Elihu's thoughts had upon him they would out there was no stopping of them Christ saith Math 9.17 No man putteth new wine into old bottles but men put new wine into new bottles why because they are stronger and so more fit to preserve the wine My belly is as wine It is ready to burst like new bottles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro utre non alibi reperitur saepe pro pythone quod qui hoc ariolaÌ„di genere uterentur velut ex utribus vocem emitterent Vnâ—e a Grecis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicuntur Merc The word which we render bottles is never used in Scripture elsewhere in this sence but it is often used to signifie Wizards or such as have familiar Spirits Isa 8.19 Isa 29.4 because they who used those hellish arts by compact with the Devill did speak out of their belly so as it were out of a bottle Now saith Elihu My belly is as new wine that hath no vent and it is ready to burst like new bottles even new bottles will break unlesse the new wine have some vent And because though new bottles be stronger then old to keepe in wine yet the wine may be so strong as to breake them therefore Elihu here-by shewes that his desire or necessity of speaking was so urgent upon him that though he should strengthen himselfe yea strive with himselfe as much as he could to refraine from speaking yet speake he must I am full of matter c. Observe First A man should not speak especially in weighty matters till himselfe be well stored with matter Secondly Observe When some vessells are drawne quite dry and instruments spent and worne to the stumps when they can neither doe nor say any more then God fills up and furnisheth others for his purpose There was not a drop more to be squeez'd out of Jobs friends but Elihu was a full bottle Mal 2.15 there is a residue of the Spirit God hath more Spirit or spirituall abilities to dispose of and bestow then he hath yet disposed of to or bestowed upon any one or all the sons of men Thirdly Note God can furnish Instruments with proper gifts for the worke which he Calls them to Here was a man Cut out on purpose for this worke he was Clothed with a spirit of prudence and courage as well as with a spirit of discerning We have a wonderfull Example of this in Luther who came forth against all the powers of the papacy What a spirit had he his was a spirit of might his spirit Constrained him his belly was like a bottle full of new wine there was no stopping of it Others would have been daunted and cowed downe with the tenth of that opposition which he met with but he was bold as a Lyon who turneth not aside Againe Why did Elihu come forth why did his spirit constraine him what made his belly like wine Some charge him with pride and arrogancy of spirit as if he did it out of vaine ostentation to shew his parts and gifts to set himselfe above those other Worthyes who had dealt and discoursed with Job before But we have reason enough considering what he spake and what the issue of his speaking was to determine that he was moved with a zeale for God and to doe good to Job not with a spirit of pride to shew his learning wit or wisdome among men and therefore we finde that when the whole matter was brought to an issue and God himselfe came to deale with Job and his three friends God commends Job and reproves his three friends but there is no reproofe upon Elihu Now for as much as God himselfe doth not charge him what hath man to doe to charge him Not only charity but reason and judgement command us to thinke his designe honest and his aymes sincere while he professeth under so vehement an impulse or impression upon his spirit to engage and speake in this matter Hence note Thirdly To see truth ill handled should fill our spirits with much zeal for God That was it which drew Elihu to this engagement he saw those men though good men had put a disguise upon the things and dealings of God and if men disguise the truth and maintaine error if they deface the doctrines of faith and pure worship with their owne phansies and false glosses it should kindle a holy fire and fervour of spirit in us to assert and vindicate the truth Our spirit within us in all such cases should Constraine us Fifthly In that Elihu was so Constrained and pressed in spirit as wine which hath no vent or as a woman with Child ready to travell Note It is a paine not to speake when we have much to utter and much minde to utter it When Elâ—hu was full he had a Constraint upon him to vent his opinion David saith Psal 39.1 2 3. I held my peace even from good words he did not only forbeare idle and evill discourse but refrain'd from good but it was a trouble to him not to speak especially not to speak good words therefore he adds My heart waxed hot within me Jeremy found it no easie worke to keepe in words yea he describes himselfe as much pained by not delivering his minde as a woman is when not delivered in child-birth Jer 20.9 Then said I I will not make mention of him nor speak any more in his name but his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay There was wine new wine in his belly yea there was a fire within him as we may be weary with speaking so with not speaking or forbearing to speake Jer 4.19 My bowels my bowels I am pained at the very heart my heart maketh a noise in me I cannot hold my peace Read him in the like trouble upon the same occasion Jer 6.11 Eliphaz Chap 4.2 was thus pressed Who can withhold himselfe from speaking 'T is a great paine to be mind-bound or not to deliver our mind when our mindes are full and we full of desire to deliver it Sixthly When he saith I am Constrain'd I am like a bottle ready to burst It teacheth us The Spirit of God doth so over-power some men that they cannot containe The Pharisees and high Priests thought to stop up the Apostles those bottles full of the new wine of the mysteries of Christ and therefore gave them Counsell yea a command to speake no more in his name At the 10th verse they said of some in a common sence These men are full of new wine that is they are drunken but the truth was they were full of the Spirit full of Gospel-truths and like bottles full of new wine they could not hold And when the Pharisees and high Priests would have stopt up those bottles and charged them that they should speak no more in the name of Jesus they answered Whether it be meet to obey God or man judge ye for
upon revenge yea having upon the matter sworn revenge against Nabal and his house yet her Entreaties and mild words overcame that mighty warriour at least took off the edge of his spirit and of all his party 1 Sam 25.33 Nor did he only accept of or submit to her counsel but gave thanks both to God and her for it Blessed be the Lord and blessed be thy advice which hast kept me this day from shedding-blood Gentle words like gentle raine soake deep and make the soule like a fruitfull tree bud and blossome For as passion in the speaker begets passion in the hearer and heate brings forth heate so kinde and kindly words are not only most usefull but most powerfull There is a rebuking and that Cuttingly or a speaking of cutting words usefull in some cases then especially when sinners have not only done evill but are setled and resolved in it But in case of affliction specially of inward affliction or trouble of spirit soft words are best and doe best Heare I pray thee saith Elihu And hearken to all my words Here 's hearing and hearkening to hearken is more then to heare to heare is barely to receive the sound of words but to hearken is to take up the sense of them or as it were to suck out the strength and sweetnesse of them to hearken is to weigh or ponder every tittle spoken and take the value of it The word in the text which signifies to hearken hath a singular elegancy in it One of the Rabbins renders Eare my words heare my words and Eare them The same word which in the verbe signifies to hearken which is the worke of the eare signifies also the eare or instrument of that worke in the noune To eare words notes the most diligent attention as to eye a thing notes the most accurate inspection The word signifies also the beam of a ballance because by the eare or by the two ears as by a ballance words are tryed and poysed whether they are weighty and solid or light and chaffy when Elihu saith hearken to or weigh my words he intimates that he meant to speak words which had worth in them or that he meant to speak matter more then words And therefore he would not have a word lost Hearken saith he To all my words To all not to this or that only but to all As if he had sayd I intend not and I hope I shall not speak one needlesse or unusefull words not a word beside the businesse Therefore hearken to all my words Hence note First They who speak to instruction admonition or exhortation should not use one word more then is usefull not a word more then is to the purpose Seeing every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account for it in the day of Judgement Math 12.36 How should every man take heed of speaking an idle word a word of which he can give no good account for any good it is likely to doe Idle words will make sad worke one day and words of no value or account will turne to a heavy account in the great day That 's an idle word which doth neither worke the heart for good nor strengthen the hand to or in a good worke And if we should be carefull not to speake one idle word or not one word unworthy to be heard how should we avoyd evill words or words which corrupt the hearers Secondly As the words referre to that duty which Elihu minds Job of and moved him to Hearkning to all his words Note They who heare especially about holy things and soule-matters should heare all One word should not be lost when every word is precious We gather up the filings and least dusts of Gold The eare should gather all that truth which the mouth scatters and the heart should lay it up as treasure We may charge many sorts of men with deficiency at eare-worke And surely if men will not heare all that they ought to believe and doe they can neither doe nor believe any thing that they heare First Some will not heare the word at all they are like the deafe Adder stopping their eares at the voyce of the charmer charme he never so wisely to them Secondly Others thinke that there 's not a word more to be heard but what they have heard already who can speak what they know not Thirdly There are few who hearken to any word that is spoken that is who make it their businesse to heare who heare with diligence and labour at it As it is a great labour to speak so I assure you it is no small nor easie labour to heare if you heare indeed and as you should To heare the word is the exercise of the whole soule Among many hearers there are but few hearkeners such I meane as weigh and consider what they heare Fourthly There are very few who heare and hearken to all the words of righteousnesse and salvation As some though they heare all yet hearken to halves so others will heare but halfe or only so much as pleaseth them of what is spoken When the King of Judah Jer 36.23 had the Role brought to him which Baruch had written from the mouth of Jeremiah he heard three or foure leaves of it read to him as he sate by the fire and then he caused it to be cut with a penknife and cast into the fire He did not read it out he had enough of it he had as we say his belly full but his heart was altogether empty he was very angry and vext at the word but not at all humbled nor affected with it and therefore would not heare all those words Againe To hearken is to obey to submit and yield up our selves to the truth we heare Samuel tells Saul 1 Sam 15.22 To obey is better then sacrifice and to hearken then the fat of Rams to obey and to hearken is the same thing the obedient eare is the hearkening eare Mine eare hast thou opened saith Christ Psal 40.6 This opening or digging of his eare as we put in the Margin signified his readinesse to obey as 't is expressed v. 7 8. Then sayd I loe I come I delight to doe thy will O my God And in reference to this he had sayd before v 6. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required that is for themselves or comparatively to that which in the volume of thy booke is written of me that I should doe Which clearely expounds and is almost the same in termes with that of Samuel To obey is better then sacrifice and to hearken then the fat of Rams Thus Elihu presseth Job to hearken to all his words obedientially or to hearken with a purpose to obey Take a few Considerations why we should both heare and hearken to that is obey the whole mind of God all those words which have the stamp of divine authority upon them First All the words of God are alike
we cannot judge mens hearts directly so there is no reason why we should judge so of their hearts conjecturally It is enough to the purpose that Elihu asserts his owne uprightnesse without reflecting upon or suspecting the uprightnesse of those who had dealt with Job before My words shall be in the uprightnesse of my heart This uprightnesse of his heart may have a three-fold Opposition First to passion Some speake in the heat and fire of their hearts rather then in the uprightnesse of them it is good to speak with the heat and fire of zeal in our hearts but take heed of the heat and fire of passion I will not speak in the heat but in the uprightnesse of my heart saith Elihu Secondly This uprightnesse may be oppos'd to partiality I will not spare when there is cause to speake home nor presse nor load thee with any thing where there is not cause for it Thirdly This uprightnesse in speaking Non loquar ad calumniendum vel ad ridâ—ndum sed simplici animo ad veritatem manifestandam Aquin may also be oppos'd to speaking without cleare ground or proofe And 't is supposed that Elihu aymed more specially at this Jobs friends having been so high in his reproofe charging him with divers things for which they had no proofe but only a vehement suspition The words of Eliphaz are full Chap 22. 5. Is not thy wickednesse great and thine iniquities infinite for thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought and stripped the naked of their Clothing Thou hast sent widdowes empty away and the armes of the fatherlesse have been broken Surely Eliphaz could not speak this in the uprightnesse of his heart knowing it to be so though he spake it in this uprightnesse of his heart that he really thought it to be so Which kind of uprightnesse Paul had in persecuting the Saints Acts 26.9 I verily thought with my selfe that I ought to doe many things contrary to the Name of Jesus of Nazareth Thus Jobs friends verily thought he had done many Grosse things contrary to the Law of God but they only thought so they could not prove it This is a lame kinde of uprightnesse and in opposition to this Elihu might now say I will not charge or burden thee with any thing but what I know to be true and had even from thy own mouth My words shall be of the uprightnesse of my heart I shall not stay to give particular notes from these words according to this three-fold opposition The reader may improve them in that as he hath occasion Only in Generall Observe The heart and tongue should goe together The tongue should alwayes be the hearts Interpreter and the heart should alwayes be the tongues suggester what is spoken with the tongue should be first stampt upon the heart and wrought off from it Thus it should be in all our Communications and exhortations especially when we speak or exhort about the things of God and dispence the mysteries of heaven David spake from his heart while he spake from his faith Psal 116.10 I believed therefore have I spoken Believing is an act of the heart with the heart man believeth so that to say I believed therefore have I spoken Is as if he had said I would never have spoken these things if my heart had not been cleare and upright in them The Apostle takes up that very protestation from David 2 Cor 4.13 According as it is written I believed therefore have I spoken we also believe and therefore speak that is we moved others to believe nothing but what we believed yea were fully assured of our selves as the next words of the Apostle import Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus and shall present us with you To speak what we in our hearts believe is to speak in the uprightnesse of our hearts Some speak without their hearts that is coldly they have no heart at all in speaking as some heare without their hearts only with their eares so some speak without the heart only with the tongue Secondly Others speake what was never in their hearts They have no experience in themselves of what they say to others They throw out their words at a venture It is sad to speak that as a truth or a Comfort to others which we have not found in our selves that is have not felt the operation of it upon our owne hearts How are they to be lamented who speak of the things of God as a Stage-player who acts the part of or Personates a Prince being himselfe but a poore plebeian It is bad to speak without our hearts or coldly but 't is worse to speak what was never in our hearts or hypocritically Thirdly Not a few speak quite against their hearts these are at farthest distance from speaking in the uprightnesse of their heart they speak with a false and malicious heart they speak with a deceitful and double heart with a heart and a heart There are three wayes wherein men speak against their owne hearts and Consciences First In the profession which they make of themselves Rev 2.9 Christ writing to the Church of Smyrna saith I know thy faith and patience c. and the Blasphemy of them who say they are Jewes and are not but lye c. And so at the 9th verse of the 3d Chapter Which say they are Jewes and are not but doe lye We are not to understand it strictly that they professed themselves to be of the Nation of the Jewes the Children of Abraham A Jew there is any one that holdeth out a profession of the faith of Christ Old Testament words are often applyed to the New Testament or Gospel state they say they are Jewes that is true believers but they are not and doe lye to lye is to goe against a mans mind against his Conscience they make a great profession of godlinesse and holinesse of Christ and his wayes and they lye at every word for indeed they are the Synagogue of Satan Thus at this day some make profession before the Church of God and by such profession get admittance into the Church of God who yet belong to the Synagogue of Satan The Apostle John speakes of such 1 Ep Joh 2.19 They went out from us but they were not of us that is they were not truly of us though they once desired to come in and joyne themselves to us and for a time walked with us Secondly The tongue speaks against the heart many times in the promises which men make to others of what they will doe O what Courtesies and friendships will some men professe they will tell you aloud how they love you and how much they are your servants while there is nothing in their hearts but deceit and guile yea possibly nothing but wrath and revenge to death Thus Ishmael went out weeping all along as he went Jer 41.6 and sayd Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam yet
word is found in me So here He giveth not account of any of his words or matters Againe The originall saith He giveth not account of all his matters We translate full and right to the sence when we say He giveth not account of any of his matters For the meaning of Elihu is not that God giveth an account of some though that be a truth but not indeed of all his matters he hath some reserved cases and counsels but his meaning is that he is not oblidg'd to give any man an account of so much as of any of his matters And then that universall is to be taken distributively Aâ—l for any So we render it Psal 147.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the Psalmist shewing the speciall priviledges of Gods people saith He hath not dealt so with all nations We translate more emphatically He hath not dealt so with any nation God was so far from giving the same priviledge to all nations which he gave to his Israel that he gave not the same to any nation As if he had sayd God hath honoured his peculiar people with peculiar favours goe enquire and search all the nations of the world and ye shall not picke out a people upon whom God hath bestowed such rich and precious mercies as he hath upon his Israel And to this day the Israel of God in every nation enjoy such spirituall priviledges and mercies as the Nations with whom they are civilly mingled know not of But to the poynt Thus here He giveth not account of all that is not of any of his matters Most of the Greeke translaters render according to the strictnesse of the letter not matters but words Quid igitur ipsum vocas in judicium omnes enim sermones ejus sunt ejusmodi quibus contradici non possit Theod Graeci in prima persona 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verbis meis non in tertia ut nos legimus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verbis suis quasi Elihu mimicâ—s verba Jobi referat cur cum eo ausus es contendere dicens quia omnibus verbis meis non respondet c. Bold Why dost thou strive with him for his words are such as to whâ—ch none can answer As if the meaning of Elihu were when God speakes no man is able to reply upon him or contradict him His sayings are indeed irrefragable Thus they glosse their translation Why dost thou call him into Judgement or strive with him for all his speeches are such as cannot be contradicted If God oppose who can answer and if God answer who can oppose him That 's a good sence though not a good translation Some others interpret the latter part of the verse as containing Job's answer to the question put by Elihu in the first part of it Why dost thou strive with God saith Elihu To which Job is supposed replying Because he gives me not an account of my matters God doth not answer to my words and therefore pardon me if I complaine or strive with him I hope while I am thus unanswered you will hold me excused if I move againe and againe yea even strive for an answer But the Grammar of the text is against this reading the words being plainly in the third person his matters not in the first my matters and 't is too great a boldnesse with the text to make such a change in the translation Besides 't is more agreeable to the scope of the place to take the latter part of the verse as a reason given by Elihu why Job should not strive with God then to take it as a reason given by Job why he did I find a learned translater among the Modernes who taking the latter part of the verse as a reason given by Job of his striving with God spoken of in the first Quare adversus eum litigas quod de omnibus rebus suis non respondeat Jun yet keepes to the third person Why dost thou strive with him Because he will not give an answer or an account of all his matters As if Elihu had sayd I plainly perceive the cause why thou O Job art so unquiet and still persistest striving with God 'T is even because he doth not answer thy so often repeated desire to summon thy appearance before him and then to give thee an account of his proceedings with thee But consider man art thou well in thy wits knowest thou what thou dost or sayest wilt thou a poore narrow-hearted creature take it ill at the hands of the great God and as it were strive with him btcause he doth not render a reason of all his matters and expound all his doings unto thee The argument may be formed thus He is not just or right who striveth with God because God doth not give him a reason of all his actions and administrations But thou seemest to strive with God because he hath not given thee an account or reason of his administrations towards thee therefore thou art not just This is a faire and proper sence yet I shall keepe to our reading and make this latter part of the verse as a ground or reason given by Elihu why Job ought not to strive with God as those two other readings make it a reason why he did As if Elihu had sayd Why dost thou strive against him Consider as God is greater then man so he is absolute in his greatnesse or his is a soveraigne Greatnesse For he giveth not account of any of his matters This I conceive the best and clearest rendring of these words which thus understood yeilds us severall usefull observations First upon the whole matter thus Gracious men doe not alwayes hold out the same gracious frame of spirit There was a time when Job was far from striving with God far from doing or speaking any thing which had the least shadow or savour of it Time was when Job was altogether for and in submitting to God Let God doe what he will with him he had not a word to say against him After all the sad reports and messages which were brought to him of the devastation of his whole estate in the field yea of the disasterous death of all his children in one day and at once did Job strive with God did he utter one word of complaint or so much as of any dissatisfaction No not one but gave Glory by this confession The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken blessed be the name of the Lord. Was not here a cleare yeilding of himselfe up to God to doe what he would with him Did he not freely lay himselfe low when God had layed him at the lowest who ever heard or read of a more perfect worke of patience in a meere mortall man Yet in the process of the business Job did not only speak such words as carried a shadow of striving with God but were reall strivings and uncomely pleadings with him His heart did not retaine that first sweet submissive frame throughout the
ears to receive the word and then sealeth instruction upon them The Apostle speaking of some persons converted who were the fruit of his ministry saith Ye are the seale of mine Apostleship 1 Cor 9.2 3. that is ye confirme and ratifie my ministry that it is of God and that God is in it Now as the conversion of sinners and the building up of Saints is the seale of our ministry so the sealing of instruction upon the soule is the conversion of sinners and the edification of Saints When a sinner is converted his instruction is sealed upon him and when a Saint is built up and edified and increaseth in the things of God then instruction is sealed upon him also And untill we thus profit by the word we have the word as I may say without a seale nothing fastens upon us Thus much of the first designe of God in sending dreams and visions in those times it was to open the ears of men and to seale their Instruction This being only a generall benefit aymed at by those meanes we have those which are more speciall set downe in the words which follow Vers 17. That he may withdraw man from his purpose and hide pride from man This 17th verse containes two of those blessed ends or designes of God in revealing himselfe to man by dreams and visions or by visions in a dream of which Elihu spake in the two former verses as then he takes an opportunity to open the ears of men and seale their Instruction to fasten and fix his word upon them to make it stick and stay by them so in all this his purpose is That he may withdraw man from his purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 auferre erit vel mutare in melius The word rendred to withdraw signifies to take off or put away to remove or change for the better Isa 1.16 Put away the evill of your doings that is doe no more evill or as the Lord speakes by another Prophet Jer 44.4 O doe not this abominable thing that I hate we render the word in the other sense Job 27.2 He hath removed my Judgement farre from me There is in man a kind of settledness and resolvedness upon his purpose he will on but saith Elihu the Lord withdrawes him he stretcheth forth his hand and pull's him back He withdraweth Man Adam the earthly man The proper name of the first man is the common name of all men Man is earthly by nature and so are all his naturall purposes To draw an earthly man from that which is earthly is no easie matter only the power of God can doe it He withdraweth man From his purpose The word which we render purpose properly signifies a worke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fecit and so it is translated not only elsewhere but here by severall Interpreters Mr. Broughton is expresse That the earthly man leave off to work and then by work he means an evill work as by purpose an evill purpose The word work set alone usually signifies an evill work as the word wife put alone is taken for a good wife Prov. 8.22 He that findeth a wife findeth good every one that findeth a wife doth not find good there are many bad wives only he that findeth a good wife findeth good Vt a mâ—vâ—aâ— homo opus scâ— suum et animuâ— malum Iun So on the contrary the word worke standing here alone implyeth a bad work And to withdraw man from his work or from his purpose is to withdraw him from his evill work or purpose The Septuagint gives it clearly so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept that he may withdraw man from unrighteousnesse And Mr. Broughton glossing his own translation saith that he leave off mans work and do the work of God Againe This terme work seemes opposed to the thought or concupiscence of the inner man he withdraweth man from his work that his hand may not effect what his heart hath contrived that the bitter root may not bring forth evill and bitter fruit Or if we follow our translation the sence will be the same He withdraweth man from his purpose that is he checks and stops the inward motions and workings of mans heart and so keeps him from bringing it to perfection by an outward evill work Jam. 1.15 Then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished brings forth death God in great mercy takes man off from his purpose when he finds him upon an evill device or purpose he crusheth the Cockatrice's egge that it may not be hatched and destroyeth the conception of those Babylonish brats that they may never come to the birth Mic. 2.1 Woe to them that devise mischief on their beds when the morning is light they practice it because it is in the power of their hand The work begins at the heart there 't is plotted and contrived the heart is the work house of sin now the Lord withdraws man from his purpose and will not suffer the inward work to be accomplished by the outward work Further we may refer these words either to what is past or to what is to come some translate referring it to what is past that he may turn Vt avertat hominem ab iis quâ— fecit Vulg. or withdraw man from those things which he hath done that is from those evills to which he hath already set his hand this is done by giving man repentance which is our being humbled for and turning away from any evill already committed Our translation refers it to what is intended to be done for that 's a purpose So the meaning is God doth these things that he may keep man from doing that evill or mischief which he hath resolved upon or at least is forming and hammering in his thoughts Abimelech had an evill purpose for the matter though possibly the purpose of his heart was not evill for he said to God and God said he spake true in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this Gen. 20.5 6. he was I say about an evill purpose for the matter when he thought to take Abrams wife from him but the Lord came to him in a dream and withdrew him from the evill of his purpose Laban intended evill or hard dealing to Jacob but the Lord met him also in a dreame and withdrew him from his purpose saying Gen. 31.24 Take heed thou speak not to Jacob neither good nor bad that is hinder him not in his journey either by threathings or by promises Thus man is taken off or withdrawn from evill purposes by preventing grace and from evill workes by repenting grace I shall prosecute the words according to our reading only which imports that when man hath some evill purpose upon his heart the Lord visits him in dreames and visions of the night to withdraw him from that purpose Hence observe First Man is very forward and eager upon
keepeth silence because he hath borne it upon him When God layeth his yoke or crosse upon us 't is our duty to be silent and submit Zach 2.13 Be silent O all flesh before the Lord for he is raised up out of his holy habitation that is the Lord begins to worke therefore let all men or men of all sorts and degrees be quiet and say nothing either discontentedly or complainingly In all these Scriptures holding our peace is called for and commanded or shewed at the workes of God Secondly There is a holding of our peace at the word of God or at what God speaketh Thus 't is when not only the tongue but the heart is silent and every thought is brought into subjection or captivity to the obedience of Christ The heart of man often speakes much and is very clamorous when he saith nothing with his tongue That 's to hold our peace indeed when the heart is quiet let God say or doe what he will 'T is not more our duty to resist the Devill that is all his hellish whisperings and temptations to the doing of evill then 't is to submit to God in all his speakings and dispensations Elihu speaking in the name of the Lord faithfully adviseth Job in this sence to hold his peace Hence learne We ought to submit and keep silence when the truth of God is spoken Or when the minde of God is brought unto us there must be no replying but obeying no disputing but submitting They have learned much who know how and when to say nothing Solomon saith Eccl 3.6 There is a time to keep silence and a time to speake but this kind of silence is in season at all times we ought alwayes to be silent thus that is alwayes submit to the minde of God We need to be minded of this because the pride and over-weening of man is great We have need to put a bridle upon our tongues much more upon our hearts it is hard to bring our wills and our understandings under we are apt to strive and struggle when truth comes neere us yea to kick at it when it comes very neeâ—â— and home to us though indeed the neerer it comes the better nor can it ever come too neere The Apostle James apprehended this when he gave that admonition Chap 1.21 Receive with meeknesse the ingraffed word which is able to save your soules Meeknesse is that grace which moderates anger a passionate or fierce spirit receiveth not the word but riseth up against it turnes not to it but upon it and which is worst of all turnes it to evill not to good turnes light into darknesse and so the word of life becomes a savour of death for want of a due submission to it Therefore hearken and hold your peace when the word of God is spoken Do not say it is but the word of man because delivered by man God speaks in and by his faithfull Messengers ye oppose the authority of the living God not a mortall dying creature when you reject the word And remember it is not only our duty but our liberty to give up our selves prisoners to the truths of God we are never so free as when bound by it or to it And as we should hold our peace at or submit to all the truths of God in all cases so especially in these three First When we are reproved for our sins in practice then we should not stand excusing what we have done but repent of it Secondly When we are shewed our errour in opinion then we should not stand disputing and arguing for what we hold but recant it 'T is time to hold our peace when once it appeares to us that we doe not hold the truth To erre is common to man but to persevere in an errour to the defence and patronage of it is more then inhumane devilish Thirdly We should hold our peace when our duty is plaine before us then we should not stand questioning it but doe it Whatsoever thy hand findeth to doe saith Solomon Eccl 9.10 that is whatsoever appeares to be a duty doe it with all thy might Hold thy tongue but doe not withhold thy hand when once thy hand hath found what must be done Elihu at this time was dealing with Job upon all these three poynts He told him his sin that he had been too querious and impatient he shewed him his error that he had been too bold with God because innâ—cent towards men And he pressed him to duty both that and how he ought to humble himselfe before the Lord. The Apostle treating about that great poynt of justification tells us God will at last cause all men to hold their peace Rom 3.19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith it saith to them who are under the law that every month may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God that is man will have nothing to say but sit downe silent and hold his peace or only say I am nothing I have deserved nothing but death and condemnation when he once understands the holiness and strictness of the law together with the unholiness and looseness of his owne heart and life Hence note It speakes yea proclaimes a gracious prudence to know how and when to hold our peace and say nothing When men insist upon their owne conceit and reason when they logick it unduely with God or men and will needs seeme to know more then the word teacheth them what doe they but give evidence against themselves that as yet they know nothing as the word teacheth or as they ought to know and themselves least of all 'T is pride and presumption not prudence and understanding which opens such mens mouths We never profit by what we heare till in the sence opened we have learned to hold our peace The counsel which Elihu gave Job was to hold his peace yet he layd no constraint upon him to refraine necessary speaking but put him upon it in the next verse Vers 32. If thou hast any thing to say answer me speake for I desire to justifie thee Lest Elihu should be interpreted to have taken too much upon him or to have denied Job his liberty of speaking when he sayd hold thy peace he here calls him to speake This is a full proofe that his intent was not to barre him from speaking but only that he should forbeare unnecessary speaking As if he had sayd Now that I have gone thus farre if I have spoken any thing that thou at unsatisfied in and dost desire I should explaine my selfe about speake thy minde freely for though I have more to say yet I will not hinder thee from saying what thou canst fairely say for thy selfe neither will I ever-burthen thy memory with too much at once therefore come now and answer if thou wilt or canst to what is already spoken The Hebrew is If thou hast words answer me that is if thou hast arguments to defend thy selfe with or to
