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
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
lives in any knowne sinne unrepented of Secondly That which is unquiet and unsetled about the pardon of those sins which we have repented of We should get both these evil consciences but especially the first cured and removed by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ before we draw nigh to God in prayer as also our bodies washed in pure water which is either an allusion to the old Ceremonies among the Jewes who before they came to worship at the Tabernacle purged themselves with diverse outward washings leading them to the consideration of that morall puritie both of heart and life in which God is to be worshipped or it is an allusion to Baptisme in speciall in which there is an externall washing of the body signifying the washing of the soule by the blood of Christ and by the effectuall working of the spirit The sum of all is unlesse the person be pure his prayer is not pure These are the ingredients which constitute pure prayer all these met in Job and therefore he concluded not onely confidently but truely My prayer is pure And as these are the ingredients of prayer so they are all necessary ingredients so necessary that if any one of them be wanting the whole prayer is impure They are necessary by a double necessity First As commanded by God in prayer Secondly As meanes without which man cannot attaine his end in prayer The generall end of prayer is that prayer may be heard accepted and answered God heares accepts answers no one prayer without some concurrence of all these The Incense of the Ceremoniall Law was a shadow of prayer which is so great a duty of the morall Law But if this Incense had not been made exactly according to the will of God both for the matter and the manner of the composition prescribed Exod. 30.34 35 36. If after it had been thus made it had not also been offered according to those rules given Levit. 16.12 13. it had been an abomination to the Lord or as the Prophet Isaiah speaks Chap. 66.3 Such a burning of Incense had been but as the blessing of an Idol We may conclude also That if prayer be either composed or presented in any other way then God himselfe hath directed it is not onely turned away but turned into sin That man hath spoken a great word who can say in Jobs sense My prayer is pure Thus Job justifies the prayer he made to God and mainetaines his justice towards men There is no injustice in my hands also my prayer is pure A high profession yet in the next words he goes higher and makes both an imprecation against himselfe if it were not thus with him and an appeale to God for his testimony that it was thus with him JOB CHAP. 16. Vers 18 19. O Earth cover not thou my blood and let my cry have no place Also now behold my witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high JOB having with much confidence asserted the integrity of his heart and the righteousnesse of his way both towards God and Man confirmes what he had thus confidently asserted by a double Argument First By a vehement imprecation Vers 18. O earth cover not thou my blood and let my cry have no place Secondly By a free appeale an appeale to God himselfe Vers 19. Also now behold my witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high He shewes the necessity of this appeale Vers 20. My Freinds scorne me therefore I am constrained to goe to God When men have done us wrong and will not doe us right it is both time and duty to appeale to God Upon this ground Job appeales Est juramenti deprecatorii forma quo asseverat nullius sibi iniquitatis consâ—ium esse Aben. Ezra and he concludes according to our translation his appeale with a passionate yet holy wish Vers 21. O that one might plead for a man with God as a man pleadeth for his Neighbour The reason both of his appeale and wish is given us further Vers 22. he looked on himselfe as a man standing upon the very confines of death the Grave was ready for him therefore hee beggs that this businesse might be dispatched and his integrity cleared before hee dyed Hee was loath to goe out of the World like a Candle burnt downe to the Socket with an ill savour He that hath lived unstained in his reputation cannot well beare it to dye with a blot and therefore he will be diligent by all due meanes to maintaine the credit which he hath got and to recover what he hath lost This was the reason of Jobs importunity discovered in these two Verses now further to be opened Vers 18. O earth cover not thou my blood and let my cry have no place There are two branches of this imprecation or rather these make two distinct imprecations The first in these words O earth cover not thou my blood The second in these Let my cry have no place Job engages all upon the truth of what he had sayd being willing that his worst might be seen and his best not heard if he had