearts even that terrible worm spoken of Isa 66.24 the worm of conscience As there are worms of corruption Pride Covetousness Wrath Wantonness c. in our hearts so out of these that tormenting worm breeds called the worm of Conscience Now the frost of affliction which God sends upon us is very effectual as to kill these worms of corruption which eat the roots of our graces and hinder our fruit-bearing so to prevent the life of that worm of Conscience which as the Prophet speaks in the place last named never dyeth Therefore as when the Lord sends frost though it make us shake and we have a hard time of it yet no man riseth up in passion and saith I had rather dye and be out of the world than live in such a season No men know that a frosty season is a wholesome season and they know Summer will come and make amends So when we are in the Winter of affliction let us not be impatient nor unquiet let us not think that the frost will ruine and undo us Though Ice be upon every water though Icicles hang upon every twig do not think this will be at all for your undoing it may be much for your bettering Cold weather doth good as well as hot and if we should have all hot and no cold it might be very ill very bad to us therefore be not troubled at the cold nor afraid of ice and frost they will not hurt you unless you hurt your selves by your impatience under them And when 't is coldest you may warme your selves at the fire or Sun-shine of this hope that ere long the weather will be warmer As Athanasius said of the trouble given the Church by that Apostate Julian It is but a Cloud it will soon be over so may I say according to the allusion in this Text it s but a Winters frost Summer will come This should be the comfort of all that fear God in a day of evil feared or felt When Christ Mat. 24.32 33. had soretold the signs of his coming he said Learn a Parable of the Fig-tree when his branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves ye know that Summer is nigh So likewise ye when ye shall see all these things know that it is near even at the door As when we shall see those dreadful appearances which are the fore-runners of Christ coming so when we shall feel any chilling frosts of affliction then we may know that Summer is at hand when the night is darkest the light is nearest when Winter is hardest a thawing Sun leading in the Spring is approaching towards us There is but one kind of cold or frost which we have cause to fear and that is the frost of unkindness or the coldness of affection to God and one another and I warn all to take heed of that because it is but too too probable that this frost and cold will hang about the hearts of many in the latter days yea is it not visible are we not sensible of that frost begun at least in these days as Christ himself prophesied of those latter days Mat. 24.12 The love of many shall wax cold is not love to God very chil is not charity to man among men of a complexion as cold as ice at this day Take heed of this frost of this cold let not your hearts be frozen in love to God or Man It is sad when the streams of charitable bounty are frozen and the waters of compassion hidden as with a stone when the very bowels of men are Ice and their hearts harder to one another than the nether mil-stone There are two things much to be lamented whenever they are seen or felt among the Sons of men especially among those who profess themselves the Servants of God The first is heat of anger and wrath The second is coldness of love and zeal As that heat is apt to kindle unnatural fires so this coldness may provoke the Lord to kindle judiciary fires or fiery judgments The coldness of the air will not hurt us nor can the frost of any affliction much annoy us if our love wax not cold if the frost of uncharitableness to one another and of unzealousness if I may so speak for God and his concerns take not our affections JOB Chap. 38. Vers 31 32 33. 31. Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion 32. Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons 33. Knowest thou the Ordinances of Heaven canst thou set the dominions thereof in the earth THe Lord
alone will not do it For that there may be an increase these five things must concur First The skill and industry of the Husband-man Secondly The strength and labour of the Ox or Horse Thirdly The vertue and fatness of the earth Fourthly The showers and influences of heaven Fifthly And above all the blessing of God Old Isaac said of his Son Jacob Gen. 27.27 See the smell of my Son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed As there is no increase without the blessing of God how much soever men or oxen labour so there is great increase the Lord adding his blessing by the labour of men and oxen Labour and increase usually go together and where no labour is there except by miracle is no increase Where no labour is the barn is empty the crib is empty the belly is empty the purse is empty Of doing nothing comes nothing but want and misery 'T is said when the Ox is weariest he treads surest To be sure they who are most wearied by honest pains-taking tread surest upon honest profit Secondly observe Seed sown is not lost but returns and comes home again That which was scattered abroad in the field is gathered into the barn Some may think when they see the Husbandman cast his seed into the ground that he casts it away but by the labour of the Ox by the skill of the Husbandman and the blessing of God upon all the seed cometh home again Thus the Apostle spake in a spiritual sense He that ploweth should plow in hope and he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope 1 Cor. 9.10 It should be so according to the ordination of God as to the faithful Ministers of God of whose labour in plowing up souls by the word and sowing those souls with the word the Apostle there treats And it is so through the benediction of God as to laborious Husband-men and their cattel in plowing and sowing the soyl of the earth Yea thus it is in all we do our actions good or bad are as seed sown which will certainly come again they will not be lost Good done will assuredly turn to good and evil done and not undone by repentance will as surely turn to evil The Apostle gives us this double assurance Gal. 6.7 8. Whatsoever a man soweth that not numerically but specifically shall he also reap For He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting And thus in special works of charity or our distributions to the necessities of others are more significantly called sowing Psal 112.9 He hath dispersed he hath given to the poor That is he hath sowed his alms abundantly what then It followeth His righteousness endureth for ever his horn shall be exalted with honor To give to the poor especially to Gods poor to the godly poor or to those that are made poor for Gods sake is sowing good seed and he that soweth thus shall receive a fruitful crop Grain sowed in the field may yield a good increase but that which is rightly sowed in the bowels of the poor shall certainly yield a better What we give is like seed sowed in the field which increaseth thirty sixty an hundred fold What we keep by us is like corn stored up in the garner which we bring forth and spend and there 's an end of it Here 's great encouragement to do good yea to abound in doing good to others What we so part with is not lost but sowed it will come back to the barn it will come home again and that with a great increase And doubtless where there hath been a plowing up of the heart by a work of grace there will be a free sowing in every good work And though we are not to do good works meerly eying a return or our personal advantage yet we may have an eye to it as Moses had in his holy sufferings and services to the recompence of reward yea and take incouragement from the Lords bounty to be more in duty more in charity even unto bounty We may consider the harvest while we are diligent in sowing yea to make us more diligent in sowing Having thus opened the several properties of this creature here called the Vnicorn properly taken and given out some meditations upon them it will not be I conceive either unuseful or unacceptable to the Reader if for the conclusion of the whole matter in hand I shew how the holy Scriptures together with some of the Ancients make use of this creature tropically or in a figure to resemble and represent First The state of the Church and people of God Thus Moses reports Balaam shadowing the power and blessedness of Israel when he came and was hired to curse them Numb 23.22 God saith he brought them that is the children of Israel out of Egypt he hath as it were the strength of an Vnicorn Most expound the word He collectively concerning that whole people as one body He that is Israel hath as it were the strength of an Vnicorn that is he is exceeding strong Some expound it of God He that is God who brought them out of Egypt the mighty God of Jacob hath as it were the strength of an Unicorn God is indeed infinitely strong stronger than the Unicorn That which is most eminent in any creature or for which any creature is most eminent the Scripture often ascribes in a way of super-eminency unto God The Lord hath strength like the strongest and how strong soever he is he is strong for his Israel yea he is the strength of his Israel So that if we take the word in this latter sense it reaches the same thing setting forth the power and strength of Israel by the strength of the Unicorn for the Lord who is their strength will make them strong like Unicorns Balaam spake thus again Numb 24.8 God brought him all Israel as one man out of Egypt he hath as it were the strength of an Vnicorn he shall eat up the Nations his enemies and shall break their bones and pierce them through with his arrows Thus also Moses spake or prophecyed of the Tribe of Joseph Deut. 33.17 His glory is like the firstling of his Bullock and his horns are like the horns of Vnicorns with them shall he push the people or peoples the word is plural together to the ends of the earth and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim and they are the thousands of Manasseh Moses sets out the fruitfulness of Ephraim beyond that of Manasseh ten for one and in both joyntly shews how powerful how prevailing they shall be even as if they pusht their enemies with horns like those of Unicorns In all these Scriptures the Lord fore-shewed the wonderful force of the Jewish Church of old his portion and peculiar people by that of the Unicorn David also as was said before expresseth his assurance of
whatsoever his dealings be with you Though you murmur not though you speak not hard words of his dealing with you yet if you think hardly of him and question his justice or goodness in your hearts he takes notice of it Seventhly take heed of discontentful thoughts with your own condition though sad and bitter This was Jobs sin and it is conceived that he spake thus as acknowledging that he lay open before God as knowing all his thoughts of discontent Eighthly above all take heed of blasphemous thoughts of God which the devil hoped to bring Job too Take heed of these and of every every evil thought though not acted knowing also that every evil act hath its evil thought belonging to it and that no thought can be with-holden from God Thus much for the first part of Jobs humiliation his exalting of God in his omnipotency and in his omnisciency he is omnipotent he can do every thing nor can any of his thoughts be with-holden from him by any power of man he is omniscient no man can with-hold or hide his own thoughts from God Job having made that great acknowledgement of the power and knowledge of God I know thou canst do every thing neither can any thought be with-holden from thee comes to the confession of his own weakness and ignorance Vers 3. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge therefore have I uttered that I understood not Who is he That is what manner of man is he or what is he for a man what a man hath he been That hideth counsel We had these words at the second verse of the 38th Chapter where the Lord said chidingly to Job Who is this that darkneth counsel by words without knowledge Here Job saith humbly to God Who is this that hideth counsel There is some change in the words little if any in the sense There the Lord said Who is he that darkneth Here Job saith Who is he that hideth c. both may be taken as intending the same thing darkning and hiding being of a like signification and things in the dark can no more be seen than things hidden Yet some Jewish Writers conceive that Job here doth somewhat abate what the Lord spake or did extenuate the matter as to his own faultiness and miscarriage As if he indeed granted that he had hid or concealed the counsel of God but would be excused in this that he had darkned it This is a nice difference and I doubt not but the spirit of Job was so low and graciously humbled that he spake with the most and highest fervency to humble himself when he said Who is he that hideth counsel But how had Job hid the counsel of God I answer First He had hid the counsel of God by not declaring it so much or so fully as he ought David prophecying of Christ saith Psal 40.10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation What is meant by not hiding in the former part of the verse is expressed by declaring in the latter part of it and when he saith I have declared his meaning is I have amply and clearly made known thy faithfulness So that because Job had not so clearly as he should declared the righteousness or the righteous counsels of God concerning him and his dealings with him he may be said to have hid the counsel of God While we do not magnifie God we lessen him while we do not declare to the utmost his power we hide it and therefore Job thus chargeth himself Who is he that hideth Or we may take it thus more distinctly Job hid the counsel of God First by being so much in setting forth his own innocency How much he insisted upon that argument hath been shewed before from other places of this book While we set forth our selves we obscure God Job should have been less in his own commendation and more in the praises of God Secondly Job may be said to have hid the counsel of God because he was so much in amplifying and aggravating his own sufferings not well considering the counsel of God in laying those sufferings upon him Had he duly weighed the counsel of God in afflicting him he would have proceeded as he began Chap. 1. 21. to bless God both in and for his affliction Thirdly He may be said to have hid the counsel of God because he expostulated with God as severe towards him in his afflictions as if Gods counsel had been only to put him to pain Such complainings of the living man Jeremiah chockt while he said of God Lam. 3.33 He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men As it is not in the heart or counsel of God to afflict men with his heart as the words there imports so not to break their hearts unless with godly sorrow for their sin by affliction Therefore Job speaking so much of Gods severity hid the counsel of God which was only to try his graces and his goodness and graciously to do him good in the latter end Who is this that hideth counsel Without knowledge Or for want of knowledge But was Job an ignorant man was he without knowledge No but he had not a right knowledge of the counsel of God concerning himself which though it was some excuse to him yet it did not altogether excuse nor acquit him from the fault Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge I shall not stay upon observations from this verse because I did it at the second verse of the 38th Chapter I shall only consider that difference among Interpreters about this word counsel to whom it doth refer Quis est enim qui celat à te consilium Sept. First some refer it to Job and conceive that he chargeth himself with this error that he had hid his own counsel from God or that he thought his counsel was hidden from him The Septuagint render it plainly to this sense Who is he that hideth counsel from thee No man can hide the counsels nor the most secret intendments of his soul from God all things even the thoughts of the heart are naked and manifest before his eyes with whom we have to do 'T is best for us to reveal our selves to him from whom we cannot with all our skill and cunning conceal our selves as was further shewed from the latter interpretation of those words in the former verse No thought can be with-holden from thee But we may fully discharge Job of this for he often professed that his most secret wayes were known to God yea that the way of his and every mans heart was known to God Chap. 10.19 If I sin then thou markest me Read also Chap. 16.19 Chap. 31. vers 1. And if we look back to the 5th verse of the first Chapter there 't is reported of Job that he offered sacrifice for his children after their feastings for saith he it may be that my sons have sinned and
Lords stock and treasure can never be drawn dry he is an ever-over-flowing fountain If you had much at the beginning you may have much more at the latter end So much of these words as they hold out the restoring of Jobs estate in general the particulars are summ'd up in the close of the verse For he had fourteen thousand Sheep and six thousand Camels and a thousand yoke of Oxen and a thousand She-Asses The encrease of his estate is here set forth in cattel only as his first estate was cattel were the riches of those times and Countreys yet doubtless his estate encreased in every thing or kind First his family and servants encreased to look to so many cattel Secondly his Lands and pastures encreased to feed them Thirdly his house and buildings encreased to receive and lodge so numerous a Family Fourthly his honour and dignity increased Some affirm that whereas before he had only some small principality under his government now he was declared King over all the Land of Vz Thus all sorts of good things were given him double but whether at once or by degrees is not exprest Some of the Rabbins have a fancy and it is a wild one that Jobs cattel which were taken from him were not carried quite away but only driven into some other Country and there kept so that when he was restored they were brought home to him again with this double encrease This may well go for a fancy for not his own cattel but cattel of the same kind were restored to him double There is no difficulty in these words The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning giving double or twice as many Sheep Oxen Camels Asses as he had before Hence note Outward good things Sheep and Oxen Houses and Lands Gold and Silver are a blessing as they come from God unto his servants Here is nothing said of the best things all was but Sheep and Oxen yet in these Job received a blessing The Lord Deut. 28.4 made large promises of blessings to his obeying people or to his people in case of obedience and all in outward comforts Blessed shalt thou be in the City and blessed shalt thou be in the field blessed shall be the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy ground and the fruit of thy cattel the encrease of thy kine and the flocks of thy sheep blessed shall be thy basket and thy store Spiritual things are the best blessings spiritual things are not only the noblest but the most necessary blessings The favour of God the light of his countenance pardon of sin grace in our hearts these are excellent blessings and these make us exceedingly blessed and no doubt but Job did chiefly look after these blessings this good man desired the light of Gods countenance the shinings of his face upon him the workings of his grace and spirit in him the evidences of his love to him infinitely above cattel corn and wine A godly man accounts himself but in a poor condition if he were to reckon all his estate in Houses and Lands in Sheep and Oxen yet these are a blessing from the Lord upon him and so he accounts them And still it must be remembred which hath already been touched that before the coming of Christ before there was a full discovery and a clear manifestation of the grace of God in Christ to his people they in those times were much led and fed with promises of temporal blessings The faithful were allured to heaven by earthly things Jesus Christ who came down from heaven to lift us up thither who took our nature that we might partake of the divine nature who was cloathed with our flesh to shew that God dwelleth in us and hath joyned us to his glory and immortality Jesus Christ I say was known only in shadows and remote prophesies in those times and therefore it was necessary the Lord should deal with them accordingly and allure them by promises of cattel and corn and children especially by the promise of long life which hath the greatest resemblance to and bears the fairest image of eternal life and all because the heavenly life was not then so perfectly discovered as it is now in these Gospel-times For though it be a truth that all the good things of the world are not sufficient to make a love-token yet God gives those good things to his people as tokens of his love and they see love in them and these lesser good things are then best to us when we can look on them as blessings coming from the love of God which we may do First When we can say we have got and keep them with a good conscience Secondly When we use and order them with prudence Thirdly When we dispence them charitably and freely according to the needs and necessities of others When we truly and intentionally honour God with our substance in doing acts of love it shews that he hath given it us in love Fourthly When the Lord with encrease of riches gives us an encrease of grace when our souls thrive as well as our estates then we may look upon riches as coming to us in love Sheep and Oxen Gold and Silver without a just and wise and gracious possessing and using of them prove curses at last not blessings snares not favours There are none so unhappy as foolish rich men none so base as covetous rich men none so intollerable as proud rich men none so vile and despicable as sluggish voluptuous rich men none more ungodly and irreligious than they who having riches trust in them and dote upon them only when the Lord gives spiritual things with temporal grace with goods they are mercies to us When Luther received a favour from a great Prince he began to be afraid that God would put him off with such things A godly man receives a portion in earthly good things but he will not take all the good things of the earth for his portion Now as all spiritual things are better than temporal so among temporals some are better than others Job received good things when his cattel were doubled but he had better blessings of this life restored to him than those his estate restored double in cattle was nothing to his children restored single as it follows in the next words Vers 13. He had also seven sons and three daughters This is the third part of Jobs restauration sons and daughters We may consider this blessing First In the number Secondly In the sex In number his children were seven and three As to sex they were both sons and daughters he had seven sons and three daughters in all ten just the number he had before as we read at the second verse of the first chapter Some of the Jewish Rabbies before spoken of say his former children were not indeed slain but removed during the time of his affliction and that being ended were restored the same both in number and