be answered for whether good or bad Math. 12.36 37. For every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment for by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned that is it shall be rendered to thee according to thy words or as thy words have been so it shall be with thee Nor secondly are we to take the works of a man exclusively or in opposition to his thoughts as if God would render to man what he hath acted outwardly but not what he hath acted inwardly or would passe by his thoughts We must give an account of our thoughts which are the spring of our works as well as of our words which are the publishers and proclaimers of them God shall bring every work saith Solomon Eccl. 12.14 to judgment and every secret thing the most secret whispers of the tongue and the most secret plottings contrivings devisings designings yea the simple and single thinkings of the heart These are not only the moulds and principles of every work but every one of these is a work and all of them the whole work of the inner man whose work or what is wrought there is chiefly as well as only under the inspection and eye of God Againe The work of a man shall he render unto him c. He doth not say the works of another man shall he render to any man but the work of a man shall he render to him he that doth the work shall have the reward the works of one man shall not be rendered to another but every mans own works shall As the faith of another man shall not help us if we have no faith Abrahams faith who had a mighty faith will doe us no good if we have no faith of our own so the good works of another man shall doe us no good if we have none of our own And as not the good works so the evill works of others shall not be rendered to us The hurtfull works of others shall not hurt us if we doe no hurt I grant we may partake of the evill works of others yea we may make other mens works our own either by consenting to them before they are done or by approving them after they are done or by not reproving them when we have opportunity In these and many other cases we may make other mens evill works our own and so farre as other mens works are our own God shall render them also unto us Hence that caution given by the Apostle to Timothy 1 Tim. 5.22 Lay hands suddainly on no man neither be partaker of other mens sins keep thy self pure They that partake in any of those wayes mentioned before or in any other way of any mans sins may also quickly partake of his punishment Thus John heard a voyce from Heaven Rev. 18.4 saying come out of her that is out of Babylon my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues Not only is that work ours which we doe but that also may be ours by participation which others do And by what title soever a work becomes any mans the worke of the man shall God render unto him And he will cause every man to find according to his wayes This latter part of the verse containes the same thing with the former in another cloathing of words In semita virt inveniet eum Some read the Text thus and he will find every man in his way let man goe in what way he will God will meet with him That 's a truth God will meet or find a man in a good way to incourage guide assist and reward him And God will meet or find a man in an evill way to stop oppose and punish him God will find every man in his way and man shall find God to him according as the way is wherein he findeth him We render very well and fully to the sence he will cause every man to find according to his way I find an Interpreter over-curiously distinguishing between a mans work and his way which doubtlesse here in effect Cajetanus are the same yet there may be a graduall difference 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 via actiones significat quatenus ad finem diriguntur Quemadmodum via initur metae et termini causa Emphaticè via dicuntur actiones ad certum finem directa Coc work being taken for this or that particular act and way for a continued course either good or evill Againe The way of a man may be considered in association with his ends Every man goeth such or such a way for some speciall end no man takes a step in any way without a purpose nor doth any wise or good man take a step in any way without a good purpose Yet there is finis operis an end or issue of the work as also finis operantis an end proposed by the worker And oftentimes that proves to be the end of a work which was not the end purposed by the worker The end of a mans work or way proves sometimes better and sometimes worser then he proposed Possibly a man may not find according to that end of his way and work which he intended not whether good or evill But assuredly whatsoever good or evill end a man proposeth to himself when he enters upon his work or way God will cause him to find accordingly So that when Elihu saith God will cause every man to find according to his way he intimates that God will not only render to man according to the matter of his work or outward path of his way but well considereth every mans scope and intendment or what he would have his work issue in and causeth him to find as he findeth that to be As the end which man proposeth to himselfe hath a great influence upon his way so upon his account with God about it This is a good sence God will cause every man to find according to his way both as his way is taken for the matter or course of his actions as also sor the scope and design of them Hence Observe First Every man shall have according to what he hath done Our receivings will be according to our layings out whether good or evill God is so farre from doing any man wrong that every man shall have his due reward Psal 62.12 Also to thee O Lord belongeth mercy for thou renderest to every man according to his work And lest any should hope to escape the evill which at least some of their evill works deserve by the secrecy of them that hope is quite dashed because God is the searcher and seer not only of our works but of our hearts Prov. 24.12 Doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it and he that keepeth the soul doth not he know it what followes and shall not he render to every man according to his works Solomon speaks in that place
good men A man is never so vile in the eyes of those who can discerne him as when he is righteous in his owne how righteous soever any man is he should be little in owning it To insist much upon our owne righteousnesse savours rankly of a Pharisee Luke 18.9 Christ spake a parable to this purpose that 's the title of the Parable ver 9. And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others Then follows the Pharisees boast of his fasting twice in the weeke c. And when the text saith ver 14. the Publican went downe to his house justified rather then the other It doth not imply that the Pharisee was at all justified but rather that being righteous in his owne eyes he was under a sad sentence of condemnation in the eyes of God The meaning is not that the Pharisee was somewhat justified and the Publican more But that the Pharisee was not justified at all It is our duty to follow after righteousnesse but our sin to boast of it Math. 5.3 Blessed are the poore in spirit The more poore we are in spirit the more rich we are in spiritualls Poverty of spirit is directly opposite to our being righteous in our owne eyes Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Math. 9.13 By the righteous there we are to understand those that are righteous in their owne eyes those that have high thoughts of themselves The sinners whom Christ calls to repentance are the poore in spirit though indeed the righteous in their owne eyes are the greatest sinners As we never doe worse or more against right then when we doe that as it was said of that ungovern'd age Judg. 17.6 which is right in our own eyes so we are never worse then when we are righteous in our owne eyes From the whole matter of these words we see that as Jobs friends had been mistaken all along in that which they spake so now in the reason of their ceasing to speake which was a supposall that Job was righteous in his owne eyes Hence observe There is nothing more common then for men to mistake and mis-judge one another Jobs friends concluded him setled in a proud conceit of his owne righteousnesse because he constantly denyed their charge of unrighteousnesse Some impose an opinion upon their brethren which is not theirs and make them say that which they doe not affirme how injurious is this yea some mis-judge the word of God as well as the words of men They wrest the Scriptures 2 Pet. 3.16 They make the Scripture speake that which the holy Ghost never intended It is dangerous to straine the word of a man much more the word of God The former proceeds from a want of charity but the latter is a great impiety There could not be a more unrighteous thought conceived of Job in any mans heart then that he was as his friends thought him righteous in his owne eyes yet thus they thought him nor would they thinke otherwise of him let him say what he would to the contrary So much of the first verse which giveth us a reason why Jobs friends sate downe and ceased to answer His being as they judged him righteous in his owne eyes In the next verse Elihu gives out a severer Judgement against him then this To be at all righteous in our owne eyes according to the sence intended argues a man to be both very blind and very proud but for a man to be so righteous in his owne eyes as that he dares justifie himselfe rather then the most righteous God argues not only blindnesse and pride but pride and blasphemy yet thus saith Elihu of Job as it followeth Vers 2. Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite of the kindred of Ram against Job was his wrath kindled because he justified himselfe rather then God Here comes in the fourth speaker as a moderator or determiner of this great dispute And he begins much unlike a moderator in a heate Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu Novus hic est disputaÌ„di actus nova etiam argumentaÌ„di forma tanto subtilior quaÌ„to magis in seipsam reflexa Nam videtur argumentari ut logici loquuntur quasi ad hominem ex ipsis Jobi verbis dictis Pined It is very common for men to grow hot in dispute but for a man to begin his dispute with an heat that 's very strange many have been all in a flame upon a little discourse but to be in a flame upon the entrance of a discourse is a thing almost unheard of Yet thus it was with this man Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu The Hebrew is his nose or nostrills were angry The Metaphor is taken from Horses Bears Lyons Bulls or any furious creatures who send forth fumes of wrath or anger at their nostrills The blood at the heart of an angred angry man is enflamed and he as it were breaths out fire and smoake at his mouth and nostrills Elihu came in a flame to this businesse How uncessant were the oppositions of Job no sooner had those three men ceased speaking but a fourth riseth up to speake The Good man found no rest his three friends had their Saboth they ceased or rested from the dispute but Job was at week-day labour still attending the words of this angry moderator Mr. Broughton renders The anger of Elihu was in choler Anger is hot but his anger was heate or at least his anger was heated yea it was not only heated as at the fire but kindled like a fire Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu Anger is a fire Philosophi iraÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faciunt spiritus affectuum instrumeÌ„ta sunt ut res phantasiae imprimitur ita spiritus commovetur ad habendam vel dâ—pellendam Coc and as Solomon saith can a man take fire in his bosome and not be burned so I may say can a man carry anger in his bosom and not burne himselfe if not others with it And as fire is blowne up by bellowes so is anger by provocation The anger of God is expressed in a heat Deut. 29.24 What meaneth the heat of this great anger ver 20. The anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against that man And Psal 2.12 If his wrath be kindled but a little c. The least sparklings of it are terrible The anger of God is a most dreadfull fire and the anger of man hath much dread in it We have need to look to our passions Fire is good but it must be kept in its due place fire on the hearth fire in the chimney is good but fire in the roof or among the houshold stuff consumeth all There is as I may say an hearth for anger where it will doe no hurt Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel There are many questions about this person
a man of understanding every man is not a man of understanding in naturall and civill things much lesse in things divine and spirituall As some men have so much will or rather wilfulnesse that they are nothing but will and some have so much passion that they are nothing but passion so others have such riches and treasures of understanding as if they were nothing but understanding Now it is the speciall inspiration of the Almighty which giveth such an understanding that is an enlarged and an enriched understanding We say the inspiration of the Almighty g veth understanding The Hebrew is but one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Intellectificat eos Brent which we may expresse as some doe It Intellectifieth So then the scope and meaning of this verse is plainly this That howsoever every man the meanest of men hath a reasonable soule yet the furniture of the understanding or mans fulness of wisdome and knowledge is by gift or inspiration of the Almighty and therefore some read the verse thus Surely there is a spirit in man but the inspiration of the Almighty maketh them to understand Thus Elihu would gâ—ine credit and authority to what he had to deliver as being by the teachings and dictates of the Spirit of God Est spiritus in hominibus spiratio autem omnipotentis docet Sept The Seventy comply fully with this rendering There is a spirit in men but the inspiration of the Almighty teacheth As if Elihu had said Though man be endewed with naturall knowledge and reason which can doe somewhat yet untill light shines from above till the spirit of God comes in and enlargeth the naturall spirit it cannot see farre nor doe any great matter Or take the sence of the whole verse thus in connection with what went before Though old age hath odds of youth yet one man as well as another hath a spirit of reason and judgement in him whereby through supply of speciall inspiration from God who can doe all things he may be able to know that which want of yeares denieth him From the words thus opened Observe First Wisdome or understanding is the gift of the Spirit of God We have a like assertion by way of question in the 38th Chapter of this booke ver 36. Who hath put wisdome into the inward parts or who hath given understanding to the heart who hath hath man put wisdome into himselfe or hath he made his own heart to understand the Question denies no man hath not done it Wisdome is an Influence or an Inspiration from the Almighty knowledge to order common things is of the Lord Isa 28.26 29. His God doth instruct him the husbandman he meanes to discretion in ordering the ground and doth teach him how much more in spirituall things and the mysteries of the kingdome of heaven Prov. 16.1 The preparation of the heart in man and the Answer of the tongue that is The fitting of the heart for any right answer of the tongue is from the Lord both the generall preparation of the heart for service or use and the speciall preparation of it to this or that service use is of the Lord so is the Answer of the tongue for the discharge of it Eccles 2.26 God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdome and knowledge and joy As God giveth man the knowledge of things so wisdome to know how to order and manage the things that he knoweth Some have more knowledge then they know how to manage their knowledge masters them they are not masters of their knowledge they have more knowledge then wisdome Now God gives to him that is good in his sight that is to the man whom he chooseth and is pleased with knowledge and wisdome and then he gives him joy that is Comfort in the exercise of that knowledge wherewith he is endued this is a notable and a noble gift of God We read Isa 11.2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the spirâ—t of wisdome and understanding It is a prophesie of Christ who being made in all things like to man had a naturall spirit or a reasonable faculty and he had that furnished by the spirit without measure the spirit of the Lord rested upon him the spirit of wisdome and understanding the spirit of Counsell and might the spirit of knowledge and of the feare of the Lord even Christ as man received an unction or inspiration from the Almighty for the fullfilling of his Mediatoriall office much more doe meere men for the fullfilling of any office they are called unto 2 Cor 3.5 We are not sufficient of our selves so much as to thinke a good thought Our sufficiency is by the Inspiration of the Almighty James 1.17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above It is not a vapour that riseth out of the earth but an Influence which distills and drops downe from heaven it is from above that is from God who though he be every where filling both heaven and earth with his essentiall presence yet according to Scripture language his most glorious and manifestative presence is above and therefore to say every good gift is from above is all one as to say it is from God Daniel and those other three Noble youths of the Jewish race exceeded all the wise men of Chaldea in rare abilities and the Scripture tells us whence it was that they did so Dan. 1.17 As for these foure Children God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdome and the assertion is layd downe in General Dan. 2.21 He that is God changeth times and seasons he removeth Kings and setteth up Kings he giveth wisdome to the wise and knowledge to them that know understanding All these Scriptures speak with one Consent the language of this Text It is the Inspiration of the Almighty that giveth understanding And if we compare 1 Sam 10.1 with the 6th 9th 11th and 12th verses of the same Chapter we have a most remarkable passage to this purpose Where Saul having received the unction from Samuel both as an assurance of and a preparation for the exercise of his kingly office over Israel Samuel tells him ver 6. The Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee and thou shalt prophecy with them that is with the company of Prophets spoken of in the former verse and shalt be turned into another man And the holy text adds ver 9. God gave or as we put in the margin turned him another heart There is a twofold turning or changing of the heart or of a man into another man First by gifts of Illumination Secondly by the grace of Sanctification the great change of the heart is that change of Conversion by the grace of Sanctification Saul was not turned into another man nor had he another heart as changed by Grace for he shewed still his old heart in his new kingly state but he had another heart or he was another man as changed by gifts
10.21 The lips of the righteous feed many Fourthly To strengthen the weake Fifthly To confirme the doubtfull Sixthly To comfort the sorrowfull Seventhly To encourage the fearefull Eightly To quicken the sloathfull in the wayes and worke of God Lastly And above all That God may be glorified by the use of the talent that he hath given 1 Pet. 4.10 As every man hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another as good Stewards of the manifold grace of God Stewards must not set up their owne but their Masters Interest We should minister by every gift as Stewards of the manifold grace of God I will shew mine opinion saith Elihu But what haste Elihu it seemeth foresaw some ready to object Why doe you a young man take upon you to speake in a cause wherein so many of your Elders and Betters have not prevailed why are you so busie 'T is much boldnes for you or such as you to declare your opinion in this controversie wherein such wise learned godly men have without successe ingaged already To this objection Elihu makes a preventing answer rendring this account of his undertaking As if he had said I have attentively observed all the passages and traverses of this dispute I have heard all that Jobs friends have offered whether for vindication of the justice and righteousness of God in laying that great affliction upon him or for the conviction of Job to make him see his sin and sit downe humbled I have heard all this saith Elihu and upon the whole matter I find Job is yet unanswered or that there is need of a further answer to stop his mouth to silence his complaints and humble him under the hand and soveraigne power of God This is the scope and summe of these two verses following Vers 11. Behold I waited for your words I gave care to your reasons whilest you searched out what to say Vers 12. Yea I attended unto you and behold there is none of you that convinced Job or that answered his words You have the generall sence of the text I shall yet proceed to a more particular explication of it Behold I waited for your words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 moratus est praestolatus est expectavit The word which we translate to waite imports three things in Scripture First an act of hope or to be carried towards any thing desirable with a wonderfull desire to enjoy it Hope causeth the soule to breath after fruition Secondly the word implyeth that griefe or trouble which possesseth the mind upon a long stay or detainment of that good which we desire and hope to attaine Thirdly it notes the soules patient waiting though grieved and burdened with present delayes for future enjoyment In all or any of these sences Elihu might say Behold I waited for your words I earnestly desired to heare you speake to satisfaction and I am grieved that you did not and I would if need were patiently waite still did I not perceive you had done and quitted your hands of this worke Behold I waited for your words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mr Broughton renders Behold I waited through your speech or into your words I stood still but I have not been asleep I have long expected you would say what is right and I have seriously considered what you sayd I waited for your words I gave eare to your reasons Attendi usque ad sensa vestra Iun i. e. Accuratissimè quam pentissime sensa animi vestri exploravi Id That is to find what convincing reason was couched in your arguments The Hebrew is I gave eare to your understanding That is I attended to find out your apprehensions or to gather up your sence in this matter that I might not mistake your meaning nor answer at randome The vulgar translation reads it I have heard your wisdome That is what wisdome there was in your words The truth or reason that is in words Audivi prudentiam vestram Vulg Diligentissimè auscultavi rationes vestras quas ex pro intelligentia vestra attulisti quas doctas esse purestis et ad rem aptas Merc is the wisdome of them So that when Elihu saith I gave eare to your reasons or to your understanding it intimates that he tooke the exactest heed he possibly could to find out the utmost tendency and purpose of their discourse As if he had said I have weighed every tittle that ye have spoken and tryed it by mine eare to find whether it were solid yea or no. There is one clause further to be opened in this verse I gave eare to your reasons While you searched out what to say This implyeth that Jobs friends did ever and anon take time to consider either each man with himselfe or that they consulted one with another what answer to shape and make to Job Whilest ye searched out The word which we translate to search out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scrutatus perscrutatus est remota obstrusa notes the strictest search after that which is hidden remote and secret 'T is applyed Deut 13.14 to that care which Judges ought to take in finding out the truth of an accusation brought against enticers to Idolatry The strictness of the Originoll is While ye searched out words As if he had said I am perswaded you have strained your selves to the utmost to find out what to say you did not speake what came next but searched for your answers We may learne a good lesson from the practice of Elihu we see he was no idle hearer yea in him we have the description or character of an active hearer I waited for your words I gave eare to your reasonings while ye searched out what to say Hence note We must diligently heare and give eare weigh and consider what is spoken before we give answer No man is well prepared to answer but he that hath been an attentive hearer And as no man can be a fit answerer in poynts under disputation so no man can be a fruitfull practiser in poynts of instruction but he that hath been a diligent hearer 'T is our duty when the word is preacht to waite not for a sound of words not for fine words or words dressed up with affected eloquence but for sound savory words for words that have weight and light in them for words that have strength and authority in them to prevaile upon the heart and conquer us to obedience These are the only words worth the waiting for and for these we ought to waite Secondly Before Elihu comes to give his opinion he tells Jobs friends that he had diligently heard the matter out even all their reasonings and searchings Hence note We must not make a judgement from any one part of a discourse we must take all together We must compare the first and last the Alpha and Omega the beginning and ending of what is sayd We must looke quite through 'T is not
shoulders to them Secondly passionateness of spirit and of speech must be avoyded That which hinders reason had need be shut out while we are reasoning What a contradiction in the adjunct is it to heare of an angry moderator or to see a man set himselfe to compose differences between others with a discomposed spirit of his owne Thirdly partiality in speaking or the favouring of a party must be layd aside for as Elihu did not spare to tell Jobs friends their owne so neither did he spare to tell Job his owne he was not partiall on either side What can be imagin'd more uncomely then that he who stands between two should leane to any one or that he who comes to be an umpire or a Judge should make himselfe a party or an Advocate Fourthly he must avoyd timorousnesse and not be daunted with what man shall say or can doe against him while he is doing his duty The feare of man is a snare saith Solomon That man had not need be in a snare himselfe whose business it is to bring others out of the snares of error whether in opinion or in practise Fifthly he must beware of an easiness to be drawne aside either by the perswasions or applauses of men A Judge between others must keepe his owne standing Thus farre concerning these two verses wherein Elihu is still carrying on his Preface to prepare Job to receive attentively what he had to say In the next place Elihu turning to the standers by signifies to them in what condition he found Jobs friends JOB Chap. 32. Vers 15 16 17 18 19 20. They were amazed they answered no more they left off speaking When I had waited for they spake not but stood still and answered no more I said I will answer also my part I also will shew mine opinion For I am full of matter the spirit within me constraineth me Behold my belly is as wine which hath no vent it is ready to burst like new bottles I will speak that I may be refreshed I will open my lips and answer ELihu had spoken of his friends silence before and here he returns to it againe with a further addition and aggravation Vers 15. They were amazed they answered no more they left off speaking c. There are two opinions concerning the person who spake these words First Some referre them to the writer or penman of this Book but I rather take them as the words of Elihu himselfe They were amazed The root signifies to be affected with a very passionate and strong feare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cum pavorem affert quo affici solent qui ab hoste potentissimo superantur even such a feare as they are arrested with who flee or fall before their Enemies in battel So the word is used Jer 50.26 A sword is upon her mighty men and they shall be dismayed Dismay or amazement is the displacing at least the disturbing of reason it selfe Elihu shews how unable and unfit Jobs friends were to argue with him any further seeing upon the matter they had lost the use of their reason and were as men crack-brain'd or broken in their understanding They were amazed They answered no more they left off speaking or Speech was departed from them there is a two-fold Exposition of that speech they left off speaking Some understand it passively 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 q. d ab illis ablata sunt verba like that Luke 12.20 This night shall thy soule be required or taken from thee thou shalt not freely deliver it up but it shall be snatcht from thee So here their speech was taken from them or by an unanswerable conviction silence was imposed upon them Mr Broughton renders They doe speake no more speeches be departed from them How can they speake from whom speech is departed We translate actively they left off speaking as implying a voluntary act they gave a stop to themselves either they were not able or it was not fit for them to say any more The Hebrew is They removed speech from themselves and so became as silent as if they could not speake at all They were as mure as fishes The following verse being of the same sence I shall open that before I give the observations from this Vers 16. When I had waited for they spake not but stood still and answered no more Job waited hoping they would speak somewhat worthy of themselves worthy of that opinion and reputation which they had in the world for wisdome Stare pro tacere but they deceived his expectation He could not have nor heare a word more from them This Elihu puts into a parenthesis for they spake not but stood still and answered no more He useth many words to the same purpose to shew that there was somewhat extraordinary in their silence They spake not their tongues stood still As speech is the image of the mind and from the aboundance of the heart so it is by the motion of the tongue If the tongue stand still discourse is stayd Their mouths were stopt as being either unable or ashamed to urge their accusations and arguments any further They stood still and answered no more It is said of those forward accusers of the women taken in adultery John 8.9 That being Convicted by their owne Conscience they went away one by one they shrunke away having not a word to reply And so did Jobs friends who while they stood still carried it as men unwilling to be heard or seene any more upon the place They were amazed c. First Hence note Amazement unfits us for argument Where wondering begins disputing ends They were amazed they answered no more Secondly Note The same men are sometimes so changed that they can scarcely be knowne to be the same men Eliphaz sayd Chap 4.2 Who can withhold himselfe from speaking He was so forward that he could not be kept from words but now he had not a word in his keeping speech was withheld or departed Thirdly Note False grounds or positions cannot be alwayes maintain'd God will supply both matter and forme arguments and words to confirme his owne truth they who are in the right shall not want reason to back it but they who are in the wrong may quickly find a stop and have no more to say The Apostles were weake because unwilling in a bad cause 2 Cor 13.8 We can doe nothing against the truth but for the truth and they who are willing to be against the truth shall be weake and not able long to doe any thing against it They spake no more As God gives a banner that is outward power to them that feare him that it may be displayed because of the truth Psal 60.4 So he gives wisdome and understanding that is inward power for the maintaining of the truth In thy majesty ride prosperously because of the truth Psal 45.4 As Christ who is truth and the giver forth of truth so they who are undertakers for
only forbid us to exalt our selves above our betters but it also in many cases bids us set our selves below those whose betters we are One of the Ancients hath made three degrees of this kind of humility The first is when we make our selves inferior to our equals The second when we make our selves but equal to our inferiors The third when we make our selves inferior even to our inferiors and lesse then those who are lesser then we Of this third sort of humility the Apostle speakes againe in that serious admonition to the Church Phil 2.3 Let nothing be done through strife or vaine glory but in lowlinesse of minde Let each esteeme other better then himselfe As it is good to judge according to truth the worst of our selves and the best of others so it is good to have a better opinion of others then of our selves So then the poynt lyeth not against giving honour to any man or to men of all sorts but only against the giving of undue honour to any Of that the Apostle speakes Gal 1.10 If I yet please men I should not be the servant of Christ that is if I should please men by flattery smoothing them up in their sins or errors I could not be the servant of Christ They that were the strick observers of Christ could not but observe this in him that though he came to save man yet he was farre enough from pleasing that is humoring any man Luke 20.21 And they asked him saying Master we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly neither acceptest thou the person of any but teachest the way of God truly Yet caution is to be used here For some goe so farre to the other hand that while they thinke they ought not to flatter or pleaâ—e they care not how they slight or disrespect the persons of men and in stead of so bearing as they ought to give undue titles they will not as was toucht before give so much as those that are due that 's a sin in defect as the other is in excesse And they sin much more who while they refuse to give flattering titles aâ—e free to give reviling titles There are these two gâ—eat tongue-evills among men Some give flattering titles others give reviling titles detracting calumniating and biting titles it is as dangerous not to forbeare the one as to be free and forward in giving the other and therefore we should take heed of both these extreames that our speech may have an equall respect to truth both while we praise and while we reprove Vers 22. For I know not how to give flattering titles Nescio cognominare i. e. Blendiri Bez It seemes to have little vertue in it or matter of commendation not to give flattering titles when we are not able or know not how to give them To heare one that is as we speak a meere Countryman or a clowne say I will not give flattering titles speakes not his praise at all because 't is supposed he at most can but speake sence or true English but to heare a learned man or some Great Courtier say I will not give flattering titles this is something this shewes that his honesty masters his ability and that his conscience is too strong for his parts How is it then that Elihu saith I know not to give flattering titles Had not Elihu wit and skill words and language at command to give them Was he so coursely bred that he could not reach them I answer Those words I know not may have a three-fold interpretation First I know not is I have not made that piece of knowledge my study I have not set my selfe to learne the art of flattery nor to gaine the skill of carnal Courtship Thus I know not to doe it is I have not set my selfe to doe it I have not made it my businesse or my ayme to doe it A good man hath or at least desireth no skill in that which is evill or not his duty how much soever any man knows to flatter yet we may say he knows not to flatter who abhorreth flattery And can say as the Apostle speaks Ephes 4.20 He hath not so learned Christ that is he hath heard no such lessons nor received any such instruction in the schoole of Christ Thus Elihu saith I know not to give flattering titles And doubtlesse 't is best being an Ideot or a bungler at the doing of that which is not good or as the Apostle saith some are to every good work to be reprobate to every evill work and word How knowing are they who can say in truth they know not how to lie or flatter c. I dare not say with the Papists that ignorance is but I am sure this nescience is not only the mother of devotion but a great poynt of devotion it selfe And in this sence every godly man and only a godly man knoweth not how to doe evill For as the wicked may have the Theory of good workes and know what it is to pray what it is to heare the word of God yet they have no skill they are not studied nor fitted for the practise of those workes So a godly man may know in speculation what it is to doe wickedly and how to doe it as well as the most wicked man in the world yet he is not at all disposed nor ready for the practise of any wickedness As nature makes us reprobate to good so grace to evill workes The Prophet saith of a bad sort of men Jer 4.22 They are wise to doe evill but to doe good they have no knowledge Were they an ignorant people No the meaning is they had not set themselves to learne the doing of that good which they knew theirs were not sins of ignorance but of wilfulnesse and perversnesse So on the other hand 't is the commendation of the people of God They are wise to doe good but to doe evill they have no knowledge I know not to give flattering titles Secondly As to know a thing or person imports the allowance and approbation of it Psal 1.6 The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous that is he approveth it Psal 101.4 I will not know a wicked person that is I like him not I regard him not I will never give him testimony he shall neither have my hand nor my heart So not to know a thing or person notes our disallowance and distast of either in this sence Christ will say to those great knowing professors Luke 13.27 I tell you I know you not whence you are depart from me c. Thus here when Elihu professeth I know not to give flattering titles his meaning is I like not yea I cannot abide to doe it I may be as much skilled as any man to speake high words possibly I could Court it as well as others but I have no heart to doe it yea it is the abhorrence of my soule to doe it A good man doth not approve the doing of evill and