not spoken truth O earth cover not thou my blood Poeticum sane patheticum in dolore aut re alia gravissima res mutas mortuasve omni sensu audituque carentes testes auditores compellare Job speaks pathetically or as some render him Poetically while he bespeakes the earth and makes the inanimate creature his hearer The sacred Pen-men doe often turne their speech to the Heavens and to the Earth Thus Moses Deut. 32.2 in the Preface of his Sermon his last Sermon to that people Give eare O yee Heavens and I will speak and hear O earth the words of my mouth So the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 1.2 Heare O Heavens and give eare O Earth I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me God speaks to that which hath no eares to heare eyther to reprove those who have eares but heare not or to raise up and provoke their attention in hearing Thus Job O earth c. as if the earth were able to take his complaint and returne an answer as if the earth were able to make inquisition and bring in a verdict about his blood O earth cover not thou my blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 texit operuit abscondit The word signifies not onely common but a twofold metaphoricall covering First Covering by way of dissimulation to dissemble a matter is to cover a matter In that sense Solomon speakes Prov. 12.16 A fooles wraâ—h is presently knowne but a prudent man covereth shame that is He dissembleth his wrath or his anger he will not let it alway break forth for that would be a shame to him Secondly The word signifies to cover by forgetfulnesse That which is not remembred is hid or covered Eccles 6.4 He commeth in with vanity speaking of man and departeth in darknesse and his name shall be covered with darknesse that
light and puft up with knowledg Secondly vvhen men are unthankfull for the light and vvill not acknowledge God the giver of it Thirdly vvhen men grow vvanton or vaine in the light vvhen they abuse it and having the light vvalke in darknesse All vvhich reasons of Gods vvithdrawing light as many Scriptures testifie so they are all testified in that one Scripture Rom. 1.21 22. Fourthly As God may be sayd to hide the heart from understanding by a totall withdrawing of light so by vvithholding it for a time or in part by clouding or eclipsing it God hides the heart of some men from understanding onely in such a point or at such a season giving them light in other things yea and in that thing too at another season This fourth way I conceive most proper to this Text of Job for his Freinds vvere not under that terrible judgement of a totall hiding their hearts from understanding onely the light was with-held from them in and about that transaction As vvhen Christ after his resurrection appeared to those Disciples Luke 24.26 the Text saith Their eyes were held that they should not know him And Vers 31. Their eyes were opened and they knew him Thus God at one time holds the intellectuall eye of some good men that they cannot discerne such or such a Truth yet afterwards he opens their eyes and they discerne it Hence Observe First The wisest men doe not see all truths nor are they able to judge of all matters These were vvise men very vvise men they spake excellent things and very understandingly about God they gave Job very good counsell but yet they failed here Elihu Ch. 32.9 saith Great men are not alwayes wise vve may say vvise men are not alwayes wise and as no man is wise at all times so there is no man wise in all things We cannot conclude that because a man hath given a right judgement in some one or in many points that therefore we may trust his decisions in all points As God hides all wisedome from some men so he very rarely if at all trusts any one man or sort of men at one time with all vvisedome Jobs Freinds were vvell acquainted with and they have acquainted us with many excellent notions about that great Doctrine of Providence but they were much mistaken about the Providence of God with Job nor did they shew themselves acquainted vvith that excellent Designe of God in his afflicting Providences thereby to try the strength and manifest the graces vvhich hee hath bestowed upon his people Secondly Observe The hiding of the heart from and the opening of the heart to understanding are the worke of God We see no further then God gives us light and so farr as he leads us we goe right if hee vvithdraw vve turne aside and quickly vvander from the way of truth and righteousnesse We have nothing of our owne but sin and ignorance wisedome is of God Every good and perfect gift comes from above As God hides all Gospell-truths and mysteries from vvorldly vvise men so no Gospell mysterie is knowne to any man till God discover and make it knowne Matth. 