and disposing the affliction of Job 2. The subordinate efficient cause and that was Satan he was an efficient but under God Satan found out other instruments and tooles to doe it by but he was an efficient subordinate unto God And the Text discovers him three wayes 1. By his diligence in tempting ver 7. 2. By his malice in slandering ver 9 10 11. 3. By his cruelty in solliciting the overthrow and affliction of Job ver 11. Secondly We have the materiall cause of Jobs affliction or in what matter he was afflicted and that is laid downe first positively in those words All that he hath is in thy power that is his outward estate that was the matter wherein he was afflicted Then it is laid downe negatively in those words Only upon himselfe put not forth thy hand God doth set him out how farre the affliction shall go in the things that he hath thou shalt afflict him but thou shalt not meddle with his person with his body or with his soule Thirdly The finall cause of Jobs affliction and that is the practicall and experimentall determination decision or stating of a great question that was betweene God and Satan concerning Jobs sincerity God tells Satan that Job was a good and a just man Satan he denies it and saith that Job was an hypocrite Now the determination of this question was the generall finall cause of Jobs affliction When on the one side God affirmes it and on the other side Satan denies how shall it be tryed Who shall be the Moderatour and Vmpire between them Satan will not believe God and God had no reason to believe Satan How then should this be made out It is as if Satan had said Here is your yea and my nay this question will never be ended or decided betweene us unlesse you will admit some course to have Job soundly afflicted This will quickly discover what metall the man is made of therefore let him come to the tryall saith Satan Let him saith God behold all that he hath is in thy power doe thy worst to him onely upon his person put not forth thy hand So that I say the generall finall cause of Jobs affliction is the determination of the question the decision of the dispute betweene God and Satan whether Job was a sincere and holy man or no. And all this to give you the summe of those 6. verses a little further is here set forth and described unto us after the manner of men by an Anthropopathie which is when God expresses himselfe in his actions and dispensations with and toward the world as if he were a man So God doth here he presents himselfe in this businesse after the manner of some great King sitting upon his Throne having his servants attending him and taking an account of them what they had done or giving Instructions and Commissions to them what they shall doe This I say God doth here after the manner of men for otherwise we are not to conceive that God doth make certaine dayes of Session with his creatures wherin he doth call the good and bad Angels together about the affaires of the world we must not have such grosse conceits of God for he needs receive no information from them neither doth he give them or Satan any formall Commission neither is Satan admitted into the presence of God to come so neare God at any time neither is God moved at all by the slanders of Satan or by his accusations to deliver up his servants and children into his hands for a moment But onely the Scripture speakes thus to teach us how God carries himselfe in the affaires of the world even as if he sate upon his throne and call'd every creature before him and gave each a direction what and when and where to worke how farre and which way to move in every action So that these 6. verses following which containe the causes of Jobs affliction are as we may so speake the Scheme or draught of providence that may be the title of them If a man would delineat providence he might doe it thus suppose God upon his throne with Angels good and bad yea all creatures about him and he directing sending ordering every one as a Prince doth his Subjects or as a Master his servants doe you this and doe you that c. so all is ordered according to his Dictate Thus all things in Heaven and Earth are disposed of by the unerring wisdome and limited by the Almighty power of God Such a representation as this we reade in 1 King 22.19 Where Micaiah said to Ahab Heare thou the word of the Lord I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne and all the Hoast of Heaven standing by him And so he goeth on to shew how a spirit came and offered himselfe to be a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahabs Prophets This is only a shadow of providence there was no such thing really acted God did not conveene or call together a Synod of spirits to advise with de Arduis Regni about hard or doubtfull cases nor are wicked spirits admitted into his presence onely by this we are instructed and assured that God doth as exactly order all things in Heaven and earth as if he stood questioning or interrogating good Angels men and devills concerning those matters Having thus given some light about these six verses in generall I shall open the particulars Now there was a day The Jewish Rabbins trouble themselves much to find out what day this was They say it was the first day of the yeare Others that it was the Sabbath day But I account it a disadvantage to a cleare truth when it is proved by an obscure text The Sabbath hath proofe enough before the law though this be spared The holy Ghost hath told us only that there was a day or certain time When the sonnes of God In Gen. 6.2 The posterity of Seth who were the visible Church at that time are called the sons of God The unanimous consent of all Expositors I have met with is that here the sonnes of God are the good Angels so also they are called Cap. 38.7 of this booke Some it may be will object against this Exposition that of the Apostle in Heb. 1.5 To which of the Angels said he at any time thou art my sonne How then doe you interpret here that the sons of God are the Angels when as the Apostle hath exprest to which of the Angels c. I answer that the Angells are not the sonnes of God as the Apostle there expresseth they are not the sonnes of God by eternall Generation but they are the sonnes of God by temporall Creation for so he speakes there To which of the Angels said he thou art my sonne this day have I begotten thee They are not the begotten sonnes of God but they are the created sonnes of God And the Angels are called the sons of God in 3 respects First Because of their
Hebrew is the face of the Lord hath divided them that is the Lord hath done such things as have the character of anger upon them that doe represent and hold forth nothing but the anger of the Lord unto a people and that anger of the Lord is called the face of the Lord unto a people Thirdly by the face of the Lord in Scripture we may understand the ordinances and the worship of God because in them and by them God is revealed manifested and knowne to his people as a man is knowne by his face So in the old Testament comming to God in those institutions was called appearing before God because in them God had promised to manifest himselfe unto his people Lastly the face of God is put for the common and generall presence of God in the world by which he filleth Heaven and Earth Psal 139.7 Whether shall I go from thy presence Now when it is said that Satan went forth from the face of God or from the presence of God it cannot be understood in the first or in the second sense for he cannot so come into the presence of God or before the face of God before his face of glory or before his face of favour Satan never came nor ever shall And as the presence of God is taken for his worship so Satan cares not to come into his presence Lastly as the face of God signifies his common and generall presence in the world so Satan cannot possibly goe out from his face Whether shall I goe from thy presence nor men nor devils are able to go out of the presence of the Lord in that sence for he filleth Heaven and Earth Then these words He went out from the presence of the Lord are spoken after the manner of men When a servant commeth to his Master to receive Commission to doe some businesse and hath his errand given him then he goeth out from the presence of his Master about his businesse So Satan comes here upon a businesse unto God he makes a motion and desireth to have such power put into his hand to doe such and such things the Lord grants it and so soone as ever he had his dispatch he goeth out of the presence of the Lord. So that the meaning is only this that Satan left off speaking with God left off moving God any further at that time and went out to execute that which he got commission to doe as servants goe out from the presence of their Masters when they have received warrant or direction what to doe While a servant is in expectation of his message or errand so long his eyes are upon his Master Our eyes wait upon thee O God as the eyes of servants looke unto the hands of their Masters Psal 123.3 The eyes of servants wait upon the face of the Master till they have received their message and then they goe out from their presence It notes the speed that Satan makes when he receives power from God to afflict or to chasten and try any of his children he makes no stay presently he goeth out from the presence of the Lord. Satan is speedy and active in executing any power that is committed unto him against the people of God against any particular member or against the Church in generall As soone as ever he hath but his Commission to afflict he is gone about it instantly As the good Angels in Heaven are described to have wings because as soone as ever they have received a command from God they are upon the wing they fly as it were to fulfill the will of God and in that sense goe out of his presence So Satan and the wicked Angels are upon the wing too in that sense as soon as ever they have received power they presently put it in execution And we may in this make Satan himselfe our patterne As we pray that the will of God may be done on earth as it is in heaven in heaven by the good Angels So in this sense I say we may desire that we may doe the will of God with as much speed as the evill Angels It is not unwarrantable to learne from Satan speedily to be doing about the will of God JOB 1.13 14 c. And there was a day when his sonnes and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brothers house And there came a messenger unto Job and said The Oxen were plowing and the asses feeding besides them And the Sabeans fell upon them c. IN the former context we shewed you the affliction of Job mooved by Satan and permitted by God Touch all that he hath is Satans motion All that he hath is in thine hand is Gods permission From this 13th verse to the end of the 19th the afflictions of Job are particularly described and we may observe 6 particulars in the Context concerning his afflictions 1. The time or season of his afflictions And there was a day when his sonnes and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brothers house ver 13. 2. The instruments or the meanes of his afflictions Satan who undertooke the afflicting of Job stands as it were behind the doore he doth not appeare in it but sets on others His instruments were first cruell and bloody minded men the Sabeans verse 15. The Chaldeans verse 17. Secondly those active creatures devouring fire and stormy windes the fire verse 16. the winde verse 19. 3. The matter of his affliction or in what he was afflicted it was in his outward estate 4. The variety of his afflictions he was not smitten in some one thing in some one part of his outward estate but he was afflicted in all his Oxen his Asses and his Camels violently taken away his Sheep burnt up by the fire his sons and his daughters over-whelmed and crushed by the fall of an house all his servants attending upon these slaine consumed destroyed excepting only one from every stroke to be the sad relator or messenger of these calamities 5. The suddennesse of his afflictions they came all upon him in one day 6. The uncessantnesse of the report of these afflictions the sound of them all was in his eares at once as they were all brought upon him in one day so they are all told him in one houre yea by the story it doth appeare there were but very few moments betweene the first and the last For the Text saith that no sooner had one messenger ended his dolefull news but another begins nay they did not stay so long as to let one another make an end but the Text saith While the former was yet speaking there came another and said and so while the next was yet speaking there came another and said while he was yet speaking another c. So that Satan did not give Job so much as the least minute of intermission to breath a while or recollect himselfe His troubles both in the acting and in the reporting were close
also of Jobs triall might have born the same name As the Lord will be seen in the mount of our afflictions to provide for us so he will see us in the mount of our afflictions to please himself The Psalmist describeth God looking down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand that did seek God Psal 53.2 Surely then if any do seek God much more if they suffer from him or for him in a holy manner he will look downe from Heaven to see them Thirdly I will note that as another ground why God would have his life spared because he had much use of him when he was in that condition full of sores and scabs A godly man is never in such an estate but God hath some use of his life Therefore saith God Save his life though he be full of sores or rather from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot one continued sore though he be a most lamentable creature and cannot wag hand or foot in any service of man yet spare his life for he may thus stand me in great stead and do me more service then many thousands who as we speake are sound winde and limbe and have not one blemish upon the whole body A godly person is ever usefull to God though he cannot stirre a limbe yet his life may be usefull to God whereas a wicked man though strong and healthy though furnisht with outward comforts and accommodations is altogether unserviceable he will not doe God a stroake of worke though he have received great pay and wages afore-hand A godly man will serve God in and by his poverty in and by his sicknesse when diseased when distressed when nothing is to be seen upon him but scabs and boiles Grace will work through all the defects and decayes of nature And when the life of nature can scarce move one member of the outward man upon the earth the life of grace moves all the members of the inward man toward Heaven Though the outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day 2 Cor. 4.16 Lastly God saved his life as a punishment and vexation upon Satan The Talmudists are vouched to affirme that it was not so grievous to Job to be afflicted in his body as it was to Satan when God restrained him from destroying his life As if a man should be permitted to crack the glasse but he must not spill the wine That his life must be kept whole in him was Satans wound It is a torture to malice not to do the utmost mischiefe So much for the clearing of these words Behold he is in thine hand but save his life From the Lords grant observe first That God doth oftentimes give up the bodies of his faithfull servants to be abused and tormented by Satan and his instruments He is in thine hand thou maiest do with him what thou wilt on this side death Touch his flesh and his bone or touch his flesh to the bone strike as hard wound as deep as thou canst It is said Revel 2.10 that Satan should cast some of them that is of the servants of God into prison God gave up their bodies to irons and fetters to the stocks and shackles He permits those bodies which are Temples of the holy Ghost to be thrust into dungeons and the chambers of death Therefore doe not thinke it strange to see the bodies of the children of God put into cruell and bloudy hands though they are vessels of honour and Temples of the holy Ghost yet God may give up those bodies to be defiled and polluted with the outrages of the most abominable wretches consider what the Apostle speakes of the Jewish Martyrs Heb. 11. How were their bodies abused and mangled They were stoned they were sawn asunder they were slaine with the sword they wandered about in sheep skins and goat skins being destitute afflicted tormented of whom the world was not worthy Their bodies had not a house to dwell in nor garments to put on in whose soules God himselfe dwelt and had put upon them the garment of Salvation Who is able to expresse yea to conceive what strange inventions of crueltie have been brought into the world to vex and torment the bodies of the Saints The stories of the Primitive times are full but the fathers of the Romish inquisition have exceeded them all Satan here invents a strange disease as an engine to torture Jobs body in that he mixt the rack and the wheel the sword and the saw the fiery gridiron and the boyling oil The pain of a thousand deaths was heightn'd in that malignant distemper Secondly he is in thine hand but save his life saith God The matter wherein Satan is limited is life then note That life and death are in the hand of God It is truth that all we have is in the hand of God but God keeps our life in his hand last of all and he hath that in his hand in a speciall manner So David expresses it Thou holdest my soul in life though the soul continue life may not continue there is the soul when there is not life life is that which is the union of soul and body Thou holdest my soul in life that is thou holdest soul and body together So Daniel describes God to Belshazzar Dan. 5.23 The God in whose hand thy breath is and whose are all thy wayes hast thou not glorified The breath of Princes is in the hand of God and the same hand holds the breath of the meanest subject This may be matter of comfort to us in such times as these are times of danger and times of death when the hand of man is lifted up to take thy life remember thy life is held in the hand of God And as God said here to Satan Afflict the body of Job but save his life so God saith still to bloudy wretches who are as the limbs of Satan The bodies of such and such are in your hands the estates of such and such are in your hands but save their lives The life of a man is never at the mercy of a creature though it be a common speech of men when they have a man under them Now I have you at my mercy though some brag as Laban did to Jacob It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt yet God often checks them as he did Laban from so much as speaking hurt Gen. 31.29 but the God of your father spake unto me yester-night saying Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad Creatures though full of love cannot speak good and though full of malice they cannot speak bad if God forbid then much lesse can they do us hurt and least of all hurt our lives if God with-hold David triumphs in his interest in such a God Psal 68.20 Our God is the God of salvation that is of deliverance of outward deliverance for that is
