makes a bold adventure who dares passe but an unpleasing thought against the waies or works of God Fourthly Not to be satisfied with what God doth is a degree of hardening our selves against God discontents and unquietnesses upon our spirits are oppositions Fiftly Not to give God glory in what he doth hath somewhat in it of hardening of our selves against God And lastly He that will not give God glory in what he commands is in a degree hardened against God We may see what it is to harden our selves against God by the opposite of it Prov. 28.14 Blessed is the man that feareth alwaies but he that hardeneth himself shall fall into mischief Hardnesse is contrary to holy fear holy fear is a disposition of heart ready to yeeld to God in every thing A man thus fearing quickly takes impressions of the word will and works of God and therefore whosoever doth not comply with God in holy submission to his will hardens himself in part against God That which is here chiefly meant is the grosser act of hardnesse when men either speak or go on in their way acting against God let him say what he will his word stops them not or do what he will his works stop them not They are like the adamant the hammer of the Word makes no impression upon hard hearts but recoyls back again upon him that strikes with it More distinctly this is either a sensible hardnesse of heart of which the Church complains Isa 63.15 Wherefore hast thou hardened our hearts c. or an insensible hardnesse which in some arises from ignorance in others from malice and obstinacy Further We read of Gods hardening mans heart and sometimes of mans hardening his own heart There is a three-fold hardnesse of heart First Naturall which is the common stock of all men we receive the stone of a hard heart by descent every man comes into the world hardened against God Secondly There is an acquired hardnesse of heart Men harden themselves and adde to their former hardnesse He stretcheth out his hand against God and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty Job 15.25 There is a growth in sin as well as a growth in grace many acts make hardnesse more habituall 2 Chron. 36.13 He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord. I know thy rebellion and thy stiffe necke Deut. 31.27 Thirdly There is a judiciary hardnesse of heart an hard heart inflicted by God as a Judge When men will harden their hearts against God he agrees it their hearts shall be hard he will take away all the means which should soften and moisten them he will not give them any help to make them pliable to his will or he will not blesse it to them He will speak to his Prophets and they shall make their hearts fat that is senslesse and their ears heavy that is heedlesse under all they speak Isa 6.10 Thus also God hardned the heart of Pharaoh and of the Aegyptians by the ministery of Moses and Aaron So then we having hardnesse of heart by nature doe by custome acquire a further hardnesse and the Lord in wrath inflicteth hardnesse then the sinner is pertinacious in sinning All these put together make him irrecoverably sinfull His neck is an iron sinew and his brow brasse Isa 48.4 Observe first There is an active hardnesse of heart or man hardens his own heart Exod. 5. We read of Pharaoh hardening his heart before the Lord hardened it Who is the Lord saith he that I should let Israel goe Here was Pharaoh hardening his heart and steeling his spirit against the command of God God sent him a command to let Israel goe he replies Who is the Lord I know not the Lord who is this that takes upon him to command me Am not I King of Aegypt I know no Peer much lesse Superiour Lord. It was true indeed poor creature he did not know the Lord Pharaoh spake right in that I know not the Lord if he had he would never have said I will not let Israel go he would have let all goe at his command had he known who the Lord was that commanded Thus Sennacherib 2 Chron. 32.14 blasphemes by his messengers Who was there among all the gods of those Nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people out of mine hand that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand These are hard words against God and hardening words to man Every act of sinne hardens the heart of man but the heat of blasphemy at once shews and puts it into the extremity of hardnesse Man hardens himself against God four waies especially First Upon presumption of mercy many doe evil because they hear God is good they turn his grace into wantonnesse and are without all fear of the Lord because there is mercy so much with the Lord. Secondly The patience of God or his delaies of judgement harden others because God is slow to strike they are swift to sin If the sound of judgment be not at the heels of sin they conclude there is no such danger in sin Solomon observed this Eccles 8.11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to doe evil or it is full in them to doe evil They have not some velleities and propensions some motions and inclinations some queries and debates about it but the matter upon this ground is fully stated and determined they are so full of it that they have no room in their hearts for better thoughts or counsels the summe of all is they are hardened and resolved to doe evil Thirdly Grosse ignorance hardens many 1. Ignorance of themselves And 2. Ignorance of God he that knows not what he ought to doe cares not much what he doth None are so venturous as they who know not their danger Pharaoh said I know not the Lord he knew not the Lord nor himself therefore he ran on blinde-fold and desperately hardened himself against the Lord. Fourthly Hardnesse of heart in sinning is contracted from the multitude of those who sinne They thinke none shall suffer for that which so many doe The Law of Moses said Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe evil Exod. 23.2 There is a speciall restraint upon it because man is so easily led by many The heart is ready to flatter it self into an opinion that God will not be very angry when a practice is grown common this is the course of the world this is the way of most men therefore surely no great danger in it And examples harden chiefly upon three considerations Ego bomuncto non facerem Tâ—r. First If great ones go that way the Heathen brings in a young man who hearing of the adulteries and wickednesses of the gods said what Doe they so and shall I stick at it Secondly If some wise and learned men go that way ignorant and unlearned men conclude
help from God he hath all that from himself from his own wicked heart or from Satan To eat was a naturall act in our first parents this was from God but to eat against the command was a morall act and that was from man and the serpent As suppose that a Musician should touch or play upon a Lute that is out of tune his touching the Lute is an artificiall act but the sounding of it comes from the nature of the instrument the sounding of the instrument is from the hand of him that plaies upon it but that it sounds untuneably is because the instrument is out of tune So the Lord by naturall assistance puts the hearts and hands of wicked men into motion but that they move irregularly that they make such harsh musick that there is so much discord in their actions that 's from the disorder and untuneablenesse of their own spirits not from the hand of God They have not any morall assistance from God in sinne but a naturall only Or take it negatively God doth not help the evil doers First He doth not help the evil doers by instilling the least motion of evil into them He casts in or infuses holy thoughts and motions into the hearts of his own people to prepare them for holy performances but he never dropt the least motion of evil into the heart of man to fit him for wickednesse Secondly The Lord doth not excite or stir up that naturall inherent corruption that is in wicked men he doth not provoke or blow up their lusts He excites the graces of his own people when they are to doe any good they have a principle of grace in them and this God breaths upon moving and acting it by fresh assistances Neither of these waies doth the Lord assist evil doers Further Taking the words as they must in a figure when it is said God doth not help the evil doers the meaning is he doth oppose and resist them Hence observe Wicked men are resisted and opposed by God in their evil doings God is so farre from giving them any help that he sets himself against them Understand this with a distinction There is a two-fold resistance or opposition that God makes against the evil doings of men There is 1. A morall opposition 2. A naturall opposition Or there is 1. A declarative resistance 2. An operative resistance When it is said that God doth resist as this phrase imports or supposeth wicked men in doing evil we are to understand it that he ever opposes them morally that is he ever laies a morall impediment in their way and he ever opposes them declaratively he declares his opposition in his Word He never shews the least liking of wicked men in their waies For when he saith He that is filthy let him be filthy still and he that is unjust let him be unjust still Revel 22.11 he doth not at all approve but threatens these sinners This seeming admission is the highest rebuke of sinne But take it for a naturall opposition which is the bringing out of strength and power to stop men in the waies of sin Thus the Lord doth not alwaies resist evil doers For if he did it were impossible that any wicked man should move one hairs breadth in doing evil if God would put forth his power against man he could not stir to sin against God but God doth not so neither is he bound to lay a naturall impediment in the waies of wicked men It is enough to acquit him in his holinesse that he ever laies a morall impediment in their way He declareth his law against and his dislike of their sins and in this sense he alwaies resists them All the sinne of man is against the will of God yet no man sins whether God will or no. The declarative will of God is often resisted but his operative will cannot be resisted As which may illustrate this in the civill State the laws of this Kingdome lay a morall impediment in the way of thievery and robbery c. It is perpetually declared by the law that no man ought to take another mans estate from him violently but yet the Kingdome doth not ever set a naturall impediment against robbers c. That is we doe not place a power of men to guard all high waies or houses to see that no passenger shall be robbed or house broken open So the Lord laies a morall impediment in the way of wicked men alwaies but he doth not alwaies set his power against them whereby he is able if he please to disable wicked men from doing evil Thirdly Observe When wicked men are going down down they shall Why God will not put forth his hand to help them they whom God will not assist or help cannot stand long They in the Psalm thought they had got the godly man at an advantage Come say they let us persecute and take him for God hath forsaken him and there is none to deliver him Now we may have our wils of this man for God stands by and doth not own him If God be a neuter his friends cannot stand long how then shall his enemies stand when he is their opposer We may conclude against wicked men that they shall be destroyed for God hath forsaken them he will not own them and as Hamans wife told him sadly Est 6.13 If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews before whom thou hast begun to fall thou shalt surely fall before him When a man is going down nothing can stay him if God doe not his hand must support a sinking and tottering person or Nation or else either fals When wicked enemies begin to fall they shall fall and perish for God will not put forth his hand to help the evil doers Now follows the effect of all The effect first of Gods gracious helping of the righteous He will not cast away the righteous man and is that all Shall a righteous man be only not rejected As mans duty ought not so the mercy of God doth not stay in negatives The Lord hath positive blessings in store for his people the later part of the promise affirms this He will not cast away the righteous man Verse 21. Till he fill thy mouth with laughing and thy lips with rejoycing Till he fill thy mouth with laughing And is it but just till then Will the Lord when he hath set his people a laughing leave them and help them no more Will he when he hath given them cause of joy cast them off His people had better never laugh at all then laugh upon those terms Particula donec non significat postea projiciendum esse à Deo simplicem sed quod immutabiliter servabitur à Deo No man can laugh long nor at all upon any due ground if God leave him We are not to understand this Till to be a terminative or a determinative particle as if the Lords care and favour towards his people should be only till he
am impure and shall be at my best vvhich sense falleth in directly with the two verses following Though I wash my self with snow-water and make my hands never so clean yet thou wilt plunge me in the ditch and mine own clothes shall abhorre me Taking up that interpretation I shall connect it with these two verses and open them in order Verse 30. If I wash my self with snow-water and make my hands never so clean Washing is an act proper to the cleansing of the body In lege multae erant purificationes quas Deus sortè instituit ut populum aliarum gentiuÌ„ talibus ceremoniis assuetum facilius adduceret ad cultum veram Pined or of bodily things and in Scripture-story we finde travellers had water provided for them at their journeys end to refresh and cool their bodies These were civil washings But besides these we finde many ceremoniall washings of the body or bodily things which implied the removing and taking away of sinne and so were a token of internall purification Therefore the Apostle Heb. 9.10 describing the Jewish worship and shewing the severall parts of it saith It stood we supply that word but it sutes the text well for the substantials the pillars upon which their worship stood were shadows consisting in meats and drinks and divers washings In allusion to which the Lord promises Ezek. 36.25 I will sprinkle you with clean water And the Apostle Peter speaks of the sprinkling of the bloud of Christ 1 Pet. 1.2 And Paul of the laver of regeneration Tit. 3.5 The Saints who came out of great tribulation are said to have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb Revel 7.14 Sanctification which is cleansing from the filth of sinne and justification which is cleansing from the guilt of sinne are set forth by washing 1 Cor. 6.9 But ye are washed Thus the Prophet counsels the polluted Jews Isa 1.16 Wash you make you clean which he expounds by a morall duty in the next words Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to doe evil Antiquèssimum suit uti balneo aut corporis ablutione ad detergendas animi sordes Ab nimium faciles qui tristia crimina caedis Fluminea â—olli posse putatis aqua learn to doe well It was usuall among the Heathen to wash as a sign of purification especially before they went to worship their gods or after they had defiled themselves with some greivous crime One of the Poets gives them a reproof O ye who are so credulous or easie of belief to thinke that the bloody sinne of murthering the bodies of other men can be taken away by washing your own bodies a Romani noâ—uerunt parricidas nudos sed in culeum insutos influmen abjicere ne cum delati esseâ—t in mare ipsum polluerâ—nt quo caetera quae violata sunt expiari putantur Cic. in Oraâ— pro R sc They had a great opinion of a cleansing vertue in the sea to which some thinke the Prophet Micah alludes Chap. 7.19 He will cast all their sinnes into the depths of the sea b â—hristianus lotus oret Tert. de orat c. 10. Clem. l. 8. Const c 88. Aliqui ex latinis legunt aquis vivis non aquis nivis Pined The ancient Christians using to wash before they praied shewed a little touch at least of Judaisme or of their old Gentilisme Some have given this for one reason why the Lord appointed so many washings among his people that the Heathens might be the easier gained to the religion of the Jews when they found somewhat symbolizing with their customes among them which if it were so yet it cannot bear out those who have mixed Christian worship with Heathenish observations thereby to facilitate their conversion But doubtlesse Job had reference to those rites either of the Jews or Gentiles when he said Though I wash my self with snow-water Why with snow-water That is say some with the most pure water with the clearest springing fountain water or in the most crystall streams not in the water of melted snow but in water like snow for purity and orient clearnesse Others Conceive it an allusion to that peculiar rite in those times when they took snow-water to wash with rather then spring or river water because that came from the heavens not from the earth here below and was therefore in their opinion more excellent in it's nature because it had a more excellent originall Thirdly Job is thought to specifie snow-water because in those Countreys the fountain or river-water was not pure and therefore they preserved snow and took that water to wash and cleanse with As the custom still is in those places where good water is a rare commodity Or lastly He may say If I wash in snow-water because he would expresse the cleanest washing such as makes the body look like snow white and pure White as snow is a proverbiall Isa 1.18 for the most resplendent whitenesse In Scriptura talibus aliquis dicitur lotus qualtum reserre videtur similitudinem Sanct. And we finde in Scripture a thing is said to be washed vvith that the likenesse of vvhich after washing it represents Thus the Church glories in Christ That his eyes were as the eyes of a Dove by the rivers of water washed with milk Cant. 5.12 that is his eyes were white as milk after washing So here Though I wash my self with snow-water that is though I wash my self till I become as white and as pure as snow c. We read a like phrase Psal 51.9 Purge me with hysop and I shall be clean in allusion to the Leviticall law which appointed the Priest to sprinkle both things and persons with a bunch of hysop Levit. 14. Numb 19. So the Chaldee paraphrase expounds the Psalm Cleanse me as the Priest sprinkling with hysop cleansed the people Though I wash my self with snow-water And make my hands never so clean The Hebrew text is very emphaticall Though I wash mine hands in purity which some expresse by that which is the instrument of purifying the hands Though I wash my hands with sope So M. Broughton Though I wash my hands with wash-bals to make my hands clean and sweet We translate though not to the letter of the Hebrew yet to the sense Though I wash my hands never so clean yet c. As the former expression referreth to internall holinesse so this later to externall The hands in Scripture note our outward works Hands are the executive part the instruments of action Your hands are full of bloud Isa 1. that is your actions are cruell and bloudy there is not only bloud in your hearts but in your hands too Psal 26.6 I will wash mine hands in innocency so will I compasse thine altar that is I will make all my outward conversation pure and holy The Lord hath rewarded me according to the purity of my hands Psal 18.20 Again Psal 73.13
way might be cleared to him Secondly observe A godly man may be long in the dark about the reason of Gods dealing with him He labours alwaies to give an account of his own heart and waies to God but he is seldom able to give an account of the waies of God toward him The way of God both in mercy and in judgement is in the sea and his foot-steps are not seen As there is much of the Word of God which a sincere heart after many praiers and much study is not able to give a reason of so also are there many of his works The text of both is dark to us till God make the Comment and he sees it best sometimes to make us call and call wait and wait before he makes it There was famine in the Land of Israel three years year after year and yet David knew not the cause doubtles he did often examine his own heart look into the Kingdom to see what might be a provocation there but saw nothing till after three years he enquired of the Lord who answered It is for Saul and for his bloudy house because he slew the Gibeonites 2 Sam. 21.1 It is more then probable that David had enquired of the Lord before that time A holy heart especially one so holy as Davids was can hardly let personall affliction be a day or an hour old without enquiring of the Lord about it And shall we think that David let this Nationall affliction grow three years old before he enquired of the Lord about it surely then this enquiry after the end of three years was that grand and most solemn enquiry by Vrim and Thummim appointed as the last resort to God in cases of greatest difficulty and concernment till David used this means he found no resolution of that case why the Lord contended with his Kingdom by famine year after year Neither had Iob got resolution when he thus complained why the Lord contended with him by sore diseases and mighty terrours day after day But because it might yet be wondered at by some how he durst adventure to put up such a request to God he argues further in the next verse that the state wherein he was seemed to necessitate him to it and to prompt or put that request into his mouth Ne cui mirum videatur istud a me postulari res ipsa huc me adegit absit enim a me ut tibi placere posse existimem vioâ—eÌ„tam cujuspiam oppressionem Bez. As if he had said My condition cries aloud to me that I should cry aloud to God Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me For farre be it from me to think that the Lord delighteth in oppression in breaking the work of his own hands or in maintaining the works of wicked men wicked Iudges use to doe so whom God will never encourage as with a light shining from heaven by his example Farre be it from me to thinke so dishonourably of God and therefore I am thus importunate to know the reason of his dealings with me and what his thoughts are concerning me Verse 3. Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppresse that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands and shine upon the counsel of the wicked Is it good c I am sure it is not it is not pleasing unto thee to oppresse to despise the work of thy hands thou delightest not to shine upon the counsel of the wicked Nequaquam probat alioâ—um iniquam vim multò minus ipse alios opprimit Sanct. Thou canst not endure any of these evils acted by man much lesse wilt thou act them thy self Thou who art just even justice it self canst not love oppression thou who art mercifull even mercy it self wilt not despise the work of thine hands thou who art holy even holinesse it self how shouldest thou delight in wicked men Thou art of purer eies then to behold iniquity and approve of it What blasphemy then is it to imagine that thou dost practise it Thy justice thy mercy thy holinesse are such as cannot admit the taint of these aspersions Omnes vias injustitiae quibus terreni julices corrumpi jus pervertere solent a Domino conator amoliri Merc. Interrogatio sensum reddit omninâ— contrarium me â—uaquaÌ„ probas c. Sanct. So then in this third and fourth verse Iob reckons up those waies by which earthly men corrupt ot pervert justice and he removes them all from the Lord. Some men do but God doth not oppresse Some men do but God doth not destroy the work of his hands Some men do but God never doth shine upon the counsel of the wicked Is it good to thee that thou doest oppresse c These interrogations we see are vehement negations they flatly and peremptorily deny what they seem doubtingly to enquire The sense is It is not good unto thee yea it is evil in thy sight to oppresse c. Thou hatest oppression Ab absurdis argumentatur quae in Deo minimè sunt tameÌ„ cogitari possunt ab infirmitate humana Jun. wrong dealing shall not dwell with thee Iob puts these questions not as if he questioned whether it were good to the Lord to oppresse or good to destroy the work of his hands and to shine upon the counsel of the wicked These were no points of controversie with him nor did he seek resolution about them Yea he therefore begs a reason of the Lord wherefore he was so oppressed becaase he knew it was not good unto Him that he should oppresse Is it good unto thee The Hebrew signifies three things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bonum triplex denotat 1. Vtile 2. Iucundum 3. Honestum First That which is profitable Secondly That which is pleasant Thirdly That which is just right or honourable any thing tendâ—ng to reputation And there may be this three-fold sense of it in this place 1. Is it good unto thee that is Numquid tibi proderit Vatab. comes there any advantage unto the Lord by oppressing Surely none What profit is there in our bloud 2. Is it good unto thee that is Is it pleasing or delightfull Is the Lord taken with the afflicting of his people I know he doth not willingly afflict the children of men 3. Is it good unto thee that is Doest thou reckon it thine honour to lay thy hand severely upon thy poor creatures No it is thy glory to passe by a transgression Now seeing it it not good unto thee any of these waies seeing thou hast no gain or profit by it no joy or delight in it no glory or honour from it Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me That 's still the burden of this mournfull Song Is it good unto thee That thou shouldest oppresse The word which we translate to oppresse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat opprimere aliqueÌ„ verbu aut factis Numquid loâ—uÌ„ tibi videtur si calumnieris me Vulg. signifies a
our visiting God as providence is Gods visiting of us we should visit God by praier not only as they Isa 26. in trouble but in our peace we should desire him to visit our estates our families but especially our souls and spirits in their most flourishing condition The Apostle useth it as an argument to keep us from distracting thoughts Phil. 4.2 Let your moderation be known unto all men The Lord is at hand be carefull in nothing but in every thing by praier and supplication let your requests be made known unto God The Lord is at hand let not your hearts be troubled Visit God in duty who is at hand to visit you in mercy Though there be an infinite distance between God and man yet God is not farre from any man and he is ever near some men Let not us be strangers to God when we hear he maketh continuall visits to us Thy visitation doth preserve my spirit Verse 13. And these things hast thou hid in thine heart I know that this is with thee Some read the first clause which adds sharpnesse to it with an interrogation And hast thou hid these things in thine heart Is it so with thee or hast thou dealt so with me indeed The heart of God is the will purpose or decree of God These are a vast repository wherein all things are laid up And these things hast thou hid c. What things what is the antecedent to these things 1. Some say His afflictions These things that is these afflictions which thou hast now laid upon me were hid in thine heart thou hast shewed me many favours while in secret thou didst prepare rods for me 2. The antecedent to these things is mercy life favour and visitation spoken of before say others As if Job had spoken thus This bill of blâ—ssings now read these priviledges now reekoned up were hidden in thiâ—e heart thou hast had gratious intentions towards me while thou hast been smiting me I know all this is with thee Scio quia universorum me mâ—eris Vulg. That is Thou remembrest all this and keepest a record of it by thee The Vulgar makes this the text I know thou remembrest all things or all men Some supposing the antecedent to be his afflictions make out this harsh and unbecoming sense Quasi haec mala velut in animo recondita in tempus opportunum asservasset ut nec opinanteÌ„ opprimeret Atrox querimonia Merl As if Job had thus uttered his minde to God I now perceive thou hast had coles of anger raked up in the ashes while those warm beams of love did shine upon me Thou hast held out mercy in thine hand but somewhat else lay in thine heart This interpretation in the common understanding of it is most unworthy of God It is the wickednesse of men to speak fair and to doe some courtesies while cruelty and revenges are hid in their hearts When Esau Gen. 27.41 saw himself defeated of the blessing by his brother He said in his heart The daies of mourning for my father are at hand then will I slay my brother Iacob Here 's the character of malice he gave neither brother nor mother ill language but he said in his heart The holy God never speaks good to them to whom he intends evil The Creatour needs not daub or pervaricate with his creatures I grant indeed that the Lord giveth wicked men many outward favours and speaks them fair in his works but he never speaks them fair in his Word Say Woe to the wicked it shall be ill with him for the reward of his hands shall be given him Isa 3.11 Men are apt to flatter but flattery is much an abomination to the Lord as it is below him I grant also That the Lord giveth his own people many favours and speaketh reall kindenesses to them while he hides affliction in his heart What evil soever he brings upon them he hath thoughts to do them good and hath nothing but good for them in his thoughts We understand by those hidden things the mercies which Iob with his last breath had enumerated then the words import two things First An argument to move the Lord not to destroy him or or to assure his own heart that he would not As if he had said Lord I know thou remembrest well what thou hast done for me what cost thou hast been at in making me at first and in preserving me hitherto surely then thou wilt not pull all down in a moment Secondly The words may import that the Lord in afflicting Job had used only a kinde of sacred dissimulation A dissembler carrieth himself as if he had no intent to do what he is resolved to do It is usuall with men thus to dissemble hatred and so have some their love He that purposeth much good to another hideth it sometimes under sowre language and unkindest usage Ioseph had most endeared affection toward his brethren yet he put a disguise of anger upon it acting the part of a severe man who lieth at catch to finde out advantages and pick quarrels Ioseph used many stratagems of love to entangle his brethren and wrapt up his good will in hard speeches and rough carriages Nothing appearing lesse then what indeed he most was A loving brother forgetfull of nothing but injuries Job seems to have had such a conception of God while he saith These things hast thou hid in thine heart And then his sense riseth thus Lord I know thou bearest favour and good will towards me still The fire of thy love is not extinct but covered Thou dost but personate an enemy thou art my friend thou drawest a cloud betwixt me and the light of thy countenance but thy countenance is still as full of light towards me as ever and though I see nothing but sorrows on every side yet I know mercies are hid in thine heart Thus the words are an assertion of Jobs faith and assurance that God loved him while his chastnings lay most heavy upon him Hence observe First That the Saints while they are strong in faith are able to discern the favour of God through the clouds and coverings of his most angry dispensations This they can do and when they can they are arrived at a great height in grace To maintain our interest in Christ through disadvantages is strong faith The woman of Canaan Mat. 15.26 knew her pardon and acceptance were hid in the heart of Christ while he called her dog and would scarce vouchsafe to cast an eye upon her Faith did this and faith can do the like at this day But every true faith will not do it There is a kinde of miracle wrought in such believing So Christ concludes with that woman ver 28. O woman great is thy faith Truth of grace is not enough for every work of grace some works will not be done without strength as well as truth Weak faith is ready to say Mercy is lost when it is but hidden
his wrath offer thousands of silver and gold he will not stay judgement a minute for it Prov. 11.4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath In the day of mans wrath they sometimes will but never in the day of Gods Thirdly Affection and neernesse of relation pervert judgement Many have clean hands free from bribes and stout hearts free from fears yet they are overcome with affection and relations these put out the eye of justice The Lord is above all relations As he commands us in our cleaving unto Christ not to know father or mother Yea to hate Father and mother wife Etiamsi fuisset Ieconia mihi charissimus quē semper in oculis serrem Jun. c. and those are neerest to us that we may keep close unto Christ So himself doth not know the neerest relation to pervert judgement or doe wrong in favour of it Hence he saith of Coniah Jer. 22.24 Though Coniah be as the signet upon my right hand yet will I pluck him thence Let him plead neernesse as men doe such a man is of your bloud or alliance pray spare him God will not spare the signet on his right hand that is he will not stop justice upon any pretence of neernesse or usefulnesse 5. God is exact take them dictinctly both in judgement and in justice He is as curious in searching out the cause as in sentencing the person As ready to acquit the innocent as to condemn the guilty as carefull to relieve the oppressed as to chasten the oppressour as * Pervertii jus qui non punit improbos pervertit justitiam qui non remunerat justorum bona opera Drus zealous in rewarding those who deserve well as in punishing those who doe evil Not to reward is as great injustice as not to punish What God hath promised shall be performed and what he threatens shall be inflicted He will neither discourage goodnesse by neglecting it nor encourage sinne by winking at it He hath bread in one hand and a sword in the other Thus we see The Lord is most exact in justice Psal 48.10 The right hand of the Lord is full of righteousnesse His power and might are his right hand and that right hand hath nothing but righteousnesse in it Few men come to that of Laban It is in the power of mine hand to doe thee hurt but I will not most doe as much hurt as is in their power God hath all power in his hand but he wrongs no man As none have now any cause to say that they have received wrong from the hand of God so at last all shall confesse they have not Further Bildad speaking upon supposition that God was wronged injustice teacheth us That It is a duty to vindicate the justice of God whensoever we hear i◠wronged When we hear any wounding God is his faithfulnesse truth or justice we should presently stand up to plead for him What will God be unfaithfull Will God pervert judgement Will God be untrue c. Thus we should plead for God When Jeremy could not make out the justice of God he is an advocate for his justice Lord thou art righteous yet let me plead with thee He would not have the matter once questioned though the manner was enquired Lastly Observe That The judgements of God may be secrets to us but they are never injuries to us Justice is in all the dealings of God but his justice is not alwaies visible His judgements are founded upon reason when upon his will for his will is the highest reason God cannot be unjust and he ever punishes those who are He is so farre from subverting judgement that he subverteth Kings and Magistrates yea Nations and Kingdoms for subverting judgement To subvert a man in his cause the Lord approveth not Lam. 3.36 The Hebrew is The Lord seeth not That is he doth not see it to approve it but he doth see it to punish it He is an avenger of those who will not avenge the oppressed And as he looks for judgement in all places so especially among his own people upon whom he bestows most mercy Isa 5.2 When the Lord done so much for his vineyard He looked for judgements and behold oppression for righteousnesse but behold a cry God makes privy search thorow a Nation to finde this jewell Judgement between man and man in commerce which is commutative justice judgement from Magistrates to the people which is distributive justice for these God is searching at this day one of the greatest sins among us is the perverting of judgement And untill judgement return to man how can we expect mercy should return from God Jer. 5.1 Runne to and fro thorow the streets of Jerusalem and seek in the broad places thereof if you can finde a man if there be any that executeth judgement that loves the truth and I will pardon it A Land is seldom fill'd with the judgements of God till it is emptied of judgement among men What a sad thing is it that there should be so many cries against injustice on earth in a time when there is so much crying out for mercy from heaven That in such a time when the judgements of God are upon our selves we should not learn righteousnesse to act it among our selves I am perswaded the Sword of warre had been rusting in it's sheath to this day if the Sword of justice had been used as it ought both to punish offenders and protect the innocent And when the sword of justice shall be both waies imployed I doubt not but the sword of warre shall be sheathed again and imployed no more but be beaten into plow-shares and our spears into pruning hoks Keep ye judgement saith the Lord by his Prophet Isa 56.1 for my salvation is neer to come and my righteousnesse to be revealed God hath done terrible things in righteousnesse among us and we hope he will doe comfortable things in righteousnesse among us seeing the righteous destructions of God have been upon us and his righteous salvations we hope are neer us let not our righteousnesse be farre off JOB Cap. 8. Vers 4 5 6 7. If thy children have sinned against him and he have cast them away for their transgression If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes and make thy supplication to the Almighty If thou were pure and upright surely now he would awake for thee and make the habitation of thy righteousnesse prosperous Though thy beginning was small yet thy later end should greatly encrease THese four verses contain the first confirmation of the former generall position That God is just which is resolved out of those Questions Doth God pervert judgement or doth the Almighty pervert justice He doth not Then God is just there 's the Position And as that Position consisteth of two parts so also doth this proof or confirmation of it 1. That God doth not pervert judgement taking judgement under that strict notion for punishing of offenders he proveth by the example of