scelus est veritatem palliare Merc But it is a farre greater sin to commend the sins of others or to commend others in their sin And we may take the measure of this sin by the punishment of it When we heare the Lord threatning flatterers with suddaine destruction doth it not proclaime to all the world that their sin is full of provocation The Lord beares long with many sorts of sinners but not with sinners of this sort My maker would soone take me away Whence note Secondly God can make quicke dispatch with sinners As the grace of God towards sinners Nescit tarda molimina spiritus sancti gratia so his wrath needs no long time in preparations When we designe great actions we must take time to fit our selves Princes must have time to set out an Army or a Navy when they would either defend themselves against or revenge themselves upon their enemies But God can presently proceed to action yea to execution He that made all with a word speaking can destroy the wicked as soone as speake the word he can doe it in the twinkling of an eye with the turning of a hand My Maker would soone take me away Thirdly Because Elihu being about to speake in that great cause sets God before him and God in his judgements in case he should speake or doe amisse Note Thirdly They that doe or speake evill have reason to expect evill at the hand of God If I should flatter saith Elihu my Maker would soone take me away I have reason to feare he will not that God takes away every sinner as soone as he sins God rarely useth Martiall Law or executes men upon the place we should live and walke more by sence then by faith if he should doe so but any sinner may expect it God I say is very patient and long-suffering he doth not often take sinners away either in the act or immediately after the act of sin Yet there is no sinner but hath cause to feare lest as soone as he hath done any evill God should make him feele evill and instantly take him away David prayeth Psal 28.3 Draw me not away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity There is a two-fold drawing away with the workers of iniquity First to doe as they doe that is wickedly Thus many are drawne away with the workers of iniquity and 't is a good and most necessary part of prayer to beg that God would not thus draw us away with the workers of iniquity that is that he would not suffer the workers of iniquity to draw us away into their lewd and sinfull courses Secondly there is a drawing away to punishment and execution In that sence I conceive David prayed Lord draw me not away with the workers of iniquity who are taken away by some sudden stroake of judgement though I may have provoked thee yet let not forth thy wrath upon me as thou sometimes doest upon the workers of iniquity doe not draw me out as cattell out of the pasture where they have been fed and fatted for the slaughter Every worker of iniquity is in danger of present death and may looke that God will be a swift witness against him though most are reprieved yet no man is sure of that Againe In that Elihu represents God to himselfe ready to take him away in case of flattery and prevarication in that cause Note Fourthly It is good for us to over-awe our soules with the remembrance of the judgements and terrours of God 'T is profitable sometimes to converse with the threatnings as well as with the promises 't is profitable to remember what God is able to do against us as well as to remember what God is able to do for us Even believers should goe into the dreadfull treasuries of wrath into the thunders lightnings of divine displeasure as well as into the delightfull treasuries of mercy of love compassion it is good for a good man to thinke God may take me away as well as to thinke God will save and deliver me we need even these meditations of God to keepe downe our corruptions and to fright our lusts Though it be the more Gospel way to make use of love yet the Gospel it selfe teacheth us to make use of wrath 2 Cor 5.11 Knowing the terrour of the Lord we perswade men Lastly Note When we goe about any great worke when we are either to speak or doe in any weighty matter it is good for us to set God before our eyes to thinke of and remember our Maker As in great undertakings we should remember our Maker waiting for and depending upon his assistance strength and blessing in what we doe or goe about so we should remember him to keepe our hearts right And to remember seriously believingly and spiritually that God beholds and seeth us in all our wayes and workes and that according to the frame of our hearts and the way that we take in every action such will the reward and the issue be cannot but have a mighty command and an answerable effect upon us We can hardly doe amisse with â—od in our eye And therefore as it is sayd of a wicked man Psal 10.4 that through the pride of his countenance he will not seeke after God God is not in all his thoughts So David said of himselfe though in that Psalme he speakes chiefely as a type of Christ and so in proportion or as to sincerity every godly man saith like David Psal 16.8 I have set the Lord alwayes before me because he is at my right hand therefore I shall not be moved that is as I shall not be utterly overthrowne by any evill of trouble so I shall not be overcome by any evill of temptation or I shall not be moved either in a way of discouragement by the troubles I meete with or in a way of enticement by the temptations I meete with How stedfast how unmoveable are they in the worke of the Lord how doe they keepe off from every evill worke who set the Lord alwayes before them and have him at their right hand Could we but set the Lord before us either in his mercies or in his terrors we should not be moved from doing our duty in whatsoever we are called to doe Thus farre Elihu hath drawne out his speech in a way of preface preparing himselfe for his great undertaking with Job He hath now fully shewed the grounds why he undertooke to deale with him and what method he would use in that undertaking In the next Chapter and so forward to the end of the 37th we have what he sayd and how he managed the whole matter JOB Chap. 33. Vers 1 2 3. Wherefore Job I pray thee heare my speeches and hearken to all my words Behold now I have opened my mouth my tongue hath spoken in my mouth My words shall be of the uprightnesse of my heart and my lips shall utter knowledge clearely ELihu having spent the whole
former Chapter in prefacing to Jobs friends directs his speech now to Job himselfe yet not without a renewed Preface as will appeare in opening this Chapter Wherein we may take notice of foure heads of his discourse First We have his Preface in the seven former verses of the Chapter Secondly A proposition of the matter to be debated or of the things that Elihu had observed in Job's speech about this Controversie from the 7th verse to the 12th Thirdly We have his confutation of what Job had affirmed from the 12th verse to the 31th Lastly We have his conclusion exciting Job to make answer to what he had spoken else to heare him speaking further in the three last verses of the Chapter Elihu in his Preface moves Job about two things First to attend what he was about to say Secondly To make reply to and answer what he should say Elihu moves Job to the former duty severall wayes First By a mild Entreaty and sweet Insinuation in the first verse Wherefore Job I pray thee heare my speeches and hearken to my words As if he had sayd I doe not come authoritatively and rigorously upon thee to command or demand thy attention but as a faithfull friend I desire thee to attend unto my speech and hearken to my voice Secondly He moves him to heare by professing his own readinesse and preparednesse to speak in the 2d verse Behold now I have opened my mouth my tongue hath spoken in my mouth that is I have been as it were tuning my instrument and fitting my selfe for discourse let me not loose my labour nor my study Thirdly He moves him to attend from the sincerity and gracious Ingenuity of his heart in that which he had to say to him This he layeth before him in the 3d verse My words shall be of the uprightnesse of my heart and my lips shall utter knowledge clearely What better Encouragement to heare And Fourthly Elihu moves him to heare from the Consideration of his present state as a man not only made by God but by him instructed for the work which he had undertaken the former of which is Exprest the latter Implyed in the 4th verse The Spirit of God hath made me and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life Thus Elihu Calls out Job to heare And Secondly As he invites him to heare what he had to say so he provokes him to answer what he should say vers 5. If thou canst answer me set thy words in order before me stand up As if he had said Be not discouraged take heart man doe thy best to defend thy selfe and make good thy owne cause against what I shall say Spare me not Doe thy best thy utmost Having thus encouraged him in General to answer he proceeds to give him two speciall Motives First From their Common state or Condition in the 6th verse Behold I am according to thy wish in Gods stead I also am formed out of the clay As if he had sayd You have often desired to plead with God or that God would heare your plea now consider I am in Gods stead though a man like your selfe Secondly He encourageth him from the tendernesse of his spirit toward him respecting his present Condition promising to deal with or treate him fairely gently in the 7th verse Behold my terror shall not make thee afraid neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee That favour Job hâ—d asked of God in the 9th Chapterâ— Let not thy terror make me afraid Now saith Elihu thaâ— which thou didst fear from God thou needest not at all feare in dealing with me My terror shall not make thee afraid c. Thus Elihu begins with Job that he might lead him to receive fairely or answer fully what he had to say The three first verses of the Chapter Containe the first part of the Preface wherein Elihu excites and calls forth Jobs attention by those foure Considerations already distinctly proposed the first whereof is layd downe Vers 1. Wherefore Job I pray thee heare my speeches and heerken to all my words Elihu begins very mildly sweetly insinuatingly even entreatingly and beseechingly Wherefore I pray thee The word which we translate I pray thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adhortartis vel excitantis tum etiam obsecranâ—â— is in the Hebrew language a monasyllable adverb of obsecration or exhortation I pray thee Hence note 'T is good to use gentlenesse towards those with whom we have to deale especially with those who are either outwardly afflicted or troubled in spirit Entreaties have great power and therefore though the Prophets and Apostles speake sometimes in a threatning way and command attention upon utmost peril yet for the most part they bespeake it with Entreaties 2 Cor 5.20 Now then we as Embassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God The Apostles went about a begging as it were with this message with the best message that ever was carried forth to the world Reconciliation unto God we pray you And againe 2 Cor 6.1 We then as workers together with him beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vaine that is the doctrine of the Gospel holding forth the grace and favour of God freely in Jesus Christ 1 Thes 4.1 Furthermore we beseech you brethren that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walke and to please God so ye would abound more and more As he did beseech them not to receive the grace of God in vaine so he did beseech them to a progress in an Improvement of that grace Again 1 Thes 2.7 We were gentle among you even as a Nurse cherisheth her Children how tender is a nurse to the infant hanging at her breast or dandled on her knee Speak ye Comfortably to Jerusalem was the Lords direction when she was in her warfare that is in a troubled and afflicted condition Isa 40.2 The Hebrew is Speak to her heart speak such words as may revive her heart and adde fresh spirits and life to her The Apostles rule for the restoring of those that are fallen is that they should be kindly treated Gal 6.1 Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault ye that are spirituall restore such an one with the spirit of meeknesse It is a great poynt of holy skill so to order a reproofe as not to provoke so to speak as to speak open or pick the lock of the heart Affectionate Entreaties are blessed pick-locks which doe not straine the wards but effectually lift up the holders and shoote the bolt of the heart causing it to stand wide open to receive and take in the truth of promises counsels and reproofes Meeke words meeken the spirit 'T is hard to refuse what we perceive spoken in love and if any thing will soften a hard heart soft language is most likely to doe it When Abigail came out and met David upon his way hot
the house of Israel to bud forth and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them and they shall know that I am the Lord That is I will give thee boldnesse and liberty of speech time was when thou didst not dare to â—peake a word for God or of God of his praise name and worship or if thou didst it was but in a Corner or whisperd in secret but the time shall come when I will give thee the opening of the mouth thou shalt speak my truth and praises boldly and the Enemy shall know that I the Lord have procured thee this liberty 'T is a great mercy when God gives his people the opening of the mouth or liberty of speech to speak boldly no man hindring no nor so much as discouraging them The Prophet makes that the character of an evill time when the prudent keep silence Amos 5.13 As in evill or calamitous times it becomes the Godly prudent to be willingly silent adoring the justice of Gods severest dispensations towards them with patience and without murmuring at his hand So in some evill times they are forced to keepe silence though as David spake Psal 39.2 their sorrows be stirred either lest by speaking even nothing but truth and reason they draw further sorrows upon themselves or because they see it but lost labour to speake to a people obstinate and resolved on their way Fourthly This phrase of opening the mouth to speake notes the things spoken to be of very great worth such as have been long concocted and digested and at last ready to be brought forth as out of the treasury of an honest and understanding heart Os aperire est bene discussa et praemeditata habere dicenda Bold The heart is the treasury of words there they are stored up and from thence issued forth as Christ saith Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh As there is a stock of evill words in the hearts of evill men so of good and gracious words in the hearts of Godly men and when they open their mouthes according to this notion it is to bring forth the treasures and riches of their hearts to bring forth the gold and silver and precious things stored up there all these are very usefull interpretations of this phrase and I might give distinct observations from them but it may suffice to have named them I shall only adde that the last is conceived by some to be chiefely intended in the latter branch of this verse My tongue hath spoken in my mouth This seems a strange Expression where should the tongue speak but in the mouth when the tongue is out of the mouth can it speak as the mouth cannot speak without the tongue so the tongue cannot speak out of the mouth why then doth he say My tongue hath spoken in my mouth The Hebrew is In my palate the palate being a part of the mouth and one speciall Instrument of speech Naturalists reckon five The lips the tongue the teeth the palate the throat 't is put for all but there is more in it then so for every man speaks in his mouth Palatum â—ris coelum est Drus Praemeditata et quasi intelligentiae meae palato praegustata sum prolaturus Bez Bene sapui verba mea antequam illa efferendo tibi aliisque sapienda et gustanda traderem Bold Non sequarverba aliorum sed propries conceptus enunciabo Aquin or by the palate which is the heaven roofe or cieling of the mouth Therefore when Elihu saith My tongue hath spoken in my mouth or in my palate The palate may be considered as the instrument of tasting as well as of speaking We say such a thing is very savory to the palate And we call that Palate wine which is quicke and lively briske and pleasant to the tast Thus when Elihu saith here My tongue hath spoken in my mouth or palate His meaning is I have uttered only that which I have wel considered what my tongue hath spoken to you I have tasted my selfe I have put every word to my palate For as a man that that tasteth wine or any other sapid thing must have it upon his palate before he can make a Judgement whether it be sweet or sharpe quick or flat so faith Elihu my mouth hath spoken in my palate I tasted my words before I spake them Hence note Judicious and wise men will tast and try what they intend to speake before they utter it The speaker presents his words to the tast of the hearer For as this Scripture hath it at the 3d verse of the next Chapter The eare tryeth words as the mouth tasteth meat now he that ventures his words to the tast and censure of others had need take a tast of them before he doth it My tongue hath spoken in my mouth Secondly From the scope of Elihu in adding this namely to gaine attention Note There is great reason we should heare that carefully which the speaker hath prepared with care They who regard not what they speake deserve no regard when they speake but a weighing speaker should have a weighing hearer And what any mans tongue in the sence of Elihu hath spoken in his mouth that we should heare not only with our eare but with our heart This a strong argument to quicken attention yet Elihu gives in another and a stronger in the next verse Vers 3. My words shall be of the uprightnesse of my heart my lips shall utter knowledge clearly In the former verse Elihu called for an open eare because he opened his mouth and was about to speak or had spoken what he had well tasted In this verse he presseth the same duty by professing all manner of Ingenuity and Integrity in what he was about to speake He would speake not only seriously but honestly not only from his understanding but his conscience My words shall be of the uprightnesse of my heart c. The meaning is not that the uprightnesse of his heart should be the subject upon which he would treat though that be a blessed and most usefull subject yet it was not the poynt he intended to discusse but when he saith My words shall be of the uprightnesse of my heart his meaning is my words shall flow from the uprightnesse of my heart I will speake in the uprightnesse of my heart or according to the uprightnesse of my heart my words shall be upright as my heart is the plain truth is this Sincerè et absque ullo suco proferam animi mei sensa Bez I will speak truth plainly I 'le speak as I thinke you may see the Image of my heart upon every word I will speak without dawbing without either simulation or dissimulation Some conceive this to be a secret reproofe of or reflection upon Jobs friends as if Elihu had suspected them to have spoken worse of Job then they could thinke him to be in their hearts But as
he invited them into the City as poore birds into a snare to destroy them presently He was seemingly troubled at their affliction and wept but his were Crocodiles tears he murthered them as soone as he had them in his power Thirdly Some speake against their hearts doctrinally or in the Doctrines which they propound and teach There are three sorts who speak amisse doctrinally First Some speak that which is not right in the uprightnesse of their hearts or I may say they speak that which is false with a true heart that is they think it to be a truth which they utter when 't is an error and will be found so at last When ever we see different opinions stifly maintained among honest and godly men which though it be a very sad sight yet it is too often seene in that case I say one side alwayes speaks that which is false with a true heart and utters error uprightly The truth is some men defend an error with better and more honest hearts then some others defend the truth For Secondly There are such as speak right without any uprightnesse of heart or they speak truth with a false heart this Elihu specially professeth against he would not only speak that which was right but with uprightnesse The Apostle found several teachers of this second sort Phil 1.16 17 18. Some preach Christ that is the Gospel yea the truth of Christ in the Gospel else the Apostle would not have rejoyced in it as he professeth he did at the 18th verse I therein doe rejoyce yea and will rejoyce Yet these men did not preach in the uprightnesse of their own hearts for saith he Some Preach Christ out of envy and strife and some out of good will they preached Christ pure Gospel yet not with pure hearts for he adds they did it supposing to adde affliction to my bonds They preacht to oppose the Apostles more then to set up Christ and though they preached the truth yet they did it more in pretence then in truth as 't is sayd at the 18th verse The same Apostle speakes of others 2 Cor 11.13 14. who preached what was true for the matter and yet he calls them false Apostles deceitfull workers transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ and no marvell for Satan himselfe is transformed into an Angel of light They formed and shaped themselves into Angels of light and tooke up the doctrine of the faithfull Apostles of Jesus Christ in some things yet they did it not in the uprightnesse of their hearts but that they might weaken the estimation of the true Apostles in the hearts of the people and set up themselves there that so in other things they might with greater efficacy or more effectually mis-lead them or draw them into error Thus some are found speaking lyes in the truth of their hearts and others speaking truth in the falsenesse of their hearts Thirdly Many speak that which is false with a false heart This is the height of wickednesse The Apostle prophesieth of such 1 Tim 4.2 Who shall speake lyes in hypocrisie the matter they speak is a lye and they speak it with a base and false heart too And therefore he saith of these in the same verse Their consciences are seared with a hot iron that is they are insencible both of the mischiefe they doe and of the misery they must suffer Elihu professeth himselfe to be none of all these He spake that which was right and true in the uprightnesse and truth of his heart Such a one the Apostle directs the Gospel Deacon to be 1 Tim 3.9 Holding the mystery of faith in a pure Conscience which is the same with an upright heart And he tells us 1 Thes 2.4 5. That himselfe did not use any guile in the ministration of the Gospel He had truth on his side and he had truth in his heart as he also professed to his Brethren the Jewes Rom 9.1 2. I speak the truth in Christ I lye not my Conscience also bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost c. And againe 2 Cor 2.17 We are not of those that Corrupt the truth we speak the truth and speak it truly He is a better speaker that speaks with an upright heart then he that speakes with an eloquent tongue He is the happy speaker who speakes more with his heart then with his tongue that can say with Elihu to Job My words shall be of the uprightnesse of my heart Words spoken of that subject and words flowing from that subject are lovely words Of this latter sort saith Elihu to Job My words shall be And my lips shall utter knowledge clearly Job had charged his three friends Chap 13. 4. that they were forgers of lyes Quia tribus amicis Jobus imposherat quod essent fabricatures mendaâ—ij hoc a se exâ—lâ—dit dicens sententiam labia mea puram loquentur Aquin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 purum planum perspicuum a fuco alienum sincerum ab omni scoria doli aut mendacij purgatorem Merc This Elihu engageth against while he saith My lips shall utter knowledge clearly The word here translated Clearly is rendered two wayes First As an Adjective Secondly As an Adverb Many render it as an Adjective My lips shall utter cleare knowledge or distinct knowledge cleare as to the matter pure plaine without any adulteration deceit or guile as to the manner So the word is often used I might give you many Scriptures for it The Prophet speaking in the person of Christ Isa 49.2 saith He hath made me a polished shaft the Hebrew is a pure shaft a glittering shining shaft Jer 5.11 He made bright his arrowes there this word is used It is applyed also to Chiefe men 1 Chron 7.48 These were Choyce men pure men So saith Elihu My lips shall utter cleare shining pure knowledge Hence note We should speak cleare truth Truth without mixture truth well winnowed doctrine well refined The commandement of the Lord is a pure word Psal 19.8 There 's not any dross at all in it 't is like silver tryed seven times in the fire Psal 12.6 The Prophet among other blessings which God promiseth to his Church and people hath this Isa 30.24 The Oxen likewise and the young Asses that eare the ground shall eate cleane Provender free from the straw and chaff dust and darnel But may we not here renew the Apostles question 1 Cor 9.9 10. Doth God take care for oxen or saith he it altogether for our sakes for our sakes no doubt it is written That the mouth of the oxe treading out the corne should not be muzzl'd was written for the Ministers sake to assure them that while they labour in the Gospel to feed souls their bodies should be fed And that the oxen and young asses shall eate cleane provender was written for the peoples sake to assure them that Christ would send them such Ministers as should feed them with pure holy wholesome doctrine not with
had before him nor did Elihu look upon Job as such a puny to him or so much his underling as that he durst not hold up the Bucklers in dispute against him Elihu knew Job was an old experienced Souldier well vers'd in the wayes and things of God And therefore Secondly If thou canst may rather referre to the weaknesse and soarenesse of Job's body to the wounds or troubles which he had received and felt from the Almighty in his spirit then to any inability of his mind for argument As if Elihu had said I consider how it is with thee thou art a man diseased and distempered in thy body fitter to lye upon or keep thy bed then to stand up to a dispute fitter for a hospitall then for the Schooles Thou also hast a troubled and an afflicted spirit I doubt thou art not in case to answer me or to stand up longer in a way of dispute but this I say if thou canst answer me pray doe set thy words in order before me I will not lay this burden upon thee unlesse thou art willing to take it unlesse thou findest thou hast strength and spirit to beare and carry it through Answer me if thou canst otherwise I will speak my thoughts out and make what use of it thou pleasest Thirdly I conceive Elihu might here intend to let Job understand that he was resolved to put him to the utmost that he was resolved to bring the strongest arguments and use the quickest way of reasoning for his conviction that he could and that therefore he also adviseth Job to doe the like to doe his best to buckle himselfe to the businesse with all his might for he was not come to dally with him he would have him set his shoulders to the work and gather all the forces of his soule to the battaile he bids him bring forth even his horsemen for his defence as I may speak in allusion to that in the 12th of Jeremy If thou hast run with footmen and they have wearied thee how shalt thou contend with horses Elihu was purposed and resolved to bring out his greatest strength his horsemen to the battaile and therefore wisheth Job doe so too Thus he gives him faire warning If thou canst answer me doe thy utmost I am ready for thee Fourthly While Elihu saith If thou canst answer me set thy words in order before me stand up We may take his words as a gentle and sweete invitation to the worke As if he had sayd If thou hast spirits enow left to hold discourse with me or to reply upon me come friend spare me not set thy words in order before me I will not be a terror to thee Or there may be this condescending sence in these words of Elihu Doe not thinke O Job because I begin to speak that therefore I meane to speak all or to have all the discourse my selfe assure thy selfe I have no purpose to hinder thee in any defence which thou art able to make for thy selfe No though I am come with my best preparations to urge thee and reply upon thee as to all that hath past between thee and thy friends yet I am as willing that thou shouldest answer as I am ready prepared and prest to speake thou hast free leave to make thy Apologie to say what thou canst for thy selfe I intend not to impose upon thee nor by any Authority to compell thee to stand to my sentence as if I were thy Master or would Lord it over thee Doe and speake thy best for thy owne vindication I am ready to receive it from thee and give thee a faire account of my thoughts about it If thou canst answer me Set thy words in order before me 'T is a metaphorical speech 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often and most properly used for the marshalling of an Army and so is elegantly applyed here in this matter of controversie or polemicall discourse Set thy words thy reasons thy arguments as it were in battaile aray against me we had the word in the former Chapter at the 14th verse It is applyed also to the exactness of the heart in prayer not an affected exactness or curiosity about words or to word it with God but it notes exactness or spirituallness rather in meditating and disposing the strongest Scripture reasonings to prevaile with God in prayer Prayer is as it were a battaile fought in heaven not in wroth or revenge but with faith and holy submission Thus did Jacob when he wrastled with the Angel Gen 32. And thus David speaks Psal 5.3 In the morning I will direct my prayer unto thee and will look up or I will marshall my prayer I will bring up petition after petition pleading after pleading even till I am become like Jacob a Prince with God till I have won the field and got the day Thus the word is applyed by a metaphor both to disputations with men and supplications to God Further we may take the meaning plainly without any straine of rhetorique Set thy words in order before me Methode is good in every thing either an expresse or a covert methode Sometimes 't is the best of art to cover it in speaking there is a speciall use of methode for though as one said very well speaking of those who are more curious about methode then serious about matter Methode never converted any man yet methode and the ordering of words is very usefull Our speeches should not be heaps of words but words bound up not a throng of words but words set in aray or as it were in ranke and file The Prophet Joel 2.5 describes a terrible Judgement of God by a strong people set in battaile aray In pursuance of which sence Mr Broughton renders the next words not as we stand up but stand to it as Commanders say to their Souldiers stand to it and the Italian translation thus Set thy words in order before me present thy selfe to the Combate Thus he continues the metaphor As if he had said Chuse thy ground St◠quasi in acie ad pugnandum contra me convincendum me rationibus Drus and maintaine it like a valiant Champion I doe not desire thou shouldst yeild me an inch of ground yeild to nothing but the truth dispute every patch with me stand up stand to it stand as if thou wert to fight a battaile not only for thy honour but for thy life The Apostle 1 Cor 16.13 speaks in that language about our spirituall warre Watch ye stand fast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viriliter agire quit your selves like men man it be strong There is such a sence in Elihu's exhortation here to Job Set thy words in order before me stand up Now in that Elihu when he was thus bent to speak and was so full of matter to speak that as he tells us in the former chapter He was like bottles of wine and that he could not hold yet gave Job faire law and bids him answer if he could
is a departure from the way in which and from the scope and mark to which we should direct our whole course Iniquity is an unequall an undue or crooked thing It turneth others from their right and is it selfe a continuall swerving from it So much for the opening of these words as they are a proposition containing a charge brought against Job I have heard the voyce of thy words saying I am cleane from transgression I am innocent neither is there iniquity in me The second poynt proposed was to consider what matter of accusation there is in these words Matters of accusation arise from our evill deeds That we are not cleane from transgression that we are not innocent that there is much iniquity in us these are properly matter of accusation But here Elihu makes it matter of accusation that Job sayd he was cleane from transgression that he was innocent that there was no iniquity in him And indeed to be charged with the greatest transgression is not more then this to be charged with saying we are cleane from transgression To say we have no sin is very sinfull to say we are without iniquity is a saying full of iniquity 1 John 1.8 If we say we have no sin Here is Job saying so as Elihu chargeth him we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us And v 10. If any man say he hath no sin he maketh God a lyar and his word is not in him Now what greater sin can there be if we consider the force of these two verses then for any man to say he hath no sin How extreamly sinfull this is may be shewed in foure things First It is extreame pride for any man to say I have no sin What is pride but an over-reckoning of our selves When we value our selves 't is best to doe it at an under rate and to say lesse of our selves if it may be then we are as Paul did who called himselfe lesse then the least of all Saints Pride alwayes over-reckons and casts us up more then we are worth Some reckon their temporall and many more their spirituall estates at many thousands as I may say when upon a true account they are worse then nothing So did the Church of Laodicea Rev 3.17 Thou sayest I am rich and encreased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poore and blind and naked They who are soule-blind cannot see either how bad they are or what good they want Nothing hinders the sight of our wants so much as a conceit that we are full Secondly It is the greatest deceit even selfe-deceit to say or suppose that we are in this sence cleane without transgression so saith that text of the Apostle v 8. He that saith he hath no sin deceiveth himselfe It is bad enough to deceive others and woe to them that doe so but how bad is their condition who deceive themselves He is in an ill condition who is deceived by others But if a man deceive himselfe where shall he have his amends Selfe-admirers and selfe-flatterers are the Greatest selfe-deceivers And who or what shall be true to that man who is false to himselfe Thirdly It is a lye and the greatest lye that 's more then a bare deceit for it is such a lye as leaveth no truth at all in us He that saith he hath no sin in him hath no truth in him what hath he in him then but a lye Every sin is a lye and he that saith he hath no sin in him hath nothing of truth in him what hath he then in him or what is he but a lye v 10. The word of God is not in him which is the treasury of all truth and therefore he hath no truth in him nor can have till he hath repented of that lye Fourthly that ye may see there is exceeding much in this charge To say so is blasphemy and the highest blasphemy Why Because it makes God a lyar â—e that saith he hath no sin doth not only deceive himselfe but as much as in him lyeth he makes God a lyar v 10. To deceive with a lye is the worst sort of deceivings and what lye is worse then or so bad as that which makes the God of truth a lyar and turnes the truth of God into a lye Lay these foure considerations together and then it will appeare how heavie a charge is contained in these words when Elihu saith he had heard Job say he was cleane without transgression he was innocent and no iniquity in him Therefore thirdly consider a little further what occasion had Job given Elihu to say that he had sayd I am cleane from transgression c. I answer There are severall passages upon which Elihu might pitch this charge I will only name foure texts out of which possibly this might arise First Chap 10. 7. where Job speaking to God himselfe saith Thou knowest that I am not wicked He appealed to the knowledge of God himselfe in the thing The second may be collected from Chap 16. 17. Not for any injustice in my hand also my prayer is pure The third from Chap 23. 10. But he knoweth the way that I take when he hath tryed me I shall come forth as gold My foot hath held his steps his way have I kept and not declined In the fourth place Elihu might take those words Chap 27. 5. God forbid that I should justifie you till I die I will not remove my integrity from me My righteousness I hold fast and will not let it goe my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live All these are Job's assertions concerning his owne innocency And these or such like passages as these Elihu 't is likely being an attentive hearer had observed and picked up as the matter of this first part of his charge Job's self-justification Fourthly and lastly let us consider whether Elihu did rightly bring this charge against Job from these sayings or whether he dealt so ingenuously with Job as he promised while from these or the like passages he saith Job had sayd I am cleane without transgression c. For answer first take notice that Elihu was not the first that had charged Job thus he had been thus charged by his three friends before Zophar sayd Chap 11. 4. Thou hast sayd my doctrine is pure and I am cleane in thine eyes that is in the eyes of God Eliphaz seemâ—s to say as much Chap 15. 14. What is man that he should be clean and he which is borne of a woman that he should be righteous While Eliphaz put these questions he intimated that Job had made such affirmations Bildad likewise was upon the same strain with him Chap 25. 4. How then can man be justified with God or how can he be cleane that is borne of a woman We see then this was not the first time by three that Job had heard this charge and had made answer for