their polishing was of Saphire But see the change Their visage is blacker then a coale they are not knowne in the streetes Famine had eaten up not only their flesh but their forme misery had altered their very complexion and visage they who shined before like Rubies and Saphires for colour and comelinesse were now darke as a coale or dusky like ashes they were not knowne to be the same men and women It is said of Christ in his affliction Isa 52.14 That his visage was so marred more then any man and his forme more then the sonnes of men Great afflictions change the very forme and utterly blast the beauty of the body Sinne doth so change the soule and disfigure the mind it so deformes the spirit and defaces the image at first stampt upon it that God saith I know you not you are not like the men that Imade But this is the comfort of a Job of a godly man that when his face is most deformed his soule is most beautified and though a disease may disfigure him so that his neerest friends know him not yet God knowes him still No sicknesse can weare out the markes by which Christ knowes thee When thy face is blacker then a coale he sees the face of thy soule shining like the face of an Angell A person or a people are then in a wofull condition indeed when God shall say to them as he did to those hipocriticall professors Mat. 7.23 Depart from me I know ye not We may be in such a wofull condition that our friends and acquaintance coming to visit us cannot know us yet for the maine well enough blessed enough at that time beautifull in the eye welcome into the presence of a glorious God They knew him not What then Then they lifted up their voice and wept This is the first act of their mourning And we may observe five acts of mourning here specified whereof one is a naturall act and the other foure are ceremoniall The naturall act was this of weeping They lifted up their voice and wept The ceremoniall acts were these First They rent every one his mantle Secondly They sprinckled dust upon their heads towards Heaven Thirdly They sate downe with him on the ground seven dayes and seven nights The fourth ceremoniall act was their silence And none spake a word unto him for they saw that his griefe was great First They lifted up their voice and wept The word is Baca and from that the place Judg. 2.5 is called Bochin where the people are said to lift up their voice and weepe when the Angell reproved them In Psal 84.6 We reade of the valley of Baca which some translate the valley of weeping or the valley of teares Others from Baca a Mulberry-tree the valley of Mulberry-trees which being a dry place the travellers to Jerusalem at the solemne feasts did so digge for water that they made all as one well Further It is said they did not only weepe but they lifted up their voice and wept We may note two things in that phrase First the vehemency of their sorrow as when a man doth lift up his voice and speake he speakes vehemently Isa 58.3 Lift up thy voice like a trumpet that is speake with a loud and strong voice So here They lifted up their voice and wept that is they wept vehemently they wept exceedingly Secondly To lift up the voice and weepe notes the easing of the mind in sorrow for it is an ease to the mind burden'd and oppress'd with sorrow to lift up the voice and weepe to cry out in sorrow le ts the strength of the sorrow out We say that sorrow which is included strangles and stifles the spirit sorrow kept in is like fire kept in more augmented As David speakes Psal 39. concerning himselfe While I kept silence even from good my sorrow was stirred my heart was hot within me while I was musing the fire burned His sorrow was increast when he had not a vent for it Silent mournings are the sorest mournings lifting up the voice vents the sorrow The holy Ghost expresses great sorrow by that of a woman in travaile crying out To cry out notes I grant great paine and yet crying out is a lestening or mitigation of paine It is observed that the Midwife seeing a travelling woman hold in and conceale her paines will bid her cry out Some lift up their voice and weepe when they are not in paine when they mourne not at all There are Crocodiles teares teares and voices too of dissimulation Ismael had teares in his eyes and revenge in his heart Jer. 41. Others are in paine and mourne when they lift not up their voice nor weepe Like one that hath a deadly wound they bleed inwardly But when there is the highest flood of sorrow in the heart weeping will make an ebbe and you may let much of those waters which are ready to drowne the spirit out at those sluces of the eyes That is the first act the naturall act They lifted up their eyes and saw such a spectacle as made them lift up their voice and weepe There are 4 ceremoniall acts First They rent every man his mantle We have spoken of that when we opened the 20th verse of the former Chapter together with the grounds of rending cloathes sorrow indignation c. I shall referre you thither for further information in this point The second ceremoniall act of their sorrow was The sprinckling dust upon their heads toward Heaven In the 20th verse of the former Chapter Job shaved his head Here is another ceremony They sprinckled dust upon their heads And which is yet more considerable They sprinckled dust toward Heaven There were two wayes of sprinckling dust There was first a taking the dust and sprinckling it upon the head barely And then there was another way of taking the dust and throwing it up in the aire and so letting it fall upon the head This act was significative It typed that all things were full of sorrowfull confusion the earth and the aire were mingled the Heavens also were cloudy and darkened therefore they cast dust toward Heaven For as by a stormy wind and tempest the dust is raised which thickens the aire and obscures the Heavens so by that act of casting or sprinckling dust in the aire stormy tempestuous and troublesome times were signified In the Acts chap. 22.23 those wretched Jewes to whom Paul preached being vexed and enraged cryed out and casting off their cloathes threw dust into the aire Their action had this voice in it This man hath or will if let alone fill all the world with trouble and disturbe the peace of Nations This they expresse together with their own rage by throwing dust into the aire It was a judgement which God threatned his people with that he would make the raine of their land dust Deut. 28.24 And when men make it raine dust by sprinckling it towards Heaven it shewed great trouble or judgement
He lives by that caution Psal 62.10 If riches flow in or encrease yet set not thine heart upon them In the highest flood and spring-tide of worldly prosperity we should keepe our hearts within the channell When riches are encreased into a mountaine and to the eye of nature into a mountaine of rocks yet then doe not set thy heart upon them as upon a foundation so the Hebrew word imports to settle thy contentments All the creatures in Heaven and earth are not strong enough to beare the weight of a mans heart God only can doe that who is the rocke of ages or an everlasting strength Isa 26.3 all besides him is a foundation of sand and so a godly man takes them What nature lookes at as a foundation of rockes that grace sees to be a foundation of sand and therefore will not rest upon it neither indeed can it A godly man in his afflictions is as having nothing and yet possessing all things 2 Cor. 6.10 and in his aboundance he hath all things but possesseth nothing for he so possesses things as if he did not possesse them as the Apostles counsell is 1 Cor. 7.31 He marries as if he married not he weepes as if he wept not he rejoyces as if he rejoyced not he buyes as if he possessed not because the fashion of this world passeth away It was an excellent speech of Luther concerning worldly things I have protested that I will never be satisfied with the creature this is to be a Protestant indeed as well as in truth A godly man is an Epicure in Christ he would never play the Epicure but in Christ and in God In them and towards them he gives his affections their full swing and as a wicked man is said to enlarge his desires after the earth as Hell Hab. 2.5 so he enlarges his desires after Heaven as Heaven and complaines his desires are no larger In the thoughts of Christ he sits downe and would take his fill he saith I am safe in him I am quiet and at rest He saith to his soule soule doest thou see That Christ and doest thou take notice of those promises Thou hast goods layed up in him in them for many yeares yea for eternity soule take thine ease take it fully thou hast riches thou hast an estate that can never be spent soule eate drinke and be merry his blood is drinke indeed and his flesh is meate indeed joy in Christ is joy indeed unspeakeable joy here and fullnesse of joy hereafter In his presence there is fulnesse of joy and at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore Untill the soule pitches thus on Christ it is not in safety much lesse in rest or quiet As the needle in the compasse is in continuall motion till it points towards the North where as it is conceived there are rocks of Load-stone with which it sympathiseth So the soule is in continuall motion untill it points to Christ who we are sure is that living rock with whom all beleevers sympathise and the true Load-stone which attracts all beleevers to him A beleever like Noahs Dove finds no rest all the world over for the feete of his soule untill he returnes to this Arke of safety and salvation And therefore after all his flights and flutterings among the creatures he saith with the Psalmist returne unto thy rest thy Christ O my soule for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee Psal 116.7 Thou hast been abroad in the world and that like a narrow-hearted Master deales niggardly with thee If thou shouldest stay long either in the service of or dependance upon the world the world would starve thee Therefore returne unto thy rest in the Lord for the Lord hath dealt and will yet deale more bountifully with thee O my soule Lastly In that Job saith I was not in safety neither had I rest c. yet trouble came We may observe That the more our hearts are loosened from the creatures the more assurance we may have of enjoying the creatures It is as if Job had said I was not fastned to the world my heart was not engaged to any thing on this side Christ and this was the fairest the most probable way for the continuance of my outward comforts yet trouble came The redditive particle yet supposes somewhat in reason or probability at least that might have carried it another way As when the Prophet Amos reckoning up the judgements of God upon his people speakes to them thus in his Name chap. 4.6 8 9. I have sent you cleanenesse of teeth yet have you not returned unto me I have sent you the pestilence the sword yet have you not returned unto me The yet shewes there was great reason God should expect their returne or that he had done that which in all probability might have caused them to returne when he sent those judgements So here when Job saith I was not in safety c. yet trouble came The yet implies that there was somewhat even in that unquietnesse which gave him hopes of settlement in his outward comforts It seemes to carry such a sense in it as if he had in more words explained himselfe thus Had I dwelt securely and given my selfe up to the contentments of my flesh or trusted in an arme of flesh for safety I should not have wondred at my calamity or thought strange of my trouble But this is a riddle which I cannot yet expound that when my heart was no way set upon my estate my estate should fall That when I rested not in the creature I should meet with such troubles in the creature This is not the manner of God It is not usuall for God to doe thus in his dispensations toward his people and servants It is very rare that he takes their outward comforts from them when they are not taken with their comforts Hence it is as I apprehend that Job putteth it in with a yet trouble came This way of God with me is out of the ordinary course of providence I confesse Mercer a very learned commentator doth not favour this exposition of laying such a weight upon the particle yet and therefore renders the Originall Vau as a bare copulative I was not in safety c And trouble came Yet having the authority of our translation and the frequent use of the word to that sense in other places we may venture upon it yea I thinke it is no venture but a certaine advantage both to the Text and to our selves And I am certaine the position is true though the exposition should not prove so For the truth is troubles are never so neere as when we put them furthest off Nor is the world ever so unsure to us as when we make surest of it God often pulls their comforts from them whose hearts are glued to their comforts As it is said of those in the 1 Thes 5.3 when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction shall come upon
and mysteriousnesse of the matter While a man speakes in a strange language wee heare a sound but know not the words and while a man speakes in our owne language though we know the words yet we may not understand the meaning and then hee that speakes is to us in that reference so the Apostle calls him a Barbarian While the leaves of the booke are opened and read to such or by such the sense is shut up and sealed When the Apostle Philip heard the Ethiopian Eunuch reade the Prophet Isaiah as he traveld in his Chariot hee said to him understandest thou what thou readest The Eunuch answered How should I unlesse some man would guide mee He understood the language but the meaning was under a vaile The very same may we say to many who reade the Scriptures understand you what you reade And they may answer as the Eunuch did How can we except we had some man to guide us Yea and alas for all the guiding of man they may answer How can we except we have the Spirit of God to guide us He hath his Pulpit in heaven who teacheth hearts the heart of Scripture Paul we know was a learned Pharisee and much verst in the Law and yet he saith of himselfe before his conversion that hee was without the Law but when Christ came to him then the Commandment came to him I was once alive without the Law but when the Commandment came that is when Christ came and his Spirit came in or after my conversion and expounded the Commandment to my heart then the Commandment came sc to my heart in the power of it and I understood to purpose what the Law was So that the teachings of the Spirit the teachings of God himselfe are chiefly to be looked after and prayed for that we may know the mind of the Spirit the will of God in Scripture But he hath set up this ordinance the ordinance of interpretation to doe it by both that the Scripture might be translated out of the Originall into the common language of every Nation which the Apostle calls interpreting in that place before cited and also that the originall sense of the Scripture might be translated into the minde and understanding of every man which is the worke we aime at and now have in hand Before I begin that give me leave to beseech you in the Name of Christ to take care for the carrying on of this worke a degree further I mean to translate the sense of Scripture into your lives and to expound the word of God by your workes Interpret it by your feet and teach it by your fingers as Solomon speakes to another sense that is let your working and your walkings be Scripture explications It is indeed a very great honour unto this Citie that you take care for a Commentarie on the Scripture in writing but if you will be carefull and diligent to make a Commentarie upon the Scripture by living or to make your lives the Commentarie of Scripture this will make your Citie glorious indeed It is the Apostles testimonie of his Corinthians Yee saith he are our Epistle for as much as yee are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministred by us written not with inke but with the Spirit of the living God not in tables of stone but in fleshie tables of the heart Give us we beseech you the same occasion of glorying on your behalfe that we may say You are our Expositions for as much as you are manifestly declared in your practise to be the exposition of the mind of Christ ministred unto you by us A walking a breathing Commentarie goeth infinitely beyond the written or spoken Commentarie And as the Apostle makes his conclusion before noted I had rather speake five words with my understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue So I say I had rather know five words of Scripture by my own practise and experience than ten thousand words of Scripture yea than the whole Scripture by the bare Exposition of another And therefore let the word of Christ by these verball Explications dwell richly in your understandings in all wisedome And by a practicall application let it be held forth plentifully in your lives in all holinesse Adde Commentarie to Commentarie and Exposition to Exposition adde the Comment of works to this Comment of words and an Exposition by your lives to this Exposition by our labours Surely if you do not these Exercises will be costly indeed and will come to a deep account against you before the Lord. If you are lifted up to heaven by the opening of the Scripture which is either a carrying of you up to heaven or a bringing of heaven downe to you and then walke groveling upon the earth how sore will the judgement be But it is to me an argument and an evidence from heaven that God hath put it into your hearts to be more glorious in the practise of holinesse because he hath put it into your hearts to desire more the knowledge of holinesse To draw in my speech nearer to the businesse Having a booke full of very various matter before me give mee leave to premise some things in the generall and some thing more particulars by way of Preface concerning the booke before wee come to the handling of the text First for the generall That which God speakes concerning the whole worke of Creation We may speake concerning the whole booke of Scripture It is very good Solomon observes that wheresoever the wisdom of God spake it spake of excellent things And David to quicken our endeavours and excite our diligence to the study of the word preferreth it in worth above thousands of gold and silver and in sweetnesse above the honey and the honey combe And when he ceaseth to compare hee beginneth to admire Wonderfull are thy Testimonies And well may that bee called Wonderfull which proceedeth from the God of Wonders All Scripture is given by divine inspiration or by inspiration from God and I need not stay to shew you the excellencie of any part when I have but pointed at such an originall of the whole As therefore the whole Scripture whether wee respect the majestie of the Author the height or puritie of the matter the depth or perspicuitie of the stile the dignitie or variety of occurrences whether we consider the Art of compiling or the strength of arguing disdaines the very mention of comparison with any other humane Author whatsoever so are comparisons in it selfe as Booke with Booke Chapter with Chapter dangerous There is not in this great volume of holy counsell any one Book or Chapter Verse or Section of greater power or authoritie than other Moses and Samuel the writings of Amos the Shepherd and of Isaiah a Descendant of the blood Royall the writings of the Prophets and Evangelists the Epistles of Paul and this historie of Iob must be received to use the words