yet it is pleasing and toothsom and savoury to them What the Lord pâ—ovides for Ravens is to them dainties and delicacies carrion is so to them because 't is sutable to their nature such as their stomack likes very well The sutableness of any food to our taste and palate makes it delightful to us What makes sin which is as odious as a carrion or corrupt thing to God and good men pleasant to carnal and wicked men but the sutableness of it to their nature they can feed upon sin as heartily and hungrily as a Raven doth upon a putrified carcase And what 's the reason that the ways of God are so pleasant to a godly man is it not because his heart is made through grace sutable to them To do the will of God is meat and drink to a godly man but his soul being in a right frame can no more delightfully do any thing that is sinfully evil than he can delight to feed bodily upon putrifaction or poyson Who provideth his food For the Raven The Hebrew word for a Raven signifies blâ—ckness darkness Corvus in Hebraeo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dictus à colore nigro Graecè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 crocitare or the evening The Raven is the true Black-bird a dark-coloured creature black as a Raven is the Scripture language for perfect blackness The Greek word for a Raven intimates her hoarse harsh and unpleasant cry or croking As the coat of the Raven is eminent for a beautiful blackness so his note is well known by his unpleasant and jarring hoarsness The note of the Crow or Raven sounds like the Latine Cras cras in English To morrow to morrow or the day to come And hence men who when called to present repentance and forsaking of their sins desire time and say to morrow to morrow are said to resemble Crows and Ravens Zorom l. 4. whose only song is cras cras 'T is reported concerning Athanasius that walking in the streets of a Heathenish or Gentile City a Raven slew over his head and croked the Heathens that stood by laught and smil'd to see the Raven flie and croke so neer him and they asked What said the Raven to thee He answered The Raven cryed to morrow to morrow for to morrow the Emperor will send out such an Edict or Decree as will put a stop to your superstitious observation of Heathenish Feasts And though he knew nothing of the Emperors purpose at that time to put forth such a decree yet the next day there came a command from the Emperor that they should no more observe them And then the Heathens cryed out against Athanasius and said that he was a Witch Further The Raven is so called in our language from her ravening her name speaks her nature as Nabals did his 1 Sam. 25.25 yet even Ravens are under the Lords inspection Who provideth for the Raven his food Hence note The worst and vilest creatures are under the care of God The Lord doth not give Job an instance of his care in the people of Israel for whom he provided a long time in Egypt and whom he fed forty years in the wilderness nor in Elias fed by Ravens but in his feeding Ravens nor among fowls doth he instance in the Hawk or Falcon which are highly prized and fed by Princes nor in the sweet singing Nightingale or such like musical pretty birds which men keep choicely and much delight in but in that hateful and malicious bird the croking Raven whom no man values but as she eats up the carrion which might annoy him Behold then and wonder at the providence and kindness of God that he should provide food for the Raven a creature of so dismal a hue and of so untuneable a tone a creature that is so odious to most men Avis inauspicata and ominous to some There is a great providence of God seen in providing for the Ant or Pismire who gathers her meat in Summer Prov. 6.8 but a greater in the Raven who though he forgets or is careless to provide for himself yet God provides and layeth up for him One would think the Lord should say of Ravens let them shift for themselves or perish no the Lord God doth not despise any work of his hands the Raven hath his being from God and therefore the Raven shall be provided for by him not only the fair innocent Dove but the ugly Raven hath his meat from God As the Lord feeds not only Doves but Ravens in kind so he feeds not only Doves but Ravens in a figure that is he feeds not only dove-like or innocent men but raven-like or wicked men Mat. 5.45 He causeth his Sun to rise on the evil and on the good sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust Thus he feeds Ravens in the likeness of men Such men whose minds feed upon carrion the Lord feeds their bodies with excellent dainties they fare deliciously every day as the rich Glutton is said to do who was but a Raven The Lord I say doth not only provide for his better and more excellent ones but he provides for the bad for the evil for the wicked such an indulgent father and provider is God towards all his creatures We find this reported to the praise of God Psal 104.10 11. He sendeth the Springs into the valleys which run among the Hills they give drink to every beast of the field the wilde Asses quench their thirst And again Psal 145.15 16. The eyes of all wait upon or look unto thee and thou givest them their meat in due season thou openest thy hand and satisfiest the desire that is the hunger and thirst of every living thing He that gives life to all upholds the lives of all As it shews the great power of God that he hath made some living creatures the Angels and souls of men which need no mear so it is a very great glory that he provides meat for all that â—eed it God hath a great houshold and he keeps a plentiful house the meanest of his houshold have food convenient for them Now Doth the Lord provide a table for the Ravens Remember Christâ— Inference from it Then much more will he provide a Table for his children who fear him and trust upon him Behold saith Christ Mat. 6.26 the fowls of the air for they sow not neither do they reap nor gather into barns yet your heavenly father feedeth them Are ye not much better than they And that which Christ spake in general there concerning the fowls of the air he in the 12th of Luke ver 24. spake particularly of the Raven Coâ—sider the Ravens for they neither sow nor reap c. and God feedeth them how much more are ye better as if the Lord had said than the fowls Ye are much better than the best of fowls then how much better than the worst the Ravens and be ye assured that as much as ye are better than
wild Goats of the rock bring forth What these Goats here called wild Goats 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rupicapra à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scandit ascendit quòd montes rupes ascendit and wild Goats of the rock are is commonly known The word which we render wild Goats signifies in the Hebrew ascending or clambering because Goats are clambering creatures getting up the steepest rocks and ascending the height of hills and mountains which they do many times exceeding dangerously seeming rather to hang by their feet than to go upon them Pendentem summa capream de rupe videbis Casuram speres decipit illa canes Martial Ibices quasi avices eò quòd instar avium ardua excelsa teneant Thus the old Poet fancied them when he said You may see the wild Goat hanging upon the rock you may hope she will tumble down presently But she deceives the hunter and his hounds though she seems to hang uncertainly yet she keeps her footing steddily The Latines have a word signifying wild Goats which criticks say comes from another latine word signifying a bird or flying fowl because Goats may be said rather to fly than go upon those craggy places or rather to use wings than feet Such are the creatures here called wild Goats and that with an addition wild Goats Of the rocks Because they specially delight in rocky places or because they breed and bring forth in rocks It is said 1 Sam. 24.2 that Saul in his pursuit of David came with a select army of three thousand men to seek him and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats which Scripture fitly answers this which calls them wild Goats of the rock Saul did not seek David only in the plains and valleys where flocks of sheep feed but upon the craggy rocks and precipices where wild Goats take up their quarters or use to feed This shewed his implacable rage and revengeful spirit against an innocent person that rather than not take him and have his will on him he would undertake an expedition not only tedious but very hazardous to himself and his army Wrathful men will not only not spare others but not themselves But to the Text Knowest thou the time when the wild Goats of the rock Bring forth that is their young ones 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verbum ipsum quod dâ—lere significat sumâ—tur pro parturire Merc. The word translated bring forth signifies pain and sorrow There is so much pain in bringing forth that bringing forth and pain may well be signified by one word The pains of the wild Goats in bringing forth here implyed are expressely spoken of at the third Verse But why did the Lord enquire of Job here whether he knew the time the exact time of their bringing forth is that a secret I answer doubtless it is a secret and such a secret as few are acquainted with Wild Goats come little under the eye or sight of men in that work they bringing forth upon inaccessable placeâ— câ—aggy rocks and mountains men cannot without much difficulty reach that piece of knowledge And therefore the Lord might well ask of Job Knowest thou the time when the wild Goats of the rock bring forth I may say also the Lord puts this familiar question to Job that he might the more awaken him into the consideration of his own weakness and utter inability to find out the secret of his other works As if the Lord had said thou canst not discover so much as the birth of the wild Goats how then canst thou find out the births of my wonderful providences My providences bring forth wonderful births and much more unknowable by thee than the birth and bringing forth of the wild Goats Thus the Lord would check his curiosity he who was unable to give him an account concerning the state of those poor creatures must not think himself able to pry into the great and unsearchable works of God in the amazing products of his providence towards the children of men Before I pass from these words it will not be unprofitable to mind the Reader how as one of the Antients hath hinted we may moralize or spiritualize this Text Gregor l. 30. mor. c. 16. there being much of the disposition or condition of a godly man especially of a faithful Teacher typed or fairly represented in the nature and qualities of these wild Goats First As these wild Goats seek both their food and rest their repast and refuge in rocks So the godly abide and dwell in the rock that is in the Lord Jesus Christ they look to him alone both for refuge and refreshing both for comfort and safety while they are in this world Christ is the rock upon which the Church is built Mat. 16.18 And as the state of the true Church in general so of every true believer is built upon this immovable rock the Lord Jesus Christ Secondly As the rocks so the mountains are much desired by the wild Goats Psal 104.18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild Goats Thus David was eying the hills for help Psal 121.1 I will lift up mine eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help What were these hills Surely neither the material nor metaphorical hills of this world of which latter the people of God spake Jerem. 3.23 disclamingly Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills and from the multitude of mountains that is from the greatest power of man or men What the hills were to which David lifted up his eyes for help himself tells us at the second verse of that Psalm My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth As the affections of a godly man are set upon the things above not upon things below Col. 3.2 so his confidences are set upon God who is above not upon men here below Thirdly These wild Goats are very agil active creatures much in motion full of life full of spirits and so they resemble a godly man he is a man of motion of spiritual motion and he desires his motions and speed may be more and more speedy in the ways of God As David resolved to run the ways of Gods commandements when God should please to enlarge his heart so doubtless he prayed that God would enlarge his heart to run those ways And how often did he pray for quickning grace and liveliness that being delivered from a slow dull flegmatique spirit he might be active and full of holy fire about the things and for the things of God Fourthly Wild Goats of the rocks in those countries where they abound are much pursued and diâ—quieted by hunts-men as that passage which I before quoted from a Heathen Poet intimates so good men the best of men are often hunted and disturbed in this world there are hunters of men as well as hunters of beasts Nimrod was a mighty hunter Gen. 10.9 he was a hunter of men Saul