either immediate from himselfe in those dreames and visions to the Prophets or mediate by the Prophets And though now God doth not speake to us immediately as he did to the Prophets before Christ came in the flesh and to the Apostles after he was come in the flesh yet All the Propheticall and Apostolicall writings are the speakings of God to us besides what he dayly speaketh to us answerable to what is written both inwardly by the workings of his Spirit and outwardly by the workes of his providence For he speaketh once c. Hence note In what way soever God reveales his minde unto man he speakes unto him Every manifestation of the will of God to us is a Sermon what man speaketh to us according to the word of God is to be received as the word of God For as God speaketh to us though not formally yet expressely in the holy Scriptures which are his word so he speaketh to us vertually though not expressely by his works And that First by his workes of creation by them God is continually opening and manifesting himselfe to man in his wisdome power and goodnesse He speaketh to us Secondly by his works of providence whether first they be works of mercy every mercy hath a voyce in it every blessing a speech or secondly whether they be works of judgement Micah 6.9 The Lords voyce cryeth unto the Citie and the man of wisdome shall see thy name heare ye the rod and who hath appointed it Sicknesses and losses the crosses and troubles that we meet with in the world cry aloud to us especially when they make us as they often doe cry aloud As the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy worke day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge Psal 19.1 2. so those things that are done and acted night and day utter the mind and speak out the heart of God unto man For God speaketh once yea twice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in una pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in una vice The Hebrew is in once that is for one Turne or Time or by one meanes or way The word once hath a threefold signification in Scripture all which are applyable to the text in hand First Once is as much as surely certainly verily irrevocably Thus Psal 89.35 Once have I sworne by my holinesse that I will not lie unto David That is I have surely sworne certainly sworne irrevocably sworne my word yea my oath is out and it is immutable That which God in this sence once saith it is alwayes sayd or 't is sayd for ever how much more that which he swareth Thus the Apostle argueth Heb 6.17 18. God willing more abundantly or more then needed as to him and the truth of the thing in it self to shew unto the heires of promise the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lye namely his promise and his oath we might have strong consolation c. In like notion we may expound that once which we finde Heb 9.27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die or to dye once and after that cometh the judgement Some referre once to dye as if the meaning were it is appointed unto men to dye once that is men must expect to dye a naturall death which happens but once and once at least equivalently will and must happen to all men Others referre the once to appointed in the sence of this present exposition It is appointed once that is God hath certainly and firmly appointed established and decreed this thing he hath ratified it in heaven that men must dye This statute is irrevocable The thing is appointed and there is no reversing or revoking of that appointment This is a good sence and sutable enough to the scope of Elihu God speaketh once that is what he speaketh is a sure and certain word an infallible word the word setled for ever in heaven Psal 119.89 his promise is not only sure but most sure As the Apostle speakes 2 Pet. 1.18 19. And this voyce which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy Mount We have also a more sure the Comparative imports the Superlative a most sure word of prophecy whereunto ye doe well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a darke place untill the day dawne and the day-starre arise in your hearts As the whole propheticall so the whole historicall and doctrinall word of God is most sure being once spoken it is spoken for ever And written as with a pen of iron and the point of a Diamond and that upon a rocke which cannot be removed That which was vaine-gloriously and beyond the line of man sayd of the Law of the Medes and Persians Dan 6.8 is only true of the word of God it altereth not Secondly This once speaking Semel loquitur deus et secundo id ipsum non repetet Vulg Quia quod sufficienter factum est iterare superfluum est Aq notes the speaking of a thing so sufficiently or fully that there is enough sayd at once and so no more needs be sayd The vulgar translation takes up this sence God hath spoken once that is he hath spoken fully or sufficiently for mans instruction and admonition at once and therefore he translates the latter part of the verse thus And he doth not repeate it the second time That which is done at once sufficiently needs not be done a second time This is a truth There is a sufficiency and a fullnesse in the word of God once spoken there needs nothing to be added or as others expound this translation When once God speakes that is resolves and determines a thing he doth not as man who often repents of what he hath purposed bring it into a second consideration for he cannot erre and therefore he needs decree but once But though this be a truth yet I doe not conceive it to be the meaning of this place because it doth not well agree with what goes before and lesse with that which followeth at the 29th verse Loe all these things worketh God oftentimes or as our Margin hath it twice and thrice with man And therefore here Elihu rather intimates the variety of those wayes by which God reveales himselfe to man then the sufficiency of any one of them For though we grant any one of them sufficient yet God out of his abundant goodnesse is pleased to reveale himselfe more wayes then one and more times then once Thirdly This once may be taken exclusively so iâ— Scripture once is once and no more once and not againe or as we say once for all and so it is opposed to the repeating and acting over of the same thing Thus Abisha sayd to David 1 Sam 26.8 God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day now therefore lâ—â— me smite him I pray thee
twice at once that is I heard it speedily and I heard it believingly as soon as ever the word came to me I received it and I received it not only with my eare but with my heart That 's a blessed way of hearing and they who heare so at first speaking may well be sayd to heare that twice which God speaketh once But how sad is it that God should speake twice thrice yea foure times and yet not be heard so much as once When Job was brought upon his knees Chap 40.5 he said Once have I spoken but I will not answer yea twice but I will proceed no further Job began to be sensible of that which Elihu was working him to that he had been too forward yea too forward with God Job began to see his error and recanted it I have spoken once yea twice but I will proceed no further 'T is good that after once or twice sinning or failing we yet say we will proceed no further O how deplorable is mans condition when the Lord shall say I have spoken once yea twice but now I will proceed no further I will speake no more And this usually comes to passe when men are dull and slow of heart to understand what he speaketh which as naturall men alwayes so godly men often are as it followeth in this text He speaketh once yea twice Yet man perceiveth it not That is apprehendeth not sometimes that God is speaking to him and he seldome understandeth what God is speaking to him There is a little varietie in the exposition of this latter clause of the verse The word man not being expressely in the Hebrew and therefore we finde it put by our translaters in a distinct character the text runs only thus God speaketh once yea twice he perceiveth it not This hath occasion'd the vulgar latine interpreter to referre this last clause of the verse to God also giving out the sence thus God speaketh once and a second time he doth not repeate it Semel loquitur deus et secundò id ipsum non repetit Vulg. As if here were a warning given that all should attend the very first motion of Gods voyce to them For he speaketh once and doth not repeate the same But I shall not stay upon that because I see not how the Hebrew word by us rendred to perceive can with any tolerable significancy be rendred to repeate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a radice intendit oculos prosperit animadvertis viderit Semel loquitur deus et secundo illud non considerat Scult yet there is a second rendring of the text in the same tenour giving a genuine sence of that word which is very profitable and proper enough to the scope of the place God speaketh once and he doth not consider upon it a second time That is when God speaks or decrees to give forth any thing he doth not take it into consideration againe or review and bring it about upon second thoughts as men often doe yea it is their duty though it be a duty arising from their frailty so to doe Men ought to consider often and review their owne words as well as their works But saith Elihu according to this reading God speaks once and doth not consider of it againe for he hath the measure and compasse of all things so fully in himselfe that he needs not turne backe his thoughts upon any of his determinations as if there could be a mistake or any error in them This is a very glorious truth highly advancing the name of God above every name among the best of the children of men And it ariseth clearely from the text leaving out the suppliment which we make of the word man Yet according to the opinion of the most and best expositers yea according to the clearest scope and tendency of the text that word man is rather to be supplyed God speaketh once yea twice And man perceiveth it not 'T is common in Scripture to leave such words unexpressed as must necessarily be understood And therefore I shall only insist upon our owne translation Yet before I proceed to that I shall touch upon another reading of these words as referring unto man which doth not so much carry a reproofe of mans dullnesse as a commendation of Gods goodnesse thus God speaks once yea twice Loquitur deus semel et duabus vicibus ad eum qui non consideravit eam Pisc if man perceiveth it not As if he had sayd If man be so weake and darke so dull and slow of apprehension as not to perceive Gods minde at his first speaking yet God is usually so gracious and condescending as to speake twice or a second time even to that man This reading doth exceedingly exalt and set forth the goodnesse and graciousnesse of God and we have frequent experience of it that when God speakes once and findes creatures dull of hearing he speakes a second time Our reading gives in these words as a charge of mans darknesse and slownesse to apprehend the meaning of God speaking to us either in his word or works God speakes once yea twice Yet man perceiveth it not The Hebrew is man seeth it not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non viderit illud sc homo quod deus loquitur Verbo hoc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elihu utitur sexies Job ter Zophar semel Videtur isto verbo diligens et clara significari speculatio et observatio curiosa Coc. There is an eye in the understanding the mind of man heholdeth the sence of words even as his bodily eye beholdeth the colours and dimensions of any materiall object Yet the eye of mans mind is so bleared and dim-sighted that though God speak once yea twice he seeth he perceiveth it not That is he doth not clearly perceive it Elihu makes use of this word six times Job thrice Zophar once in all which places they intend an exact observation and through speculation of the matter which they treate upon either in the affirmative or in the negative here as a rebuke to man Elihu makes use of it in the negative man perceiveth it not Hence note Man of himself cannot perceive the mind of God in spirituall speakings or God speakâ—ng about spirituall things The propheticall Sermons are called visions The vision of Isaiah the son of Amos which he saw Isa 1.1 yet when they preached them to the people many of them saw nothing their visions were to the people as parables or darke sayings Man in generall falls under a twofold consideration first as unconverted or carnall and in that state he perceiveth not at all when God speaks once and twice yea thrice he perceiveth nothing And that proceeds from a double ground First from the naturall pravity of his heart and the blindnesse of his mind Of such the Apostle saith Eph. 4.18 They have their understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindnesse
of their heart And hence he concludes 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse to him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned spirituall objects must have a spirituall eye to see them Secondly this comes to passe sometimes from the judgment of God upon carnall men who as in mercy he causeth the blind to see so in wrath he striketh those that have no mind to see with greater blindnesse and punisheth their former rebellion and obstinacy against the word received with an impotency to perceive it Yea God doth not only leave such in the blindnesse of their mind and dullnesse of their understanding but gives them up to it The Prophet Isaiah was a Gospel Preacher he held out the light clearly yet his hearers were under such a doome that the very light which he held out blinded them so that the more he spake the lesse they perceived Isa 6.10 And he said go and tell this people hear ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not make the heart of this people fat and make their eares heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their eares and understand with their hearts and convert and be healed This is a dreadfull Scripture The Lord is highly provoked indeed when he judicially shuts up the eyes of men and hardens their hearts against his own messages not that he infuseth any hardness or instilleth any ignorance into them but gives them up to that ignorance hardnesse and darknesse which already possesseth them And then though God speak once or twice or a hundred times they perceive it not They that harden their hearts shall have them hardened by that which is the ordinary meanes to soften and melt them and they that shut their eyes against any truth are in danger of having them shut against all truth even by that means which usually openeth eyes Thus we see that this first sort of men meere carnall men cannot see ot perceive when God speaketh and why it is so Secondly which I conceive rather to be the meaning of Elihu here Man may be considered in his spirituall state That is as converted and renewed in spirit by the mighty working of the Spirit Now to men in this estate God speakes once yea twice and they perceive it not They that are spirituall doe not alwayes perceive spirituall things For First they have much corruption in them Though they are renewed yet they are renewed but in part we see in part and but darkly yea sometimes Saints can hardly see at all especially as to some dispensations and manifestations of God! he may speak once yea twice and thrice to them in such a thing or to such a purpose and they take little or no notice of it He may poynt unto them by such providences and by such Sermons and yet they look upon themselves as un-concerned not making any home-application of what they outwardly hear or see yea feele and smart under and all this by reason of some prevailing corruption Secondly this may proceed from their negligence and slothfullnesse good men are not alwayes carefull as they should much lesse criticall and wisely curious to observe every providence of God and to consider why or for what end such or such a word is sent to them As carnall men thrust the word from them so godly men faile much at all times and at some times wholly neglect to lay the word to heart They doe not compare themselves that is their lives and consciences their thoughts and wayes with the word and then no wonder if they perceive not what is spoken to them Even a Job may be hindred by his own indulgence from perceiving what God saith unto him The Prophet complained of the people of God for not striving to take hold of him Isa 64.7 There is none that calleth upon thy name that stirreth up himself to take hold on thee And may we not complaine that few stirre up themselves either to take hold of the word of God or that the word may take hold of them Paul exhorted Timothy 2 Tim. 1.6 to stir up the Gift of God that was in him They that have received both gifts and grace may be much wanting to themselves in stirring them up Though we deny mans naturall power yet persons converted have a spirituall power which they often neglect to stir up When the servants of Benhadad 1 Kings 20.32 33. came to Ahab upon that message to beg his life it is said The men did dilligently observe whether any thing would come from him that they might take hold of and urge it in favour of their Master and as soon as Ahab had dropt that word he is my Brother as soon as they had that word they did hastily catch it and applyed it for their present purpose So they that are godly should observe what is spoken unto them what corruption is smitten by the word or by the rod of God and as soone as ever such a word is spoken they should take it up and apply it to themselves Thirdly those many lusts that are in the heart of a godly man not yet fully mortified as secret pride self-love and unbelief these hinder him from understanding the mind of God And therefore we are counselled by the Apostle James Chap. 1.21 to lay aside that is to get subdued and mortified all filthinesse and superfluity of naughtinesse and so receive with meekness the engraffed word which is able to save our souls As if he had said we can neither perceive nor receive the word savingly unlesse our lusts are cast out and cast off How much any man neglects this duty of mortifying his lusts by so much is he rendred both unable to perceive the word and unfit to profit by it Lastly Mr. Broughton renders the words thus God speaks once yea twice and man will not mark it We say man perceiveth it not he saith man will not mark it As our reading shews the weakness and imperfections or the negligence and slothfullnesse of man when he doth not perceive what God speaketh so his sheweth the obstinacy of man The will of man is as perverse as his understanding is blind Man hath not only a wound or a weaknesse in his will unto that which is good but he hath a rebellion in his will against that which is good and that not by some occasionall disgust or sudden gust of passion but he is naturally set and resolved against that which is good Man will not mark what God speaketh in his word and works Christ upbraids the Jews Joh. 5.40 Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life he chargeth the fault upon their wills 'T is certaine man hath a will not to come to Christ for life yet that is a forced and farre fetcht inference which some make from it that man hath therefore power and will to come
concerning the state of his Church to the end of the world revealed to him in severall visions I saith he Rev. 1.10 was in the spirit on the Lords day c. That 's is a famous promise which was first reported by the Prophet Joel Chap 2.28 and after repeated by the Apostle Peter Acts 2.17 I will poure out my Spirit upon all flesh c. and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams Thus it is every where clear in Scripture that dreames and visions were frequent both in the Old Testament times and in the beginning of the New But now in these last dayes as the Apostle saith Heb. 1.2 3. passing from those former wayes of Revelation described in the first verse God having spoken to us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the Worlds who is also the brightnesse of his glory and the expresse Image of his person God I say having spoken to us by his Son and we having now a clearer manifestation of the mind of God then the old fathers had the Son who once spake to us in person on earth still speaking to us in the Gospell every day therefore now for any to look after dreams and visions or visible apparitions for the revealing of the mind of God is to goe backward to the old state of the Jewish Church or to the infancy of the Gospell Church while the Canon or Rule of the Scripture as to all matters of faith and holy life was not fully finished and compleated And though we ought to be farre from limiting God yet he hath limited us from looking after any wisdome in the knowledge of his will above that which is written 1 Cor. 4.6 The Apostle also testifying by the Spirit of God that the Scripture is sufficient to make every man wise to salvation and the man of God perfect throughly furnished unto all good works that good work especially of helping others to salvation 1 Tim. 3.15.17 Ardentibus votu precatus sum ut daret mihi deus certuÌ„ sensum scripturae et pactum feci cum domino deo meo ne mihi visiones vel somnia mitteret Luth. loci com quartae clasâ—is Luther observing how many were deluded in his time by dreames and visions which they falsely attributed to God as the immediate Author of them earnestly prayed about two things First that God would give him a sound understanding of his mind revealed in the Scriptures Secondly that he would nor send him dreames or visions yea saith he I even contracted with God that he would not And doubtlesse he did this upon a double ground First to oppose the wild opinions and practices of those who had nothing to pretend for them but dreames and visions Secondly to advance the honour of the written word in its sufficiency not only without the help of any humane tradition but without any further divine revelation And therefore though God should please to speak to us now by dreames and visions yet that were only as the Apostle speaks about his adding of an oath to his promise Heb. 6.17 to shew that he is ex abundanti more abundantly willing to satisfie our weaknesse by such a condiscention then that there is a necessity of it with respect to any deficiency of the Scriptures fullnesse And hence it is that if men shall professe they have received any thing from God by dreams or visions concerning what is either to be beleeved or done the matter of those dreams must be examined and weighed at the ballance of the Scriptures and is no further to be credited then as 't is found agreeable thereunto It cannot be denyed but that men may make profitable use of their dreames at this day they may see much of themselves when their eyes are shut up by sleepe Evill men may see their lusts at worke in the night and find out what lust is most working and wakefull in them What is said in History of the ancient Persian Kings that they were seldome seen in the day but came to view in the night is true of a mans speciall sin or of that sin which reignes and Kings it in him What ugly apparitions of lust hath many a man in his nightly dreams especially of those filthy lusts which are most proper to the night Thus also good men have sometimes a clearer sight of their graces in the night by dreames then in the duties of the day What holy frames of heart what lively actings of grace what sweet and ravishing communion with God have many godly men found and felt in dreames That may at lest be somewhat of Davids meaning when he said Psal 16.17 My reines also instruct me in the night season Lastly Though we cannot make any certaine conclusions either what we are or what we are to doe from dreames yet from them they who are wise and watchfull may sometimes gather strong conjectures about both or either To make dreames the rule or warrant of what we doe is extreamly dangerous yet that we may have hints what to do in a dreame I nothing doubt nor can there be any danger in it while the matter hinted is consonant to the rule of the word both as that which is lawfull to be done and lawfull for us all circumstances considered to doe Otherwise whatsoever we may think our selves warned or warranted to doe by dreames is but a mock or trick put upon us by the Devill or a deceit of our own foolish selfish hearts Thus we have seene the first way of Gods speaking to men of old by dreames and visions of the night what work God is pleased to make with and in man by such speakings will appeare distinctly in the three following verses Vers 16. Then he openeth the ears of men and sealeth there instruction In this verse Elihu gives us the first of those gracious designes or purposes of God in sending dreams or visions of the night then he openeth the ears of men There is a twofold eare of man first externall that organ of hearing placed in the head Secondly internall that power of hearing seated in the heart God can uncover or open both There are but few who have their outward eare stopt we rarely meet with a deaf man But we every where meete with and speak to those who are internally deafe The Lord openeth this inward eare and he only is able to doe it God opened the heart or internall eare of Lydia to attend to the things which were spoken of Paul Acts 16.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sep. The Septuagint render this place of Job expressely so Then he openeth the mind of men Their translation comes close to the sence though not to the letter of the Originall Quidam hanc loquendi formulam natam esso putant ex hebraeorum consuetudine qui cum antiquis seculis prolixam alerent comam eaque aures operirent si quis
of their Countenance testifieth against them that is they look proudly though which should lay them in the dust they live very lewdly yea they are proud of their lewdness Thirdly How often doth pride bud in apparell in vaine fashions and new-fangled attires in the affected adornings and trimmings of a body of clay What are these but the buddings of pride yea the flaggs and banners of pride Some are as proud of their gay dresses as the Peacock of his feathers We commonly say Fine feathers make fine birds but how foolish are those birds that are proud of Feathers Secondly There is pride of heart or pride budding in the spirit of man which doth not shew it selfe only the mind swels within When men have high thoughts of themselves though they doe not as the Apostle Jude hath it speake great swelling words of vanity yet they have great swelling thoughts of vanity then pride buddeth in their spirits their minds swell and the mind will swell more then the tongue The tongue swells mightily but the heart much more The spirit of a man may lift up it selfe on high when the man looks very demurely Hab 2.4 Behold his soule which is lifted up is not upright in him If the soule be lifted up the man falls He that is high-minded cannot be upright in his minde It may be questioned Whence it cometh to passe that the soule of man is so much and so often lifted up with pride What causeth this swelling and heaving of his spirit I answer First Some are proud of their birth either that they are borne of great men or that they are borne of good men The Baptist admonished the Jewes of this piece of pride Math 3.19 Thinke not to say within your selves we have Abraham to our father As if he had sayd I well perceive what makes you as we speake proverbially stand so much upon your pantafloes and talk within your selves at such a rate of your selves is it not because you are of Abrahams stock But I say unto you let not your heart swell with these thoughts we are Children of Abraham for God is able even of these stones to raise up children to Abraham that is God will not want a people though he should lay you aside and entertaine you no longer for his people Secondly Others are proud of riches yea they boast of the multitude of their riches Psal 49.6 Even they who desire to hide their riches as much as they can yet cannot but tell the world they are proud of their riches so proud that they slight and contemne all men that have not as much riches as they O what rejoycings have most rich men over their riches Hezekiah a great King and a Good man a rare conjunction had much of that upon his spirit Isa 39.2 when Ambassadours came from Babylon He was glad of them and shewed them all his treasure He affected they should see what a rich King he was and what masses of Gold and silver as well as what multitudes of men were at his command Thirdly Many are proud of their honours and powers in the world They are high-minded because they are set in high places 'T is a dishonour to some great men that they have not truely great spirits And 't is the temptation of all great men to have proud spirits Fourthly Not a few are proud of their bodyly perfections and strength many a soule is defiled and deformed with pride by the bodyes beauty and fairenesse many look not after the beauty of holinesse while they doat upon the beauty of their owne comelinesse they see themselves in their beauty till they are proud of it and care not which should be our greatest care and shall be our greatest priviledge Isa 33.17 to see the King in his beauty As some trust in their spirituall beauty Ezek 16.15 so others over-weene their corporall both are the effects of pride and the first is by so much the worse of the two by how much it riseth from a better object Fifthly Many are proud of their naturall parts proud of their gifts proud of their wit proud of their memory proud of their eloquence and abilities of speaking As knowledge it selfe puffeth up 1 Cor 8.1 so doe all those endowments which serve either for the getting or expressing of our knowledge Gifts and abilities whether naturall or improved and acquired doe not more fit us for service then tempt us to and unlesse grace worke mightily taint us with pride Sixthly As many are proud of what they have so others are proud of what they have done they are proud of their actions their spirits swell with the thoughts of their owne workes Some are so wicked that they are proud of their evill workes The Apostle saith They glory in their shame Phil 3.19 David complain'd of many Psal 4. who turned his glory into shame but these turne their shame into glory that is they are proud of that for which they ought to be ashamed Now if some are proud of the evill of the mischief which they have done how easily may we grow proud of the good which we have done proud of our duties proud of our righteous deeds proud of our charitable deeds to men proud of our prayers to God proud of our zeale for God as Jehu was who sayd Come and see my zeale for the Lord. The heart of a good man may soone have too much to doe with what he hath done his thoughts may quickly worke too much towards and upon his owne workes But as for hypocrites and selfe-seekers who doe good to be seene of men they cannot forbeare seeing it themselves and surely that sight of the eye cannot but affect the heart with pride Seventhly Pride riseth often from the successe of what is attempted and done men are proud of victories The Assyrian is described Isa 10.13 14. triumphing and insulting because he had put downe the nations as a valiant man And Hab 1.16 we have the Chaldeans sacrificing to their net and burning incense to their drage because by them their portion is fat and their meat plenteous that is they boasted of and gloried in their great atchievements in warre so it seemes to be explained in the next words v. 17. Shall they therefore empty their net and not spare continually to slay the nations Eighthly Pride springeth out of the very mercies and salvation of God Thus 't is sayd of Hezekiah 2 Chron 32.25 after he had received two great mercies First deliverance from a great enemy and Secondly from a great sicknesse He rendred not againe according to the benefit done unto him for his heart was lifted up How lifted up not in thankfulnesse for he rendred not according to the kindnesse but in pride and high-mindednesse for presently it is said v. 26. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himselfe for the pride of his heart Ninthly The heart is lifted up and waxeth proud with Church-Priviledges Some say they are in the Church or they are the
Church they enjoy pure ordinances and administrations of holy worship above others For this kind of pride the Prophet reproved the Jewes Jer 7.3 4. Heare ye the word of the Lord all ye of Judah that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord c. Trust ye not in lying words saying The temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord are we The temple of the Lord are these As if he had sayd Be not proud of the Temple what we trust to besides God we are proud of nor of your Temple priviledges you will find no sanctuary no security there unlesse you amend your wayes these things will doe you no good except you be better The Jewes were taxed also by the Apostle for such a proud cry Rom 2.17 Thou makest thy boast of God and can a man doe better then to boast of God but they swell'd with pride they did not rejoyce with thankfulnesse they contemn'd others as if God were a God to them only and saw somewhat in them above others as the reason why he chose them for his people above others This was pride of spirit or spirituall pride And againe to the Jew v. 22. Thou that makest thy boast of the Law And is it not our duty to boast of the law or word of God But the Apostle saw them proud of the Law not obedient to it He perceived their hearts were lifted up in their priviledge of having the letter of the Law while both their hearts and lives were unconformed and unsubdued to the spirituallnesse of the Law Tenthly Pride is ready to rise in the heart of man from that divine light those extraordinary Revelations which he receives from God and it is hard to keep the heart under when God discovers very much of himselfe to man This was Pauls case 2 Cor 12.7 Lest I should be lifted up above measure through the aboundance of revelations there was given me a thorne in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me Even Paul in that case needed a thorne in his flesh to let out or prevent the Impostumation of his spirit Some conceive the reason why the Prophet Ezekiel is so often called Son of Man was to keepe him humble while he had many revelations from God Eleventhly Some have been proud not only of divine and heavenly but of diabolicall and hellish Revelations We read of one Theudas boasting himselfe to be some body Acts 5.36 This vaine man pretended revelations from God which were indeed from the Devill And he swell'd with this conceit boasted himselfe to be some body that is he thought himselfe to be every body as if the perfections of all men were Center'd in him or as if all others were no body and he himselfe the only some body The Apostle Acts 8.9 speaking of Symon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 idem atque 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hinc illud pindari 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quid est Aliquis i. e. qui se putat esse aliquam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vmbrae somnium homo Hinc illud Est filius alicujus i. e. egregij viri non è media turba aut terrae filius Et illud Fac ut me velis esse aliquem Cic Lib 3. ad Atticum Epist 52. who had used sorcery and bewitched the people of Samaria saith He gave out that himselfe was some great one he swell'd with pride from his diabolicall Revelations giving out not only as Theudas that he was some body but that he was some great one Though indeed for a man to report himselfe some body is as both learned Grecians and Latines noted in the Margin tell us to report himselfe a Great one And who are greater in pride then they who make Great reports of themselves or report themselves great How great a proneness there is in the heart of man to pride may appeare by all these instances by which it appeares that as there is much pride abiding in man so by all or any of these occasions it is dayly budding out unlesse God hide it from man and nip it in the bud Yet here it may be questioned Whence it cometh to passe that man is so prone to pride or what is the spring of it I answer First Pride springs from Inordinate selfe-love 2 Tim 3.2 Men shall be lovers of their own selves Covetous Boasters Proud They that are undue lovers of themselves or in love with themselves they presently grow proud of themselves Selfe-love and selfe-flattery are glasses in which if a man look upon himselfe he appears double to what he is or much greater then what he really is Selfe-love is a multiplying yea and a magnifying glasse 'T is dangerous to see our selves through our owne selfe-love That sight of selfe affects the heart with high thoughts of selfe which high thoughts the Lord would have all men cast downe or cast away while he gives that admonition by his Apostle to the Romans Rom 12.3 Let no man thinke of himselfe more highly then he ought to thinke that is let him not thinke highly of himselfe at all but as it followeth in the same verse Soberly or to sobriety For indeed many are drunken yea mad or mad-drunke with high that is proud thoughts of themselves Hence that of the same Apostle Gal 6.3 If a man think himselfe to be something when he is nothing he deceiveth himselfe he that thinks himselfe to be something is he that hath proud thoughts of himselfe and such a something is a meere nothing that is is no such thing as he thinks himselfe to be as is cleare in the case of the Church of Laodicea Rev 3.16 Hence Secondly Pride springs from an opinion that what we have is better then indeed it is the proud man thinks all his silver gold and his brass silver We speak proverbially of such All their geese are swans they alwayes over-rate their own commodities Thirdly Pride springs from this false opinion that what we have we have it from our selves or that 't is of our own getting The Apostles Pride-confounding question is 1 Cor 4.7 What hast thou that thou hast not received As if he had sayd the true reason why men boast or the ground of all their proud boasting is this they think not themselves beholding to any for what they have all is of themselves or by a selfe-improvement they have somewhat they imagine which they have not received Fourthly The proud man thinkes what he hath he alone hath it at least that he hath it in a greater measure then any other He is the Cedar others are but shrubs He is the Giant others are but dwarfes Only the humble attaine that rule Rom 12.10 In honour preferring one another as also that Phil 2.3 In lowliness of mind let each esteeme other better then himselfe Fifthly Pride riseth from this thought that what we have we shall alwayes have Holy David began to be blowne up with pride as soone as ever he sayd in
you may save them make them afraid that they may not be damned save them with fear plucking them as it were out of the fire Sinners are runing into the fire and do not perceive it they are tumbling down to hell and consider it not they must be pulled out of the fire else they will burn in it for ever The great businesse of the Gospell is to pull souls like firebrands out of the burning Fourthly note They who turn from their evill purposes and the pride of their hearts escape wrath the pit and the sword The wages of sin is death and well are they that escape that misse such wages If a sinner turne from his purpose from his sinfull way if his pride be subdued and he emptied of himself then his soul if kept from destruction and his life from perishing by the sword JOB Chap. 33. Vers 19 20 21 22. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong pain So that his life abhorreth bread and his soul dainty meat His flesh is consumed away that it cannot be seen and his bones that were not seen stick out His soul draweth neare unto the grave and his life to the destroyer THe context of these foure verses containeth a description of the second meanes which the wisdome of God is pleased often to use for the humiliation of man and for the discovery or revelation of his mind unto him He speaketh in a dream in a vision of the night as was shewed before he speaketh also by paines and sicknesses as is now to be considered Vers 19. He is chastened also with pain That particle which we render also gives the text an emphasis He is chastened also For it imports that here is a further addition or supplement of meanes whereby the Lord doth awaken sinners to attend and obey his voyce The subject of these foure verses is a sick man or the sickness of man A sorrowfull subject And the sickness of man is set forth in these foure verses by foure sad symptomes or effects The first is paine grievous paine ver 19. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong paine The second symptome of this sickness is loss of appetite and his nauceating all manner of food v. 20. So that his life abhorreth bread and his soul dainty meat The third symptome of his sickness is a generall languishment or consumption all his body over v. 21. His flesh is consumed away that it cannot be seen and his bones that were not seene stick out The fourth and last symptome of this grievous sickness is fainting swooning or a readiness to expire and give up the ghost v. 22. His soul draweth near to the grave and his life to the destroyer That is he is sick and even sick to death All these are speciall symptomes of a sick man or of the sickness of man I begin with the first Vers 19. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed The word which we render to chasten hath a twofold signification in Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a reguit reprehendit corripuit verbis sive factis First to reprove or convince both by authority and reason Lev 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke him or reproving thou shalt reprove him that is Thou shalt surely reprove him And in that famous Prophecy concerning Christ Isa 11.4 He shall reprove with equity we put in the margin He shall argue with equity or convince by such reasons and arguments as shall carry the greatest equity in them Thus when Christ had finished his Sermon on the mount it is sayd Math 7.28 29. The people his Auditors were astonished at his doctrine for he taught them as one having authority and not as the Scribes This Sermon carrying so great a reproofe of the Scribes and Pharisees both as to their life and doctrine throughout may well be expounded as a fullfilling of that ancient prophecy It being confessed in another place of the Gospel even by the Officers that were sent to attach him John 7.46 Never man spake like this man The words of Christ had so much evidence so much equity in them that they who came to take and catch him were taken and caught if not to conversion yet to such a conviction by what he spake that they could not though they highly displeased their Masters in saying so but say Never man spake like this man As if they had sayd Surely the man that speakes thus is more then a man Secondly The word often signifies to correct which is also to instruct correction is for instruction Chastning is the most reall reproving And so we render it He is chastened Man is instructed not only by speech and counsell but by stripes and corrections Thus David prayed Psal 6.1 O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure The first word which we render rebuke is that in the text As if he had sayd Lord doe not rebuke me by angry afflictions let me not find thee greatly displeased and my selfe sorely chastned at once He deprecates the same againe and how grievous the effects of such dispensations are he sheweth Psal 38.1 Rebuke me not in thy wrath Psal 39.11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity He means it not only of word-rebukes but of hand-rebukes also when thou with such doubled rebukes dost chasten man for iniquity What then The effects of it follow even the staining of the glory of all flesh Thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth And so some interpret that Psal 105.15 He reproved Kings for their sakes speaking of his owne people the Lord did not only speak to those Kings but made them feel his hand for his peoples sake Abimelech felt his hand for Abrahams sake And so did Pharoah that hard-hearted King in a whole decade of plagues for Israels sake whom he had oppressed and would not let goe We render the word in this second sense for a rebuke by blowes or by correction which yet hath a language in it and speaks with a loud voyce to man He is chastened with paine upon his bed Paine is both the concomitant and effect of sickness The word noteth First the paine of the body caused either by the violence of inward distempers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doluit corpore vel animo or from the outward stroake of a wound Gen 34. When the sons of Jacob had prevailed with the Shechemites to receive Circumcision It came to passe on the third day when they were sore or pained with the wound of it Simeon and Levi came upon them Gen 34.25 Secondly the word signifieth as bodyly paine caused any way so paine of the mind which is griefe or sorrow Psal 69.29 I am poore and sorrowfull Sorrow is alwayes the effect of paine either outward or