power are ascribed to sinne because God gives men over to those punishments which their sins challenge at his hands Some sinnes have a louder voice then others but every sinne unpardoned the mouth whereof is not stopt by the bloud of Christ cries to God for vengeance till God put the sinner into the hand of sin that he may at once receive pay for and from his own folly Observe from the former interpretation First That The Lord doth often in judgement give man up to the power of his sinfull lusts This is a generall truth though we cannot draw it down to the instance of Jobs children The Lord in wrath leaves man to himself Every man by nature sins freely and many are left by God to a judiciary freedome in sinning He cannot restrain himself and sometimes God will not restrain him but lets him take his fill of sinne and be as wicked as he will Revel 22.11 He that is unjust let him be unjust still he that is filthy let him be filthy still This permission is the highest and sorest affliction This liberty is worse then any bondage Thus also the Church leaves those to their ignorance who obstinately refuse instruction 1 Cor. 14.38 He tha◠is ignorant let him be ignorant still Those souls are in a desperate condition who are put out of the care either of God or of his Church Secondly Observe That Sin is a punishment Sinne is the punishment of sinne Thy children sinned against him and he gave them into the hand of their sinne Tu Domine dixisti ita est ut omna malus animus sibi ipsi fit poena August he never goes unpunished for sinne who sins and repents not Thou Lord saith one of the Ancients hast decreed it and so it is That every evil minde is it 's own scourge The Apostle tels us Heb. 10.31 that it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hand of the living God it is indeed and it is as fearfull a thing to fall into the hand of deadly sins or dead works How dreadfull a thing is it to be under the power and tyranny of our own hearts The committing of sinne is worse then the enduring of trouble The Lord doth not only punish men according to their sins but he makes their sinne their punishment yea their sins are their punishers He puts them into the hand of sin as into the hand of a tormentour A Heathen could threaten a wicked man Vlciscentur eū mones sui Cicero ad Attich thus His manners shall be his revenge Holinesse carries its reward with it and though no creature will recompense the good we doe yet doing good is a recompence In keeping the Commandments of God there is an exceeding great reward Psal 19.11 The act of keeping them is a reward as well as the issue A good work is pay enough to the worker So also is an evil work Prov. 1.32 The turning away of the simple shall slay him A simple childe that will not be ruled counsell'd or ordered such Solomon speaks of Ye simple ones how long will ye love simplicity That is your own foolish vain waies The turning away of such simple ones from the counsell of the wise shall slay them The way of sinne is death as well as the end or wages of it As faith the Proverb of the Ancients they are the words of David concerning Saul 1 Sam. 24.14 Wickednesse proceedeth from the wicked but mine hand shall not be upon him David knew that Saul was a man so wicked that he needed no other revenger but his own self his own sinne would bring misery enough upon him therefore saith he Wickednesse proceedeth from the wicked that is the punishment of wickednesse proceedeth from the wicked man himself Observe the occasion of those words it was when some about David advised him to slay Saul not I saith he my hand shall not be upon him I know he is a man so given up to sinne so enslaved to his own vile affections that ther 's enough upon him already and in a short time more will be upon him Wickednesse proceedeth from the wicked but mine hand shall not be upon him I will leave him to the hand of his sin which is his plague already and which in a little time will attach him and doe me right though he never would When God took up a resolution against his own people that he would not hear or be intreated and protested his minde could not be towards them he saith Jer. 15.2 Let them go forth such as are for the sword to the sword and such as are for the famine to the famine and such as are for the captivity to the captivity This was a dreadfull sentence but for God to say to a people Let them go forth in the waies of their sinne he that is for drunkennesse to be drunk he that is for uncleannesse to be unclean he that is for pride to be proud he that is for swearing to oaths and he that is for envy to be envious and he that is for idolatry to his idols O how unconceivably miserable are such a people To be left in the hand of these sins is a spirituall judgement and these sinnes will quickly bring in temporall judgements and not long hence eternall From the later interpretation Observe Sinne shall not alway goe away unpunished by outward sensible evils God will sinke and cast men away for their transgressions If sinne be in the house punishment lies at the doors and will turn the lock and open it or break it open upon the sinner And though he hide himself in vaults or secret corners yet his iniquity will finde him out He that will not cast away his transgression shall be cast away for his transgression whether he will or no. So much for these words wherein Bildad sets before Job the sinfulnesse of his children thereby to vindicate the justice of God in giving them up to the dominion of their sin or to destruction for their sinne In the next words he advises Job to take heed by their harms and assures him of happy successe in case he doe As if he had said Though they perished in their transgression yet doe not thou despair For Verse 5. If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes and make thy supplication to the Almighty c. God hath been just in punishing thy children and he will be mercifull in pardoning thee in accepting thy person in prospering thy estate if now at last thou apply thy self to seek him diligently Though thy children have fallen into the hand of their transgression yet there is hope that thou maiest escape Thus he deals with him in a way of counsell as Eliphaz had done before Chap. 5. v. 8. I would seek unto God and unto God would I commit my cause this is the counsell I give thee and the course I would take my self Bildad speaks the same in effect and almost in the letter If thou wouldest
store of water they are sensuall they must please their appetites and delight their palates The Apostle describes them so They serve not the Lord Jesus but their own bellies they must be supported with the affluence of outward things else they cannot hold out in profession Whereas the godly and true believers can live when the water is drain'd or dry'd away when outward things fail and are gone So the Prophet Habakkuk professes Chap. 3. ult Although the fig-tree shall not blossome neither shall fruit be in the vines though the fields shall yeeld no meat and there be no herds in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord and will joy in the God of my salvation A godly man will grow when all the world decaies to him he will rejoyce in God when all outward comforts fail him hypocrites must have sensuall supplies or they are lost A feigned love of spirituall things is ever joyned with a true love of worldly things Christ speaks of some who followed him more for the loaves then for the word And Judas followed his Masters bag more then his Master Fifthly Bulrushes or flags yeeld no fruit at all they only make a fair shew hypocrites how green so ever they are what shew or profession soever they make yeeld no fruit of holinesse Sixtly A bulrush or a flag withers sooner then any other herb that is then other herbs that are not seated so near the water And this agrees well with the hypocrite for when the hypocrite begins once to wither he withers quickly He never had any true life and he will not long appear to have any When one that hath made a fair profession begins to decay he decaies sooner than a meer civil man a civil man will hold out in honesty and justice a great while but a hypocrite gives over holinesse and godlinesse presently Besides God blasts and withers an hypocrite sooner than any other man because he hath abused and wronged God more then any other man When judgements come they fall first upon hypocrites The hypocrites in Zion tremble Isa 33. Trembling will take hold upon the prophane and openly wicked but trembling takes hold foonest upon hypocrites they have most cause to tremble who were confident without a cause False hope is the parent of reall fear and they who believe without repenting shall repent without believing Verse 13. So are the paths of all that forget God and the hypocrites hope shall perish So are the paths So that is thus it comes to passe Sic sane illis accidit usu venit talis est eorum conditio Drus this is the way and the end of all those who forget God The path of a man is taken two vvaies First For his state and condition Psal 1. The way of the wicked shall perish that is the vvhole state of a wicked man shall perish Secondly For his course and conversation Job 33.11 He putteth my feet in the stocks he marketh all my paths that is he takes notice of the vvhole course of my life all my conversation all my tradings and dealings are before God This path of mans course and conversation is two-fold There is an internall and there is an externall path The internall is that of the minde the minde hath it's course the heart hath a vvay Isa 57.17 He went on frowardly in the way of his heart The external path is that of outward actions That which we usually doe is our path Thus the actions and works of God are called the paths of God Job 40.19 Behemeth is the chief of the waies of God Prov. 8.22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of old Psal 77.13 Thy way O God is in the sanctuary that is thy actings and doings are seen there Our actions are compared to a path in two respects 1. Because we are frequent in them that which is a mans course he treads every day 2. They are called our paths because they lead us to same end every path leads us to some place or other Some actions lead to life and some to death some lead to heaven some to hell some to Christ and some to Satan to one of these ends we are travelling and journeying all the daies of our lives Of those that forget God To forget God imports these four things 1. Not to think of God we forget that which we minde not The first act of remembring is thinking The thief on the crosse prayed Lord remember me when thou commest into thy Kingdom that is think of me for good God is not in all the thoughts of a wicked man â—o obey or honour him and a wicked man is not in all the thought of God in this sense to blesse or pardon him 2. To forget God is to disobey God or not to doe the will of God Deut. 8.11 Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God in not keeping his Commandments As to remember God is to do the will of God Eccles 12.1 Remember thy Creatour in the daies of thy youth that is do the will of thy Creatour in the daies of thy youth so to forget God is to disobey God not to doe his will God is said to forget us when he doth not our will that is when we in prayer propose â—uâ—dâ—â—fe to God to doe them for us the not doing of those things for us into forget us David expostulates Psal 77.9 Hath the Lord forgotten to be gracious He had praied much at the beginning of the Psalm with successe I cried unto God with my mouth even unto God with my voice and he gave ear unto me He puts up other requests which finding no present answer or sensible acceptance he cries out Hath the Lord forgotten to be gracious Now as when the Lord doth not our will he is said in Scripture to forget us so when we do not the will of God we indeed forget him 3. To forget is lightly to esteem to sleight the Lord. That which a man highly esteems he keeps in his memory and treasure it up there and when a man forgets a thing Oblivio affert contemptum especially when he wilfully forgets it he disrespects it he sleights and contemns it Jer. 30.14 All thy lovers have forgotten thee that is thy lovers care not for thee they sleight and esteem lightly of thee When a man comes not at one whom he loves he is said to forget him Jer. 2.32 Can a maid forget her ornaments or a bride her attire A maid hath a great esteem of her ornaments especially of her wedding ornaments and therefore she is often thinking of them it may be she can hardly sleep the night before for thinking of the rich garments yea the bracelets and bables she is to wear upon the wedding day Can a bride forget her attire Will she throw these by the walls as we speak or cast them at her heels Yet saith the Lord My people have forgotten me daies without number
God is to forget what God requires this Forgetfulnesse of these three sorts is productive of any of every sin Lastly Observe They that forget God shall quickly wither how great and flourishing soever they are The reason is this because the forgetting of God is a departing from God and he that departs from God departs from the fountain of life If the rush go out of the water it quickly withers and if men will depart from God they shall quickly decay neither grace nor comforts can hold out separated from Christ Why is the godly man compared to a tree planted by the river side which brings forth fruit in his season whose leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doth shall prosper Why is the man that trusts in the Lord compared to a Tree planted by the waters that spreads out her roots by the river and shall not see when heat commeth Jer. 17.7 8. is it not because the Saints alwaies keep close to God by Jesus Christ who is as an everliving fountain of water to them refreshing and moistening them so with continuall supplies of the Spirit that they shall not see when heat commeth that is they shall not be afflicted with those evil effects of heat drought and barrennesse They who keep Covenant with God may possibly feel some decaies but die they shall not they shall revive and sprout up again They shall again put forth their leaves as a plant and their fruit as the garden of Eden They shall bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing And the hypocrites hope shall perish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Similavit dissimulavit ce ulte peccavit per Metaphoram pollutus contaminatus The word which we translate hypocrite comes from a root that signifies close and covered and by a Metaphor polluted defiled contaminated because an hypocrite though he be outwardly covered and beautifully painted over yet his paint is a spot upon him All painting is but a spot in comparison of naturall beauty An hypocrite is not so much painted as polluted Hence he is called a vile person Isa 32.6 The vile person will speak villany and his heart will work iniquity to practise hypocrisie and to utter errour against the Lord. We have the character of hypocrites Isa 58.3 They daily call upon my Name as a people that would know the Lord As a people an hypocrite doth but play a part in religion he doth but personate another like an actour upon a stage who puts forth the severall postures and gestures of a King when as himself is some mean fellow An hypocrite is described acting a double part the one is similation he labours to appear what he is not he would seem to have some good which he hath not Externasaâ—ie internam sanctitatem mentitur And the other is dissimulation he labours not to appear what he is he would hide and cover the evil that he hath An hypocrite is one who seems to be what he is not and would not seem what he is He is a Jew outwardly and his religion circumcision outward in the flesh Rom. 1.18 He seems to be religious Jam. 1.26 He is a whited sepulchre Mat. 23.27 stately on the out-side within nothing but rottennesse and dead bones The hypocrite hath a divided heart Hos 10.3 and a double minde Jam. 1.8 He is not half enough for God and too much for himself Hypocrites are of two sorts some in a large others in a strict sense Most wicked men are hypocrites in a large sense though some are above hypocrisie they are arrived at impudence The Prophet speaks of such Isa 3.9 The shew of their countenance doth witnesse against them and they declare their sin as Sodome they hide it not They declare it not as the mourners in Zion declare their sinne who are ashamed of it but they declare it as Sodome her sin that they may delight in it But though there are some such as these yet the greatest number of wicked men fall under the notion of hypocrisie in a large sense because they keep their sins close and hide them Hence the works of sinne are called works of darknesse Wicked men usually hide their wickednesse and shew that which hath but a shew their goodnesse But in a strict sense he is an hypocrite that seems to be very religious who hath nothing but God and Christ and heaven in his mouth but in his heart and secret practices nothing but earth and hell The hypocrite is like the Onyx-stone of which Naturalists write that it is clear and bright in the superficies but the center is dark and earthy This generation is pure not only in their own eyes Prov. 30.12 but in the eyes of many men possibly in the eyes of all men yet are they not cleansed from their wickednesse The hypocrites hope shall perish That is the time shall come when he shall give over the hope which he hath hoped or the thing shall fail him wherein he hoped First the object of his hope shall fail him that is those benefits blessings accommodations and comforts which he looked for in the profession of religion these shall fail him and prove false hopes Hypocrites Mat. 7. plead with Christ for heaven Lord we have prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out devils c. but their hopes perished Depart from me saith Christ I know you not His hope perisheth when he cannot have the things he hoped for Secondly The act of his hope shall fail his hope shall be so long deferred that his hope shall die he never had any true ground of hope and at the last he shall not have a shew of hope His hope shall perish Observe from the name given hypocrites First That hypocrites are filthy and polluted persons None are so ugly in the eye of God as they who paint for spirituall beauty Pretended holines is more unlovely then professed unholines to them that can discern it As it is said of Nabal 1 Sam. 20. Nabal is his name and folly is with him So we may say of an hypocrite filthinesse is his name and filth is in him Nabal had his name from folly and hypocrites have theirs from filthines Observe secondly Hypocrites may be full of hope for a time They have somewhat though it be unsound upon which they build they think what they do and are will serve turn and go for currant with God This raises up their spirits Some hypocrites will be full of hope even while they are descending to the pit of despair Some hypocrites are not convinced of their hypocrisie to the very last such die in peace while they are going down to eternall warre They go away as we use to say like lambs when their souls are among lions and they are tumbling into the place of dragons Observe thirdly The hope of hypocrites will deceive and fail them God rejects their confidences they shall not prosper in them Jer. 2.37 Lastly
the Verb and so the words are thus Whose hope shall loath him that is Quem fastidit spes sua Jun. Eum quasi fastidius fugit idipsum quod sperat Jun. The thing which he hoped for shall loath him how loath him It shall loath him not formally but equivalently because it shall doe that which man doth when he loaths any thing when we loath a thing we flee or turn away from it so His hope shall hath him that is the thing which he hoped for shall flee farre away and quite depart it will not come near him Good shall remove from the hypocrite when he expects and makes after it An hypocrite at once loaths true grace and hopes for true comforts but comfort here and glory hereafter shall loath him heaven shall shut against him Or take it for the act of hope as others he shall loath his hope Spes ei molesta erit quòd eâ excidat nec id consequatur quod expectarat Merc. that is the very hope which he hath had shall be grievous and vexatious to him nothing shall grieve him more then this that he hath hoped so much His hope shall grieve and afflict him as bad as all his afflictions Raised expectations disappointed prove our greatest sorrows That man sinks lowest in grief whose heart was highest in hope How extremely shall the hypocrite be grieved who fals as low as hell when his hopes were raised up as high as heaven The hypocrite both in his way and in his end is like the King of Babylon He saith in his heart I will ascend into heaven I will exalt my throne above the stars of God I will ascend above the heights of the clouds I will be like the most high yet he shall be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit Isa 14.13 14. Take the words as we translate so they yeeld a clear sense and very agreeable to the originall Whose hope shall be cut off * Sumitur Melaphoricè quòd ij quos taedet sese torquent vestes se membraque sua dâ—scindant ac lacerant vâ—lut dissecent Merc. The word is rendred Cut off by a Metaphor because when a man is exceedingly displeased and vexed as the word properly signifies he many times tears his garments and even cuts his own flesh like the idolatrous Priests of Baal who were so angry because they could not get an answer that they cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancers till the blood gushed out upon them 1 King 18.28 Grief cuts the heart alwaies and sometime causes cutting of the flesh The Lord complains Psal 95.10 Fourty years long was I grieved with this generation it is this word fourty years long was I vexed and cut with this generation with their murmurings backslidings and unbelief They did as it were cut the Lord to the heart as in another place They broke him with their whorish hearts Eze. 6.9 God speaks there as a man whose patience is almost spent or as an husband grieved with the disloialties of an adulterous wife And thus we may joyn it with hope either as hope imports the act of hope or the object of hope Whose hope shall be cut off the expectation which the hypocrite hath had shall come to an end Or a time is at hand when an hypocrite shall be past hoping Observe hence Despairing is the cutting off of hope and such is the condition of an hypocrite To have hope cut off is the greatest cut in the world Will the hypocrite pray alwaies No at last his prayer shall be cut off Will the hypocrite hope alwaies No at last his hope shall be cut off The Saints in heaven have in a sense their hope cut off because they are above hope and at last all wicked mens hope shall be cut off because they are below hope It is better to have all our possessions cut off then our hopes Better have the threed of our lives cut off then the Anchor-cord of our hope cut off and so we left to the rage and tempest of despair Again joyn it with the object of hope thus All that an hypocrite hopeth for or expects shall be utterly taken away and cut off from him His worldly comfort will be gone and heavenly comforts will never come He shall finde that he hath been in a golden dream that he hath been as one that is hungry who dreameth that he is eating but when he awakes his soul is empty or as a thirsty man that dreams he is drinking but he awakes and behold he is faint Isa 29.8 When dreams satisfie hunger and thirst the hypocrites hope shall be satisfied Hypocrites shall have as good as they bring They bring God nothing but words and empty professions and they shall have nothing from God but air and empty expectations their reall hopes or the thing they hoped for shall be cut off When hypocrites awake out of their sleep their hopes vanish as a dream Not only doth the world but the Christ on whom they hoped prove a shadow a fancy an image an idoll of their own making Their hearts were filled with leaves instead of gold as the devil cosens his greedy votaries Their hope shall be cut off And whose trust shall be a spiders web As hope before so here trust may be put either for the act or object of trust and both by a Synecdoche for the whole profession of an hypocrite Hope and trust are often taken promiscuously There is a graduall difference between them not an essentiall Trust being the strength of hope or the acting of a strong faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The originall word signifies a very quiet secure setled trust when a man trusts upon or about a thing wâ—thout casting so much as a jealous thought after it Thus the hypocrite trusts he never suspects himself his heart saith all is well Levit. 25.18 Ye shall dwell in the land in safety the word is Ye shall dwell in the land in trust because an opinion of safety is the companion of trust when we trust our condition is good then we think our selves safe There are two things noted by this word First Boldnesse and confidence Secondly Security and peaceablenesse The hypocrite feels no trouble and he fears none The language of his heart is like that of Babylon the mother of whoredoms and hypocrisie who saith in her heart I sit a Queen and am no widow and shall see no sorrow Revel 18.6 This trust where it is true hath a double effect The want of which discovers the falsenesse of it in the hypocrite First It confirms and strengthens the heart against all oppositions And Secondly It encourages the heart against all dangers He that trusts in God will walk thorow the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil He dares take a bear by the tooth or a lion by the beard In both these the trust of the hypocrite faileth He will work and
it were in his bosome and next his heart thus the Lord deals with the righteous His not casting away is a near embracing There is a two-fold casting away First Temporall Secondly Eternall and in neither of these senses doth God cast away a perfect man Not only shall he not perish eternally but not temporally He doth not reject or cast him away for a moment his love is an everlasting love and there can be no breaches or gaps made in it so as to cut off his love to the person although he often signifies displeasure against his sin The perfect man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word we had in the first Chapter where it is used to expresse Jobs compleatnesse in spirituals A compleatnesse not in degrees but in parts sincerity fill'd up his soul and so perfected all the limbs and members of his inward man Observe hence First A gracious soul shall never be rejected of God Whatsoever God doth in the world he will never doe this Heb. 13.5 He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee If God doth not leave a perfect man he will not cast him away The Apostle puts the question Rom. 11.1 Hath God cast away his people God forbid God hath not cast away his people whom he fore-knew Perfect men are Gods jewels not the rubbish or off-scouring of the world though the world count them so A wise man will not cast away jewels Perfect men are Gods servants his faithfull servants all the willing service he hath done him in the world on this side Angels is done by these men A wise man will not cast away such as are truly serviceable unto him Perfect men are Gods children they are borne of God and sonnes of the most high Naturall love will not cast away a childe Perfect men are Gods portion the lot of his inheritance his revenue comes in he hath his in-comes of glory by them A man will not despise his own glory he will not reject his own inheritance Further They who are perfect come to him in his Sonne and he hath pawned his truth for it Joh. 6.37 He that commeth to me I will in no wise cast out As if he had said this thing is furthest from my heart of any thing in the world God cals after many who goe away from him but he casts away none who come to him None come to him till he draws them therefore he will not drive them away who come Again Perfect men have the Spirit of God God cannot cast away or stop his ears at the voice of his own Spirit They have the earnest of his Spirit if God should go about to put them off or lay them aside they will shew God those tokens and pledges of his love the earnest he hath given them to assure their hearts Lastly He hath tied himself to them in the bond of a Covenant they are fast to him in the everlasting bonds of his own love therefore they cannot be cast off So he promises his people Levit. 26.44 though they should provoke him to afflict them yet he would not reject them utterly he might put them into the hands of their enemies but he would never cease to be their friend For all that when they be in the land of their enemies I will not cast them away Many think when the Saints are cast into trouble that God hath cast them away no there is no such matter when they are in their enemies hand God holds them still in his hand yea in his heart I will not cast them away neither will I abhorre them to destroy them utterly and to break my Covenant with them for I am the Lord their God The Covenant holdeth God and his people so fast together that they shall never part We finde the Church complaining grievously as if she were cast away Psal 44.9 Thou hast cast us off and put us to shame and goest not forth with our Armies and verse 23. the Church praies Arise O Lord cast us not off for ever So Psal 60.1 O God thou hast cast us off and vers 9. Who will bring me into the strong City Wilt not thou O God which hadst cast us off God to sense casts off his own people when he casteth them into dangers but even then their faith takes hold of God and Gods love takes hold of them Though all this be come upon us yet have we not forgotten thee nor dealt falsely in thy Covenant Psal 44.17 neither had God forgotten them or dealt falsly in the Covenant they were his people still and as near unto him as when they were furthest from those troubles God casts away some indeed but they are such as he never had within the bonds of his Covenant He casts away wicked men as rubbish as filth and dirt such the Prophet speaks of Hos 9.15 My God will cast them away because they did not hearken unto him These were imperfect not perfect men God cast these away not from any interest they had in him but because they never had any Such as will not hearken unto the Word of God God will cast away why They cast God away when they cast the Word of God away They cast the Covenant behinde their backs Psal 50. no wonder God casts them behinde his back he throws them oâ—t of doors when they throw his truth out of their hearts Perfect men love the truth of God for ever and the God of truth loves them for ever Secondly For as was said these words expresse lesse then is meant Observe That perfect men are highly esteemed by God He prizes them greatly he delighteth in them They that honour me I will honour saith God not only will I not cast them away or abhorre them but I will honour them God esteems and prizes them though the world disesteem and reject them There is many a soul which the world tramples under their feet as the mire in the streets which at that time God laies in his bosom Christ imbraceth some in his arms whom the world yea whom their brethren hate and smite with their tongues Isa 66.5 Your brethren that hated you that cast you out for my Names sake said Let the Lord be glorified Not only the wicked world may doe this but brethren even those that are brethren indeed in the main may possibly hate a perfect man and cast him out your brethren that hated you and cast you out for my Names sake but the Lord at that time loved them as it follows But he shall appear to your joy and they shall be ashamed And if God doth not only not cast away perfect ones but esteem them then take these three cautions First Ye that are perfect be sure ye keep close to God doe not cast him off doe not cast away the word any one truth or command of God Cast not the waies of God away for he will never cast you away Secondly Ye that are perfect Cast not away