man and made him vile even viler than the dust out of which he was made Thirdly Man is vile with respâ—ct to all those evil consequences and effects of sin which have possessed or are ready to possess First our bodies such are weakness sickness pains and all manner of diseases Secondly our names such are reproach infamie and disgrace Thirdly our estates such are poverty and want Fourthly our persons imprisonment and restraint Fifthly our souls such are blindness and ignorance in our minds stubborness in our wills inordinacy in our affections These consequences of sin as well as sin it self especially those consequences of sin which are themselves sinful as those last mentioned are render us vile From this first Observation take these four inferences First If man be vile in that threefold respect before spoken of he is so in many more then let not any man prize himself much We do not prize vile things without us why then should we much prize our selves who are vile We are very apt to have thoughts of our selves beyond our selves or to think of our selves beyond what is meet Did we remember that we were vile high thoughts of self would soon down and we would cease from our selves as well as from other men saying Wherein are we men to be accounted of Isa 2.22 The best man of meer men hath but a little breath in his nostrils and he hath much sin in his soul wherein then or for what as a natural man is any man to be accounted of Did we know our selves more understandingly we should know our selves less valuingly In which sense Job said Chap. 9.21 Though I were perfect I would not know my soul It is our ignorance who and what we are which causeth us to have high thoughts of our selves as it is our ignorance who and what Christ is which causeth us to have such low thoughts of him and such slow or slight desires after him Joh. 3.10 Secondly As because we are vile we should take heed of prizing our selves much so we should more take heed of being proud of our selves at all Indeed where the former is where any person man or woman sets too high a price upon self it is very hard to abstain from pride in self for pride in self arises from over-prizing of self We first think too well of our selves and then are lifted up in our selves As it is through the power of faith that our hearts are lifted up to God and in God so whensoever our hearts are lifted up in our selves glorying in our own attainments or to our selves gaping after our own ends it proceeds from pride Thirdly See the exceeding goodness of God who hath put honour upon vile man We have made our selves vile and so we should reckon our selves yet the Lord is pleased to esteem his people highly and make them honourable Isa 43.4 Since thou wast precious in my sight thou hast been honourable Job was vile as he confessed in his own sight yet he was precious in Gods sight And thus the Lord estimates all that are godly all that are true believers â—hough vile and of no value in themselves nor in their own sight yet precious they are in his sight Since thou wast precious in my sight thou hast been honourable We are never truly honourable till precious in the sight of God There is a bubble which the world calls honour a wind of fame with which many are much affected and with which some are invested who are not at all precious in the sight of God The best the truest honour ariseth from preciousness in the sight of God they who are esteemed by God are indeed persons of estimation His grace shewed favourably and freely to us his grace working mightily and effectually in us puts a blessed worth upon us though we are vile in our selves and so accounted by the world Fourthly See the goodness of God in this also that though we are vile yet he is pleased to set his heart upon us and to mind us We little mind vile things light things trifles we lightly pass by We are but a light thing a vile thing in our selves yet God not only hath us in his heart but sets his heart upon us Thus spake Job in the lowest ebbe of his outward felicity and he spake it admiringly as well as truly Chap. 7.17 What is man that thou shouldst magnifie and that thou shouldst set thine heart upon him When he saith What is man it is as it he had said Man is but a vile thing yet the Lord is mindful of him yea magnifieth him And though the Lord forbids us to set our hearts or affections on earthly things Col. 3.2 on the best of earthly things all which are comprehended under that one word or title Riches Psal 62.10 And though the reason why he forbids us to set our hearts upon these things is because they aâ—e vile yet he is pleased O infinite goodnesse to set his heart upon us though we are vile and considered as sinful much more vile than they even than the vilest of them We have the like question put again Psal 144.3 Lord what is man that thou takest knowledge of him or the son of man that thou makest account of him What is man 'T is a diminishing question implying that man is a vile thing or a nothing Is it not then a wonderful thing is it not the fruit of rich and free grace that God should take an account or make such an account of man And if God sets his heart upon man who is so vile how should man set his heart upon God who is so infinitely excellent God may be said to descend surely he condescends exceedingly when he sets his heart upon vile man The Lord humbleth himself saith David Psal 113.6 to behold that is to take any notice of or to take into his consideration the things that are in heaven and in the earth how much more doth he descend condescend and humble himself when he sets his heart upon vile man Now doth God set his heart upon vile man which is an humbling to him and shall not vile man set his heart upon the great and glorious God which is not only his duty but his felicity his honour and exaltation Again Job saith I am vile What was Job a godly man sure a holy man by Gods own testimony yet even he speaks at this low rate of himself Behold I am vile Hence note Secondly The better we are the less we esteem our selves and still the better and better we grow the lower are our thoughts of our selves There is no greater argument of height in grace than low thoughts of self Next to faith in Christ self-denial or to deny our selves is the great duty of the Gospel Mat. 16.24 Now as to deny our selves is to be very low in our own eyes so it is one of the highest acts of grace in us and requires not only truth of of grace but
that we are vile in vain do we cry for deliverance or hope for mercy When we are lowest in our own eyes we are nearest to our exaltation when once we say in our hearts we are nothing we deserve nothing we have spoken lightly we have done lightly salvation will not tarry 1 Pet. 5.7 Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God and he will lift you up in due time If we would be lifted up out of any affliction we must be at this humbling work We shall never work as I may say upon the heart of God unless we are thus at work with our own hearts or till this work be done upon our hearts Our great work lies within especially in a day of tryal and tribulation such as Job was in Job was speedily reduced to his former honour and greatness when once through grace he had wrought his heart to this confession Behold I am vile What shall I answer thee As if Job had said truly I have nothing to answer thee Thou O Lord hast given such demonstrations of thy greatness of thy power of the excellency of thy wisdom of thy goodness that I have nothing to say but this that I can say nothing What shall I answer thee I know not what to answer or I have nothing to answer As in a great strait when we know not what to do we usually say What shall we do So here it sheweth that Job was no way able to answer when he said What shall I answer The Hebrew is What shall I return or turn back We may exemplifie this passionate interrogation by that of the Patriark Judah Gen. 44.16 when Joseph would have detained Benjamin having found the cup in his sacks mouth Judah said What shall we say unto my Lord what shall we speak or how shall we clear our selves Here are three questions to shew that he had nothing to answer First What shall we say to my Lord Secondly What shall we speak Thirdly How shall we clear our selves Truly we know not what to say nor speak nor how to clear our selves The plain truth is we have nothing at all to answer for our selves but to yield our selves to thy mercy Thus Job I am vile what shall I answer thee the great God the holy God the mighty God the wise God what shall I answer thee Hence note When God is opponent no man can be respondent God can put such questions and make such objections as no man is able to answer Thus spake Job at the 3d verse of the ninth Chapter If he that is God will contend with him that is with man he cannot answer him one of a thousand Which implyeth that not only not one among very many men but that not one among all men or that not any man is able to answer if God will contend The Apostle saith of all men in a state of sin Rom. 3.19 We know that what things soever the law saith it saith to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God If the Lord should make objections against or charge sinners according to the strictness and severity of the law the best the holiest of men could not find an answer or no answer would be found in their mouths how much less could any answer him who not only were altogether born in sin as all are and as the proud Pharisees told the poor man in the Gospel he was Joh. 9.34 but abide and continue in sin How will the mouthes of all such be stopt with a sense of their self-guiltiness how mute how answerless will they stand before God or say as Job in the Text but in a ten thousand times sadder plight than he What shall we answer It is the happiness of humbled sinners that they have Christ to answer for them seeing in that case no sinner can answer for himself And such is the Majesty and glory of God when it breaks forth in any case to a poor creature that it leaves him quite answerless and takes away not only all matter of dispute but of speech and therefore Job resolves upon silence as appears by what he saith in the last clause of this verse I will lay my hand upon my mouth As if he had said That all may see I know not what to answer I will stop up the conveyance of answers What this Scripture phrase to lay the hand upon the mouth imports hath been opened Chap. 21.5 In brief Jobs meaning in resolving thus was as if he had said I will impose silence upon my self Or thus Lord thou shalt not need to silence me or to stop my mouth I will do it my self I know not what to answer thee but if I did if I could gather up something that might look like an answer yet I will not answer I will lay my hand upon my mouth Further when he saith I will lay my hand upon my mouth it may imply that he would fain have been answering though he could not tell what to answer The tongue if left at liberty if not checkt will be making answers Constituo linguae licentiam perâ—nitèr coercere when it cannot answer any thing to purpose and therefore as David said Psal 39.1 I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me So would Job here while the Holy one was before him fearing he might give further offence while he went about to take off offences The tongue of a good man needs a bridle and the better any man is the more he bridles his tongue Job had offended with his tongue though he had not spoken wickedly yet he had spoken rashly and inconsiderately and now he saith I will lay my hand upon my mouth Hence note We should be very watchful over that which hath been an instrument or an occasion of sin He that hath offended with his mouth should lay his hand upon his mouth and take order with his tongue It is better to be silent than to offend in speaking Socrates l. 4. hist Eccles cap. 18. Pambâ— as the Church Historian reports confessed that in forty nine years he had scarcely learned the meaning of or the duty contained in the first and â—econd verses of the thirty ninth Psalm concerning the due restraint and government of the tongue Secondly Note Hoc suppliâ—ii gonus linguarium appellant Sanct. It is necessary sometimes to abridge our selves in what we may do lest we should do what we may not This is a holy revenge and it is one of those seven effects of Godly sorrow which works repentance not to be repented of 2 Cor. 7.11 We should in some cases forbear to speak at all for fear we should speak amiss They who are truly wise are much asham'd to speak when once they see their error in speaking or how apt they are to erre in speaking and therefore lay that penalty upon their tongues either to spare speaking or
