of which the wicked man beleeves he shall not returne First Some understand it of the darknesse of sin but a wicked man cannot be sayd to despaire of that about which he never had any hope Pii spe se armant in spem contra spem sperant Merc. or desire Secondly Some understand darknesse litterally and plainly of the darknesse of the night and interpret thus He beleeves not that he shall returne out of darknesse that is he is so haunted with feares every night when he lyes downe that he thinks he shall never live till the morning This is a good sense Thirdly Others understand this darknesse to be death he hath a perfect sound of dread when death comes because he beleeves not that he shall returne out of that darknesse The resurrection is the consolation of the Saints in the midst of greatest dangers and thickest darknesse because though they dye yet they beleeve they shall returne out of darknesse But a wicked man who beleeves or hopes for nothing beyond the time of this life if he be once cast into the Grave either thinkes he shall lye there for ever or if he beleeves he shall rise yet he doth not beleeve that he shall rise out of darknesse for he shall rise in darknesse and goe downe to everlasting darknesse Fourthly A fourth expounds it of internall darknesse the darknesse of his spirit or of those mists and clouds which hang about his minde A godly man falling into this darknesse doth not actually beleeve he shall returne out of it for such a faith were his returne out of it but a wicked man as he hath no ground so no possibility continuing in the state he is to beleeve it Saul had a wofull dark spirit and beleeved not that he should returne out of it by the helpe of God therefore he went to a Witch a Counsellour of the Prince of darknesse for helpe But fifthly I rather conceive as often elsewhere so here by darknesse is meant outward affliction When the destroyer comes upon him and he is cast into a sad darke condition he hath no faith for himselfe that he shall returne out of it or be delivered from it This is an extreame agravation of the miserable state of a wicked man who either hath no outward prosperity or his prosperity is nothing to him he enjoyes it not but if ever he fall into outward misery how great is his misery so great that he gives himselfe for gone a lost man for ever He beleeves not that he shall returne out of darknesse Observe hence That a wicked man neither doth not can beleeve deliverance from evill First He hath no ground to beleeve promises are the foundation of faith A wicked man may be under promises of conversion from his sin but he is not under any promise of mercy while he continues in his sin the whole Book of God yeelds him not in hat state any speciall promise for so much as a bit of bread when he hath bread he hath it from providence not from a promise or but from a generall promise He is fed as a Beast is fed the Lord being the preserver of Man and Beast He cannot have a speciall promise himselfe not being an heyre of promise Therefore when he falls into darknesse he hath no ground to beleeve Whereas a godly man never hath so much ground to beleeve as when he falls into darknesse because then he hath more promises then before his outward losses gaine him the advantage of many sweet promises which till then he could not plead for the succour and nourishment of his faith As a wicked man hath no promise of God in the sense explained at any time so a godly man hath most promises of God in evill yea in the worst of times And as a wicked man hath no ground to beleeve so he usually hath no heart to beleeve as he hath no reason to hope for better things so he hath no courage his spirit sinks and fails when his state doth Abigall had no sooner told Nabal that the destroyer was comming upon him in his prosperity but his heart sunke within him like a stone and he dyed away presently Secondly The best of a wicked mans faith that he shall returne out of darknesse is but a presumptuous fansie or meer Foole-hardinesse A good man is like a Childe in his Fathers house who takes no care but casts all upon his Parents in the greatest storme he commits the helme to Christ as Pilot he can say as David Psalm 42. when he is in trouble Why art thou disquieted O my soule He cals his soule to question and would have his soule give him a reason Why art thou troubled my soule hope in God for I shall yet praise him But a wicked man hath no God to hope in therefore he cannot say I shall yet praise him That man cannot cast his burden of cares upon the Lord Psal 55.22 who cares not how he burdens God with his sins therefore he must beare and sinke under both burdens himselfe He cannot beleeve that he shall returne out of the darknesse of trouble who delights and sports in the darknesse of iniquity Againe Consider this is brought as a proofe of the wofull condition of a wicked man It is misery enough that the destroyer shall come upon him but this is more miserable he cannot beleeve deliverance from destruction Hence Observe That want of faith in time of affliction is more greivous then affliction It is worse not to beleeve deliverance then to fall into trouble as the life of faith is the best life so the life of unbeleife is the worst life Despaire of good is the greatest evill Faith is not onely the support and reliefe of the soule in trouble but it is the victory and tryumph of the soule over trouble Faith doth not onely keep the soule alive but lively Faith keeps the soule fat and in good plight Faith is a sheild both against temptation and affliction But every blow falls upon the bare skin of an unbeleever Faith is a sheild both against the fiery darts of the Devill and with a difference against the fiery darts of God also Let God himselfe cast his darts at a Beleiver Faith secures him from hurt though not from wounds yea his very wounds through a worke of faith shall worke his good It is the comfort of a man that feareth God and obeyeth the voyce of his Servants that while he walketh in darknesse and hath no light he is bid to trust in the name of the Lord and to stay upon his God Isa 50.10 But while a man that doth not feare God walkes in darknesse and hath no light his misery is that he can neither trust in God till light comes nor that light will ever come How happy are the righteous to whom light ariseth in darknesse How unhappy are the wicked who being in darknesse conclude that the light will never arise Faith makes all
the name of Christ in it As the Name of Christ is the greatest ornament of all Books where it is August lib. 3. Confess cap. 4. so the name of Christ is the essence of all prayers and that is no prayer where his Name is not John 14.13 Whatsoever yee aske in my Name I will doe it that the Father may be glorified in the Son whatsoever yee doe doe all in the Nome of Christ giving thanks to God through him Col. 3.17 To pray in the Name of Christ is more then to name Christ in prayer It is easie to name Christ in prayer but it is a hard thing to pray in the Name of Christ To pray in the Name of Christ is First To looke up to Christ as having purchased us this priviledge that we may pray for it is by the blood of Christ that vve draw neere to God and that a Throne of grace is open for us Secondly To pray in the Name of Christ is to pray in the strength of Christ Thirdly To pray in the Name of Christ is to pray in the vertue of the present mediation of Christ vvhich carries this acknowledgement in it That what we aske on earth Christ obtaines in Heaven To pray thus is no easie matter and unlesse vve pray thus vve doe not pray at all John 16.23 24. In that day yee shall aske me nothing Verily I say unto you what soever yee shall aske the Father in my Name hee will give it you Hitherto have yee asked nothing in my Name aske and yee shall receive that your joy may be full But how doe these parts of the Text consist Why doth Christ tell them that they shall aske nothing in that day and yet promise that vvhat they aske hee vvill give There is a twofold asking First By vvay of Question Secondly By way of Petition The former is asking that vve may know or be informed in vvhat vve doubt the latter is asking that vve may receive and be supplyed vvith vvhat wee vvant Now vvhen Christ saith In that day yee shall aske me nothing he had a little before promised such a manifestation of the minde of God to them by the spirit that they should not need to come and aske him as if he had said Now yee put questions as vve read they did about many things yee understand little of the mystery of the Gospel but in that day yee shall have so cleere a revelation about the things of Heaven that yee shall not need to propose your doubts and desire resolution for you shall be able to resolve your selves by the light within you This the Apostle John 1 Epist 2.20 tels the Saints But yee have an unction from the holy one and yee know all things And againe Vers 27. But the annoynting which yee have received of him abideth in you and yee need not that any man should teach you but as the same annoynting teacheth you all things and is truth and is no lye and even as it hath taught yee shall abide in him These Scriptures are both a cleere exposition and an illustrious verification of that promise of Christ In that day yee shall aske me nothing that is After my resurrection But when he saith Whatsoever yee aske the Father in my Name he will give it the meaning is Your prayers shall be heard vvhile you keep close to this essentiall forme Asking in my Name Besides this essentiall forme of prayer there is also another forme vvhich we may call in a quallified sense essentiall As vvhen the matter wee pray about is spirituall and absolutely necessary to salvation then to pray in an absolute forme If it be temporall and outward or if it be of a spirituall nature yet such as is onely necessary to the vvel-being of a Beleever as spirituall gifts yea and the degrees of grace are then to pray in a conditionall forme as submitting it to the will of God not onely for the time and manner and meanes and measure vvherein or by vvhich wee shall receive those things but also submitting the very things themselves to his good pleasure vvhether we shall receive them at all or no. Nor doth conditionall prayer hinder Faith but looks to the rule We may pray without doubting though we pray vvith a condition and vvhen we are fullest of submission vvee may be fullest of confidence yea without submission in those cases there can be no true confidence Fourthly Prayer is pure when the end vvhich we ayme at is pure The end denominates every action as to the quality or goodnesse of it The great end of prayer as of all other actions and vvithout vvhich neither those nor this can be called pure is the glory of God Hallowed be thy name is the first prayer and that hath influence into all our prayers we must pray for all that God may be glorified and pray for nothing that our lusts may be satisfied Though wee may pray that our vvants may be supplyed that may be an end yet never that our lusts may be satisfied James 4.3 Yee aske and receive not because yee aske amisse Where vvas the fault vvhich the Apostle found and specified in those prayers Not in the object they prayed to God not in the matter they prayed for things lawfull not in the forme they prayed in the Name of Christ but the fault was in the end yee aske amisse that yee may bestow it on your lusts It is possible for a man to pray not onely for evill things but for good things and not onely for outward good things but for spirituall good things to bestow upon his lusts some pray for spirituall gifts to bestow them on their lusts pride vaine-glory and covetousnesse yea it is possible for a man to pray for grace to bestow it on his lust so Hypocrites doe though it be impossible for any man who indeed receives grace to bestow it upon his lust Let your end be pure that your prayers may be pure also Fifthly Prayer is pure when it is mingled with and put up in Faith By Faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice then Cain Heb. 11.4 and without Faith it is impossible to please God Vers 6. Prayer is our comming to God He that comes to God must beleeve that God is and that hee is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Faith takes hold of Christ by whom only our prayers are purified and therfore there can be no pure prayer without Faith As God purifies our hearts by faith so our prayers are purified by Faith Faith doth not onely take hold of God for the granting of our prayer in which sense 't is said Jam. 1.6 If any one aske let him aske in Faith that is That he shall receive but Faith takes hold of Christ for the purifying of our prayer that so it may come up with acceptance before God Hee is of purer eyes then to behold evill he cannot looke on iniquity to approve of it or to like it