any that are sent upon business John 13.16 Apostolus hic non specialis muneris sed generale nomen est missum cum mandatis significans Grot He that is sent let him be who he will or upon what occasion soever he is sent is not greater then he that sends him So then the Ministers of the Gospel are called the messengers of Christ First Because they are sent by Christ and have a Commission from him Secondly They are his messengers because they are instructed by Christ and carry forth his mind they may not speake their owne words nor their owne sence but the word which they bring is or ought to be what they have received or what Christ hath put into their mouthes that 's their duty And the messengers of Christ are to speak his mind First Plainly 1 Cor 2.4 In the demonstration of the Spirit Secondly boldly not flattering the persons nor fearing the faces of men Thirdly They should speak authoritatively though they beseech and beg and pray yet they are to doe all as having a warrant for what they doe and as being cloathed with power from on high If any man speak saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 4.11 let him speak as the Oracles of God As he is to speak the Oracles of God so as the oracles of God Some speak who doe not speak the oracles of God but their owne opinions Others speak the oracles of God materially that is they deliver divine truths yet they doe not speak them as the oracles of God with that authority which becomes the Gospel we say of some They marr their tale in the telling Though they report or tell the mind of him that sent them yet they spoyle it in reporting it The Ministers of the Gospel spoyle their message unlesse they report it plainly boldly and with Authority Thirdly If Ministers be the messengers of Christ surely then they are to be heard and their message is to be received if God sends a messenger to us shall we not open the doore to him if a friend send a messenger to us he takes it very ill and well he may if we doe not 'T is below civility 't is an high affront to a man not to receive his message what is it then to the most high God! How dreadfull is that woe which Christ pronounceth against such as refuse either his messengers or their message Math 10.14 15. Whosoever shall not receive you nor heare your words When ye depart out of that house or City shake off the dust of your feete Implying that God would so shake them off or esteeme them no more then the vilest dust Yea as another Gospel hath it Mark 6.11 implying that as they had not received the testimony which his messengers bare of him so their dust should be kept as a testimony against them And lest the mischiefe threatned them in this aenigmatical or covert speech should not be understood Christ himselfe expounds it in the next words Verily I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of Judgement then for that City Further 'T is not enough barely to receive Christs Messengers they must be received as the Messengers of Christ Such a reception the Apostle found among the Galatians Chap. 4.14 And my temptation or daily affliction which was in my flesh ye despised not nor rejected but received me as an Angell of God even as Christ Jesus And what is said of the Messenger is to be understood also of his message both are to be received as from Christ How is that you will say Take it in these four words First when 't is received gladly Acts 2.4 It should be the joy of our hearts the Psalmist calls it the joyfull sound Ps 89.15 to hear a word from Christ Secondly when it is received reverently and respectfully as giving honour to the message and the Messenger for Christs sake Thirdly when 't is received obedientially as submitting to the word else your respectfull and joyfull receiving the message of Christ is but a complement or piece of Courtship Fourthly when their whole message is thus received as Cornelius said to Peter Acts 10.33 We are all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God We must receive not only those things that sute us well but those things that are most crosse to our corrupt natures and interests whether of worldly profit or pleasure this is to receive the Messengers and messages of Jesus Christ as his If there be a Messenger An Interpreter That 's a second stile 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dulcuit inde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oratorem vel interpretem significat qui◠dicentis sermones dulces auditoribus sunt Novar or Title given to the man sent to the sick sinner The Hebrew word here rendred an Interpreter cometh from a root signifying sweetnesse or to sweeten Some conceive the Latine word Mel for honey hath its originall from it because the message or interpretation that comes from God should be sweet as honey to us David professeth The word of God is sweeter then honey and the hony-comb Psal 19.10 As if he had said 't is sweeter to the soul then that which is sweetest to sense Now the messenger sent from God is called an interpreter because he is sent to interpret and declare the mind of God to his people Mr. Broughton renders A Teacher The word interpreter may be taken three wayes First For any one that interpreteth tongues or languages Thus 't is said Gen. 42.23 Joseph spake to his brethren by an interpreter they 't is like did not understand the Egyptian language and he either for state or to conceale himself the better would not seem to understand theirs Secondly There is an interpreter of misteries as well as of languages Many things spoken in our own language may need an interpreter more then the words of a strange language We read Prov. 1.6 of a Parable and the interpretation of it Parables are wise but hard and dark sayings they need an interpreter The Gospel is a mystery and he that can expound and declare the mysteries of the Gospel is an interpreter indeed Thirdly The word interpreter is taken in a larger sence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cortè est advocatus quem Chaldaei vocant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 paracletum significat eadem voce oratorem Rhetorem Drus for any person that interposeth between two or that indeavours the setling of any matter in difference either between God and man or between man and man Isa 43.27 Thy Teachers we put in the Margin interpreters have transgressed against me As if he had said they who as Mediators should have prayed for thee to me and have declared my will to thee are themselves depraved Further We may distinguish of a threefold interpreter First a grammaticall interpreter whose business is to give the sence of words Secondly a logicall interpreter who gathers up
the meaning scope and mind of any sentence or the purpose of man in what he speaketh Thirdly there is the divine of spirituall interpreter who labours to bring the truths of God and the heart of man together The Apostle having treated about prophecying concludes 1 Cor. 14.25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest and so falling down on his face he will worship God and report that God is in you of a truth as if the man that beleeved not or one unlearned for of such he speaks vers 24. had said surely these men understand what is in my heart for they have brought the truth of God and my heart together so that I must confesse God is in them that is there is a divine wisdome or interpretation in them When Elihu faith If there be an interpreter we are to understand him in this last sence not of one that can interpret words like a Grammarian or give the scope and sence of words like a Logician but of one that hath a divine skill to bring the truths of God home to the heart of man that is to convince informe an ignorant conscience and to comfort relieve and support a troubled conscience If there be an interpreter Hence note The Ministers of Christ are the interpreters of the mind and good will of God toward poor sinners They interpret the mind of God as to peace and reconciliation as to grace and salvation as well as to duty and holiness of conversation 'T is the nicest and hardest thing in the world to interpret the mind of God aright to a sinner to bring his heart to a closing with the great truths and promises of the Gospel he that can doe this skilfully is worthy the name of an interpreter The Apostle saith of him who is but a babe in Christ and useth milke that is lives upon the lower and more easie principles of faith he is unskillfull in the word of righteousnesse Heb. 5.13 that is he knowes not how to make out and mannage for his own comfort the doctrine of free grace through the alone righteousness of Jesus Christ And therefore as first God himself is the author and fountaine of this grace as secondly Jesus Christ is the purchaser or procurer of the fruits of this grace to sinners as thirdly the effectuall worker of our hearts to receive this grace as also the witness-bearer and sealer of it to our souls is the holy Spirit as fourthly the word of the Gospell is the Charter and Covenant of this grace so fifthly the Ministers of Christ are the interpreters of this grace and they are or ought to be skillfull in this word of righteousness Their skill and duty is first to explaine what the Covenant is and rightly to lay down how the sinners reconciliation to God is wrought Secondly to make a sutable and seasonable application of it or to bring it home to the souls and consciences of poor sinners as they find their state to be And as the Ministers of Christ are Gods interpreters to his people so they are the peoples interpreters unto God They are the former two wayes First by opening the mind of God to his people Secondly by urging and pressing them to receive it both for their direction and consolation They are the latter four wayes First by laying open and spreading the peoples wants and weaknesses before God Secondly by confessing their sins and transgressions to God Thirdly by intreating the Lord for them or by praying for mercy pardon and forgiveness in their behalfe for sins committed Fourthly by giving thanks in their name for mercies received Thus they are first Gods mouth to the people in preaching declaring the Gospel Secondly the peoples mouth to God in prayer and thanksgiving And in both performe the worke and Office of an interpreter And if the Ministers of the Gospell are interpreters Then First Every Minister must be acquainted with the mind of God He must have skill in the mystery of the Gospel How shall he be able to interpret the mind of God to sinners who is not acquainted with the mind of God We have the mind of Christ saith the Apostle of himselfe and his fellow-labourers in the Gospel 1 Cor. 2.16 and when he saith we have the mind of Christ his meaning is not only this that they had the mind of Christ written in a book but they had a cleare understanding of it and so were fitted to interpret it to others Secondly As he must have the knowledge of the mystery so he must have the tongue of the learned Isa 50.4 That he may be able to speak a word in season to him that is weary that is to the wounded and troubled in conscience This is the interpreter intended by Elihu He is one that hath learned and is taught of God Humane learning the knowledge of Arts and Sciences is good and hath its use but divine learning or learning in divine things that is to be divinely learned 't is possible for one to have learning in divine things and not to be divinely learned is absolutely necessary to make him an interpreter It is not enough to know divine things but he must know them divinely or by the unction and teachings of the Spirit The Apostle John Rev 10.8 is commanded to eat the book this eating of the book signifieth the spirituall knowledg of divine truths in this sence we know no more then we eat then we as it were turn into our own substance that which is eaten becomes one with us the mystery of the Gospell must be eaten by the interpreter of Gospell mysteries A man cannot interpret the mind of God till he knows it and he cannot know the mind of God unlesse God himself reveals it so the Apostle argueth 1 Cor. 2. from 12 to 16. As no man knoweth the mind of a man but the spirit of a man that is in him so the things of the spirit of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God and he to whom the Spirit of God doth reveale them And therefore though a man may have an abillity to interpret the word of God as 't is an excellent book a book full of admirable knowledge he may I say have an abillity to interpret it soundly by humane learning yet no man can doe it savingly and convertingly but by the help of the Spirit Psal 25.14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant he will shew it effectually he will make them know it Thus David prayed Psal 119.18 Lord open thou mine eyes that I may behold wonderous things out of thy Law Naturall parts and humane learning arts and languages may give us an understanding of the tenour and literal meaning of the Law of God but none of these can open our eyes to behold the wonders of the Law much lesse the wonders and mysteries of the Gospell The opening of our eyes to behold these
upon the matter even exhaust and undoe themselves by liberallity unto others and they who give most or have most to give cannot alwayes give It is said in this Book Chap. 37.11 By watering he wearieth the thick cloud that is God commandeth the cloud to give raine so long that it hath not a drop more to give but is quite spent Springs or fountaines are never wearied or spent with watering because their waters come as freely and as fast as they goe God is an everlasting spring of grace and goodness He is not wearyed nor emptyed by what he giveth out to or doth for the creature because all floweth from his naturall graciousnesse as from a fountaine Then he is gracious I would urge the second reference of that word then a little further It was shewed before that it might refer First to the extreamity of the sick man Secondly to the sick mans humiliation or the right disposure of his spirit to receive renewed acts of grace and favour from the Lord. Hence observe Secondly God usually dispenseth or giveth out acts of grace when we repent and turne from sin Si aegrotus ille monitis illius nuncij paruerit ac proinde resipuerit tum c. Pisc when we believe and lay hold upon the promise Then he is gracious It is said Isa 30.18 Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious The Lord hath alwayes a gracious disposition a gracious nature he alwayes hath a store and a stocke a rich stocke and store of mercy by him but he doth not alwayes give it forth no he waits to be gracious that is he waits till we are in a fit frame till we are in a due temper to receive his grace And because as to the dispensings of grace God waits to be gracious therefore many retard and hinder their owne good they are not yet in a frame to receive their vessell is not yet seasoned to hold mercy The Lord waited to be gracious to David after his grievous fall and therefore he did not give Nathan a Commission to say Thy sin is done away till Davids heart was broken and had said 2 Sam 12.13 I have sinned against the Lord But when once that word fell from him then Nathan declared how gracious the Lord was to him As soone as David said I have sinned that 's an act of repentance presently Nathan said the Lord hath done away thy sin that 's an act of grace When did Ephraim heare a word of comfort from God The Prophet tells us Jer 31.18 19 20. I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe that is mourning over and bewayling his sin saying thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoake We have him there also praying Turne me O Lord and I shall be turned c. Upon this how graciously how meltingly did the Lord speak Is Ephraim my deare son is he a pleasant child since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still or in remembring I remember him my bowells are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him Now I will manifest my grace and acquaint him with my goodness The Lord was very gracious to Saul afterwards Paul he sent Ananias to him with a message of mercy as to restore the sight of his bodyly eyes so to assure him that he should be an instrument in the hand of Christ to open the eyes of many and a chosen vessel to beare his name before the Gentiles and Kings and the Children of Israel Acts 9.15 But when was this message delivered him the text tells us v. 11. For behold he prayeth the man is in the dust he is brought upon his knees his spirit is broken that word he prayeth comprehends the whole worke of a gracious soule as to his humiliation and returning to the Lord. In the parable of the prodigall Son his father is represented abundantly gracious to him but he did not signifie it he did not send the ring not the rich robe to him when he was abroad in a strange Country among harlots drinking and wasting his estate time and strength vainely we read of no acts of grace to him then but when being pinched with famine and hunger he came to himselfe and began to bethink himselfe of coming back to his fathers house and that he had brought himselfe by his own folly to beggery and want and husks when he was upon these termes or resolves to goe home to his father and cast himselfe at his feet as unworthy the name or priviledge of a Son then his father ran to meete him fell on his neck and kissed him then he put on the ring and cloathed him with the robe then he killed the fatted calfe and made a feast for him All which sceane of mercy doth but hold out this one word in the text Then he is gracious There are two sorts of gracious acts of God First some are acts of absolute grace or of preventing grace These are put forth upon and exercised towards the creature before there is any the lest preparation in the heart to draw them out or invite the bestowing of them Thus the grace of God in election is absolutely free there was no prevision of any qualification in man moving God to elect him And so that wonderfull act of grace in which election first descends and discovers it selfe effectuall vocation is absolutely free God calls a sinner when he is in the heat and hurry of his evill wayes pursuing his lusts in the height of his pride and in the hardness of his impenitent heart Now if when God first calleth a sinner there is nothing in him but sin What can move God to call him but free grace A third absolute act of grace is justification God doth not justifie a sinner for any thing that he finds or sees in us As to us 't is altogether free He justifieth the ungodly Rom 4.5 when that wretched infant was in its blood which expresseth a miserable uncleane poluted condition then was a time of love Ezek 16.8 then was God gracious What loveliness was there in that infant representing the best of men in that fallen naturall estate to draw out the love of God nothing at all yea she was altogether unlovely yet then saith God thy time was the time of love or then was the time of putting forth love in her conversion and vocâ—tion Then I sayd unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live And because the thing might seeme not only strange but even impossible that the heart of God should be towards such a wretched one for good the word is doubled yea I sayd unto theâ— when thou wast in thy blood live These acts of absolute free grace are the glory of the Covenant of grace for if the Covenant should hold out acts of Grace only upon our pre-dispositions when should we receive any act of grace The promise is not of this tenour I will pardon them when
breath bloweth away sickness if he doe but speak to a disease to a feaver to an ague to a dropsie to a consumption O killing malady spare him thou hast done enough any disease might prevaile to death did not God say spare him hold thy hand not a blow more not a fit more O killing malady Death it selfe much more sickness heareth the voyce of God And it may be said to heare him because it doth that which they who have the power of hearing ought to doe that is it obeyeth or yeildeth to the voyce and command of God will no longer afflict the sick man Diseases may be said to deliver a man from death the pit when they depart from him Yet Secondly I conceive this warrant for the deliverance of the sick man is given out to the messenger or interpreter to the one among a thousand that visiteth him in his sickness He having been with him and dealt with his conscience he having brought him into a good frame the Lord is gracious Sequestrem illum Jubebit ei renunciare impetratum esse sibi liberationem Bez and in answer to his prayer sets it upon his heart that he shall recover and warrants him to tell him so which is declaratively to deliver him from going downe to the pit This act of mans delivering the sicke is like that act of man pardoning the sinner John 20.23 that is 't is ministeriall or declarative not originall nor Authoritative The interpreter doth not deliver him but tells him God will We have the Psalmist speaking thus after his supplication and prayer made to the Lord for a sick State or Nation or for a sick Church that 's his scope Psal 85. Wilt thou not revive us againe that thy people may rejoycâ— in thee v. 6. Surely thou wilt and he expresseth his confidence that God would v. 8. I will heare what God the Lord will speake for he will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints When he had prayed he would harken for news or for a message from heaven whether or no the Lord would order him to speak peace to those for whom he had been praying and say deliver them from going downe to the pit Thus did the Prophet Habakkuk I will stand upon my watch and set me upon my tower and see what he will say unto me and what I shall answer when I am reproved Chap 2.1 In the next verse The Lord answered and sayd write the vision and make it plaine upon tables that he may run that readeth it And what was the answer surely deliverance for having sayd in the end it shall speake and not lye v. 3. he concludes v. 4. The just shall live by his faith Believing deliverance he shall at last be delivered from the pit of captivity and live Here in the text we must suppose this messenger had prayed and having prayed he did not neglect his prayer but was hearkning what the Lord would say Elihu was confident the Lord would give a gracious answer though not by an immediate voyce or revelation to his eare yet by an assurance of the mercy given into his spirit When that good king Hezekiah was not only sick unto death but had received an expresse message from the Lord Set thy house in order for thou shalt dye and not live 2 Kings 20.1 'T is sayd at the 2d verse He turned his face to the wall and prayed unto the Lord saying c. And at the 4th verse The word of the Lord came to Isaiah the Prophet saying turne againe and tell Hezekiah the Captain of my people Thus saith the Lord the God of David thy father I have heard thy prayer I have seene thy teares behold I will heale thee c. Here God gave a word formally and put it into the Prophets mouth Goe deliver him from going downe to the pit And though the Lord doth not thus now in such an explicite and open way nor may we expect it yet there is a virtuall saying of this word from the Lord and that sometimes mightily imprest upon the hearts of those who have prayed and sought unto him for the sick man whereby not by an ungrounded vaine confidence but by a scripturall holy confidence comparing the promise with the mans condition they are enabled to tell him The Lord hath delivered thee from going downe to the pit And he shall as certainly be delivered as if the Lord had sent an expresse from heaven to tell him so Then he is gracious to him and saith deliver him from going downe to the pit Hence observe First Death is a going to the pit a going to destruction Thus it is ordinarily with all who dye to the pit they goe Many dye and goe downe to the bottomless pit all who dye may be sayd to goe to the pit To goe to the bottomless pit is the circumlocution of eternall death as to goe to the pit is the circumlocution of temporall death Secondly Forasmuch as the man being sick the Lord gives out this word deliver him from going downe to the pit Note Sickness hath in it a tendency unto death The sick stand as it were upon the borders of the grave Some not only put death farr from them in health but in their sickness untill they are even dead they scarce thinke themselves dying It is good for us in our health and best strength to be looking into the pit and considering upon what grounds of comfort we can descend into the grave How much more should we be thinking of and looking into the pit when we are in a languishing and dying condition Thirdly Observe The word and work of deliverance is from God alone Then he will be gracious and say deliver him from going downe to the pit God can and God only can deliver from death no creature in heaven or earth can speak this but by commission from God none can open this secret till God interpret it Deliverance is the Lords salvation and the word of salvation from sickness as well as of salvation from hell comes out from the Lord. But is it not sayd Pro 11.4 Righteousness delivereth from death I answer when it is sayd Righteousness delivereth from death The meaning is God delivereth the righteous from death He delivereth them from the sting and terror from all that which is properly called the evill of corporall death and he delivereth them wholly from the least touch or shadow of eternall death And this righteousness which delivers from death is not our own but the righteousness of Christ made ours by the appoyntment of God and received as ours by faith 'T is neither any righteousness wrought in us nor any righteousness wrought by us but that righteousness which is wrought for us which delivereth from death and that delivereth us from death because God saith of such a righteous person deliver him as often from temporall death or going downe to the pit of the grave so alwayes from
O that my people had hearkned unto me and Israel had walked in my wayes I should soone have subdued their enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves but their time should have endured for ever I should have fed them also with the finest of the wheate c. As if the Lord had sayd How glad should I have been if my people had been but fitly qualified to give me occasion of removing all evill from them and of doing them all manner of good The holy Prophet speakes the heart of God in the same readiness Isa 30.18 Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you As if he had sayd The Lord expects your reformation that he may not proceed in rigour against you or as some conceive rather he only delayeth his putting an end to your troubles till ye are humbled expecting a seasonable time to shew you that mercy in bestowing of which he will exalt and advance his owne name and honour when once he seeth you fitted and duely prepared to receive it The Lord saith David Psal 14.2 looked downe from heaven upon all the children of men to see if there were any did understand and seek God There he is represented looking downe from heaven to see if any did understand as here he looketh upon men to see if any doe repent saying I have sinned c. The Lord often yea alwayes looketh downe upon Nations Cities and people to see if any have a right understanding of him or a will with upright affections to him The Lord at this day is looking upon the sick and looking upon the sound to see if there are any who are going on faithfully in a right way or repenting that they have gone wrong He looketh upon men And if any say I have sinned c. In this latter part of the verse we have the matter expressed which the Lord looketh upon men for 't is repentance and godly sorrow for sin If any say I have sinned That is if any repent When the Lord saith If any say I have sinned he doth not meane it of a bare saying so but if any say so laying his sin to heart if any say so from a true sence of the evill of sin if any say so burden'd with sin and tasting the bitterness of it if any shall say I have sinned and say it thus then c. The word which we translate sinned notes a mistake of our ayme or way As if it had been sayd If any man say I have gone besides the line and done besides the rule Sin is in all men a missing of the mark and a stepping out of the right path it is also in very many as 't is expressed in the next clause a perverting of that which is right If any say I have sinned and perverted that which is right 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 curvus obliquus contortus perversus Latini dicunt curvos mores The word implyeth more then ordinary sinning more then sins of infirmity which arise from ignorance and mistake even those which are committed with a resolvedness of spirit and purpose of heart or they imply not those sins which a man falls into unadvisedly and unawares but those which he commits upon deliberation and in the eye of the Law that shewing him plainly what is right and that he ought not to pervert it So then in strictness of sence to pervert that which is right is to be willingly yea wilfully unrighteous The Church making a graduall confession of her sin by three steps puts this word in the midst Psal 106.6 We have sinned with our fathers we have committed iniquity 't is this word or done that which is crooked and perverse we have done wickedly Cain the first man born sinned thus Gen 4.13 My punishment is greater then I can beare so we render or as we put in the margin mine iniquity is greater then can be forgiven Cains sin was a perversness he knew he perverted that which was right in slaying his brother So that here we have the confession of sin with the aggravation of it a notorious sin The penitent person doth not only say I have sinned but I have sinned greatly or I have perverted that which was right To sin and to pervert that which is right are materially the same only the latter intimates the manner how a sin is committed namely when we would not be ruled by the Law but accommodate the Law as if it were a leaden or lesbian rule to serve our lusts so perverting that which was right that we might countenance and embolden our selves in doing wrong If any aske What is right Surely right is First The Law Secondly that which is done according to Law The statutes of God are right rejoycing the heart Psal 19.8 The word of God is right and the rule of right yea it is a ruling right To pervert that which is right or to pervert the law of righteousness is to act against the light and convictions of conscience which will be our Judge One of the latine interpreters useth a harsh and course word to presse this by yet full and proper to the scope Peccavi et rectum torrificavi Cajet Praevaricatus sum à probitate Tygur I have tâ—rtified or writhed and bended that which was right Another renders it I have prevaricated from that which was right Our word gives the sence fully enough I have sinned and perverted that which was right Hence note First Sin must be confessed The Lord looks for it He looketh upon men to see whether any will say I have sinned He will have their sin out of their own mouths When Nathan brought the parable home to David and sayd Thou art the man he presently fell into confession I have sinned 2 Sam 12.13 But some may say Is this confession of sin sufficient to say I have sinned I answer First a generall confession of sin or that we have sinned is not sufficient unlesse we are also willing and ready to confesse before the Lord all our particular sins Some are ready enough to say they have sinned who yet will scarse be brought to acknowledge any particular sin yea many say Peccatores se esse plerique confitentur etiam qui se vel peccasse non credunt Greg l. 24. Moral c 12. they are great sinners who know not how or in what they have sinned not what it is to sin Therefore barely to say I have sinned is not a Gospel confession of sin I answer Secondly Though a generall confession is only expressed in this and many other Scriptures yet a speciall confession is intended The prodigal Son Luke 15.19 sayd I will returne to my father and I will say to my father I have sinned against heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son He did not
before we judge either of things or persons Though we may judge rightly of that we have not heard or of that which we have heard slightly yet we are not right Judges of any matter till we have heard it 'T is possible to hit upon a right judgement blind-fold but Judges must not be blind nor judge blind-fold To judge right not knowing it to be so shall have no better reward then a wrong judgement Yea they that are called to judge must both heare and give eare else they may quickly give wrong judgement Againe Elihu is speaking here to wise and good men yet how strictly doth he exhort them Heare and give eare Hence note Good men are often dull of hearing and had need to be put forward Christ tells his Disciples that many are judicially so and we know that all are naturally so Math 13.15 and the Apostle tells the Hebrewes they were so Chap 5.11 where treating of Christ called of God an high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck he concludeth of whom we have many things to say and hard to be uttered seeing ye are dull of hearing But how did their dullness of hearing make those things hard to be spoken or uttered may it not be easie enough for a man to utter that which others are dull to heare I answer the Apostles meaning seemes to be this It was hard for him to utter or expound them so as they might perceive the cleare truth of those great mysteries because their internal eare or apprehending faculty was weake and dull There is a stople in the eare of man and 't is hard to pull it out When any one speakes to purpose 't is the duty of those that are present to heare and yet he that speakes had need to invite and presse all to heare yea to heare and give eare The words of the wise are goads to provoke and pricke us on to heare the truth as well as nayles to fasten it Eccl 12.11 Elihu having called wise men to heare or eare his words sheweth the use or force of the eare in the next verse Vers 3. For the ear tryeth words as the mouth tasteth meat In this verse Elihu gives the reason why he so earnestly exhorted them to heare and give ear The ear tryeth words that is by the hearing of the ear words are tryed It is the office of the eare to conveigh words to the understanding that so a judgement may be made of them before they are either received or rejected The word which we translate to try 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pericula fecit probavit signifies to try as gold is tryed in the fire the eare is as it were a furnace wherein words are tryed the ear will discover whether what is sayd be dross or pure mettal The Prophet Zach 13.9 speaketh of a third part of men that should be brought thorow the fire and tryed as the fire of affliction and persecution tryeth persons so man hath a fire and a touchstone in his eare which tryeth words The ear is given not only to heare a sound of words not only to understand the general meaning of words what they signifie in any language but the eare is given to try the sense and soundness of words And when Elihu saith words speaking indefinitely he includeth all words of one sort or other it tryeth good words and it tryeth bad words it tryeth heavenly words and it tryeth earthly words it tryeth naturall words and it tryeth spirituall words the truth or falshood of words are brought to tryall at the barre and tribunall of the eare But in what manner or after what similitude doth the eare try words The answer followeth as the mouth tasteth meat In the 12th Chapter we had the same expression and therefore I shall not stay upon it here Only there the sentence is made up by a particle Copulative The ear tryeth words and the mouth tasteth meat Here by a particle of likeness The eare tryeth words as the mouth tasteth meat There is a faire analogy or proportion between the eare and the mouth in discriminating their proper obiects Hearing and tasting are two of those five excellent usefull senses which God hath planted in the nature of man the other three are seeing smelling feeling Here we have a comparison between two of the five senses look what the mouth is to meat the same is the ear to words In the mouth the sense of tasting is placed as a Judge to discerne between good and bad savory and unsavory meates and the eare of a man which receiveth words is accompanied with an understanding whereby we apprehend what is true what is false what is to be approved and what refused And the comparison runs yet more clearely while we consider that as the food which the mouth receiveth is prepared for the helpe of our natural or bodily life so the words of instruction which the eare receiveth are prepared for the food of our soules and the maintaining of our spirituall life Some conceive the comparison is not here made between the two senses of tasting and hearing but that both are compared to those wise and knowing men spoken of and to whom appeale is made in the former verse For as all the senses are not fitted to judge of words and meates but only the eare and palate so all men are not fit nor capable to judge of weighty matters and profound questions but only wise and knowing men And so according to this interpretation both or either of these sensitive faculties and both or either of their properties are alike compared to wise and learned men who are able not only to understand the sound of words but also exercise a judgement upon them both to discerne and determine what there is of truth and right in them Sapientia est sapida scientia Hence that saying of the Ancient Wisdome is a savory knowledge Wise men tast and savour the things which they know He surely was a wise man who sayd of the word of God Jer 15.16 Thy words were sound and I did eate them and thy word was to me the joy and rejoycing of my heart Heare O ye wise men and give ear to me ye that have knowledge the ear tryeth words as the mouth tasteth meat that is as the ear of a man tryeth words and as the mouth of a man doth tast meat so wise and knowing men try and tast that which is spoken and heard Thus both these sensitive faculties their properties and powers are compared to wise men who doe not only heare the voyce of him that speaketh but sit downe to consider it The mouth having taken meat and chawed it tasts it and makes a judgement of it Thus wise men deal with all they hear so that look what these two natural faculties doe with naturall things with words naturally spoken with meat naturally eaten the same they who are wise and knowing do to what is spoken spiritually and rationally