your confidence Heb. 10.35 The Apostle had shewed how close God would stick to his people now saith he if it be so if he will bring his promises to passe then cast not away your confidence There is a great strength of engagement in it when we read that God will not cast away his people that they should not cast away their confidence in God which hath great recompence of reward Thirdly to all take heed of casting of casting off or sleighting any perfect man we should act towards men and thinke of them as God doth It is best to love where God loves and to love most where he loves most Negative promises and negative threatnings have greatest force in them God holds them fastest and loves them dearest of whom he saith I will not cast them away God will not cast away a perfect man There 's a negative promise Now see the portion of the wicked that 's given out in a negative threatning God saith not what he will doe against them but what he will not do for them Neither will he help the evil doers He will not help them Some read it He will not put forth his hand to evil doers Non perrigit manum malignis Vulg. Ad aâ—â—â—tiae foedus pertinere videtur So the letter of the Hebrew imports And there may be a three-fold sense given of that reading Putting forth the hand notes first our taking men into society fellowship and familiarity with us when we would shew a man how we love him at our hearts we put forth a hand and take him by the hand Now saith he God will not take an evil doer by the hand to welcome or entertain him to countenance and respect him Exod. 23.1 Put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witnesse Be not of the same side communion and fellowship with him in giving witnesse Secondly As the Septuagint gives the sense He will not put forth his hand that is to receive a gift or an offering from wicked men When a gift or a present is brought the receiver if he would testifie his liking and acceptance of it puts forth his hand and receives it Nec ullum munus impij accipier Sept. q. d. Non porriget manus accepturus manus impiorum dona non sunt Deograta Pined Now saith Bildad God will not put forth his hand to receive any offering or gift from wicked men the oblations of wicked men are an abomination unto the Lord The good deeds of evil doers are evil in his sight He had no respect to Cain and his offering He did not put forth his hand to receive Cains offering but he put forth his hand to receive Abels offering This is a profitable sense Thirdly It rather refers to Gods not assisting wicked men So Mr Broughton renders it He will not maintain the hand of the mischievous To put forth or stretch out the hand according to this Hebrew phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Denotat fortiter apprehendere aut potiùs apprehendendo consortare roborare hoc est praestare auxilium Improbis non favet nec eos juvat Merc. implies strong holding or the taking of strong hold upon any thing so as by taking hold of it to strengthen and confirm it to give it help and assistance A man that would give assistance to another in any businesse or work puts forth his hand to him When we want help we usually bespeak a friend Pray lend me your hand Now here The Lord will not put forth his hand to evil doers that is the Lord gives them no assistance or help in their wickednesse If wicked men say Lord lend us thy hand no saith he I will not lend you my hand We finde this phrase frequent in Scripture That Gen. 19.16 illustrates it fully where Lot being warned to go out of Sodome vers 16. while he lingred the men that is the Angels laid hold upon his hand and upon the hand of his wife and upon the hand of his two daughters the Lord being mercifull unto him and they brought him forth and set him without the City They laid hold upon their hands It is the word of the text When the Lord sees wicked men in any distresse or danger as Lot was in Sodome or when they want help and assistance in any businesse he will not be mercifull to them in taking them by the hand or in laying his hand strongly upon them either to pull them out of the danger or to give them help in difficulties The sinne of Jerusalem is charged upon her in this language by the Prophet in a parity with that of filthy Sodome Ezek. 16.49 Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy that is she did not relieve comfort or help them The sinne opposite to this is charged upon the false Prophets by Jeremy Chap. 23.14 They strengthen the hands of evil doers either by counsell or by countenance by flatteries or connivence We read Nehem. 6. how often the enemies sent false alarms to Nehemiah and the people that were with him to terrifie and affright them Nehemiah shews the enemies design in it vers 9. They all made us afraid saying their hands shall be weakned from the work that it be not done therefore in the close Nehemiah praies Lord strengthen mine hands it is this word as if he had said Lord help me put thine hands to mine So Isa 35.3 strengthen the weak hands put your hands to their hands Psal 73.23 David acknowledging how he had almost fallen at the rising of the wicked shews yet what kept him up Neverthelesse I am continually with thee thou hast holden me by my right hand the hand of providence is the power of God upholding our being as the hand of Creation was the power of God giving us our being Isa 42.6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousnesse and I will hold thine hand and help thee So Isa 41.13 that is by holding of thine hand I will help thee The same word in the originall is used for hardening the heart Exod. 9.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because hardnesse of heart strengthens it to doe evil A hard heart is armed for any sinne So then we see when the Lord refuseth to put forth his hand or to take strong hold as the word imports upon the hand of evil men the meaning lies in one of these three things 1. That he bears no favour to them he doth not approve their cause or businesse 2. That he gives them no assistance nor encouragement in their businesse 3. That he will not deliver or rescue them out of their distresses when they are sinking and falling he will not put forth his hand to hold them up or to keep them from sinking God is hot a Patron or a Protectour an Adjutor or Aider of evil doers Evil doers We must not take these evil doers for all and every one that doth evil for then whom would God help
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We may then say with reverence God help us indeed what a miserable condition were we then in if God would not put forth his hand to help any that do evil The evil doer is a man notoriously professedly studiously wicked one that acts and devises evil against God and his waies Every one who doth evil is not to be reckon'd an evil doer A man doth evil in any one act but one act doth not make him an evil doer A Magistrate must count him an evil doer who doth evil and therefore he must take vengeance in many cases of him that doth evil though but once Rom. 13.4 and though he repent The Angels were cast as evil doers for one act and so was man in innocency but now the evil doer is one who multiplies and continues in evil deeds to such as these the Lord will not put forth his hand or give them his help Observe then First That God is no friend no assistant unto men in sinfull waies He will not strengthen the hands or help forward the work of wicked men God is the punisher and judge of evil doers therefore not their helper Evil doers oppose not only Gods law but his nature therefore he will not help them He cannot exercise one Attribute against another his power will not work against his holinesse or against his will There is a two-fold help which God giveth First A common help Secondly A speciall help We grant that God strengthens the hands even of evil doers in regard of a common help For no man could put forth his hand to any evil as a sinner if God did not give him a generall assistance as a creature In this sense the strength by which men rebell and sinne against God comes from God But he doth not strengthen their hands or give them help by any speciall assistance In the doing of good we have a common assistance to the act as there is a naturall motion in it which God gives his people with the rest of the world but this will not carry them out to doe good compleatly To bring forth any gracious act they must have a speciall assistance Hence Christ saith Without me ye can do nothing he means it not of that generall support which Christ gives to man by which all live and move and have their being in him in that sense no man is able to doe any thing without Christ for in him all things cons st but when he saith Without me ye can doe nothing he means without my speciall assistance and strength ye cannot perform holy and spirituall duties acceptable unto God So the Apostle We have no sufficiency of our selves so much as to thinke a good thought We have no sufficiency to thinke any thought without some assistance but to thinke a good thought we have not any sufficiency without a speciall assistance Wicked men are not able to doe evil without a common assistance but they have no speciall assistance from God to do evil He doth neither stir up and excite then lusts to the act nor supply their lusts while they are acting Wicked men have assistance enough in both from their own hearts and from Satan Though man hath no sufficiency in himself to thinke one good thought yet he hath a sufficiency in himself to thinke all evil thoughts As he is a creature he acts and as he is a corrupt creature he sins Man hath full power and free-will to do evil therefore the Lord doth not put forth his hand to help the evil doer But it will be necessary for the understanding of this and other like Scripture to consider somewhat more distinctly what God doth in reference to evil acts or the acts of evil doers He concurs but not with such a concurrence as amounts to the helping of evil doers or the strengthening of their hands The first help which God gives evil doers is privative or negative the calling in or not giving out of that power by which they might do good or avoid evil Thus he departed from Saul and then Saul went on worse and worse against David God hath somewhat to doe with evil doers when he with-draws that help from them by which they might be kept from doing evil Or when he doth not assist them against the evil of their own hearts and the pollutions of the world This deserting and leaving them unto themselves laies them open to sin Yet the sin which a man thus deserted commits can no more be charged upon God then the darknesse of the night can be charged upon the Sunne for going down sinne follows divine desertion not as an effect doth the cause but as a consequent doth it's antecedent Secondly He delivers or gives them up first to Satan And secondly to their own counsels to a reprobate minde and vile affections Psal 81.12 Rom. 1.24 26. This tradition is an act beyond desertion there is a greater spirituall judgement in it when God makes a mans own wickednesse active against him then when he doth not make his Spirit or grace active in him It were better to be put into the hands of all the tyrants in the world yea better be put into the hands of the devil then into the hands of our own lusts and passions God doth not give a reprobate minde or vile affections but he gives up to them Thirdly Evil doers in their doing evil are ordered by God Wicked men in every sinfull act runne beyond the line of obedience but they cannot runne beyond the line of providence God limits and circumscribes the acts of wicked men for otherwise every wicked man would be a monster a none-such in wickednesse if he could every one would be a Cain an Ahab a Nero a Calâ—gula c. The sinfulnesse of men would be not only out of measure sinfull intensive in regard of the quality of it but out of measure sinfull extensive in regard of the quantity of it it would break all bounds carry all down before it did not the Lord order and direct the disorders and confusions of it There is a sea of wickednesse in the heart of a wicked man which is as boysterous and unruly as the naturall sea and if the Lord did not set bounds to that sea of wickednesse and say Hitherto shalt thou come and no further it would overwhelm all Thus farre also God hath to doe in the sinfulnesse of men to limit and stay them to restrain and keep them in compasse while they sinne Every sinne goes without the compasse of that law which God hath given but no sinne can get beyond the compasse of that leave which God gives Fourthly We may say God assists the motions of sinne but not the motions to sinne or the sinfulnesse of the motion The strength of a wicked mans hand while he sins is from the Lord but the Lord doth not strengthen his hand to sinne A sinner hath naturall help from God but he hath no morall
secondly It noteth such a shout as is in an army where a King in person is leader or victour Thirdly The shout of a King is amongst them because the voice of a King should be as the sound of a trumpet or some loud instrument to enform and direct his people as also to enourage them From all we see this rejoycing is no ordinary joy It is a high a triumphant joy I will fill thy lips with rejoycing till thou shall sing VICTORIA over all thine enemies and calamities Further This also is in it a rejoycing with praise not a bare rejoycing in the blessings and deliverances but a rejoycing in the praises of God who hath given those blessings and wrought those deliverances The Septuagint translate it by rendring of thanks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. confessioâ—e laudis gratiarum actionis pro accepta resti tutaque soelicitate or a confession of praise I will not cast thee away till I have filled thy lips with rejoycing that is with my praises Thus David praies Psal 71.8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thine honour all the day long Praise filling the heart fils the mouth joy as well as sorrow pent up stifles the Spirit Hence we may observe First That as joy is the portion of the people of God so in good time they shall receive their portion He will not cast off a perfect man till he fill his mouth with joy and his lips with rejoycing Joy is their due and joy they shall have Hereafter they shall have their Masters joy Enter into your Masters joy will Christ say at last Now they shall have such a joy as befits them whilest they are in their Masters service And as rejoycing is the portion so the proper portion the peculiar of godly men Though laughing as it is a naturall act is common to all men yet in the sense we speak of laughter is appropriated unto godly and perfect men They only can laugh indeed who have mourned indeed Tibi ridet mihi non sibi A wicked man doth but feign a laugh He laughs to thee and to me but he doth not laugh to himself He hath no true laughter while he laughs His laughter is madnesse and proceeds from his ignorance not from his reason Besides other marks of difference which shall be put between the servants of God and their enemies this is one My servants shall rejoyce and ye shall be ashamed Isa 65.13 This joy arises two waies First From the greatnesse of the blessing which they receive for themselves We must rejoyce in the least mercy how greatly then in the greatest Our joyes take their measure by our mercies When Sarah had a Son she said God hath made me to laugh so that all that hear me shall laugh with me Gen. 21.6 Her mercy in receiving a sonne was so great that it would serve a whole world to make merry with The man that had found his lost sheep laid it on his shoulders rejoycing it was a pleasant burden to him and when he came home he called together his friends and neighbours saying Rejoyce with me Luk. 15.6 As some afflictions are so big that all our own sorrows are not large enough to weep and mourn over them so some blessings are so big that they call out more then our own affections to rejoyce over them Secondly This overflowing joy arises from the greatnesse of those judgements which are poured out upon the enemies of the Saints The overthrow of Pharaoh at the red sea of Jabin and Sisera at the brook Kishon filled all hearts and mouths with laughter and so shall the overthrow of Babylon Rev. 15. Thus when God doth great things for his people and great things against his enemies then it is time to rejoyce greatly Psal 126.1 The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we rejoyce say the captive Jews in the morning or first dawnings of their deliverance from Babylon and more then so Then was our mouth fill'd with laughter and our tongue with singing And there is cause of great rejoycing in those great things because then God fulfils his promises and makes his Name glorious in his providences Then God is greatly honoured when his people are greatly delivered then the blasphemies of wicked men are unanswerably confuted and their mouths for ever stopped From all these considerations the hearts of the Saints are filled with laughter and their mouths with rejoycing in a day when God works great things At such times joy and this degree of it is not only our priviledge but our duty When we carry a message of thanks to God we must not come with uncheerfull countenances or sowr faces It is a comely thing when our affections keep time and proportion with the dispensations of God When we cannot sing the songs of Sion or use our harps by the waters of Babylon and when we cannot but sing either in the restoring of Sion or in the ruines of Babylon Some may object those texts Woe to them that laugh c. Luk. 6.25 It seems laughter is the portion of wicked men for woe we are sure is their portion It 's true worldly laughter a laughter in corn and wine and oil a laughter in riches and honours and carnall pleasures as such is a laughter with a woe annexed But to laugh in the sense of the goodnesse of God giving us outward good things to expresse our selves joyfully when God expresses himself graciously is not only comely but holy When Gods heart comes out at his hand and is seen in his actions our hearts should come out at our mouths and be heard in our exultations Thus we have seen the effect of the goodnesse of God upon his own people See the effect of his justice upon wicked men Verse 22. They that hate thee shall be cloathed with shame and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought God resists or will not put forth his hand to evil doers then follows They shall be brought to shame Shame is opposite to laughing he that rejoyceth usually holds up his head and cares not who sees him but he that is ashamed holds down his head and endures not to be seen Some men laugh in their sleeves as we say but all men would be ashamed in their sleeves They that hate thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Odâ—o habuit contempsit Dicitur etiam aliquando peâ— comparationem alterius quod nagis amâ—â—ur non quod propriè odio habeatur Rab. Dav. in l. Rad. The word hath a double signification First It imports the putting forth of bitter hatred when a man sets himself maliciously against his brother Secondly It is taken comparatively for a lesser or more remisse putting forth of love He may be said to hate who wants a due heat and height of love In that sense Jacob was taxed for hating Leah Gen. 29.31 When the Lord saw that Leah was hated c. Take
of what he knows so he wishes there were no such thing to be known and that the revealed will of God were lesse by so much as it specially opposeth his will Thirdly The contest about providence grows as high in the hearts of men as that about predestination to life or the rule of life The Saints sometimes modestly enter this controversie Let me plead with thee saith Jeremy Chap. 12.1 He doth it we see with a great deal of trembling and submission he seems to ask leave before he doth it Hypocrites contend with God proudly about their own good works Isa 58.3 Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not As if they had done so well that God himself could not mend it Carnall men plead with God profanely about his works as if he had done so ill that they could mend it Ye say the way of the Lord is not equall hear now O house of Israel is not my way equall Are not your waies unequall Ezek. 18.25 They charged God with ill dealing because he punished them who did evil Wherefore will ye plead with me ye all have transgressed against me saith the Lord Jer. 2.29 they began to plead with God about his dispensations as if he had been unrighteous or rigorous Wherefore will ye plead with me I will plead with you saith God vers 9. God may plead and contend with man but shall man plead and contend with God Ye have all sinned and transgressed against me that 's enough to stop your mouths I can answer you with one word Ye are a company of sinners then plead not with me Plead with your mother plead Hos 2.2 let man plead with man man with his neighbour The wit of one man may compare with the wit of another and their justice may hold plea with one another But neither the justice nor the wit of man will serve him to plead with God That is a second observation Man is not able to maintain his cause and hold plea either against the works of God or for his own If he dispute with God in the schools or fee an advocate to implead him at the barre he is not able to answer him one of a thousand Isa 45.9 Woe be to him that striveth with his maker it is this word Wee be to him that contendeth with his maker for he shall not be able to make out one argument or prove any thing against him such a man is in a very sad condition woe unto him David praies Ps 143.2 Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no flesh living be just â—â—ed As if he had said Lord if the holiest and purest if the best of men should come and stand before thee in judgement or plead with thee they could not be justified therefore David was so farre from contending with God that he deprecates Gods contending with him enter not into judgement with thy servant such a charge is laid upon Job Chap. 33.13 Why dost thou strive with him for he giveth not an account of any of his matters And if he should condescend to give an account can any man gain by it The Lord argues so convincingly That every mouth must be stopped and all the world become guilty before God Rom. 3.19 Every mouth shall be stopped when God opens his When God speaks man hath nothing to say against him Every mouth is stopped with this one word Man is a sinner The Apostle points at some Tit. 1.11 Whose mouths must be stopped he means with reason to convince them that they are in an errour By this one argument That all men are sinners God stops their mouths forever Thirdly By way of corallary we may give you that generall ttuth That no man can be justified by his works If we contend with him we cannot answer him one of a thousand He that mixeth but one sin with a thousand good actions cannot be justified by his works how then shall he be justified by works who hath not one perfectly good action amongst a thousand sins Man is not able to answer for one thing he doth of a thousand no not for one thing he doth of all that he hath done He that would be justified by his works must not have one ill action amongst all his actions One flie in the box of ointment corrupts all one defect makes a sinner but many good actions cannot make one righteous If our heart condemn us God is greater then our heart 1 Joh. 3.20 Should man contend with his own heart that will condemn him his own heart would bring a thousand witnesses against him sooner then one for him Conscience is a thousand witnesses man cannot answer before that tribunall how much lesse can he answer God Who is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things That 's the argument Job goes on with to prove that man cannot be justified before God Verse 4. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered Which words are a further illustration both of the justice of God and of mans duty to be humbled and abased before him He is wise in heart and mighty in strength Here is a double proof in these words A proof first of Gods justice why He is wise in heart Integerrimus judex cui nec sapientia ad judicandum nec potentia ad ex equendum deest therefore he knows how to do right He is mighty in strength or power therefore he needs not pervert judgement or doe wrong for fear of man Fear of a higher power usually biasseth those who are in power Here are two Attributes which keep the balances of divine judgement in a due poise He is wise in heart and mighty in power therefore there is no turning of him out of the path of justice Secondly It is a proof or a confirmation of the other point about which Bildad adviseth Iob namely that he ought to seek unto God and humble himself before him it would be dangerous to contend or contest with God Why He is wise in heart and mighty in power As if he had said Shall ignorant foolish man contend with the wise God Shall weak man contend with the mighty God Alas man is no match for God He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who can enter such a controversie and prosper in it There are two waies to carry on a controversie First By wit and policy Secondly By strength and power If man will take up the former weapon against God if he work by wit and dispute against God God will be too hard for him For he is wise in heart If man will set his shoulders or take up weapons against God poor creature what can he doe The Lord is mighty in strength from both we see there is no dealing with him These two attributes render God at once the most dreadfull adversary Dolus an virtus quis in hoste requiret and the most desirable
friend It is a hard choice whether to have wit or power in an enemy And who would not have both wit and power in his friend God is here represented under these two notions both meet in him either of which in an enemy render him dreadfull Will any man enter the lists or meddle with an adversary who would not rather humble himself and make him his friend Who is wise in heart and mighty in power He is wise in heart Humanitùs dictum cor in Hebraeo sumitur pro judicio intellectuali potentia ita homo vel Deus sapiens corde dicitur qui praestat sapientia â—in It is spoken after the manner of men the heart naturall is a principall organ or part of the body it is the seat of life thither the spirits have their recourse there they have one speciall seat of residence the heart is chief in man To say God is wise in heart is to say He is most wise because the heart is the seat of wisdome As when we say of a man he is holy in heart or he is humble in heart or upright in heart or he obeys God from his heart we report such a man for exceeding humble holy upright and obedient So when God is said to be wise in heart it imports that he hath infinite wisdome his is not only wisdome in the tongue or some flashes of wit but deep solid rooted wisdome He is wise yea he is wisdome at heart A foolish man is without an heart As an hypocrite hath two hearts a double heart an heart and an heart so a foolish man hath never an heart Hypocrites will be found at last to have no hearts they are the greatest fools of all Ephraim Hos 7.11 is called a silly Dove without heart Sillinesse is heartlesnesse Therefore in the 12th Chapter of this book ver 3. the heart is put alone for understanding I have an heart as well as you saith Job we translate it I have understanding as well as you Heart alone notes wisdome but a wise heart notes abundance of wisdome Hence observe God is infinitely wise He is wise in heart wisdom it self The Lord ingrosses all wisdom and is therefore stiled by the Apostle God only wise 1 Tim. 1.17 he is only wise because all wisdome is his the creature hath none but what he gives out he hath it all locked up in his own treasury and as he dispenseth it so man receives it There is a two-fold act of wisdome and both most eminent in God The first is knowledge in the nature of things The second is knowledge how to order and dispose of things The former is properly called Science and the later prudence Where there is much of the former and a want of the later man in that case is like a ship that hath a very large sail but wants a rudder to order it's course and ballast to poise it Both these meet in the Lord he hath as we may say a vast sail infinitely extending to the knowledge of all things and he hath a most exact rudder and ballast of prudence to order and to manage all things The knowledge of some men is too hard for their wisdome they are not master of their knowledge though they may be masters in their art The Lord knows all and he rules all his knowledge And mighty in strength It is much for man to be stiled strong or mighty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Differ◠à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod strenuit atem ad gesta praeclaâ—a significat idem quod Graecé 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quae se foras exerit in opere Merc. but mighty in strength is the stile of God These in construction note the Almightinesse the All-powerfulnesse the All-sufficiency of the Lord he is not only strong or mighty but mighty in strength The word which we translate strength referred to man imports that naturall power and lively vigour which in man is the principle of strength which nurses and feeds man with continuall supplies of activity The Lord is mighty in this strength he hath an infinite an everlasting spring of strength in him he spends no strength at all how much soever he uses His lamp consumes not with burning His strength is ever vigorous he knows no decaies or faintings Hast thou not known hast thou not heard that the everlasting God the Lord the Creatour of the ends of the earth fainteth not neither is weary Isa 40.28 As if he had said where hast thou been bred that thou seemest to be a stranger to this truth Man cannot doe much and he faints in doing a little God who can doe all things never faints how much soever he doth Strength maybe considered two waies There is civill strength and there is naturall strength Civill strength is authority and power to command 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A man is armed and strengthened by laws and commissions These put authority into his hands The Lord is mighty in this strength he hath all authority all command in his hands not by commission from others but originally from himself Naturall strength executes and exercises the former a man may have much civill strength but if he want naturall strength to put it in act he can do little or nothing As God by his Soveraignty is above all creatures so by his power he is able to bring all creatures under him and subdue them to his command Thus God is mighty in strength He hath a right of authority by which he may and an arm of power by which he can make all stoop to him Hence observe The power of God is an infinite power There is nothing too hard for the Lord If he will work who shall let it Isa 43.13 No creature can supersedeat or stay the works of God God can supersedeat all creatures when creatures are in their full carreer he can let them The power of God is as large as his will yea he can doe more then he wils If the power of men were as large as their wils what work would they quickly make in the world If infinite strength were not mannaged by infinite wisdome what a wofull condition were we in Both these are joyned in God Therefore we can fear no hurt from his power he can doe what he will but he will doe nothing which is hurtfull to his people he will not wrong any creature much lesse his servants The Lord if I may so speak is only weak about those things which proceed from weaknesse There are some things which he hath no strength to doe because to doe them argues a want of strength he cannot deny himself he cannot lie he cannot doe any evil he cannot sinne These things import impotency therefore the Lord cannot doe them But whatsoever is for the good of his people for the glory of his name for the executing of his justice for the fulfilling of his counsels whatsoever is for the making good of his promises for
and prospered That is did ever any man so weary out God by lengthening this warre that God was as it were forced at last to offer him terms of peace So it happens sometimes with men Ab aequipollente pacem aliquis pugnando obtinere potest licet enim eum superaâ—e non possit tamen assiâ—uitate pugnae eum fatigat ut ad pacem reducatur Aquin. Quis permansit aut perstetâ—t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sep. with Nations and Kingdoms They not getting peace by victory but being spent and tired out with warre begin to thinke of treating Did ever any one put the Lord to offer a treaty with articles of peace to save himself from further trouble They who have not strength enough to overcome may yet have power enough to vex and weary their adversary But God can neither be vanquish'd by force nor vext with our policies into a peace with man Thirdly Others give this sense Who ever held out or was able to persist in a war against the Lord The wicked shall not stand before God in the day of judgement much lesse in the day of battell Who would set the bryars and thorns against me in battell I would go thorow them I would burn them together Isa 27.4 The most steely and and flinty spirits in the world can no more stand before God then briars and thorns can before a flaming fire The Lord soon breaks and destroies all opposing power And so there is a figure in the words for man doth not only not prosper but he is undone and crusht for ever by contending with God Shall man prosper in a warre with God No it shall end in his own ruine and utter destruction Whence observe That nothing can be got but blows by contending with God The greatest Monarchs in the world have at one time or other found their matches but the great God never found his match Hoc est signum evidens quod fortitu lo Dei omnem humanaÌ„ fortitudinem exoedit quia nullus cum eo paceâ— habere potest resist endo sed solum humiliter obediendo Aquin. Vicisti Galilae Pharaoh contended with him but did he prosper in it You see what became of him at last he was drown'd in the red sea Julian contended with Christ he scoffed at him he came up to the highest degrees he sate in the chair of the scorner and in the tribunall of the persecutour but what got he at last When he was wounded and threw up his bloud toward heaven said he not O Galilean thou hast overcome I acknowledge thy power whose name and truth I have opposed Christ whom he had derided and against whom he hardened himself into scorns and scoffs was too hard for him All that harden themselves against God shall be worsted Gather your selves together O ye people and ye shall be broken in peeces Isa 8.9 Gather your selves together against whom Gather your selves together against the people of God and ye shall be broken in pieces Why Emanuel the Lord is with us If no man can prosper by hardening himself against the people of God because the Lord is with them how shall any man prosper by hardening himself immediately against God If Emanuel will not let any prosper against his people certainly he will not let any prosper against himself Therefore Prov. 28.24 Solomon laies it down directly He that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief and Prov. 29.1 He shall be destroyed and that without remedy there is no help for it all the world cannot save him A hard heart is it self the forest of all judgements and it brings all judgements upon us A hard heart treasureth up wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 As a hard heart is Satans treasury for sinne so it is Gods treasury for wrath The wals of that fiery Tophet are built up with these stones with their hard hearts who turn themselves into stones against the Lord. Then take heed of hardening your selves against God You know the counsell which Gamaliel gave Act. 5.39 Refrain from these men and let them alone c. See how tremblingly he speaks lest you be found even to fight against God as if he had said take heed what you doe it is the most dreadfull thing in the world to contend with God he speaks as of a thing he would not have them come near or be in the remotest tendency to Man will not meddle with a mortall man if he be too hard for him how should we tremble to meddle or contend with the immortall God! Christ Luk. 14. warning his Disciples to consider afore-hand what it is to be his disciples gives them an instance of a King What King saith he going to make warre against another King sitteth not down first and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that commeth against him with twenty thousand Now I say to you if any such be here that have hearts steel'd or harden'd against God who challenge God the field and send defiance to heaven O sit down sit down consider whether you with your ten thousand are able to meet God with his twenty thousand that 's great odds half in half but consider whether one single simple man can stand against his twenty thousand whether a man of no strength can stand against infinite strength whether you who have no wisdom are able to stand against him that is of infinite wisdome Can ignorance contend with knowledge folly with wisdome weaknesse with strength an earthen vessel with an iron rod O the boldnesse and madnesse of men who will hazard themselves upon such disadvantages He is wise in heart and mighty in power who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered And as God is so powerfull that no wicked man in the world can mend himself by contending with him so neither can any of his own people If they harden themselves against God they shall not prosper To harden the heart against God is not only the sin of a Pharaoh of a Senacherib and of a Julian but possibly it may be the sin of a believer the sin of a Saint And therfore the Apostle Heb. 3. gives them caution Take heed lest any of your hearts be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin and whose heart soever is hardned against God that man good or bad shall not prosper or have peace in it It is mercy that God will not give his own peace or let them thrive in sin Grace prospers not when the heart is hardened joy prospers not nor comfort nor strength when the heart is hardned the whole state and stock of a beleever is impaired when his heart is hardened And if the Saints harden their heart against God God in a sense will harden his heart against them that is he will not appear tender hearted and compassionate towards them in reference to present comforts he will harden himself to afflict and chasten when they harden themselves to