like the wind but it passeth away and though we cannot tell whither it goes yet we may easily tell whence it comes even from the fancie and out of the mouth of a foolish man It was usuall of old to call that which is vaine windy those despisers of holy counsells and Divine Alarums given by the Prophets said The Prophets shall become wind and the word is not in them Jer. 5.13 That is both the Doctrine and the threats which these Prophets utter are vaine and ineffectuall they will doe us neither good nor evill no mans finger shall ake though their tongues ake with talking The Prophet Hosea at once reproves and terrisies the Jewes in this language They have sowne the wind and they shall reape the whirlewind Hos 8.7 To sow the winde is to doe a vaine thing our actions are as seed such as we sow such shall we reape they sowed sin and they reaped trouble Themselves sowed the wind by what they did and they thought the Prophets sowed the winde in what they spake And indeed the words of the Prophet were wind as the peoples works were in reference to the issue those produced a whirlewind to scatter their contemners as these did to scatter their actors The old Satyrist calls vaine words bubly toyes Bullatas nugas utpote similes bullis vento plenis Pers Sat. 5. because such words are like a bubble full of wind possibly full of wit but empty of wisedome and good instruction Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge The Scripture calls that vaine First which is unprofitable these mutually expound each other Eccles 1.2 3. Vanity of vanity saith the Preacher c. What profit hath a man of all the labour which he taketh under the Sunne There 's most vanity where there is least profit and where there is no profit at all there is nothing at all but vanity Turne not aside from following the Lord saith Samuel for then should you goe after vaine things which cannot profit 1 Sam. 12.20 21. Secondly the Scripture calls that and those vaine which hath or have no solidity in them vanity hath so little weight in it that when the Spirit would expresse men who have no weight in them he saith They are lighter then vanity Psalm 62.9 Thirdly the Scripture calls that vaine which is alwayes moving varying and unsetled Psal 144.4 Man is like to vanity his dayes are as a shadow that passeth away He is therefore like to vanity because he is so like a shadow continually passing but never continuing Fourthly the Scripture often calls that vaine which is sinfull in practice or unsound and erroneous in opinion I hate vaine inventions saith David but thy Law doe I love Whatsoever opposes either truth of Doctrine or purity of Worship is a vaine invention of man and opposite to the Law of God he utters vaine knowledge who utters false Principles which subvert the Faith or superstitious formes which endanger the life and power of godlinesse Eliphaz supposed that somewhat of vanity in all these notions was rallyed together into the discourse of Job that it was light and froathy that it was erroneous and full of incongruity especially which carries all these in it that it was worthlesse and unprofitable to the receiver as he expresseth in the third Verse Should he reason with unprofitable talke Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge Hence observe There is a vanity in some kind of knowledge and folly in that which not a few call wisedome It hath been the businesse of some mens knowledge to finde out a vanity in all sorts of knowledge Eliphaz spake well for the matter though ill to the man Job did not utter vaine knowledge but we know too many doe The old Gentiles waxed vaine in their imaginations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vani facti sunt in ratiocinationibus suis Baz their very reasonings were vaine so the Originall word tells us It was not their phansie but their understanding which was vaine The Apostle cautions the Colossians Let no man spoyle you through Philosophy and vaine deceit Col. 2.8 Philosophy in it selfe is an excellent knowledge yet it may be vainely taught and so deceive us as to spoyle us I may say also let no man spoyle you through Divinity and vaine deceit Divinity which is in it selfe the most excellent knowledge the knowledge of God may be vainely taught and so deceive us as to spoyle us That knowledge which is best in it selfe is vainest to us when it is unduely or falsely uttered Secondly observe It is most uncomely for those who either have or would have the reputation of wisedome to speake vainly Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge 'T is no wonder to heare a vaine man speake vainely and for a foole to utter folly Doe men gather Grapes of thornes or Figgs of thistles The vile person will speake villany and his heart will worke iniquity to practice hypocrisie and to utter errour against the Lord Isa 32.6 If a foole a vaine man or a vile person speake thus he speakes like himselfe but if a wise or a good man speake thus he speakes so unlike himselfe that the Chaldee Paraphrase puts not onely an undecensie but an impossibility upon it Can a wise man utter vaine knowledge It is impossible Estne possibile c. Chald. Paraph. Men act according to their principles every thing is in working as it is in being if there be wisedome in the heart it will be heard at the tongue A wholesome Fountaine will send out wholesome waters He that is borne of God saith the Apostle John 1 Epist 3.9 cannot sinne though he hath not a naturall impossibility to sin Sapiens ad mensuram sermones profert libra examinatos justitiae ut sit gravitas in sensu in sermone pondus in verbis modus Ambros l. 1. Offic. c 3. yet he hath a morall impossibility to sinne because the seed of God remaineth in him the frame and bent of his heart is set another way Now as there is a morall impossibility that a godly man should commit sin so that a wise man should speake sin or utter vaine knowledge A wise man speakes as well as acts by measure he waighs what he saith as much as what he doth the tongue of the wise is as a Tree of life Grace in the heart blossomes at the lips in savory words which minister grace unto the hearers Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge And fill his belly with the East winde A belly full of windy meat is bad enough a belly full of wind is farre worse But what is here meant by the belly what by the East-wind The belly is put for the heart and affections together with all the intellectuall powers of the minde John 7.38 Out of his belly that is out of his whole soule shall flow Rivers of living water This water is the holy spirit the holy spirit is sometimes compared also to the wind Venter
just the sincere thy heart sets thee out sure Possit per dativum ita verti quid attribuit tibi cor tuum Bold Quid docet te cor tuum Rab. Sol. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat doctrinam sed ita dicitur a discendo potius quam a docendo Drus Quid docuit te cogitatio tua Targ. and gildes thee over with attributes beyond thy deserving Master Broughton following one of the Rabbins presents us with a different translation from either of these What Doctrine can thy heart give thee or what can thy heart teach thee The word which we render to take to carry or hold up a thing signifies also to learne or teach Doctrine but rather to learne then to teach as Grammarians tell us which somewhat abates the clearenesse of that version yet the Chalde Paraphrase followes the same sense What hath thy owne thought taught thee What learnest thou there as if Eliphaz had sayd Thou hast an evill heart and surely an ill Master will teach but ill Doctrine when the heart is inditing of a good matter Psal 45. then we may learne good lessons from the heart and then we speake most effectually to the hearts of others when we speak from our owne hearts they having first been spoken to by the spirit of God But a corrupt heart can teach no better then it hath and that is corrupt Doctrines These are truths yet too much strained for upon this Text and therefore I passe from them and abide by the ordinary signification of the word as we read it Why doth thy heart take thee up or carry thee away as if he had sayd Thy heart hath seized upon thee and arrested thee thou art led away prisoner or captive by the violence and impetuousnesse of thy owne spirit The word is applyed Ezek. 23.14 to the motion of the spirit of God sent unto Ezekiel to instruct him The spirit lifted me up or caught me away that which the good spirit did unto Ezekiel not onely upon his spirit but upon his body for hee was corporally carryed away from the place where he was that the heart of Job as Eliphaz conceived did unto him it lifted him up and carryed him away There is a kind of violence in the allurements and inticings of the heart As a man is sayd to be carryed away by the ill counsells of others so also by his owne In the former sense the word is used Prov. 6.25 Where Solomon advising to take heed of the Harlot saith he Keep thee from the evill Woman from the flattery of the tongue of a strange Woman lust not after her in thy heart neither let her take thee with her eye lids There he makes use of this word let her not take thee or let her not carry thee away upon her eye lids let not her wanton eye flatter thee to the sin of wantonnesse and uncleannesse As the eye of a whorish Woman so the whorish heart of a man often takes and carryeth him away Hence observe The heart hath power over and is too hard for the whole Man Passions hurry our hearts and our hearts hurry us and who can tell whither his heart will carry him or where it will set him downe when once it hath taken him up This is certaine it will carry every man beyond the bounds of his duty both to God and man Take it more distinctly in these three particulars The heart quickly carryeth us beyond the bounds of grace Secondly the heart often carryeth us beyond the bounds of reason When passion workes much reason workes not at all Thirdly it may carry us beyond the bounds of honesty yea of modesty 'T is very dangerous to commit our selves to the conduct of passion that unlesse kept under good command will soone run us beyond the line both of Modesty and of Honesty of Reason and of Grace He that is carryed away thus farre must make a long journey of repentance before he can return and come back either to God or to himselfe Some have been carryed visibly away by the Devil by an evill spirit without them if God give commission or permission the Devill can easily doe it very many are carryed away by the evill spirit within them An evill heart is as bad as the Devill the evill spirit without and the evill spirit within carry us both the same way and that is quite out of the way Consider further how the heart carryeth us away even from spirituall duties and holy services and this is not only the case of carnall men who are given up to their hearts lusts but of the Saints their hearts are continually lifting at them and sometimes they are carryed quite away from Prayer and from hearing the Word the heart lifts the man up and steales him out of the Congregation while his body remaines there the body sits still but the minde which is the man is gone either about worldly businesse and designes or about worldly pleasures and delights He stirres not a foot nor moves a finger and yet he is carryed all the World over He visits both the Indies yet steps not over his own threshold Thus the heart being carryed away carryeth the man away And that 's the reason why God calls so earnestly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cum omni custodia My Son give me thy heart for where our hearts goe we goe or wee are carryed with them Keep thy heart with all diligence Prov. 4.24 or With all keeping or above all keeping it must have double keeping double guards keep keep watch watch thy heart will be gone else and thou wilt goe with it if thou looke not to thy heart thy heart will quickly withdraw it selfe and draw thee along also Why doth thy heart carry thee away is a deserved check upon every man when his heart doth so and Let not thy heart carry thee away is a necessary caution for every man lest his heart should doe so Jobs heart was too busie with him though not so busie as Eliphaz judged when he thus checkt him with Why doth thy heart carry thee away And what doth thine eye wink at But is it a fault to wink with the eye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nutu utor quia nutus ficri solet vel capite vel oculis it is sayd Joh. 13.24 that Peter beckned to or winked at John the Greeke word signifieth an inviting gesture by the whole head or by the eye he winkt at him I say to aske Christ who it was of whom he spake There was no fault in that but Eliphaz findes fault with this What was the supposed fault There is a twofold faulty winking First When wee wink at faults our owne faults or the faults of other men to beare with or approve them Secondly When we wink at the vertues and good deeds of others to slight or undervalue them possibly Eliphaz taxeth Job for both these as if he winked at his owne faults 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