spare his Servants and Children when they sin he is no cockering Father he will correct his own Children he will not only sweep his house but he will shake his house and he shakes it because it is no better swept nor kept more cleanly And if for these and such like reasons we at any time see judgment beginning at the house of God we may say with astonishment What will the end of those be who obey not the Gospel What will become of the wicked and ungodly of those who openly prophane and blaspheme his Holy Name O what appearances shall they have of God and how shall they appear before God! We read in the 25th of Jeremy of a Bowl of blood given him to carry about to the Nations A terrible message he is sent about he carries a Cup of blood about and bids the Nations drink they must drink it and saith the Lord If they shall refuse to take the Cup at thy hand to drink then shalt thou say unto them thus saith the Lord of hosts ye shall certainly drink Why For lo I begin to bring evil upon the City which is called by My Name and shall ye be utterly unpunished As if the Lord had said I have brought evil upon Jerusalem upon my own people and they have drunk very deep of that bitter Cup and do you O ye uncircumcised nations think that you shall escape We may conclude the Lord hath a terrible storm to bring upon the wicked and ungodly of the world when we hear him speaking to his own people in whirlwinds Consider this ye that forget God as such are admonished Psal 50.22 lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver For our God shall come and shall not keep silence a fire shall devour before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him as 't is said at the 3d verse of that Psalme And Then as 't is threatned Psal 2 5. shall he speak to them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure That speaking will indeed be speaking out of a whirlwind which shall hurry them away into everlasting darkness Thus far of the manner of Gods speaking to Job the second time It was still out of the whirlwind Now followeth the matter spoken or what he spake to him Vers 7. Gird up thy loins now like a man I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me I shall add but little about this verse because we have had it almost word for word Chap. 38.3 where the Lord thus bespake Job Gird up now thy loins like a man for I will demand of thee and answer thou me These words this second time spoken or repeated by God to Job fall under various apprehensions these four especially First Some look upon them meerly as a challenge sent of God Gird up now thy self like a man come stand to thy work or rather stand to thy word do thy best Secondly Others expound them as an irony or divine scorn put upon Job to humble him Come Gird up thy loinâ— like a man Don't flinch for it stand to it thou wilt surely make good the day with me Thirdly Many in a milder sense look upon these words meerly as Counsel given to Job as if the Lord had said I mean to deal further with thee Therefore come now prepare and address thy self to the business I give thee leave to make the best thou canst of thy cause Fourthly We may take these words Esto bono animo c. as spoken to Job for his Comfort and encouragement The Lord seeing him as it were sinking and refusing to speak saith to him be not troubled be of good chear man Gird up thy loins like a man As the words are taken for a challenge and under the notion of a scorn put upon Job I shall not stay upon them This phrase Gird up thy loins was opened at the 38th Chap. 't is a metaphor taken from Travellers or those that go about any business who wearing long garments used to gird them up that they might be more expeditious whether for labour or for travel Thus the words are matter of Counsel and encouragement given to Job and under that notion I shall Note two things from them First As they are words of counsel the Lord having further business with Job or more to do with him adviseth him to gird up his loins like a man Hence Observe When we have to do with God we should put out our selve to the uttermost To Gird up our loins like a man imports our best preparation and such preparation we need for every holy duty When we are to pray we had need gird up our loins like men for then we are to wrestle or strive with God we must work it out with God in the duty of prayer and if our garments hang loose that is our affections be upon the earth and our hearts in the corners of the world how can we prevail with God in prayer we must gird up our loins like men when we declare our desires and requests to God in prayer and expect that God should answer us The holy Prophet complained of the Jews failing in this Isa 64.7 There is none that calleth upon thy name that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee Doubtless many called upon God in those days but they did not stir up themselves to take hold of God by faith and so their prayers went for no prayers And when we go to hear the word wherein God deals with us we had need gird up the loins of our minds else we cannot mind the word while we hear it nor remember much less practice the word which we have heard The Scripture often calls us to preparation for every duty What can discomposed persons loose-spirited persons loose-loin'd persons do with God or for God When we have any thing to do with God any thing to do for God we should do our best and be at our best we should play the men Master Broughton expresseth it well though not clear to the words in the Original Let me see thy skill or how skilfully thou canst handle the matter with me The Lord would have us shew our skill when we have any thing to do with him or to do for him we should then play the men and not the children much less should we play the fools be sloathful sluggish and careless Especially we should do this with respect to the appearing of Jesus Christ in the great day of our account Christ himself gives the rule Stand with your loyns girt and your lamps burning as those servants that wait for their Lords coming When Christ our Lord comes all must come before him but none shall be able to stand before him but they who stand with loyns girt that is who are ready and in that readiness wait for his coming Secondly Taking these words as words of encouragement Gird up thy loyns like a man Poor heart do not
to Joshua Josh 1.5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life What a promise was here to a man Joshua was indeed one of the worthiest warriers that ever was upon the earth and may well be reckoned not only one of but the cheif or most worthy among the nine Worthies of the world seing no man could stand before him nor should in way of opposition all the days of his life Now if the Lord promised such a power unto Joshua and made it good that none should be able to stand before him all the days of his life then who among the children of men shall be able to stand before God The Prophet Malachy speaking of Christs coming Chap. 3.1 saith Behold he shall suddenly come into his Temple even the Messenger of the Covenant But what follows ver 2. Who may abide the day of his coming If there was such a terribleness in Christs coming in the flesh as to the spiritual power and effects of it that the Prophet saith Who may abide the day of his coming O then who shall be able to stand before Christ when he shall come in glory to judge the earth If they could not abide the day of his coming when he came with refiners fire and fullers sope how will they be able to stand before him when he cometh with consuming fire No man can stand before God in any of these four ways First In his own wisdom to plead it out with God If we plead with God our wisdom will be found foolishness and we our selves shall be confounded as fools The Lord saith Job Chap. 12.17 maketh the Judges fools Judges are usually full of wisdom yet God maketh even them fools God in strict sense maketh none nor would he have any made Judges but the wise yet he himself can make the wisest of them fools And if so then there is no standing before God in our own wisdom Secondly There is no standing before God in our own strength or power Our strength is but weakness yea rottennâ—ss to his as the Prophet speaks Isa 5.24 Their root shall be rottenness and there blossome shall go up as the dust Thus it is with all flesh if they stand in their own strength their root which is their strength shall be as rottenness and their blossome which is their beauty shall go up as the dust Thirdly There is no standing before God in our own righteousness to be acquitted accepted and justified There are many deficiencies and flawâ— in our righteousness therefore we cannot stand before God in it there is much unrighteousness in our righteousness therefore we cannot stand before God in it and how righteous if I may so speak soever our righteousness is or may be yet we cannot stand before God in it because he hath appointed another righteousness or the righteousness of another even the righteousness of Jesus Christ for us to stand before him in So then if we would stand before God all these must be laid down we must lay down our own wisdom we must become fools that we may be wise we must lay down our own strength we must become weak that we may be strong and we must lay down our own righteousness and look upon our selves as guilty creatures as condemned persons as cast and lost in our selves we must have nothing but the wisdom and strength and righteousness of God to stand before God in that is we must stand before God by faith God is not terrible to such they may stand before God the poorest sinner may stand before God in the wisdom and strength and righteousness of Jesus Christ Thus we may answer the question Who can stand before me saith God I can stand before thee saith a believer I can stand before thee with boldness being quit of self-wisdom strength and righteousness and looking to Christ Jesus for all How sweet how gracious and how delightful is the presence of God to an humble believing soul to a broken-hearted sinner The Lord saith I will dwell with such a one he shall not only come and stand before me but I will come and sit down with him I will take up my abode in an humble soul in an empty soul Who is able to stand before me saith God None can in their own wisdom strength or righteousness but in Christ we may From hence we may more than conclude Fourthly That there is no standing before God in our sins God is terrible to sinners that is to those who continue in the love and practice of their sins God is of purer eyes than to behold and approve evil David having spoken of those Psal 1.1 that stand in the way of sinners saith at the 5th ver there is a standing for them in the Judgment They that stand in the way of sinners cannot stand at the Judgment-seat of God Job said Chap. 13.16 A hypocrite shall not come before him that is he shall not come with acceptance before God Though hypocrites will thrust themselves into the presence of God yet they shall not come before him though now an hypocrite may come before God in any outward performance yet not with any acceptance and to be sure he shall not come before God in glory and if he shall not come before him how can he stand before him The Lord will even blow him away Only they that fall down before God are able to stand before him We must fall down before God in a sence of our own vileness and wretchedness and then we shall be able to stand before him and to behold his pleased face by an eye of faith A stout sinner shall never stand before him It is said Zech. 3.1 Joshua stood before the Angel of the Lord. He had much ado to keep his standing why because the Devil stood there to resist him and pointed to his filthy garments but the Angel pleaded with the Lord to take away his filthy garments and when they were taken away then he was able to stand before God It is said Zech. 4.14 which is conceived to be meant of Joshua and Zerubbabel These are the two anointed ones which stand before the Lord of the whole earth And as they in the type so all that are Olive-branches that have the pure oil of the Spirit may and shall stand before God We become Olive-branches in Christ having the oil or the graces of the Spirit sent down into our hearts according to the promise Holy and humble souls Olive-branches they that are full of the grace and Spirit of our Lord Jesus shall stand before God but as for man himself that is man in himself in his own wisdom strength or righteousness above all in his sins and unrighteousness can never stand before God If he cannot stand before Leviathan how can he stand before the Lord This is a great Gospel truth given in by himself while he is treating of this sea-monster There is no standing before