in vengeance Psal 7.11 12 13. God is angry with the wicked every day if he turne not he will whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready he hath also prepared for him the instruments of death he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutours Secondly Note The wounds which God makes cannot be healed by any medicines but his owne Jobs wound was incurable there was no balme for him in the Gilead of this world no Physician there And therefore the Lord bids Egypt in scorne seeke healing there Jer 46.11 Goe up into Gilead and take balme O virgin the daughter of Egypt in vaine shalt thou use many medicines for thou shalt not be cured Who can heale where God will wound Psal 38.2 3. Thine arrows stick fast in me there is no soundness in my flesh even David complained that the wounds which the arrows of God had made in him were incurable Why is my paine perpetuall said the Prophet Jer 15.18 and my wound incurable which refuseth to be healed When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to king Jareb to help him yet could he not heale you nor cure you of your wounds Hos 5.13 God gives states or bodyes politick such wounds as all the medicines and meanes in the world cannot helpe They may goe to the Assyrian and send to king Jareb to this and that power They may call a whole colledge of State-Physicians or deepest politicians for counsel and advise yet neither one nor other can be a healer to them Therefore in the next Chapter v. 1. the Church concluded upon another course and a better addresse then either to the Assyrian or to king Jareb Come let us returne unto the Lord for he hath torne and he will heale us only the Lord who gives the wound can heale the wound the same hand which smites us must cure us else our wound is incurable Thirdly Note To complaine of our wounds as incurable or past cure is an argument of our unbeliefe 'T is good for us even to despaire of help from creatures and to say the least wound if but the scratch of a pin is incurable by all the art meanes and medicines which this world can administer but to say our wound though never so deep dangerous and deadly is absolutely incurable is our sin While we ruine our selves that is while we provoke God to ruine us yet there is hope in God O Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe but in me is thine helpe Hos 13.9 despaire as much as you will of creatures helpe but still hope in God Thirdly In that he saith My wound is incurable without transgression Note The Lord may and doth take liberty to afflict those grievously who have not sinned greatly There is no man liveth and sinneth not yet every man is not in strict sense a sinner that is a great sinner a rebell a worker of iniquity yet the Lord when 't is needfull giveth them great wounds who have not comparatively sinned greatly Though no sin should be little in our eye yet there are degrees of sin and some are lesse then others in the eye both of God and man Elihu chargeth Job not as saying he had no sin but because he complained his wounds were great though his sins were not or that there was not a due proportion between his offence and his punishment his sins and his sufferings Hence note Fourthly Though the Lord taketh liberty to afflict those greatly that have not sinned greatly yet they must not take liberty to complaine of the greatness of their afflictions how little soever their sins have been A gracious heart lookes upon the least of his mercies as greater then the greatest of his good deservings and upon the greatest of his sufferings as lesse then the least of his ill deservings or demerits And surely besides that liberty which God hath as he is supreame and soveraigne to afflict whom he will and in what degree he will we must know that the least sin deserves the greatest wound An evill thought deserves all the evill that can be heaped upon us Whatsoever we suffer on this side hell is less then the least of our sins And therefore if we have reason to confesse our little sins great and our greatest wounds little compared with our little sins how much more should we confesse our great sufferings little compared with our great sins as the Church did Ezra 9.13 After all that is come upon us our long and hard bondage in Babylon for our evill deeds and for our great trespasse thou O Lord hast punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve Further from the whole verse in that Elihu chargeth Job with these severall sayings Observe First A good mans sayings are often worse then his meanings Elihu rebuketh his speeches not his spirits his words though in some respect true yet were dangerous and because not well explained by himselfe scandalous to others But his heart was not trecherous not the bent of his mind wrong set in uttering them Evill men may speake good words but 't is with a bad heart Good men sometimes speake bad and offensive words yet with honest hearts and when their mindes are serene and they cleared from those clouds of perturbation which have darkned them they as Job are ready to recant them and repent of them Secondly Note It is an high offence to intimate any thing which doth in the least intrench upon the Justice and righteousness of God To say God hath taken away our judgement may call downe judgements To say we are wounded without transgression is a great transgression and the reason why it is so is plaine because such sayings tell the world that we suffer if not quite without desert yet more then we deserve and what is this but to justifie our selves and lay blame upon God then which as was shewed at the 2d verse of the 32d Chapter nothing is more derogatory to God or more blame-worthy in man Thirdly Note If we speak amisse or indiscreetly about the dealings of God with us we may thank our selves if we are hardly censured and soundly chidden for it Though Jobs heart was honest yet his tongue was intemperate and he too bold with God and you see how God stir'd up the spirit of Elihu to lay it home to him and bring him upon his knees for it They who vent unwarrantable speeches must not thinke much if they meet with sharpe reproofes and cutting censures Tongue-faults seldome escape without tongue-lashes And 't is a mercy to meete with them from a faithfull friend Their lashing and cutting tongues prove healing tongues Psal 141.5 Fourthly Note Every speaker is at the mercy of his hearers No man knows what glosse his words may have put upon them when once uttered Here are foure sayings brought against Job yet Job never spoke any of them expressely or in so many words but such collections were made indeed they
for all things having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come which Scriptures though not extant when Job lived yet the truth contained in them was Elihu might well be led into this apprehension that Job had brought up an ill report upon the wayes of God as in this life unprofitable unto man But though Job spake thus yet he was farre from speaking this to justifie such an opinion that there is no profit for a man to delight himselfe with God His meaning was only this that a man may want temporall present profit notwithstanding his delighting in God He was full and positive enough that they who now delight in God besides the present inward peace and profit which they find and feele shall hereafter be crowned with everlasting rewards and delights Job should indeed have been more in justifying God more in setting forth the present profitableness of his wayes in the practise of an holy life And because he was so sparing in this poynt and insisted so often upon the afflictions of the people of God Elihu chargeth him with saying It profiteth a man nothing to delight himselfe with God Hence note First It is our duty and the summe of all holy duties to delight our selves in God The very spirit of holiness consists in this There is as I may call it a body of holiness but if you would have the spirit of holiness as by distillation we take the spirits of any liquor or of any thing that liquor and moysture hath in it if I say we would have the spirits of holiness 't is delighting in God For as 't is the spirit of sinfullness to delight in sin so the spirit of Godliness is to delight in God Note Secondly To account the service of God unprofitable is wickedness bordering upon blasphemy Job himselfe is now charged with that which he charged upon the wicked Chap 21.15 What is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit shall we have that we pray unto him This grand prophanesse the Prophet rebukes Mal 3.14 Ye have said It is in vaine to serve God and what profit is there that we have kept his ordinances Thus the carnal heart which would faine free or keepe it selfe from keeping the ordinances of God is ready to question whether there be any profit in keeping them And while such seeme only to put the question they indeed conclude that there is no profit in keeping them yet the truth is the very keeping the ordinances of God as it is an act of obedience to him and of communion with him is very profitable though we should have no visible nor sensible profit by it In keeping the commandements of God there is great reward Psal 19.11 that is the keeping of them is a reward as well as a reward is promised to those that keepe them The Reader may consult this poynt further at the 15th verse of the 21th Chapter Note Thirdly Good men sometimes speak worse then they meane Job never thought it was no profit to serve God yet he had let fall words which might beare that glosse As wicked men often speake better then they meane They have golden words in their mouths when there is nothing but dross in their hearts their words are smoother then oyle yet they are drawne swords their words sound well while they wound deep now as a carnal man speakes often better then he meanes and sometimes speakes purposely the best when he meanes worst so a godly man speakes sometimes worse then he meanes or he may speak ill when he intends nothing but good Holy David which comes up fully to the sence of what Job is taxed for saying here sayd and what could he speak more unholyly Psal 73.15 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vaine c. What language was here would one think to heare David foule his mouth with such words as these would one think that such a word could have dropt from the mouth of David whose mouth used to drop like an honey-comb whose lips were wont to be like a tree of life feeding many yet David in temptation that is in great affliction for he there complaines that he was chastened every morning spake thus with his tongue to the griefe of his heart a little after The tongue is an unruly member as the Apostle James saith Chap 3.8 The tongue can no man tame we need a great command upon the heart to bridle the tongue and tame that unruly beast Many a good man hath been over-borne with his tongue That little member hath sometimes crusht both soule and body very sorely Jobs tongue fell heavily upon him Observe Fourthly Inconsiderate words render us obnoxious to severest censures Thou hast sayd It profiteth a man nothing to delight himselfe in God is a very severe censure And though Joh did not deserve it fully yet he might have expressed himselfe more commodiously and profitably Just consequences from what we say may be charged upon us as our sayings Indeed to wier-draw words or straine consequences from them is very unchristian Some deale so with the holy Scriptures 2 Pet 3.16 Wresting them to their owne destruction They torture and stretch them upon the tenters to their owne hurt And to wrest a mans words or as the Prophet speakes Isa 29.21 To make a man an offender for a word is an act of great uncharitableness towards man and to God an high offence Not but that a man may be an offender for his words nor can a man be more truly an offender for any words then when he speakes reproachfully or sleightly of the workes of God But when men speak such words as are reall offences and yeild foule consequences fairly they must beare the burden And that was Jobs case here But some may say If Job never spake these words in termes nor any words like them with such an intent why doth he suffer Elihu to to accuse him and not take off his accusation nor give a word of answer for himselfe Why did he not vindicate himselfe or make his Apology I answer and my answer shall be the last note from this context A godly man will rather beare more blame then he deserveth then stand to excuse himselfe when he hath deserved any blame Job replyed no more spake no more but to shew that he yeilded to what was sayd and submitted to this dispensation of God in sending Elihu to charge him thus He tooke more upon him then he had sayd lest he should seeme to justifie any thing that he had sayd amisse Chap 40.5 Once have I spoken but I will not answer yea twice but I will proceed no further As if he had sayd I will make no more pleas for my selfe nor excuses I will cry guilty to the whole matter of my charge though I might cleare and discharge my selfe of much of it How far was the spirit of Job from theirs who though charged with that only which
he doth not thus put out his power We live and live comfortably we enjoy not only our lives but many mercies of this life and therefore surely God doth not deale rigorously much lesse unrighteously with man He that doth all men good beyond their deserts will not punish any man beyond his demerits He that doth not exercise his power alwayes where he might will not exercise it all where he ought not That 's the summe and scope of Elihu in the context under hand Vers 14. If he set his heart upon man To set the heart upon any thing or person is a Scripture expression often used noting more then barely to think upon or mind both or either It signifieth to have deep and serious thoughts to think with consideration and attention yea with some height and heat of affection And all this whether that thing which the heart and affections are set upon please or displease be comfortable or grievous for both love and hatred hope and feare are thoughtfull of and sollicitous about their severall objects Hence that caution Psal 62.10 If riches encrease set not your heart upon them we naturally love riches and therefore as naturally spend many thoughts both how to get and how to keepe them If a man have riches or an encrease of riches it is not unlawfull for him to thinke or them yet we should be as sparing of our thoughts that way as can be our thoughts and the bent of our soules should alwayes be upon God but that which the Psalmist forbids is the setling of our hearts As if he had sayd Let not your thoughts stay or dwell there Riches are themselves transient things therefore they should have but our transient thoughts Set not your hearts upon them for they may quickly be unsetled Samuel bespake Saul in the same language about a worldly concernment when he went out to seek his fathers Asses 1 Sam 9.20 Set not thy mind on them 'T is like Saul was over-burdened with this thought What 's become of or what shall I doe for my fathers Asses Be not sollicitous about them saith Samuel greater things are towards thee Abigail useth the same forme of speaking to David concerning Naball 1 Sam 25.23 Let not my Lord regard this man of Belial lay not to heart what Nabal hath sayd or done Thus Jonadab took off Davids feare that in one day he had been deprived of all his Sons 2 Sam 13.33 Now therefore let not my Lord the King take the thing to heart to think that all the Kings sons are dead for Amnon only is dead We are as apt to set our heart upon our losses as upon our enjoyments And to shew how little Pharoah regarded the heavy hand of God upon him it is sayd after Moses had turned all the waters that were in the river to blood Exod 7.23 And Pharoah turned and went into his house neither did set his heart to this also That is he slighted what God had done Let God speak and strike once and againe Apponere cor est vello decernere constituere q. d. Si ei suus animus suggererit Vatabl yea a third time yet hard-hearted men doe not lay it to heart nor set their heart upon it Thus here in the Affirmative it is sayd of God If he set his heart upon man that is if he doe but intend and mind this matter he can quickly bring it about even the perishing of all flesh If he set his heart upon man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Valet contra Si poneret concra eum cor suum i. e. si sibi proponeret hostiliter eum aggredi Pisc The text is rendered also If he set his heart against man The Hebrew particle signifieth not only upon but against Amos 7.16 Prophesie not against Israel c. And the generall sence of that reading may be given two wayes First If he set his heart against man to enquire strictly into his life and wayes if he should critically mark all his errours or faults and so resolve to proceed against him he might soon make an end of him as it followeth in the next verse As the strongest so the best and holyest of men are not able to stand before him Thus the words are an answer given by Elihu to that frequent request of Job that God would let him come near to judgement and hear his cause argued and debated before him even at his Bar but saith Elihu according to this sence If God set his heart against man if he doth but strictly enquire into his condition course and conversation it would be sad with him All men must perish Those two places in the Psalmes answer this interpretation fully Psal 130.3 If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquities O Lord who should stand That is No man shall We cannot stand in our righteousness before God how then shall we stand in our iniquities And therefore the second Text deprecates the Lord 's severe enquiry into our purest and most perfect services Psal 143.2 Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Secondly If he set his heart against man that is If he have a general purpose to destroy and ruine him by his absolute Soveraignty he can easily do it what God hath a minde to do or only willeth it to be done he hath power enough to do it He can make any man miserable and not only strip him of the comforts of this life but of his life too And as he hath power enough if he would use it so he hath soveraign unquestionable authority enough to bear him out in the use of his power Now seeing God who is cloathed with this absolute power yet doth not exercise such a power but having given man a being continues to very many men a comfortable being in this world and doth not willingly grieve or afflict any of the children of men nor execute any vengeance upon them without their desert surely then God is righteous he will not do wickedly Thus we have the importance of the Translation If he set his heart against man We say which also beareth fairly enough the same sence If he set his heart upon man Si direxerit ad eum cor suum spiritum illius flatum ad so trahet Vulg. If he gathereth unto himself his Spirit and his breath Some render it thus If he set his heart upon or against man he will gather unto him his spirit and his breath and then as it followeth All flesh shall perish together We repeat the supposition according to the Hebrew Text If he set his heart upon man If he gather to himself his spirit and his breath then c. Take either reading the general sense is the same and in brief 't is this If God have a minde to it he can quickly thrust all men out of the world He that gave man his spirit and his breath can at pleasure recal both and then
all flesh perisheth and turneth again unto what it once was dust 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Hebrew word which we render to gather signifieth to add one thing or person to another When Rachel had conceived and bare a son Gen. 30.22 23. she called from this word his name Joseph and said the Lord shall add to me another son Thus here If God add or gather to himself his spirit and his breath that is the spirit and breath of man c. We may distinguish between these two Spiritus animam flatus vitam quae ab anima provenit conservatur significat ego opinâ—r idem esse hoc loco Sanct. spirit and breath Some insist much and curiously upon this distinction The spirit denoting the soul or the internal rational power of man and the breath that effect of life which followeth or floweth from the union of soul and body The life of man is often expressed by breath Cease ye from man whose breath or life is in his nostrils Isa 2.22 If once man's breath goeth out his life cannot stay behinde the spirit of a man is in this sence distinct from his breath for when the breath is vanished and is no more the soul or spirit liveth The Apostle in his prayer for the Thessalonians 1 Thess 5.23 puts soul and spirit together The very God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved harmless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ There 't is most probable by the soul he intends the inferiour powers in man or his affections and by the spirit his higher powers of reason and understanding yet the spirit is often put for that whole part of man which is contradistinct to his body Into thy hands I commend my spirit that is my soul not forgetting my body And I conceive we may safely expound it here in that latitude as comprehending the whole inner man Yet it is all one as to the sence of this place whether we take spirit and breath distinctly or for the same the spirit being so called from spiration or breathing If he gather unto him his spirit and his breath The gathering of the spirit and breath of man unto God is but a periphrasis or circumlocution of death or of man's departure out of this life when man was formed or created Gen. 2.7 it is said God breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul And when man dyeth his breath or spirit may be said to be gathered or returned back unto God so then the meaning of Elihu in this double supposition If he set his heart upon man if he he gather to himself his spirit and his breath is clearly this if God were once resolved or should but say the word that man must presently die die he must and that presently Hence Note First God can easily do whatsoever he hath a minde to do If he do put his heart upon the doing of any thing it is done Men often set their hearts yea and their hands unto that which they cannot do if men could do that which they set their hearts to do or have a minde to do and thereupon set their hands to do we should have strange work in the world 'T is a mercy to many men that man is often frustrated in his thoughts and purposes in his attempts and undertakings and 't is a glorious mercy to all that have an interest in God that God never lost a thought nor can be hindred in any work he setteth his heart upon He that can lett or stop all men in their works can work and none shall lett or stop him What God will do is not defecible or undoeable if I may so express it by any power in heaven or earth And as God can do what he will and ask no man leave so he can do what he will without trouble to himself 't is but the resolve of his will the turning of his hand or the cast of his eye all which are soon dispatcht and 't is done Thus God breathed out his wishes for the welfare of Israel Psal 81.13 O that my people had hearkned unto me c. I should soon have subdued theâ—r enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries As if he had said I could and would have eased them of all their enemies even of all that rose up against them easily even with the turning of my hand What is more easily done or moâ—e speedily done then the turning of a hand Many things are hard to man and indeed very few things are easie to him except it be to sin or to do evil he can do evil easily some things are not only hard but too hard impossible for man but there is nothing hard much less too hard for God he can easily do the hardest things yea the hardest things are as easie to him as the easiest for as Psal 139.12 Darkness hideth not from the sight of God the darkness and the light are both alike to him so hardness hinders not the work of God hardness and easiness are both alike to him if he set his heart upon it From this general truth take two inferences First How should we fear before this God How should we tremble at the remembrance of and walk humbly in our highest assurance with this God We are much afraid to displease those men who can easily hurt us and in whose hand it is to ruine us every hour But O how little are we in this thought to fear the Lord to take heed of displeasing the Lord who can with ease either help or hurt either bring salvation or destruction who in a moment can thrust the soul out of the body and cast both into hell Secondly We may hence make a strong inference for the comfort of the people of God when their straits are most pinching and their difficulties look like impossibilities and are so indeed while they look to man when their enemies are strongest and the mountains which stand in the way of their expected comforts greatest if then God will be entreated to set his heart and cast his eye upon them their straits are presently turned into enlargements difficulties become easie and mountains plains If we can but engage the Lord his own promise is the surest engagement and indeed all that we can put upon him or minde him of if I say we can thus engage the Lord to be with us who can be to our hurt many will be to their own against us Secondly Note Our life is at the beck dispose and pleasure of God He can gather the spirit and the breath to himself whensoever he pleaseth Psal 104.29 Thou hidest thy face and they are troubled and thou takest away their breath they die and return to their dust If God hideth his face from us 't is death while we live but if he take away our breath we cannot live but die Psal 90.3 Thou
was to speake And in this sence the most of men all bad men have no understanding Psal 14.2 and Job though a good man had much deficiency in his If now thou hast understanding heare this Hence note He that hath not a right a sound a spirituall understanding can scarce be said to have any understanding at all There are many understanding men who have not this understanding or an understanding for this While David saith Psal 49.20 Man that is in honour and understandeth not he supposeth that a man ascended to the highest pitch of honour may yet be without understanding that is without a right a sound a spirituall understanding and then as it followeth there he is like the beasts that perish Beasts have no understanding at all the rationall or intellectuall power is proper to man A man in honour not having this honour a right understanding may be numbred among the beasts If thou hast understanding Hear this As if he had said I am not calling thee to hear an idle story or a trivial matter Hear this there is an emphasis in the words both as to the Act and Object It is questioned what Elihu particularly intendeth by this some refer it to what he had spoken before in Job's audience though directed to his friends Hear what I have spoken to thy friends in the former part of the chapter in vindication of the righteousness of God Secondly Others refer it to what Elihu was now about to say I have not yet done I have not yet brought out all my reasons arguments I have not emptied my treasures I have yet more to say Hear this A third sort refer these hortatory words hear this in the former part of the verse to what he had already spoken and those in the latter part of the verse hearken to the voice of my words to what he had yet to speak but it is not much to the matter to which we refer them it being clear that what he had said and what he had to say was matter of weight and so hear this is emphatical this great this deep this useful and necessary point of Doctrine which I already have declared or am now about to declare unto thee Hence Note That which we hear we should labour to understand Col. 3.16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom It is not enough to hear the word with our ears or to have it in our mouths it must dwell in our memories and it must dwell there not in a beggerly poor fashion but richly which it never doth till we have a sound and clear understanding of it and are both in heart and life conformed to it yea transformed into it that is it which the Apostle meaneth by the dwelling of the word in us richly in all wisdome And he further assureth them chap. 2.1 2. that he had a great conflict for them that is as we put in the Margin he had a great fear or care of them that their hearts might be comforted being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mysterie of God and of the Father and of Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge He had held forth those great mysteries the mysterie of God considered essentially the mysterie of the Father considered personally the mysterie of Christ considered mediatorily and therefore he presseth them to get a full assurance of understanding about all these mysteries When Christ was discoursing with his disciples after his resurrection Luke 24.45 it is said He opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures and then they did not take in what he spake only at the ear but at the heart also Thus Acts 16 14. The Lord opened the heart of Lydia that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul that is he gave her an inward ear and caused her to understand the things which he spake Secondly Note Whatsoever we hear is lost and but scattered in the ayre if we do not understand it Though we have it in our books yea though we have it in our memories 't is lost if we understand it not we read of a book sealed within and on the back-side with seven seals Rev. 5.1 we read also v. 4. that John wept much because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book That sealing of the book was nothing else but the shutting of it up from the understanding and when Christ opened the book he gave the understanding of it the whole book of God is a sealed book unless we have an understanding or a saving knowledge of the truths therein contained What John said Rev. 13.18 of counting that mysterious number of the Beast must be said in its proportion of the whole mysterie of godliness let him that hath understanding count and consider them Note Thirdly Every understanding is not fit to receive the Truths of God An unregenerate man is not fit to receive any of the Truths of God The natural man that is the man who hath nothing but nature in him perceiveth not the things of God he hath not a sutable faculty for them and as a natural mans understanding cannot at all receive the things of God so every degree of a spiritual understanding cannot receive all the truths of God or not all the things of God in all their truth The Apostle distributes persons into several degrees and calls some babes and others grown or perfect men that is such as have an understanding fit to take in and digest the highest and deepest things of God and hence it is that Christ told his disciples John 16.12 who had a renewed understanding only 't was in a low degree I have many things to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now I suppose the reason why Christ saith they could not bear those many things was not because being many they were too great a burden for their memories though possibly there might be somwhat in that but their inability of bearing those many things was chiefly in their understanding There are some truths which though a man can remember yet he cannot bear them and the more he remembers them the less he can bear them the weight and mysteriousness of them even cracks his brain till he receives more light from God and more strength of understanding he cannot bear them If thou hast understanding hear this And hearken to the voice of my words This latter part of the verse is but the repetition or further enforcement of the same thing we had the like expressions chap. 33.1.8 and therefore I shall not stay upon this only Note further from the whole The beginning of true wisdome is to have a readiness to hear and to shew our selves teachable Some overween themselves so much as to matter of knowledge that they will not be taught they judge themselves so learned and
deus omnium judicio est in justitiae damnare sustines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potest exponi validū num justum et potentē eum qui simul et justus et potens est damnare audes sed malo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exponere per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 multum valde q.d. eum qui summe justus est audes damnare de eo queri quasi tibi sit iniquior Rab Sel Merc as the word imports Wilt thou condemne him that is most just Here are two words in the Hebrew we put them together and so render them by a superlative most just Some translate Wilt thou condemne him that is strong and just that is strongly just mightily just God is full of strength and might so full that he and he only is Almighty yet his might never exceedeth right nor his strength his justice Strength and justice are commensurate in God And while he is so strong that he can doe what he will he is so just that he will doe nothing but what is righteous Further I find others joyning the word strong with the word condemne As if Elihu had sayd Wilt thou so confidently and pertinaciously condemne the just God To condemne God though but a little to passe the easiest sentence of condemnation upon him is bad enough but wilt thou strongly condemne him We render clearely to the scope of the place Wilt thou condemne him that is most just Hence note First God is most just or altogether just He is strongly just mightily just as he is strongly mercifull putting forth a power in pardoning sin and shewing mercy so he is strongly just or altogether just The rule given to Judges by Moses speakes thus Deut 16.20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow We put in the margin justice justice shalt thou doe that is thou shalt doe pure Justice nothing but Justice or justice without the least mixture tincture or if it be possible without the least shadow of injustice I may say justice justice is God that is he is altogether just strongly just everlastingly and unchangeably just God is just under a three-fold notion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phavor First As to be just is taken largely importing a person accomplished with concurrence of all perfections and vertuous qualities In that sence I suppose the Apostle useth the word 1 Tim 1.9 The law is not given for that is to terrifie or condemne a just man that is for a man who is holy and good Thus God is altogether just for he hath all the lines of perfection of holinesse and goodnesse centring in him he is not only just and vertuous but justice and vertue it selfe Secondly To be just imports the keeping of promises and the performance of our word He is a just man who when he hath spoken you may know what to have of him and where to have him Some give words and you can get nothing of them but words that 's injustice because our words binde us and should be as lawes to us A man may chuse whether he will make promises but when he hath promised it is not in his choice whether he will performe or no his word bindes him In this sence God is altogether just Whatsoever word you have had from God and he hath given us many comfortable words for every condition God is a just God and will performe it to a tittle That Glorious and everlasting witnesse is borne to him by dying Joshua Josh 23.14 And behold this day I am going the way of all the earth and ye know in all your hearts and in all your soules that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you all are come to passe unto you and not one thing hath failed thereof In this sence God is sayd to be not only mercifull but just in forgiving our sins 1 John 1.9 If we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse If we confesse our sins spiritually and believingly deeply humbly and affectionately if we confesse thus he is just to forgive why because he hath given a promise to forgive those who make such confessions of sin And thus 't is in any other promise he keepes his word he keepes touch with man he will not fayle nor come short in the least therefore he is altogether just Thirdly He is just in the strictest acception of justice giving every one his due It is possible for a man to be just in neither of the two former notions he may neither be vertuous in his actions nor a keeper of his word as a man yet he may be just as a Magistrate just as in a cause committed to his determination But God is just in all these three considerations of a just man and therefore he is eminently or altogether just And I conceive the latter of the three is chiefely intended here God is most just that is he never did nor ever will give an undue or an undeserved sentence upon any man I might shew distinctly that God is just and how just he is First in rewarding those that doe well Secondly in punishing those that doe ill And that because he doth it First by a law Secondly by a law published Thirdly by a law possible our inability of keeping the law is consequentiall to the giving of it man hath drawne it upon himselfe though now he cannot performe it at all yet God is just in punishing because he sins against a law that he had a power in his head or representative to have fullfilled Fourthly God is just because the penalties which he inflicteth slow from a right and just law as the Apostle speaks Rom 7.12 The law is holy and just and good and therefore all the awards that are grounded upon it must needs be just too Fifthly he punisheth justly because he never punisheth but upon proofe and evidence yea he will make every mans Conscience a witness against himself or condemne him out of his own mouth Sixthly he punisheth justly because he punisheth impartially neither feare nor hope nor favour can divert him Isa 27.11 Jer 22.24 Seventhly he doth not only punish in a proportion to the law but often in a proportion to the sin and that not only to the measure of the sin but to the manner of the sin as that cruel king Adonibezek confessed when himselfe was cruelly dealt with his thumbs and great toes being cut off Judg 1.7 As I have done so God hath requited me As if he had sayd God is just not only because he hath punished me in measure according to my sin but after the very same manner in which I sinned he hath as it were hit my sin in the eye of all beholders what I have done may be seene by what I suffer Note Secondly To condemne God who is most just is the highest poynt of injustice Wilt thou