11.25 At that time Jesus answered and sayd I thanke thee O Father Lord of Heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent but hast revealed them unto babes By vvise and prudent he meanes wordly vvise men meere Philosophers and Politicians or hypocriticall Professors such as the Scribes and Pharisees were from these God in judgement hides the things of the Kingdome of Heaven and reveales them unto Babes even to such as are at the greatest distance in naturall considerations from the capacity of such rich and heavenly manifestations There is no greater argument that God opens the heart to understand then to see Babes understand If true knowledge in spirituall mysteries vvere from man they vvho have most of man in them vvould have most of that knowledge but vvee are taught by experience that such men as the World calls Fooles doe not erre in the way of holinesse Isa 35.8 And that the course of all Worldly vvise men is a continuall erring from that vvay and that some godly men who are higher by head and shoulders then some of their Brethren in naturall wisedome have run into and maintained errors whither can we ascribe all this but to the power of God Moses speakes of the many signes and miracles which God wrought in the midst of that people vvhich they did not understand Why what was the reason Moses tells us expressely vvhat Yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to conceive nor eyes to see nor eares to heare to this day Deut. 29.4 They had sensitive eyes and eares yea they had a rationall heart or minde but they vvanted a spirituall eye to see a spirituall care to heare a spirituall heart or minde to apprehend and improve those wonderfull vvorkes of God And these they had not because God had not given them such eyes eares and hearts Wonders without grace cannot open the eyes fully but grace without wonders can And as man hath not an eye to see the wonderfull workes of God spiritually untill it is given so much lesse hath he an eye to see the wonders of the Word of God till it be given him from above and therefore David prayes Psal 119.18 Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wonderous things out of thy Law And if the wondrous things of the Law are not much seene till God give an eye then much lesse are the vvondrous things of the Gospell The light of nature shewes us somwhat of the Law but nothing of the Gospell was ever seen by the light of nature Many who have seene and admired some excellencies in the Law could never see and therefore have derided that which is the excellency of the Gospell till God hath opened their heart to understanding Thirdly Observe It is a great judgement to have our hearts hidden from understanding in the things of God It is a sore judgement not to have the light but it is a sorer judgement not to see by the light when we have it To have a heart hid from understanding is farr worse then to have a heart unable to understand Our inability to understand ariseth two vvayes First From a naturall infirmity in the understanding Secondly From the naturall obscurity of the matter presented to the understanding Plaine truthes are not apprehended by a weake understanding and the strongest understanding cannot apprehend some obscure truthes as the Apostle Peter saith of Saint Pauls Epistles that in them there are some things hard to be understood 2 Pet. 3.16 Now as there is an affliction in it not to be able to understand any truth which God hath revealed for our use so there is much wrath and judgement in it when God hides understanding from the heart in any of those things which he hath revealed for our use but especially in those things which are necessary
at once makes them fruitfull and makes them firme he that stands by this strength shall stand and he that is fruitfull by these roots shall be fruitfull still and bring forth more fruit in age The righteous shall hold on his way As Christ speakes terribly to the wicked that they shall hold on their way Revel 22.11 He that is unjust let him be unjust still he that is filthy let him be filthy still These are not permissions to wicked men to be wicked still much lesse are they perswasions unto wickednesse but they are dreadfull comminations wicked men are threatned with this plague to be given up to the wickednesse of their owne hearts Now as Christ speakes terribly thereto his Enemies so he speakes comfortably and encouragingly to his Freinds He that is righteous let him be righteous still and he that is holy let him be holy still which carries not onely the force of a command upon them or the direction of a rule to them but also the sweetnesse of a gracious promise or of a speciall priviledge that they shall be maintained in righteousnesse and holinesse unto the end or that they shall hold on their way Hypocrites may make a faire flourish and stand some brunts they may endure for a season but they endure not long much lesse to the end They went out from us saith the Apostle John 1 Epist 2.19 they had once an appearance and a presence with us but they were