sin and provoke When God afflicts his people he hardens his heart against them and it is seldome that he hardeneth his heart against them till they harden their hearts against him And the truth is if they who are dearest to him do harden their hearts against him if they quarrell and contend with him if they rise up against his commands or neglect his will he will make their hearts submit or he will make their hearts ake and break their bones If they harden their hearts against his fear they shall feel his rod upon their backs and spirits too Which of the Saints ever hardened himself against God and hath prospered No man whether holy or prophane righteous or wicked could ever glory of a conquest over God or triumph after a war with him JOB Chap. 9. Vers 5 6 7 8 9 10. Which removeth the mountains and they know not which overturneth them in his anger Which shaketh the earth out of her place and the pillars thereof tremble Which commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not and sealeth up the starres Which alone spreadeth out the heavens and treadeth upon the waves of the Sea Which maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiadis and the chambers of the South Which doth great things past finding out yea and wonders without number JOB having in generall asserted the power and wisdome of God he must have infinite power and wisdome against whom no man ever prospered by contending Having I say asserted this in generall he descends to make a particular proof of it as if he had said I will not only give you this argument that God is mighty in strength because no man could ever harden his heart against him and prosper he hath foyl'd all that ever medled with him but besides I will give you particular instances of it and you shall see that the Lord hath done such things as speak him mighty in strength and prove him as powerfull as I have reported him These particulars are reported in the 5 6 7 8 9. verses all closed with a triumphant Elogy in the tenth Subjicit Job confirmationem proximè praecedentis syâ—ogismi ab effectis potentiae sapientiae Dei quae amplissima oratione describit Merl. Which doth great things past finding out yea and wonders without number The Argument may be thus formed He is infinite in power and wisdome who removeth mountains and shakes the earth who commands the Sunne who spreads out the heavens and disposeth of the starres in the firmament But the Lord doth all these things he removeth mountains he shakes the earth he commandeth the Sun c. Therefore he is mighty in power and infinite in wisdome The first part of this argument is here implied The assumption or the minor is proved in the 5 6 7 8 and 9. verses by so many instances Here then is an evident demonstration of the power of God from visible things from acts apparent to the eye As if he had said If you have not faith to beleeve that God is infinite in power let your senses teach it you for he removeth mountains and they know it not He overturneth them in his anger c. He removeth mountains 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That 's the first instance The word which we translate to remove Senescere quia quae sic inveterascunt forticra robustiora cum tempore solent evadere ideo idem verbum significat roborari 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. signifies to wax old and strong because things as they grow in age grow in strength There is a declining age and an encreasing age Things very old impair and things growing older encrease in strength we have the word in that sense Job 21.2 Wherefore doe the wicked become old yea they are mighty in power he putteth these two together growing old and mighty in power The Septuagint render Who maketh the mountains wax old because that which waxeth old is ready to vanish away Heb. 8.13 or to be removed and taken away as the Ceremoniall Law was of which the Apostle speaks in that place And because growing old implies a kinde of motion therefore the word also signifies motion even locall motion a moving from or out of a place Gen. 12.4 Abraham departed he removed from the place where he was This locall motion is either naturall or violent of this later understand the Text Which removeth the mountains The mountains There are naturall mountains and metaphoricall or figurative mountains it is an act of the mighty power of God to remove either Some understand this of metaphoricall or figurative mountains and so mountains are great men men of eminency or of preeminency the Kings and Princes of the world Chaldeus per montes intelligit reges qui loco movet reges fortes ut montâ—s Targ. The Chaldee is expresse for this sense He removeth Kings who are as strong and high as mountains For as God hath ordered the superficies of the earth and made some parts of it plain others mountainous some valleys and some hils So he hath disposed of men some men stand as upon levell ground men of an ordinary condition others are as the low vallies men of a poor condition others are as the high mountains over-topping and over-looking the rest The word is used in this metaphoricall sense Isa 41.15 I will make thee saith the Lord to the Prophet a new threshing instrument having teeth And what shall this new threshing iestrument do Thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small and shalt make the hils as chaff Here is a Prophet sent with a flail or a threshing instrument and his businesse is to thresh the mountains and to beat the hils the meaning is thou shalt destroy the great ones of the world the hils the mountains those that thinke themselves impregnable or inaccessible But how could the Prophet thresh these mountains and what was his flail Gideon Judg. 8.7 threatens the men of Succoth that he will tear or thresh their flesh with the thorns of the wildernesse and with briars And Damascus is threatned because they threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron Am. 1.3 That is they put them to extreamest tortures Our Prophet could not thus torture men His threshing instrument having iron teeth was only his tongue the instrument of speech With this he beat those proud mountains to dust that is he declared they should be beaten and destroied Of such a mountain the Lord by his Prophet speaks Jer. 51.25 Behold I am against thee O destroying mountain saith the Lord which destroiest all the earth Behold I will stretch out mine hand upon thee and will roll thâ—e down from the rocks and make thee a burnt mountain This mountain was the proud State of Babylon which was opposite to the Church of God this devouring mountain shall at last be a devoured mountain devoured by fire therefore he cals it a burnt mountain Thus Zech. 4.7 Who art thou O great mountain before Zerubbabel thou
shalt become a plain The Prophet is assured that all the power and strength which opposed it self against the reformation and re-edification of Jerusalem should be laid levell with the ground Per montes intelligit regeâ— qui si ut moÌ„tes firmitate â—o hore perstant Râ—â— Dav in Ps 14â— 5 So we may interpret Psa 144.5 He toucheth the mountains and they smoke the meaning is when God doth but lay his hand upon great men upon the mightiest of the world he makes them smoke or fune which some understand of their anger they are presently in a passion if God do but touch them Or we may understand it of their consumption A smoking mountain will soon be a burnt mountain In our language to make a man smoke is a proverbiall for destroying or subduing And besides there are mountains in this figurative sense within us as well as without us The soul hath a mountain in it self and it is an act of the great power of God yea of an higher and greater power of God to remove inward than it is to remove outward mountains Isa 40.4 The Prophet fore-shewing the comming of Christ and the sending of the Baptist to prepare his way tels us Every mountain and hill shall he made low Christ did not throw down the outward power of men who withstood him he let Herod and Pilate prevail but mountains and hils of sinne and unbelief in the soul which made his passage into them impassible he overthrew These mountains of high proud thoughts the Apostle describes 2 Cor. 10.14 Casting down imaginations and every high thing and bringing into captivity every thought every mountainous thought to the obedience of Christ These are metaphoricall mountains the power of sinfull men without us and the power of sinne the pride of our own hearts within us It is a mighty worke of God to remove these mountains But these are not proper to the Text for the instances which follow being all given in naturall things shew that those here intended are naturall mountains Taking mountains for earthly materiall mountains it is doubted how the Lord removes them There are different opinions about the point Some understand it of a naturall motion * Montes naturae sua generabiles sunt corruptibiles additione partium generanâ—ur detractione partiuÌ„ corrumpuntur Aquin Caj Minimè mirandum est fi quaâ— terrae partes quae nunc habitantur olim mare occupabat quae nunc pelagus sunt oâ—im habitabantur sic campos montes par est invicem commutari Sâ—â—b l 17. Philosophers disputing about mountains and hils conclude that they are subject to generation and corruption by the addition of many parts they are generated that is kneaded or gathered together and become one huge heap of earth and by the detraction falling and crumbling off or taking away of these parts they are removed again Thus we may expound that Job 14.18 And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought Yet this cannot be the meaning of Job here For though we grant that doctrine of the Philosophers that there is a generation of mountains and so a corruption of them yet that corruption is so insensible that it cannot be put among those works of God which raise up the name of his glorious power * Divina poteâ—tia in â—aâ—â—longa segni montium remotione non se praebet valdâ— mirabileÌ„ cuâ— remo fere 〈◊〉 qui eam rem videat Pined That which fals not under observation cannot cause admiration Slow and imperceptible motions make small impressions either upon the fancie or understanding That here spoken of is quick and violent and by it's easie representation to the eye causeth wonder and astonishment in the beholders And so it imports a removing them by some violent motion Thus the Lord is able to remove and hath removed mountains sometimes by earthquakes sometimes by storms and tempests sometime those mighty bulwarks are battered with thunder-bals discharged from the clouds Psal 97.5 The hils melted like wax at the presence of the Lord. Hils melt down when he appears as a consuming fire Psal 104.32 He looks upon the earth and it trembleth and he toucheth the hils and they smoke Those rocky mountains are as ready to take fire as tinder or touch-wood if but a spark of Gods anger fall upon them God by a cast of his eye as we may speak can cast the earth into an ague-fit he makes it shake and more tremble with a look He by a touch of his mighty arm hurls mountains which way he pleaseth as man doth a Tennis-ball We read Isa 64.1 How earnestly the Prophet praies O that thou wouldst rent the heavens and come down that the mountains might flow down at thy presence Where he is conceived to allude to Gods comming down upon Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law Exod. 19. which is said To melt from before the Lord God of Israel Judg. 5.3 Some understand it of that day of Christ when he shall come to judge the world others of that day when Christ came in the flesh to save the world then the mountains were levell'd according to the preaching of the Baptist but rather the Prophet being affected with the calamitous condition which he fore-saw the Jews falling into entreats the Lord to put forth himself in some notable works of his providence which should as clearly manifest his presence as if they saw the heavens speaking as of solid bodies renting and God visibly comming down then those difficulties which lay in the way of their deliverance and looked like huge mountains of iron or of adamant would presently dissolve like waxe or ice before the Sunne or fire The Prophet Micah describes the effects of Gods power in the same stile Chap. 1.3 4. Behold the Lord cometh forth out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth and the mountains shall be molten under him Ex quo hoc loco non absurde colligitur fuisse proverbium ad significandum maximam olique Deo convenietem potentiam Bold and the valleys shall be cleft as wax before the fire and as the waters which are poured down a steep place So to remove mountains is used proverbially Job 18.4 Shall the earth be forsaken for thee or shall the rock be removed out of his place that is shall God work wonders for thee or God will alter the course of nature as soon as the course of his providence To say God can remove mountains is as much as to say he hath power to doe what he will and the reason is because mountains are exceeding great and weighty bodies mountains are firmly setled now to remove a thing which is mighty in bulk and strongly founded is an argument of greatest strength The stability of the Church is compared to the stability of mountains Psal 125.1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be removed but
this They Necesciunt scil montes tribuitur rei inanimatae sensus Merc. are the mountains So some understand it and then the word know or the act of knowing is by a figure ascribed as many times in Scripture to creatures without reason so to creatures without life Psal 58.8 before your pots can feel the thorns the Hebrew is before your pots can understand or know the thorns that is before they are sensible of the heat of the fire to make them boyl c. An act of sense and is ascribed to pots Puto esse moduÌ„ loquendi inde terminatum cui supplenâ—um est subjectum homines Bold which are things insensible But others take the antecedent to be man He removeth the mountains and they know it not that is men know it not So Master Broughton translates He removeth the mountains that men cannot mark how he hath removed them out of their place in his anger Vatabius suppositum verbi ne scieâ—unt ita supplet nec agnoscunt sc homines imperiti quis subvertit eos furore suo Supposing men to be the antecedent there is yet a difference about the interpretation Men that is say some unskilfull men ignorant men they know not the meaning of this they cannot give a reason why or how mountains are removed if God doth it they know it not Others restrain it to men inhabiting the mountains they were secure and thought their dwellings so safe that God removed their mountain before they dream'd of much lesse feared any such thing they had no thought that God would remove their mountain Places strongly fortified either by art or nature make men secure and dangers unsuspected The deluge in Noahs time prevailed over the highest mountains Locus sive ab arte sive à natura munitus reddit homines ab omni belloruÌ„ aut ruinae suspicione securos Sanct. but his sinfull posterity hoped to make an artificiall mountain wherein they might even dare a second deluge Come let us build us a City and a Tower whose top may reach to heaven Gen. 11.4 and then except the stars and firmament be flouded we shall be dry how much or how long so ever it rains Such towering thoughts as these were surely laid in the foundation of that intended Tower Take the text either of naturall or of figurative mountains and to remove them so that man knows it not may have a double meaning First That it is done with great speed Secondly That it is done with great secrecy God is able to doe great things in a little time in so little time that men shall not know he is doing them till they are done He can doe great things secretly so secretly that the way of their dispatch shall not be visible to the eye or open to the understanding of man till they are diâ—patcht Again this clause And they know it not notes not only the security of men before the hand of God is upon them but their stupidity while it is upon them So Prov. 23.35 They have stricken me shalt thou say and I was not sick they have beaten me and I felt it not the Hebrew is and I knew it not Hence observe The works and judgements of God are often unsuspected and unobserved by men He removeth mountains even their mountains and they know it not 'T is true in reference to naturall but especially to civill mountains The rich the mighty are cast down from their seats or their seats are cast down before they saw any hand touching them the whore of Babylon and mother of fornications who sits upon seven mountains Revel 17.9 saith in her heart I sit a Queen and am no widow and shall see no sorrow Revel 18.7 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day death and mourning and famine c. ver 8. If her plagues come in one day she doubtlesse thought not of them a day before Babylons seven mountains shall be removed she not knowing it and as Babylons mountains shall be removed when she shall not know that is suspect it so which is more strange Jerusalems mountain was removed and she did not know that is perceive it The Prophets are expresse Isa 42.25 Therefore he hath poured upon him namely Jacob or Israel the fury of his anger and the strength of battell and it hath set him on fire round about yet he knew it not and it burned him yet he laid it not to heart They were unobservent of those terrible things the Lord did among them Some little anger passes often without notice but here was the fury of anger some sleight skirmishes make no great noise but here was the strength of battell and not some few drops of both these but either of them poured upon him by whole bucket fuls and these buckets of burning fury set him on fire and that not in some one corner or out-house but round about yet he knew it not Which is expounded in the next words It burned him yet he laid it not to heart The Prophet Hosea Chap. 7.9 speaks as much of Jerusalem under the name of Ephraim Strangers have devoured his strength and be knoweth it not gray hairs are here and there upon him yet he knoweth it not Strangers devour his strength that is according to the language of Job the mountains wherein his strength did consist were devoured and overthrown by strangers and yet he knew it not he did not observe the hand of God in the hand of man against him Gray hairs are here and there upon him gray hairs are a great change gray hairs note the most discernable change of a mans life There are two states of a man easily distinguished Youth and old-age and gray hairs make the most visible distinction between these two so that to say Gray hairs are upon him is to say there is such a change upon his estate as is between a young man and an old man and yet he knows he observes it not Of all things a man is most apt to take notice of his own naturall gray hairs and many are so troubled at the first sight of them because they tell us we begin to be old that they will pick them out but such is the senslesnesse of many about the dealings of God with them that when great changes are upon them changes like that of youth into old-age they are not affected with it providentiall or judiciary gray hairs are not often known Surely many of these gray hairs are upon us at this day it will be sad if England be like Ephraim and know it not It is worse not to know we have gray hairs then to have them The one is but our affliction the other is our sinne Gray hairs are upon us strangers have devoured our strength as many oppressing mountains are removed for which we ought to blesse God and admire his power so some supporting mountains have been removed and others shake terribly for which we ought to mourn and
high-noon there was darknesse over all the Land unto the ninth hour that is till three in the afternoon Matth. 27.45 This eclipse was miraculous first because it was the full of the moon Which as we receive from Antiquitie caused a great Philosopher not knowing what was doing or who was suffering at Jerusalem to cry out Either the God of nature suffers or the frame of nature dissolves 2. Because it was universall as some affirm over all the world or as others which makes it more strange that it was only in the Land of Judea all the world besides enjoying the light of the Sunne at that time Which miracle stands opposite to that in Aegypt which was plagued with darknesse when the Israelites in Goshen enjoyed light whereas then Judea where the Israelites dwelt was covered with darknesse the rest of the world enjoying light Fourthly Some referre this speech of Jobs to that particular plague of darknesse for three daies in Aegypt last mentioned which they conceive was then fresh in memory and so Job had reference especially unto that when he saith He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not For though God at that time did not give a command to stop the Sunne from rising upon all parts of the earth yet he commanded the Sunne not to rise upon that part when his own people had light in Goshen the Lord charged the Sunne not to rise upon the Aegyptians This is a more distinct act of the power of God For as he speaks Amos 4.7 to note the accuratenesse as well as the power of God in his judgements concerning the rain I commanded the clouds saith he and I caused it to rain upon one City and caused it not to rain upon another City So the Lord can cause the Sunne if he please to rise upon one Countrey and not upon another upon one Nation and not upon another upon one City and not upon another Thus we may understand it He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not upon one people though it shineth upon others according to the manner of that Aegyptian plague Lastly We may interpret it of any extraordinary tempestuous time He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not that is he makes such storms and tempests and causeth such vapours and clouds in the air that the Sunne is mufled up and is as if it did not rise Such a day he means it of any troubles and afflictions we have described in the Prophet Joel Chap. 2.2 A day of darknesse and of gloominesse a day of clouds and thick darknesse as the morning upon the mountains But how is a day of darknesse as the morning c. The speech intends thus much that this darknesse shall spread it self as suddenly as the morning light spreads it self upon the mountains which being highest are blest and gilded with the first issuing raies of the rising Sunne God is said to command the Sunne not to rise when he vails and masks the face of the Sunne with sudden clouds as if there were no Sunne at all but clouds Paul in his voiage to Rome was under such a tempest and the Text saith That neither Sunne nor starre for many daies appeared Act. 27.20 they were as if the Sunne had not risen for many daies Such stormy gloomy weather God can make Ezek. 32.7 When I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the Sunne with a cloud that is I will put a black vail or cloak upon the heavens that the Sunne shall not put out any light when I put them out when I extinguish thee I will for a time extinguish the Sunne also The constellations of heaven are often expressed sympathizing with the dispensations of God on earth Isa 13.10 Joel 2.31 Mat. 24.29 He commandeth or speaketh to the Sun Observe hence First The bare word of God is a command Os in Scriptura pro voluntate saepe accipitur significat enim locutionem locutione enim homines quid volunt manifestant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He speaks to the Sunne and it riseth not The Apostle useth that word about the creation of light 2 Cor. 4.6 The Lord who commanded light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts the Greek is The Lord who spake light out of darknesse which we translate The Lord who commanded the light out of darknesse The words of God are Laws and therefore the ten Commandments that part of the word which carries the name of commands from all the rest is yet called The ten words of God The Greeks call the ten Commandments the Decalogue or the ten words so many words so many commands The devil seems to acknowledge this great power of God only that he might abuse it in Christ that his word was a command If thou be the Sonne of God Mat. 4.3 command that these stones be made bread The Greek is If thou be the Sonne of God speak to these stones that they become bread or speak these stones into bread he would take that as a proof of his Divinity If thou be the Sonne of God doe this God can doe this his Word is a command to all creatures for whatsoever he imposeth upon them they must submit to it therefore doe thou so likewise speak to these stones or command these stones to become bread It should be matter of comfort to us while we remember that every word of God is a command upon all creatures He hath made a decree which shall not passe Psal 148.6 The Hebrew is only a word which shall not passe his word is a decree which none shall reverse Secondly As from the former clause He commandeth the Sun we learn that every word of God is a command so from that which followeth and it riseth not We may learn That every creature obeies the command and submits to the will of God Men often speak and speak in the highest language of commanding and yet the thing is not done but whatsoever the Lord speaks is done Every thing hath an ear to hear his voice who made both voice and ear Psal 148.8 Fire and hail snow and vapour stormy winde fulfilling his Word Senslesse creatures act at Gods command and goe upon his errand They fulfill his Word The Lord sent a message unto Hezekiah to assure him that his sicknesse was at his command because the Sunne was 2 King 20.9 10. Shall the shadow goe forward ten degrees or goe backward ten degrees in the diall of Ahaz either way saith the Lord I can doe it either way as thou shalt ask a sign it shall be done And Hezekiah answered It is a light thing for the shadow to goe down ten degrees but let the shadow return backward ten degrees Yet he knew the Lord did not offer him a light thing in either when he said Shall the Sunne goe forward or backward The Sunnes going forward was within a degree as great a matter as it 's going backward but Hezekiah
cals it a light matter in regard of common apprehension and observation The Sunnes motion is naturally forward and though it should mend it's pace many would not much regard it but all would stand and wonder at a retrograde motion or at the Sun going backward Hence Hezekiah cals it a light matter for the Sunne to goe forward comparatively to it 's going backward And from either the Lord would teach Hezekiah that the creatures will doe what he bids them even the Sunne will move miraculously at his Word How great a rebuke will it be to man if he move not at the command of God and as God commands Shall the Lord say to the Sunne Rise not and it riseth not and shall he say to man Swear not and he will swear pray and he will not pray shall the Lord have better obedience from creatures without life then from man who hath not only life but reason or from Saints who have not only reason but grace They who have grace give not such universal obedience as things without life for though there be a part in them active to obey yet there is a part in them backward to all obedience Let it shame us that there should be any thing in us who have life reason and grace resisting or not readily complying with all the commands of God when the Sunne which hath not so much as life obeies his voice He commandeth the Sun and it riseth not Thirdly Observe from the manner of this speech That The Lord hath a negative voice upon the motion of all creatures He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not It is a royall Prerogative that the Lord commands the Sunne to rise but that the Lord hath a power to stay the Sun from rising lifts up his Prerogative to the highest In all disputes about power his is resolved to be greatest who hath the negative voice which checks and supersedeats all others This is the Prerogative of God he can stay the motion of the Sun and of man The Sun dares not do his office to the day nor the stars to the night if the Lord say No. The Sun is described Psal 19.5 like a bridegroom comming out of his Chamber drest and prepared and as a Giant rejoycing to runne his race but though the Sunne be thus prepared and drest and ready yet if the Lord send a writ and a prohibition to the Sunne to keep within his chamber he cannot come forth his journey is stopt Thus also he stops man in his neerest preparations for any action If the Lord will work who shall let it Isa 43.13 That is there is no power in heaven or earth which can hinder him But if the Lord will let who shall work neither Sunne nor stars nor men nor devils can work if he forbid them The point is full of comfort God tels Abimelech in the case of Sarah Abrahams wife whom he took into his house I know that thou didst it in the integrity of thy heart but I with held thee and I suffered thee not to touch her Gen. 20.6 And when Laban pursued Jacob with hard thoughts against him and strong resolutions to deal harshly with him The Lord gave a negative voice Gen. 31.24 Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad Laban had not the use of his own tongue He could not speak either good or bad Not good or bad Was there any hurt for Laban to speak good to Jacob And the story tels us that Laban spake many words and some bad enough to Jacob charging him with a double theft First for stealing himself away vers 27. Wherefore didst thou steal away from me Secondly for stealing his Idols vers 30. And now though thou wouldest needs be gone because thou longest sore after thy fathers house yet wherefore hast thou stoln away my gods Foul language all though God charged him not to speak a bad word to Jacob. For answer know We must restrain that restraint to the point of bringing Jacob back again Thou shalt not speak either good or bad to him to stop or turn him from his way thou shalt use no threatnings to bring him back to thee no nor any promises or allurements thou shalt make no offers of better entertainment to winne him to thy service which was the thing he so much desired Good and bad are the two terms of all that can be spoken and where the utmost extreams of speaking are forbidden all speaking to that purpose is forbidden When the ancient people of God were few in number yea very few and strangers in the land when they went from one Nation to another from one Kingdome to another people one would thinke that all the world would have been upon them but here was their protection God had a negative voice Psal 105.15 He suffered no man to doe them wrong Many had as we say an aking tooth at the people of God their fingers itcht to be dealing with them and the text shews four advantages the world had against them First They were few Secondly Very few Thirdly Strangers Fourthly Unsetled What hindered their enemies It was the Lords negative voice He reproved Kings for their sake saying Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harm We see an instance of this Gen. 35.5 when Jacob and his family journeyed the terrour of God was upon the Cities that were round about them and they did not pursue after the sonnes of Jacob They had a minde to pursue after them to revenge the slaughter of the Sichemites but God said Pursue not and then they could not pursue they must stay at home And when his people the Jews were safe in Canaan he encourages them to come up freely to worship at Jerusalem by this assurance No man shall desire thy Land when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year Exod. 24.34 God can stop not only hands from spoiling but hearts from desiring Our appetite whether concupiscible or irascible is under his command as well as our actions The Prophet asserts this by way of question Lam. 3.37 Who is he that saith and it cometh to passe when the Lord commandeth it not That is if the Lord doth not concurre if the Lord vote against the saying or command of any man in the world what he saith shall never come to passe We should consider this to help our faith in these times God hath a negative voice upon those counsels and conclusions which are carried with one consent of men And the wrath of man shall either turn to his praise or all that is beyond that he will stop the remainder of wrath namely so much as remains over and above what turns to the praise of God shalt thou restrain Psal 76.6 The sword is in motion amongst us even as the Sunne and the sword seemeth to have received a charge to passe from one end of the Land to the other yet a counter-command from God