by the example and incouragement but against the example of others he was a leading man himselfe though he lived among those that were scoffers and wicked yet Iob was holy As they say concerning the affection of love it is most unnaturall â—or a man to hate those that love him It is civill for men to love â—â—ose that love them but this is truly Christian for a man to love â—â—ose that hate him and doe him wrong So in regard of living and â—â—nversing as of loving and affecting we may say it is a most â—icked thing to be naught among those that are good that aggraâ—ateth a mans sinnefulnesse to be unholy while he converseth with those that are holy It is a good thing to be good with the good to take example by them but it is a most excellent thing a glorious thing to be good among those that are starke naught to worship God aright among Idolaters to feare God among those that have no feare of God before their eyes to be perfect among hypocrites to be upright among those that are unjust to eschew evill among those that are altogether wrapt about with evill This was the honour and commendation of Iob. For a man to be as Lot in Sodome never touched with Sodomes wickednesse to keepe himselfe pure and sincere and without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation to shine as a light in the midst of darknesse this brings honour both to God and man Thirdly From the place where Iob lived we may observe That Grace will preserve it selfe in the midst of the greatest opposition It s such a fire as no water can wholy quench or put out True Grace will keepe it selfe sound and cleane among those who are leaprous and uncleane it is such a thing as overcomes and masters all the evill that is about it God hath put such a mighty power into grace that if it once possesse the heart in truth though there be but a little of it though there be but as much as a graine of mustard-seed not all the wickednesse in the world no nor all the devils in Hell can dispossesse it As all the water in the salt Sea cannot make the fish salt but still the fish retaines its freshnesse so all the wickednesse and filthinesse that is in the world cannot destroy cannot defile true grace that will beare up its head and hold up it selfe for ever And this man was perfect and upright one that feared God and eschewed evill Perfect Not that he had a legall perfection such a perfection as the Papists now contend for and assert possibly attaineable yea actually attained by many in this life For what is man that he should be cleane And Iob himselfe professeth Chap. 9.20 If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse hâ— acknowledgeth Chap. 7.20 I have sinned The perfection thereâ—fore here spoken of is not an absolute a legall perfection For the clearing of the word we may consider there is a twofold perfection ascrib'd to the Saints in this life A perfection oâ— Justification A perfection of Sanctification The first of these in a strict sense is a compleate perfection The Saints are compleate in Christ they are perfectly justified there is not any sinne left uncovered not any guilt left unwashed in the blood of Christ not the least spot but is taken away His gargarment is large enough to cover all our nakednesse and deformities In this respect they may be called perfect they are perfectly justified By one offering Christ hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Then there is a perfection of holinesse or of sanctification and that is called so either in regard of the beginnings of or in regard of desires after and aimes at perfection The Saints even in this life have a perfect beginning of holinesse because they are begun to be sanctified in every part they are sanctified throughout in soule and body and spirit as the Apostle distinguisheth 1 Thes 5.23 though every part be not throughout sanctified yet they are sanctified in every part throughout and this is a perfection When the worke of sanctification is begun in all parts it is a perfect worke beginning They are likewise perfect in regard of their desires and intendments Perfect holinesse is the aime of the Saints on earth it is the reward of the Saints in Heaven The thing which they drive at here is perfection therefore they themselves are called perfect As God accepts of the will for the deed so he expresseth the deed by the will he interpreteth him to be a perfect man who would be perfect and calls that person perfect who desires to have all his imperfections cured That is a second understanding how Iob was perfect A third way is this He was perfect comparatively comparing him with those who were either openly wicked or but openly holy he was a perfect man he was a man without spot compared with those that were either all over spotted with filthinesse or only painted with godlinesse Or thus We may say the perfection here spoken of is the perfection of sincerity Iob was sincere he was sound at the heart He did not act a part or personate Religion but was a religious person He was not guilded but gold So the word is interpreted Some render it Iob was a simple man not as simple is put for weake and foolish but as simple is put for plaine hearted one that is not as the Apostle Iames phraseth it a double minded man Iob was a simple minded man or a single minded man one that had not a heart and a heart he was not a compound speaking one thing and meaning another he meant what he spake and he would speake his mind It is the same word that is used in Iacobs character Gen. 25.27 Esau was a cunning hunter a man of the field and Jacob was Ish Tam a plaine man So that to be a perfect man is to be a plaine man one whose heart you may know by his tongue and reade the mans spirit in his actions Some are such juglers that you can see little of their spirits in their lives you can learne but little of their minds by their words Iacob was a plaine man and so was Iob some translate it a sound man It is the same expression that is given of Noah He was Tamim in his generation or he was sound upright hearted or perfect with God Gen. 6.9 And it is that which God speakes to Abraham Gen. 17.2 Walke before me and be thou Tamim be thou perfect or sound or upright or plaine in thy walking before me In the 28. of Exodus v. 30. We reade of the Vrim and the Thummim on the Breast-plate of the High-priest Thummim comes from this roote and signified the integrity of heart and life required in the High-priest as Vrim did the light and clearenesse of his knowledge And upright The former word which was
of all He was greatest all these wayes but that which is here specially meant is the greatnesse of his honour and riches He was the greatest man in outward estate of all the men of the East Of all the men of the East Heb Sonnes of the East In the 25. of Genesis v. 6 Abraham gave gifts unto his Sonnes by the Concubines and sent them away from his Sonne Isaac Eastward into the East Countrey Doubtlesse the blessing of God followed these Sonnes of Abraham his friend and they waxed Great but among them all Iob was greatest It had bin much to say he was a great man amongst the men of the East for the men of the East were very great men and very rich men As to say one is a rich man in the City of London where there are so many rich men one that goeth for a rich man there is a rich man indeed But here is more in this he was not only a rich man or a great man amongst the men of the East but he was the greatest he was the richest of them as to say that one is the richest in the whole City cryes a man up to the height of riches this expression then heightens the sence of the Text concerning Iobs greatnesse he was not only great among the men of the East but the greatest man of them as if the Holy Ghost should have said I will not stay reckoning up particulars or telling you this and that Iob had you know the East was a large Countrey and full of rich men his estate was the largest and himselfe the richest of all the men of the East A Question may here be raised Why the Holy Ghost spends so many words and is thus accurate in the setting forth of Iobs outward estate I shall touch three reasons for it 1. He is described to be a man of a very great estate to the end that the greatnesse of his affâ—iction might appeare afterward the measure of a losse is taken by the greatnesse of a mans enjoyment If a man have but little his affliction cannot be great but if a man have much if he have abundance then the affliction doth abound After great enjoyments want is greatest Emptinesse presses those most who once were full I went out full saith Naomi Ruth 1.21 and the Lord hath brought me home empty therefore call me not Naomi which is pleasant but Marah which is bitter for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me 2. The greatnesse of his estate is set forth that the greatnesse of his patience might appeare For a man to be made poorer that was but poore and meane before it is no great matter though he beare it for a man to have but little that never had much is no great tryall of his patience but for a man to have nothing at all that had as it were all things and to be patient under it this shewes the proofe of patience To a man that is borne a slave or a captive captivity and bondage is no trouble it doth never exercise his patience he is scarce sensible of the evill because he never knew better But for a King that is borne free and hath power over others for a King that is in the height of freedome and liberty to become a slave and a captive in such a one patience hath a perfect worke if he beare it So for Iob a man that once abounded in all manner of outward good things to be outed and emptyed of all that tryed his patience to the full 3. It was to give to all the world a testimony that Job was a through godly and holy man that he was a man of extraordinary strength of grace why because he held his integrity and kept up his spirit in the way of holinesse notwithstanding he was lifted up with abundance of outward blessings To be very great and very good shewes that a man is good indeed Great and good Rich and holy are happy conjunctions and they are rare conjunctions Usually riches impoverish the soule and the world cares out all care of Heaven therefore Iob was one of a thousand being at once thus great in riches and thus rich in goodnesse He was rich in grace that was so gracious in the middest of so much riches the godlinesse of Iob was inriched by his riches It argued that Iobs godlinesse was very great and very right because he continued right in the middest of all his greatnesse How often doe riches cause forgetfulnesse of God yea kicking against God How often are they made the bellowes of pride the fewell of uncleanenesse the instruments of revenge How often doe rich men contemne dispise and oppresse their weake and poore bretheren but to make riches the fewell of our Graces and the Instruments of duty both to God and man To have the house full of riches and the heart full of holinesse these united are admirable Extremes are very dangerous to be extreame poore or extreame rich is an extreame temptation Therefore the wise man Agur Prov. 30.8 prayes Give me neither poverty nor riches Lord saith he I would not be in any of the extreames It is a sore temptation to be farre on either hand to be farre on the hand of riches or farre on the hand of poverty To be very poore and very holy is a rare thing That man hath great treasures and riches of grace who is so I remember the speech of a poore woman who having a child about 8. or 9. yeares of age and being once in such a streight that hunger began to pinch them both the child looking upon the Mother said Mother doe you thinke that God will starve us No child answers the Mother The child replyed if he doe yet we must love him and serve him Such language from the heart becomes and argues more then a Child in Grace a growne Christian. They are fil'd with Christ who can starve and serve him So likewise are they who being full fed yet serve him and temptations are greater upon the full then upon the empty upon the rich then upon the poore The reason of it is because as riches doe stirre up lust so they give fewel and administer instruments for the obtaining and taking in of that which lust calls for this poverty doth not The poore saith Christ receive the Gospell the lame and the blind make most speed and see their way clearest into the Kingdome of Heaven but for rich men he saith It is easier for a Camel to goe through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven We see now the Miracle acted in Iob the Camel is got thorough the needles eye Job a rich man is got through the needles eye with three thousand Camels c. And the reason was because all his Camels Cattell and riches did not take up so much roome in his heart they were not so thick in his spirit as one
reason For Job said it may be my sons have sinned Let us examine the reason a little It may be my sons have sinned What is it come to an it may be with Job that his sons have sinned What sons had Job Surely they were more than men that the Father is but at a Question whether his sonnes have sinned or no Solomon after an If concerning sin resolves it into a conclusion 1 King 8.46 If saith he they sinne against thee here he makes a supposition but you see he goes not one step from it before he makes a direct assertion for saith he there is no man that sinneth not and yet Job puts it with anuncorrected If or it may be my sons have sinned For the opening of this Without all question Job was fully and thoroughly studied in that point of the universall corruption of man his disputings as we shall see afterwards in this booke sufficiently evince it What is man saith he that he should be perfect 〈◊〉 he that is borne of a woman that he should be cleane Here by sinning then we are to understand something more than ordinary sinning To sin sometime is put for common and daily infirmities such as doe inseparably and inevitably cleave unto us such as considering the state and condition wherin we are having corrupt flesh and bloud about us we cannot be freed from As a man who in the morning washeth his hands and goes abroad about his businesse and affaires in the world though he doth not puddle in the mire or take among dung-hils yet when he returnes home againe to dinner or at night if he wash he finds that he hath contracted some uncleannesse and that his hands are foule we cannot converse in an uncleane and dirty world with our bodies but some uncleannesse will fasten upon them So it is with the soule the soules of the best of the purest of the holiest though they do not rake in the dung-hill and wallow in the mire of sin basely and filthily yet they doe from day to day yea from moment to moment contract some filth and uncleannesse And in this sense it is that there is no man that liveth and sinneth not Every man hath a Fountaine of Vncleannesse in him and there will be ever some sinne some filthinesse bubbling and boyling up if not flowing forth Secondly To sin is put for some speciall act of sin that which in Scripture is called a Fall If any man be overtaken with a fault you that are spirituall restore him And in this sense the Apostle John saith which is a cleare answer to this doubt and doth open the terme I write unto you little children that you sinne not He did not write to them an impossible thing he writ to them about that which in a Gospell sense they might attain unto There are 3 degrees of sinning 1. There is one kind of sinning which is called a daily infirmitie which the Saints of God the best in this life are not freed from 2. There is another kind of sinning which is to sinne wilfully and with pure delight and thus he that is borne of God cannot sinne 3. There is another kind of sinning which is called falling into sinne or the falls of the Saints and sometimes we know they have fallen into great and scandalous sins In this sense it is that the Apostle saith Little children I write to you that you sinne not That is though you have daily infirmities yet take heed of scandalous sinnings So here in the Text where it is said It may be my sonnes have sinned It is not meant either in the first or second sense it is not meant as if he thought his sons were without infirmities nor is it meant that he did suspect them of those sins which are indeed incompatible with the state of grace sins of perfect wilfulnesse and of malice or the like but it is of those sins in the middle sort It may be my sons have sinned that is have sinned so as to provoke God and scandalize men in this their feasting in their meeting together We may note from that first He that liveth without grosse sinnes in a Gospell sense liveth without sin To be without great and grosse sinne is our holinesse upon earth to be without any sinne is the holinesse of Heaven He that liveth without fault sine querela as it is said of Zachary and Elizabeth that they lived blamelesly in Gospell account is said to live without any sin at all Another point we may collect from this It may be my sonnes have sinned Certainly then Jobs sonnes were godly If Job be at a question whether they have sinned they were godly without question When a man lives so that he leaves onely a suspition that he hath sinned we may be at a conclusion that he is sanctified For other persons can do nothing else but sin even in holy actions much more in civill or naturall Again It may be my sonnes have sinned it was a suspition in Job concerning his children Hence observe It is no breach of charity to suspect ill of others while we intend their good Indeed upon an It may be upon a peradventure to accuse and charge another is very uncharitable but upon a peradventure or an It may be such a one my child or my friend or my brother hath sinned to be put to pray for him this is very charitable A good heart turnes it's suspitions of others sinnings and failings into prayers and intercessions that they may be pardon'd not into accusations and slanders that they may be defam'd The use which Job made here of his suspition of his sonnes sinning was to turne it into prayer and supplication for the pardon of their sinne One thing further from this It may be my sonnes have sinned Job knew of no evill that his sons had committed he had no report that we reade of that his sons had behaved themselves unseemely in their meetings and feastings he onely doubteth he only is jealous and afraid that they had yet at this time he prayeth and sacrificeth and laboureth a reconcilement for them Note from hence A suspitiâ—n that we our selves or others have sinned against God is ground enough for us to seeke a reconcilement for our selves or others with God If you that are tender Parents have but a suspition if there be but all it may be that your child hath the Plague or taken the infection will it not be ground enough for you to goe presently and give your child a good medicine If any one of you have but a suspition that either your selves or your friends have taken poyson though you be not certaine of it will it not be ground enough for you to take or to give an Antidote presently Sinne is as a plague it is as a poyson therefore while you have but a suspition either of your selves or of others that you have sinned or failed thus or thus here is ground enough for
adopted sons Came and presented themselves before God This should teach us to imitate Angels this we pray for That the will of God should be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven The Angels alwayes present themselves they alwayes stand before God ready to doe his will we should be ever in the presence of God in this sense that is presenting our selves standing as in the presence of God ready to take and receive instruction to doe his will what ever it is Lord what wilt thou have me to do Is as it were the voyce of an Angell standing before the throne of God It should be the voyce of every soul Lord what wilt thou have me to doe This is the presenting of the soule before God Then consider here who Satan was Satan was as good in his Creation as any of those who are called the sonnes of God They are called the sonnes of God and he is now called nothing but Satan an adversary His condition was once as good as theirs Note hence There is no created excellency but if it be left to it selfe will quickly undoe it selfe These Angels were as good at the first as any of those that were here called the sonnes of God They were not confirmed they stood upon their owne bottome they fell and had no tempter at all they turned about upon the freedome of their owne will and left their habitation saith the Scripture There is no trusting to any estate out of Christ Further note this what was the difference between those sons of God and this Satan only sin one was as good as the other in the creation nothing else made an Angell a Devill but only sin Sin despoyles the creature of all it's comfort and honour at once Againe note this the Angell falling and becomming sinfull hath his name presently changed he is called Satan an Adversary An adversary to God an adversary to man He that is wicked himselfe will quickly be an adversary an opposer of all goodnesse no sooner a sinner but a Satan Lastly Note this To be an opposer of good is to be conformable to the devill The devill is the Adversary the Satan and so proportionably as any one is an opposer of good so much of Satan so much of the devill he hath in him Therefore Christ said to a chiefe Apostle when he did oppose him in that greatest good of all the working out of our redemption in dying for us get thee behind me Satan Mat. 16. All opposition of goodnesse is a spice of the devill So the Apostle Paul Act. 13.10 when he speakes to Elymas the sorcerer saith O thou child of the devill thou enemy of all goodnesse To be an enemy of goodnesse is to be the child of the devill it is the very character of the devill He is a Satan in respect of all goodnesse and good persons And surely my brethren if this be a character of the devill and to be conformable unto Satan how conspicuous is that conformity in this age How many thousands beare this marke of the devill not only in their hands closely but in their fore-heads openly How many visible walking Satans are there among us enemies of all goodnesse oppressours of all righteousnesse opposers of our peace opposers of our liberty opposers of the Gospell opposers of Christ These are all as so many Satans in the world so many enemies Now is a time that Satans are let loose in the world the devill now if ever workes mightily in the hearts and spirits in the hands and tongues of these children of disobedience It becommeth us then that as there are many adversaries and opposers of goodnesse to shew our selves friends and patrons of goodnesse Christ hath many challenges let him find some Champions Now it is time to raise your spirits not only to love the truth but to maintaine the truth as it is the height of wickednesse not onely to doe evill but to oppose good so it is the height of holinesse not only to doe good but to oppose evill This is just to be on the contrary point to Satan he doth wickednesse and opposeth good let us doe good and oppose all evill To be a Satan against Satan is the glory of a Christian Now set your selves against the Sathans be adversaries to that Adversary and all his adherents so shall you approve your selves the friends of Christ JOB 1.7 8. And the Lord said unto Sathan whence commest thou Then Sathan answered the Lord and said From going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and downe in it And the Lord said unto Sathan hast thou not considered my servant Job that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill IN the former verse we shewed you that great and glorious Session the Lord with his holy Angels about him and Sathan too comming among them In the verses following to the end of the 12th We have the businesse or acts of the Session recorded God Interrogates Satan answers Satan moves God grants This is the summe of all the businesse that pass'd in this Session God puts two Interrogatories to Satan one concerning his travells or where he had bin vers 7. The other concerning his observations or what he had done vers 8. In the 7th verse we have the first qustion the Lord beginneth with Sathan And the Lord said unto Satan whence commest thou How the Lord speakes is a point almost unspeakeable There are many disputes about it I will not stay upon them only to open this that you may take in all Scripture of the like kind wherein the Lord is said to speake We must know that as in Scripture God is said to have a mouth and a voice alluding unto man by that common figure so likewise when the Lord speakes we must understand it by the same figure it is but an allusion to the manner of men God is said to speake as men are said to speake but God doth not speake as men speake forming a voice by such organs or instruments of speech But when the Lord speakes it is either by forming and creating a voice in the ayre so God is said to speake sometimes As when Christ was babtized there came a voice from Heaven saying This is my beloved Sonne c. So Joh. 12.28 There came a voice from Heaven saying I have glorified thee which all the people heard sounding in the ayre Secondly God is said to speake when he manifests and declares himselfe either to the spirits of men or unto Angels who are spirits God doth speake unto the spirits of men sometimes without any forming of a voice so the phrase is usuall in the Prophets The word of the Lord came unto me which is to be understood that the Lord did secretly reveale himselfe to the spirits of his Prophets and not by any externall audible voice it was an inward not an outward word So when the