either of these even with the gripes and gnawings of his owne evill conscience for the evill he hath done This paine followes some wicked men all the dayes of this life and it shall be the portion of all wicked men after death Eliphaz aymes at this in the next Verse while he saith A dreadfull sound is in his eares there I shall further insist upon it We have yet another very considerable part of the wicked mans misery held forth in the close of this Verse And the number of yeares is hidden to the oppressour The word which we render Oppressor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Violentus crudelis robustus tyrannus qui suis nititur opibus aliis terribilis est signifies a man exceeding powerfull and terrible or by his power terrifying others He that oppresseth must have power and some desire power for no other end but to enable them to oppresse Solomon speaks of a poore man that oppresseth Prov. 28.3 but he oppresseth onely those who are lesse powerfull then himselfe A poore man that oppresseth the poore is c. One poore man may be as much above another poore man in power as some rich men are above the poore Equalls in power cannot oppresse But who is this Oppressor to whom the number of yeares are hid The Oppressor in this part of the Verse is the wicked man in the former part Eliphaz speakes still of the same person though under another name whom he there called wicked he calls here an Oppressor Hence Note That to oppresse is a very great wickednesse For an oppressor and a wicked man are the same man Againe in that the word which signifies an oppressor signifies also a mighty man or a man of great strength we may further Note That men who have much power are apt to abuse it for the oppression of others it is in the power of my hand sayd Laban to Jacob to doe thee hurt And Laban had hurt Jacob if God had not stopt him They that have much power in their hands need much holinesse in their hearts Pauci anni reconditi sunt violento Jun. that they may use it well much power is a temptation to doe much hurt Numeâ—us annorum i. e. facile numerabiâ—es The number of yeares is hidden to the Oppressors The number of yeares say some is an Hebraisme for few yeares or yeares that are easily numberable a Childe may tell the yeares of an Oppressor they are so few Hence the words are also rendered thus Few yeares are layd up for the Oppressor Master Broughton translates plainely to the sense Soone numbred yeares are stored to the Tyrant Hence Observe First That wicked Oppressors are often speedily cut off by the hand of God Psal 55.23 Blood-thirsty and deceitfull men shall not live out halfe their dayes If God should lengthen out the lives of men set upon mischiefe who could live 'T is a comfort for us as well as a curse on them that Soone numbred yeares are stored to the Tyrant his treasure is not great in dayes who dayly treasures up wrath against himselfe Another resuming these words Hee travelleth with paine out of the former part of the Verse reads it thus And in the whole number of yeares which are layd up for him he travelleth in paine That is his whole life is miserable As if that which is a truth of all wicked men were more specially applicable to oppressors That they travell in paine Hence we may note Qui vult a multis metui multos tirre a oportet They who love to trouble others shall be sure to meet with trouble themselves He that desires to be feared shall be often affrayd Oppressors and Tyrants in all ages have experimented this truth which flowes both from the nature of their unjust actions towards men as also from the just retaliation of God Our reading leads us to a further consideration The number of yeares is bidden to the Oppressor That is as some expound they are determined or defined in the secret counsell of God It is under a hidden decree how long his oppressing power shall continue and when he shall receive the reward of his oppressions Or rather thus The number of yeares of his owne life is hidden to the oppressor that is he knows not how long he shall liue But is that any speciall judgement upon the Oppressour that the number of his yeares or how long he shall live is hidden to him Is not the number of a good mans yeares hidden to him Are not the number of every mans yeares hidden to him Doth any man know how long he shall live David indeed prayes Teach me to number my dayes Psal 90. and Make me to know mine end and the measure of my dayes what it is Psal 39.4 Yet he doth not desire to know precisely the number of his dayes or time of his end he onely desires to know their generall number or utmost extent spiritually namely that at the most they were not many that so he might make a wise improvement of his life and a holy preparation for his death Seeing then the number of every mans yeares is hidden to him how is this reckoned as the peculiar punishment of a wicked man that the number of his yeares are hidden to him I answer It is true the number of yeares is hidden from all men both from good and bad the Lord hath made that a secret Two numbers are secret First The number of the yeares of the World when that shall end Of that day and houre knowes no man no not the Sonne of man but the Father onely Secondly The number of the yeares of a mans owne life or the day of his death is a secret which no man knowes though many have been busie to pry and inquire into it But though godly men know not the number of the yeares of their owne lives yet this is no affliction to them under which notion it is here sayd of the Oppressor The number of yeares is hidden to him A wicked man is thoughtfull about this how he may live long not how he may live or doe well he would fulfill many dayes and yeares in the World that so he might have his fill of worldly profits and pleasures He is therefore troubled to thinke his life hangs upon uncertaine tearmes because he is uncertaine of any good beyond this life A godly man knowes not the number of his yeares but he knowes by whom they are numbred that satisfies him be they longer or shorter more or lesse But a wicked man would have the account in his owne hand he would be Lord of all even of time too but he cannot The number of yeares are hidden to the Oppressor Observe hence That the number of the yeares of mans life is a secret which none knowes but God himselfe And as it is so so it is best for man that it should be so The certaine knowledge when our lives should end would hinder
hath not given all power to any man no nor to all men Onely Christ as Mediator or God-man hath all power given to him It is not the will of God to doe all that is in his power but it is in his power to doe whatsoever he will If the wicked mans power were such what worke would he make If he could doe as much as himselfe pleaseth he would doe nothing which should please either God or good men Qui sibi sufficit nullius ope indiget nullis externis armis aut munimentis Secondly The word signifieth such a one as hath a sufficiency in himselfe to doe what he will God needeth not to goe out for any ayde or call in the assistance of any creature Shaddai is the Originall of power he hath all his power layd up in his owne compasse and his compasse is infinitenesse he is selfe sufficient Some Princes thinke they have power enough to doe what they will but they must doe it with other mens hands Though they have a civill power or authority to command all yet they have not a naturall power strength or ability to execute all God hath both these powers he hath absolute authority to command all to serve and help him and he hath such an absolute ability that he needs none to serve or helpe him He that made the World alone what cannot he doe alone God calls for our helpe that we may have the honour of it not that hee hath any want of it Qui sufficit omnibus aliis Thirdly Shaddai is he who hath not onely enough for himselfe but for all others the five wise Virgins had Oyle in their Lamps and they had enough for themselves but they had none to spare they could not furnish the five foolish Virgins But the Lord God Almighty hath strength and wisedome for all that come to him and call upon him As he is selfe-sufficient so he is all-sufficient his Ocean can quickly fill all our empty Vessells and his treasury supply and beare all our charges This Almighty God who hath power to doe what he pleaseth who hath all this power in himselfe and who hath power enough to give out to all that need and aske it of him this is the Almighty against whom the wicked man strengthens himselfe Hence Observe First That the heart of man is very busie to arme against God As when a people are threatned with an invasion they then strengthen themselves they lay in their Provisions of Warr and get Forces in a readinesse even thus doth the heart of man Man hath three usuall wayes of strengthening himselfe against the Almigty First By carnall pleas and reasonings He pretends reason for what he doth and hee strengthens himselfe against all that God saith by reason he sets up reason against that Law which is the quintessence of reason and will not be madd but by reason such as it is and that is such as he is a madd one These reasonings are the strong holds spoken of by the Apostle 2 Cor. 4.5 The weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God to the pulling downe of strong holds casting downe imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God As the weapons of this warfare are not carnall but spirituall so the strong holds which these cast downe are not corporeall but carnall they are not made of Stones and Timber of Earth or Iron but of the subtiltyes slights excuses subterfuges and arguings of fleshly minded men All which the Apostle wraps up in the latter words calling them imaginations or ratiocinations and high things that is such things as are formed in the high and proud conceits of the creature exalting it selfe against the sound and saving knowledge of God Such as these First Others doe so Secondly Great ones doe so Thirdly This is the custome of the World Fourthly If I should not doe so I should dishonour yea and undo my selfe And why should I refraine what others doe or what would be my owne undoing No reason for any of these Thus he strengthens himselfe against the Almighty his reason such as it is will beare him out Secondly He strengthens himselfe against God upon presumption of mercy from God why may not I doe thus God hath mercy for sinners why not for me though I sin The Apostle cautions the Ephesians Chap. 5.6 against such presumptions Let no man deceive you with vaine words for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the Children of disobedience It is good to plead mercy to strengthen Faith that sin committed shall be pardoned but woe be to those who plead mercy to strengthen themselves in the committing of sin Thirdly Others strengthen themselves against the Almighty with hopes of worldly gaine and they incourage themselves in an evill matter with promises of good Wee shall finde all precious substance we shall fill our houses with spoyle cast in thy Lot among us let us all have one Purse Thus Solomon personates the inticements of sinners Prov. 1.13 14. As a gracious heart strengthens it selfe for God First By the promises of God Secondly By the experiences which himselfe or others have had of Gods dispensations Thirdly By considering the nature of God how gracious how good how powerfull how faithfull he is Fourthly By remembring his relations to God he is my Father my King c. Shall I not venture to doe or suffer for him Now I say as a gracious heart strengthens it selfe for the Lord or as the Apostle adviseth Ephes 6.10 Grows strong in the Lord and in the power of his might putting on the whole Armour of God So a wicked heart strengthens it selfe against the Lord or grows strong against the Lord and the power of his might yea of his Almightinesse putting on the whole Armour of the Devill that he may be able to stand against all the encounters of the Word and of his owne conscience For as the Word of God and the graces of the spirit are the Armour and weapons by which the Saints strengthen themselves against Satan so carnall reasonings and the lusts of the flesh are the Armour and weapons by which wicked men strengthen themselves against God A wicked mans chiefe care is to fortifie and incourage his lusts to put warme cloaths to his sinfull heart and make it stout against God Sin begins with turning the heart from God and sin ends in turning the heart against God The first step in sin is a neglect of God the second step is contempt of God the third and last is a Warr with God He strengthens himselfe for the Battell against the Almighty Secondly Observe Sin runs us against reason and causeth us to act not onely wickedly but foolishly Is it not folly and madnesse for weaknesse to contend with Omnipotency When a sinner hath strengthned himselfe the best he can the very weaknesse of God as the Apostle speaks is stronger then he What
we must not serve it and they who doe so deserve rather to be called Epicures then Christians That 's sinfull fatnesse which is got upon termes of slavery or service to the belly yea a man that is intentive upon that question What shall I eate and carefull how to feed his flesh though he doe not grow fat by it yet he shewes himselfe full of sin by it The designe of such is for the flesh though their flesh doe not thrive under that designe As a man may be very covetous though he continue poor and leane in purse so a man may be very luxurious and a great servant to Bacchus and Belly-cheare though he continue leane and poore in body The blessing of God fattens some and such fat ones blesse God David Prophesies that when The Kingdome shall be the Lords and he the Governour among the Nations which is very paralell with what those great voyces sayd after the seventh Angel had sounded Revel 11.15 The Kingdomes of this World are become the Kingdomes of the Lord and of his Christ and hee shall reigne for ever and ever and when this shall be saith David Psal 22.30 Then all they that be fat upon the Earth shall eate and worship that is the great ones shall submit to Christ his Kingdome shall be inlarged and not onely the poore who are described in the latter part of that Verse in the Psalme under the name and notion of such as goe downe to the dust but the rich shall receive the Gospell Kings and Queens persons of Authority and wealth shall come to the participation of the grace of Christ Isa 60.3.10 They who have their bellye 's full of the meat that perisheth shall have their soules full of that meat which endures to everlasting life Psal 45.12 The rich among the people What people The first words of the Verse tell us he meanes the Tyrians who were a wonderfull rich people Isa 23.8 Ezek. 27. and the Tyrians are here put by a Synechdoche for all other Heathens for though Tyre were a City in the Tribe of Aser Josh 19.29 yet it was at that time possessed by Heathens Now saith the Psalmist The rich among these people shall intreat thy favour That is the Churches favour God will work their hearts to an earnest desire of admission into the society of the Saints and to live under a professed subjection to the Gospel of Jesus Christ who have abounded in worldly possessions and hold the World in subjection to their power These rich and fat ones among the people shall intreat thy favour This Prophesie was in part fulfilled Mark 3.8 where we read of great multitudes from Tyre and Sidon flocking after Christ So that it is not riches and fatnesse precisely considered but the intending of our skin or our studiousnesse to fill