respect First because 't is that which the wisdom of God the Father hath provided for us and Secondly which the worthiness of God the Son hath wrought out and procured for us Take two or three Inferences from the general Observation thus far prosecuted That true repentance is joyned with self abhorrence First Then self-admirers are no repenters They are at the furthest remove from abhorring themselves who admire themselves Secondly Self-justifiers are no true repenters Christ told the Pharisees Luke 16.15 Ye are they which justifie your selves They are far from abhorring themselves who justifie themselves such surely are highly pleased with themselves and have much confidence in themselves therefore very far from self-abhorrence Thirdly What shall I say of their repentance who instead of abhorring themselves abhor others Luke 18.9 Christ spake a Parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others and presently instanced in the Pharisee who despised the poor Publican and called him in contempt This Publican he would as we say hardly touch him with a pair of tongs They that despise others are usually if not alwayes much pleased with themselves Fourthly If these self-boasters and self-admirers c. are not repenters then do they repent who are so far from abhorring sinful self and righteous self that they take pleasure in sin and unrighteousness whether their own or others The Apostle speaks of such Rom. 1.32 Who knowing the judgement of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death not only do the same but have pleasure in them that do them That 's a dreadful word 2 Thes 2.12 That they all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness O how far are they from abhorring their own righteousness who take pleasure in unrighteousness How are they puffed up with that which hath but a shew of righteousness who please themselves with that which is really unrighteous Fifthly If true repentance be accompanied with self-abhorrence then do they repent who return to those sins which they say they have repented of do you think the dog loaths his vomit when you see him go back and lick it up again 2 Pet. 2.22 When once the Jews loathed or abhorred Manna they had no mind to eat of it though it was Angels food When Job loathed his life he said he would live no longer Chap. 7.16 I loath it I would not live alwayes that is not at all not an hour longer in this world He that is weary of his life thinks to live but a day or a little longer is to live alwayes or that his life will never end Thus if a man doth truly loath and abhor his sin he will not return to it again though it hath been as sweet to him as Manna yea as life it self I do not say that he who loaths and abhors his sin can never relapse into the same sin or be overtaken with it again but this I say he that truly repents never delights in sin again he never goeth back to it and licketh it up as a dog his vomit A good man may fall into the same sin but he never returneth to the same sin he may be overtaken with the same sin but he never taketh up the same sin again That 's the Apostles word Gal. 6.1 If any of you be overtaken with a fault c. A good man may be overtaken with the same fault but he never taketh up that fault nor runs a course in that sin again I shall only add these two words for the working of our souls to this self-abhorrence First The more we abhor our selves the more God delighteth in us the more we are displeased with our sins the more is he pleased with our persons the worse the viler we are in our own eyes the better we are and the more beautiful in the eye of God Secondly Unless we abhor our selves God will abhor us I may say unless we so repent as to abhor our selves God will abhor our very repentance There is no true repentance without some degree of self-abhorrence yea of self-condemnation Let us not take up this word repentance too easily that is when we know not what this word self-abhorrence meaneth We defile this holy this precious thing called repentance when our hearts are not fully taken off from that or thole sins of which we say we repent All such would have that go for repentance towards God which indeed is but a mocking of God and can never be joyned from which true repentance cannot be separated with faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ Acts 20.21 I abhor my self said Job And repent in dust and ashes I shall here give somewhat about the nature of repentance in general and then gather up those particular Observations which arise from these words about it Repentance is a grace of the Gospel wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Word and Spirit turning the whole man from all sin to God in the sincere and universal obedience of his holy will In this description of repentance we have four things considerable First The nature of it or what it is A grace of the Gospel Secondly The seat of it or where it is wrought The heart of a sinner Thirdly The means by which it is wrought and that twofold First Instrumental The Word Secondly Principal The Spirit Fourthly The issue or effect of it Conversion or turning wherein two things are to be taken notice of First the term from which the turn is made Sin and all sin Secondly the term to which the turn is made God thus explained In the sincere or universal obedience of his holy will or in the practice of every known duty First I say Repentance is a grace of the Gospel Some possibly may say Job was before the Gospel I answer no The Gospel was published long before Job was born even as soon as God promised the seed of the woman Christ Jesus should bruise the Serpents head Gen. 3.15 The whole body of Gospel duty moves upon these two feet Faith and Repentance Some have questioned which of these two graces hath the precedency or takes the first step in the motion of the soul heaven-ward All that I shall say in answer to it is First that where these two graces are mentioned together in Scripture usually repentance is named first because it appears first and is most visible to us in its actings yet Faith is to be understood first because without that no man can come to Christ as a true penitent for pardon of sin and reconciliation unto God Secondly in those Scriptures where true saving repentance is spoken of alone it supposeth faith also and where true saving faith only is spoken of it necessarily implyeth true repentance This repentance is so much a grace of the Gospel that the first Sermon that ever was preacht at the approach of Christ or at the opening of the Gospel in the new
that is their own peace interest and advantage is all that moves them to it or is designed and aimed at by them in it they mind not the glory of God nor his reparation in honour which hath been by their sin greatly impaired The Lord was down-right with Israel in this Jer. 4.1 If thou wilt return O Israel saith the Lord return unto me intimating that Israel used to make some kind of repenting turns but short of God they minded not God sincerely in them but the removal of some rod or trouble that was come or which they feared was coming upon them They return to God in repenting who repent with a holy resolve upon their hearts to obey God and with a longing desire to enjoy God all the days of their life Thus upon the occasion of Jobs saying I repent I have briefly opened the duty of repentance of such a repentance as without all peradventure Job was then exercised in His was the grace of repentance his repentance was wrought in his heart chiefly by the immediate word and speakings of God to him He turned fully in it from all his passions and expostulations with God which were at that time his special sin to a meek quiet submission to the will of God and a resting in his dispensations All this was wrapped up in this short word I repent Further consider when Job said I repent in dust and ashes he was not then to begin his repentance he had repented long before yet then he began a new work of repentance or then he renewed his repentance Hence note First New sinnings call for new repentings As the new leakings of a ship calls for new pumpings and repairs so I say new sins call for new repentings There is a first repentance and there is a second repentance First Repentance is our coming out of a state of sin of which Christ spake Mat. 11.20 21. Then began he to upbraid the Cities wherein most of his mighty works were done because they repented not Wo unto you Chorazin and wo unto you Bethsaida for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes that is they had come out of their sins Those converts in the Acts of the Apostles chap. 2.38 repented that is they came out of a sinful state Now as there is a repentance which I call our coming out of a state of sin so there is a repentance which is a coming off from this and that act of sin and this is the repentance which Job was upon Again this repentance as to acts of sin is two-fold First Our ordinary and every days repentance Secondly Our extraordinary repentance When we have fallen greatly when we have sinned extraordinary of when the Lord brings any extraordinary judgment upon us then the Lord expects extraordinary repentance such was Davids repentance in the 51. Psalm and such was Jobs repentance here as it was in general for sin so for some extraordinary sinful failings Secondly Consider what was Jobs sin Job was no vile person he had committed no gross acts of wickedness If you would know what Jobs sin was it was impatience under Gods dealings with him and his distrustfulness as to Gods delivering of him yet even his were great sins Hence note Not only gross sins murder adultery and the oppression of our neighbours are great sins but impatiency under the hand of God and unwary speeches concerning the dealings of God with us are great sins Every great sin is not a gross sin Drunkenness and swearing and adultery and murder are gross sins but impatience under afflictions and unbelief not resting upon God in an evil day these are great sins though not gross sins Remember not only are gross sins great sins but many sins which appear not to the eye nor to the ear may yet be great sins especially as to the person that committeth them Thirdly note Not gross sins only but slips of the tongue and impatiency under Gods hand are to be repented of Job not only acknowledged these to be sins but repenteth of these nor had he any other matter to repent of When we are under some great sickness or any other affliction as we are to repent of former sins so let us repent of our sickness and affliction-sins that is of impatience or any unwary speeches in our affliction These Job repented of Again how did Job repent It was in dust and ashes Hence Observe Fourthly Open sins must have open repentance That 's intended by repenting in dust and ashes We are not bound to repent openly of all our sins but in in these two cases we are First When we have done any thing that hath openly dishonoured God Secondly When we have scandalized or offended others In these cases we must repent openly so far that they who are concerned may have a testimony of our repentance When Job repented in dust and ashes he like those servants of Benhadad who came with ropes about their necks testified that he deserved to be thrown into the dust or to be burnt to ashes We can neither edifie nor satisfie such as are grieved by our sins unless our repentance be visible and we appear repenting As the light of our zeal must so shine before men that they may see our good works so the light of our repentance must so shine before men that they may see us humbled for and turning from our evil works and glorifie our father which is in heaven Fifthly Note We may testifie our repentance by outward signs Here was not only the reallity of repentance but the ceremony of it There are many outward signs of repentance spoken of in Scripture Such are First Smiting upon the thigh thus Ephraim is described repenting Jerem. 31.19 Secondly Smiting upon the breast so the Publican is described repenting Luke 18.13 He smote upon his breast and said God be merciful to me a sinner Thirdly Laying aside our ornaments thus the Lord commanded the Israelites Exod. 33.5 Put off thy ornaments from thee that I may know to do unto thee as if God had said humble thy self openly and repent Fâ—urthly The putting on of sack-cloth this the Jews were called to do Isa 22.12 Fifthly Holding down the head The Jews Isa 58.5 were not reproved for doing that but because they did it like a bull-rush only when a storm was upon them Sixthly Renting the garment and walking softly So did Ahab 1 Kings 21.27 Seventhly as in the text Job saith he did sitting in dust and ashes I do not say these or the like are absolutely necessary to repentance but they are lawful and have their use When the Prophet Joel 2.13 said Rent your hearts not your garments that is rent your hearts rather than your garments it was not a prohibition but a direction or if rent your garments be sure you rent your hearts also else all your outward modes of repentance are in vain