intelligencers to bring him in a report of the state of things abroad for so there in the vision it is exprest after the manner of men Though Christ needs none to informe him about the estate of his Church and people yet he alludes to the custome of Princes who maintaine Intelligencers in all Courts and Kingdomes to advise them how the affaires of other nations are transacted The very same Originall word is used of God himselfe Zach. 4.10 The eyes of the Lord runne to and fro through the whole earth he is his own Intelligencer exactly discovering and taking notice of every thing that is done in the world So then this is the meaning I have beene going to and fro in the earth saith Satan that is I have fully and throughly taken notice of all passages of all persons in all places of all conditions and sorts of men that is the thing I have beene doing Thus Mr. Broughton translates From searching to and fro in the earth noting his exactnesse of enquiry in his travels Then secondly it noteth the unquietnes of Satan He is an unquiet a restlesse spirit being cast out of Heaven he can rest no where A soule that is once displaced and out of the favour of God hath no place to repose in afterward Now saith he all my businesse is walking to and fro going up and downe Satan hath no rest As the sentence of Cain was Gen. 4. when God had cast him out of his presence thou shalt be a fugitive and a vagabond thou shalt doe nothing but runne up and downe the world as long as thou livest Satan is such a fugitive a vagabond one that runnes up and downe in the world he is an unsetled an unquiet spirit They who are once departed from God can never find rest in any creature but running to and fro is their condition and their curse Thirdly Some understand it thus that Satan makes as it were a recreation of his tempting and drawing men to Hell Satan cannot possibly in a proper sense take any comfort or be refreshed but as one doth well expresse it he himselfe being lost undone and damned seekes to comfort himselfe by undoing and damning others It is a joy to some to have companions in sorrow All Satans delight if we may conceive he hath any delight is in this in making others as bad and miserable as himselfe Therefore it may be he calls his trade of seduction and destruction walking up and downe in the earth as men are said to walke up and downe for refreshing and recreation he speakes of it not as of some toilesome hard journy but as of walking for delight But I conceive the former to be more proper Take two or three Notes from this First Here we may observe That there is no place in the world that can secure a man from temptation or be a sanctuary from Satans assault For Satan goeth to and fro thorough the earth hee is an ubiquitary hee stayes no where but runs every where It is the folly of Popish Votaries that think to shut themselves up in walls from the temptations of Satan Cloysters are as open to Satan as the open field Satan walketh to and fro through the earth Secondly We may note here the wonderfull diligence of Satan Satan is very active to doe mischiefe He walketh to and fro As Peter expresseth it 2 Pet. 5.8 He goeth about as a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devoure There is his diligence and there is his intent Satan speaks nothing of his intent here he conceales that he speakes only as if he went about like a pilgrim walking thorough the earth his maine businesse that he went about to devoure soules is kept in silence but the holy Ghost unmaskes him and discovers the designe of his walking to and fro He seeks whom he may devoure If Satan be thus diligent going about to tempt we ought to be as diligent standing alwayes upon our watch to prevent his temptations Mr. Latimer in one of his Sermons where he taxes the Clergy especially the Bishops of those times for their idlenesse proposeth to them the example of the Prophets and Apostles and of Christ himselfe their diligence in going about to preach should quicken those idlers but saith he if you will not follow their example follow the example of Satan he goeth about in his Diocesse to and fro continually Take example from him in doing evill how to doe good we may take example thus farre from Satan to be as forward to do good as he is to do hurt to be as watchfull against him as he is watchfull against us If this be his busines to go to and fro thorough the earth and his intent be to devour souls then where ever we goe in the world up and downe we ought to be carefull to keep our own souls and gain the souls of others Thirdly We may observe from it that Satan is confined in his businesse to the earth he can get no farther than the earth or to the ayereall part he is called the Prince of the ayre Satan being once cast out of heaven can never get into Heaven more There is no tempter in heaven there is no Serpent shall ever come into the caelestiall Paradise there was one in the earthly Paradise but there shall never be any in the caelestiall Therefore when we are once beyond the earth we are beyond the reach of all temptations we are then at rest from Satans snares and practices as well as from our owne labours Let us now consider what the Lord replyeth or his second Question to Satan Well thou hast been walking to and fro in the earth saith God Hast thou considered my servant Job Tell me hast thou taken notice of such an one Hast thou considered The word is Hast thou put thy heart upon Job So it is word for word in the Originall hast thou laid Job to thy heart Hast thou seriously fully and exactly considered my servant Job And so it is rendred out of the Septuagint Hast thou attended with thy mind upon my servant Job To put a thing upon the heart is to have serious and speciall regard to it as when the Scripture speaks of not putting a thing upon the heart it noteth a sleighting and neglecting of it When the wife of Phineas was delivered and they told her that she had brought forth a son the Text saith she answered not neither did she regard the Hebrew is neither did she put her heart upon it the same word is here in the Text. Thus Abigail speakes unto David As for this sonne of Belial let not my Lord put his heart upon him or as it is translated let not my Lord regard this man of Belial take no notice of such an one as he is he is a foole name and thing doe not regard him doe not put him upon thy heart There are divers such expressions where putting upon the heart is expressed by
regarding and not putting upon the heart by not regarding Then here hast thou put Job upon thy heart that is hast thou seriously weighed and considered Job As if God had said I am sure in thy travels and wandrings about the world thou couldest not choose but take notice of Job he is my jewell my darling a speciall man among all the sonnes of men He is such a spectacle as may justly draw all eyes and hearts after him when thou walkedst didst thou not make a stand at Jobs doore I cannot but looke upon him my selfe and consider him therefore surely thou hast considered him The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his heart is upon them too A wicked man hath not the eye of God a godly man hath his heart and shall have it to all eternity The summe is This Question teacheth us That amongst all the men that dwell on the face of the earth Job was the most considerable Hast thou not considered my servant Job It is as if one should say to a man come from this City into the Countrey were you at Court or have you seen the King Because he is the most eminent and considerable person So God here speakes to Satan upon his account of walking about the earth hast thou taken notice of Job A godly man is the most considerable man in the world But then you must put your heart upon him not your eye onely for then as it was said of Christ Isa 53.3 you may perhaps see no beauty in him his inside is the most considerable thing in the world As a wicked man is the most unconsiderable not worthy the looking unto though he be never so great as Elisha said to the King of Israel Surely as the Lord of hostes liveth before whom I stand were it not that I regard the presence of Jehosaphat the King of Judah I would not looke toward thee nor see thee thou art not a man saith he that deserveth so much as to be looked upon A godly man is therefore described to be one in whose eyes a vile person a wicked man is despised But secondly in reference to Satan Some reade these words not by way of question but by way of affirmation thus thou hast considered my servant Job Thou hast been abroad in the world surely then thou hast taken notice of my servant Job thou hast considered him that is of all men in the world thou hast set thy selfe about Job to tempt him and to try him when thou camest to Jobs house there thou madest an assault there thou tryest the uttermost of thy strength to overcome him thou consideredst him what to do against him how to overthrow him tel me hast thou not found him a tuffe peece Didest thou ever meet with such an one in the world before To consider a thing is to try all wayes how to gaine it or how to compasse such a thing as Samuell said to Saul when he was seeking his fathers Asses As for thine Asses that were lost set not thy mind on them that is doe not trouble thy selfe doe not beat thy braines to consider which way to goe to find them or where it is most probable to get them So here thou hast set thy mind or considered my servant Job that is thou hast beat thy braines and set all thy wits on worke what course to take with greatest advantage to destroy my servant Job Take the words in that sense and they yeeld us this Instruction That Satans main temptations his strongest batteries are planted against the most eminent godly persons When Satan sees a man that is eminent in grace against him he makes his hottest and subtilest assaults he sets his heart upon such a man yea and vexeth his heart too about him Satan is most busie at holy duties one said he saw in a vision ten devils at a Sermon and but one at the market and about holy persons As for others he doth not trouble himselfe about them for they as the Apostle shewes are led captive by the devill at his will if he doe but whistle as it were they easily follow him and come after him presently so that he needs not set his heart or vex himselfe about them But when he commeth to a Job he sets all his wits and all his strength a worke bends all his thoughts to consider what course to take to assault such a strong hold of grace If he can get such a man downe then there is triumph indeed he sings victoria Then if we may so speake there is joy in hell as there is joy indeed in heaven at the conversion of a sinner So there is a kind of joy in hell when one sinnes that is converted If any thing can make the devils merry it is this to give a godly man the foyle though they see he is past their reach to destroy him yet if they can but blemish or disgrace him if they can but trouble and disquiet him this is their delight Hence it is that Generall Satan with his legions of darknesse those infernall spirits encampe about such persons with deadly hatred As when an Army meets with a strong Castle or City they sit downe and there consider what course to take for the besiedging and gaining of it Hast thou considered my servant Job The title which God gives Job is very observable My servant Job A Servant you know is one that is not at his owne dispose but at the call and becke of another so the Centurion describes a servant For saith he I am a man under authority and I have servants and I say to this man goe and he goeth and to another come and he commeth Servants are at the word of another they are not sui juris in their own power therfore Aristotle calleth Servants living tools or living instruments breathing instruments because they are at the will of another to be used and imployed at the discretion of their Master Here God calleth Job his servant And he calleth him so First by way of distinction or difference my servant that is mine not his owne many are their owne servants they serve themselves as the Apostle saith They serve not the Lord Jesus but their owne bellies they serve their owne lusts divers lusts and pleasures Job is not such an one he is my servant Many are Satans servants as if God should have said to Satan here Satan thou hast gone about the world and thou hast found a great family of thine owne thou hast found many servants in all places but hast thou considered my servant There is one I am sure that oweth thee no service and by his good will will doe thee none hast thou not found my servant Some are the servants of men but Job is my servant not a servant of men to subject himselfe to their lusts either for hope or feare He is not as the Apostle speakes the servant of men
none like him there is a secret advancing of the praise of Job For there is nothing that can be spoken more to the praise of a man then this to say that there is none like him Though you say no more you have said all As the Scripture we know sets forth the wonderfull praises of God Exod. 15.11 Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the gods Who is like thee Which is resolved into the negative there is none amongst the gods like unto thee there is none like unto thee This is the high praise of God Mic. 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity It is the highest commendation of God to say there is none like him to set him above all creatures In like manner here in the Text when it is affirmed that there was none like Job this setteth him up in all praises and excellencies to the highest though particulars be concealed yet whatsoever may make for the honour of a man is included in this that there is none like him But how should we understand this of Job that there was none like to him upon the earth We must understand it not only in reference to wicked men that there was no meer naturall man no wicked man like unto him as if God had said to Satan there is none in the earth which is thy inheritance no earthly man like my servant Job look over all thy servants thou hast not such an one in the earth That 's too low We wil take it therfore in reference to all the Saints that were then upon the earth there was not such a godly man upon the earth none like unto him and then we must expound likenes by a distinction There is a double likenes there is a likenes of Quality and there is a likenesse of Equality When it is said here that in the Earth there was none like to Job you must not understand it of a likenesse of quality as if there were no man that had such qualities as Job had for all the Saints that are in the earth have the same kind of qualities they are all alike in the maine and in the generall namely in the Conformity of their nature to the will of God which is holinesse that is the generall quality and thus all the Saints upon the earth are alike there is not any man can have any other likenesse upon him than this it is impossible I say in this regard the meanest and lowest Saint upon the earth is like to the highest and greatest Saint upon earth yea not only so but the meanest Saint upon earth is like to Jesus Christ in heaven in regard of quality he hath the same quality the same nature he is made partaker of the divine nature And the Apostle Paul exhorts the Philippians Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ The meanest Saint hath the same mind and the same quality in reference to his new nature that is in God himselfe or in Christ he is like to God God begetteth all his owne children in his owne likenesse But in regard of the likenesse of equality thus Iob was such a man as there was none like him in the earth no man like him in the degrees of those qualities they were not equall to him in this or that or the other grace Iob was a man above them all As we know it is with wicked and naturall men all wicked men upon the earth are as like one to another as can be As face answereth to face in water so doth the heart of man to man the heart of one naturall man to the other but yet there are some wicked men so wicked that there is none like them in the earth We have the very same words applyed to Ahab in wickednesse 1 King 21.25 But there was none like to Ahab which did sell himselfe to worke wickednesse in the sight of the Lord. None like unto him not I say as in the former that there were no wicked men that had the same sinfull qualities for all have the same sinfull qualities but there was none like him in equality of wickednesse Ahab was a None-such he was a Giant in wickednesse none were growne to such a stature of wickednesse as Ahab In the same manner we must understand this concerning Job none did reach to him in the equality of his graces in the stature of the inward man Job had out-growne all the world in grace at that time Yet a little further for the understanding of this We find sometimes when the Scripture saith of a man that there is none like to him the speech is to be restrained to some one particular And it may be a Question whether we are to understand this of Jobs preheminence in the ganerall or in regard of some one particular grace We reade of Solomon that there was none like him Neh. 13.26 Among many Nations was there no King like him who was beloved of his God There was no King like to Solomon but he restraineth it to this who was beloved of his God none to whom God did so much communicate himselfe as to Solomon none like to Solomon in wisedome and knowledge in those revelations and intimate communions that God had with him he was as it were Gods darling as his other Name Jedediah importeth Then it is said of Hezekiah see another instance 2 King 18.5 That he trusted in the Lord God of Israel so that after him was none like him among all the Kings of Judah Now this we must understand of some one particular especially that is of his trusting in the Lord in regard of his trusting so firmely in God he went beyond all the Kings that came after him there was none did so perfectly trust in God for it is said he brake in peeces the brasen serpent that Moses had made and stamped it to pouder trusting in the Lord. Though some of his Counsellours might tell him If you doe those things you may bring a world of trouble upon your selfe and the Kingdome if you change these ancient customes you will make your people mutinie this serpent was of God it was made in the wildernesse c. Yet saith he I see it is abused to Idolatry I care not for all that you say I will trust in the Lord how ever it goe Here was an high an unparalel'd act of confidence Yet afterward it was said concerning Josiah 2 King 23. 25. That like unto him was there no King before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soule and with all his might Here it is said after Hezekiah that Josiah was such a King as there was none before him and it was said of Hezekiah that was before him that he was such a one that after him there should be none like him How shall we reconcile these two Onely by applying those expressions to such and such particulars Hezekiah was