rage of the mysticall as of the literall waters yea we finde these two matcht together Psal 65.7 He stilleth the noise of the seas the noise of their waters and the tumult of the people Hence the Apostle Jude vers 13. cals wicked men raging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame The Lord sitteth upon these flouds yea the Lord sitteth King for ever Psal 29.10 There are other mysticall waves even waves within us which will not be trodden upon by any foot but Gods There is a sea of wickednesse in every mans heart by nature Every wicked man is nothing but a sea he is a sea of wickednesse The wicked Isa 57.20 are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest And as the windes blow from all quarters of the heavens and strive upon the seas So there are divers lusts which as windes strive upon the face of mans heart the lust of pride the lust of covetousnes the lusts of ambition of envy of malice these enrage and swell the waters The Lord treads upon the high waves of this sea also he restrains and keeps lust down by his power it would drown all else These raging waves swell too high in his own people it is the work of his Spirit to tread these down and when the windes of severall temptations raise those waves he it is that commands them down Who amongst us is there that one time or other findes not corruption raging as the high waves of the sea How mighty and powerfull is the Lord in that great work of his effectuall grace treading upon the waves of this sea remaining corruption in his servants and children Verse 9. Which maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiades and the chambers of the South In the verse immediately before we heard of the power of God in stretching out the heavens and in this we have his excellent skill and infinite wisdome displaied in adorning decking and beautifying those heavens which he had stretched forth He hath not only drawn out a vast piece of work In astroruÌ„ pulchritudine situ ordine vi stupendiso in haec infortora operationibus admirabilis prorsus creatoris magnificentia magnitudo plurimuÌ„ clucet Bold like a large Canopy such are the heavens but he hath embroidered this Canopy and set it with rich sparkling stones he hath made severall engravings images figures and representations upon it Or we may make the connexion with the later clause of the former verse Job having said that the Lord treadeth upon the high waves of the sea that when the seas are most stormy and tempestuous they are at his command and that their confusions are under his Empire and order he adds this verse by way of answer to a possible objection For some might say the motion of the seas is from the power and influences of the stars Cum multa sint astra hominibus fluctibus infensa eorum praecipuè memâ—nit quorum vis ad ciendas tempestates hominibus magis est explorata San. from the rising and setting of the moon with other planets and constellations True saith Job yet the Lord is he that treadeth upon the waves of the sea it is the Lord that orders them and not the stars Though the stars and constellations have a dominion over the seas in their ebbings and flowings motions and revolutions yet there is a Lord who hath power not only over the seas but over that which over-powers the seas even over the stars of heaven He maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiades and the chambers of the South which stars according to the doctrine of Astronomy have a speciall power upon the seas Either of these waies we may make the connexion First That Job would expresse the adorning of the heavens after he had spoken of their making and stretching forth Or secondly He would teach us that though the heavens work upon the seas yet God works upon the heavens He maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiades and the chambers of the South I shall endeavour to speak of these distinctly The holy Ghost giving us such a Text it is not lightly to be passed by And though here are strange words and uncouth expressions yet we may I hope bring them down to an easie meaning and fit them to the understanding of the simplest I shall touch a little in the generall before I come to every one in particular Iob under these names couches many of the stars of heaven Stella est densior pars orbis ideo lucent astra non coeli quia hi diaphani sunt rari asâ—ra autem densa eoque lucem retinentia reflectentia Migir Phys A Star according to Philosophy is the thicker part of its orb â—r sphear it is thicker then other parts of the heavens for otherwise as it could not hold the light so it could not reflect and send forth the light It could not be a vessel for light or a conveiance for light Light was created the first day Gen. 1.3 but the lights were created the fourth day Gen. 1.14 that is certain vessels were created to hold the light And God said Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven that is let the light which is now scattered thorow all be gathered in certain receptacles fit to keep and yet fitted to transmit and disperse it into all parts of the world Let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light vers 15. Of these lights or stars some are called moving and others fixed That 's the doctrine of Astronomers and it is the doctrine of the Scripture The Apostle Iude ver 13. calling some wandering stars seems to admit of that distinction of the stars into wandering and fixed The unfixt or wandering stars are seven known by their names and motions These in the Text are none of them these are placed above them The seat of these Asterismes is in the eighth sphear to take that doctrin for granted though many dispute it or story of the heavens so the Prophet Amos speaks Chap. 9.2 He buildeth his stories in the heavens we put in the margent sphears He buildâ—th his sphears in the heavens which being one above another are elegantly called the stories of heaven And in the eight sphear innumerable stars are fixed Some of which fall under speciall observation and numeration Astronomers give us a Catalogue of a thousand three and twenty stars which they exactly distinguish which is the ancient account And since that we have had many more discoveries by those noble Navigatours who have made thorow-lights to the world that the East might look into the West and the South into the North The travell study and experiments of these Masters in navigation have brought us in an additionall number of three hundred stars more And so we reckon a thousand three hundred and twenty three fixed stars known by name of which these in the text are a part Thâ— other stars are both innumerable and unnameable beyond number and
24.63 The subject of his meditation was the starres or the heavens It is good to take field-room sometimes to view contemplate the works of God round about Only take heed of the former folly of Astrologicall curiosities confining the providence of God to secondary causes avoid that and the heart may have admirable elevations unto God from the meditation of the works of God Psal 19.1 The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy work if the heavens declare the glory of God we should observe what that glory is which they declare The heavens preach to us every day Their line is gone out thorow all the earth and their words to the end of the world Psal 19.4 Sun Moon and Stars are Preachers they are universall preachers they are naturall Apostles the world is their charge their words saith the Psalm go to the ends of the earth We may have good doctrine from them especially this doctrine in the text of the wisdom and power of God And it is very observable that the Apostle alludes to this text in the Psalm for a proof of Gospel-preaching to the whole world Rom. 10.18 So then faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God But I say have they not heard Yes verily their sound went into all the earth and their words unto the end of the world The Gospel like the Sun casts his beams over and sheds his light into all the world David in the Psalm saith Their line is gone out c. By which word he shews that the heavens being so curious a fabrick made as it were by line and levell do clearly though silently preach the skill and perfections of God Or that we may read divine truths in them as in a line formed by a pen into words and sentences the originall signifies both a measuring line 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat lineam non modo extensam hoc est funiculum sed etiam scriptam hoc est scripturam Par. in Rom. 10 and a written line Letters and words in writing being nothing but lines drawn into severall forms or figures But the Septuagint whose translation the Apostle citeth for Kavam their line read Kolam their sound either mis-reading the word or studiously mollifying the sense into a nearer compliance with the later clause of the verse And their words into the ends of the world Pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus I have endeavoured to make those things plain which are here represented to vulgar ears under strange unusuall and hidden expressions Job is full of Philosophy and Astronomy he was a great student in the heavens doubtlesse and a holy student Job having given these severall instances gathers them all into a generall conclusion in the tenth verse Verse 10. Which doth great things past finding out yea and wonders without number These words are repeated from the discourse of Eliphaz in the 5th Chap. v. 9. I would seek unto God and unto God would I commit my cause which doth great things and unsearchable marvellous things without number I will not stay in a particular disoussion of them but refer the Reader to the place before cited where the text is opened at large and particular observations given from it Take only this observation in generall That A godly man labours to exalt God both in his thoughts and in his words with heart and tongue when God depresses and humbles him most Mark in what a condition Job was when he speaks thus honourably of the name and power of God One would think Job had little reason to extoll the power of God which he felt to his own smart Job was stript of all he had his outward comforts were taken from him and the arrows of the Almighty wounded his very spirit Now when he had wounded Job thorow and thorow thorow flesh and thorow spirit even at this time when God appeared making no use of his power but to undo Job Job is in his Encomium all in the praise and commendation of God He endites a Chapter on purpose to set forth the power and wisdom of God while he imploied both to make his afflictions both great and accurate This shews the admirable frame of his spirit in all his distempers his heart stood right and he would speak good of God what evil soever befell him from Gods hand Let God afflict with his power yet a gracious heart rejoices in it A gracious heart will lift up that power which weakens and throws it down Let the Lord imploy his wisdom to undo to impoverish such a man to bring him into such straits that he cannot get out yet he hath enlarged thoughts of that wisdom He sees God is as wise in troubling us as he is in delivering That language of Spira is the right language of hell I judge not his person but his speech who in a great temptation spake thus I would I had more power then God or O that I were above God He was angry that God had so much power because God used his power against him A carnall man would be above God especially if God at any time puts forth his power against him When he is hard bestead and hungry he frets himself and curses his King and his God looking upward Isa 8.21 to murmur at God not to pray unto him or speake good of him Tertullian Illud est impiorum ingenium ut Deum non ulterius celebrent quam cum benefacit Fer. It is observed by one of the Ancients concerning the Heathen That if God did not please them he should be no longer God Such are our hearts by nature if God do not use his power wisdom mercy for us we presently wish he had no power wisdom nor mercy for any in the world we would be above God unles God will serve us but an holy heart saith thus Let God improve his power and wisdom which way he pleaseth if to afflict and chasten me yea to destroy and cast me to hell his be the power for ever I extoll his power Nature can only praise God and speak good of him when he is doing of us good But grace prompts the heart to indite a good matter and bids the tongue be as the pen of a ready writer to advance God when sense feels nothing but smart and sees nothing but sorrow round about Then grace is in her heights when she can lift up God highest while he is casting us down and laying us lowest When we can honour God frowning as well as smiling upon us smiting and wounding as well as kissing and imbracing us then we have learned to honour God indeed JOB Chap. 9. Vers 11 12 13. Loe he goeth by me and I see him not he passeth on also but I perceive him not Behold he taketh away who can hinder him who shall say unto him What doest thou If God will not withdraw his anger the proud helpers doe stoop under him JOB having in
The superiour may ask the inferiour and call him to an account Every inferâ—our Judge and Court is accountable to those above that is the highest Court and he the highest Judge to whom no man can say What doest thou The Parliament of England is therefore the highest Judicatory in this Kingdom because their actions are not questionable in any other Court one Parliament may say to another What hast thou done This Parliament hath said to Parliaments that have gone before What have ye done in making such and such Laws No power of man besides their own can question some men much lesse can any man question God and say to him What doest thou He is supreme there is no appeal to any other higher Judge or higher Court. Hence observe Whatsoever God resolveth and determineth concerning us we must bear it and quietly submit No man may say unto him What doest thou Quicquid de nobis Deus statuit libenter ferendum est Why doe ye sit still saith the Prophet Jer. 8.14 Assemble your selves and let us enter into the defenced Cities and let us be silent there for the Lord hath put us to silence and given us waters of gall to drinke because we have sinned against him The Lord hath put us to silence that is the Lord hath done these things and we are not to question him about them or to ask him what he hath done or why he hath done thus Therefore let us be silent say they Let us not murmure at and complain over our own sufferings much lesse tax and charge God for his doings It becomes us to obey Gods suspension to be silent when he puts us to silence The Lord never silences any unlesse in wrath to those who would not hear from speaking in his name and publishing his vvord But he hath silenced all from speaking against his works and it will be ill with us if our passions how much soever God seems to act against us shall take off this suspension The Lord is uncontrollable in all his works When Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4.35 came to himself and began to think and speak like a man after he had been among the beasts see what an humble acknowledgement he makes concerning God All the inhabitants of the earth saith he are reputed as nothing and he doth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say unto him What doest thou Here we have both parts of Jobs speech none can stay his hand which is the former and none can say unto him What doest thou which is the later That great Monarch acknowledged he had no power to question God though he at that time had power to question all the men upon the earth Nebuchadnezzar speaks like Job A wicked man may make a true report of God Many speak right of the Lord whose hearts are not right with him Nebuchadnezzar was converted from beastlinesse but I finde not that he was converted to holinesse He came home to his own Court but I see no proof that he came home to the Church of God yet see how divinely he speaks and how humbly he walks not so much as offering to ask God who had chang'd him from a Commander of men to a companion of beasts What doest thou We may ask the Lord in one sense what he doth Yea the Lord doth nothing in the world but his Saints and servants are enquiring of him about it He invites them to petition for what they would have Ask of me things to come concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands command ye me Isa 45.11 Though man cannot order or enjoyn the least thing upon God yet at the entreaty of his people he is as ready to doe as if he were at their command And as we are thus envited to ask things to come so we are not totally denied to ask about things already done We may ask him in an humble way for information not in a bold way of contradiction We may in zeal to his glory not in discontent with our own condition expostulate with him about what he hath done So Joshua Chap. 7.7 8. Alas O Lord God wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us Would to God we had been content and dwelt on the other side Jordan c. but how durst Joshua speak thus What if God vvould destroy them vvas it not his dury to bear it and let God alone Yes doubtlesse and such I doubt not vvas the frame of Joshuas spirit If Israel only had been to suffer Joshua had held his peace at least from such language but he saw a further matter in it the glory of God vvas like to suffer in their sufferings the close of his praier betraies this holy disposition of his heart vers 9. And what wilt thou doe unto thy great name As if he had said Lord the matter were not much though the name of Israel were blotted out from under heaven so thy Name were written in fairer characters But I fear a blow to Israel will be a blot to thy name and therefore I have taken upon me to pray this praier unto thee and I have praied rather for thee than to thee All praiers are made to God and yet some are made for him Not that he hath any want or is in any the remotest possibility of any danger but only for the promoting of his glory and that the world may not have occasion of a dishonourable thought of him whose honour never abates in it self or in the eyes of his own people Thus we may ask him what he hath done and why he hath brought such desolations upon his people But we may not ask him what he hath done either to question his right to doe it or to question his righteousnesse in doing of it No creature may put the question upon either of these terms What hast thou done much lesse conclude Thou hast done that which thou hast no right to do or thou hast been unrighteous in doing it Either of these is highest blasphemy for whatsoever the Lord doth he hath right to doe and whatsoever the Lord doth he is righteous in doing it Hence it followeth by way of corollary That The Lord is of absolute power He is the Soveraign Lord Lord over all there is no appeal from him no questioning of him Solomon speaketh of the power of a King in this language Eccles 8.4 Where the word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him What doest thou But is there nothing which a King doth about which it may be said unto him What dost thou And what is this word of a King The word of a King is the Law of his Kingdom all that a King doth or speaks besides the Law he speaks as a man not as a King and that 's the meaning of Solomons
minde the good they had done that they remembred not they ever did it The Lord keeps a faithfull record of vvhat his people doe but themselves doe not It is our duty to remember to doe good but let God alone to remember the good we have done The Lord is not unrighteous to forget our labour of love Heb. 6.10 but we lose our righteousnesse unlesse vve forget it If we much remember what we doe God will remember it but little The servants of God know well enough when they doe good to do good ignorantly is a degree of doing evil They know vvhen they doe good and they know vvhat good they doe but vvhen 't is done 't is to them as unknown Hezekiah Isa 38.3 put God in minde of his good deeds Lord saith he remember how I walked before thee with an upright heart c. Hezekiah desired the Lord to remember his uprightnes So Nehemiah in divers passages of that book Chap. 13.14.22.29.31 puts the Lord in remembrance of his righteousnesse But it is one thing to put the Lord in remembrance of vvhat vve have done historically and another thing to plead vvhat vve have done legally It s one thing to shew to the Lord the vvork of his own grace in us and another thing minde the Lord of our vvorks to obtain his grace Hezekiah vvould have God to take notice of vvhat he vvas to pity him in his sicknesse Lord I am thus remember the work of thy hands as I am thy creature remember the vvork of thy Spirit as I am a new creature as I am thy servant And Nehemiah puts all upon the score of mercy He did not say Lord remember me for vvhat I have done answer me according to vvhat I have done but Remember me O my God concerning this and spare me according to the greatnesse of thy mercy Chap. 13.22 If Saints at any time remember God of their works it is not to ground an argument of merit upon their vvorks but to shew God the vvorkings of his grace and spirit Though I were righteous I would not answer him What then What vvill Job doe What course vvill he take for himself if he vvill not answer the Lord What This course he takes and it is the best I would make supplication to my Judge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. The Septuagint render it thus I would deprecate his judgement that is I vvould sue for mercy As if he had said I am not vvithout hope because I have none in my self I am not lost because I am lost to my self I have a sure way yet left I will make supplication to my Judge or as M. Broughton reads it I would crave pity of my Judge as if he had said Though justice cast me yet mercy will relieve me Mercy will help me as well and honour God more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad facientem judicareme Mont. The word notes humblest submission as when a man begs for his life Jacob Hos 12.4 wept and made supplication The brethren of Joseph Gen. 42.21 were exceedingly afflicted at the remembrance of their hard usage toward him their brother when they sold him to the Aegyptians Fum qui me judecare facit Pagn We would not hearken when he besought us it is this vvord Think with how much submission Joseph being ready to be sold unto strangers supplicated his brethren for pity Or how a man vvill lie begging at an enemies feet vvho is ready to kill him With such submissive language Job resolved to crave pardon and pity at the hands of God Thus he obeys the counsell of Bildad in the 8th Chapter If thou seek unto God and make thy supplication unto him betimes Job seems to answer Your counsell is good friend Bildad Though I were righteous I would not answer him but according to your advice I would make supplication to my Judge The praiers of the Church in greatest straits and distresses are usually expressed by this word supplications All petitionary Prayer is supplication but because we are much abased and laid very low at such times therefore praier then put up is specially called supplication Hence Solomon at the dedication of the Temple putting cases and suppositions of many afflictions incident to that people still concludes At what time they shall confesse their sinnes and pray and make supplication then c. 1 King 8. And Esth 4.8 Mordecai sends to Esther charging her to goe in to the King What to doe To make supplication unto him The lives of the Jews being given away to satisfie the malice of Haman it was time for her to supplicate in the lowliest posture Thus Job had it in the thoughts of his heart to make supplications to his Judge as if he had said If I were to stand at the tribunall of an earthly Judge I would not supplicate but plead I would not petition his favour but stand upon my right I would not crave his pity but expect his justice I would bring forth my reasons and arguments my proofs and witnesses this course would I run with an earthly Judge but my cause being with God I will only put a petition into the Court and submit unto him let him doe with me what he pleaseth Hence we may observe First That there is no weapon can prevail with God but only praier and supplication Jobs thoughts had travel'd thorow all the creatures and found not one of them could stand before God Etsi opus virtutis exercuero ad vitam non ex meritis sed ad veniam convalesco Preci itaque innitendū est cum recta agimus ut omne quod justè vivimus humilitare condiamus Greg. therefore he resolves to fall down before him I will make supplication Praier overcometh when nothing else can Christ conquered by dying and we conquer by submitting And yet it is not supplication as an act of ours but supplication as it is an ordinance of Gods that prevails with him he looks upon praier as having the stamp of his own institution otherwise our greatest humblings could prevail no more then our proudest contendings The Word preached prevails upon the heart not as it is the act of a man who dispenceth it there is no strength in that but as it is an ordinance of God who hath appointed it So humble supplication obtains much with God because he hath said it shall Secondly To make supplication is to crave pity As praier prevails so no plea in praier can prevail unlesse vve plead pity pity mercy mercy a suppliant looks for all good at the hand of free grace We at any time have sinne enough to procure us evil Jer. 4.18 Thy sinnes have procured these things unto thee But we never have goodnesse enough to procure us any mercy Mercy comes for mercies sake Thirdly In that he saith I would make supplication to my Judge Observe God is the Judge of all our actions and intentions Job was in a great contest with men but
thus in the excesses of spirituall joy and consolation so sometâ—mes in the excesses of anguish and sorrow a man scarce knows vvhether he be alive or dead vvhat his state is vvhether in the body or out of the body he regards neither hot nor cold friend or foe wife or children he forgets to eat his bread A third expounds the words as an admiration I am perfect and doe ye thinke I know not my own soul Do ye think I am not acquainted with my self Am I a stranger at home Have I so despised my life think ye that I take no notice of it and am either carelesse or insensible how things go with me As if he had said I am perfect and this is the work of a man whose waies are perfect before the Lord he knows and considers his own soul and grows assured how matters are with him Ye my friends charge me with these and these failings and will force them upon me whether I will or no though I deny your charge yet ye re-joyn and re-affirm it upon me as though I knew not my own soul or as if ye knew me better then me self But I am perfect in heart and I know my own soul I doe not so despise my lifâ— as if it were not worth the looking after or as if I were not worth the ground I goe upon Lastly Integer sum rec s cio animam meam i. e. quicquam perversi in anima mea Others understand it thus which appears the fairest and most sutable interpretation of these later ones I am perfect neither do I know my own soul that is I am not conscious of any evil in my soul I know of no secret guilt or corruption hidden there and so science is put for conscience I know not is I am not privy to any evil that my soul delights in and keeps close either against God or man yet such evils are upon me that I despise my life The spirit of a man saith Solomon will bear his infirmity Then what a load of infirmity presses that man whose life is a burthen to him though no sin burthen his spirit Troubles of conscience doe often make the most peaceable outward estate of this life troublesome And troubles in the outward estate may make those who have great peace of conscience weary of their lives What it is to despise life and that afflictions make this life burdensome hath been shewed in the third and sixth Chapters and will come more fully to be considered at the first verse of the tenth Chapter whither I referre the Reader and forbear to insist upon it here I shall only adde that Job makes these words as a transition to the second part of his answer to the charge of Bildad Ingreditur in alteram suae respoâ—sionis parteÌ„ qua justitiam suam defendit à gravi libera integritatis suae animi beâ—e conscij assertione Merl. For having before given glory to God by acknowledging his justice wisdome power and soveraignty in all his actings he passes to an apology for himself or a defence of his own integrity against the insultations suspitions and accusations of his friends As if he had said I have desired to save the honour of God from the least touch of an uncomely thought much more then doe I abhorre proud and rude contendings with him But as for you my friends ye must give me leave to be plain with you I am not the man ye take me for I have none of that basenesse of spirit with which ye charge me I am no hypocrite I am perfect in heart with God and upright in my dealings with men And yet I cannot but complain of my sad afflictions and renew my desires that the Lord would give me ease by death and acquit me from the bands of these calamities by cutting the threed of my life I know ye judge these outward evils as the brand of a wicked man of a man hated by God But I 'll maintain a proposition contradictory to that your opinion ye shall never prove me wicked because afflicted for thus I hold and I will hold it against you all as long as I am able to speak that the Lord destroieth the perfect and the wicked The argument may be formed up thus That cannot be made a clear proof of mans impiety which falleth alike upon the good and bad But great and destroying outward afflictions fall equally upon good and bad Therefore great and destroying afflictions cannot be made a clear proof of mans impiety The proof of the minor proposition or assumption is contained in the three verses immediately following The discussion and opening of which will give both light and strength to this argument JOB Chap. 9. Vers 22 23 24. This is one thing therefore I said it he destroieth the perfect and the wicked If the scourge slay suddenly he will laugh at the triall of the innocent The earth is given into the hand of the wicked he covereth the faces of the Iudges thereof if not where and who is he Videtur hic locâ— impictatem inâ—ludere quasi apud Iob unum idem sit piorum improboruâ— judiciuÌ„ quoâ—que Deus haec inferiora non curet Isid Claâ— THis speech of Iob caused a learned interpreter to tremble when he read it conceiving that it savoured strongly of impiety and blasphemy as if Iob had mingled the state of the wicked and of the righteous in one or as if his minde were that the Lord did not distinctively order the affairs of the world by the dictates of his wife providence but left them to be hudled together by inexorable fate or blinde fortune therefore he concludes that Iob rather personates a man void of the true knowledge and fear of God than speaks his own opinion Thus he censures but let Job be well weighed and his discourse will appear full of truth and holinesse This is one thing therefore I said it This is one thing As if he had said You have spoken many things to me about the power greatnesse justice and wisdome of God in all which I agree with you ye and I have no difference about those points I have alwaies thought highly of God and I desire to think humbly of my self but here is one thing wherein I must for ever disagree from you here we must part So that this verse is as the limit-stone between Iobs opinion Hoc unaÌ„ est meae assertionis caput and that of his friends Here he speaks out the speciall tenet which he holds in opposition to them As if he had said I yeeld and subscribe to your judgement in all but this one and in this one thing I must be your adversary though I will not be your enemy I say it and say it again He destroieth both the righteous and the wicked This is one thing This is uniform So Mr Broughton reads it and in this thing I am uniform or of
made a Covenant with death and an agreement with hell were very full of faith such as it was Isa 28.15 When the over-flowing scourge shall passe thorow it shall not come unto us An over-flowing scourge 'T is an elegant metaphor taken from waters is a common spreading sweeping judgement which like an over-flowing river encompasses circles about and fetches in all Slay suddenly Every scourge doth not slay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Subito statim ita ut non sentiatur donec res fiat and many which slay doe not slay suddenly We usually hear the clashing of the scourge before we feel the smart of it The Lord shews the scourge and threatens it before he smites with it he lets judgement hang like a black cloud over the heads of some long before it fals upon them But others He slaies suddenly Some take this suddennesse of the scourge in slaying for a mittigation of the judgement and others for the heightning of it In the former sense suddennesse doth not imply the sudden comming of it but the sudden killing of it a scourge which doth it's work quickly so that a man doth not hang long as it were upon the rack of an affliction The Church of the Jews Lam. 4.6 complains of their afflictions as if the judgement of Sodome and Gomorrah had been more easie and eligible then that which the Lord brought upon Jerusalem not that they thought God had dealt worse with them then with Sodome and Gomorrah but as to this particular because Sodom was overthrown in a moment but Jerusalem was pined away by degrees with famine A sudden scourge is a kinde of mercy Better die once then die alwaies Or as the Apostle speaks concerning the afflictions of the Saints Rom. 8.36 To be killed all the day long When one under torture petitioned Tiberius the Roman Emperour a bloudy cruell tyrant that he might be quickly dispatcht he desired not life or pardon but a speedy death the Emperour sent him word Nondum tecum in gratiaÌ„ redij That as yet he was not reconciled to him or become his friend His cruelty would neither suffer the man to live longer nor to die speedily And some observe that as the Prophet expresses his trouble at the prosperity of the wicked in their lives so at this kinde of prosperity in their deaths There are no bands in their death Non sunt nodi in morte eorum but they are lusty and strong Psal 73.4 that is when they die they die in their strength they are not pined away with long and tedious sicknesses They live in pleasure and die with ease They are not bound to their beds and tied down with the cords of chronicall lingring diseases It is some favour if the scourge must slay to be slain in this sense suddenly But here the scourge slaying suddenly is a judgement comming unexpectedly They who sleep in security seldom dream of scourges Observe hence God can send death and affliction in a moment When they shall say Peace and safety then sudden destruction commeth upon them as travel upon a woman with childe and they shall not escape 1 Thess 5.3 Wicked men are never so neer destruction as when they are most secure And that by the way is the reason why we have least cause to fear those men who fear God least Security springs from infidelity and both from sleighting if not contemning the Word of God no marvell then if the Lord hasten his wrath to justifie his truth and slay them on a sudden who would not believe no not at leisure But to the point The Prophet describes it elegantly Isa 30.13 This iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall that is this iniquity shall produce a judgement which shall be to you as a breach ready to fall Swelling out in an high wall whose breaking commeth suddenly at an instant If once a high built wall doe but swell down it comes Such a swelling wall fell upon and slew twenty and seven thousand of Benhadads scattered Army 1 King 20.30 And such a tower in Siloe fell upon eighteen and slew them Luk. 13.4 The Prophet Jeremy at once imprecates and fore-tels a speedy scourge upon the gain-saying Jews Let a cry be heard from their houses when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them Jer. 18.22 This hath been the case of many among us who thinking of no danger have been surprized by a troop themselves made prisoners and their houses spoil'd in one hour Such was the condition of our Brethren in Ireland it is almost incredible how suddenly that scourge slew them there was scarce a Protestant that had so much as a suspition of the danger nay some would not believe it when a great part of the countrey was on a flame and the enemy had butchered thousands That scourge if ever any slew suddenly the perfect and the wicked As mercies may come so suddenly to our senses that they overcome our faith so may judgements Some have been surprized with mercy Psal 126.4 When the Lord turned our captivity as the streams in the South that is gave us sudden deliverance rivers in the South rise not from a constant spring but from accidentall raines which make violent land-floods on a sudden At the approach of this sudden mercy the Jews were like to them that dream So when the Lord sends sudden judgements rivers of calamity rivers of bloud as rivers in the South when he brings in captivity as rivers in the South then are we in a dream too and are not only destroied but distracted and amazed But how fast soever judgements come tâ—â—y come not suddenly upon them who are awake much lesse on them who are watching for them when they come If the scourge slay suddenly what then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vel à radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dissolvit Vel à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tentavit He will laugh at the triall of the innocent M. Broughton reads it thus He scorneth at the melting away of the innocent The reason of the different reading is because the Hebrew word may spring either from a root signifying to tempt and try or from another To melt and dissolve He scorneth at the melting away of the innocent Afflictions are meltings They dissolve our comforts yea our very hearts in the same sense that godly sorrow breaks our hearts Pity should be shewen to him that is melted Cha. 6. but ye forsake the fear of the Almighty so M. Broughton translates there The Lord tempted Abraham Gen. 22.1 that is the Lord tried his faith to finde out of what strength it was and how much he could trust him in that great businesse of sacrificing his son He will laugh at the triall of the innocent At their melting or trying by afflictions The difficulty is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ridere est irredere subsannare ut fit ab hostibus cum eos quos captivos detinent diuturnis