c. This Text answereth that command they went and did according as the Lord commanded them Their obedience to the Lords command is described three wayes First by the speediness of it They went Secondly by the exactness of it They went and did according as the Lord commanded them Thirdly by the good issue and fruit of it The Lord also accepted Job So Eliphaz the Temanitâ— and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went These were the three persons who had to do with Job in that long contest opened in the body of this book these are the persons against whom the Lords wrath was kindled because they had not spoken of him the thing that was right as his servant Job these were the persons to whom the Lord gave command to b ing their sacrifice to Job and offer it up for themselves that reconciliation might be made theâ—e persons went all three went As all th ee were wrapt up in one fault as all three were in the same sin so they all three joyned together and agreed in their obedience to the command of God and in repentance for their sin and faultiness They went Having received a command to go they did not tarry and stay to coâ—sider whether they should go or stay they did not put in any demur to the matter but went which implyeth first as was said the speediness of their obedience they went presently secondly the willingness of their obedience their minds were in the work as well as their bodies thirdly the cheerfulness of their obedience they went as if they had been to take a pleasing or pleasant Journey They went and what did they They went And did according as the Lord commanded them Their obedience was not only speedy and willing and cheerful but exact These words They did according as the Lord commanded them yield us a great example of full of compleat obedience they not only did what was commanded but they did it as it was commanded yea and they did it because it was commanded Singulare eâ— emplum docilitatis et modestiae ut qui etiam nec improbitate nec malevolentia sed pet imprudentiam peccarunt Bez. for that must come in to make up the fulness of our obedience Here is then a great example of humility of modesty of meekness and of submission to the will of God They went and did according as the Lord commanded them What was that They brought their sacrifice first for kind and secondly for number as the Lord had commanded them The Lord commanded them to bring Bullocks and Rams they brought them The Lord commanded them to bring seven Bullocks and seven Rams they brought them as the Lord commanded both for kind and for number Secondly They brought them to Job The Lord said Go to my servant Job they went to Job according as the Lord commanded them Thirdly We must suppose they intreated Job to undertake the Office of a Reconciler of a Mediator of a Priest between God and them according as the Lord commanded Though this piece of their submission and obedience be not expressed yet it is intimated and implyed nor could it be omitted it being not only a part but the principal part of that duty which the Lord laid upon them Thus in all things they submitted and were obedient according to the command of the Lord. First In that we have all three named here in this matter of obedience Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went Observe It is very good in it self and very pleasing to God when they who have joyned in any sin or miscarriage towards himself or others joyn readily together in shewing their sorrow and repentance for it It was a blessed sight to see those three men coming as one man about this duty not one of them drawing back not one of them putting in any plea against the command of God There are three things wherein it is very pleasant to behold the people of God joyning in one First when they joyn or are one in Opinion and Judgment when they all think the same thing and are of one mind in the truth Secondly When they joyne together and are one in affection when they are all of one heart though possibly they are not all of one mind or when they meet in affection though not in opinion Psal 133.1 Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity And when David had spoken admiringly of this goodly sight he spake declaratively concerning the goodness of it vers 2. It is like the precious oyntment upon the head 'T is so first for the sweetness of it 't is so secondly for the diffusiveness of it as followeth that ran down upon the beard even Aarons beard that went down to the skirts of his garments Thirdly which is the matter in the text it is a blessed thing to see them joyning together in duty either as duty is considered First in doing that which is good or when as the Apostles word is 2 Cor. 6.1 they are among themselves workers together in any good work we say to fill up the Text workers together with God That 's a blessed sight indeed when we joyne with God and God joyneth with us in his work It is also a blessed sight when all the Ministers of Jesus Christ and any as members of Jesus Christ joyn in any good work in this especially to beseech all we have to do with that they receive not the grace of God in vain Secondly in turning from evil and putting iniquity far from them in praying for the pardon of sin and making their peace with God In this work the three in the Text joyned together 'T is a good work to turn away from evil especially when all who are concerned in it joyn in it A great mourning is prophesied Zech. 12.11 12 13. And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart the Family of the house of Levi apart and their Wives apart c. Here 's a great mourning with a turning from sin prophesied of as also the manner of it Every family shall mourn apart But though they shall mourn apart yet they shall all joyn in mourning a whole family shall mourn apart not a part of a family and as the whole of a family shall mourn so â—ll the Families shall mourn and repent and seek reconciliation to God as if they were but one family yea but one person As to joyn in sin and to be brethren in iniquity is the worst of unions indeed a combination against God so to joyn as Brethren in mourning for sin and repenting of our iniquities is a blessed union and highly pleasing unto God Secondly In that it is said They went and did as the Lord commanded Observe When the Lord commandeth we must speedily obey We
found matters mending with himself and the answers of prayer in the mercies of God coming tumbling in thick and three-fold His captivity fled far away when he had thus drawn near to God he had as a very full and satisfactory so a very speedy answer When he prayed Prayer is the making known our wants and desires to God It is a spiritual work not a meer bodily exercise it is the labour of the heart not lip-labour Jobs prayer was a fervent working or effectual prayer as the Apostle James speaks chap. 5.16 not a cold slothful sleepy prayer when he prayed he made work of prayer Many speak words of prayer that make no work of prayer nor are they at work in prayer Job prayed in the same sense that Saul afterwards Paul did Acts. 9.11 when the Lord Jesus bid Ananias go to him for Behold he prayeth implying that he was at it indeed He had been brought up after the strictest rule of the Pharisees who prayed much or made many prayers but he prayed to so little purpose before that we may well call that his first prayer and say he had never prayed before Job prayed for his friends as Paul for himself he was very earnest with God for them and prevailed Extraordinary cases call for extraordinary layings out in duty It was an extraordinary case When he prayed For his friends The Hebrew is When he prayed for his friend Singulare partitivum pro plurali Merc. It is usual in the Grammar of the holy Text to put the singular for the plural 'T is so here either First because he prayed for every one of them distinctly and by name or Secondly because he looked upon them all as one and bound them up in the same requests When he prayed For his friends They are called his friends to shew the esteem that he had of them notwithstanding all their unkindness and unfriendliness towards him He prayed for them in much love O raram singularem virtutem quae in paucissimis vel Christianis reperiatur Merc. though they had shewed little love to him and his heart was so much towards them that the Text speaks as if he had forgot himself or left himself at that time quite out of his prayers Doubtless Job prayed for himself but his great business at that time with God was for his friends Now in that Jobs prayer is said expresly to be for his friends not for himself though we cannot doubt but that he prayed and prayed much for himself Observe A godly man is free to pray for others as well as for himself and in some cases or at some times more for others than for himself He seldom drives this blessed trade with heaven for self only and he sometimes doth it upon the alone account of others 'T is a great piece of spiritualness to walk exactly and keep in with God to the utmost that so our own personal soul concerns may not take up our whole time in prayer but that we may have a freedom of spirit to inlarge for the benefit of others Many by their uneven walkings exceedingly hinder themselves in this duty of praying for friends and of praying for the whole Church Uneven walkings hinder that duty in a twofold respect First Because they indispose the heart to prayer in general which is one special reason why the Apostle Peter gives that counsel to Husband and Wife 1 Pet. 3.7 to walk according to knowledge and as being heirs together of the same grace of life that saith he your prayers be not hindred that is lest your hearts be indisposed to prayer Secondly Because uneven walkings will find us so much work for our selves in prayer that we shall scarce have time or leisure to intend or sue out the benefit of others in prayer He that watcheth over his own heart and wayes will be and do most in prayer for others And that First For the removing or preventing of the sorrows and sufferings of others Secondly For the removing of the sins of others yea though their sins have been against himself which was Jobs case He prayed for those who had dealt very hardly with him and sinned against God in doing so he prayed for the pardon of their sin God being very angry with them and having told them he would deal with them according to their folly unless they made Job their friend to him This was the occasion of Jobs travelling in prayer for his friends and in this he shewed a spirit becoming the Gospel though he lived not in the clear light of it And how uncomely is it that any should live less in the power of the Gospel while they live more in the light of it To pray much for others especially for those who have wronged and grieved us hath much of the power of the Gospel and of the Spirit of Christ in it For thus Jesus Christ while he was nailed to the Cross prayed for the pardon of their sins and out-rages who had crucified him Father forgive them for they know not what they do Luke 23.34 Even while his crucifiers were reviling him he was begging for them and beseeching his Father that he would shew them mercy who had shewed him no mercy no nor done him common justice And thus in his measure Jobs heart was carryed out in his prayer for his friends that those sins of theirs might be forgiven them by which they had much wronged him yea and derided him in a sort upon his Cross as the Jews did Christ upon his This also was the frame of Davids heart towards those that had injured him Psal 109.4 For my love they are my adversaries that 's an ill requital but how did he requite them we may take his own word for it he tells us how but I give my self unto prayer yea he seemed a man wholly given unto prayer The elegant conciseness of the Hebrew is But I prayer we supply it thus But I give my self unto prayer They are sinning against me requiting my love with hatred But I give my self unto prayer But for whom did he pray doubtless he prayed and prayed much for himself he prayed also for them We may understand those words I give my self unto prayer two wayes First I pray against their plots and evil dealings with me prayer was Davids best strength alwayes against his enemies yet that was not all But Secondly I give my self to prayer that the Lord would pardon their sin and turn their hearts when they are doing me mischief or though they have done me mischief I am wishing them the best good David in another place shewed what a spirit of charity he was cloathed with when no reproof could hinder him from praying for others in some good men reproofs stir up passion not prayer Psal 141.5 Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindness smite me how with reproof so it followeth Let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oyl which shall not break my