the Asses feeding beside them There came a messenger The Jewish Rabbins and some of the Fathers tell us that these messengers were Devils evill spirits in the likenesse of men But surely the opinion hath little likenesse with the truth therefore with Beza I lay it by and reject it amongst the tales of the Rabbins These messengers were really the escaped servants of Job as we shall see afterward Now the messenger bespeakes Job thus The Oxen were plowing they were hard at their worke and the Asses were feeding besides them The word in the Hebrew is this the Asses were feeding at their hand or at hand to be at hand doth note neerenesse in our language we say such a thing is at hand or such a man is at hand the day of our feare is at hand when we meane they are neare The Lord is at hand Phil. 4.5 sc nigh unto us for our helpe So 2 Thes 2.2 It is applied also to neerenesse of place as well as of time Neh. 3.2 where the building of the wall of Jerusalem is described it is said Next unto him built the men of Jericho the Hebrew is at the hand of him built the men of Jericho that is next to him in place Now the messenger describeth all in such a posture The Oxen were plowing and the Asses feeding by this to assure Job of the care and diligence of his servants about his businesse for the securing of his Cattell and improving of his ground as if he should have said This sad affliction which is come upon thee did not come through our negligence or improvidence we were about our businesse according to our severall places The Oxen were plowing and the Asses were feeding by them they were not carelesly left to danger but our eye was upon them yet notwithstanding they were all surprized and taken away From this relation of the posture of Jobs servants and Cattell at the time when this affliction fell upon them we may observe thus much That all our care and diligence cannot secure outward thing unto us Afflictions may take us in the middest of our best and most honest endeavours A man may be looking to and ordering his estate and yet at the very time while his eye is upon it he may see it take its flight like an Eagle towards Heaven while he is ordering of it he may see disorder and confusion comming upon it while he is setling of it by honest care he may quickly see it unsetled removed and all broken to peeces as it was here with Job he was in a very good way his servants were honestly employed but suddenly all is gone The Oxen were taken away and the Asses that fed by them But who made this attempt The messenger informes that in the next words And the Sabeans fell upon them The Sabeans The Hebrew is Saba fell upon them the Countrey put for the people Saba for the Sabeans As we use to say Spaine made warre and France made warre that is the Spaniards made warre or the French made warre so it is such an expression Saba fell upon them that is the people inhabiting Saba Fell upon them The word noteth a mighty violence they came upon them as from above they came powring downe upon them like a storme There is such a phrase in warre when they goe violently upon a place they are said to storme the place to storme the gates of a Castle or of a City so here they fell upon them that is they came violently upon them like a storme In Prov. 1.27 destruction is described to come upon wicked men like a whirle-wind The Sabeans were a people as it is concluded by most interpreters inhabiting Arabia felix neare the Countrey where Job dwelt And for the manners of this people it is observed by Historians that they were a people famous onely for robberies a people that lived by pillage and by plundering of their neighbours Such a people they were These Sabeans fell upon them they tooke away thy Cattell and have slaine thy servants with the edge of the Sword Here it may be questioned How or why these Sabeans at such a time should fall upon the estate of Job what hurt had Job done them Job lived in a faire way with all his neighbours and kept good quarter and correspondence with them he was not a man of warre or contention how then commeth it to passe that these fell upon Jobs estate and tooke it away and upon that day too in this nick of time As when the Widdow of Tekoah had told a faire tale to David about the bringing backe of Absolom the King asked her Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this So when you see such men Sabeans and Chaldeans falling upon the estate of Job you may demand Is not the hand of Satan in all this Yes no doubt These Sabeans fall upon Jobs estate but Satan first fell upon the Sabeans and by strong temptations provoked them to doe this service But how could he prevaile upon the Sabeans that they should come and doe his businesse now at this time The Apostle telleth us that wicked men are led captive by Satan at his will Satan doth lead men captive at his will while they are as they conceive conquerours riding in triumph doing their owne will These Sabeans came to execute their own designes but Satan had a designe upon them he brought them thus to spoile the estate of Job But what could Satan doe How could Satan prevaile with these Can he force men to be his instruments to execute his designes upon the people of God Or hath he Sabeans and Caldeans Nations and people at his beck or under his command No Satan cannot force or compell them against their wills but as that Scripture saith he leads them captive at his will and as another Scripture he is a Prince of the power of the ayre and he workes in the children of disobedience yea hee workes like a Prince mightily and powerfully in the children of disobedience Though he cannot constraine them yet he can worke mightily in them to effect what he hath to doe But how doth he bring them about thus readily and suddenly to act what he projects Thus First He finds out the temper and disposition of the persons That Satan can doe he is a great Naturalist and hath a great deale of helpe to his skill long experience by both he can goe very farre in discovering the dispositions of men which way their spirits tend and he found out that these Sabeans were a people given to robbery and spoile and so fit ministers for him to worke by in his designe of spoiling the estate of Job Secondly When he hath found out the naturall temper or state of a mans heart he can lay a baite of temptation sutable to that inclination and desire finding out a people given to spoile he presently sets before them rich spoiles these are a taking
creature excellence This fire being a strange and extraordinary fire is said to be the fire of God This fire of God is conceived to have been some terrible flash of lightning which in a moment destroy'd and consumed the sheepe and shepheards And this is more probable because it is said to fell downe from heaven that is out of the aire for so often in Scripture heaven is put for the aire the middle region of the aire where Satan hath great power therefore he is called the Prince of the aire and he can doe mighty things command much in that Magazin of Heaven where that dreadfull Artillery which makes men tremble those fiery Meteors thunder and lightning are lodged and stored up Satan let loose by God can doe wonders in the aire He can raise stormes he can discharge the great Ordnance of Heaven thunder and lightning and by his art hee can make them more terrible and dreadfull then they are in nature If the skill and art of man can heighten naturall things then much more the skill of Satan I doubt not but many fearefull impressions are made in the ayre by devils carrying nature by Gods permission farre above it's owne course and these are properly marvels or wonders such as the Magitians wrought in Egypt by the helpe of Satan for miracles are quite out of the devils spheare But he can doe wonders and such was this fire falling from Heaven c. A marvell or wonder is nature mightily improv'd a miracle is nature totally cross'd if not contradicted Observe this for the nature of that fire the effect of it followes in the next words It hath burnt up the sheepe and the servants and consumed them The word in the Originall is It did burne them and eat them up Fire is a devouring element Devouring fire as before a devouring Sword these were devouring judgements upon Job Yet it doth not necessarily inferre that the sheepe were all burnt to ashes but that the sheepe were all killed by that flame of lightning that came from Heaven for it is said of Nadab and Abihu of which we spake before that a fire went out from God and did consume them it is the same Originall word that is here in the Text A fire went out from God and did eat them up yet wee know their bodies were not consumed for they were carried out to their buriall and their garments were upon them So that this consuming doth not note the burning of things to ashes but a striking of them to death it is a devouring fire because it is a destroying fire it takes away life and thus lightnings kill rather by piercing and penetrating than by consuming and devouring But now here it will be questioned for the further opening of this why Satan chooses thus to consume the sheepe with fire why doth he not rather use spoylers to take them away He could doubtlesse have got the Sabeans to have fetched away the flocks of sheepe as well as the droves of greater cattell he could have procured them easily why then doth he cause fire from Heaven to come down the fire of God to consume them I answer his reason for this was to put the greater sting into the affliction He would not have the sheepe taken away after the same manner that the Oxen and Camels were that he might aggravate Jobs trouble and provoke him if he could to be passionate against God yea and for that was his great designe to blaspheme God therefore he procures fire from Heaven to fall upon the sheepe thereby to beget an opinion in Job that God was now become his enemy as well as man When we suffer from man then the afflicted soule flies to God makes his complaint and moane to him as doubtlesse Job did when he heard of those cruell Sabeans and what they had done but lest Job should resort in his thoughts to Heaven and comfort himselfe in God againe the next messenger telleth him that God is his enemy too that the fire of God is fallen upon the sheepe an extraordinary fire as if hee should say God fighteth against thee as well as the Sabeans Alas now to whom should Job make his moane That speech of Eli concerning sinne may well be applyed to suffering If one man sinne against another the Iudge shall judge him but if a man sinne against the Lord who shall intreat for him So if a man suffer from men he may goe unto God but if God himselfe doe appeare to be an enemy and to fight against us to whom shall we goe Indeed Iob knew how to goe to God though he did appeare as an enemy but that is the greatest straight and to doe thus notes the greatest spirituall both skill and strength Hence observe That Satans great designe against the people of God or any servant of God is to provoke them to ill thoughts of God to perswade them that God is their enemy to bring the love and good will of God into suspition therefore he causeth this great fire and it is like formed the servants language in that cutting phrase The fire of God is fallen upon the sheepe Thou canst not put this off as thou mightest doe the other and say this is but the malice or the covetousnesse of the Sabeans that rob'd me of my goods and slew my servants No thou shalt see now that God himselfe is angry Heaven frownes upon thee the fire of God from Heaven consumes thee Turne over the records of all antiquity and see whether God ever dealt thus with any but those cursed Sodomites upon whom God rained fire from Heaven Thou who commest so neare them in the punishment hast reason to judge thy selfe not farre behind them in sin Secondly observe Those afflictions are most grievous wherein God appeares to be against us The malice oâ— devils and the rage of men may be endured but who can stand before God when he is angry If God doth but with-draw his comforts the soule sinkes under smallest tryals how then can it stand if God should reveale his wrath against us when we are in great tryals It may here be questioned why the sheepe were consumed with fire rather than any other of his cattell rather then any other of his substance There are two things in that First the sheepe were used in Sacrifice When the daies of their feasting were ended Job offered Sacrifice and the sheepe chiefly were offered in Sacrifice Now Satan by consuming the sheepe hoped to fasten this upon Iob if possibly he could that God was angry with his very Sacrifices God was angry with his services As if he should say Doest thou thinke that the offering up of thy sheepe in Sacrifice hath beene pleasing to God Certainly if the fire of those Sacrifices had delighted God if he had smelt a savour of rest in them as he is said to have done when Noah offered Sacrifice after the flood Gen. 8.21 he would never have sent a fire
superiour as sometimes in courtesie he vvill bowes downe or vvorships his inferiour As it is noted concerning Abraham that vvhen he came before the men of the Country of Heth he bowed himselfe Now Abraham vvas the Superiour he vvas a Prince and a Great-man yet comming before the men of the Country he bowed himselfe and it is the same vvord So then this civill vvorship may lawfully be given unto men But as for divine vvorship that is proper and peculiar unto God that glory he vvill not give to graven Images man or Angell and therfore we must not Hence vve find that vvhen Cornelius and John did act their civill vvorship a little too farre they vvere presently taken oft for they should intrench upon the divine vvorship Civill vvorship vvhen it is excessive and goeth too farre is sinfull As in Act. 10.25 Luke relates that as soone as Peter came in Cornelius met him and fell at his feet and worshipped him the vvorship vvas to Peter for vve are not to thinke that Cornelius vvas so grossely ignorant as to take Peter for a god and to give him divine vvorship but the meaning of it is that he fell downe at his feet and gave him an honour and respect beyond vvhat he ought to have done he vvas excessive in it therefore Peter takes him off Stand up saith he I my selfe also am a man I am a man as thou art though an Apostle give me such respect as becommeth a Minister of Christ take heed that you give me no more than belongeth to a man So the Angell Revel 22.8 When John falleth downe at his feet and worshippeth he takes him up See thou doe it not saith he for I am thy fellow servant This is too much for man worship God as it is in the end of the verse such worship belongeth properly and peculiarly unto God So much for the opening of these two latter actions of Job in reference unto God We shall now give you some Observations He fell downe upon the ground and worshipped You see how Job divides himselfe and his affections in this time of his affliction part he bestowed upon his children and servants and losses they shall have his sorrow and teares He rent his mantle and shaved his head but they shall not have all God shall have the better part his love his feare his trust his body to bow to him and his soule to worship him Learne from hence That a godly man will not let nature worke alone he mixes and tempers acts of grace with acts of nature We must not sorrow as those that are without hope saith the Apostle qualifie sorrow with hope these mixt do well A man must not sorrow for outward things as though we had nothing els to do but to sorrow he must remember he hath a God to worship and honour Job bestowes somewhat upon his children but more upon his God while his body fell to the earth his heart was raised up to Heaven He fell downe and worshipped Secondly observe That afflictions send the people of God home unto God afflictions draw a godly man nearer unto God Then Job fell downe and worshipped Afflictions are a great advantage to the servants of God for when the world frownes most then they beg most for the smiles of God when the world is strange to them and will not looke on them then they get more familiarity and closer communion with God they seeke his face Wicked men in their afflictions in their sorrowes are either quite drowned in and overwhelmed with them so that there is nothing but sorrow as we say all a mort or else they goe out to helpe and relieve themselves with worldly refreshments trouble drives them to sinne it may be as low as Hell to seeke reliefe The more poore they are the more wicked they are such are not poore as Job though they are as poore as Job Jobs poverty sent him to God rich in mercy He fell down and worshipped Thirdly learne That the people of God turne all their afflictions into prayers or into praises When God is striking then Iob is praying when God is afflicting then Iob fals to worshipping Grace makes every condition worke glory to God as God makes every condition worke good to them who have grace Fourthly Job falleth downe and worshippeth observe here That it becommeth us to worship God in an humble manner Though God as we shewed before may be worshipped in another posture yet we should rather choose that posture which is most humble and may lay our bodies as low as our soules if it may be There were some lately amongst us who cry'd aloud as great Patrons for humble postures in worship and all were censured for a stiffe necke and an Elephants knee who refused to bow with them or to bow their way I may well adde their way for Gods way of bowing was neither question'd nor refused all their humility in bowing went but one way they must bow towards the East and towards the Altar at least if not to it Some of their stomackes I beleeve would have digested that before this time especially being a little help'd with a distinction Lastly We may here observe That divine worship it is Gods peculiar Papists have worship for creatures and they have a distinction for it but no Scripture for it They tell us of Latria which is they say worship proper only to God and their Dulia which is for Saints and then their Huper-dulia which is for the Virgin Mary and for the signe of the Crosse Thus they make vain distinctions which God and the Scripture make not Vain distinctions are good enough to maintaine vaine superstitions They that invent a worship must invent a doctrine to maintaine it by Some perhaps may stumble at that Text Rev. 3.9 where this promise is made to the Church of Philadelphia Behold I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan which say they are Iewes and are not but doe lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee May not worship then be given to a creature Ans This worship may be taken for civill worship namely for that submission which the enemies of the Church shall be forced by the power of Christ to make unto her as was promised by the Prophet Isa 60.14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the sâ—tes of thy feet Ans 2. If this be divine worship then worshipping at the feet of the Church notes worshipping in the Church not worshipping of the Church The worship is not terminated in the Church but in Christ who dwels and rules in the Church who is both Head and husband of the Church These enemies being convinc'd of the presence of Christ in his Church shall worship him This David prophecies of Christ speaking in his owne person Psalm 18.43 44.