our selves with earthly delicates which shewes we have weak appetites to or rather a loathing of the things of Heaven Secondly This covering the face with fat is here presented by Eliphaz as a cause or occasion at least of the wicked mans arming himselfe against God Bonorum abundantia vitiorum omnium materiam subministrat Hence Observe That an evill heart turnes the blessings of God into rebellion against him The Jewes were thus charged Deut. 32.15 Jesurun waxed fat and kicked The Lord complaines of this as of a sin which he scarse knew how to pardon Jer. 5.7 How shall I pardon thee for this Thy Children have forsaken me c. When I had fed them to the full they then committed Adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the Harlots houses Those are great sins indeed which put the Lord whose title is The God pardoning sin and ready to forgive into a querie about their pardon and forgivenesse Such kind of sinning made Jerusalem a Sister to Sodom that is as like Sodom yea and Samaria too as if they had been one Mothers Daughters or as if they had been of one and the selfe-same blood and stock Ezek. 16.49 Behold this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom pride fulnesse of bread and abundance of idlenesse was in her and in her Daughters Plenty of the Creature and plenty of sin went together and whereas Jerusalem should have served God shee served her lusts in the abundance of all things We have a saying when men are lifted up upon the enjoyment of outward good things in allusion to Beasts Provender pricks them They act more like Beasts then Men who kick against God who feeds them and turne his bread of blessings into the stones of disobedience What outward good thing will not an evill heart abuse and wax wanton with when it is so apt to abuse spirituall things and to turn the grace of God into laciviousnesse that is to grow wanton and lacivious because God is gracious Thirdly Observe They take little care for their soules who take over-much for their bodies They who desire to please appetite cannot endeavour to please God When the Apostle exhorts to put on the Lord Jesus he dehorts from providing for the flesh Rom. 13.14 Put yee on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof As if he had sayd Unlesse you forbeare providing for lusts you will have little leasure and lesse desire to put on Christ Ephes 5.18 Be not drunke with Wine wherein is excesse that is be not inordinate in the use of the creature but be filled with the spirit as if he had sayd You will never be filled with the spirit if over-filled with Wine if you give up your selves to satsifie carnall appetite you wil not have any appetite at all to spirituals There is an inward gluttony and drunkennesse when the thoughts run upon dainty Dishes and full Cups or when men chew their meat and Wine in their thoughts before they eate or drinke Now as well they or rather they more who are inwardly drunken with excessive desires of Wine as they who are visibly drunken with the excessive taking downe of Wine are farr enough either from the desire or attainement of a filling with the Spirit The spirit of the Buttery and the spirit of God have no more agreement then the flesh and the spirit yea that spirit is the grossest part of sinfull flesh and therefore can neither take care for nor beare with the things of the spirit So farr of the first cause of the wicked mans excessive sinning his excesse in the use of the Creature set forth by the ordinary effect of it Fatnesse He covereth his face with fatnesse The second follows Vers 28. He dwelleth in desolate Cities and in houses wherein no man inhabiteth which are ready to become heaps This Verse shews a second cause of the wicked mans fiercenesse against God His power over men which is described as the former by the effect of it He hath made Cities desolate It requires much power to overthrow whole Cities that which is strong cannot be destroyed without
us either as possessed or used but as adored and trusted Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity Thirdly Observe Man must and will have somewhat to trust to or leane upon And therefore rather then fayle he will trust that which cannot but fayle Vanity Like one that 's ready to drowne he catcheth at any thing a rotten stick or a straw and would support his whole body by that which is not able to beare the weight of his little finger Man is a weak creature sense and nature are enough to make him sensible of his naturall weaknesse and these also are enough to prompt and provoke him to seek helpe without himselfe though they are utterly insufficient to direct him whither to goe for the surest helpe It is the priviledge of God alone to have nothing to trust to or to be above trust He who is all strength needs not trust As he doth not put trust in his Saints Vers 15. because he knows they are frayle and mutable so he hath no need to trust them because he knows himselfe not onely strong but immutable God is all that he is from himselfe and therefore he ever continues to be what he is by himselfe But man who is not a spring to himselfe of Being cannot be a support to himselfe for the continuance of his Being much lesse for the continuance of his well-being And as mans necessity calls him to trust so his duty calls him to trust God Man fell at first by his desire to stand alone he would be independent and men fall every day because they desire to stand by that which cannot stand alone It is a speciall part of that worship which we owe to God to trust him and whatsoever we trust besides God we make a God of it He that trusts not in the God that made him makes many Gods such as they are by trusting them While Job puts that negative supposition as to his owne case Chap. 31.24 If I have made Gold my hop◠or have sayd to the fine Gold thou art my confidence He more then implyeth that many had Man ought to trust God but few will many will trust in Creatures but none ought Man will be trusting in somewhat and he is so forward to trust in vanity which indeed is nothing that it is the hardest thing in the World to take him off We cannot presse either our selves or others too much to trust God and we cannot represse them enough from trusting vanity Man is very ready to exercise and put forth an act of trust and he is as ready to mistake the object of trust Lastly Observe Man is apt to trust that which hath deceived him or man being once deceived trusts that which will deceive him againe Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity We say Such a man hath deceived me once but he shall not deceive me the second time But carnall hearts being deceived once by sin and vanity are willing to be deceived a thousand times being once deceived they care not how often they are deceived That of the Prophet is an eminent Testimony to this too much experimented truth Isa 44.20 He feedeth on ashes that is he is as much deluded as a man is who eates ashes thinking it to be bread or other good cheare or his Idoll which promised him great matters and much joy hath given nothing but ashes sorrow and misery of which ashes and especially feeding upon ashes was an embleme Now though it were thus with him yet saith the Prophet A deceived heart hath turned him aside that he cannot deliver his soule nor say is there not a lye in my right hand that is Though he sees himselfe deceived yet he hath no power to withdraw from the deceiver nor to question the deceit he is so bewitched with the sorcery of sin that he cannot deliver his soule from the snares of it but being deceived he is willingly deceived and looks upon his deceiver as his trusty Friend God never deceived no nor fayled any man that trusted in him Ps 9.10 yet the hearts of the most will not be perswaded to trust God sin and the creature deceive all that trust in them yet we can hardly call or beat the heart off from trusting them Sin seldome looses its credit sin hath broken and undone thousands yea all who have trusted it yet still it hath credit among thousands and can be trusted with more then this World is worth the precious soule of man for the asking But let not him that is deceived trust any longer in vanity if he doe he shall never be a gainer no nor a saver by it For vanity shall be his recompence Vanity fills both parts of the Verse and meets us at every turne yet with a difference In the former part by vanity was signified either sin or the creature in this latter part vanity notes misery Vanitatis nomen variè hic sumitur quam ob rem sorsan varie scribitur priore loco sig vanas res quibus fidebant scopes gloriam posteriori loco vanitatem in quam haec omnia redigenda sint dum ex his decidens miser siet Merc. or the effect and fruit of sin Hence Observe The vanity of misery overtakes all those who are deceived by the vanity of sin Vanity is their recompence There are two sorts of recompence First Of wrath Secondly Of favour Evill deeds have their recompence as well as good To me saith the Lord Deut. 32.35 belongeth vengeance and recompence that is the recompence of vengeance as the Apostle expounds it Heb. 10.30 For we know him that sayd Vengeance belongeth unto me I will recompence saith the Lord God will not live long in any mans debt As holy Gospell-confidence hath a great recompence of reward Heb. 10.35 So every disobedience of the Law received a just recompence of reward Heb. 2.2 And God is so exact in giving the recompences of punishment that he will not spare his owne when they are so foolish as to trust in vanity Prov. 11.31 Behold the righteous shall be recompenced in the earth much more the wicked and the sinner that is A righteous man shall be corrected though he sin of infirmity how then shall the wicked be punished who sin with presumption and delight As a wicked man hath all his recompences of good on the earth Matth. 6.2 They have their reward so a righteous man hath all his recompences of evill or affliction in the earth he hath none beyond But we may strongly argue that the wicked who trust in vanity shall be recompenced with sorrow for ever seeing the righteous if they doe but a little turne aside to vanity shall be recompenced with sorrow here That 's the Apostle Peters way of reasoning 1 Epist 4.18 If the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the ungodly and sinner appeare Surely as the Prophet concludes Isa 59.18 According to their deeds accordingly he will repay fury to his adversaries recompence
ever be worse then it is The unbeleife of man is as strong against the threatnings as against the promises The Saints are hardly brought to beleeve that glory shall be their recompence that the purchase which Christ hath made of Heaven and eternall happinesse belongs to them A wicked man will not beleeve that tribulation and anguish shall be upon him or that the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against his unrighteousnesse he will not beleeve that he shall goe to Hell and be damned or that everlasting fire shall burne him or the worme that dyes not feed upon him he that is deceived will not beleeve these things and the Devill hath as great an advantage upon men by making them strong in unbeleife As God hath by making his people strong in Faith The first assault that ever the Devill made against man was to weaken Faith or strengthen unbeleife about the threatnings While he laboured to deceive the Woman he laboured as much to perswade her That vanity should not be her recompence God had sayd peremptorily In the day that ye eate thereof yee shall surely dye The Devill denyed as peremptorily Yee shall not surely dye Gen. 3.4 The people were commanded to say Amen to every branch of the Curse Deut. 27.16 17 c. Though it be the lowest way of obedience to obey because we beleeve the truth and certainty of the Curse yet it is a high act of obedience to beleeve it And Satan is as busie against our faith in the threatnings as he is against our faith in promises This unbeleife opens the way to the committing of sin and sweetens sin while we are committing it Were it not for this unbeliefe sin could not be bread much lesse as it is to many pleasant bread Sin would be Gall and Wormewood in the acting of it did we beleeve that it will be bitternesse in the end Who would doe the worke of sin did he beleeve that vanity should be his recompence Because this threat is not beleeved therefore the Law which forbids sin is not obeyed As Faith is a sheild to the new Man so unbeleife is a sheild to the old Man as Faith quenches the fiery darts of the Devill or his allurements to sin so unbeliefe quenches all the fiery darts of God or his threatnings of punishment Tush say they We shall never see Sword nor Famine we need not feare which is so much talked of death or Hell Vanity shall not be our recompence There is a third reading of the Text Rab. Kimchi exponit Sheve pro aequali seu aequalitate q.d. Ne credat qui deceptus est aequalem semper sui similem fore sibi statum vel eodem semper modo res sibi cessuras Merc. The former word which we render Vanity is translated by some of the Rabbins Equality or a thing that is equall the latter as we a lye or Vanity This varies the whole straine of the Verse and yet the Exposition given upon it is cleare both to the generall scope and to the sense given immediately before Let not him that is deceived beleeve that he shall be alwayes equall or of the same estate for vanity shall be his recompence He thinkes to carry it smoothly and with an even thred but he is deceived Things will not alwayes stand at the same point and poyze with him and therefore let him not feed himselfe with groundlesse ayery hopes that they will His affaires will not alwayes have the same face nor beare the same aspect toward him now they smile and looke pleasantly but annon they will frowne and look sowre Lastly Keeping neer the same sense still Non credet verbo aequo