not of us that is They had no reall communion and fellowship with us their bodies were with us but not their hearts and when we lost them we lost no more then the Corne doth vvhen the Chaffe is winnowed away or then the body doth vvhen hurtfull humours are purged away Who were these Hee meanes the Apostate professors of that age Ebion Cerinthus c. These were not of us How did the Apostle know that Hee tells us how in the next vvords For if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us Saint John puts it beyond all dispute and himselfe had not the least doubt of it that they who are once in Church shall continue in it and that they who depart doe not depart from grace but from a shadow of grace They doe not fall from what they were but manifest what they were not They went out from us that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us But vvhy doth the Apostle say they were not all of us Were any of those Apostates of them Not all is a knowne Hebraisme for none Psal 143.2 In thy sight not all men that is no man living shall be justified So 1 John 3.15 Ye know that every murderer hath not that is as we translate no murderer hath eternall life abiding in him So here They were not all that is None of them were of us Many have forsaken a profession of Faith but hee that hath Faith will not forsake the profession of it The righteous shall hold on his way and not onely so but He that hath cleane hands shall wax stronger and stronger To continue in the right way is very good but to encrease in it is farr better he that holds his owne in sad times is to be commended but he that thrives and gaines in godlinesse in sad times is to be admired And who is that Job tells us He that hath cleane hands The words are a Circumlocution describing the same person who vvas before called upright innocent and righteous And yet surely it is not a bare repetition of the same person under another title for though vvee must take this cleanenesse of hands in conjunction with cleannesse and uprightnesse of heart and though it be not so hard a matter to shew a paire of white cleane hands as it is to have an upright or a cleane white heart yea though it be true that cleane hands will not wax stronger and stronger in a day of affliction unlesse joyned with an upright heart yet I say these cleane hands imply somewhat else not onely besides that uprighâ—nesse but also besides that innocency and righteousnesse spoken of before The hand is the instrument of action and cleane hands are an embleme of holy actings So that Job seemes to intimate that he who besides the uprightnesse of his heart and the generall innocency and righteousnesse of his way is also carefull to keep himselfe free from every spot which might foule his hands He I say who is thus compleat and spotlesse is fullest of courage vvhen troubles and sorrowes are upon him 'T is true a mans generall uprightnesse and innocency vvill mightily uphold him in the maine yet if hee have got a visible blot or defilement upon the face or hand of his conversation or dealings with men this will be a dampe upon his spirit and a deadning to his heart though the bent of his heart stands faire towards God Againe this may be added in answer to a Plea vvhich some make vvhen they are taxed vvith the uncleannesse of their hands say they O we have good hearts we are upright towards God we confesse we faile many times but we have good meanings and we would both doe and be better Is thy hand uncleane Thy heart is a thousand times more uncleane Is thy vvay evill Thy spirit is vvorse How câ—n any man have a good meaning or a good heart vvhen himselfe is evill No man can There is no excuse for the uncleannesse of the hands by saying the heart is cleane For vvhere there is a cleane heart there vvill be cleane hands Many have cleane hands that have uncleane hearts but no man hath a cleane heart whose hands continue uncleane much lesse will such a one plead the cleannesse of his heart in excuse for the uncleannesse of his hand nor is there any ground for such a Plea Should a man say here is a Tree that beares ill fruit but it hath an excellent root I am sure it is of a right kind but I confesse the fruit is naught would not any man of reason condemne such reasoning Would he not say This is to bely nature For every good tree brings forth good fruit Is it not also a belying of the spirit of grace to say The heart is upright but the hands are uncleane For an upright heart makes a cleane hand as cleane hands are a probable evidence of an upright heart He that hath not both these hath neyther of them to purpose which we may conceive was Jobs scope while hee puts them here together Further while Job speakes in the third person Hee that hath cleane hands he answers Eliphaz for himselfe who in a third person charged him with the uncleannesse both of his heart and hands Chap. 15.14 from which he also vindicates himselfe Chap. 16.17 As if hee had sayd You have often charged me with the uncleannesse of my hands but