malis conficiunt Pined Significat derisionem quae fit externo corporis gestu LXX vertunt per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pisc in 1 Cor. 14.21 How God laughs at this triall The word notes derision or scorn Psal 2.4 He that sitteth in heaven will laugh there he uses the ordinary word for laughter and he will have them in derision That 's the word in the text So that properly and strictly it signifies to scorn and deride and that either by words or gestures as putting forth of the finger shaking the head or gnashing the teeth which are Scripture expressions of highest scorn by gesture But how shall we fit this to the businesse in hand Will the Lord thus scorn and deride at the triall and probation of the innocent The Vulgar was it seems so much straitned to make out the sense that he reads it negatively If the scourge slay suddenly he will not laugh at the triall of the innocent Others though they put not in a negation formally and in terms yet they doe it equivalently and therefore they render it by an interrogation If the scourge slay suddenly Will he laugh at the triall of the innocent No he will not that 's their meaning the Lord will not sleight or neglect the triall of the innocent though he destroies them yet he will not deride them But we and most of the learned Hebritians keep close to the affirmative If the scourge slay suddenly he will laugh at the triall of the innocent Suppositum verbi ridendi daemon est qui gaudet videns homines diuturnis malis cruciari Cajet There is a diâ—â—â—te whom we are to understand by this He for some taking this laughing and deriding in the broadest sense think it too low and dishonourable to be ascribed unto God and therefore they carry it down low enough ascribing it to the devil If the scourge slay suddenly then the devil laugheth to see the upright tried He makes merry with the sorrows of the Saints the devil hath no great cause how much minde soever he hath to laugh considering his condition but the meaning is that which gives the devil most content is to see righteous persons vexed And that 's a truth As there is joy in heaven when good men sorrow for sinne so there is a kinde of joy in hell when good men are enwrapt with the sorrows of suffering Others make the antecedent to He a wicked man such are within one degree of Satan his children If the scourge slay suddenly Impius justum subsannat malis implicitum then the ungodly who yet thrive and prosper rejoyce and make sport at the triall of the innocent See what these good honest innocent men have got they thought by their prayers and fastings by their zeal and strictnesse to exempt themselves from these common afflictions they presumed they should be spared though all the world were consumed but see they are destroied as well as others they smart under the lash as well as we their neighbours whom they looked upon as the only whipping stocks when a scourge should come That wicked men laugh and deride the innocent under affliction and jeer them with Where is your God now what 's become of all your praying and fasting Where are the hopes and confidences the priviledges and protections ye talked of is a truth But thirdly We need not ease the text thus nor relieve it out of this difficulty by fastening the interpretation upon wicked men Let us take the relative to be God himself and see how we can make the sense out with a saving to his honour If the scourge slay suddenly He that is the most holy and gracious God laugheth at the triall of the innocent How so First I premise this God doth not laugh or deride properly at the afflictions of his people No the Lord is a tender a gracious and a mercifull father to his people at all times and most tender of them when they are in their afflictions when they are in their sorenesse and in their sorrows he is more tender then the most tender-hearted mother Isa 49.15 Can a mother forget her sucking childe that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee Will a mother laugh and deride a poor infant when it lies sprawling and wants her help No much lesse will God laugh at his people therefore as laughing noteth hard-heartednesse or unnaturall harshnes of spirit the Lord doth not laugh at his afflicted Saints it is against his nature against his practice and all experience What is it then he laughs at First Positively thus Job would here expresse that the Lord carries himself in outward things with an equall hand both to the good and to the bad as was touched before The Lord laugheth at and derideth the wicked Prov. 1.28 I will laugh at their destruction and mock when their fear cometh The carriage of God to his own people is such as if he did mock and laugh at them also Dicitur ridere quia sic judicaÌ„t hominum vulgus He that laugheth and derideth at a mans affliction doth not regard what he suffers he gives him no help nor delivers him out of his sufferings Nay a man that laugheth at another in affliction will lay more affliction upon him Even thus in regard of outward dispensations God deals with his own people that is when innocent ones are in affliction and cry unto him Ridere dicitur cum contemnere videtur orationem postulantis opem he makes as if he did not hear or regard them but lets them lie crying it may be day after day in their pains and wants yea sometimes in stead of easing them he laies more afflictions upon them poor souls since they sought the Lord they finde an encrease of their sorrows God seems to deal with them as Pharaoh did with the Israelites in Egypt who crying to him for release of their burdens are answered only with Ye are idle ye are idle let more work be laid upon these men Exod. 5. Or like Rehoboam who threatned his people to make their yoke heavier while they petitioned he would make it lighter and told them of scorpions while they complained of whips David gives us this in his own experience Psal 77.2 3. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord my sore ran in the night and ceased not or my hand was stretched out in praier and bedewed with tears my soul refused to be comforted David sought for comfort but his troubles encreasing he could not take in the comforts administred I remembred God and was troubled I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed If any thing in the world can ease a troubled heart thoughts of God can Thus David once relieved himself When the people talked of stoning him he encouraged himself in the Lord his God 1 Sam. 30.6 Yet sometimes God seems to think of us least when we
vel officio vel apti tudine Nomen judicis apud Hebraeos latius patet quam apud latinos non enim ille tantum vocatur judex qui controvertiis vacat sed etiaÌ„ qui rempublicaÌ„ armis tuetur Bold Vidi servos i. e. servire dignos principes i. e. dignos imperio Yet further the word Iudges in the originall notes not only such as are in actuall office to determine controversies whether criminall or civil but any man that is worthy to be a Judge or is fit to govern and mannage publike affairs whether in peace or warre And so it implies a suppressing and keeping down of those that are most able and best qualified to undertake any service for States and Kingdoms Eccles 10.7 I have seen servants upon horses and Princes walking as servants upon the earth that is I have seen men who are worthy no better imploiment then that of a servant to rub horse heels or doe the meanest offices such as these I have seen in the saddle and in their trappings And I have seen Princes walking upon the earth on foot that is men who deserve to bear rule and to govern Kingdoms who both for ability and integrity are worthy to have the rains of authority in their hand and to sit at the helm these I have seen walking upon the earth or tugging at an oar as common men that 's an evil which Solomon saw under the Sunne So here He covereth the faces of the Judges may have this meaning Evil Princes keep down and hold in obscurity men of parts and gifts of spirit and courage of honesty and uprightnesse and preferre only those who are base and corrupt who will serve turns and comply with times Hence note That it is the policy of wicked Princes to corrupt and blinde Judges or to employ such as are blinde and corrupt They take away power from those who would use power well and give power to them who are slaves to their wils Secondly It is the character of a wicked man to bribe a Judge to put out the eyes and cover the face of a Judge with gifts A good cause fears not the eye of the Judge and a good man had rather lose his cause then pervert the Judge So much of mans covering the faces of the Judges now see how God covers them He who opens the eyes and uncovers the faces of the Judges that they may discern between cause and cause doth also cover the faces of Judges Tegit ne videant quod bonum aequum est Drus that they cannot discern between cause and cause As the Lord hardens the heart and blindes the eye in spirituall things so also in civil not by taking away the sight which man had but by with-drawing or denying his own light The Lord covers the faces of the Judges when he doth not give them light nor shew them the path of justice If God suspend his light the greatest lights are presently in darknesse God doth not hood-winke or muffle up the Judges by putting any thing before their eyes but by hiding his own eyes from them The Psalmist speaks of Judges thus covered Psal 82.5 They know not neither will they understand they walk on in darknesse all the foundations of the earth are out of course We have here the character of evil Judges and what the consequents of it are They know not neither will they understand they walk on in darknesse these three expressions explain this text and what follows Then all the foundations of the earth are out of course Law and justice are out of course no man knoweth where to have right or by whom to be protected against wrong Hence observe Hinc elicimus malos judices etiaÌ„ a Deo esse Drus Ignorant and evil Judges are sent by God as a scourge I gave them a King in mine anger Hos 13.11 Lastly for the clearing of this The covering of the faces of the Judges notes three things First Ignorance and blindenesse or an inability to judge Iudex oculatissimus esse debet Secondly Inhumanity and cruelty The faces of the Judges being covered they will not look upon the case of a poor man Solebant judices intra cortinas se coâ—tinere cum contra reum capitis sententiam pronunciabant Fined It is usuall for an oppressed petitioner to say to the Judge Look upon me good my Lord cast an eye upon me the Judge who will not see is covered with incompassion Thirdly Covering of the face imports the affected partiality of Judges many doe as if they could not see as if their faces were covered Affection blindes the judgment and none are so blinde as they that will not see The reason why the Heathen pictured their Fortune blinde was because she distributed things as if she affected blindenesse giving good to those that were evil and evil to those that were good Antiqui fortunam caecam pingebant quòd malis bona ma la bonis indiscriminatim conserrentur when Judges give rewards to those that should be punished and punish those that should be rewarded their faces are covered they are blinde Judges were anciently pourtrai'd or pictur'd without hands and without eyes without hands as noting that Judges must not receive or take gifts And without eyes because they must not see friend or neighbour great or small kinsman or stranger they were to distribute justice according unto every mans cause and not with respect to any mans state or relation It is said of Christ Isa 11.3 where his Kingdome is described that he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes that is by what appears to the eye but he shall judge righteous judgement In this sense it is the Judges duty and honour to have his face covered But the covering here meant is either of ignorance and inability or of corruptnesse and partiality All which hinder the Judge from doing his duty and are blemishes of his honour But some may object Shall we attribute this to God Doth he cover the faces of the Judges God is pure from all sinne while he leaves men in their impurity He is just in giving man over to his own injustice So we answer and the next words challenge all to make another answer If not where and who is he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si non ubi ille Dagn Si non ergo Quis ille lingua sancta concisa valde Si non supple Deus qui hoc faciat ergo quis est supple qui faciat If it is not the Lord who doth this tell me who is it as if he had said Some may be offended and scandalized at my doctrine that I assert The earth is given into the hands of the wicked that be covereth the faces of the Iudges If any man shall deny or scruple this let him shew me whence these things are and who is the cause of them There is a three-fold understanding of these words Some make
seek unto God Surely your opinion of me and your counsel to me can never agree for if I am wicked as you hold me to be I labour in vain while I obey your counsell There is a sense wherein it is in vain for a wicked man to seek unto God and a sense wherein it is not in vain for a wicked man to seek unto God we must distinguish of this interpretation If a man be wicked it is in vain for him to seek unto God while he loveth wickednesse and delighteth in it Psal 66.2 If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear my praier He that is so wicked as to love wickednesse praies in vain fasts and humbles his soul in vain The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord that is the Lord abominates his sacrifice but The prayer of the upright is his delight Solomon describes an hypocrite in the former words he is one that will pray and offer sacrifice and yet puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face Ezek. 14.4 So they Jer. 7.4 cried The temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these The Prophet discovers who these zealous Templers were vers 9. Will ye steal murder and commit adultery and swear falsly and then come and stand in this house which is called by my Name and say We are delivered to doe all these abominations Some mingle prayer and fasting with stealing and murdering such praying and fasting are as unacceptable to God as stealing and murdering are Such labouring to please the Lord is displeasing to the Lord. What hast thou to doe saith God to the wicked to take my Covenant into thy mouth Psal 50.16 Doth God say to the wicked What hast thou to doe with my Covenant For whom is the Covenant made but for the wicked If men were not wicked or sinfull what needed there a Covenant of grace The Covenant is for the wicked And the Covenant brings grace enough to pardon those who are most wicked why then doth the Lord say to the wicked What hast thou to doe to take my Covenant into thy mouth Observe what follows and his meaning is expounded Seeing thou hatest to be reformed As if God had said Thou wicked man who protectest thy sinne and holdest it close refusing to return and hating to reform what hast thou to doe to meddle with my Covenant Lay off thy defiled hands He that is resolved to hold his sinne takes hold of the Covenant in vain or rather he lets it goe while he seems to hold it Woe unto those who sue for mercy while they neglect duty Thus a wicked man labours in vain But there is a sense in which a wicked man doth not labour in vain how wicked soever he is What else means the Prophets invitation Isa 55.5 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Let him forsake his waies and then no matter what his waies have been let him return to the Lord and then his former departures shall not hinder acceptance Christ died for the ungodly Ro. 5.6 God justifieth the ungodly Ro. 4.5 It is not in vain for an ungodly man to come to God indeed and when he doth he ceases to be ungodly They draw nigh only with their lips whose hearts are not changed and they draw nigh in vain As God hath not said to the seed of Iacob reall Saints Seek ye me in vain So he hath not said in vain to wicked men Seek ye my face For with the word which bids them seek he gives them power to seek and the mercy they seek for The grace of God prevents us that we may seek him and blesses us when we doe seek him If all who are wicked labour in vain then all had laboured in vain forasmuch as all vvere wicked Thirdly You may take the meaning of it thus If I am wicked that is Si adhuc mecuÌ„ agit Deus tanquam cum impto quoâ—sum frustra laboreÌ„ Philip. Haec sunt verba hominis à Deo derelicti Vatabl. if I am reputed by men and still afflicted by God as a wicked man then why should I labour in vain or trouble my self any further to so little purpose If this sense may be admitted 't is a passionate speech proceeding from impatience and distemper of spirit Much like that of David and very near it in words Psal 73.13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency for all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning Davids afflictions wrought as hard conclusions in him as Iobs did Grace acts and speaks ever like it self but a gracious man doth not David shewed there was vanity and remainders of defilement in his heart by saying I have cleansed my heart in vain Mr Broughton renders to this sense I shall be holden as wicked now why doe I labour in vain Hence observe That where hope faileth endeavour faileth too I have no hope saith Job to get out of these afflictions which fall upon wicked men or to get one step beyond a wicked man in your reputation my labour is in vain why then doe I labour When the heart sinks the hands hang down Where the one gives over believing and hoping the other give over acting and working Hence the afflicted are called upon by the Apostle to lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees Heb. 12.12 Hands and knees are the instruments of action and motion and the hanging down of these imports both retarded or stopt Those afflicted Hebrews saw little or no hope of deliverance therefore they gave over endeavouring and moving after deliverance Lastly Taking the words as in the originall absolutely without any supposition I am wicked Why then labour I in vain As if he had said I am wicked not only in the opinion of men but I acknowledge my self to be wicked indeed In vanum laborarem si coram Deo justificare me tentarem ut falso me hec velle praesupponis considered with the most holy God and then his sense is Lord if thou art pleased to goe this way to vvork vvith me to set the rigour of thy justice a work to finde out my sinne and to judge me according to vvhat thou findest then in vain doe I seek to comfort my self for in thy sight no flesh can be justified I as vvell as others am wicked In vvhich acknowledgement he seems to meet vvith and confute that supposition of Bildad Chap. 8.6 If thou wert pure Pure saith Job alas I can never be pure before God When the Lord examines my purity he vvill finde it impurity You tell me if I vvere pure the Lord vvould awaken for me I shall never be pure in your sense I am as pure as ever I shall be that is I
vvhen great dangers encompasse us we cannot believe deliverance Doe vve not make God like to our selves Doe we not shorten his hand to our own measure and thinke it cannot be done because men cannot doe it And for mercy about the pardon of sin man being awakened sees how he hath provoked God sin stares upon his face and he findes out many aggravations upon his sin then he begins to collect thus certainly if a man had so provoked his neighbour he could never pardon or forgive him Can then such sins as these be forgiven by God Mans mercy cannot reach so high as this therefore surely the mercies of God will not We have a very gracious promise backt with a caution to prevent these jealousies Isa 55.6 7. Let the wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Now as when God cals upon man to obey his will and doe his Commandments he is apt to say at least in his heart the duties are too many and the burdens too great to be born So when the Lord calleth upon wicked men the worst of wicked men to repent or turn unto him and he vvill abundantly pardon or he will multiply to pardon as it is in the originall they are ready to object What Pardon such as vve are We are too filthy and vile for washing Surely he vvill not pardon us These mercies are too many for us and these favours too great for us to receive Well saith God I preconceive your conceits of me ye are measuring me by your selves ye think it cannot be done because ye cannot doe it your hearts are too narrow to passe by so many so great provocations therefore ye say mine is too narrow also Doe ye thus measure me the Lord O foolish people and unwise I would have you know My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your waies my waies for as the heavens are higher then the earth so are my waies higher then your waies and my thoughts then your thoughts vers 8 9. As if he had said Your thoughts are as much below my mercy as your waies were below my holinesse Cease then from doubting vvhat I have promised as I vvould have you cease from doing vvhat I have forbidden Your unbelief that I vvill not pardon your sin dishonours me as much as your disobedience did in committing sinne Till vve believe God is holy above us vve fear not to sinne and till vve believe God is mercifull above us we cannot believe he will pardon our sin Thus we see how the lifting up of our selves in our thoughts to an equality or to some similitude vvith God or the drawing down of God to an equality or some similitude vvith our selves is the ground and cause of all our unequall carriage towards God of our boldnesse in sinning of our boldnesse in pleading with and complaining against him of our extreme unbelief in the point of deliverance from troubles or of the pardon of our sins Secondly Observe There is no comparison between God and man He is not a man as I am Man is like to man face answers face and heart answers heart strength answers strength and vvit answers vvit Solomon concludes this Eccles 6.10 That which hath been is named already and it is known that it is man A man it but a man be he never so great in vvorldly vvealth or honour as he bears the name so he hath the nature of man still Nor can he contend with him that is mightier then he i. e. vvith God If he venture beyond his line or move out of the sphear of his activity if he vvould act more then a man he shall quickly finde that he is but man He cannot contend with him that is mightier then he Man vvas indeed made in the likenesse of God Gen. 1.27 In the image of God created he him yet vve must not say God is like man he is not in our image God put some impressions of himself upon man but he took no impressions of man upon himself He is not a man as I am He hath given us some of his own excellencies but he hath not taken upon him any of our vveaknesses God hath honoured man to give him somewhat of himself but God should dishonour himself to take anything of man Thus man is in the likenesse of God but God is not in the likenesse of man Take heed of such thoughts It is as dangerous to frame a likenesse or a similitude of God to our hearts as to frame a likenesse or a similitude of God upon a wall Exod. 15.10 Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the gods That is there is none like unto thee None amongst the gods neither among those who are falsly called gods the Idols of the Heathen nor among those who are truly called gods for God cals them so the Angels in heaven and Magistrates here upon the earth among these truly called gods there is none like the true God much lesse is there any among the meer pure mortals like unto the immortall God Who is like unto thee glorious in holinesse fearfull in praises doing wonders So Mic. 7.18 Who is a god like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Who is a god like unto thee Not only is there no man that can pardon as God but there is no God that can pardon like God he puts it upon that Who is a god like unto thee Not as if he granted that there were any other gods besides the Lord but to meet with the thoughts of men with those sinfull principles and conceits which lodge in man and make other gods To say of God only this He is God is to say all we cannot say more good of God then to call him God as we cannot say more evil of sin then to call it sin when we have called it sin vve have called it all The Apostle Rom. 7.13 puts that upon it as the worst he could say of it Sinne that it might appear sinne We cannot represent it in a worse likenesse then its own All men say they sin but sin appears sin to very few And when the Apostle would put a disgracefull title or epethite upon sin he invests it with its own name sinfull sin Thus to the point in hand we cannot call God more then when we call him God Nothing can be predicated of him better then himself When God appears to be God all excellency appears All men almost acknowledge God but God appears to very few 'T is but little of God that can be known and there are not many who know that little very many know but little of that little and most know nothing of it at all Thus also to say that man is man is proof and aggravation enough of his depraved condition Hos 6.7 They
for the perturbation of fear When Job saith I would speak and not fear him his meaning is not to lay down that fear of God which is a bridle to the soul keeping it from sin or that reverentiall affection which fits us for and should act us in every holy duty we perform to God When Job praied to be free from the fear of God he resolved thus to fear God T is only the perturbation of fear distracting fear not sanctifying humbling fear which Job would lay aside when God should please to with-draw his terrifying fear And so his minde is plainly this If the Lord will be entreated to remit the extremity of my affliction and remove those terrours wherewith I am affrighted then I would speak boldly and chearfully to him I would set out the truth of my case and declare the innocency of my person Qui injudicio consiernatur non potest recté agere causam suam seque ita utoportet desendere ac tueri terror enim impedimento est ei Pâ—ned Vehement passions hinder my reason 't is uneasie to speak till I am eased of my pains I cannot tell how it is with me so long as it is thus with me Hence note That extremity of fear is an interruption to speech While sense is much troubled reason cannot act much When Ephraim spake trembling he exalted himself in Israel Hos 13.1 There to speak trembling is to speak humbly Our words to God should be accompanied with low thoughts of our selves Ephraims trembling is opposed to pride and hardnesse of heart They who thus tremble at the Word of God are fittest to speak to God yet excessive trembling hinders us in speaking And untill the Lord quiets and composes our hearts by a word from heaven till he speak to our distempered mindes as once to the raging sea Be quiet and still we cannot utter our hearts or declare our mindes unto him When God sends a gracious message to poor sinners and invites them to a conference as he did his ancient people Isa 1.18 Come let us reason together then they come boldly to the throne of grace notwithstanding their crimson and scarlet sins Then they are not afraid to speak they may speak and not fear him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quia non sic ego mecum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non enim sic conscius sum But saith Job it is not so with me There is much diversity of opinion about these words M. Broughton translates I am not so with my self and gives this note upon it I am not such with my self as Gods scourge seemeth to make me or such as your words would make me The Septuagint renders it I am not so conscious to my self or I am not so self-guilty The Hebrew word for word runs thus For not so I with my self Some difference arises from the first particle we read But Most For The originall is rather causall then exceptive I would speak and not fear him for it is not so with me Particula Chen propter variam quam habet significationem varijs quoque interpretationibus ansam praebit est enim vox aequivoca plura significans Bol. But the word which causes the greatest difference is that which we translate So It is not so with me The Hebrew is Chen and that hath two principall significations It signifies sometimes right or just and is applied both to persons and to things First Unto things Jer. 8.6 The Lord hearkned and heard and there was no man that spake Chen aright or things which were right Jer. 23.10 The word is opposed to evil Their course is evil and their force is not right that is the force might or power which they have is not set upon or imploied about that which is right but wholly bent to do wrong or they commit evil with all their might Qui bonam habet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rectus apud seipsum testatur igitur se bonam habere conscientiam inde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apud Deum si non projure suo agere vel gratia uti velit Coc. Secondly The word Chen is applied unto persons noting a man that is upright hearted faithfull and honest both in conscience and conversation When Iosephs brethren Gen. 42.11 19 31. pleaded for themselves they say unto him We are Chenim right men we are no spies We are not come to finde out the weaknesse of the Land but to get a supply of our own wants Ioseph said Ye are spies ye come to circumvent us to put tricks upon us to work your own ends by discovering what we are No say they pray Sr do not misunderstand us we are Chenim honest right-hearted plain-meaning men Secondly The word is used adverbially It is not so with me that is It is not so as you imagine In which sense we finde it Gen. 1.7 The Lord said Let there be light and it was Chen so as the Lord commanded so it was Eccles 8.10 I saw the wicked buried who had come and gone from the place of the holy and they were strangers in the City where they had done so Upon both these significations of the word different interpreâ—ations of the whole are grounded First Taking the word to note an upright hearted man Iob is conceived to speak interrogatively as if he put this Question For am I not right in my self As if he had said If you thinke it too much boldnesse that I have said I would speak unto God and not fear him Am not I right in my self Am not I found and true at heart Thus he seems to allude unto that testimony which God gave of him at the first verse of this book A man perfect and upright As if he had said I am no turn-coat or apostate I am as I was and I doubt not but I shall be what I am still perfect before God and upright with men And if so why may not I have boldnesse to come unto God and speak freely with him They who are sincere with God may have great boldnesse in comming unto God Uprightnesse hath boldnesse with men and uprightnesse hath boldnesse towards God Though no uprightnesse or righteousnesse in man can give him boldnesse in himself yet it may give him boldnesse in another He may be assured that though he cannot be accepted for his uprightnesse yet being upright he shall be accepted Secondly Others read it negatively I would speak and not fear him for I am not right in or with my self And so the sense may be made out thus I have not gone about to justifie my self all this while I have not stood upon my own righteousnesse pleading with God if my righteousnesse were in my self then I might fear to speak with God though his fear should not terrifie me and though he should take away his rod from me but I have a better bottom then my own I am not right in my self I am
upon ourselves First When we let them lie wholly upon our selves and will not go to God for strength or patience to bear them Who can sufficiently mourn over them who leave their complaints in this sense upon themselves It is sinfull and foolish to leave our complaints thus upon our selves 'T is a duty to leave them upon God and to pour them into the bosom of Christ who can and who only can either ease us of them or make them easie to us who can and who only can take off our burdens or enable us to carry them The burden of our ordinary cares will break our backs if left upon our selves how then shall we in our own strength stand under the burden of extreamest sorrows Secondly We leave our complaint upon our selves When we make no excuses or evasions but plainly charge the fault upon our selves Thus we ought to leave all our complaints upon our selves It is sinfull and foolish to charge any of them wholly upon the devil or at all upon God An honest heart takes them home and saith God is righteous but I am a transgressour what he hath done he may do and he hath done justly in all that he hath done This is the sense of Iobs resolution I will leave my complaint upon my self Hence observe Whatsoever a godly man suffereth he will not charge God with it but himself He is more carefull of the honour of God then of his own peace and had rather die then the glory of God should suffer O Lord saith Daniel chap. 9.7 righteousnesse belongeth unto thee but unto us confusion of face And vers 14. the Lord is righteous in all his works which he doth for we obeyed not his voice When the Angel was smiting Israel with the plague of pestilence David bespeaks the Lord in reference to the people Loe I have sinned and I have done wickedly but these sheep What have they done Let thine hand I pray thee be against me c. 2 Sam. 24.17 I take the blame to my self Lord upon me let thy stroak be even upon me not upon Israel So saith the soul in reference unto God upon me be the blame of all the troubles and afflictions which I feel not upon God What hath God done All that he hath done is right and just and good It is an argument of a holy frame of heart to be often judging our selves and alwaies acquitting of God To be often complaining of our selves and to be ever exalting God To be alwaies thanking him for our comforts and alwaies saying we may thank our selves for our sorrows Whatsoever the Lord saith or doth concerning us we should not only say with Hezekiah when a sad message was brought him 2 King 20.19 Good is the Word of the Lord but also Good are the works of the Lord. Many men are ready to lay their sins much more their sorrows upon God So the Apostle represents them Rom. 9.19 Thou wilt say unto me Why doth he then finde fault Why doth God complain of us we have more reason to complain of and charge our faults on God If he hardeneth whom he will Why are we blamed for being hardened For who hath resisted his will Thus they question God Who hath resisted thy will whose lives are nothing else but a continued warre against and resistance of his will They who strive most to comply with the will of God complain often of themselves for resisting it And though they know God hardeneth vvhom he vvill yet they will not leave the hardening of any upon God as his fault but as his prerogative They confesse it to be as great an act of holinesse in God to harden some men in sin as it is to soften others by his grace Mercy appears chiefly in the one justice appears chiefly in the other but holinesse equally in both I will speak in the bitternesse of my soul A bitter soul bringeth forth bitter words Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh If there be abundance of joy in the heart the mouth will speak joyfully and if there be abundance of sorrow in the heart the mouth speaks sorrowfully Loquar quicquid mihi afflictio suggesserit As when there is abundance of filth in the heart the mouth speaks filthinesse We may see the lines and image of mans minde drawn upon his words One man speaks in the anger of his soul and he speaks angerly Another speaks in the pride of his soul and he speaks proudly A third speaks in the profanenesse of his soul and he speaks profanely Again one speaks in the courage of his soul and he speaks couragiously Another speaks in the patience of his soul and he speaks patiently A third speaks in the faith of his soul and he speaks beleevingly There is a neernesse to this sense in that of the sixtieth Psalm vers 6. God hath spoken in his holinesse and we are assured he cannot but speak holily who is all holy I saith Job will speak in the bitternesse of my soul and he spake bitterly his soul was bitter and so was his speech too What he means by the bitternesse of his soul hath been opened heretofore in the third Chapter and in the seventh Chapter vers 11. thither I refer the Reader In brief I will speak in the bitternesse of my soul is either this I will let out the sorrows of my heart at my tongue and it shall appear by what I say what I feel Or Further I will speak in the bitternesse of my soul may be taken as an Apology for what he spake As if he had said Doe not charge my complaint upon my own account Nō rā mea futura sunt verba quam meae amaritudinis haec enim imperat extorquet orationem If I speak bitterly it is not I that speak but the bitternesse that is in me As Paul when he did what he would not pleads in the seventh of the Romans It is no more I that doe it but sinne that dwelleth in me It is not I Paul an Apostle not I regenerate Paul but the remains of unregenerate Paul of Paul a Pharisee which rebell against the Law of God In the same manner saith Iob here and so say the Saints Are we at any time impatient and complain more then becommeth us know it is not we that speak but the bitternesse of our hearts The thing which we would not that speak we and therefore it is not we that speak but the sorrow that dwelleth in us So then speaking in the bitternesse of the soul notes either the excesse or greatnesse of a complaint or the cause and spring of a complaint The complaints of Job came not from the ordinary temper of his spirit but from the troubles of his estate distempering his spirit he desired rather to be praising and glorifying God for his receits then complaining over his own wants But his wants were such as he could not refrain from complaining I will