begot a sonne mortall and subject to death he did but look backe to the common condition of man and supported himselfe But now I say this second argument is higher it is not an argument bottomed upon the frailty of nature but upon the soveraignty of God This argument is grounded upon the equity of divine providence and dispensations The Lord saith he hath given and the Lord hath taken away The Lord hath given Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above Jam. 1.17 What gifts doth Job here meane He meanes good and perfect gifts in their kind but not the best and most perfect kind of gifts The Lord once gave me those Oxen those Sheepe all these outward things that now I am stripped of The Lord hath given A gift is any good freely bestowed when we receive a thing which another was not ingaged to bestow that is a gift Now God doth not onely give us those transcendents grace and glory faith in Christ here and full fruition of Christ hereafter not onely are these gifts I say sent in from God and undeserved by us but outward things riches and honour children and servants houses and lands these are the gifts of God likewise we have not the least creature-comfort of our owne we have nothing of our owne but sinne What hast thou that thou hast not received is a truth concerning every thing we have even to a hoofe or a shoe-latchet Wee are indebted unto God for our spiritualls for our temporals for all We must say of all little or much great or small The Lord hath given How did the Lord give Job all his riches and estate The Lord doth give either immediately or mediately When Job saith the Lord hath given we are not to understand it as if the Lord had brought such a present to him and said here take this estate take these cattell these servants but God gave them mediately by blessing the labours of Job So when the Lord prospereth us in our honest endeavours and labours and callings then the Lord giveth us outward things The Lord hath given Job doth not say by my strength and diligence by my policy and pradence I have got this estate as the Assyrian said Isa 10.13 by the strength of my hand have I done this and by my wisdome for I am prudent Iob takes no notice of himself he was not idle yet he speaks as if he had done nothing the Lord hath given This should teach us in the first place to acknowledge the Lord as the fountain and donor of all our outward comforts When you get wealth doe not say this I have gotten such language is barbarous in divinity but say this the Lord hath given Wee find an expresse caution to this purpose given by Moses from God not onely against the former language of the tongue but of the heart When the Jewes should come to Canaan and should grow rich and great there When thou hast eaten and art full then thou shalt blesse the Lord. Beware thou forget not the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee and say in thy heart my power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth but thou shalt remember the Lord thy God for it is hee that giveth thee power to get wealth It is he that giveth thee power Many who are perswaded that God gives them grace that God gives Heaven and Salvation are hardly perswaded or at least doe not so well consider it that God gives riches c. their their hearts are yet ready to say that they have gotten this wealth they have gotten this honour It is a sweet thing when a man lookes upward for these lower things and can say on good grounds that his earth hath dropt down to him from Heaven The Lord hath given Further when Job saith the Lord hath given it is an argument of his owne justice and equity in getting Job did not enrich himselfe by wrong by grinding the faces of the poore If he had done so he could not have said the Lord hath given So much as we get honestly we may looke upon as a fruit of Gods bounty Looke into your estates and whatsoever you have got by wrong dealing take heed of saying this is of Gods giving for so you make God himselfe a partner in your sinnes God sometime gives when we use no meanes but he never gives when we use unlawfull meanes What God said concerning the setting-up of those Kings Hos 8.4 They have set-up Kings but not by me he saith of all who enrich themselves by wrong they have gotten riches but not by me When men leave the rule of justice God leaves them And though unlawfull acts are under the influence of his blessing Wicked men thrive often but they are never blessed their prosperity is their curse Thirdly it is observable that when Job would support himselfe in the losse of his estate he cals to mind how he came by his estate and finding it all given in by the blessing of God upon his honest labours and endeavours he is satisfied Note That what we get honestly that we can part with contentedly He that hath got his estate by injustice can never leave it with patience Honesty in getting causeth quietnesse of spirit in loosing outward things Keepe a good conscience in getting the world and you shall have peace when you cannot keepe the world Wheras a wrong-doer and a wrong-dealer is in such a day under a double affliction he is afflicted with his present losse and he ought to be afflicted for his former gaine Fourthly These words the Lord hath given being rightly handled will be as a Sword to cut-off foure monsters or monstrous lusts which annoy all the world or as a medicine to cure foure diseases about worldly things Two of these lusts are strongest in the rich and the other paire assault the poore The poore pine either with discontent because they have so little or with envy because others have so much The rich swell with pride because they have aboundance or they are fil'd with contempt of those that are in want Let the rich seriously weigh this speech it will cure them of pride Charge them that are rich saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 6.17 that they be not high-minded You see how subject rich men are to this inflammation of pride But with what doth he pricke this bladder It is with this thought that God gives all riches Let them trust in the living God who giveth us all things richly to enjoy That argument of the Apostle 1 Cor. 4.7 If thou hast received it why dost thou boast is as strong and as true in regard of temporals as of spirituals Consider seriously that your estates are the gift of God and downe fals pride If you come honestly by them they are the gift of God If you come dishonestly by them they are the gifts of Satan and you ought to be ashamed of them and
from the seat of life to save the skin of that member which is so neare the seat of life Secondly by skin in the former place some understand all the outward estate that Iob had It was usuall in those times to expresse all riches by the word Skin and the reason of it was this because as was observed before their substance was cattell and so from the skin of their cattell they did denominate their estates Or as others because their mony was made of skins and so they did expresse their wealth and riches under the word skin Answerable to which custome the Latin word for houshold-stuffe or household goods is derived from that word which properly signifies a skin because either they were wont to wrap up their goods in skins or because they did put a great value upon skins and so their whole outward personall estate was comprehended under that notion Hence that common Proverbe amongst the Ancients Thou spendest out of another mans skinne To be liberall out of another mans estate was called a being lavish upon another mans skinne And then skin in the second place doth signifie the man himselfe or the person of a man the thing containing or that which covereth being put for the whole by a Synecdoche the skin for the whole man And it is usuall in good Authours to put the skin for the whole man as to looke to the skin is to looke to the whole body Take it thus that skin in the first place is all outward things and skin in the second is taken for the skin that covereth the body and so the sense runs thus Skin for skin c. that is a man will give all his outward estate to save the flesh upon his backe that is to save his life As if Satan had said this act of Iob which is so cryed up and made a matter so considerable being examined will be found as ordinary as the High-way It being common to a Proverbe for a man to part with all that hee may preserve himself There is a third exposition much labour'd by a learned Interpreter who by skin in the first place understands not generally all his estate but more especially his apparrell his cloathing which at the first were made of skins and were used long after for cloathings by Princes and great men in divers Countries from which the sense of the Proverbe is thus given skin for skin c. A man will part with his cloathes cast them off willingly easily that he may save the skin of his body save his life And so he expounds it by that act of Iob in the former Chapter vers 20 where it is said that Job rent his mantle and cast it off as if Satan had alluded unto that and said no marvell if Iob humbled himselfe to the dust and renting his garment cast that away when he heard all was taken from him Iob parted with the skin his garment that he might move thee to compassion and so save his other skin the garment which cloathes his flesh which he feared thou wouldest rent by wounding and so let out his trembling soule his beloved life A fourth gives this interpretation of the words Skin for skin c. The Originall Preposition which we translate for is often in Scripture likewise translated upon as in 2 Kingâ— 5 The widdow went from Elisha and shut the doore upon her and upon her sonne So in other places then the sence is made out thus Skin upon skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life that is if a man had never so many skins if it could be supposed he had an hundred skins one upon another he would let all be taken oft to save his life That place is expounded as a paralell Iob. 1.16 where it is said That of Christs fullnesse we receive grace for grace that is grace upon grace or abundance of grace all the grace we have this grace and that grace faith and love and patience and humility every grace all grace you receive from Christ Thus some illustrate these two places one by another So Satan saith of Iob here Skin for skin that is skin upon skin a man will give all his skins suppose he had many he would part with all or take skin for never so much of his outward estate he will let all goe to save his life There is yet another interpretation given of this Skin for skin ye all that a man hath wil he give for his life take the words comparatively we translate it yea all he hath That copulative particle in the Hebrew is rendered sometime and sometime yea sometime so according to which last exception the sense standeth thus as a man will give skin for skin so a man will part with all he hath for his life We finde some Scriptures wherein this particle is taken in the very same sense To give you instance Prov. 25.3 there the Hebrew reades it thus The heavens for height the earth for depth and the heart of Kings is unsearchable Now this is cleare that the sense is comparative and it is thus to be given as the Heaven is unsearchable for height and the earth for depth so the heart of the King is unsearchable So verse 25. of the same Chapter it is thus read out of the Originall word for word Cold water to a thirsty soule and good newes from a farre country now we translate it according to the sense and make it a comparison thus As cold water to a thirsty soule so is good newes from a farre country Thus also we may interpret this place and it carries a good sense Skin for skin and all c. As a man would give skin for skin one outward thing for another for they take skin in both places for outward things for the goods of this life as a man would give or barter away one commodity for another So a man will give all outward things for his life life is more valuable to all outward things than any one particular thing is to another It is ordinary to a Proverbe among men in danger to say spare my life and take my goods How willingly doth the Mariner in a storme unlade his Ship and cast all his rich wares over-board that he may preserve that precious jewell his life As a godly man will give life upon life a thousand lives if he had them rather then loose his soule So a natural man will give skin upon skin gold upon gold treasure upon treasure that he may save his life Let life lie at the stake and a man will give all things he hath in the world for it and thinke he hath a good bargaine Here are 5. expositions you see offered The two latter to me seeme the most cleare howsoever every one of them hath a faire sense in it and so we are agreed upon the generall which is onely to set forth the excellency and preciousnesse
upon the rock unshaken unmoved He that is held up by everlasting armes shall stand fast for ever In all this Job sinned not The words referre to what was past For Job afterward did faile and sinned with his lips through vehemency of paine and heate of disputation he spake some things rashly though nothing blasphemously So he confesses Chap. 42.13 I have uttered things that I understood not But in all this so farre as Job had gone he had not sinned with his lips As Samuel after many victories and deliverances sets up a stone or a pillar with this inscription Eben-Ezer The stone of helpe saying Hitherto hath the Lord helped us 1 Sam. 7.12 So here the holy Ghost doth as it were erect a pillar raise a monument of Jobs compleate and glorious victories over Satan Thus engraven Hitherto In all this Job hath not sinned Yet you may remember that such speeches concerning the Saints are to be understood in a qualified sense not in an absolute sense For who can bring a cleane thing out of that which is uncleane Perfection out of imperfection Not to sin is here our duty and should be our endeavour it shall be our reward in Heaven On earth we are said not to sin when we desire not to sin as hath bin more at large shewed upon those words of the last verse of the former Chapter In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly There reade the point handled more distinctly For the opening of these words note only this that when it is said In all this Job sinned not There is more to be understood then is exprest for Job did not only not sin but he overcame and triumphed gloriously over Satan he did excellently and he spake excellently in all this So then these words carry the sense not only of a bare acqittall but of a high approbation In all this Job sinned not with his lips With his lips Some of the Jewes inferre from hence that he sinned in his heart because it is said he did not sin in words they conceit there was some irregularity in his thoughts Surely if his heart had been disorder'd his tongue would have been disorder'd too for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh therefore it is rather an argument that his heart was free from sin because his tongue was In all this Job sinned not with his lips That is he did not murmure or repine or blaspheme these are the sins of the lips Observe first Not to sinne is the highest and truest the most honourable and lasting victory of all This victory God himselfe applauds the holy Ghost will cry you up for strength and valour when you come off from a temptation untouch't you shall be recorded for it among Christs worthies In all this Job sinned not And secondly To governe the tongue under great and sore afflictions is a high act of grace It is spoken as matter of wonder In all this Job sinned not with his lips Moses you know was a meeke man yet he was so put to it that he spake unadvisedly with his lips He opened his lips so unadvisedly that God shut him out of the temporall Canaan for it rash words cost him deare David was a very holy man and very carefull over his tongue Psal 39.1 I said I will take heed to my wayes that I sinne not with my tongue I will keepe my mouth with a bridle And knowing though as the Apostle James teacheth us we put bits into the Horses mouthes that they may obey us we can turne about their whole body Jam. 3.3 that no bridle of his putting could keepe his mouth he puts this worke into the hand of God praying with all earnestnesse Set a watch O Lord before my mouth keepe the doore of my lips Notwithstanding all this we find him sinning with his lips more then once Psal 73.13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vaine and washed my hands in innocency And againe Psal 116.11 I said in my hast all men are lyars Job had the preheminence in this he sinned not with his lips no not when he was afflicted and smitten with bitter words He that offendeth not in words saith the Apostle James is a perfect man he is a perfect man indeed who can rule his tongue and so keepe the doore of his lips as that he offends not either by silence or by speech The lips doe offend both wayes negatively as well as positively by speaking and by not speaking Sometimes silence is a loud sinne not speaking is to some on some occasions a crying sin Job sinned not with his lips either by being silent when he should speake or by speaking wherein and when he should be silent And so much concerning this second consequent of Jobs affliction His wives sinfull counsell with his prudent and gracious answer sharpely yet moderately rebuking strongly yet lovingly convincing her folly In and by both faithfully indeavouring at once to discover and cure her errour The third consequent of his affliction now followes namely the visit of his friends described in the three last verses of this Chapter which leads us into the body of the Booke with all the debates disputes and arguments held and maintained with much acutenesse of wit and strength of reasoning between him and these three his friends and visitants JOB 2.11 12 13. Now when Jobs three friends heard of all this evill that was come upon him they came every one from his owne place Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuite and Zophar the Naamathite for they had made an appointment together to come to mourne with him and to comfort him And when they lift up their eyes afarre off and knew him not they lifted up their voice and wept and they rent every one his mantle and sprinkled dust upon their heads towards Heaven So they sate downe with him upon the ground seven dayes and seven nights and none spake a word unto him for they saw that his griefe was very great THese three verses containe the third generall consequent of Jobs second affliction In the division of the Chapter we called it his friends visit In which visit we may here observe First The number of the visitants They were three Now when Jobs three friends Secondly We have here the names of these visitants Eliphas the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite Thirdly We have the occasion of their visit And that was the report of all the evill that was come upon Job Now when Jobs three friends heard of all this evill that was come upon him then they came Fourthly We have the ground of this visit It was a mutuall agreement or a compact made betweene them so saith the text For they had made an appointment together to come Fifthly We have the end or the intendment of their coming what they aimed at in visiting Job And the end is exprest in the Text to be two-fold 1. To communicate with him in his