mighty men that all may know his judgements are deserved by their works he makes their works known Secondly Others render He maketh them know or acknowledge their works The Lord at last by sore and severe judgements will extort confessions from the worst of them he will make the mighty acknowledge that their works have been nought and their wayes perverse In Scripture the same word signifies to know or to confess and acknowledg Thus here he makes them to know or to acknowledge what their works have been Thirdly Rather take it as we render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non significat notum facio quod sciam sed tantum cognosco ideo transtuli cognoscit Drus of Gods act in taking notice of all they had done Therefore he knoweth their works As if Elihu had said these mighty men of the earth thought themselves under covert or that the Lord took no notice of them nor of their works their works were done in the dark and they supposed the Lord could not pierce into them but he will make it appear that he knew their works when he maketh his justice appear in punishing them for their works Hence Note We have an assurance that God knoweth the works of all mon because he punisheth all wicked works or the works of the wicked so punctually and exactly He punisheth many of them here and will punish them all hereafter when we see him breaking the mighty men of the world 't is a proof that God was in their Cabinet counsels and saw what was done there we may conclude he knew their works though men knew them not he could never lay his judgements so exactly upon them as he doth if he did not know their works That God knows the works of all men is a point I have met with before and therefore pass from it here And he overturneth them in the night There are several readings of this clause First Some thus Therefore the Lord knoweth their works and turneth into night that is he turneth their prosperity into adversity he bringeth trouble and affliction upon them they lived before in a day of prosperity in a day of power and worldly greatness but he turneth them into night Secondly Or as others thus He turneth the night that is he changeth the night into day Simul atque mutavit noctum c. Jun. i. e. Lucem protulit qua revelantur omnia in judicio ejus Id. he takes away the dark and close covers of their sins and makes them as manifest as the light Now as the Apostle saith Eph. 5.13 That which maketh manifest is light If God were not light he could not bring to light the hidden things of darkness nor manifest the counsels of the heart Thirdly thus Therefore he knoweth their works and when the night is turned he destroyeth them that is they are destroyed and perish as soon and as easily as the day takes place of the night or as soon as the night is turned into day so soon doth the Lord destroy them he can quickly make an end of them he can destroy them with the morning light We render and I judge that best He overturneth them their persons in the night and so Elihu points at the season or time of Gods breaking and overthrowing them he doth it in the night We may take it strictly as in the case of Pharaoh and the Egyptians Exod. 12.29 as also in that of Belshazzer Dan. 5.30 or in the night that is suddenly unexpectedly Though a man be destroyed in the day yet if it be done suddenly he looking for no such matter we may say it was done in the night because then men are most secure This way of expressing an unlookt for evil the coming of in the night was opened at the twentieth verse therefore I shall not stay upon it He overturneth them in the night So that they are destroyed Elihu said before He shall break in pieces mighty men Here he saith they are destroyed that is they shall be broken to purpose or throughly God doth not break them in pieces for correction but for destruction there are great breakings upon the persons and estates of some men and yet it is but for correction others the Lord breaketh for utter ruine as here so that they are destroyed The Original word signifieth to destroy as it were by pounding in a Morter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contrivit atirivit contudit and the same word is used to signifie a contrite heart a heart broken by godly sorrow under the sense of sin They are destroyed or as it were ground to powder you may break a thing into many pieces yet not grinde it to powder or dust as corn in a Mill or spice in a Morter but these saith Elihu are not only broken to pieces but beaten to dust that 's the strength of the word which we render they are destroyed Hence Note What God hath a mind to do he can do it certainly and will do it throughly He breaks men in pieces so that they are destroyed and brought to dust When the Prophet declares the breaking of the four Monarchies it is said Dan. 2.35 They shall be as the chaffe of the Summer threshing upon the Mountains if the Lord will destroy the mightiest they shall certainly be destroyed as Balak said to Balaam I wo◠that whom thou cursest are cursed as if he had said thou canst curse effectually if thou wilt set thy self to it 't is not in the power of all the Balaams in the world to effect a curse though they pronounce a curse 't is only in the power of the Lord to curse effectually he can bless whom he pleaseth and they are blessed he can curse whom he pleaseth and they are cursed Thus as Ephraim lamenting his sin and sorrow confessed Jer. 31.18 Lord thou hast chastised me and I was chastised God paid him home as we speak if we chastise a childe he is chastised but when Ephraim saith thou hast chastised me and I was chastised his meaning is I was greatly and effectually chastised that is first In a literal sence I found thy hand heavie upon me it was a sore affliction that I was under Secondly In a spiritual sence Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised that is my heart was humbled and broken under thy chastisements in either notion we see the effectualness of the Lords work Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised And therefore Ephraim invited the Lord to another work Turn me O Lord and I shall be turned if thou wilt but turn thy Spirit upon this hard heart of mine it will be effectually turned it will be not only broken for sin but from sin As if he had said I have received reproofs and counsels from men and they have not turned me but Lord if thou wilt reprove and counsel me I shall be turned thus the Lord carrieth his work home to conversion in his spiritual dealings with some and to
worldly wise men they were the mighty the great men of the world and they are commonly very considering men as well as very considerable men they are knowing men as well as men much known they are men of counsel and sit in councel to debate difficult matters and of greatest outward concernment these things they could consider exactly and weigh them to a grain but they would not consider any of God's wayes Hence Note There is nothing so little regarded by ungodly men as the wayes of God are Though they have wisdome and ability to understand and consider earthly things yet they will bestow none of it upon the things of heaven Christ rebuked Martha when he saw her so busie about worldly business Luke 10.41 Martha Martha thou art careful and troubled about many things one thing is needful Martha had some care about the one thing needful but because not so much as she should Christ gave her a gracious check and reproof for it How much more may Christ come and rebuke the men of the world ye are careful about many things ye are wife considering men about your profits and preferments those ye can think of all night long but there is one thing needful my wayes my word my commandments are to be considered what account can ye give of or concerning them Farther this non-consideration of the wayes of God is brought as a charge as a high charge against those mighty men not only were they bad men who did not consider the wayes of God but this was a part yea I may say the whole of their badness that they did not consider the wayes of God Hence Note Not to consider the wayes of God is in it self a very great sin The omission or non-performance of what is good is as sinful as the commission or doing of that which is evil Not to do good is to do evil especially when it is the not doing of such a good duty as opens a way to the doing of all evil Should we suppose a man not chargeable with the breaking of any commandment of God yet if we could charge him that he did not consider the commandments of God this were the breaking of all the commandments For as they are all to be considered that we may keep them so if we consider them not we cannot keep them 'T is the description of a godly man Psal 1.2 His delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth he meditate day and night Meditation is nothing else but consideration A godly man meditates or considers day and night what the Law or Word of God is not that he thinks of nothing else but the Law of God day and night for then he must throw off his Calling but the meaning is this he is very sedulous and watchful of all opportunities both night and day to get and keep his heart up in holy meditation and why is he so much in holy meditation 'T is surely that he may be much yea alwayes in holy action and when it may be said of a man that his meditation is not in the Law of God neither day nor night or that he never considers the wayes of God this is an undeniable evidence that he neither keeps in the way or observes any one line or letter of the Law at any time It is our sin and that no small one not to consider our own wayes how much more is it sinful not to consider the wayes of God! To consider our own wayes is a great part of our work If we consider not our own wayes they will soon be crooked wayes The Prophet adviseth the Jewes Hag. 1.5 Consider your wayes the Text is Set your heart upon your wayes that is ponder your wayes as if he had said the reason why your feet are so often in bad wayes is because your hearts are so seldome upon your wayes Now if not to consider our own wayes be so sinful and subjects us to every sin then much more is it sinful not to consider the wayes the word and truths of God and much more doth the neglect of this lead or lay us open and obnoxious to every sin This neglect is not only a special sin in it self and an effect of sin but the general cause of all other sins What sin is not or may not be found in the wayes of those men who consider not the wayes of God Lastly Observe Sin makes men stupid and transforms them into fools He that is not a considering man is a weak and a foolish man every wise man is a considering man and the more a man is versed in consideration the more wise he is and the wiser he grows The wicked man is often called a fool in Scripture and he deserves no better a title when he is called so he is both served and called in his kinde Psal 14.1 The fool hath said in his heart there is no God The thoughts of the heart are the sayings of the heart and sin hath made a wicked man so much a fool that as he knowes not how to say any thing of God which is honourable with his tongue so all that his heart can say that is think of God is that God is not which as it is the highest blasphemy so the deepest piece of folly and irrationallity that ever was hatcht in the heart of man Sin makes dull-heads it stupifies the soul sinners consider not that at any time which is their interest as much as their duty to consider of at all times the wayes of God as taken for the wayes wherein man ought to walk towards God Again If we take the wayes of God in the second notion for the wayes wherein himself walks towards man usually called his works or the wayes of his providence Note It is the mark of an ungodly man not to consider the works and providences of God how God walketh towards him or what he doth in the world Isa 1.3 I have nourished and brought up children that is I have done for my people as a father for his children but what follows My people doth not know Israel doth not consider They consider not what I have done for them as well as not what I have spoken to them they consider not how I have nourished and brought them up as well us not how I have instructed and given them counsel and from this neglect God infers vers 4. Ah sinful Nation a people laden with iniquity a seed of evil doers c. they quickly proceed to the doing of all evil against God who consider not of the good which God doth or hath done to them Read this sin the not considering of the works of God with the sinfulness of all the works of those unconsidering men Psal 28.4 5. Isa 5.11 12. The Scripture makes frequent mention how extreamly ill the Lord takes it at the hands of men when his works are not considered by them when they regard not the operation
the joy of the holy Ghost And because the quietness which every believer hath is the gift of God through Jesus Christ who hath made their attonement and established their peace through the blood of his Cross therefore Satan cannot make any such trouble in any of their souls as shall for ever destroy their peace or dissolve their quietness though for many reasons all serving his glory and their good God suffereth satan many times possibly for a long time to entangle and interrupt it Temptations to the committing of sin and accusations or charges about sin committed may exceedingly hinder and shake the peace of a believer but as the sins to which he is tempted cannot hurt his peace when he resists and overcomes them so the sins into which he falleth through temptation cannot destroy his peace because those sins shall certainly be destroyed both by repentance and pardon Thirdly The thunders of the Law cannot take away the peace of that soule to whom God giveth quietness Christ having in his owne person fullfilled the Law for beleevers both doing the duty and enduring the penalty of it he hath delivered them from the terror and curse of the Law himselfe having been made a curse for them Gal 3.13 So then if neither tribulations nor temptations nor the terrors of the Law can make trouble where God giveth quietness we may conclude nothing can There is a double Consideration upon both which we may demonstrate that if God giveth quietness either outward or inward none can make trouble First Because as God is soveraigne and so may dispose peace and quietness to whom he pleaseth or at his pleasure when he will or to whom he will so he hath an all-sufficiency to maintaine and confirme to preserve and protect the outward peace of any man against all the powers of this world and the inward peace of a godly man against all the powers of hell against the terrors of the Law and the accusations whether of Satan or of his owne Conscience Secondly None can destroy the peace of a godly man because it is a perfect peace as was shewed before from that promise in the Prophet Isa 26.3 Him wilt thou keepe in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee For being a perfect peace it will not decay of it selfe and because 't is perfect God will neither destroy it himselfe nor suffer any else to destroy it Marke the perfect man saith David Psal 37.37 and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace He is a perfect man whose end is peace and that is perfect peace which holds to the end or which shall never end The peace which God giveth is perfect First because 't is established upon perfect righteousnesse the righteousnesse of God That righteousnesse which is the roote of our peace is called the righteousnesse of God both because God hath appoynted it and because God hath wrought it Jesus Christ God-man is the Lord our righteousnesse and the Prince of our peace or as the Apostle expresseth it Heb 7.1 2. He is Melchisedec being by interpretation King of righteousnesse and after that also King of Salem which is King of peace Isa 32.17 The work of righteousnesse is peace and the fruit of it is quietnesse and assurance for ever Righteousnesse is such a foundation of peace as cannot be shaken and therefore that peace which is built upon it cannot be utterly overthrowne how much soever it may be shaken Secondly 'T is a perfect peace because it was obtained by an absolute victory over all the enemies of it That people must needs be in perfect peace who have got a perfect conquest over all their enemies and have got their opposers under their feet Now the spirituall peace which God giveth his people ariseth from a perfect conquest over all their enemies First the world is perfectly conquered by Christ John 16.33 Be of good cheare I have overcome the world Secondly the Devill is perfectly conquered by Christ Heb 2.14 He hath destroyed him that had the power of death that is the Devill He is more then conquered who is destroyed Christ hath destroyed the Devill who is the destroyer though not as to his being though not as to his will to destroy yet as to his power to destroy those whom he hath redeemed and will eternally save Thirdly Christ hath also perfectly conquered the Law not by destroying but by fullfilling it Christ was above all that the Law required or commanded and so he did at once freely submit to it and fully as to any hindrance of a believers peace subdue it he holdeth it under him as well as he was made under it And he was contented for that very reason to be made under the Law that he might hold it under him and that we might not be under the dread of the Law though we must walke and worke by the rule of it but under grace 'T is matter of strong consolation to poore soules that when the Lord giveth quietness none can make trouble And hence we also learne that all the breaches which are made upon the peace of the people of God are from God himselfe As those breaches are meritoriously from themselves so efficiently from God himselfe till he breaks their peace none can Thirdly From the second branch When he hideth his face who then can behold him This being applicable to a single person as well as the former Observe God sometimes clouds his face from his owne servants and children These words When he hideth his face suppose that God sometimes doth so and the Scripture else-where testifies that God hath often done so God hath love alwayes in his heart towards his children but he hath not alwayes favour in his face towards them his appearances are not alwayes the appearances of a friend he may appeare angry and turne away his face as if he would not be spoken with Of this we find frequent complaints in Scripture and I might speake much to this poynt but I have already met with it Chap 13.24 and therefore I passe from it Only from the connexion of these words When he hideth his face who can behold him Note The hiding of Gods face or the vayling of his favour is exceeding grievous unto any person When he doth it who can behold him This manner of speaking doth not only hold out that if God will hide his face no man can see him or know him for God is a secret to all men untill he is pleased to reveale himselfe yea all the truths of the Gospel are secrets and mysteries till God is pleased to reveale them and make them knowne Math 11.25 Father I thank thee saith Christ that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes that is thou hast not opened them to the wisest c. there needs no other hiding of them from the wisest of men than a forbearance to open them but to the babes who are
the Mighty and he is so impartiall that if there be cause he will not spare to doe it Or in the words we have to consider these three things First The character of the person upon whom the Justice of God is executed The hypocrite Secondly The Judgement it selfe 't is a stop to his greatnesse that he reigne not Thirdly We have the grounds of this Judgement which are two-fold First His wicked purpose against the people He if suffered would lay snares for the people Secondly Gods gracious protection of the people He will not have the people ensnared That the hypocrite reigne not lest the people be ensnared 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat sceleratum profanū plerumque autem vertitur hypocrita What a hypocrite is and what the importance of the original word is here translated hypocrite hath been opened from some other passages in this booke I shall only say thus much further that the word imports First a filthy thing disguised or covered For a hypocrite is a filthy prophane person under the cover or disguise of holiness Our English word knave is neere in sound to this Hebrew word chanaph and some conceive 't is derived or taken from it And to be sure every hypocrite is a prophane person though all prophane persons are not hypocrites Some wicked and prophane ones care not who knoweth they are so yet very many who are indeed prophane and wicked cover it what they can and shew that only whereof they have only a shew somewhat of godlinesse or of goodnesse Againe There are hypocrites of two makes or straines First Religious or Church hypocrites Secondly State or Civil hypocrites and somtimes these two are combined in one 'T is possible for a man who pretends not to Religion yet to be a hypocrite A Magistrate whether supream or subordinate may offer very fair for the profit and liberty of the people whom he governeth when he mindes no such thing yea he may not only offer fair for the good of a people as to their outward profits and liberties but as to the good of Religion and the benefit of their souls and yet minde no such thing we may take the hypocrite in this Text as twisted up or compounded of both these The State hypocrite and the Religious are somtimes bound up together That the Hypocrite Reigne not To reigne is the priviledge of Supream Powers By me Kings reigne saith Wisdome that is Christ Prov. 8.15 and when Paul saw how high the Corinthians carryed it in spirituals he by way of allusion tells them 1 Cor. 4.8 ye have reigned like Kings without us ye are got as ye suppose to the top and into the very throne of Religion and you think your selves able to manage all difficulties and can do well enough there without our help But to the Text. This not reigning of the hypocrite may be taken two wayes First As a stop given him by the providence of God In 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ne regnat Mem Negationem includit juxta linguae morem in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab offendiculis similiter ut dei magis extolletur justitia simul potentia qui reges de throno suo dejicit ut populum ejus laqueis irretitum liberet ab illius tyrannide Merc. from getting up into the throne or from getting the power of a Nation into his hands thus somtimes God saith to the hypocrite Thou shalt not reigne that is thou shalt not exalt thy self though thou attempt it Secondly This not reigning may be taken for a stop to the progress of his power when he hath both attempted and attained it and that two wayes either first by taking him away from his power or secondly by taking away his power from him as Daniel told Belshazzar while he minded him of the greatness of his father Nebuchadnezzar who had all the world upon the matter at his command as also of his fall from that greatness Dan. 5.19 20. Whom he would he set up and whom he would he put down but when his heart was lifted up and his minde hardned in pride he was deposed from his Kingly Throne and they took his glory from him He was deposed or as the Chaldee hath it so we put in the margin He was made to come down from his Princely throne either of these wayes doth God who is the King of kings and Lord of lords when he pleaseth put a stop to or check the progress of false hearted Princes that have either got their power by flatteries and pretensions to that good which they intended not or who exercise their power so That the hypocrite reigne not Lest the people be ensnared The root of the word here rendred to ensnare signifieth the spreading of a Net or the setting of a Grin such as Fowlers and Hunters make use of to take Beasts or Birds with and thus God himself spake concerning his dealing with Babylon Jer. 50.24 I have laid a snare for thee and thou art also taken O Babylon and thou wast not aware litteral Babylon was a snare to the people of God of old and so is mystical Babylon at this day The great Hypocrite or Snare-setter reigns in or over Babylon therefore saith God thou who hast set snares for my people shall be ensnared thou shalt be taken unawares I have set a snare to catch and hold thee fast When Elihu saith lest the people be ensnared it seems to intimate that God will prevent the ensnaring of a people by the hypocrite He shall not reigne lest the people be ensnared or lest they should come into snares There is another reading which gives the reason from the snares which the people have already been entangled with because of the snare or because the people have been ensnared therefore saith the Lord let not the hypocrite reigne thus God revengeth the peoples wrong and doth justice upon those that had set snares for them So much for the general sence of these words and the opening of them There is a second reading of the whole verse which carryeth the sence somwhat another way and yet may be of use and yeild us some profitable considerations but I shall not meddle with that till I have prosecuted those observations which arise clearly from our own reading The words in general hold forth the heart of God towards false hearted men he cannot abide them nor will he suffer them long to abide especially not to abide in power and greatnesse That the hypocrite reigne not lest the people be ensnared Hence Note First A hypocrite is a person hated of God and hurtful to men He is therefore hated of God because hurtful to men And therefore God is not pleased he should reign either as to reign is taken strictly for the exercising of Soveraign power or as to reign may be taken largely for the exercising of any power and living in the height of prosperity For the clearing of this truth that a hypocrite
is hated of God I shall shew first the nature of an hypocrite secondly give the distinctions of hypocrites thirdly make some discoveries who is an hypocrite To the First An hypocrite in his general state or nature is as I may say a wicked man in a godly mans clothes he hath an appearance of holiness when there 's nothing but wickedness at the bottome There are two great parts of the hypocrites work first to shew himself good which he is not this is properly the work of simulation or feigning secondly to cover that real evil which he is or doth this is properly the work of dissimulation or cloaking The hypocrite strives as much to appear what he is not as not to appear what he is he makes a semblance of that purity which he loves not and he dissembleth that impurity which he loves and lives in Secondly We may consider hypocrites under this distinction First there is a simple hypocrite who hath not the good which he thinks and believes he hath thus every one that professeth or nameth the name of Christ and is not really converted is an hypocrite because he hath not that which he seems to have yea which possibly he verily believes he hath I may call such a one though it may seem a very strange expression a sincere hypocrite he doth not intend to deceive others but is deceived himself because he hath not the root of the matter in him nor the power of godliness though he brings forth some seeming fruits of godliness and is much in the form of it Such we may conceive shaddowed out to us by the foolish Virgins they made a profession they had their lamps yea they had oyl in their lamps they did somwhat which was considerable in the outward duties of Christian Religion and they hoped to be accepted with Christ but they had no oyl in their vessels with their lamps as the wise Virgins had Matth. 25.4 that is they had no grace in their hearts nor did they minde the getting of that till it was too late v. 10. but satisfied themselves with that little oyle in their lamps to make the blaze of an external profession Such as these are simple hypocrites being pleased with a shell instead of a kernel and with a shaddow neglecting the substance These hypocrites are in a very deplorable condition yet these are not the hypocrites which I intend in this point or have here to do with There are a second sort of hypocrites commonly called gross hypocrites such as hold that out which they know they have not such as know they have nothing in or of Religion but the shew of it such as work by art or with a kinde of force upon themselves in all the good they do and duties they perform towards God and about the things of God They do nothing as the Apostle saith Timothy did Phil. 2.20 naturally I have no man like-minded who will naturally care for your state The word naturally is not there opposed to spiritually but to artificially or to forcedly What a sincere heart doth in the things of God he doth it naturally that is it floweth from an inward principle it is not forced from him but the hypocrite doth all as it were by a kinde of art or force upon himself The Lord chargeth the Jews with this kinde of hypocrisie Isa 58.2 They seek me daylie and delight to know my wayes as a Nation that did righteousness that is they acted with an appearing forwardness like those who truly delight to know my wayes yet all this was but as a piece of art for as the Lord upbraided them vers 3 4. they really kept their sins and walkt in their own wayes of oppression strife and debate yea they made all that noise aboâ—t humbling themselves that they might the more undiscernedly smite others with the fist of wickedness and therefore saith the Lord v. 5. Is it such a fast that I have chosen a day for a man to afflict his soul c. and then for many dayes to afflict both the souls and bodies of his brethren or to abstain a day from meat and glut himself with sin That 's the strain of the hypocrite he as I may say maintains and drives two trades he hath a trade for God and the wayes of God and he hath a trade for sin and the wayes of wickedness this is his course Jer. 12.2 Thou art neer in their mouth but far from their reins they speak of thee but they have no desires to thee no affections for thee thou art far enough from their reins they act a part in Religion but they neither partake of Religion nor with it Thirdly There are others who besides that they are gross hypocrites may also be called designing or plotting hypocrites for they that serve God with a reserve as to any sin or by-way usually serve him with a designe or for an end of their own Christ Matth. 23.14 speaking of gross hypocrites such as the Pharisees were saith they devour widdows houses and in a pretence make long prayers they pray long in a pretence or under a pretence that is they have a plot or a designe in prayer they pray not purely to enjoy communion with God nor purely to honour God but they make use of prayer and under pretence of that do other work Christ doth not there speak against nor disparage long prayers as some do to the great reproach of the Spirit and grace of God but he chargeth them with praying long in a pretence pray heartily and then pray as long as you will other due circumstances being observed the more you pray the more is God pleased But whether prayers are long or short if done in a pretence or with a designe to do mischief to others or only to get some worldly profit and advantage to our selves as those Pharisees prayed they are an abomination to the Lord. 'T is not the length of prayer but the end of prayer which discovers hypocrisie The prophet Isaiah chap. 32.6 gives us a description of this gross designing hypocrite The vile person will speak villany and his heart will work iniquity to practice hypocrisie and to utter errour before the Lord while the hypocrites heart worketh iniquity his tongue speaks villany not that all his words are villanous words for then he were not an hypocrite but a profest prophane person but he is said to speak villany because how pious and specious and godly soever his discourse is yet he hath a villanous intent in speaking and his heart at the same time is working iniquity to practice hypocrisie Now that I may a little more unmask this plotting hypocrite I will shew you a fourfold plot or designe which such hypocrites have in their most zealous professions of and pretendings to Religion First They designe their own praise or estimation among men Christ makes this discovery in his Sermon upon the Mount Matth. 6.2.5 Do not as the hypocrites for all
they do whether they give almes or pray or fast is not for the glory of God but that they may have glory of men and be pointed at for charitable and holy persons Praise or glory with men is the food of hypocrisie If the hypocrite have but an applause from and acceptance with men he doth not look after acceptance with God which above all things a sincere heart looketh after and laboureth for In this we labour saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.9 that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him that 's the highest ambition of a sincere heart but the hypocrites ambition is to be accepted of and to have praise among men and therefore hypocrites are more troubled if at any time they fail in expressing themselves to men then because which they do at all times they fail and faulter in their affections to God whereas he that is sincere and honest with God can bear it well enough though he hath not such plausible expressions towards men because he knoweth his affections stand right with God That great Macedonian Alexander having run many hazards in war turned himself to his souldiers and said What pains have I taken what dangers have I under gone only to be praised and cryed up by you As many in their worldly actings aime only at their own praise so do this sort of hypocrites in their spiritual and holy actings they pray and hear and deal about their almes for applause with men What the Histosian writes of the Camelion is most true of them they live by the ayre and are fed with the vapours of an earthly praise Secondly Others most of all the mighty of whom Elihu is discoursing act for God in the out-side of Religion to get an opportunity of revenge upon men they put on a fair shew of godliness that they may have a fairer advantage to let out their malice and vent their spleen When either a real or supposed injury falls upon an impotent and impatient spirit malice will provoke to give that back which charity teacheth to forgive The tyrannie of this passion gives no rest to the discontented soul all methods shall be studied and stratagems devised to content hatred by the compassing of revenge and when common projects fail the habit of zeal and religion shall be put on that the conceived malice may be let out Such a man will cloath himself with the garments of piety that he may cover the instruments of cruelty and do a mischief unsuspected Saul was a hypocrite and false with God yet how did he encourage David to follow the War and fight the Lord's battels against the uncircumcised Philistines 1 Sam. 18.17 whereas Saul sought not the honour of God at all nor the overthrow of the Philistines so much as the overthrow of David his intent was to take his own revenge upon David rather then Gods revenge on them for he hoped David would one time or other over-act his valour against the Philistines and lose his life to win honour and reputation How religiously did Abner who was a great Prince as David called him urge the promise of God to make David King 2 Sam. 3.18 and yet 't is plain in the Text that his designe was to revenge himself upon Ishbosheth who had put as he thought an affront upon him rather then to be instrumental for the fulfilling of the promise of God to David Jezebel a great Queen proclaimed a Fast which is one of the highest acts of Religion while her purpose was only to get an opportunity to feast her self upon the destruction of Naboth and to drink his innocent blood Herod a King Matth. 2.8 desired to have the young childe Christ that he might come and worship him but his designe was to murder him and because he could not have his will to kill him alone he resolved to kill him in the multitude commanding all the infants of such an age to be slain lest he should escape We have a sad instance of this in two of the Patriarcks Gen. 34. I do not say they were hypocrites but I say they acted a high strain of hypocrisie and put on a religious pretence for the compassing of revenge Dinah Jacobs daughter being deflowred by Shechem he sued to have her for his wife and would wipe off the stain of his lust by a legal marriage old Hamor pleaded for his son and Jacob was willing enough 't is like to salve the credit of his daughter but the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully v. 13. and they said we cannot match with you except you be circumcised and so become Proselytes to our Religion If Shechem will be of their family he must be of their faith they stood not upon their sisters joynture the matter stuck only upon a scruple of conscience What argument of greater zeal for God could they have given then this Yet while these religious words were in their mouths they had bloody swords in their hearts And all this pretence for circumcision was only that they might have an advantage to come upon them in their soreness and destroy them which as the holy story tells us they soon after effected Thirdly Hypocrites often designe worldly gain and ayme at the purse more then at God in all their holy services Many take up a profession of Religion as all men take up a Trade that they may get a Living by it the Apostle speaks of such 1 Tim. 6.5 who â—urpose that gain is godliness whereas he saith vers 6. Godliness with contentment is great gain they say Gain is godliness And all they look at by their profession of godliness is worldly gain Religion is often made as the Apostles word is 1 Thess 2.5 a cloak of covetousness and he professeth in the same place that in the dispensation of the Gospel he had not used his Ministery as such a cloak God was his witness but there are many against whom though men cannot yet their own consciences do and God will witness that their appearance in Religion is but the hiding of or a cloak for their covetousness Hamor and Shechem used no other argument to perswade their Citizens to take upon them the seal of the Covenant but only this Shall not their cattel and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours Gen. 34.27 And it seems the very mention of their own emolument overcame them they thought it a bargain well made to sell a little of their blood at so high a rate and to exchange their foreskins for so many head of Cattel And hence it is that among those seven sorts of Pharisees collected out of the Talmud the first are called Pharisaei Shechemitae receiving it seems both their Order and Denomination from these Shechemites because as they turned Hebrewes so these became Pharisees upon the hopes of worldly benefit And such were those Pharisees in truth whatsoever their Title was who as was touched before devoured widdows houses and