governe himselfe by presidents no man can tell certainely which way he vvill goe by looking into the way vvhich he hath gone for though he useth no liberty in the issue of his dealings but rewardeth every man according to his works yet hee useth much liberty in the meanes which lead unto it Secondly This ariseth from the narrownesse of mans heart who measuring God by his owne line and comparing what God hath done by what he would do cannot as the Apostle speakes in another case attaine unto the righteousnesse of God in vvhat he doth 'T is excellent wisedome to know how to interpret and improve the dealings of God vvith our selves or others The grossest mis-interpretation of his dealings is to conclude the guilt or innocency of man the love or hatred of God from them Jobs Freinds upon such mistakes incurred this censure I have not found one wise man among you Job having by way of introduction spoken to the men or to the persons of his Freinds proceeds to speake his owne case Vers 11. My dayes are past my purposes are broken off even the thoughts of my heart What doe you tell me of comfortable dayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Transierum My dayes are past they are gone by as wee say The Shew is gone by or the Company is gone by so saith Job My dayes are gone by There 's no looking after them any more they are out of sight why would you bring them into my minde againe Dayes may be taken here in a twofold sense First For the terme of his life Secondly For the state of his life As taken for the terme of his life My dayes are past is Morti vicinus sum I am a neere neighbour to death death and I am ready to meet and imbrace the life of man is measured by daye◠when our dayes are past there 's nothing left to measure nothing to measure by My dayes are past But how could Job affirme The terme or dayes of my life are past when as he was alive that day to say this so he lived many a faire day after he had sayd it Can we call that past which is still present with us or which is yet to come He affirmes this First because he conceived that the greatest part of his dayes were actually past and that it was not worth while to reckon upon the few dayes behinde he did not thinke that remnant so considerable as to measure it but threw it by as a peice of uselesse nothing Our dayes are so passing that with a little Rhetorick we may say they are past as soone as they begin how much more may wee say so when we are sure they must shortly end and are really almost yea onely not past Secondly Job might say My dayes are past because doubtlesse it had seized on his spirit that his Glasse was run that hee should dye presently hee never looked to outlive that storme So that his dayes were past in his account though not in Gods account Job could say of himselfe as we use to say of those Women who have gone out their full time of Child-bearing that He had not a day more to reckon As Job had a full assurance that he should live eternally so he had a kinde of assurance that hee should dye very shortly And therefore as to his owne apprehensions and the calculation which he had made of his dayes their date was out and hee might say My dayes are past Againe As taken for the state of his life so My dayes are past is My good dayes my prosperous dayes are past you tell me of a day of deliverance what a morning I shall have but I looke on all my dayes here as dayes of darknesse wee say of a man who is not only in an evill but in a desperate or irrecoverably evill condition He hath seene all his best dayes or all his good dayes are gone Job was full of trust for a good eternity but he had no hope of good days The terme of a mans dayes may continue long when the comfort of his dayes is or when his comfortable dayes are quite past Though Jobs dayes continued as to the terme of his life yet his dayes as hee judged were past as to any comfortable state of life in which sense he might also say My dayes are past Nor did Job speake this complainingly or with a low spirit My dayes are past he did not whine it out as they doe who are loath to dye and would faine live still in the delights of life but he spake boldly and cheerfully he spake of his Dying day as of his Marriage day My dayes are past As a young man saith My marriage day is at hand I shall be marryed shortly with such a holy allacrity Job spake I shall dye shortly my dayes are past He looked upon his comfortable dayes in the World as past and yet he was comforted Job was full of paine yet usually in the close of his speeches he gathered up himselfe and spake in a height and heat of spirit As the Cock towards morning flutters his Wings before he Crowes and gives warning of the approaching day or as the Lyon strikes his sides with his Tayle to rouze up his spirits before he attempts