qui errat sed mendacium erit loco ejus Pagn q. d. qui errat non credet verbo recto sed ponet mendacium loco illius hoc pacto credet the words are thus translated He that is deceived will not beleeve the right word or the word of truth but he will beleeve a lye in stead of it As if Eliphaz had thus school'd and caution'd Job I have told you this as from God but I know he that is as you are misled and deceived will not beleeve the word of God who cannot lye he will beleeve a lye rather As the carnall heart changes the glory of God into a lye so the truth of God into a lye or embraceth a lye for truth he that beleeved not the right word will soon beleeve that which is wrong As they who receive not the love of the truth are by the just judgement of God given up to strong delusions to beleeve a lye So also are they who receive not the truth As the not doing of good is not onely it selfe an evill but leads us also or layes us open to the doing of many evills yea of any evill So the not receiving of truth is not onely an error but it leads us also or layes us open to the receiving of many yea of any error Eliphaz having thus pressed his dehortation upon Job not to trust in vanity lest he finde vanity the reward and recompence of that unholy faith and trust proceeds yet further to presse his dehortation by the same argument for the matter though varyed in the manner of expression in the beginning of the next Verse Vers 32. It shall be accomplished before his time c. These words are a strong enforcement of the motive layd downe in the former Verse Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity Why what if he doe Vanity shall be his recompence That 's the first part of the motive The second is In non die suo complebitur Mont. Vers 32. It shall be accomplished before his time What shall be accomplished There is no expresse Antecedent in the Hebrew we may understand either first the life of the wicked man himselfe of whom Eliphaz had before discoursed Or secondly Compleri ante diem c. est potius perire quam ullum complementum perfectionem accipere Pined Antequam dies ejus implâ—antur peribit ut sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 succido Morte immatura praevâ—nietur vel gladio vel morbo vel aliqua alia violenta causa In die non suo implebitur sepulchrum ejus Taâ—g the estate of the wicked man Or thirdly the designes and plots of the wicked man Taking in all three the meaning is That himselfe and all that he hath gotten and all that he hath projected Shall be accomplished before his time and what 's this but vanity for his recompence To be accomplished before the time is not to be accomplished at all it notes rather perdition then perfection The word which we translate to accomplish signifies also to cut off as we put in the Margin of our Bibles It shall be accomplished or cut off before his time The Vulgar translation fills up the sense thus Before his dayes can be filled he
it and have made that his businesse but hee had not a minde to doe it The bent of his spirit did not lye that way hee was all for Christ and the Gospell he was a Giant for the truth but an Infant a weakling as weake as water against it hee had neither an understanding to conceive nor a tongue to speake to the disservice of Jesus Christ It is a good observation of one of the Ancients upon this place Narrat justus quid facere potuit sed ne justitiam deserat quod facere potuit declinat Greg. A just man declares what he can doe but that hee may not desert Justice he forbeares to doe what he can The providence of God sets bounds to the power of a carnall man but the spirit of God sets bounds to the power of a holy man if a carnall man keep within compasse at any time it is because he is restrained but a godly man keeps within compasse because he is renewed Laban tels Jacob Gen. 31.29 It is in the power of my hand to doe thee hurt And vvhy did not Laban hurt Jacob Was it from any principle of love or righteousnesse in Labans breast The Text is silent in that and Laban himselfe seems to tell us whence it was in the same Verse The God of your Fathers spake unto me yesternight saying Take thou heede that thou speake not to Jacob c. And this his speaking to Laban Jacob cals Gods rebuking of Laban Vers 42. implying that if God had not stopt him he would have done him hurt It was more then once in the power of Davids hand to hurt yea to slay Saul and he was strongly moved by some of his great Officers to doe it yet he strongly refused to doe it or to suffer it to be done because it would have been sin in him to doe it himselfe being a private person and the way in which he had any opportunity to doe it being onely a private way when Saul was in the Cave covering his feet 1 Sam. 24.3 or in a Trench fast asleepe 1 Sam. 26.7 and therefore though he had strengthened himselfe against Saul with an Army and was ready upon his provocation to stretch forth his hand against him in Battell yet he saith Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords annoynted and be guiltlesse David was not stopt from hurting Saul by a rebuke from God but by the rule and dictate of his owne conscience The thing might have been easily done but because it could not be innocently done therefore David could not doe it Secondly Observe more specially to the matter of this Text. A godly man when himselfe cannot be harsh and greivous to others though he have never so much advantage to be so His cannings are not for such uses What the Apostle saith of his Ministeriall power a gracious heart saith of all his power It is for edification not for destruction 2 Cor. 13.10 He designes his power for the helpe and comfort of all not for the hurt or greife of any A good man is mercifull to his Beast how then can he be unmercifull to his Brethren He pitieth a Beast fallen under a burthen how then can he be cruell to his Brother when he is under burthens Nature or common humanity abhorrs such actings much more doth Grace Paul gives this charge to Beleevers Beare yee one anothers burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ Gal. 6.2 This Law of Christ is written in the heart of every man who is Christs and therefore he is farr from adding to another mans burden He that hath a fellow-feeling of his Brethrens sorrows will not encrease their sorrows no man will purposely encrease or add to that burden which himselfe must beare Could I speake as you doe Thus for the Negative what Job would not have done if their soule had been in his soules stead But What would he have done He tels us in the next Verse this is the course that I would take Vers 5. I would strengthen you with my mouth and the moving of my lips should asswage your griefe This is my designe and all the hurt I intend you These words in the substance of them have been opened Chap. 4.4 vvhere Eliphaz tels Job that he had done vvhat here he promised he would doe Thy words have upholden him that was falling and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees Thou hast instructed many and thou hast strengthened the weake hands Eliphaz had given testimony for Job that he had done what Job now professeth he vvas resolved to doe and vvould doe in case he vvere put into their condition and they into his I would strengthen you with my mouth that is With the vvords of my mouth and vvhich is the same the moving of my lips should asswage your griefe Here are the two parts of consolation and the two great duties of a comforter The first is to strengthen sorrowfull man The second is to abate the strength of his sorrows Job vvas resolved upon both Were they weake in faith and hope he vvould strengthen them were their feares and doubtings strong hee would endeavour to weaken them I would strengthen you with my mouth and the moving of my lips should asswage your greife The word Greife is not expressed in the Hebrew there it is onely thus Motio labiorum meorum prohiberet Heb. sc dolorem vestrum The moving of my lips should asswage be it what it will that greives you I would labour to asswage it I vvould asswage your feares your sorrowes your impatience your unbeleife vvhatever spirituall evill vvere upon you the moving of my lips should be for the removing of it Or as others render For the turning of it away For the word signifies First To abate in degree Secondly To turne away or to stop altogether My designe should be upon both I vvould study to the utmost of my power and parts not onely to mitigate but quite to remove whatsoever I should finde an affliction to you It hath been shewed Chap. 4.4 what power vvords have both to strengthen vveake faith and to asswage the strongest greife thither I referr the Reader onely take two breife notes from it First A good man doth not onely abstaine from the hurt that he might doe another but he labours to helpe him and to doe him good Not to heap words in anger upon them that are in misery not to shake the head at them in contempt is onely a Negative peice of charity and kindnesse 'T is our duty to use our utmost endeavour to refresh and comfort them Negative acts of kindnesse are not the fulfilling of the law of love it is not charity to the poor to say I will not make them poorer I will take nothing from them it is our duty to give them of what we have When a man is sorrowfull it is not enough to say I will not increase his griefe it is our duty to lessen it yea to
Which were cut downe out of time That old way was the way of sin the way of holinesse is the oldest way but the way of sin is a very old way They who have trod the way of sin were cut downe by judgement and they were cut downe out of time that is the course of divine Justice prevented the course of nature and struck them to death before death useth to strike So some render it here and then the sense riseth thus Thou hast cut me downe by the stroke of these afflictions and this is a witnesse against me In significatione Chaldaica exponitur pro ligare constringere Secondly The word according to the Chaldee signifies to binde and fasten one with Cords or with fetters of Iron as Malefactors are bound in Prison Prov. 5.22 His owne iniquity shall take the wicked and he shall be holden with the Coards of his sin The Hebrew word which we render to hold or fasten is expressed by this of Job in the Chaldee Paraphrase Taking this sense of the word the interpretation given of the whole is Thou hast bound or straitened mee with the cords of my affliction Quod his dolorum vinculis constrictum me tenes ne qua elabi queam testimonium fecit in me Merc. lest I should get out or make an escape and this is a witnesse against me There is a truth in both these readings as to this place but because wrinkles are more proper to the leannesse which followes therefore I shall not stay upon them but keep to our owne reading Thou hast filled me with wrinkles Wrinckles are caused two wayes First Through old age for then the moysture of the body being consumed and so the skin contracted wrinckles appeare These naturall wrinckles cannot be avoyded if nature hold out to old age Secondly There are accidentall wrinckles such as are caused by strong diseases which sucking up or drawing out the moysture of the body fade the beauty of it Great sicknesses hasten on gray hayres and make a young man looke old Job was not filled with the wrinckles of old age hee was in the strength of nature at that time but he was filled with the wrinckles of sicknesse and sorrow griefe had made furrows in his face and his teares had often filled them we commonly say Sorrow is dry 't is so because it is a dryer Solomon tels us that A merry heart doth good like a medicine but a broken spirit which is the effect of much sorrow dryeth up the bones Prov. 17.22 The Church cryes out in the Book of Lamentations My flesh and my skin he hath made old Lam. 3.4 How did God make them old He made them old not by giving them many yeares but by giving them many troubles Many troubles in one yeare will make a man older then many yeares We have heard of some whose hearts being filled with vexing cares have filled their heads with gray hayres in a very short time As some have an Art to ripen Fruits before nature ripens them so the Lord hath a power to hasten old age before nature makes us old Thou hast made my skin old that is full of wrinckles and leannesse these are the liveries which old age gives The Apostle assures us that Christ shall one day present the Church to himselfe in the perfection of spirituall beauty and glory that beauty and glory is described by the removall of that from her spirituall estate which Job complaines of in his temporall estate Job was full of spots and wrinkles but shee shall appeare Not having spot or wrinckle Ephes 5.27 that is Without any note or marke of old age upon her A spot defaceth the beauty of a Garment and wrinckles spoyle the beauty of the face An old Garment is full of spots and an old face is full of wrinkles Old things passe away when we are made new creatures by grace yet in that state because we are not perfectly freed from the old man our garments have some spots and our faces some wrinkles upon them But in the state of glory when all old things even all the image of the old Adam shall be totally abolished we shall not have so much as one spot or one wrinkle Beleevers have now a righteousnesse in Christ without spot or wrinkle or any such thing they shall then have a holinesse in themselves without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that is They shall not onely not have any spot or wrinkle upon them but they shall have nothing like it nothing which hath any relation to it nothing which either themselves or others shall mistake for it they shall neither suspect nor be suspected to have a spot or a wrinkle about them A perfect soule-state and a perfect state of body hath no wrinkle in it Job to shew the decayes and blemishes of his body saith hee was full of wrinkles Againe These wrinkles by an elegant metaphor may referr to his whole outward condition For as a mans face is wrinkled when he growes old so are his riches when he growes poore and so is his honour when he growes out of repute Poverty is the wrinkle of riches and disgrace is the wrinkle of honour we may take in all three here for not onely was Jobs body but his wealth and honour were extreamely wrinkled and therefore he had great cause to cry out according to all the the interpretations Thou hast filled me with wrinkles Which witnesse against me I shall give the meaning of that when I have opened the latter clause where it is repeated My leannesse rising up in me beareth witnesse to my face both parts of the Verse have the same meaning My leannesse rising up in me Some thinke that Job answers vvhat Eliphaz had given as part of the description of a vvicked man in the fulnesse of his prosperity Chap. 15.27 where he tells us that Hee covereth his face with fatnesse and maketh collops of fat on his flanks as if he had said Freind Eliphaz thou hast told me that wicked men are fat and full if so what are they who are leane and meagre canst thou according to thy owne rule read wickednesse in my physiognomie My leannesse riseth up in me canst thou raise an argument from that against me My leannesse Jobs body was leane his Purse and Name were leane his leannesse and his wrinkles were of the same extent both reaching all his worldly concernments The Lord threatens Idolaters Zeph. 2.11 that he will famish or make leane so we put in the Margin all their Gods Jehovah the true God who saith to man Psal 50.12 If I were hungry I would not tell thee tels these false Gods that hee will make them hungry But what was the meat of these Gods It was the honour and credit the worship and service which they had among men Indeed they who deny the true God his due honour and worship doe what they can to famish or make him leane and when the true