have performed the commandement of the Lord he was his owne trumpeter and would needs tell the story of his doings himselfe though he had done his businesse to halves Come thou blessed of the Lord I have performed the commandement of the Lord as if it would not serve him to doe his duty unlesse Samuel had seene and taken notice of him Abraham gave proofe of the highest act of faith that ever was in the world yet did Abraham say Come see my faith Moses led the people of Israel forty yeares in the wildernesse through a series of wonderfull tryalls and temptations to the very borders of Canaan which was one of the highest services that ever man undertook and was faithfull in all his house Heb 4.2 yet did he say Come see my fidelity Joshua victoriously expelled the Cananites and divided their land by lot among the tribes of Israel yet did he say Come see my fortitude We heare not a word of any of their doings from those who were sincere When we see men forward to invite the approbation of others by making reports of their good deeds it gives a strong argument of suspicion that they have done what they have done with a bad heart or that as it is sayd of Jehu they have not sought God with all their hearts But some may object Did not Samuel proclaime his own integrity before all the people 1 Sam 12.3 Whose oxe have I taken or whose asse have I taken or whom have I defrauded whom have I oppressed or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith I answer Samuel spake this to upbraid their ingratitude and discontent not to extoll his owne justice yea some conceive that he made this challenge to give Saul a patterne how he ought to governe rather then to commend his owne government I find the Apostle Paul making large reports of his owne both doings and sufferings 2 Cor 11. But if we peruse that Chapter we shall find him hovering in a suspence of doubts and feares whether or no it were convenient or comely for him to doe so How many preambles and Apologyes did he make before he fell directly upon that unpleasing subject Would to God ye could beare with me in my folly saith he and indeed beare with me And againe I speake as it were foolishly in this confidence of boasting And yet all that he spake was not to make a boast of himselfe but to vindicate his Apostleship from unjust and envious calumniations 'T is most certaine He that is sincere desires not to be open but silently satisfieth his soule with the conscience of doing his duty and takes more content in knowing his own integrity then in knowing that others know it Vertue looseth nothing of her value in his esteeme no nor of her lustre in his eye because she is hidden from the eyes of men Like the earth in this poynt he keepes his richest mineralls and most precious gems of grace and goodness below in his bowells or at the center of his heart and will not let them be seene till a kind of necessity diggs them out When Moses after his forty dayes neere accesse to and communion with God in the Mount perceived that his face did shine Exod 34.33 he put a vayle upon it every true Moses whose acquaintance and fiduciall familiarity with God hath stampt upon him the impressions of divine light is so farre from affecting to dazzle the eyes of others with it that he rather puts a vayle of gracious modesty upon it and will not let so much as the light of his good workes be seene but as thereby in which case Christ commands it Math 5.16 He may glorifie his father which is in heaven And herein a Christian followeth the example of Christ in whom though the Godhead dwelt bodily yet he rarely shewed his divine power And when once by a miracle he had made the blind see he also by command made them dumbe concerning that miracle Math 9.30 See that no man know it It was our Saviours counsel to all his followers Mat 6.5 Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth and it was his consolation to them in the next words Your father which seeth in secret himselfe shall reward you openly yea which is a higher consolation then that Himselfe will be your reward Secondly As the designing hypocrite desires to be seene in doing good or to have the good which he hath done seene so he is exceeding censorious and rigid towards those whom he sees falling into evill Christ gives this discovery also Math 7.3 Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brothers eye but considerest not the beame that is in thine owne eye concluding at the 5th verse Thou hypocrite why doth Christ call him hypocrite surely because he was so quick-sighted to see a mote that is a smaller fault in his brothers eye but tooke no notice of the beame that was in his owne eye a spot upon his brothers coate was censured more by him then his owne wallowing in the mire I doe not say that the Patriarke Judah was an hypocrite but as those two other Patriacks so he acted one very grosse part of hypocrisie Gen. 38.24 For he no sooner heard that Tamor was with childe but he censured yea condemn'd her presently to death Bring her forth sayd he and let her be burnt and yet himselfe was more faulty then she How hard a Judge was he of that crime in another which was principally his owne Saul had sinned greatly 1 Sam 13.9 in offering sacrifice before Samuel came which was an usurpation of the Priests office and so great a sin that Samuel told him presently God would therefore rend the Kingdome from him yet he thought to put it off with a slight excuse But in the 14th Chapter when Jonathan only offended against a rash command of his putting a Curse upon that people if any did eate before the going downe of the Sun he sentenced him to death for it In the 8th of John How severe were the Pharisees to the woman taken in Adultery they haled her before Christ and pressed the Law that she should be stoned to death yet when Christ sayd v. 7. He that is without sin among you let him first cast a stone at her they being convicted by their owne conscience went out one by one We ought to reprove and not flatter sin in others yet they who are extreamely severe against a sin in others usually favour either the same or a worse in themselves He that is sincere piâ—tieth others as much as reproves them and he reproves them though wiâ—h sharpness yet with meekness at once considering himselfe lest he also be tempted Gal 6.1 and blessing God who hath kept him in or from these temptations Thirdly The designing hypocrite discovers himselfe by laying downe or departing from the profession of religion when his worldly ends are attained Feined zeale cooles or abates is lesse and
chastisement also is not expresly in the original there it is only I have borne but because bearing must needs import that somewhat is borne as a burthen and seeing according unto the subject matter that Elihu is upon with Job it must referre to some affliction or chastisement laid upon him therefore we fitly supply this word chastisement It is to be sayd unto God I have borne what it cannot be meant of any outward corporall burthen or visible loade layd upon his back but I have borne chastisement affliction or correction It is meete to be sayd unto God I have borne chastisement that is I both have and will beare whatsoever thou hast or shalt be pleased to lay upon me I will not dispute thy burthens but take them up So then this first part of the verse is a direction ministred to Job shewing him how to behave himselfe in the bearing of affliction He must not strive or struggle with them nor with God about them but sustaine them And this direction is not peculiar to Job's person or to his case alone but it belongs to all that are in affliction let their case be what it will all such ought to beare quietly or patiently to abide under the burthen which God layeth upon them I shall not stay upon the opening of the speciall signification of that word chastisement because it is not in the Hebrew text only thus chastisements are usually taken for those afflictions or afflicting providences which God layeth upon his owne children he layeth judgements upon the wicked and punishments upon the ungodly but properly and strictly that which falls upon his owne people is called chastisement For though in Scripture there are dispensations of God towards his owne people spoken of under the notion of judgement yet they have not a proper sense of judgement as proceeding from wrath and intended for revenge Wrath is the spring from whence judgements flow and as to their issue they tend to the satisfaction of Justice This God doth not expect at the hands of his owne children and therefore their afflictions are most properly called chastisements Surely it is meete to be sayd unto God I have borne chastisement Hence note It is our duty when the hand of God is upon us or when we are under chastisements to speake humbly meekly and submissively to God We ought alwayes to be humble and carry it humbly towards God but then especially when God by any afflicting providence is humbling us The Prophet Hos 14.2 calling that people to returne unto the Lord adviseth thus Take with you words and turne to the Lord say unto him take away all iniquity and receive us graciously so will we render the calves of our lips As Elihu here makes a kinde of directory what a person in affliction should say unto God It is meete to say unto God that is for a man in thy case to say thus unto God so that Prophet by the Spirit saith Take unto you words and turne to the Lord and say or speake thus unto him though not strictly syllabically in so many words yet to this sence and purpose or according to this tenour speak thus Take away iniquity and receive us graciously And when the Prophet saith Take unto you words his meaning is not that they should affectedly study a forme of words for God much lesse that they should artificially counterfeit words which their hearts had not conceived or were not correspondent to their hearts many speake words even to God which never come neare but are meere strangers to the intents of their hearts but sincere words humble words words of supplication not expostulating words not quarrelling words not murmuring words not meere complaining words but take to you words of confession and submission and so present your selves and your condition before the Lord. The Preacher Eccles 12.10 sought to finde out acceptable words and so should we when we speake unto men Preachers of the word should seeke to finde out acceptable words not fine words not swelling words of vanity not slattering soothing words but acceptable words that is such as may finde easie passage into the heart or such words as may make their passage into the heart through the power of the Spirit of God Now if the Preacher sought to finde out acceptable words when he spake to the people much more should we when we speak to God O how should we labour then to finde out acceptable words All words are not fit to be spoken unto God the words that are in such cases as the text speakes of may be reduced to these two heads First They must be God justifying words that is words by which we acquit the Justice of God how sore and how heavy soever his hand is upon us When Daniel Chap 9.7 14. was laying before the Lord the calamitous state of that people they were under as sore judgements as ever nation was For under the whole heavens saith he there hath not been done as God hath done unto Jerusalem yet all the words he spake unto God tended unto the justification of God O Lord said he righteousnesse belongeth unto thee but unto us confusion of faces as at this day to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem c. We have not had one stroake more then we have deserved there hath not been a grain of weight more in our burthen then we have brought upon our selves there hath not been a drop in our cup more then we have given just cause for Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil and brought it upon us for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doth for we obeyed not his voice these are words fit to be spoken unto God Secondly We are to take to our selves self-condemning self-abasing self-emptying words Such we finde in that chapter v. 5 6 7. To us belong shame and confusion of face c. these are the words we should take to our selves and thus it is meet to be said unto God whensoever his chastisements are upon us Secondly Observe It is our duty to acknowledge it to God that he hath chastened us when he hath We must own his hand in afflicting us as much as in prospering us in casting us down as much as in lifting us up in wounding us as much as in healing us It is meet to be said unto God we have born chastisement thy hand hath been upon us The neglect of or rather obstinacy against this is charged as a great sin Isa 26.17 Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see that is they will not acknowledge thy most eminent appearances in anger against them 'T is so with many at this day though there be a hand of God as it were visibly afflicting their bodies and estates their children and families yet they will not see that it is a hand of God but say as the Philistines it is a chance or it is our ill fortune
that which is good how much more are they short in the knowledge of God and therefore what reason have we to say as Elihu here directs the penitent soule to say That which I know not teach thou me Secondly Note It is the duty of the most knowing servants of God to confesse their ignorance When Elihu would have Job say That which I see not teach thou me he would have him confesse that there was some goed or evill which he did not see He that desireth God to teach him what he doth not see doth therein acknowledge that he doth not see all that he ought Our understandings are imperfect as well as our wills and affections and our sins or imperfections wheresoever they are must be confessed The deficiency of our knowledge or the imperfection of our understanding must be confessed as well as the imperfection of our will to doe good and of our doing good David layeth load upon himselfe in confessing the faultinesse of his understanding or inability to judge aright of what he saw before him Psal 73.22 So ignorant was I and foolish even as a beast before thee And the speciall poynt wherein he confessed his ignorance was about the outward dispensations of God in suffering wicked men to flourish He had ignorant apprehensioÌ„s and was quite out in that matter and therefore befools himselfe and calls himselfe a beast so far was he from seeing the mind and designe of God as became a Saint Such an acknowledgement Agur made Pro 30.2 I am more brutish then any man I have not the understanding of a man I neither learned wisdome nor have the knowledge of the holy This worthy man confessed his ignorance and as the more we know the more we see our ignorance so the more we know the more we confesse our ignorance They that have but little knowledge are especially defective in this poynt of knowledge to see their ignorance and are therefore but little troubled with their ignorance Many think they know enough some possibly think they know all They who have least knowledge are least conscious of their own ignorance And as there are many sins of ignorance so ignorance it selfe is a sin and therefore to be confessed and bewailed before God Thirdly When Elâ—hu brings in the penitent person confessing his ignorance and begging instruction It teacheth us Sins of ignorance need pardon As our ignorance needs pardon so doe our sins of ignorance The law of Moses teacheth this Levit 4.2 If a soule shall sin through ignorance c. he shall bring his sacrifice He must make an attonement for his sin of ignorance And we have further directions about offerings for sins of ignorance when they are discovered and made knowne to the sinner himselfe Lev 5.2 3 4 5 6. Then saith the Law he shall be guilty that is if when he knoweth his sin he doe not performe what the Law requireth in such cases then he is not only ceremonially but morally guilty as a neglecter if not as a despiser of the ordinance and appoyntment of God for his cleansing That which I see not teach thou me The words are a prayer for divine teaching The teaching of God is two-fold First Immediate by his Spirit John 14.26 The Spirit which is the comforter shall come and teach you all things And againe 1 John 2.27 The anoynting that is the Spirit which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you that is ye need not rest in or pin your faith upon the teachings of man as you must not despise so ye need not depend upon the instruction of man Secondly There is a mediate teaching God teacheth by meanes instruments and ordinances First by the ministery of his word Secondly by the works of his hands He teacheth First by his works of creation Secondly by his works of providence they are our masters tutors and instructers Now when this penitent person prayeth Teach thou me we may understand him of both these teachings First of immediate teaching by the Spirit who is the anoynting Secondly of teaching by meanes by the preaching of the word of God and by his providences in what way soever God is pleased to teach us our hearts should stand open to receive instruction And what way soever we receive instruction it is God that teacheth us Though men be the instruments yet the effect is of him Hence Note First God only is able to teach or shew us the things which we know not Men alone cannot Christ said to his Disciples when he commissioned them Matth. 28.19 Go teach all Nations And Eph. 4.11 When he ascended up on high he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers yet no Teachers can bring home instruction without the teachings of God The tenour of the new Covenant runs thus Isa 54.13 All thy children shall be taught of the Lord. And again Jer. 31.34 They shall teach no more every one his neighbour c. that is they shall not be left to the teachings of man or the teaching of God shall be so glorious that all shall acknowledge it though there be instruments yet the flowing forth of the spirit shall be such that instruments and means shall be little taken notice of For when he saith they shall not teach every one his neighbour it is not an absolute Negative but shews that there shall be a more excellent teaching as when the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 3.6 Christ hath made us able Ministers not of the letter but of the Spirit This Negative is not absolute for the Apostles did teach the Letter and the Spirit is usually conveyed by the Ministery of the letter or of the external word the word is as it were the chariot wherein the Spirit rideth and cometh by the ear to the heart So that when Paul saith We are Ministers not of the letter c. his meaning is we are rather or we are more the Ministers of the Spirit then of the letter The inward teaching accompanying our Ministery carryeth the matter both for conviction and conversion both for illumination and consolation not the outward teaching John 6.45 Every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me And how long soever we go to School to men how long soever we sit under the Ministery of the ablest Gospel Preachers in the world we come not to Christ till the Father teacheth till he joyn his inward teaching to the outward teaching of the Minister the light and life of grace is not received It is God who teacheth effectually men teach but instrumentally Thus it was prophesied of the Gospel times Isa 2.3 Micah 4.2 Many Nations shall come and say Come and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord and to the House of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his paths that is he will accompany the Ministers
heare and consider the matter let them speake their minds we should not leane to nor rely upon our owne understanding in the things which concerne our selves only much lesse in those wherein others are concerned more then our selves Eyes see more then an eye And though it be an argument of too much weakness to see with other mens eyes yet it is an argument of much goodness and humility to call in the helpe of other mens eyes Secondly Note The more wise men agree in any matter the greater is the Conviction One man may speak to Conviction but if many speak the same it is a very strong Conviction Many I confesse may center and agree in a wrong Judgement yet we ought to have a reverend esteeme of and not easily differ from that Judgement wherein many wise and understanding men agree Christ speaking of Church-proceedings and censures saith Math 18.19 If two of you who constitute the least number much more if a greater number of godly wise men shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall aske it shall be done for them c. So still the more wise holy and learned men agree in any poynt the greater is our conviction and the stronger our obligation to submit to it He that doth not heare a single brother his fault is great much more if he heare not two or three most of all when he doth not heare the Church speaking to him and testifying against him in the name of Jesus Christ Thirdly Elihu having made a long discourse appeal's to wise men Hence note He that believeth he hath spoken truth is not afraid to have it considered by those who are best able to judge what is true Truth feares not any test or tryall He that offers pure gold and silver cares not who toucheth it or takes the Assay Wisdome is sure enough to be justified of her children They who understand truth and love it can doe nothing against the truth but for it Fourthly Elihu having discoursed long is willing to referre it to men and to let them judge of it Hence note He that hath spoken truth in his uprightness hath reason to believe that he shall have the Consent of the upright with him There is a samenesse of spirit in all wise and godly men for the maine and for the most part it is so in particulars If a godly man conscienciously judge such an opinion to be truth he may be much assured that other wise and godly men will be of his opinion too He dares say as Elihu Let wise men hearken unto me Fifthly and lastly In that Elihu makes his appeal to wise men to men of heart Note All men are not fit to give their Judgement in a case All are not Competent Judges nor prepared to give an opinion and if they doe 't is not much to be regarded wise men specially godly wise men men of a holy understanding are the men whose judgement and opinion is to be regarded Elihu having bespoken the thoughts and opinion of wise men seemes to give his owne in the next words Vers 35. Job hath spoken without knowledge and his words were without wisdome When Elihu had offered it to the Consideration of wise and understanding men whether Job had spoken right about that great poynt Submission to the absolute Soveraignty of God he forbare not first and plainly to declare his owne understanding of it Job hath spoken without knowledge The Hebrew is not in knowledge or not knowingly that is ignorantly foolishly a very high charge Job hath spoken without knowledge yet we are not to understand it as if Elihu thought Job an Ignorant or an unknowing man he could not but know otherwise but as to this particular case he reports him as a man that had spoken without knowledge and declared himselfe both beside his duty and the rule Hence note They who are very wise and knowing in many things yet may be out in some The best of men are not perfect either in grace or knowledge We may know much and yet come short in what we ought to know A man may speak some things very understandingly and yet speak other things very erroneously A Job may be out sometimes Job hath spoken without knowledge And his words were without wisdome When the Lord comes to decide this great Controversie in the last Chapter of this Book he tells Job's three friends that their words had not been right as the words of Job and yet here Elihu saith Job's words were without wisdome or not in wisdome When God said the words of Job were right we may understand it that they were so according to their general tenour or they were so comparatively to what his friends Eliphaz Zophar and Bildad had said in his case or at least his last wo ds after God had throughly convinced and humbled him were so though in many things he had fayled in speech or spoken those things which were not right before Yet here Elihu spake truth while he sayd his words were without wisdome in the speciall poynt he had to doe with him about and so much Job himselfe acknowledged I have spoken once yea twice but I will speak no more I will no more set my wisdome against the wisdome of God nor presume to have things goe according to my mind let God doe what he will with me hereafter Consider how well this good man tooke the plain-dealing of Elihu It might be expected that Job would quickly have risen up in passion especially when he heard himselfe thus urged But being convinced with what Elihu spake he gave him not a word much lesse an angry word Hence note A good man where he is faulty will heare reproofe with patience A gracious heart will soone be angry with himselfe for speaking or doing amisse but he can take it well to heare himselfe reproved when he hath indeed either spoken or done amisse Nor are there many greater and clearer arguments of a gracious heart then this To beare a reproofe wel is a high poynt of commendation Grace may be shewed as eminently by our patience when we are rebuked for doing that which is evill as by our forwardness and zeale in doing that which is good When Nathan the Prophet applyed the parable home to David after he had not only committed but continued long impenitently in his grievous sins of adultery and murder telling him to his face Thou art the man 2 Sam 12.7 and not only telling him so but at once upbrayding him with all the former benefits and kindnesses of God to him threatning him with many dreadfull future judgements v. 8 9 10 11 12. when I say he was thus sharply dealt with it might have been feared that this Great king would have risen up in passion and roared like a fierce Lyon upon the Prophet yet we heare nothing from him but words of sorrowfull confession and humble submission v. 13. I have sinned against the Lord. The boldnesse
man of wickedness nothing but wickedness altogether wicked The Lord looking downe from heaven upon all the children of men in a state of natureâ— sayd There is not one that doth good no not one Take any wicked man he hath no good in him no not one good thought in him he is a man of Iniquity he is meere wickedness till he be changed till his heart be broken by Godly sorrow till he be united unto Christ by faith and through the Spirit I know this expression is used severall times in Scripture to note those men who are sinners of the first forme being not only sinners in their state but in the highest degree of activity Thus Antichrist is called The man of sin 2 Thes 2. And when the Prophet saith Isa 55.7 Let the man of iniquity turne from his evill way he meanes the worst of men Yet this is a truth every man in an unconverted estate is a man of iniquity he hath no goodness nothing of God in him he bears only the Image and impresse of the devill upon him Christ told the Pharisees who were high in reputation with the world for good men John 8.44 Ye are of your father the devill and the lusts of your father ye will doe The naturall man is so sinfull that he is meerly sin And sometimes a godly man speakes and doth as if he were so too Job spake like men of Iniquity Elihu proceedeth more fully to declare both the reason why he would have Job further tryed and likewise what he meant by his answers for wicked men Vers 37. For he addeth rebellion or trespass to his sin Nomine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intelligitur peccatum ex errore commissum Nomine vero 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scelus propriè rebellio Here are two words sin and rebellion the first which we render sin signifies sin in common the least transgression of the Law it is sin the least vaine thought of the heart the least idle word of the tongue is sin but every sin is not rebellion that hath many speciall markes or brands rather upon it To rebell is to sin with a high hand to rebell is to sin with a stiff neck to rebell is to sin with obstinacy and resolvedness of will he addeth rebellion to his sin But did Job rebell indeed I conceive the rebellion which Elihu chargeth Job with is not rebellion in a strict but in a qualified and comparative sense As if he had said Job sinned before but now his sin is heightened we see him now in words rising up against God complaining of his justice or as if he had dealt unjustly with him What he did in the time of his prosperity those slips falls which he had then weighed nothing as laid in the ballance with the intemperate speeches which he hath uttered in the day of his trouble He addeth rebellion unto his sin So we render as respecting what he was and had done before Others render it potentially not indicatively Let Job be tryed unto the end because of his answers for wicked men for otherwise he may adde rebellion to his sin we know not whether his corruptions may carry him if suffered to goe onne This is a more favourable reading of the text not as a charge of naturall but feared rebellion against God As if he had sayd I see the mans spirit is so entangled that if he be not well and wisely dealt with possibly he may come to adde even rebellion unto his sin and whereas he sinned before out of ignorance or imprudence he may shortly sin out of contumacy and perverseness Hence Note First There are sins of severall degrees Every man sinneth he that saith he hath no sin or doth not sin there is no truth in him 1 John 1.8 But every mans sin is not rebellion every man doth not rise up to that height and degree of sinning If any shall enquire when is a mans sin rebellion I answer First That mans sin grows to be rebellion whose will is much in it He that will sin rebells The Apostle Paul saith Rom 7.19 The evill which I would not that I doe This is the case of every godly man at his best he doth those evills which he would not this is not rebellion because the will of a godly man is changed and turned off from sin he can say the evill which I would not doe that doe I. Rebellion is the doing of that evill which we would Secondly In rebellion or in rebellious acts of sin there is much of the understanding as well as of the will that is a man seeth cleerely what he doth is sin or that the rule is against him to rebell is to sin against the light It is sayd in the 24th Chapter of this booke The wicked are of them that rebell against the light that is they cannot abide the light he means it there of the naturall light the adulterer and the thiefe cannot indure Sun or day-light it is much more true of mysticall light if he hath any light of knowledge he resists and rebells against it It s great rebellion to resist the receiving of light offered but 't is greater rebellion to resist light received sins against knowledge are rebellious sins Thirdly A rebellious sin is a sin against reproofe admonition and warning when we have been often told of such a sin and admonished of such an evill course and yet we will goe on in it here is rebellion such a man hath not only light in his understanding that what he doth is sinfull but this light hath been brought home to him and wrought upon him by reproofe counsell and admonition here is still greater rebellion Therefore in the proceeding of the Church spoken of Math 18. when an offending brother hath been reproved and told of his fault first in pâ—ivate by a particular brother then by two or three then by the whole Church if after all these admonitions and reproofes he doth not repent he is to be cast out as a rebel and accounted as a heathen or a publican Lastly As 't is rebellion when we sin as against the reproofes of man so against the providences of God and those of two sorts First When we sin against the favourable providences of God I meane those which are outward when God bestows many mercies and comforts upon us when he gives us health and riches in the world and fullnesse of all things then to sin against him is rebellion Deut 32.15 Jesurun waxed fat and kicked and rebelled against the Lord and lightly regarded the rock of his salvation When we have received many and great mercies then to grow vaine and wanton and nourish our selves as in the day of slaughter this is rebellion against God Secondly When the providences of God have broken us by this evill or that evill when we are broken in our estates broken in our names broken in our relations broken with sickness after sickness and yet persist in
there is store of sin in the multitude of words They that will be speaking much slip much Job saith he multiplyeth words against God There is a multiplying of words against God two wayes First directly Secondly by way of reflection or rebound Elihu could not say Job had spoken nor could he presume he would speak one word much lesse multiply words against God directly He knew Job was a godly man but he asserts he had or feared he might multiply words against God reflectively that is speak such words as might cast dishonour upon God such words as God might take very ill at his hands and interpret as spoken against himselfe Hence note They who speake unduely of the wayes and proceedings of God with them in this world speake against God himselfe The business of Elihu in all this discourse was to hold forth the evill frame of Jobs heart signified by the intemperance of his language under the dealings of God God had afflicted and chastned Job he had multiplyed wounds upon him and Job in the heate of his spirit and bitterness of his soule making many complaints about the workings of God with him is charged with multiplying words against God We may speak against God before we are aware yea we may speake many words against God when we thinke we have not spoke one word against him While we speake impatiently of the proceedings of God in the world and murmur at his dispensations to our families or persons what doe we but multiply words against God we speake much for our selves to God yea I may say we highly commend our selves to God when we submit to his doings and say nothing but in a silent admiration adore his dealings and waite for a good issue of them Aaron proclaimed both his humility and his faith in holding his peace when the Lord slew his two sons Nadab and Abihu strangely with fire for offering strange fire before the Lord which he commanded them not Lev 10.1 2 3. But how many are there who proclaime their pride and unbeliefe by not being able to hold their peace under the afflicting hand of God when his hand scarce toucheth them or when he doth but lay the weight of his little finger upon them in comparison of that heavy stroake which fell upon Aaron We are in much danger of sinning when at any time we speake many words or as Elihu speaketh multiply words he is a rare man that speaketh many words and but some amiss Now if to multiply words at any time even when we are most composed exposeth us to error in our words how much more when our tongues utter many words in the bitterness and discomposure of our spirits And as to speak amisse in any matter is to sâ—n against God so to speak much amisse of our sufferings or of the severest providences of God towards us is to speak much or to multiply words though nor intentionally yet really and indeed against God O then forbeare this multiplication of words lest you multiply sins Speak but little unlesse in the praise of God take heed how you speak of what God is doing to others or doing to your selves Let your words be few and let them be weighed for God will weigh your words and you may heare from him in blowes what he heareth from you in words 'T is a dangerous thing to be found speaking words against God yet this may be the case of a good man whose heart is with God and whose heart is for God even while he hath a general bent of heart to lay himselfe out in speaking and doing for God he through passion and temptation may be found speaking against God What we speake discontentedly of the wayes or works of God is a multiplying of words against God himselfe Thus I have given out and finished my thoughts upon the Preface which Elihu made to lead in his discourse with Job as also upon two stages of his discourse with him Job sits silent and answers him not a word which Elihu perceiving takes liberty to urge him further with two distinct discourses more contained in the three Chapters following which if the Lord give life and leave may be opened and offered to the readers use and acceptance in convenient season A TABLE Directing to some speciall Points noted in the precedent EXPOSITIONS A ABraham a threefold gradation in his name 13 Acceptance with God is our highest priviledge 429 Accepting of persons wherein the sinfullness of it is 119 120. To accept persons in prejudice to the truth is a high offence 121. Some speciall wayes wherein we run into this sin 124 125. 630. God is no accepter of persons 631 Account God giveth no account to man 253. All men must give an account to God 254. 322. God will call all men to account 664 Accusations not to be taken up hastily or meerely by heare-say 195 196 Addition of sin to sin proper to the wicked 828. It is very dangerous to make such additions 830 Adversity a night 688 Affliction must not be added to the afflicted 90. The afflictions of some men more eminently from the hand of God 91. These afflictions which are most eminently from God seeme to beare the greatest witness of the sinfullness of man 91. Foure grounds of it 92. Yet it is no concluding argument 93. Godly men most afflicted seven ends God hath in afflicting them 93 94. What use we should make of it when we see godly men much afflicted 94. In affliction it is better be found bewayling our sin then reporting our innocency 208. We hardly keepe good thoughts of God when we are afflicted and suffer hard things 223. Afflictions put a double restraint upon us 224. How affliction carrieth in it matter of disgrace 225. God speaks to us by affliction 340. Nine designes of God in afflicting man 343 344. Times of affliction must be times of confession 450. Afflictions designed for the good of man 472. No pleading of our innocency or righteousness for our freedome from affliction 515 516. The Lord takes liberty to afflict them greatly whose sins are not great 529. We must not complaine of the greatness of our affliction how little soever our sins are 529. In affliction we should speake humbly and meekely to God 789. The hand of God must be acknowledged in our afflictions 791. Affliction or chastning must be born 791. What it is to beare affliction shewed many wayes 792 793. We must pray for the taking away of an affliction while we are willing to beare it 794. What it is to be exercised under affliction 796. The sin and danger of breaking out of an affliction 801. Who may be sayd to breake from or out of an affliction 801. Affliction tryeth us 852. How it may be lawfull to pray or wish for affliction to fall upon others 852 Alexander the Great his speech to a Souldier of his owne name 12 Amazement what 103 Anarchy the worst of national judgements 746 Angels good or bad