those plaine-hearted mourners but for those also who are skillfull in lamentations such as Jeremie to set a song in the highest straines of lamentation for the bewailing of our troubles And say let such lament our day as lamented Jerusalem let such lament it as have lately lamented Germany such as now lament the ruines and desolations of Ireland Verse 9. Let the Starres of the twi-light thereof be darke let it looke for light but have none neither let it see the dawning of the day This is the last part of the curse which Job passeth upon his night Let the Starres of the twi-light thereof be darke Some comforts of the night are naturall others are accidentall Job in the former verses wishes away the accidentall comforts The meeting of friends and the voice of musick In this verse he removes the naturall comforts of the night which are two First The present light of the Starres Secondly The expected light of the Sunne The first comfort of the night is that though it be darke by the absence of the Sunne yet there is some light by the presence and shining of the Starres And it is a greater comfort in the night to remember that though now I have no light but from a glimmering Starre yet shortly the light of the glorious Sunne will shine upon me But in how darke a condition is the night when the Sunne is gone and the Starres too when the Starres are clouded from shining and the Sunne stayed from rising This Job wishes as the state of that night Let the Starres thereof be darke yea let it have no hope to see the Sun that is let it be an everlasting night Let the Starres of the twi-light thereof be darke By twilight we are to understand the beginning of the night or the evening when the Starres first appeare the word signifieth both twi-lights the twi-light of the evening and the twi-light of the morning The Starres of the twi-light are those resplendent Starres so much observed by Astronomers and observable by the Vulgar which shine in the evening and the morning When Job would have these Starres of the twi-light to be darke Heat once takes away a three-fold benefit from the night First These Starres are a great ornament to the night What a glorious spectacle is it to see the canopie of Heaven bespangled with the Starres as a garment set with Studs or Oes of Gold Secondly The Starres are a great delight and comfort in the night Thirdly The Starres are for direction and as guides in the night Hence Sea-men and Travellers mourne when they cannot see the Starres The Starres are the Marriners guide in the night While his hand is upon the helme his eye is toward Heaven and in the Heavens his eye is upon the site and motion of the Starres The woefull condition of those Sea-men in the storme is thus exprest Acts 27.20 Now when for many dayes neither Sunne nor Starre had appeared When Sea-men feele a storme in the night and cannot see a Star in the night their case is almost desperate Though the light of a Star be little yet the benefit is very great Let it looke for light but have none The Hebrew is Let it looke for light and none which is an usuall Illeipsis we supply the word have Let it looke for light and have none Let it looke for light He putteth that in to aggravate the sorrow of that night I would have this night expect the light let it waite and looke for it earnestly but let it have none let it be full of hopes but empty of enjoyments Let that night know no succession of a day whereas usually the Sun goes and returnes it sets and rises now let it goe and not returne let it set and never rise againe Neither let it see the dawning of the day He doth not only wish away full cleare and perfect light but the dawning of the day which is imperfect light let not so much as the beginning or first moment of a morning succeed that night The words in the Originall are Let it not see the eye-lids of the morning It is a very elegant expression noting the first breakin gs of light when the Sun peepes above the Horizon which Poets call the Raies of light streames of light or the wings of the morning As our Lord Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse is said to rise with healing in his wings Mal. 4.2 So the eye-lids of the morning alluding to the Sun which is the eye of Heaven and when the day dawneth the eye-lids of Heaven open the Sun awakens and looks out Even as when a man awakes first his eye-lids open These rayes of the Sun are compared to eye-lids because like the eye-lids they twincle or move continually darting themselves forth into the ayre and upon the earth In that Job forbids the Star-light and would take away the hope of Sun-light from that night Observe first That in sad times small comforts may passe for great mercies In the day time no man lookes after the Starres Star-light is not valued while Sun-light is enjoyed but in the night a Star is a welcome sight He that is full saith Solomon despiseth the honey-combe but to the hungry soule every bitter thing is sweet When a man is hungry and wants a little is pleasant to him as our proverbe hath it Halfe a loafe is better then none A great Emperour once dranke puddle-water with more delight he professed then ever he had done the most delicious wines Sad times and hardship make that pleasant and very acceptable which in plenty we slight and passe by Hence it followes That the removing of small comforts in sad times are great afflictions If Starres which have but little light be taken from the night a great affliction is added to the night Some can loose more then another mans all and yet feele it not yet thinke they have lost nothing We are not troubled at the losse of small things when we enjoy greater But when all wee have are small then any thing we loose is great As in Nathans Parable 2 Sam. 12. when the poore man having lost but one Lambe had lost all he complaines greatly Secondly Job saith Let it looke for light but have none There is much in that He doth not say Let this night have no light but let it looke for light and have none From this we may observe That the want of that afflicteth us most which wee expect most If the night that is man in the night did not expect and looke for light it would not be much troubled with the absence of light To loose our expectation is more then the losse of the thing expected It is said of Siseras mother Judg. 5.28 when her sonne was upon that expedition against the people of God that shee looked out at a window and cryed through the lattesse why is his chariot so long in coming why tarry the wheeles of his
chariot She looked for a victorious successe and rich spoiles for her wise Ladies answered her yea she returned answer to her selfe Have they not sped have they not divided the prey to every man a damsell or two to Sisera a prey of divers colours c. This cut her to the heart that she looked for great booty and reckoned upon a victory when Sisera was fast nailed through the temples never to returne That man is greatly burdened from whom others expect much but he who expects much is in danger to be more burdened Therefore David prayes Psal 119.116 Let me not be ashamed of my hope As shame arises from doing a thing against knowne light and common principles so also from loosing or suffering a thing against known hope and common expectation It is noted as an aggravation of that peoples affliction in the Prophet Wee looked for peace and behold no good came and for a time of health and behold trouble Jer. 8.15 For a people to be in expectation of some great mercy doubles the sorrow of their miscarriage Now in these times wee being in our night of trouble and as it were looking when day will breake when our peace will returne when truth will prevaile and be setled when errour and the abettors of it shall be overthrowne How would it augment our sorrowes if we looking for these mercies should not have them As it is a greater affliction to be miserable when we have been happy so when we have long hoped to be happy God expresses himselfe as much troubled when he looses his expectation from us It provokes the Spirit of God to anger against us when he looks for the fruits of his care and love in our obedience and findeth none Isa 5. God looked that his vineyard should have brought forth grapes and it brought forth wild grapes He looked for judgement and behold oppression for righteousnesse and behold a cry This disapoointment provoked the Lord to lay his vineyard wast So in the Gospell when Christ cometh to the fig-tree three yeares seeking or looking for fruit and findeth none What then Cut it downe saith Christ he is very angry thus missing his expectation Now as it provokes the anger of God to come looking upon man his creature for duty and finds none so it doth likewise exceedingly grieve the spirit of man when he lookes to God for mercy and findes none And how just is it that God should crosse our expectation when we so often crosse his No mervaile if we looke for light and behold darknesse for peace and behold trouble for successe and behold disappointments Whenas God lookes among us for repentance and behold presumption for faith and behold unbeliefe for patience and behold complaining for reformation and behold backsliding for fruit and behold barrennesse or but leaves Fourthly He saith Let it not see the dawning of the day that is let it be quite out of hope ever to receive any light therefore let it not see so much as a glimpse of light It is the strongest deniall of the whole to deny the least or the first part As when the Apostle would have us abstaine from all evill he exhorts to abstaine from the appearance of evill 1 Thes 5. So here when Job would put his night quite out of hope to see a day he saith Let it not see so much as the dawning that is the least appearance of the day And this as it is the last so the heaviest sentence upon his night Observe then That A hopelesse condition is the worst condition of all other Let a night be never so darke never so tempestuous yet the hope of a morning is a mercy and a light A man will beare any heavinesse when he can say as David Heavinesse may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning Solomon tells us that the hope deferr'd makes the heart sicke Prov. 13.12 How sicke then are they who are hopelesse or who have quite lost their hope Everlastingnesse is the head of the arrow the sting and poison of all miseries it is indeed the sting of Hell that Hell is such a night as never shall see the dawning of the day hath more torment and paine in it then all the paines in Hell As the punishment of losse in Hell pinches more then the punishment of sense so in the losse this pinches most that the losse is irrecoverable They are deprived of the glory of God and shall never see the least ray of it for ever They are in darknesse and they have no hope of light at all for ever As that which makes Heaven so full of joy is that Heaven is above all feare so that which makes Hell so full of terrour is that Hell is below all hope Heaven is a day which shall never see any approaches of the night and Hell is a night that shall never see any dawnings of the day So proportionably in any affliction of this life to be hopelesse of deliverance to say it shall never end I am in such a night as shall have no day no not the dawning of a day this is the utmost evill the extremity of affliction So much concerning the curse it selfe which Job powred out with so much passion both against the day of his birth and the night of his conception We shall now here see the reason of this passion in the words which follow JOB 3.10 11 12 13. Verse 10. Because it shut not up the doores of my mothers wombe nor hid sorrow from mine eyes Why died I not from the wombe why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly Why did the knees prevent me or why the brests that I should sucke For now should I have lien still and been quiet I should have slept then had I been at rest WE are now come to the second generall part of this Chapter You may remember the whole was divided into three Sections The first shewed us the curse which Job powred out upon his day The second the cause or ground of that curse And the third a vehement expostulation about the continuance of his life and the lengthning of his dayes We have heard the curse opened already in the nine former verses Now followeth the cause of the curse Iob gives an account or reason of his passion If any should check him with why doest thou thus breath out complaints against the day of thy birth why doest thou write such bitter things against the night of thy conception He answereth as David did his bretheren in another case 1 Sam. 17. Why what have I done or spoken Is there not a cause Or as Ionah when God reproves him about his passion for the withered gourd Doest thou well to be angry Ionah replyes Yes I doe well to be angry even unto death chap. 49. So saith Iob here to any that should rebuke him with doe you well to be thus angry with your day Yes I doe well to be
angry with my day and I shew you why because it shut not up the doores of my mothers wombe c. The reason or the argument stands thus There is cause I should curse that day and that night which not hindering my conception or my birth brought me forth upon the stage of the world to act a part in all these sorrowes But the day and the night did not hinder my conception or my birth therefore I have cause I have reason enough to breake out in such complaints and curse them I doe it because these shut not up the doores of my mothers wombe This is the argument or reason by which he defends his passion and this argument will be found to have more passion in it then reason if we examine it to the bottome For he complaines of that as the cause which was not the cause of his troubles what did the night or the day that he thus chargeth them They had no efficiency in bringing those evills upon him circumstances are not causes Effects are produced in time but time doth not produce effects Only this we may say to helpe it he doth not curse the day as if it could have shut the doores of his mothers wombe but because on that day those doores were not shut But leaving the reason of his speech we will consider the sense of it The Hebrew word for word is thus rendred Because it shut not up the doores of my belly And that the Chaldee Paraphrast renders thus by way of explanation Because it did not shut up the doores of my lips the mouth saith he being as it were the doore or the in-let to the belly or stomack every thing goeth in by that doore and so he carries the sense thus let that night be cursed because it did not stop my breath and so make an end of mee The Septuagint hath it thus because it shut not up the doores of my Mothers belly which answers our translation the doores of my mothers wombe Mr. Broughton to the same sense because it shut not up the doore of the belly that did beare me that is my mothers belly I shall in silence passe over that secret or mystery in nature which may be the ground of this expression There are two secrets in Divinity which are the grounds of it and of them I shall speake The first is this When God layes that affliction of barrennesse upon the woman he according to the phrase of Scripture is said to shut up the wombe And when he sendeth the blessing of fruitfulnesse he is said to open the wombe We have both Gen. 20.18 When Abimelech had taken Sarah Abrahams wife the Lord fast closed up all the wombes of the house of Abimelech The meaning of it is this he made all the women barren or withheld the blessing of conception The Jewish Expositors render the meaning in the very words of this Text that the Lord had shut up all the doores of the wombes of the house of Abimelech And so likewise for fruitfulnesse God is said to open the wombe as Gen. 29.31 And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated he opened her wombe but Rachel was barren Then to shut the doores of the wombe notes the power of God in denying and to open those doores the blessing of God in giving conception and making fruitfull Secondly It may referre to the birth for there must be an opening of those doores and that by an Almighty power for production as well as for conception And therefore David Psal 22.9 ascribes it to the Lord Lord thou art he who tookest me out of my mothers wombe It was not the Midwife did it It was not the womens helpe that stood about his mother but Lord thou didest it The hand of God only is able to open that doore and let man into the world Unlesse he as we may so speake turne the key the poore infant must for ever lye in prison and make his mothers wombe his grave In either or both these respects Job here speakes against the night because it shut not up the doores of his mothers wombe to stop his conception or stay him in the birth For then either he had not been or he had not been brought forth as the subject of all those calamities Hence observe first That fruitfulnesse or conception is the especiall worke and blessing of God God carries the key of the wombe in his own hand From him we receive life and breath Acts 17.25 yea in his booke are all our members written which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them Wee are fearefully and wonderfully made Our substance is not hid from God when we are made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth As the holy Ghost admirably and most elegantly describes the conception and formation of man in the wombe Psal 139.14 15 16. There are foure keyes of nature all kept in the hand of God First The key of the Raine The clouds cannot open themselves the flood-gates of Heaven cannot be unlocked nor those sluces opened to let downe a drop of raine untill God turne the key Deut. 28.12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure the Heaven to give the raine unto thy land in his season Secondly The key of Nutrition or of Foode Psal 145.16 Thou openest thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing The strength of the creature is shut up in the hand of God and untill he unlock his hand the creatures cannot strengthen or nourish us though we have our houses and our hands full of them Thirdly The key of the Grave Eze. 37.13 I will open your graves and cause you to come out of your graves We are so fast lockt up in death that all the power in the world is not able to release us till God speake the word and turne the key of the graves-doore That place in Ezekiel is meant I know of a civill death But it is as true of naturall death And the argument is stronger for it If when a Nation as the nation of the Jewes then did lyes in the grave of bondage and captivity no man can unlock that doore without the key of Gods speciall providence much lesse can any hand or power but his open the doore and bring us out of the grave of our corporall dissolution There is this fourth key belonging to the doore spoken of in the Text the doore of the wombe Which was shadowed in that ceremoniall law among the Jewes of giving their first-borne unto God as a thankefull acknowledgement that the beginning of all propagation and increase was from him Further observe That our birth and production is the speciall worke of God Thou art he that tookest me out of my mothers wombe saith David And he apprehended the power of God so great in his naturall birth that he from thence takes an argument to strengthen his faith that God could doe any
from my spirit but hid sorrow from mine eyes It is a proverbiall speech among us What the eye sees not the heart grieves not And when the Lord would shew how he was moved with the sufferings and knew the sorrowes of his people in Egypt he doubles it upon this sense I have seene I have seene or I have surely seene the affliction of my people Exod. 3.7 Your sorrowes are not hid from mine eyes Mine eye affects my heart saith the Prophet Jeremie Lam. 3.51 That is mine eye afflicts my heart While Jeremie went about the City and saw so many wofull spectacles in the ruine and captivity of his people that sight smote him to the heart It is said that when Christ came to Jerusalem and beheld the City he wept over it Luk. 19.41 And for the sorrow of repentance the sight of the eye hath a great influence upon the heart They shall looke on me whom they have pierced and they shall mourne c. Zach. 12.10 As the eye doth affect or rather infect the heart with sin from sin-occasioning objects a sin that is in the eye will be presently at the heart which caused Job to say Chap. 31.1 I made a covenant with mine eyes why then should I thinke upon a maide He meaneth sinfully to lust after her as if he had said there is a quick a speedy passage from the eye to the heart though in the fabrick of the body there seemes a great distance betweene them Therefore I have made a covenant with my eyes to avoide occasions of sin least mine eyes should pollute my heart with motions unto sin And as it is in pleasure-provoking objects that which is a pleasure to the eye will presently be a pleasure to the heart a refreshing to our spirits And that pleasure which shall last for evermore in Heaven is from a vision that shall last for ever Joy shall for ever be before the eye and therefore joy shall for ever fill the heart The joy of Heaven consists in vision in seeing God as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 or in seeing face to face 1 Cor. 13.12 which is the vision beatificall So likewise there is an afflicting vision The eye affects the heart with sorrow-occasioning objects if sorrow be in the eye it will not stay long from the heart Hence when Sarah-Abrahams wife was dead Abraham thus bespeakes the people among whom he dwelt If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight c. Gen. 23.8 It did afflict the heart of Abraham with sorrow to see the body of his deceased wife or the coffin wherein she lay whom he had so entirely loved therefore bury her out of my sight It is very observable that when Joseph would doe somewhat purposely to afflict and touch the heart of his bretheren with more remorse for their former unkindnesse unto him the history saith Gen. 42.24 that hee tooke from them Simeon and bound him before their eyes He heard them in their private conference whisper one to another We are verily guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soule when he besought us and we would not heare therefore is this distresse come upon us When Joseph perceived their consciences began thus to worke he resolves to give them a pill at their eyes even a dolefull spectacle yet the lively picture of their dealing with him to make their consciences worke faster with godly sorrow He tooke from them Simeon and bound him before their eyes And Judah when he pleadeth afterward chap. 44. for the carrying back of Benjamin you know what a patheticall oration he makes O saith he doe not detaine Benjamin for when I come to thy servant my father and the lad be not with us seeing that his life is bound up in the lads life It shall come to passe that when he seeth that the lad is not with us he will dye ver 30 31. That very sight will kill my father and for me to see my father dye will be death to me also For so he concludes ver 34. How shall I goe to my father and the lad be not with me lest peradventure I see the evill that shall come upon my father Oh saith he let me carry him back my father will die if he see not the lad and so shall I if I see the evill that shall come upon my father he knew that sight would be as a sword to his heart and as a dagger in his bowels The Lord threatens his people thus in case of disobedience Deut. 28.31 Thine Oxe shall be slaine before thine eyes thine Asse shall be violently taken away from before thy face Thy sonnes and thy daughters shall be given to another people c. So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see ver 34. and ver 67. he shewes what convulsions and divisions of spirit the visions of the eye would bring upon them In the morning thou shalt say would God it were Even and at Even thou shalt say would God it were morning for the feare of thine heart wherewith thou shalt feare and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see The feare of the heart and the sight of the eye are neerely joyned The sight of the eye caused the feare of the heart and both were as concauses of those distracting thoughts and wishes of hastening the morning to the evening and againe suddenly reducing back the evening to the morning Unlesse sorrow be hid from the eyes it can hardly be kept from the heart It is an usuall custome if a man be but let blood to bid him turne away his head if he be faint-hearted for the sight of his blood will make his heart faint And so from more gastly spectacles men commonly turne away their faces c. Which is to hide sorrow from their eyes It followes Why died I not from the wombe why did not I give up the ghost when I came out of the belly why did the knees prevent me c. These two verses containe a further aggravation of the former reason by three other steps Before he spake against his conception and his birth now Why died I not from the wombe As if he had said though I were conceived and secondly though I were borne yet why did not I make my cradle my grave or my first swadling cloathes my winding sheet though I were borne yet why did not I die so soone as ever I was borne why died I not from the wombe why gave I not up the ghost when I came out of the belly Having received the discourtesie of a birth death would have been a favour It had been best for me not to have been borne and next best to have died quickly or assoon as I was borne that 's the meaning in generall of the 11 and 12th verses But I shall a little examine and enlighten the particular expressions Why did not I give up