the Lord my God will enlighten my darknesse for by thee I have run thorow a troop and by my God have I leaped over a wall Psal 18.28 29. that is I have done great things and I have overcome the greatest difficulties through thine assistance Will God shine thus upon the counsel of the wicked Or will he help the evil-doer Iob denieth it and therefore praieth Shew me why thou contendest with me I know thou bearest no good will to those who are wilfull in doing evil nor takest thou pleasure in those who take pleasure in iniquity But doth not the Lord give good successe to those who are evil Doth the way of the wicked never prosper Prospereth it not so far sometimes that godly men stumble in their way and are offended I answer God maketh his Sunne to shine upon the evil and the good but himselfe never shineth upon the evil Wicked men receive benefits from God but they receive no blessings from God There is a two-fold light First The light of Gods providence Secondly The light of Gods countenance The light of Gods countenance never shines upon the counsel of the wicked they have only the light of his providence He never shines upon them to favour them though he often shines upon them to prosper them A man may have much good shewed him and yet no good will shewed him The clouds and darknesse which at any time cover the counsels of the righteous are clearer then all the light which shines upon the counsels of the wicked God varies his dispensations often but he never varies his affections whatsoever he doth against the righteous he never hates or dislikes them and whatsoever he doth for the wicked he never loves or likes them But who are the wicked intended in this text upon whose counsels God will not shine There are four apprehensions about it who are wicked all agree but who these wicked are is not agreed Some refer the word to his friends I know thou wilt not favour their sinfull censures and rash judgements concerning me Surely they shall receive little thanks and lesse reward for these discourtesies thou wilt not go forth with them or give witnesse to what they have done thou wilt not confirm or attest what they have spoken Job I grant found little comfort from his friends but I doe not finde that they gave him evil counsel much lesse that they took wicked counsel against him The Lord reproved them for the errour of their speech but he did not reprove them for the wickednesse of their persons Indeed Iob charges them deeply Chap. 13.7 Will you speak wickedly for God Yet I do not believe that he judged them wicked A thing in it self wicked may be spoken and yet the speaker not be wicked Therefore I would not think Job aims at his friends or fastens so deep a charge on them though they had charged him so deep Secondly Others conceave Job means the devil and his angels Wilt thou shine upon Satans counsel As when Ahasuerus being enformed of that conspiracy against the Jews enquired who is he and where is he that durst presume in his heart to doe so Queen Esther said the adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman Chap. 7.5 6. So might Job have answered the Lord. My adversary and enemy is this wicked Satan He laid the plot and hath stirred up all these evils against me I know Lord thou wilt not take Satans part thou wilt not help him who would be the destroyer and murderer who is the great malignant and projectour against thy servant Thirdly Others take the wicked here for the Sabeans and Caldeans who were the instruments of Satan in spoiling and robbing Job of his goods and substance That they were wicked we need not question yet Fourthly Take it rather in generall for all or any wicked men upon whose waies God seems to shine when he gives successe to their works of darknesse Hence observe First Wicked men are sometimes prospered in their counsels and walk in pleasant though evil waies God gives delight to those in whom he hath no delight And they have many good things from him who never had one good thought from him Thousands are prospered and hated at the same time When Dionysius in the story had rob'd an Idol-Temple and at his return by sea had a fair gale and pleasant weather to waft him home with the spoils See said he how the heavens smile upon us and how the gods are pleased with what we have done The like conclusions many draw from the premises of outward prosperity surely the true God is pleased with us but there is a cloud upon this Sunshine and darknesse in all this light Observe Secondly The Lord hates the counsel of wicked men He is so farre from shining upon that he indeed darkens their counsels He casts darknesse upon them even the darknesse of his heaviest displeasure when themselves think and the world saith all is light about them Zech. 1.15 Thus saith the Lord I am very sore displeased with the Heathen that are at ease They had their pleasure but God took no pleasure in them I am very sore displeased with these Heathens that are at ease that is I approve not their courses yea my wrath is kindled against their persons The light which shines upon wicked men turns all at last into heat and they have alwaies the heat of Gods anger mixed with their light a heat not to warm but to consume and burn them up As when the Lord sends the clouds and darknesse of outward affliction upon his own people he sends likewise the beams of his everlasting love into their hearts So he clouds and darkens wicked men while his candle shineth upon their heads JOB Chap. 10. Vers 4 5 6 7. Hast thou eyes of flesh or seest thou as man seeth Are thy daies as the daies of men Are thy years as mans daies That thou enquirest after mine iniquity and searchest after my sinne Thou knowest that I am not wicked and there is none that can deliver out of thy hand JOB proceedeth upon the same argument and as in the third verse he had removed three things inconsistent with and dishonourable to the justice of God So in the two verses following he removeth two more And as he thus acquits the Lord from injustice or unrighteous dealing with him so he appeals to the Lord who was able he knew to do it upon certain knowledge to acquit him from all the unjust charges with which his friends had burdened him Thou knowest that I am not wicked c. Hast thou eyes of flesh or seest thou as man seeth The Question is to be resolved into this negation Lord Thou hast not eyes of flesh Lord Thou seest not as man seeth as if Job had thus spoken Lord I have been long afflicted with grievous pains I am as a man hanging upon a rack to draw out and force a confession from him Lord why is it thus
with me Why am I brought to such a triall I am sure it is not with thee as with mortall Judges who having eyes of flesh can see no further then the out-side of things and know no more then is told them and therefore must fetch out what lies in the heart of man by examination and if examination will not do it they must do it by torture Lord there is no need thou shouldest take this course Thou canst enform thy self fully how it is with me though I should not speak a word though I am silent yet thine ear hears the voice and understands the language of my spirit Though I hide or cover my self yet the eye of thy omniscience looks quite thorow me seeing then thou hast not eyes like the eyes of men wherefore is it that thou enquirest by these afflictions after mine iniquity and searchest as men use to do after my sin Hast thou eyes of flesh or seest thou as man seeth God hath no eyes much lesse eyes of flesh God is a Spirit and therefore he cannot have eyes of flesh He is all eye and therefore properly he hath no eyes The eye is that speciall organ or member of the body into which the power of seeing is contracted but God is all over a power of seeing The body of man hath severall parts and severall honours and offices are bestowed upon every part The eye hath the great office and honour of seeing committed to it The eye is the light of the whole body and knowledge is the eye of the soul The eye of God is the knowledge of God Ipsum nomen Dei Graecum hanc videndi efficacit atem prae sesert 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nimirum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spectare contemplari dicitur Nihil est in intellectu quod noÌ„ priâ— suit in sensu The Greeks expresse God by a word which signifies to see and he is therefore said to have eyes and to see because the eye is a principall instrument and seeing a principall means by which man receives knowledge Naturalists tell us there is nothing in the understanding but that which is first in the sence The sences are doors to the minde the furniture and riches of that are conveyed in by the eyes or ears These bring informations to the understanding Naturall knowledge cannot have an immediate accesse to man and 't is but seldom that spirituall hath Both are commonly let in by sence The superiour powers must traffick with the inferiour otherwise they make no gain Though God hath no need of any help to bring in or improve his knowledge yet that is ascribed to him by which knowledge is improved He hath eyes but not of flesh he seeth but not as man Hast thou eyes of flesh Flesh by a Synechdoche is put for the whole nature of man The Word was made flesh Joh. 1.14 not body or soul but Flesh that is man consisting of soul and body Thus here eyes of flâ—sh that is mans eyes And so the later clause of the verse is an exposition of the former Oculi carnei sunt secundum carnem judicantes When he saith Hast thou eyes of flesh It is no more then this Dost thou see as man seeth To have an eie of flesh is to judge according to the flesh and to see as man seeth is to see no more then man When Samuel was sent to anoint a King over Israel in the place of Saul 1 Sam. 16.7 the Lord said concerning the first-born of Jesse Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused him The reason added is this For the Lord seeth not as man seeth for man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart There we have Jobs doctrine of Gods seeing delivered by God himself Samuel thought he who made the fairest shew to the eie of man must needs be the man who was fairest in the eye of God but the Lord seeth what is not seen and often findes most reality in the least appearance he who hath not eyes of flesh sees beyond the flesh There are seven differences between the eye of flesh or mans eye and the eye of God 1. Mans eye is but a means or an instrument of knowledge Gods eye is his knowledge The act and the faculty are not distinct in God All in God is act Neither is God another thing from his act whatsoever is ascribed to him is himself The eye of God is God seeing The knowledge of God is God knowing The love of God is God loving 2 Man must have a two-fold light to see by an inward light the light of the eye and an outward light the light in the air without both he cannot see man doth not see as Naturalists speak by sending forth a beam or a ray from his eye to the object but by receaving or taking in a beam or a ray from the object into his eie The object issues it's species to the eye which being joyned with the visive power of the eye man seeth But God seeth in himself of himself and from himself he needs no outward light Christ is described having a fiery eye His eyes were as a flame of fire Revel 1.14 Revel 2.18 Even nature teacheth us that those creatures which have fiery eyes see in the dark and see best when it is darkest because they see by sending forth a beam or a flame from their eyes which at once apprehends the object and enlightens the passage to it God who commanded light to come out of darknesse for the use of man commands light in darknesse for his own The darknesse hideth not from thee saith David but the night shineth as the day The darknesse and the light are both alike to thee There is no darknesse nor shadow of death where any of the workers of iniquity can hide themselves Job 34.22 Thus God hath not eyes of flesh he seeth not as man seeth 3. Man seeth one thing after another his eye is not able to take in all objects at once he views now one and then another to make his judgement of them But God seeth all things together he beholdeth all at one view his eye takes and gathers in all objects and all that is in every object by one act The Lord looketh from heaven and beholdeth all the sonnes of men from the place of his habitation he looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth Psal 33.13 14. 4. An eye of flesh seeth at a distance and at such a distance Naturalists tell us there must be a due distance between the eye and the object If you put the object too neer the eye Sensibile positum super sensuÌ„ tollet sensationem the eye cannot see it That which is sensible put upon the sense takes away sensation Again if the object be very remote the eye cannot make any discovery of it The eye cannot see farre and it cannot discern so farre as it
can see We may see a thing and not know what we see But the eye of the Lord seeth and discerneth at all distances There are none so neer him but he knows what they are neernesse doth not hinder his sight and there are none so farre from him but he can discover what they are remotenesse doth not hinder his sight And indeed all things are present with him as in time so in place God is nearest Deus non soluâ— est proximus objecto sed est intimè cum illo conjunctut even next to every object He is in every place yet not included by any he is in every thing yet not mixed with any Prov. 15.3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good His eies are upon the waies of man he seeth all his goings Job 34.21 and that this seeing is a distinguishing sight another Scripture clears to us His eye-lids try the children of men Psal 11.5 Let them be what they will and where they will his eye-lids do not only see but try that is he hath a distinct and a certain knowledge or a criticall sight of the state and condition of every man 5. Man seeth but the colour and skin the face and out-side of things or persons but God seeth the in-sides and looks into the very bowels of them He is a searcher and discerner of the heart He seeth the spirit as soon as the face Our clothes are not more open to him then our brests and bosoms An Heathen wished for a window there and if we had windows there we could not see what 's there An eye of flesh cannot reade the meaning of our spirits but the Lord can look into the heart without a window yea we are all window to him and he at every turn looks not only upon us but into us It was prophecied of Christ Isa 11.3 He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes neither reprove after the hearing of his ears that is he shall not judge as a meer man but as God he shall not judge according to fair appearances or flying reports He shall judge with righteousnesse and reprove with equity Man whose eyes are of flesh should not judge according to appearance yet because his eyes are of flesh he cannot judge of that which doth not appear But God who calleth those things which are not as if they were judgeth of those things which appear not as if they did appear 6. An eye of flesh may be deceived The sight of man is subject to manifold deceptions Many things put a stop to the sight of the eye The eye of man is in danger of as many fallacies as the understanding and the understanding is entangled with many fallacies by the eye But there is no errour in the sight of God nor any deception of his eye you cannot by any art or device by any policy or hypocrisie by any masques or disguises by any simulations or dissimulations make that appear to him which is not or make it appear to him otherwise then it is The heart of man saith the Lord is deceitfull above all things and desperately wicked who can know it only the Lord who makes can answer this challenge so he doth in the next words I the Lord search the heart I try the reins even to give every man according to his waies and according to the fruit of his doings How can that which is deceitfull receive according to its doings but by knowing all its doings and all it's deceits As the tongue the greatest troubler of the world no man can tame so the heart the greatest impostour in the world no man can discover but God and he can do it easily and doth it continually 7. When it is said the Lord hath not eyes of flesh he seeth not as man seeth the meaning is his knowledge is not imperfect as the knowledge of man is An eye of flesh hath bin but a while and can be but a while and therefore cannot attain much knowledge We are but of yesterday and know nothing saith Bilaad c. 8. He that hath but little experience must needs have more then a little ignorance Experience breeds knowledge and brings to perfection in knowledge The eye of God is from everlasting If he had not as he hath all knowledge in and from himself he might have fetcht it in before this time from what he hath seen And he having seen all things must needs have perfect knowledge whose knowledge had been perfect though he had never seen any of these things Besides As this phrase an eye of flesh imports thinnesse of experience and thence imperfection of knowledge so grossenesse of spirit and dimnesse of understanding to attain knowledge When Peter made that gracious confession Mat. 16.16 Thou art Christ the Sonne of the living God Christ answers Carò significat aliquia pingue obtusum crassuÌ„ minime subtiâ—e aut perspicax Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona for flesh and bloud that is man hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in heaven As if he had said All men are flesh and bloud so dull-sighted and blinde that they could never have perceived this truth by any study or observation it comes only by gift and revelation The eye of God is not an eye of flesh in this sense neither All spirits have much clearnesse of understanding much sharpnesse and quicknesse of apprehension The devil being a spirit Daemon though now a wicked spirit hath one name from knowledge How much more knowing is he who is The spirit the Creatour of the spirits of all flesh and the Creatour of those spirits which subsist without flesh Further Sight is put for judgement and seeing for judging Judging is an act beyond knowing Judgement is the result of knowledge So Thou dost not see is Thou dost not judge as man judgeth 1. Mans judgement is often hindered by his affections Num vides more hominum siâ—ut illi ex facie judicas ut affectibus ducaris siâ—ut illi His judgement is hindred by divers affections especially by love and the nearnesse of relations man can hardly see a fault and a friend a sin and a son together Love makes knowledge as ignorance and light as darknesse Christian charity covers a multitude of sins from private revenge and harsh censures But humane charity coverâ— a multitude of sins from publike justice and wholsome admonitions The former keeps from rigid severity this endangers to cockering flattery It is not thus with God He seeth not as man seeth They who have the greatest interest the nearest relation to God are seen what they are and shall be judged as they are God hath indeed an infinite largenesse of affection to poor sinners and the lap of his garment of love covers every day a multitude yea many multitudes of sins But he doth not this because his love to the persons offending hinders his eye from seeing but because
his Son having satisfied his justice for the persons offending he turns away his eye from seeing their sins God proclaims himself at once The God pardoning iniquity transgression and sin and that will by no means acquit the guilty Exod. 34.7 There is nothing but the Name of his Son and of his Son suffering which turns his eye from sin He will espy and punish or espy to punish all our faults through all other titles and interests whatsoever Again Mans judgment is clouded by wrath and malice He cannot see the innocency of those he hates or do them justice to whom he bears no affection The want of love hinders an eye of flesh as much as the inordinacy or excesse of it But though the Lord be angry and displeased with man yet he wrongs no man The wrath of man cannot work the righteousnesse of God but the wrath of God works righteousnesse to man He never gives more then right to those he loves most nor lesse then right to those he hates most That which we call passion in God is acted with highest reason his anger never errs 2. Man is much swaied in judgment by the power pomp and splendour of men We are apt to think they have most worth in them who are worth most And that they are good with whom all 's well Even the Saints are toucht with this infirmity The Apostle James chap. 2.2 3. bespeaks them thus If there come into your Assembly a man with a gold ring in goodly apparel and there come in a poor man in vile raiment and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing and say unto him Come and sit here by me in a good place and say to the poor Stand thou there or sit here under my foot-stool Are ye not partiall in your selves and Judges of evil thoughts that is Are ye not condemned in your selves and convinced in your own consciences that you do evil and so that your thoughts have been evil which moved you to do so Can you chuse but judge this an evil thought to think him the best man that weareth the best clothes and him a vile person that is in vile apparel Thus men yea good men may mis-judge of men But the Lord seeth not as man seeth It is not good clothes but a good heart it is not a gold ring but a golden conversation which he accepts wickednesse is abominable in his eye though it sit upon a throne and holinesse shines in his eye though it lie upon a dung-hill Holinesse is not lesse lovely to him because cloathed with rags nor unholinesse lesse loathsome to him because it goes in a gay coat 'T is well conceived Forte Iob respâ—cit ad carneos judicum oculos qui ex specie carnis splendore judicant sordidos vero squalâ—dos contemnuâ—t At Deus sordida humilia non despicit Sanct. that Job had reference to his own condition when he spake thus he lay in a wofull plight all over sores and boils and filthinesse yet saith he Lord I know thou seest not as man seeth Thou dost not therefore think me the worse because I am thus ill I am even a loathing not only to others but to my self yet I know thou dost not loath me Thou hast not a bad opinion of me because my condition is thus bad 3. Man judgeth the cause by the effect the tree by the fruit the man by his actions that 's the way of mans judgement and so man ought to judge We ought to think well of them who do well and when the hand is clean charity bids us say the heart is clean too But the Lord seeth not as man seeth he in judging men transcends the rule he gives men to judge by He judgeth the fruit by the tree the effect by the cause and the action by the man he had respect to Abel and then to his offering If the worker please him not neither doth his work as he makes so he sees the tree good and then then the fruit good Till the man mends his manners never mend in Gods esteem When a good tree brings forth evil fruit or an evil tree good fruit 't is accidentall to them both not naturall God judgeth us by what we alwaies are not by what we sometimes act either in good or evil In this also Job comforts himself that whatsoever fruit he might seem to bring forth yet the Lord judg'd him not as his friends did by some unsavoury speeches that came from him but by the savourinesse of that spirit which was in him He knew God judged him by the setled temper of his inward man and the soundnesse of his minde not by the casuall distemper of his outward man or the sound of his tongue Job was a good tree and the root of the matter was in him And Job was assured God would not condemn him for his fruit if some of it were bitter and unpleasant while he saw his root was good 4. Man must take time to hear and discusse every case to finde and beat out the truth of every controversie but God judgeth all at an instant the matter is no sooner before him but he knoweth it fully indeed the matter was ever before him and ever fully known he knew it from eternity Things are known to him before they are by whom all things are The Lord needeth not to put questions or to be informed by confessions God is able to prevent our questions with resolutions and to give us answers before we give him our doubts Joh. 16.30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things and needest not that any man should ask thee that is acquainted with our doubts before we propose them can answer them as soon as we propose them Seeing it is thus saith Job why am I held so long upon the rack to draw out the matter from me I know thou dost not judge as man judgeth by enquiring into or comparing circumstances and actions answers and questions Thou art able to make out a judgement of me and of my condition from thy own knowledge without the contribution of my answers to thy questions or of other mens testimonies concerning my actions Thou seest not as man seeth Lastly To have eyes of flesh and to see as man is to see with scorn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est aliquando despicere cernere cum contemptu or with disdain The originall word which we translate to see put alone signifies sometimes to despise The Prince of Tyrus is threatned thus Ezek. 28.17 I will lay thee before kings that they may behold that is despise and deride thee And the Spouse in the Canticles Chap. 1.6 deprecates look not upon me because I am black because the Sunne hath looked upon me that is God hath looked upon me with a scorching eye of displeasure and made me black with troubles do not ye look upon me with a scornfull eye of disdain because of my blacknes
as thou pleasest to doe thy work in Why then doest thou deal thus severely with me as if thou were afraid thou shouldest over-slip thy day or want a season to deal with me in Again When he saith Are thy daies as mans daies it may referre to the changes which happen in the daies of man Deo nihil affert novi crastina dies the daies of man are sometimes fair and sometimes cloudy sometimes he hath good daies and sometimes he hath ill daies therefore he must take his time and lay hold upon his opportunity He must make his hay while the Sunshines who cannot command the Sun to shine But the daies of the Lord are like himself alwaies the same alwaies alike There are no changes of time to him who is himself unchangeable Lastly Are thy daies as the daies of man Aâ—iam suarum miseriarum causam excludit à Deo q.d. si non esset firma Dei voluntas atque benevolentia erga suos sed innata illi esset inconstantia nihil mirum esset si me queÌ„ quondam ingentibus beneficiis cumula vit odio prosequatur Bold 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may have reference to man himself man is as mutable a creature as his time is and man is mutable not only in his condition but in his affection now he loveth anon he hateth now he rejoyceth anon he sorroweth now he esteemeth anon he rejecteth now he imbraceth anon he contemneth Lord saith Job I know thou art not in thy daies as man is in his Where thou art once a friend thou art alwaies a friend whom thou lovest thou lovest for ever Thy affections are as unchangeable as thy nature There is a difference in the later clause of the verse for whereas he saith in the first Are thy daies as the daies of man In the second he saith Are thy years as mans daies The daies of God in the first part are the same with the years of God in the second But man hath not years ascribed to him in the second The time of man is so short that it is reckoned by the shortest compleat time a day And when David computes the longest date of mans life he doth not say The years of man are threescore years and ten but the daies of our years are threescore years and ten Psa 90.10 There is yet another difference in the originall about the word man In the first clause the Hebrew word for man was Enosh here it is Geber which signifies a strong man a mighty man a man of the most masculine spirit and strongest body of the most vigorous abilities and greatest probabilities to live long A man of brasse and heart of oake rather then of clay and dust of the earth Lord Thy daies are not only not as the daies of Enosh a weak sickly man but Thy years are not as the daies of Geber as the daies of the mightiest and healthiest of the strongest and stoutest among the sons of men Observe hence more distinctly the difference between the daies of God and the daies of man First Gods day is the day of eternity Mans daies are but daies of time God is said To inhabit eternity Isa 57.15 that is he is fixed in eternity he is without beginning and without end yea his daies are without succession of daies All the daies of God are but a day Not only are a thousand years to him as one day but eternity is to him as one day All that God doth is said to be done to day Thou art my sonne to day have I begotten thee Psal 2.7 yet he speaks say some of the eternall generation of the Son or as it referreth to the resurrection of Christ so the Apostle expounds it Act. 13.33 God cals that time To day though it came a long time after all is present with God Past and to come in relation to God is neither past nor to come all is now or to day That was not past to God which never had beginning the eternall generation of his Son nor was that to come to God which was alwaies before him The temporall resurrection of his Son To day have I begotten thee is the most proper stile for God Tempus est mensura hominum habens principium finem aeviternitas est Angelorum principium habeus sed non finem aeternitas est propria Deo nec principiuÌ„ habens nec finem Some distinguish thus between these three Eternity Eviternity and Time Eternity is that which is peculiar unto God his are the daies of eternity Eviternity is proper to Angels and spirits which have a beginning but shall have no end Time is the portion and lot of man who hath had a beginning and shall have an end Time is the measure of those things which actually corrupt and change Eviternity is the measure of things incorruptible and unchangeable not in themselves but by the appointment of God Eternity is peculiar to God in whom it is absolutely impossible any change should be Time hath continuall successions eternity a constant permanency eviternity partakes of both Hence The second difference Mans daies are moveable the daies of God move not Aeternitas est quae nihil habet mutabile ibi nihil est praeteritum quasi jam non fit nihil futaruÌ„ quasi nondum fit quia â—oÌ„ est ibi nisi est Aug. in Ps 101. Erat erit nostri temporis fluxaeque naturae segmenta sunt Aeternitas est semper immutabile esse Thirdly Mans daies being past cannot be recalled Gods day is ever within his call for that which is past is as much present to him as that which is present and that which is to come is as much present to him as that which is Mans day was is and shall be Gods day alwaies is his name is I am It was and it will be are divisions and fragments morsels and bits of time eternity is an It is This teaches us First That God hath time enough to do his work in His daies are not as mans daies He needs not hasten his work lest he should loose his opportunity who is possessed of eternity And Secondly This by the way sheweth us the infinite happinesse and unconceivable blessednesse of God His daies are not as mans daies one of mans daies carrieth away one comfort and the next a second This day brings one comfort and the next a second and so he looseth or receiveth his comforts by daies and by daies by the fluxes and refluxes of time God hath all his happines in eternity that is he hath all at once Time neither bringeth nor carrieth away from God He enjoyeth as much at this present what he ever had as what he hath at this present and he enjoys as much what shall be as he doth what is present he enjoyeth all at once because he seeth all at once God hath not one thing after another but all together Eternity is the longest and the shortest it is