his prey so Job stirr'd up himselfe towards the close of his answers and resumed new spirits acting That dying man to the life who having nothing in this World eyther to feare or hope dyes without feare yet with abundance yea in assurance of hope My dayes are past Hence Observe First As the words are taken in the former sense A gracious heart hath peace in the approaches of death His contentments are not done when the terme of his life is done He can say My dayes are past as cheerfully as Agag sayd Surely the bitternesse of death is past Some godly men have dyed farr more pleasantly then ever any wicked man lived Secondly From the latter sense Observe A gracious heart can take present comfort and rejoyce in this World while he knowes that all his worldly comforts and joyes are past Faith overlookes or lookes thorow and beyond all the evills of this life to a good which shall never dye yea Faith sees and enjoyes a present good while sense sees nothing and indeed hath nothing else to see but evill A carnall man parts with his good dayes or with the good of his dayes as Phaltiel went to deliver up Michal Sauls Daughter and Davids Wife by right weeping all along as he went 2 Sam. 3.16 There 's a sad parting betweene a worldly heart and worldly things but he that is spiritually minded though he doth not despise the meanest of worldly good things as made by God for the use and comfort of man so when God cals him from them or them from him he can part with he use of them and yet not be dispossessed of comfort he knowes that hee hath a present good and that he hath greater good
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
spoke my conscience and the truth The Jewes accused Christ falsely yet called for his blood upon their heads therefore God gave them their wicked wish and they lye under the weight of this imprecation to this very day they prayed that the blood of Christ might be upon them and it is upon them As God poures the blood of Christ upon some in mercy so upon others in wrath The blood of Christ is upon Beleevers to wash and cleanse them from their sins but the blood of Christ hath been upon the Jewes to condemne and scatter them as a vile people all the World over for their sin The Lord hath been most exact in answering this cry even in the very place where they made it The History of the Jewes reports that about thirty eight years after this dreadfull curse upon themselves Herod called the Jewes together and demanded a summ of Money of them for making a water-course which they refusing to give he sent for Souldiers to come secretly armed who slew great multitudes of them in that place where they cryed Let his blood be upon us c. At another time Florus who was Generall of the Common Souldiers made a second and that a more bloody massacre of them there And when Jerusalem was taken by Vespasian the blood of Christ was powred upon the heads of many hundred thousands who were slaine by Fire and Sword Famine and Pestilence besides more then seven thousand of them who were led Captive And the Story informes us further that Caesar sold the younger and common sort of those Captives at that contemptible rate of thirty a penny as they or their Fathers sold Christ for thirty pence so by the just judgement of God thirty of them were sold for a penny There was never any people in the World who tasted more justly or more deeply of that cup of self-cursing then the Jews have done yet many persons have tasted deeply of it too besides the Jewes This sin hath so much not only of wickednesse but boldnesse in it that God never lets it goe altogether unpunished though being repented of it may be pardoned Master Perkins in his Booke of the right government of the tongue touching upon this point tels us of certaine English Souldiers in the time of King Edward the sixth who were cast upon the French shore by a storme in which stresse they went to prayer that they might be delivered but one Souldier in stead of praying cryed out Gallowes take thy right or claime thy due and when hee came home he was hanged indeed Master Fox in his Booke of Acts and Monuments hath a notable example to this purpose of one John Peters Keeper of Newgate who was wont at every ordinary thing he spoke whether it were true or false it made with him no great matter to averr it with this imprecation if it be not so I pray God I may rot before I dye and so it came to passe I might give many such instances of rash imprecations which God hath followed with severest vengeance I shall add one more which is fresh in the memory of many yet living of a Gentleman of quality a Knight Sir Gervaise Ellowayes that suffered at the Tower-hill about the death of Sir Thomas Overburie who confessed it was just with God that hee should undergoe that ignominious death for oft in Gaming sayd he I have used this wish I pray God I be hanged if it be not so I wil conclude this point