Brethren may be carryed beyond their usuall course in holinesse Thus he tels the Corinthians 2. Epist 9.2 That their zeale had provoked many But to what had it provoked them Not to anger and passion towards any but to charity yea and liberality towards the poore And though the Apostle useth another word in the Greek yet he meanes the same thing when hee assures us Rom. 11.11 that the Jewes stumbled not that they should fall but that they might rise for so it followes But rather through their fall salvation is come to the Gentiles for to provoke them to jealousie The salvation of the Gentiles bred emulation in the Jewes What Shall they goe away with all the salvation Shall the Gentiles possesse Heaven alone whom wee thought the meanest people upon the Earth Come let us also put in at least for a part and get a share in Gospel-mercies and priviledges with them Thus they were provoked to emulation and this emulation was and shall be through the power of God who is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working a help to faith in Christ and so to their rising from their fall And the Apostle was so intent upon the promoting of this designe of God that he professeth Vers 13 14. that he magnified his Office among the Gentiles not onely to save them but saith he If by any meanes I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh and might save some of them He hoped the Jewes would at last beleeve for anger or for very shame and goe to Heaven in a holy chafe Now I say as there is a provocation which heates and hightens the minde of man to an eager pursuite of the best things so there is a provocation which abates and blunts his edge which chills and flats his spirits to any thing that is good which was the ground of the Apostles dehortation Provoke not your Children lest they be discouraged And as the effect of such provocations is to some a discouragement in doing their duty so the effect of it in others is a thrusting them onn to doe that which is most contrary not onely to their duty but to their disposition Rayling speeches uncomely and uncivill language have provoked many both to speak and to doe that which they never dreamt of or which was most remote from their naturall temper and inclination For though such distempers lye in the bottome of nature yet unlesse they had been stirred and spurred up those distempers would not have appeared and broken out Moses was the meekest man upon the earth yet when they provoked his spirit he spake unadvisedly with his lips Psal 106.33 There are three ill effects of provocations First Provoking speeches raise up hard thoughts of the speaker It is a high worke of grace to thinke well of them who speak ill of us or to us Secondly Provoking speeches blow up hard words of the speaker many excuse it when they give ill language You provoked me And though they be not to be excused who doe so when they are provoked yet their sin is the greater who provoke them Thirdly Provoking speeches are sometimes the cause of revengefull practices and very often of licentious practices Sober admonitions and grave reproofes reclaime those who goe astray but violent rebukes make them desperate Some care not what they doe when they heare others say they care not what Many Children have run ill courses by over much indulgence and neglect of discipline and so have not a few by the over mvch severity and sharpnesse of those that are over them Patience is hard put to it to keep eyther minde or tongue or hand in compasse when wee are provoked Great provocations are great temptations When God is provoked he is tempted Heb. 3.8 Harden not your hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the Wildernesse when your Fathers tempted me c. Wee may expound it two wayes First That while they tempted God by questioning his power for them and presence with them they provoked him he was greatly displeased with them for it Secondly That while they provoked God they tempted him they tempted him to destroy them or to act that power against them which they did not beleeve after so many experiences able enough to deliver or protect them If then God himselfe be so tempted that as he is pleased often to expresse himselfe after the manner of men hee can scarce hold his hands or forbeare to doe that which he had no mind to doe when he is provoked how much more is weake man tempted to doe that which his corruptions are alwayes forward enough and too too much to doe when hee is provoked Againe When he saith Doth not mine eye continue in their provocation Learne thirdly Hard words stick upon the spirit They hang about the minde and are not easily gotten off Good words dwell much upon the spirit and so doe ill words when a man hath onee got a word of promise from God about any mercy set home upon his heart the eye continues in that consolation O it is a sweet word the soule lyes sucking at it night and day And when a man hath once got a word of command from God about any duty set home upon his spirit his eye continues in the direction of it O how I love thy Law saith David Psal 119.97 It is my meditation all the day he could not beate his thoughts off from it when love had fastned on it As these good words cleave to a gracious soule and dwell with it so it is hard even for a gracious soule to dislodge hard words O how doth the eye continue in those provocations And doth not experience teach us that vaine thoughts throwne into the minde by Satan will not easily be driven out How often doth the eye continue in his provocations The spirit of a man hath a strong retentive faculty it will hold the object close and as it were live and lodge in it How many make their abode in provocations and reside upon bitter words received from their Brethren How many lye downe with them at night and rise with them in the morning yea and walke with their eye upon them all the day long And here it may be questioned Was not this a sin in Job That rule of love then was in being which is now expressed Ephes 4.26 Be yee angry and sin not let not the Sun goe downe upon your wrath Then how could Job suffer his eye to continue in these provocations I answer There was an infirmity in this 't is our duty as to forgive so to forget or lay aside the thought of injuries and wrongs received And it is the Character of wicked men They sleep not unlesse they have done mischiefe Pro. 4.16 Their eye continues in their owne corruption or in the temptation of Satan till they have brough it forth For as when good men have strong impressions unto good upon their spirits they cannot sleep
up Zerubbabel and others of the Jewish line to reassume the Government of Judah But this Prophesie was chiefely intended and verified in a spirituall sense when God sent Jesus Christ A Governour proceeding from the midst of them of whom Zerubbabel was but a type for of him the Lord speakes chiefely in this admiring Question Who is this that engageth his heart to approach â—nto me Or who is this that with his heart that is with so much chearefulnesse and willingnesse hath put himselfe as a surety for this people with me to approach to me in their cause and to take upon him the dispatch of all their affaires and concernments with me in the Court of Heaven Who is this great this forward Engager but he who also sayd Loe I come to doe thy will O God What will came he to doe Even this To be a Surety and so a Sacrifice to God for sinners Heb. 10. Thus the whole businesse of our deliverance and the first motions to it lay quite without us God appointed and put in Christ our surety with him and Christ freely condiscended to be our surety knowing that the whole debt must lye upon his discharge Put me in a surety with thee But here it may be doubted how this notion of a Surety suites with this place seeing Jobs controversie was with man not with God and himselfe also had professed that all was cleare for him in Heaven I answer That although men accused Job yet their accusation reacht his peace with God for had he been such a one as they represented him he must needs have fallen under the divine displeasure more then he did under theirs And therefore while he pleaded Not-guilty to their charge he beggs further discoveries of the favour of God to him through the Mediatour by the remembrance of whose Suretiship his heart was confirmed in the pardon of all his sinfull faylings against God vvhereof he was guilty as well as his heart told him that hee was not guilty of those wilfull sins wherewith hee was accused by men When we lye under wrongfull accusations of which we indeed need no surety to acquit us it is good to view and renew our Interest in the Surety who will acquit us where there is need Job proceeeds to re-inforce the reason why he desired God to undertake or to provide a Surety for him Vers 4. Thou hast hid their heart from understanding therefore shalt thou not exalt them Or Thou hast hid understanding from their heart As if he had sayd Thou hast cast such a mist before the eyes of these men who mocke me and judge me wicked that they are unfit to be trusted with the determination of my cause for did they not want a due light of understanding they might quickly discerne my integrity and cleare me from their owne suspitions God sometimes as it were wraps or folds up the hearts of the Children of men in ignorance blindnesse and darknesse and so hides not onely understanding from their hearts but their hearts from understanding As God is sayd to circumcize the heart to open the eyes to take away the vaile when he gives the knowledge of his truth so he is sayd to blinde the eyes to cover the heart with fat and to cloud the understanding vvhen hee denyes or withholds the knowledge of the truth Thou hast hid their hearts from understanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est mens ratio intellectus dexteritas in agendâ— The vvord which we translate Vnderstanding signifies any of or all the intellectuall powers together with a readinesse or activity for dispatch in any service we are called unto Thou hast hid their heart from understanding therefore they doe but bungle at the businesse and cannot judge aright they cannot discerne the manner of thy dispensations towards me nor see the bottome of my condition Job did not censure his Freinds as fooles or ignorant as if they were witlesse or worthlesse men they were wise and learned yea honest and godly too But when Job saith Thou hast hid their heart from understanding we are to restraine it to the matter in hand or to his particular case As if he had sayd Thou hast hid the understanding of what thou hast done to me from their hearts thy providences are mysteries and riddles which they cannot unfold and as they know not the meaning of what thou dost so they know not my meaning when I sayd Chap. 9.17 He hath multiplyed my wounds without cause Nor vvhen I sayd Vers 22. He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked These sayings are secrets to my Freinds Now Lord for as much as these men have no true insight in this present controversie therefore I begg that thou wouldest undertake for me or put me in a surety with thee Further For the clearing of this Scripture it may be questioned First how God is sayd to hide the heart from understanding God doth this foure wayes First By speaking darkely or in such a manner as the understanding cannot easily finde a passage to the things that are spoken A Parable is a darke saying And when Christ Preached in Parables His Disciples came and sayd unto him Why speakest thou to them in Parables Matth. 13.10 Now among other reasons which Christ was pleased to give of that dispensation this was one Vers 14. In them is fulfilled the Prophesie of Isaiah which saith By hearing yee shall heare and shall not understand and seeing yee shall see and shall not perceive As if Christ had sayd These men have justly deserved to be punished with spirituall darknesse which is not Vnderstanding and therefore I have spoken to them in a darke way They did not heare to obey vvhat was plaine and easie to be understood and therefore now they shall heare what they cannot understand Secondly God hides the heart from understanding by denying or not giving light and that a twofold light First The outward light of his word Thus all those people are sayd to sit in darknesse that is To have no understanding in the things of God where the Gospell is not published Secondly By denying or not giving the inward light of his spirit though the light of the World abound For as a man may have the Sun shining in his face and yet be in the darke if he wants eyesight So as the Apostle speakes 2 Cor. 4.3 4. the Gospell is hid in the most glorious shining of it to those whose mindes the God of this World hath blinded Now every man is borne spiritually blinde or he is blinde by nature and he is blinded by the God of this Worlds till the God of all Worlds sends his spirit with the Word for the opening of his eyes Thirdly God hides the heart from understanding as by not giving so by vvithdrawing the light vvhich he hath given Many have forfeited their eye-sight and their light and God hath taken the forfeiture of them Which he doth first when men are proud of the