which hath got him this knowledge his knowledge is in him and with him and from himself he fetches not his knowledge from sence nor doth he take it up by information He learns it not by demonstration raised from the things themselves nor by the collation of one thing with another He doth not know this to be so because that is so but all things are so because he knows them He knows all 1. Fully not to halves 2. Certainly not probably 3. Actually not possibly 4. At once not successively as not one thing by another so not one thing after another Such are the eminencies and transcendencies of the knowledge of God The Scripture speaks sometimes as if God derived his knowledge from report or as if he did not know whether a people were vvicked or no till he had enquired When the new world vvas building their Babel the Lord said Let us go down to see the City Gen. 11.5 And when Sodom was burning in lust the Lord resolved I will go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come unto me and if not I will know Gen. 18.21 In both those places of Scripture God comes down to our capacity but he comes not down to any place in the vvorld He needs not come any vvhether who is every vvhere God speaks after the manner of men but he acts not after the manner of men God gives us an example what we should do he doth not work after our example Lest we should judge before we see God saith I vvill go down and see before I judge lest we should censure one another upon fames and common cries without further enquiry whether it be so or no therefore the Lord saith I will go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry that is come unto me God knew Sodom vvas vvicked before he came down but he came down to make it known that he knew it As those Scriptures seem to import that God knew not how vvicked the builders of Babel were or the dwellers in Sodome till he took pains to enquire so another Scripture imports that he did not know Abraham vvas a godly man till he made an experiment of it by putting him upon that hard piece of obedience the offering up of his son Now I know thou fearest me Gen. 22.12 as if the Lord had collected his knowledge of vvhat Abraham vvas from vvhat Abraham did But that testimony of God Now I know is but now I have made it known or now I know that in the fruit vvhich I knew before in the root now I see my fear in thy works as before I saw it in thy faith That place Deut. 8.2 bears a like sense where Moses bespeaks Israel thus Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these fourty years in the wildernesse to humble thee and to prove thee to know what was in thine heart whether thou wouldest keep his Commandments or no. The Lord needed not fourty years no nor one minutes experience to make up his thoughts concerning that people he knew vvhat they vvere at first sight and vvhat they vvould prove even a stubborn an unbelieving and a back-sliding people before they vvere God proved them not to know vvhat vvas in their hearts but that we might know it that vvhat he knew by his internall immediate inspection others also might know by externall observation It vvould not have been believed that they vvere so bad if God had not drawn it out by that fourty years variety of his dispensations towards them Or Moses describes God after the manner of men vvho prove things that they may know them vvhereas indeed God knows and then proves them Thirdly Considering how Job comes in vvith this assurance Thou knowest that I am not wicked to relieve himself in his distresse vve may observe That it is matter of highest consolation to the Saints to know and remember that God knows them That God knows their hearts and lives is the joy of their hearts and lives How rejoycingly doth David speak Psal 139.1 2. O Lord thou hast searched me and known me thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising c. He seems to be as glad that God knew him as that God vvould save him My witnesse is in heaven and my record is on high vvas Iobs resort again vvhen his friends scorned him chap. 16.19 There are no mistakes in God he vvill give right evidence as a vvitnes and a righteous sentence as a Judge Again That God knows us assures us First That vvhat vve have done shall not be forgotten God is not unrighteous to forget our work and labour of love c. Heb. 6.10 It assures us Secondly That vve shall not be mis-interpreted for vvhat vve have done The reason vvhy many men have so ill an opinion of others is because they have so little knowledge of them Ignorance makes as corrupt glosses as unsound decisions upon persons and actions as it doth upon texts or questions Some pervert knowingly and against light but most pervert ignorantly and for vvant of light God knows us perfectly and he never acts against his knowledge It assures us Thirdly That vve shall be well accepted and rewarded Though men make ill requitals and pay in bad yea in base coyn yet every man shall receive of God according to vvhat he is and vvhat his vvorks are Gen. 4.7 If thou dost well Shalt thou not be accepted Lastly It is a comfort to us vvhile vve are uncertain about our own estates to know that God knoweth us God hath a better opinion of some men then they have of themselves Some do not only think but judge and conclude themselves vvicked vvhen God knoweth that they are not vvicked The foundation of God standeth sure having this seal The Lord knoweth who are his Fourthly Thou knowest that I am not wicked Then observe To do wickedly or to be wicked is inconsistent with grace If Job had been a vvicked man he had been a lost man Sin is not inconsistent vvith grace but vvickednes is But you vvill say What is vvickednesse And vvhen is a man so sinfull that he is to be numbred among the vvicked To clear that because Job ventures all upon it I answer first In every vvicked man sin reigneth that is sin hath not only a being in him but dominion over him he yeeldeth ready and free obedience to it as to his naturall Lord not a forced and involuntary obedience only as to a tyrant Our committing of sin gives not the rule to sinne but our submitting to it As a man may do many good things and yet grace not raign and rule in his heart so it is possible for a man to do many evil things and yet not have sin rule in his heart A man may lay by the actings of a sin and yet that be a raigning sinne and a man may fall into the act of sin
knowledge of us beyond ours though he know us better then we know our selves yet no man can tell the Lord Thou knowest that I am not wicked but he who knows that he is not The excellency of our condition consists in being godly the comfort of it consists in knowing that we are godly When David offers himself to the triall Psal 139.24 Search me O Lord and see if there be any way of wickednesse in me He speaks not as doubting whether he were wicked or no but as being assured that he was not As if he had said There are many weaknesses in me I know but I know not of any wickednesse He that offers himself to Gods search for his wickednesse gives a strong argument of his own uprightnesse The best of the Saints may be at a losse sometimes for their assurances and not know they are good They may stand sometimes hovering between heaven and earth yea between heaven and hell as uncertain to which they shall be accounted Yet many of the Saints are fully perswaded they are Saints and sit with Christ in heavenly places while they are wâ—ndering here upon on the earth A godly man may know this two vvaies First By the vvorkings of grace in his heart Secondly By the testimony of the Spirit with his heart First By the vvorkings of grace in his heart 1 Joh. 2.3 Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his Commandments and chap. 3.14 We know that we are passed from death to life because we love the brethren There may be such workings of grace in the heart as may amount to an evidence of grace What our being is is discernable in our workings The word is as clear as light that our justification may have a light or evidence in our sanctification though no cause or foundation there Grace is the image of Christ stamped upon the soul and they who reflecting upon their souls see the image of Christ there may be sure that Christ is theirs Christ hath given all himself to those to whom he hath given this part of himself Secondly This may be known by the testimony of the Spirit with the heart 2 Cor. 5.5 He that hath wrought us for the self same thing is God God sets up a frame of holinesse in every believer He hath wrought us and how are we assured that he hath Who also hath given us the earnest of his Spirit The graces of the Spirit are a reall earnest of the Spirit yet they are not alwaies an evidentiall earnest therefore an earnest is often superadded to our graces There is a three-fold work of the Spirit First To conveigh and plant grace in the soul Secondly To act and help us to exercise the graces which are planted there Thirdly To shine upon and enlighten those graces or to give an earnest of those graces This last work the Spirit fullfils two waies First By arguments and inferences which is a mediate work Secondly By presence and influence which is an immediate work This the Apostle cals witnesse-bearing 1 Joh. 5.8 There are three that bear witnesse in earth The Spirit and the water and the bloud The Spirit brings in the witnesse of the water and of the bloud which is his mediate work but besides and above these he gives a distinct witnesse of his own which is his immediate work and is in a way of peculiarity and transcendency called the witnesse of the Spirit Hence that of the Apostle Paul We have not received the spirit of the world but we have received the Spirit which is of Christ that we may know the things that are freely given us of God 1 Cor. 2.12 The things freely given may be received by us and yet the receit of them not known to us therefore we receive the Spirit that we may know what is given us and what we have received The Spirit doth as it were put his hand to our receits and his seal also whence he is said To seal us up to the day of redemption Ephes 4.30 Sixthly Observe A godly man dares appeal to God himself that he is not wicked He dares stand before God to justifie his sincerity though he dares not stand to justifie himself before God Job had often laid all thoughts of his own righteousnesse in the dust but he alwaies stands up for his own uprightnesse God is my witnesse saith the Apostle Paul Rom 9.1 whom I serve in my spirit in the Gospel of his Sonne I serve God in my spirit and God knows that I do so I dare appeal unto him that it is so God is my witnesse When Christ put that question and drove it home upon Peter thrice Simon Lovest thou me Lord saith he Thou knowest all things Thou knowest that I love thee Joh. 21. As if he had said I will not give testimony of my self thou shalt not have it upon my word but upon thine own knowledge It were easie for me to say Master I love thee with all my heart with all my soul but I refer my self to thy own bosome Thou knowest I love thee So when Hezekiah lay as he thought upon his death-bed he turned himself to the wall desiring God to look upon the integrity of his life Lord remember how I have walked before thee in truth Isa 38.3 I do not go to the world for their good word of me I rest not in what my Subjects or neighbour Princes say of me Lord it is enough for me that what I have been and what I am is laid up safe in the treasury of thy thoughts This brings strong consolation when we take not up the testimony of men nor rest in the good opinion of our brethren but can have God himself to make affidavit or bear witnesse with us and for us That such a man will say I am an honest man that such a man will give his word for me is cold comfort but when the soul can say God will give his word for me The Lord knows that I am not wicked here 's enough to warm our hearts when the love of the world is waxen so cold and their tongues so frozen with uncharitablenesse that they will not speak a good word of us how much good soever they know by us Seventhly Consider the condition wherein Job was when he spake this he was upon the rack and as it were under an inquisition God laid his hand extream hard upon him yet at that time even then he saith Lord thou knowest that I am not wicked Hence observe A man of an upright heart and good conscience will not be brought to think that God hath ill thoughts of him how much evil so ever God brings upon him The actings of God toward us are often full of changes and turnings but the thoughts of God never change A soul may be afflicted till he is weary of himself yet he knows God is not weary of him Whomsoever he hath once made good he cannot but for ever esteem good
me out of thine hand or pull me away from thee by strength or by entreaty I should wonder the lesse at thy severity God doth sometimes even bespeak the intercession of others and complains that none come in to deliver a people or a person out of his hand When he was about to destroy Sodom he tels it unto Abraham probably for that very end that Abraham might intercede for Sodom and at least get Lot out of his hand When God was about to execute his judgments upon Jerusalem Non est qui clamâ—t Deus optme re stringas gladium ne strictum exterdas â—n populum tuuÌ„ He saw and there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessour none to take him off from destroying that people Isa 59.16 The Prophet complains in words of the same importance chap. 64.7 There is none that calleth upon thy name that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee Friends seeing a father go out hastily to correct his child rise presently or stir up themselves to take hold of the father or to mediate for the childe Pray spare him for this time and hold your hand but saith the Prophet There is none that will stir up himself to take hold of God He is going out in wrath and no man puts him in minde of mercy with that cry of another Prophet O spare thy people and give not thine heritage to reproach When Abraham was ready to slay Isaac upon the altar when his hand was stretched out to fetch the fatall blow just then did the Angel take hold of his sword and delivered Isaac out of his hand God saith to Moses Exod. 32.10 Let me alone God was about to destroy that people Moses would not permit him he seeks to deliver Israel out of the revenging hand of God by that holy violence of praier and supplication Lastly Others look upon Job as breathing out a very heroick and magnanimous spirit in these words As if he had said Lord Thou knowest and thou shalt know that I am not wicked though none deliver or take me out of thine hand Thou shalt finde me holding mine integrity as long as I hold my life I am resolved to honour thee whatsoever thou doest with me And so he refutes the charge of Satan Satan said Touch his flesh and his bone and he will curse thee to thy face No saith Job though he taketh away my flesh and my bones yet I will not curse him to his face no nor speak an ill word of him behinde his back Though I should never be delivered yet God shall never be blasphemed Upon the whole observe That there is no means on earth can rescue us out of the hand of God I kill and I make alive I wound and I heal neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand Deut. 32.39 Till God discharge us there 's no escaping none can force us out of his hand whatsoever is in theirs power cannot policy cannot riches cannot we cannot bribe our selves out of the sight or beyond the stroke of divine justice A golden key will not open Gods prison door Riches avail not in the day of wrath and in some daies of wrath prayer it self cannot prevail Then take heed how ye fall into the hands of God No wise man will run into his displeasure from whom there is no deliverance but at his own pleasure See more of this point Chap. 9.12 JOB Chap. 10. Vers 8 9 10 11 12 13. Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about and yet thou doest destroy me Remember I beseech thee that thou hast made me as the clay and wilt thou bring me into dust again Hast thou not poured me out as milk and crudled me like cheese Thou hast cloathed me with skin and flesh and hast fenced me with bones and sinews Thou hast granted me life and favour and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit And these things hast thou hid in thine heart I know that this is with thee AT the third verse of this Chapter we found Job questioning with the Lord Is it good for thee that thou shouldest oppresse That thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands In these words he insisteth upon and illustrateth that argument by fitting it to his own condition As if he had said Lord seeing thou wilt not despise the work of â—â—ine hands why shouldest thou despise me Am not I the work of thy hands Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about and yet thou dost destroy me The whole context argues out this point wherein we may observe 1. His forming or making set down in generall at the eighth verse Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about 2. The matter out of which he was formed and made at the ninth verse Remember I beseech thee that thou hast made me as the clay 3. His forming is drawn out in particulars Wherein we have First His conception at the tenth verse Hast not thou poured me out as milk and crudled me as cheese 2. The conjunction or setting together of his patts at the 11. verse Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh and hast fenced me with bones and sinews 3. The quickning of his parts thus joyned and set together at the 12. verse Thou hast granted me life 4. The preservation of his life in the same verse Thou hast given me life and not only so but favour and thy visitation doth preserve my spirit 5. Lastly We have Jobs strength of assurance or his assertion concerning all this at the 13. verse These things thou hast hid in thine heart I know that this is with thee as if he had said Lord Thou knowest all is truth which I have spoken There are three opinions concerning the connection or tie of these words with those that went before First Some conceive that Job persisteth in the same matter handled in the words immediately foregoing exalting the knowledge of God concerning man upon this ground because God made man Thou knowest that I am not wicked How did Job know that He must needs know what man is who made man Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about forasmuch as I am thy work a piece of thy framing surely thou knowest what thou hast framed thou who hadst knowledge enough to make me hast a perfect knowledge of what thou hast made me We may joyn it also with the later clause None can deliver out of thine hand Why Thine hands have made me and fashioned me Is it possible for the work to deliver it self out of the hand of him who wrought it Is that which is formed too strong for him that formed it when as the same hand which gave it form gave it strength We finde this argument as to the former part Psal 94.9 where from the work of God in our naturall constitution the holy pen-man proves the fulnesse of his knowledge concerning us in every
condition Vnderstand ye brutish he speaks to men who acted more like beasts then men He that planted the ear Shall he not hear He that formed the eye shall he not see As if he had said He that made the ear is all hearing and he who formed the eye is all eye all sight The argument holds strong from Gods power in forming man to his power of knowing man and to his power of disposing man I am teneo hujâ—â— rei causam cum enim manus illius me fecerint jure suo potest Deus me destruere Cajet That 's the first way of dependance Secondly Job may be conceived as rendering an account of those things about which he had taken the boldnesse to interrogate the Lord at the third verse Here he answers his own question as if he had said now I see well enough why thou maist despise and destroy thy work It is thy work I will go no further for a reason to vindicate thee in breaking me to pieces then this That thine hands have set me together Thou hast made me and thou maiest unmake me thou hast rais'd me up and thou maiest pull me down So the copulative vau in the originall which we translate by the adversative yet is taken for a conjunction causall and so it is frequently used in Scripture Gen. 30.20 Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return The sense is Dust thou art therefore to dust thou shalt return Exod. 15.23 24. The waters were bitter and the people murmured that is The waters were bitter therefore the people murmured thus here Thine hands have made me and fashioned me therefore thou dost destroy me He that builds the house at his own charge and by his own power may ruin it at his own pleasure Ex sua formatione artificis misericordiam movet ex commemorato pristino beneficio alia denuò efflagitandi ansam arripit Pined Thirdly The words may carry the sense of a strong motive to prevail with God to handle Job more gently or to deal more tenderly with him why The Lord had bestowed much care and cost to make and fashion him therefore he will surely pity and spare him There is a naturall motion of the heart in every agent towards the preservation of that which proceedeth from it Creation is followed with providence If a speechlesse and livelesse creature could speak and understand it would argue with it's maker in Jobs case as Job doth Dost thou yet destroy me David strengthens his heart to ask good at the hands of God because he had spoken good concerning him 2 Sam. 7.27 Thou O Lord of Hosts God of Israel hast revealed to thy servant saying I will build thee an house therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this praier unto thee Now if David were not only emboldned to ask but even assured to receive mercy because God promised to build him a house that is to prosper his estate and family how much more might Job be encouraged to pray for and expect mercy from the hand of God because God had already framed and built that naturall house his body The Prophet Isaiah being about to plead with God for new mercies presents him with a catalogue of his old mercies Chap. 63.7 8 9. I will mention the loving kindenesses of the Lord and the praises of the Lord according to all that the Lord hath done unto us and the great goodnesse towards the house of Israel which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies and according to the multitude of his loving kindenesses c. Having thus at large told the Lord what he had done the Prophet in a holy zeal contends with him about what he was doing vers 15. Look down from heaven and behold fromâ— the habitation of thy holinesse and of thy glory where is thy zeal and thy strength the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies towards me Are they restrained Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us c. As if he had said That great sea of thy goodnesse hath sent out abundant streams of good things heretofore and are all those streams now dried up and the springs exhausted What 's become of thy zeal and strength and compassions Are they all spent and gone Thus Job seems to plead here thine hands have made me Et sic repentè praecipitas me Vulg. Antithesi beneficiorum amplissimorum in se à Domino collatoruÌ„ exaggerat iram qua nunc in se desaevit ac afflictiones quibus exagitatur Jun. thou hast done thus and thus for me and wilt thou now destroy me According to this interpretation the later clause of the verse is rendered by an interrogation Thine hands have made me and fashioned me and dost thou yet destroy me What thou my maker destroy me Remember I beseech thee so in the next verse that thou hast made me as the clay and wilt thou bring me into the dust again Thus by a specification of the great outward benefits which he had received from the hand of God he seems to aggravate his present sorrows and to solicite future mercies Thine hands Hands are often ascribed to God as was shewed vers 3. Many things are made with the hand The maker of all things is without hands and yet he is all hand Hence all things that were made are said to be made by the hands of God not only the forming of man but the forming of the heavens and of the earth is the work of his hand Psal 102.25 Psal 95.5 both are put together Isa 48.13 Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth and my right hand hath spanned the heavens Wheresoever the great works of God are exprest a hand usually is exprest as the instrument working them yet his hand wrought the least as well as the greatest a worm of the earth as well as man upon the earth or the Angels in heaven The heads of men have run into great variety of opinion about these hands forming man First Many of the Ancients understand by the hands of God Ambros in Hexam Hom. 11. Basil c. The Sonne of God the second Person in the Trinity and the holy spirit of God who is the third Thine hands have made me that is the Sonne and the holy Spirit who were assistant to and of counsell with the Father at the Creation of man And God said Let us make man in our image after our likenes Gen. 1.26 Others expound hands literally and formally not as if God had hands that 's below their conceit but thus It hath been said of old that when God at first formed man the Sonne took upon him an outward shape or the shape of a man and so say they Christ not made man but in the form of man formed man Thirdly The hands of God are all second causes which God useth toward the production of any effect Causis secundis veluti quibusdaÌ„
death nothing bearing any the least resemblance of it's image or letter of it's superscription nothing of mortality shall be found or felt there There mortality shall be swallowed up of life here Job complains that his life was almost swallowed up of mortality Yet thou dost destroy or swallow me up As thou hast already swallowed up my estate so thou seemest resolved to swallow up my very breath When Joab besieged Abel a wise woman out of the City cried unto him Thou seekest to destroy a City in Israel why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the Lord 2 Sam. 20.19 Job saw a great Army of afflictions encamping about him and he seems to cry out to the Lord of those hoasts why seekest thou to destroy thy servant why wilt thou swallow me who am the vvork of thy hands Distinctio Habraeorum magis postulat ut verba praecedentia simul circumquaque cum his jungantur absorbistime Merc. Gramarians observe from the exactest reading of the Hebrew that the former words Together round about should be joyn'd with these Thou dost destroy me Thine hands have made me and fashioned me and yet thou dost destroy me together round about that is Thou makest an utter end a totall consumption of me Again These vvords are read by some vvith an interrogation Thine hands have made me and fashioned me and dost thou yet destroy me The question doth not alter but quicken the sense and render it more pressing and patheticall Wilt thou destroy me thus exactly Licet sensus non multum diversus sit interrogatio tamen sensum reddit valde acrem incitatum Merc. whom thou hast made so exactly The yet in the text sounds out an admiration As when God Amos 4. had brought many judgements upon Jerusalem and found them still impenitent he conchides the narrative of every one with Yet have they not returned unto me As if he had said What a wonder is here So Job repeating the favours of God to him concludes with a yet thou dost or dost thou yet destroy me As if he had said What a wonder is here How unsearchable are thy judgements O God Quem diligentissimè fecisti diligentissimè destruis and thy waies past finding out Thus he sets what God then did in opposition to what he had done that so the consideration of former mercies might provoke him to remove or mitigate present judgements Dost thou destroy me who hast made me Hence observe First That to minde God of making us is an argument to stay his hand from breaking us See more of this point ver 3 p. 445. It repented the Lord saith Moses Gen. 6.6 that he had made man and it grieved him at the heart This repentance and grief did not arise from his making of man but from that necessity which his own justice and honour laid upon him to destroy man whom he had made as it follows in the next words And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created The words shew the resolution of God not his propension it went to his heart to do it If God repented and grieved understand both by a figure because he had made man whom he must destroy then it cannot but be a grief to him to destroy that which he hath made It is as easie to the power of God to undo as it is to do but it is not so easie to his will to undo as it is to do Secondly Observe Afflictions destructive to the outward man may be the lot of the best men God never destroies that spirituall creature which the hand of his grace hath made and fashioned but he doth sometimes destroy the naturall creature of those who are spirituall Thirdly Observe A good man will make honourable mention of the goodnesse of God to him while he is under greatest evils Job writes the naturall history of Gods power and wisdom in his constitution while destruction was knocking at his doors Though God will destroy what he hath made yet he ought to be glorified for what he hath made The praise of God for fashioning us is never so comely as when he is putting us out of fashion Fourthly Observe God doth that sometimes which is most improbable he should do He acts strangely in waies of mercy and strangely in waies of judgement He saves those whom we expect he should destroy and he destroies those whom we expect he should save The Kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entred into the gates of Jerusalem Lam. 4.12 and who would have believed that the adversary and the enemy sorrow and destruction should have entred into the gates of Job God comes with such afflictions upon his people now as make him to be admired by all the world Christ vvill come vvith such mercies at the last as vvill make him to be glorified in his Saints and admired in all them that believe 2 Thess 1.10 Christ vvill exceed not only our unbelief but our faith In the former verse Job pleaded vvith God as his maker he proceeds still in the same argument and re-enforceth it from a speciall intimation of the matter out of which he vvas made clay Verse 9. Remember I beseech thee that thou hast made me as the clay ' and wilt thou bring me into dust again Remember I beseech thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Recordatus est memor fuit odoratus suit quaÌ„ do de sacrificijs usurpatur Odoretur omnia muneratua Jun. Zachar mas aut à memoria qua magis pollet quam mulier aut quia memoriam nomen familiae conservat Buxtorf Job speaks heartily his spirit was in a heat Remember I beseech thee The originall vvord is applied to a sensitive act as well as to a rationall Psal 20.3 The Lord remember or smell all thy offerings Memory is the savour or sent of things preserved in the minde The Hebrews expresse man or a male childe by a word of that root and they give two reasons of it Either first because man is of a stronger memory then the woman Or secondly because the man-childe preserveth the memory of the family and is a monument of his fathers honour his name being carried on from generation to generation in opposition to which women or females are called Nashim which vvord implieth forgetfulnesse because theâ—r names and titles are swallowed up in their husbands and forgotten when they are married Memory or the act of remembring is improperly applied to God For remembrance is of things past but to God all things are present Memory is the store-house wherein vve lay up severall notions and keep records of vvhat hath been done which by an act of the understanding vve review and fetch out again All things are ever open before God He needs not turn leaves or search registers he needs not so much as strain a thought to recall vvhat is
in the state of innocency had an immortality by the gift of God yet with condition that he did submit to that rule which God gave him to live by Doe this and live Adamus habuit potentiam non moriendi non impotentiaÌ„ moriendi Adamus peccans non solum potuit mori sed non potuit non mori Quicunque dicit Adamum primuÌ„ hominem mortalem factum ita ut sive peccaret sive non peccaret moreretur in corpore hoc est de corpore exiret non peccati merito sed necessitate naturae Anathema sit Concil Melivit Can 1. was the law of Adams life Adam had not an impossibility to die but a possibility not to die This was the state of immortality in the state of innocency Man had not fallen into the grave if he had not fallen into transgression His life was made as long as his obedience if he had not turned from God he had not returned to the earth Death was convaied in by sin and our possibility not to die was not only lost but changed into a necessity of dying So then man is brought to dust not because his nature was subject to corruption but because sin hath corrupted his nature When he abused the liberty of his will he was subjected to this necessity against his will By an irreversible ordinance of heaven It is appointed unto men once to die Heb. 9.27 Iob speaks to that point of Gods law concerning man Thou hast made me as the clay and thou wilt bring me into the dust again Thus the words are taken as an assertion of the power and priviledge of God to unmake and pull down man whom he had made and set up If we read the words by way of interrogation or admiration so Iob seems to intend them as an allay to mitigate the present severity of the Lords proceeding with him Thou hast made me of the clay but a while ago and wilt thou bring me into the dust again O spare me a little before I go hence and shall be seen no more It will not be long before there must be an end of me O let me have a more comfortable being and breathing while I am here When Satan provoked the Lord against Ierusalem to destroy it the Lord answered Zech. 3.2 Is not this a brand pluckt out of the fire As if he had said unto Satan Art thou moving me to throw this people into that fire of affliction out of which they were so lately snatcht Ierusalem was in the fire but awhile ago and shall I cast it in again Iob pleads in the same form though not in the same matter I was clay but the other day and Lord shall I to dust again to day Let we see some quiet daies before I see the end of my daies Gild over this clay of mine with the shinings of thy face upon me before thou renderest me dust again I have more then once had occasion to touch this argument and shall therefore passe it here Iob having thus set forth his naturall constitution in the matter of it as he was made of clay goeth on to describe himself more distinctly first in his conception of his whole body secondly in the formation and delineation of his parts Verse 10. Hast thou not poured me out as milke and crudled me like cheese Lacti simile initio semen postea admirabili Dei opere non secus ac caseus conerescit con solidatur ut membra paulatim conformari incipiant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Notat reiliquâ—dae concretioneÌ„ coagulationem vel condensationem Under the modest shadow of this verse that great naturall mystery of mans generation and conception is contained The former word signifies not only the pouring forth of liquids but the melting and dissolving of the hardest mettals iron brasse c. that they may be fitted to run or be poured forth Ezek. 22.21 22. And as this signifies the softning and melting of that which is hard so the next word which we translate crudled signifies the hardening or thickning of that which is soft and fluid Moses useth it in describing the miraculous dividing of the red sea Exod. 15.8 The flouds stood upright as an heap and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea The Prophet Zephany useth it for the setlednesse and resolvednesse of a people in sinne Chap. 1.12 The Lord saith he will punish the men that are setled we put in the margin curded or thickned on their lees I might from these proprieties of the originall words illustrate that secret of mans originall But forasmuch as the Spirit of God hath drawn a curtain and cast a vail of metaphors over it therefore I intend not to open or discover it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Arist de gen Animal c. 20. Ancient Philosophers have spoken of these naturall operations in a like language and under these similitudes I shall only say in generall that these two expressions First Thou hast poured me out as milk secondly And crudled me like cheese are appliable to that speciall contribution which God hath charged upon each parent towards that great work the continuation of their own kinde Miseret atque etiam pudet aestimantem quaÌ„ sit frivola animantium superbissimorum origo Plin. l. 7. c. 7. and the raising up of a posterity in their place to serve himself and their generation Learn hence Fitst That man hath reason to be humbled at the meannes and manner of his original What hath he to be proud of in the world who that he might be prepared for his coming into the world was poured out as milk and curdled as cheese Let not man be high minded whose beginning was so low and homely Learn secondly Our naturall conception is from God Men in a strict sense are called The fathers of our flesh Nihil de genitoribus aut seminibus nascitur si ea non operetur Deus August in Psal 118. and God the father of spirits Heb. 12.9 Yet God hath the chief title to the father-hood of our flesh as well as the sole title to the fatherhood of our spirits Thou hast poured me out as milk and thou hast crudled me like cheese here is no mention of his father none of his mother but as if the Lord had wrought all by an immediate power he ascribes the whole effect to him Thou hast poured me out as milk c. We are also his off-spring as the Apostle tels the Athenians out of their own Poets Act. 17.28 Thirdly This gives caution to all whom the Lord hath called or shall call to the state of marriage to be holy in that estate Marriage is honourable Heb. 13.4 and the bed undefiled but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge no wonder if God have a respectfull eye to the undefiled in that relation and a revengefull eye upon the defilers of it seeing as his own authority instituted it so his own power acts so