especially not those who beleeve For in the person of such the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 5.2 We know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternall in the Heavens All that rich worldlings and ungodly great ones can say when they die is We know when the earthly house of this Tabernacle shall be dissolved we have a building of man a stately Tombe made with hands and with all the skill of the cunning artificer We have seene it done already or we have taken order in our wills to have it done The beleever erects his pillar in Heaven and his whole life is a preparation for his house which is above And often he settles the businesse so that he can say I know that when this house of my body is taken downe I have a building c. And he can say I know with farre greater assurance then any worldly man who hath sealed it in his will that thus and thus his body shall be entombed It is a sad thing to take care for a rotting carkasse and forget an immortall soule Job having thus paraleld or compared himselfe in death with Kings Counsellours and Princes notwithstanding all their pompous funeralls and curious Tombes passeth as it were in the next verse to the other extreame Verse 16. Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not beene as infants which never saw light As if he had said if any thinke that I have strained too high in making my selfe equall in death with Kings c. yet surely I should have beene as those that never knew themselves to be in this world or as those that the world never knew to be that is As an hidden untimely birth or as infants which never saw light An hidden untimely birth The word Nephel in the Hebrew for an untimely birth comes from Naphal which signifieth to fall downe or to fall off as untimely fruite falls off from a Tree which falling off before it is ripe is unprofitable and uselesse When the mother miscarries her fruit is like the fruit of a tree shaken off and falling downe before it be ripe or in the blooming And the same word is used in the Hebrew to signifie a Giant There were Nephilim Giants in the earth in those dayes Gen. 6.4 and the reason why they are so called is as some apprehend because they were Apostates such as fell off from God from true worship and Religion Or because they did fall upon men as that phrase is applied to cruell men they did fall upon the poore So the word is used chap. 1. ver 15. of this Booke The Sabeans fell upon Jobs Oxen c They who fall from God by impiety will quickly fall upon men by cruelty Or because the dread and terrour of them made men to fall downe for feare before them It is very observable that the same word should signifie an infant of lesse then a span long and a Giant it may be of more then six cubits and a span 1 Sam. 17.4 and both upon equall reason and with equall significancy Further we may take notice that the Hebrewes expresse any dead body or carkasse by the same word the dead body of the oldest man is called Mappeleth from the same roote and reason too in part from which they denominate an untimely birth that never lived a day When the old man dies he falls as well as the newly conceived embryon The one falls off as a blossome from the tree the other as the fruitfully ripe which if you pull it not off must fall off The Greeke word for a dead body and the Latine have the same reason of their derivation namely from falling So saith Job I had been as one of these untimely births that fall to the earth before their time The Apostle Paul saith concerning himselfe 1 Cor. 15.8 I was as one borne out of due time I was an untimely birth Some of the naturalists say that word signifies such abortions as are after the seventh and before or at the fortieth day after conception Others that it signifies those who are borne the eighth moneth which usually as they are untimely so they die Now Paul calleth himselfe an untimely birth to suite the humble thoughts which he had of himselfe with an humble expression of himselfe which reason he seemes to give in the next words ver 9. For I am the least of the Apostles that am not meete to be called an Apostle c. Even as an untimely birth is not fit to be called a birth or because children that are so borne are very imperfect they are lesser and weaker then those of full growth So saith he I am as a poore abortive as a child borne out of due time I am the least of the Apostles and I am lesse then the least of all Saints Ephes 3.8 I am not come to that stature and growth of a timely birth Secondly He calleth himselfe an untimely birth or one borne out of due time probably for this reason because of the suddennesse or violence of his conversion For you know every abortion or untimely birth comes from some suddaine danger into which the mother falleth some straine or violence causeth abortion Paul in this sense was an untimely birth his conversion was a wonderfull violent conversion Christ came upon him of a suddaine whereas the other Apostles were a great while a forming a shaping a fitting to an Apostleship but Paul was as it were in a moment conceived and borne brought forth and perfected an Apostle and so from the suddennesse and violence of his new-birth he may call himselfe an unimely birth But to passe on from that to the words of Job As an hidden untimely birth I had not been Here are two things distinct about this birth First It is called an untimely birth Secondly a hidden birth An untimely birth is called a hidden birth because it is hid from the eyes of others Abortives are unpleasing and undesireable spectacles therefore they are covered and laid by there is no remembrance of their forme or likenesse therefore Salomon speaking of an untimely birth Eccles 6.4 thus describes it He commeth in with vanity and departeth in darkenesse and his name shall be covered with darkenesse As a hidden untimely birth I had not beene An untimely birth is said not to have been A not being is taken two wayes First Strictly for that which never had any life at all and so some interpret this for there are abortions or untimely births before quickning or before there is any life Secondly Not to be is not to subsist or not to live When that which hath lived dies it is said not to be The Prophet brings in Rachel weeping for her children and would not be comforted because they were not Jer. 31.15 that is because they were dead Josephs bretheren pleading before unknowne Joseph tell him thy servants are
they who rejoyce in soule would even willingly be rid of their bodies they are above the body So they who are bitter in soule are desirous to be ridde of their bodies the body is a burden when the soule is bitter This bitternesse of soule caused those bitter complaints before and now this vehement expostulation Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery Wherefore We are apt to thinke there is no reason for that for which we can see no reason Job was in a darke condition and could not see the reason and therefore almost concludes there was none When we are posed we thinke all the world is posed too If we cannot interpret and expound the dealings of God we thinke none can nay in such cases some are ready to thinke at least to speake as if they thought that God himselfe can scarce give a good account of them This wherefore goes through the earth and reaches Heaven Tell me O my friends shew me O my God Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery Why Job there may be many reasons many answers given to this wherefore a man should be in light though he be in misery and why his life should be continued though his soule be in bitternesse What if God should appeare and tell thee It shall be thus and the reason of it is because I will have it so Is not that therefore answer enough to any mans wherefore The will of God is reason enough for man and ought to be the most satisfying reason If God say I will have life remaine in a man that is bitter in soule that man should say Lord it is reason I should because it is thy pleasure though it be to my own trouble Yet it is but seldome that God makes his will his reason and answers by his bare preâ—â—gative He hath often given weighty reasons to this quaerie First The life of nature is continued that the life of grace may be encreased Again Such live in sufferings That they may learne obedience by the things which they suffer God teaches us by his workes as well as by his word his dealings speake to us And It is as great an act of holinesse to submit our selves to the will of God in his workes as it is to the will of God in his word Another reason of this wherefore may be this God sets up some as patternes to posterity he therefore gives the light of life to some that are in misery to shew that it is no new nor strange thing for his Saints to be darkenesse And what if God doth it to magnifie the strength of his own power in supporting and the sweetnesse of his mercy when he delivers such bitter soules Further observe first That The best things in this world may come to be burthens to us See here a man weary of light and life light one of the most excellent creatures that God made the most excellent next to life yea life the best the most excellent thing in nature both these become burthensome How gladly would Job have bin rid of light how gladly rid of his life Consider then how burthensome other things which at the best are burdens may be unto you If you heare a soule complaining of light and life and why are these given me when I am in misery Then what comfort thinke you will honour give you or what comfort will riches give you or what comfort will beauty give you in such a condition as makes you weary of light and life What comfort will sin give you what ease will your lusts give you in such a condition as makes you weary of light and life I never heard of any of the Saints that were troubled at any time with their grace or weary of the favour of God I never heard any of them say why is grace given to one that is in misery or the light of Gods countenance to the bitter in soule I never heard any say wherefore is faith given to a man that is in misery or hope and patience to the bitter in soule grace was never a burden to any man under greatest burdens or unsavoury to the bitterest soule when you are weary of all other things in the world these will be your supports Therefore labour after those things which you shall never be weary of even after those things which will be more pleasant to us then ever light was when light shall be to others more troublesome then ever darknesse was to any let us labour after those things which will be more sweet to us then ever life was when life shall be to others â—ore bitter then ever death was to any Secondly observe It is a trouble to possesse good things when we cannot injoy them Would you know how Job spake here as one weary of light and life It was not under the notion of light and life as if he had been weary of these in themselves but it was because he could not enjoy these Solomon assures us Prov. 25.20 that As hee that taketh away a garment in cold weather and as vineger upon Nitre so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart Musick to one that is in sorrow doubles his sorrow why because he cannot enjoy the musick a heavy heart can worse intend musick then a heavy eare only those things which we can injoy in the use of them please in the possessing of them Of all temporalls the possession and enjoyment may be separated but for spiritualls the very possession of them is joy therefore enjoyment their presence is a pleasure and therefore their presence shall ever please We may distinguish between their use and their comfort but we can never seperate them One thing further When Job saith Wherefore is light given and life given The meaning of it is wherefore is light continued and wherefore is life continued for he speakes of himselfe and others that had light and were alive and yet he saith wherefore is light given c. From this we may learne That Every act of continuance of good things to us is a new act or deed of gift to us Mercy is given every moment it is enjoyed not only is a new mercy and a renewed mercy a new gift but continued mercy is a gift and a new gift life is a new gift every houre of time we live on the earth and glory will be a new gift every minute of eternity we shall live in Heaven Which long for death and it cometh not and dig for it more then for hid treasures This 21. verse doth further explicate who are the bitter in soule even such as long for death when a soule from naturall principles finds a sweetnesse in death that soule is in bitternesse Our affliction and our misery is indeed worme-wood and gall as the Church complaines Lam. 2.19 when death is as honey and long'd for as the honey-combe There is bitternesse in the death of the body and yet some are so
come over us or at leasâ— our light of joy not be so cleare Further If a man long after any truth and digs it how exceeding joyfull will he be when he can find that truth When a Philosopher had found out the resolution of a question in the Mathematicks he was so ravisht with it that he ran about crying â— have found it I have found it Surely the finding of one Divine truth which is the mind of Christ should affect us more then the compleate knowledge of all that is knowable or can be known in the whole course of nature Every truth is beautifull but thâ— truths of God are beauty Thus we may try our desires in all theiâ— pursuits by this issue of them joy in finding the things which wâ— pursue Lastly observe That as he doth rejoyce so this joy answers to thâ— desire in the degree of it Proportionable to our desires and endeavours in seeking are our joyes and comforts when we have found There is not only a joy but a proportionable joy the desire was very great and the endeavour was very great and now the joy come up to both that is very great too not only doe they rejoyce buâ— they rejoyce exceedingly they rejoyce so as they skip for joy That is I am sure it ought to be more apparant in our regulaâ— desires after things good for us then in our irregular desires after things which are hurtfull to us If that exceeding desire after death will produce exceeding joy in death then exceeding desire afteâ— life and spirituall good things will work exceeding joy when wâ— have found them desire is that which widens the vessell to takâ— in abundance of joy large desires after any thing open the hearâ— and inlarge the faculties to take in abundance of joy when we havâ— found the thing which we desire JOB 3. Ver. 23 24 25 26. Verse 23. Why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in For my sighing cometh before I eate and my roarings are powred out like the waters For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me and that which I was afraid of is come unto me I was not in safety neither had I rest neither was I quiet yet trouble came AT the 20th verse of this Chapter Job begins to expostulate concerning the continuance of his life and he casts his complaint into an argument which was formed to his purpose thus There is no reason or if there be shew me a reason why his life is continued that liveth miserably and would die willingly But I am the man who live miserably and would die willingly therefore why is light or life continued unto me The former part of this argument is contained in the 20 21 22 23. verses In which Job demonstrates that there is no reason or at least if there be a reason it is such as he could not make out why that man should have his life continued who lives in misery and is willing to die Three of those verses we have already finished and there remaineth the 23. which is a part of the same reason to be yet opened In this 23th verse he as it were repeates his argument He had said before Why is light given to him that is in misery c. and so he doth illustrate it in the two verses following In this 23th verse he re-inforceth what he had said in other words Why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in He doubleth his call for a reason or proofe of this thing Why is light given Those words are not here expressely in the Hebrew but they are supplied by our Translatours and by Translatours in other Languages from the 20th verse to make up the sense The Originall runs thus To a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in But the question is implied as in the former and here to be prefixed Why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in Mr. Broughton readeth it without the question Why is light given thus The Wight or man whose way is hid over whom the puissant casteth a covering To a man whose way is hid Job speakes not here of a way in a proper sense the way wherein men travaile and passe in their journeyes from place to place but the way is a way in a Metaphor And so in Scripture the way of a man is taken First for the purpose or intention of a man Secondly for the course and conversation of a man and that either for the course wherein we walke toward others or for the course wherein others walke toward us When it is said here Why is light given to a man whose way is hid the way is either the course wherein Job walked respecting God or the course which God tooke respecting Job Why is light given to a man whose way is hid The way of a man in his walking before God is two-fold First Internall Secondly Externall There is an internall an inward way which the soule treads in converse with God a secret path a path which no eye hath seene And then there is the outward way of walking That speech of God to Abraham takes in both Walke before me and be perfect that is converse and carry thy selfe uprightly before me in thy affections and in thy actions Now when Job saith his way was hid he meanes neither of these for though the internall way whether it be the way of sinne or the way of obedience be a path so secret as that it is alwayes hid from the eyes of men yet Job knew well enough that God saw even that way and therefore he could not complaine that his most secret way was hid from God Yea in another place he comforts himselfe with this that God knew the secret wayes of his heart For when his friends accuse him and charge him with hypocrisie he supports himselfe with this My witnesse is above and my record is in Heaven there is one there that knoweth the way the secret way of my spirit with him to be sincerity though you charge the way of my spirit with hypocrisie The soule hath many wayes of communion with God which are altogether hidden from the eye of man man cannot see or discerne the private passages betweene God and the spirit either when the soule approves it selfe to God or rejoyceth and exults in God And as concerning this way this inward way as Job knew that it was not hid from God so I conceive it did not trouble him that this way was hid from man As there are in God certaine Arcana Consilij secret mysteries and hidden wayes of counsell which he will not communicate to holy men so there are in holy men Arcana pietatis some secrets some mysteries of godlinesse which they doe not communicate to the world and therefore the complaint doth not lye in either of these respects The Church