with a neerer instance A Woman who accidentally came into the Congregation while this word was Preached did afterwards by writing certifie me that shee being convinced in conscience of her sin in wishing evill upon her selfe thereby to cover a sin which shee had committed but denyed did feele the sad effects of it according to her wish begging earnest prayers that it might be forgiveâ— her and that God would be entreated to take off his hand Let those wretches heare and feare and doe no more so presumptuously who feare not to wish The Devill take them and God damne them lest indeed God let the Devill loose upon them and take them at their word And here it may be observed that such as are most guilty are most apt to imprecate vengeance upon themselves that they may appeare guiltlesse They have no way left to perswade others that they are good or have not done evill but by wishing evill to themselves Such is the stupidity of a misled conscience that when it is deepest in sin it dares defie Gods justice to gaine an opinion among men of its owne innocency O earth cover not thou my bloood More particularly Observe Great sins bloody sins especially this sin of shedding innocent blood shall not passe undiscovered God will give a tongue to the earth he will make speechlesse creatures speak rather then blood shall be concealed Blood may be concealed a long time but blood shall not alwayes be concealed Gen. 4.7 What hast thou done The voyce of thy Brethers blood cryeth to me from the ground The blood had no voyce and the ground was silent blood hath no more voyce of its owne then water hath or then a Fish that lives in the water hath these did not speake formally but the Lord speakes thus to shew that hee will certainely bring bloody sins chiefely the sin of blood to light The justice of God in all Ages hath sent out his Writ of enquirie after bloody men and for the blood of the innocent Psal 9.12 When he maketh inquisition for blood he remembreth them he forgetteth not the cry of the poore But doth not the Lord make inquisition for all sin Or is there any sin that God doth not enquire after Surely no there was never any sin committed in the World but the Lord inquired hath after it sin shal not be lost God wil finde it out and keep it upon record But when it is sayd God makes inquisition for blood it argues the greatnesse of that sin For while that act of God which extendeth to every sin is appropriated to some one particular sin it is an argument that God takes speciall noâ—ice of it or that it is a very provoking sin Though God makes inquisition for all sin yet as if he would let all other sins passe unsought and un enquired after it is sayd onely of this sin that he makes inquisition for it we finde not the like expression about any other particular sin in all the Book of God though it be a truth that hee enquires for all sin Thirdly Observe O earth cover not thou my blood Innocency feares no discovery Come who will Angels from Heaven Devils from Hell Men on Earth let all creatures be summoned into one Jury of grand Inquest an innocent person will neyther run nor hide his head for it He whose heart beares witnesse with him feares no witnesse that can be brought against him While conscience acquits the matter is not much who accuseth
or condemnes He that is righteous knowes that all his sins are covered by the freegrace of God in the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ and he knowes that he hath not covered his sin as Adam by excuses nor sewed the Fig-leaves of carnall reasonings together to hide his nakednesse he knowes also that he lives not in any knowne sin nor hath wickedly departed from the Lord. Now because in all these respects he knowes nothing by himselfe therefore he cares not who knows him he cals not for Masks or Visors for Curtaines or coverings to obscure or disguise himselfe or his actions under eyther from the sight of God or man but is willing to stand forth in the open light For though the best of men may have done some act which is not fit for the open light yet considering the whole frame of their hearts and lives towards God together with what hath past betweene God and their soules about that act they are not afrayd that the worst act which ever they have done should stand forth in the open light and as for those crimes which men uncharitably charge upon them every honest heart speakes boldly the sense of this first part of Jobs imprecation O earth cover not thou my blood From the second branch of Jobs imprecation Let my cry have no place Observe Not to have prayer heard and accepted by God is the greatest misery that can befall man God is the last refuge of a distressed soule and the meanes by which we make God our refuge or flye to him for refuge is beleeving and servent prayer Prayer is a duty and yet it is a priviledge it is a priviledge not onely to receive an answer of prayer