Spirit in it and therefore it must needs make great turns God turned the captivity of Job when he prayed Sixthly Jesus Christ presents such prayers the prayers of faith the prayers of repentance unto God his Father Christs intercession gives effect or gets answer to our supplications The Father hears the Son always John 11.42 and so he doth all them whose prayers are offered to him by the Son Revel 8.3 The angel came and stood at the altar having a golden censer and there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne The angel there spoken of is the angel or messenger of the Covenant prophesied of Mal. 3.1 that is Jesus Christ 't is he he alone who offers the incense of his own prayers with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne and being there represented doing so presently as it followeth ver 5. There were voices and thunders and lightenings signifying the wonderful effects of prayer till it should come after many turnings in the world or as I may say after a world of turnings to the Lords turning of Sions captivity as here of Jobs Seventhly Jesus Christ doth not only present the prayers of believers to God but also prayeth in them when saints pray he prayeth in them for he and they are mystically one And as Christ is in believers the hope of glory Col. 1.27 so he is in them the help of duty and so much their help that without him they can do nothing John 15.5 Now a believers prayer being in this sense Christs prayer it cannot but do great things Lastly As Jesus Christ presents the prayers of believers to the Father and prayeth in them or helps them to pray by the blessed and holy Spirit sent down according to his gracious promise into their hearts so he himself prayeth for them when they are not actually praying for themselves For saith the Apostle Heb. 7.25 He ever liveth to make intercession for them The best believers do not always make supplications for themselves but Christ is always making as well as he ever lives to make intercession for them The Apostle speaking of Christs intercession useth the word in the present tense or time which denoteth a continued act Rom. 8.34 Who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us The sacrifice of Christ though but once offered is an everlasting sacrifice and this other part of his priestly-office his intercession is everlasting as being often yea always or everlastingly offered The way or manner of Christs making everlasting intercession for us is a great secret it may suffice us to know and believe that he doth it Now it is chiefly from this everlasting intercession of Christ that both the persons of the elect partake of the benefits of his sacrifice and that their prayers are answered for the obtaining of any good as also for the removal of any evil as here Jobs was for the turning of his captivity Thus I have given a brief accompt of this inference that if prayer prevails to turn the captivity of others then much more our own Prayer hath had a great hand in all the good turns that ever the Lord made for his Church And when the Lord shall fully turn the captivity of Sion his Church he will pour out a mighty spirit of prayer upon all the sons of Sion The Prophet fore-shewed the return of the captivity of the Jews out of Babilon Jerem. 29.10 After seventy years be accomplished at Babilon I will visit you and perform my good word towards you in causing you to return to this place for I know the thoughts that I think towards you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end But what should the frame of their hearts be at that day the 12th verse tells us And ye shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken These words may bear a two-fold sense First The sense of a command Then shall ye call upon me and then shall ye go and pray That is your duty in that day Secondly I conceive they may also bear the sense of a promise then shall your hearts be inlarged then I will pour out a spirit of prayer upon you And ye shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken We may conclude the approach of mercy when we discern the spirits of men up in and warm at this duty Many enquire about the time when the captivity of Sion shall fully end we may find an answer to that question best by the inlargement of our own hearts in prayer David speaking of that said Psal 102.17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute the meanest and lowest shrubs in grace as the word there used imports and not despise that is he will highly esteem and therefore answer their prayer How much more the prayer of the tall cedars in grace or of the strong wrestlers when they call upon him and cry unto him with all their might day and night The Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends Nor was it a bare turn As Job did not offer a lean sacrifice to God in prayer but the strength of his soul went out in it so the Lord in giving him an answer did not give him a lean or slight return but as it followeth Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before The Hebrew is The Lord added to Job to the double Some translate too barely The Lord made an accession or an addition but that doth not reach the sense intended For a little more than he had before had been an addition to what he had before but double is more than a little or the common notion of an addition the Lord gave him twice as much or double to that great estate which he had before This doubling of his estate may be taken two ways First Strictly as four is twice two and eight twice four See the wild conceits of the Jewish Rabbins about the doubling of Jobs estate in Mercer upon the place In that strict sence it may be taken here as to his personal estate but as to persons it will not hold the number of his children was the same as before If we compare this chapter with the first chapter ver 3. we find his estate doubled in strict sence Whereas Job had then seven thousand sheep now saith this chapter ver 12. he had fourteen thousand sheep and whereas before he had three thousand camels now he had six thousand camels and whereas before he had five hundred yoke of oxen now he had a thousand yoke of oxen and lastly whereas before he had five hundred she asses now he had a thousand she asses Here was double in the letter In duplum i. e. in plurimum Quam plurimum numerus finitus pro infinito
equivalently or vertually for when it is said he offered sacrifice when it is said he did eat bread with his friends in his house these are proofs of his health and what was last spoken that he had so many children proves it much more So then though this fourth part of his mercy be not mentioned yet it is implied in all that went before But that being granted 't is further queried when his health was restored whether before he prayed for his friends or in the time of his prayer for his friends or whether after all was done Some make hot disputes about this matter which surely is not much material if we knew the certainty of it nor do I know how any should attain the certain kuowledg of it seing the Scripture is utterly silent as to any determination of it There is one question more The text saith God gave Job twice as much in cattle c. but here is nothing said of his twice as much in grace here is no mention of any amendment in his spiritual state his goods were doubled but was his goodness did Job recover only in temporals I answer First The graces of Job were never lost as his cattle and children were and therefore there needed no mention of the restoring of his graces Satan by the Lords permission put him to it and tried all his graces but could not rob him of one Secondly Jobs graces were not only not lost but doubled in that exercise or combate True grace encreaseth by the ordinary use of it much more by the extraordinary trials of it And doubtless Job who was so eminently gracious increased in every grace while he continued in this fiery trial He said of himself chap. 23.10 When he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold I shall come out better than I came in He lost dross and corruption in the trial but no grace nor any degree of grace his graces were doubled or increased A believer thrives as to the inner man in affliction how much soever he loseth and goeth backward as a man As the time of affliction is a special time for the using of grace so for the increasing of it Grace never grows more in a gracious heart than in a day of trouble And though possibly a godly man doth not sensibly or to appearance grow in grace presently yet he truly doth so and in due time it will appear that he hath done so We may take this chapter for a proof of it God himself found Job much bettered in his graces else he had not used him as a mediator for his friends which was as high a spiritual honour as could be put upon him acceptance being promised and given him in that work Nor would the Lord have used that endearing word My servant my servant Job four times in one verse had not Job improved in his service which could not be but by the improvement of his graces God called Job servant once in the first chapter surely he was become a better servant now that the Lord seemed so much delighted to call him servant in this last chapter of the book when he had taken full trial of him by suffering as formerly by doing We may well conclude Job was become a more humble servant a more profitable servant a more holy servant a more spiritual servant than ever he had been when we find the Lord insisting so much upon and so often repeating that relation to him My servant Job His sufferings had mended his service and his passive obedience had fitted him more for active God was so much pleased with his service that he took pleasure to call him servant So then we may answer the querie proposed Jobs increase was not only in cattle that had been but a poor increase his increase was also in grace and goodness and he who was a servant of the Lord before was then a more approved servant The Lord having told us in the close of this verse how many sons and daughters Job had he is pleased to give us a character or description of his daughters in the two verses following JOB Chap. 42. Vers 14 15. 14. And he called the name of the first Jemima and the name of the second Kezia and the name of the third Keren-happuch 15. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren THe former verse gave us the account of Jobs children He had also seven sons and three daughters Nor is any thing more said of his sons but that they were seven but much more is said of his daughters in these two verses than that they were three and more is spoken of his daughters in three particulars First They are set forth by their names Secondly By the comliness of their persons Thirdly By the greatness of their dowry Their names are exprest in the 14th verse He called the name of the first Jemima and the name of the second Kezia and the name of the third Keren-happuch The comliness of their persons is shewed at the beginning of the 15th verse And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job The greatness of their dowry is set down at the close of the 15th verse And their father gave them inheritance among their brethren Some have queried why no more is said of the sons of Job than how many they were To such this answer may suffice it was the Lords pleasure to have no more spoken of them and where no more is said why should we expect more If any shall further enquire but were not his sons worthy persons that they are put off thus slightly and mention made only of their number not of their weight Were they not worthy to have so much as their names recorded which honour and much more is done their sisters the daughters of Job I answer We may upon good ground believe that Jobs seven sons were worthy persons because they were a great part yea the chief part of his restored happiness for as children are better than riches so among children sons are better than daughters as being the more worthy sex Sons if not well qualified are not only less worthy than daughters but a great cross to their father And therefore it would have been a diminishing of Jobs felicity to have had sons equal in number with the former yet inferior in vertue and man-like qualities we may for this reason safely conclude that though nothing be said of their worth that Jobs sons were worthy persons or persons of praise worthy qualities But seing we have nothing from divine authority but only from well-grounded reason to assert concerning Jobs sons I shall not stay the reader in any further discourse about them but proceed as the text doth with the daugtiters concerning whom we have many things to say from divine authority And First Their names must not be past with silence And