to come while he saith My dayes are past My purposes are broken off 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cogitavit plerumque in malum ali quando in bonum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cujus singularis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod antiquitus legebant Zemma ferre scelus denotat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 autem quod ab eodem themate vocabulum est medium Drus Rupti sunt articuli cordis mei Sept. Convulsae sunt compages corporis mei Aug. The word which we translate Purposes signifies most usually an evill purpose or wicked designements yet it is used also as among the Rabbins so by the Penmen of Scripture in a good sense for a warrantable yea for a holy purpose In the Booke of Proverbs Chap. 1.4 Chap. 2.11 it is translated Discretion or Advisement proceeding from the teachings of wisedome which stirrs up gracious purposes in the soule towards God and every good My purposes are broken off The Septuagint render My heart strings are broken The heart-strings by a metaphor may be taken for purposes because purposes are as Bands or strings upon the heart and therefore when purposes are broken we may say the bands or strings of the heart are broken Another reads The bindings or fastnings of my body are loosned or torne asunder which translation as also the former taken literally notes onely his neernesse to death for when a man dyeth we say his heart-strings breake and his whole body is in a fit of convulsion My purposes are broken The word signifies a violent forcible breaking as if a Giant had broken them But what was it which broke his purposes The violence and continuance of his afflictions was this Breaker or his purposes were broken by the confused motions and troublesome representations of his owne fansie to which sick men are very subject Againe what were those purposes of his which were broken If they were evill purposes he had reason to rejoyce not to complaine if they were good purposes was it not his sin as well as his affliction that they were broken off I answer to that Purposes may be good and yet broken without the sin of the purposer if himselfe be not the cause of that breach and the impediment of their performance If our holiest purposes are broken off by the inevitable providence of God the holinesse of man receives no blemish by it The purposes of Job were good doubtlesse eyther spiritually good or civilly good and they may be taken eyther for those purposes of doing good which hee had before hee fell into trouble or for those which hee had layd up in his brest to doe when he should be againe restored and delivered out of trouble As if he had sayd I once had an expectation of life and I purposed with my selfe what to doe with or in my new life but now those purposes are all broken off for I see my life is ready to be broken off The next clause seemes to explaine this and in that wee shall see more fully what he meanes by these purposes Even the thoughts of my heart Every thought of the heart is not a purpose yet every purpose is a thought of the heart our thoughts are made up into purposes eyther what to doe or not to doe Hence it is usuall to say I thought to have done such or such a thing that is I purposed to doe it Therefore Job might well say My purposes are broken off even the thoughts of my heart because purposes are nothing else but a frame or pack of thougts there is an elegancie in that word which we translate Thoughts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Possessiones cordis a radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cogitationes meae avulsae sunt quas possidere solebat animus meus Jun. The Hebrew is The possessions of my heart so we put it in the Margin of our Bibles A learned Translator renders it thus The thoughts which my minde was wont to possesse are puld or snatcht away he meanes it not of all his thoughts as if his power of thinking had been lost but of those speciall thoughts which he had or hopes which he nourished about his restoring to happy dayes these once possessed his heart but they were gone Thoughts are called the possessions of the heart two wayes Dicuntur cogitationes possideri a corde quid enim magis proprium aut innatum cordi quam suae ipsius cogitationes Drus Coc. First In a passive sense Secondly In an active sense Passively Because they are possessed by the heart the heart doth enclose and hold our thoughts The hear◠is the naturally proper vessell or receptacle of thoughts therefore they are called the possessions of the heart The heart is the soyle and seat of thoughts there they are planted and there they dwell Actively For as thoughts are possessed by the heart so thoughts possesse the heart thoughts are full of activity they trouble and they comfort the heart looke what our thoughts are such is the state of our hearts if our thoughts be quiet our hearts are quiet if our thoughts be unquiet our hearts are unquiet if our thoughts be joyful our hearts rejoice if our thoughts be sad our hearts are sorrowfull 'T is sayd in the Gospel L. 24.38 Why are ye troubled why do thoughts rise in your hearts that is Why doe troublesome and disconsolate thoughts rise in your hearts 'T is as natural for thoughts to rise in the heart as it is for water to rise in a spring therefore Christ did not chide them because thoughts but because such thoughts did rise in their hearts We cannot hinder our hearts from thinking no more then wee can hinder the fire from burning or water from wetting but 't is our duty to hinder our hearts from undue or discourageing thoughts and to check them for thinking so Thoughts rule the heart and put it into severall frames and formes according to their owne likenesse and therefore it is both our wisedome and our holinesse to put and keepe our thoughts in the best likenesse The heart in a figurative sense is nothing else but the frame of our thoughts and our thoughts in a proper sense are nothing else but the possessions of the heart Tabulae cordis Chald. Further The Chaldee Paraphrase saith The Tables of my heart are broken so it is an allusion to writing The Law was written at first in Tables of Stone and now a heart of flesh not a fleshly heart is the Tables of the Law our hearts are Tables both for our owne writing and for Gods Job had written many purposes upon those tables therefore he might well say as in this case My purposes or all that was written upon the Tables of my heart are broken In my thoughts I had written and set downe many particulars which I purposed to have done Scriptura cordis nunc litura est Pined but now those lines are crossed or quite blotted out God writes many of his owne thoughts in
our hearts and our thoughts are the writings of our hearts when our purposes and thoughts are broken the Tables of our hearts are broken Hence Observe First Right purposes are good but it is not good to live upon purposes Action must presently follow resolution and performance must be speeded after purposes else they are to little purpose When David had sayd I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord Psal 32.5 he instantly confessed them And when he sayd I will take heed to my wayes Psal 39.1 he instantly tooke heed to them His purpose was in nature before his practice but in time they went together There is a double danger in delaying purposes First That the minde of the purposer may change and his spirit grow flat towards them Secondly that the seasons may change and though hee have a mind yet he may want means and opportunity to performe them There is danger in both wayes and much sin in the former way of breaking purposes The danger of both will be more discovered in the second Observation Secondly Observe When great afflictions come especially when death comes all our purposes are broken off As man is apt to busie himselfe about many things which he cannot know so about many things which though they are possible to be done yet he shall never doe It is in man to purpose but wee must aske leave of God before we can performe Crosse providences breake many purposes but death breakes all All our purposes concerning the World and the things of the World dye with us When the breath of great Princes goeth forth Psal 146.4 In that very day all their thoughts perish Great Princes are full of great thoughts but they who cannot keep themselves from perishing shall never keepe their thoughts from perishing The imaginary frames which they set up the contrivances plots and projects of their hearts are all swept away like the Spiders webb or broken like the Cockatrices Egge when themselves are swept away from the face of the Earth and broken by the power of death The thoughts of many Princes and Politicians dye while themselves live Achitophels purposes were broken and disappointed while himselfe looked on and he was so vexed to see it that hee executed himselfe because his purposes were not executed In these times of publick shaking how many purposes have we seen goe to wrack They who have been long laying their designes and brooding upon their counsels have had their egs broken in a moment their thoughts blown away like Chaffe before the wind or the lightest dust before the whirlwind Now as the purposes of many about gathering riches about taking their pleasure about advancing themselves to or establishing themselves in honor and high places have perished before they dyed so when such dye all their purposes shall certainly perish And as the purposes of all about worldly things perish in the approaches of death so doe the purposes of some about spirituall and heavenly things How many have had purposes to repent to amend their lives and turne to God which have been prevented and totally broken off by the extremity of paine and sicknesse but chiefly by the stroake of death when they have as they thought been about to repent and as we say turne over a new leafe in their lives they have been turned into the Grave by death and into Hell by the just wrath of God Some interpret this Text as Jobs complaint of the unsettlement of his thoughts about heavenly things and the breaking of his purposes in the pursuit of eternity He could not make his thoughts about Heaven hold or hange together even those thoughts were full of gaps and empty spaces or rather like Ropes of Sand. Many honest and gracious soules have found worke enough upon a death-bed or a sick-bed to attend the paine and infirmity of their bodyes When they have purposely set themselves the habituall bent of their hearts being alwayes set that way actually to seek God Non poterat jugi contemplatio in rerum divinarum ut quondam solebat intendere propter vim doloris Phil. to meditate upon the precious promises to put forth fresh lively workings of Faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ they have been suddenly recalled yea even forcibly fetcht back by some violent assault of paine or a previous charge of death So that those thoughts which should be and they desired that they might be like their objects most durable and steady were yet more like some odd ends or broken pot-sheards more like vanishing flashes or wandring fansies then that beautifull frame of heart or those well combined and fastned meditations which they intended For though all the troubles of this life and the approaches of death it selfe cannot breake disappoint or scatter those fixed purposes and thoughts which a Beleever hath had Propter multiplices animi motus perturbationes jam dolebat jam timebat nunc se erigebatin spem meliorem nunc iterum concidebat or those results and resolves which he hath often made in his own soule about the hopes and concernments of eternall life yet he may be pitifully puzzled amuzed and interrupted in his present motions and meditations about them Hence take this Caution Seeing not onely our worldly thoughts perish but our spirituall thoughts may be much broken by strong temptations and variety of bodily distempers in times of trouble and sicknesse let us hasten to settle our purposes and thoughts about eternall life yea to see our soules passed from death to life before we see sicknesse and sorrow much more before we see our selves ready to passe from life to death Purposes to repent or to minde heavenly things not onely may but for the most part are broken off and lost when sicknesse and sorrow finde us Beware of this deceit of the Devill who tells us we shall have leasure to seek God when wee are sick and that we shall have a faire opportunity to settle all the affaires of our souls when we are going out of the body then he tels us we shall have nothing else to doe and therefore we shall surely do it then Let not Satan deceive us with these vaine words for then he intends us most blowes then is his season to breake our thoughts into a thousand peices and to vex us with the splinters even when we lye upon our sicke beds or are bewildred with affliction There is scarse one of twenty but findes breakings and convulsions upon his thoughts at the same time when he feeles them upon his body How often have sick men been heard to say We cannot set our selves to think seriously of Heaven or to act Faith c. To suffer and be sicke is worke enough for any man at one time He had not need to have his greatest worke to doe when he hath such worke to doe They who have had brave spirits and fixed holy purposes upon their death-beds were such as had been long excercised in them before