but to put up our requests in prayer he therefore that askes a stop upon his owne prayers hath at once asked a stop upon all his mercies he cannot looke to be releeved who tells God he doth not looke to be heard and when prayer hath no place of acceptance in Heaven wee can have no place of contentment on the Earth Upon this account we may conclude That Man cannot bespeake any thing worse for himselfe then not to be heard when he speakes to God As it is one of the highest honours done to God that men make prayers to him so it is one of the deepest afflictions of man for God not to heare his prayers Such was Sauls condition 2 Sam. 28. God doth not answer me neither by dreames nor by Vrim nor by Prophets He could get no answer from God his cry had no place This troubled him more then the invasion of the Philistims I am sore distressed saith he the Philistims make Warr upon me and God is departed from me When trouble comes and God goes away man is in a wofull estate We have no promise to receive unlesse we aske and though we doe aske wee cannot receive unlesse our prayer be received God receives the prayer of man before man receives any thing from God in prayer All our treasure lies in Heaven our comfort is in Heaven our protection is in Heaven and prayer is the messenger which we send to Heaven in the name of Christ for all things or for whatsoever else we need on earth Now if prayer cannot get in if God will not heare prayer if hee send back our messenger without audience what can wee receive The sinfulnesse of man appeares in nothing more then in this That he calleth not upon God Psal 14.4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge Who eate up my people as they eate bread and call not upon the Lord Now as the sin of man appeares exceedingly in not calling upon God so the wrath of God appeares exceedingly in not hearing man when he cals Prov. 1.20 Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seeke me early but they shall not finde me God will powre out wrath upon the Families that call not upon his name Jer. 10.25 but hee powres out most wrath upon those Families whom he heares not when they call upon his name All our mercies are shut out at once when prayer is shut out nor shall that person have any place or roome in Gods heart whose cry hath no place in his eare Holy Job was sensible enough of this nor durst hee have imprecated that his cry should have no place but that being conscious of no evill hee was assured that his cry had place and therefore as in the sincerity of his soule he made that imprecation so in the confidence of his soule he proceeds to make his Appeale to God in the next words Vers 19. Also now behold my witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high As if he had sayd I feare no evidence that can be brought against me on earth and I rejoyce in the witnesse I have in Heaven though I have none to testifie for me here yet I have one that will testifie for me above My witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high Vtitur testificatione caeli postquam terrae testimonium produxit Eugub Some conceive that as Job had spoken to the earth before so now he speakes to Heaven O earth cover not my blood O Heaven witnesse for me But he saith not my witnesse is Heaven but my witnesse is in Heaven nor doth he call the Heavens to witnesse for him but he cals him who is in Heaven to witnesse and that is God There are two branches of this appeal Idem bis dicit conscientiae suae integrae declarandae causa Lavat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synonymum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hieron in Trad. and they both intend the same thing My witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high The words witnesse and record are of the same signification though they differ in the letter The one is properly an Hebrew word and the other Syriack When Jacob and Laban were in that contest Gen. 31.47 Jacob tooke a Stone and set up a Pillar for a witnesse And Jacob sayd to his Brethren Gather stones and they made an heape and they did eate there upon the heap and Laban called it Jegar-sahadatha that is a heap of witnesses as it is in the Margin but Jacob called it Galeed or Gilead Jacob speaking the pure Hebrew and Laban the Syriack language they take in both the words of Jobs appeale My witnesse is in Heaven my record is on high Est forma juramenti quo deum invocat innocentiae suae testem atque conscientiae spectatorem Cajet Job speakes the same thing twice to shew how strongly he beleeved that the Lord would be witnesse for him My witnesse is in Heaven my record is on high Heaven and high are the same as witnesse and record are And when he saith on high or in the high place he useth not the word Bamoth by which those high places are expressed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In excelsis malimin altissimis quia excelsa