and to the worme thou art my Mother and Sister Relation to Christ is so comfortable that it overcomes the discomfort of our most unpleasant relations That which raised the spirit of holy Job to these free complyances with death was the light which hee had even in those darker times about the Redeemer of which as the nineteenth Chapter gives us a cleare and an illustrious proofe so the next Verse gives us more then an intimation Vers 15. And where is now my hope And as for my hope who shall see it He that cheerfully questions Where is my hope puts it almost out of question where his hope is Where is now my hope Had Job lost his hope or was it to seeke Davids enemies interrogate him and that interrogatory was as a Sword in his bones or as a Dagger at his heart Where is now thy God Psal 42.10 their meaning was Thy God is no where he is not to be found thou hast none to helpe none to deliver thee Job puts the question himselfe and hee puts it to himselfe Where is now my hope His meaning is not that it was no where but that it was not there where some would have it Hope may be considered two wayes eyther as taken for a grace acting in us or as taken for some good upon which that grace acts Jobs question concernes not hope as it is a grace acting in us he that hath that hope knowes where it is and where it is once it abides forever Hope is no remover it is an abiding grace 1 Cor. 13.13 Now abideth faith hope and charity these three These are abiding graces these must and shall keep house not onely in the Church militant in generall but in the soule of every true member of the Church and if in reference to this hope Job had questioned Where is now my hope He might have answered It is in thy heart the grace of hope dwels there This grace of hope is no fading quality but a setled power Hope doth not alwayes act but it always is where it ever was It is not alwayes a lively hope but it is alwayes a living hope As Eliphaz checks Job Chap. 4.4 Is this thy hope So many a Beleever deserves to be checkt and chiden because his hope is not more strong and stirring because his hope is so unlike hope especially so unlike that hope which hee ought to have after so much experience What Is this thy hope is this all you have talked of hope all this while is this all you have to shew for it this is a poor peece of hope a hope unworthy of thee Some good men may justly fall under this check and whereas hope maketh not ashamed they may for a time be ashamed of their hope yet it is with them as with those Trees of which the Prophet speakes Isa 6.13 whose substance is in them when they have cast their leaves So the holy seed shall be and is the substance of it and though for a time it appeare not and so may beare this question Where is it yet it will appeare againe and by bearing fruit answer for it selfe Here I am Secondly Take hope for that good upon which our hope is set or for the object of hope There is a twofold object of hope First Eternall and heavenly Secondly Temporall and earthly Spirituall things are the hope layd hold upon Heb. 6.18 That by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lye we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us This Scripture teacheth us that as there is a hope by which we lay hold that 's the grace of hope so there is a hope upon which we lay hold that 's the good for which we hope God himselfe and all the good things of eternall life which God hath promised are this hope This hope also Job had and he knew where it was as he knew he had the grace of hope in his heart so that hee had the choycest good of hope in Heaven nor would he have parted with this hope for all the possessions in the World But as hope whether in the object or in the actings of it respects temporall or earthly things Job saith And now where is my hope that is If I waite and hope about these things my labour is lost my hopes are vaine and vanishing yea already vanished as the next clause which is of the same sense with this and therefore needs no explication further sheweth And for my hope who shall see it That is Who shall see that which you would have me hope for You would perswade me that I shall be a great man if I should take up such a hope who shall ever see it made good who shall see it fulfilled No man shall And because the word which wee translate Hope in both parts of this Verse signifies also a Congregation Ecquis me talem intuebitur qualem me futurum dicitis Bez. or the meeting of many things or persons together That first and great congregation of waters or rather the congregating of those waters is expressed by it Gen. 1.9 and in a like sense 't is used concerning persons Jer. 3.17 Hence the whole Verse is thus rendred And where now is my congregation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat congregare congregationem Et ubi nunc congregatio mea congregationem meam quis intuebitur Bold And as for my congregation who shall see it As if he had sayd If yee aske after my congregation or family 't is in the Grave there 's all that I looke for there 's my Father and Mother there 's my Sisters and will any man goe downe with me into those chambers of darknesse to visit my congregation to see my family this is all the family which I have in my eye and whose eye else is greedy to see this I might from this Verse turne back to that Observation lately given That a true Beleever is sometimes able to make tryumphant reports about the wrack of his worldly hope he can say Where is it and who shall see it With dry eyes when the will of God removes it out of his sight David treating of the vanity of worldly things Psal 39.7 concludes in the mids of all his outward enjoyments And now Lord what waite I for where is my hope or What doe I hope for 't is all one my hope is in thee not in the World not after worldly things hee easily gave up his hope there The more hope we have in God the lesse we have in and about the creature Job had much hope in God but he had none not onely in but none for the creature All those hopes were in his light as himselfe was dead or dyin◠and therefore fit onely to be buryed out of his sight as he speaks in the next Verse Vers 16. They shall goe downe to the barrs of the pit when
considered his owne body as dead too much and so attained not to Abrahams strength of Faith Yet we have three things to say for him First there was a great difference between his case and Abrahams Job had no such ground of Faith as Abraham had Abraham received a speciall yea an absolute promise from God that he should have a Son but Job received only a conditionall promise from man grounded upon the generall promises of God that he should be restored This consideration abates much from the objection of his unbeleife though it cannot be denyed but his Faith might and should have risen higher upon the power of God who as he was Al-sufficiently able so he did afterwards actually raise him up Secondly The designe of God being in Jobs example to set forth a patterne of patience as his designe was in Abrahams example to set forth a patterne of Faith he was pleased to let Jobs Faith run it selfe out about spirituals and eternals not minding temporals that so his patience might have a perfect worke in bearing the full weight of his affliction to the end while his Faith did not so much as put under a little finger to ease him with the least beleife that it should as to this life be taken off or have an end Lastly As 't was hinted Job had much Faith to some purposes though none to this hee had a full trust in God though he should kil him but he had no trust that God would not kill him he beleeved God loved him while he did afflict him though hee did not beleeve that God would deliver him from his afflictions As no mans Faith workes alike at all times so 't is rare that any mans Faith workes alike to all things Some who beleeve and hope mightily for the things of Heaven have but little eyther Faith or Hope for earthly things Not because a Faith which serves for Heaven is not enough 't is rather more then enough to serve for Earth But because most of those whose Faith is strong and much enlarged for Heaven take so much satisfaction there and are there so much at home that they account themselves Pilgrims and strangers here and are not much mindfull as the Apostle speakes Heb. 11.15 or desirous of their earthly Countrey and concernments What wee doe not much desire to have wee doe not much beleeve though we beleeve that we shall have it A full soule saith Solomon loatheth the Honey combe Those soules which are full of Heaven though they doe not loath yet they are not hungry after though they can thankfully receive and enjoy any Honey-combe of this World No man having drunk old Wine straightway desireth new for hee saith the old is better Luke 5.39 Doubtlesse Job had drunk the old Wine of Gods favour and love in the Redeemer and so his thirst was much slacked if not totally quenched towards the new Wine of a temporall restauration And hence we may not onely charitably but more then probably conclude That it was not for want of Faith that Job did not beleeve or hope for what his Freinds promised him but because he had employed his Faith upon better and more pleasing pâ—â—â—ises Thus Job hath finisht his answer to the second charge of Eliphaz And through the helpe of Christ somewhat is here tendered for the illustration and exposition of it His other two Freinds Bildad and Zophar stand ready to enter the Lists with him and to renew their charge what they sayd and what answer they received shall if God continue life and strength with these peaceable opportunities in convenient time be presented to publick view A TABLE Directing to some speciall points noted in the precedent EXPOSITIONS A ABominable what that is which is called abominable or an abomination p. 65 66. Sinfull man how abominable to God 66 67. Abundance cannot satisfie 113. Advocate between God and man 389. How the holy Ghost is an Advocatâ— 389 390. In what manner Christ performes the offiâ—e of an Advocate 390. Christ is an effectuall mediatour or Advocate 393. Five things to shew the effectualnesse of Christs pleading for us as an Advocate 394. Affections of men and their opinions of others are very variable 452. Affliction great afflictions hinder the sense of tendred mercies 39. Some afflictions bring a wearinesse boâ—h upon soule and body 247. Some afflictions distract 248. A godly man may grow extreame weary of affliction 249. Great afflictions like great sins leave a mark 261. Great afflictions how made witnesses of sin against a man 262. The witnesse which affliction gives censured two wayes 262 263. God afflicts his owne severely 290. God seemes to take pleasure in afflicting his 294. Affliction comes not by chance but by speciall direction 295. God hath many wayes to afflict 297. He sends breach upon breach 309. Great afflictions have three things in them in reference to others 451. Age old age three degrees of it among the Jewes 31. Amalekites their enmity against the Jewes 126. Angels how imperfect 62. Angels by some called Heavens and why 63. Answering two things alwayes may two things usually doe embolden men to answer 222. Antiochus Epiphanes his painefull life 89 Appetite of the end infinite 207. Appeales to God lawfull 363. It is a daring worke to appeale to Gâ—d 368. Apis the Aegyptian Idol why his Preists did not give him the water of Nilus to drinke 147. Apostacy from profession worse then continued prophanenesse 286. Archers seven Archers shot at Job 297. Arminians why they deny the Intercession of Christ for all 393. Assurance of approaching miseries how great a trouble to the minde 118. A wicked man may have this assurance 118. Arrhabo an earnest whence it comes 420. Astonishment at the dealings of God 468. Augustus Caesar his peircing eye 266. Aygoland a King of the Moores why he refused baptisme 471. B. Barathrum why it signifies Hell 455. Begging or wandring for bread a great affliction 111. Beleeving a wicked man hath neyther a ground nor a heart to beleeve 104. A wicked mans beleeving is presuming 104. Belial whence derived 10. Who is Belial 85. Blood what it signifies in Scripture 347. Bloody sins shal not passe undiscovered 357. Why God is sayd to make inquisition for blood in speciall 358. Body to minde the seeding of it sinfull 148. They take little care for their soules who take overmuch care for their bodies 150. Branch what it signifies in Scripture 189. Bread what it signifies in Scripture 111. Breath of God what it signifies in Scripture 164. Breath of man 167 168. Breath of man taken three wayes 402. The breath of man is corruptible 403. Breath is not the soule ibid. Bribe-takers and Bribe-givers both alike wicked 195. Bribery is an odious sin 197. That which is got by bribery will not hold long 197. By-word to be made a by-word notes two things 447. Great sufferers are usually made a by-word 447 448. It is very burdensome to the spirit of a man