himself down to speak and treat with dust and ashes What a wonder is it that the Lord of Heaven and Earth should admit and enter into a parly with man who is but a well-shaped clod of Earth Solomon was in a kind of amazement at the mercy when he said at the Dedication of the Temple 1 Kings 8.22 But will God indeed dwell on Earth And may not we that God should come down to confer with an afflicted bed-rid man on Earth I know some are of opinion that the Lord spake by an Angel to Job however here was the Lords presence it was Jehovah who manifested himself to Job what Ministry soever he used Thus the Lord is pleased often to interpose in the case and cause of his afflicted servants though we see him not nor have such formal apparitions as here in the Text. The Lord the high and lofty One who dwelleth in the high and holy Place dwelleth also with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit and be dwelleth with him to revive him Isa 57.15 Therefore surely he manifests himself to him in his loving-kindness which is better than life and the very life of our lives The Lord who hath Heaven for his Throne and the Earth his footstool saith by the same prophet Isa 66.1 2. To this man will I look and lest any should take this man to be one of the mighty ones of this world he giveth us both a signal specification and clear character of this man to whom he looketh even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and that trembleth at my Word And if the Lord look to such a man if he vouchsafe him his gracious â—ye doubtless he also reveals himself graciously and freely to him Secondly The Lord came here to instruct and teach Job Several persons had dealt with him before and they very worthy good and learned persons and they came with a purpose to do him good yet all would not do All that his three friends said who undertook him first in their turns was to little purpose in appearance And though Elihu a spritely young man discours'd him with much life and heat yet neither could he do the business Jobs spirit began indeed to yeeld upon the last engagement of Elihu with him yet he did not convince him fully God came at last and he prevailed he did the deed Then the Lord answered Job Hence Note We need the teachings of God besides all the teachings of men that we may rightly know him and our selves together with the intendment of his dealings with us and our own duty under them 'T is the mercy of the New Covenant that we shall be taught of God and not by man onely nor alone As here Job had three or four so we may have thrice three men toyling with us a long time in vain The work is never well done till God comes and though we have not such appearances of God now yet he doth the same thing in effect to this day This and that man a thousand men yea a man who is an Interpreter one of a thousand as Elihu spake may be labouring upon the conscience of a sinner and never bring things home either to convince or comfort him till God is pleased to come in by the power of his blessed Spirit and then who can but be convinced and comforted Hence our Lord Christ had no sooner reported the Covenant Promise out of the Prophet They shall be all taught of God John 6.45 but presently he makes this inference from it Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me We may say to all who are savingly wrought upon as Christ to Peter upon that Confession which he made Matth. 16.16 Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God Flesh and blood hath not revealed this to you but your Father which is in Heaven Impossibile est deum discere sine deo Iraen l. 4. adversus Haret c. 10. A deo discendum quicquid de deo intelligendum Hilar. l. 5. de Trin. It was said by one of the Ancients it is impossible to know God without God And so said another We must learn all that from God which we understand of God Unless God be our Tutor we shall never be good Scholars We know neither God nor our selves any further than God teacheth us Christ saith Be not called Masters for one is your Master even Christ Matth. 23.8 There are two sorts of Masters 1. Ruling or Commanding Masters 2. Teaching Masters To the former we are Servants to the latter we are Scholars In the eighth verse Christ speaks of Teaching Masters as of Ruling Masters at the tenth verse Now when Christ would not have any man take upon him or own the Title of Master or Teacher his meaning is that no man should arrogate to himself the honour of principal Teacher which is the peculiar of God but to acknowledge that all mans teaching is nothing without Gods as the Apostle also saith 1 Cor. 3. We must learn from God whatever we know aright either of God or of our selves Eliphaz Bildad and Zophar spake much of God to Job but Job was never effectually humbled till God spake Thirdly Note As God here by his Word so alwayes the Word of God is the true determiner of controversies and resolver of doubts No question can be truly stated but by the Word of God Rectum est index sui obliqui As the statutes of the Lord are right Psal 19.8 So they shew what is right and what is not A strait Rule declares it self to be strait and detects the crookedness of whatsoever is crooked The last appeal in all things doubtful is to the Law Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no light or as the Margin hath it no morning in them The Sun of righteousness hath not risen upon them who speak and hold unrighteous things Search the Scriptures saith Christ John 5.39 or as 't is well rendred in the Indicative Mood Ye search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life Nor did they think amiss in thinking so but that which Christ secretly reproved while he said so was that they did amiss or contradicted the Scripture in their lives while they boastingly thought so Not what this or that man saith but what God saith is the true ground of mans faith Sumamus exlibris divinitus inspiratis solutionem questionum Theod. l. 1. Hist Eccles c. 7. It was a worthy speech of Constantine in the Nicene Council Let us take out of that Book divinely inspired the solution of our Questions It is not what the Fathers say nor what the Pope saith nor what Councils say but what the Word of God saith that must be heard and relied upon for salvation The Word is the Judge that is the rule of Judgement As here God was the
of all men James 4.6 God resisteth the proud The proud contend with God they as it were wage war with God and therefore God will wage war and contend with them he resisteth the proud Prov. 3.34 Surely he scorneth the scorner but he giveth grace to the lowly The Lord hath two great works to do in the world The first is to lift up and exalt the humble The second is to humble and pull down the proud These two are the daily products of divine providence And the Lord is so much an enemy to pride that if he see it in any of his own servants he will abase them and lay them low for it as we see in the case of that good King Hezekiah His heart being lifted up not in thankfulness nor in zeal for the ways and things of God as once it was but in pride there was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem 2 Chron. 32.35 The Lord will not bear it when his own bear or behave themselves proudly Prov. 29.23 A mans pride any mans pride shall bring him low that is he shall be brought low for his pride or his pride will bring him into such extravagant wayes as will be a means to bring him low Thirdly Note God can easily abase and cast down proud ones If any ask how easily can he do it I answer He can do it with a look Look upon every one that is proud and bring him low saith God to Job shew thy self like me in this I can do it as easily as look upon him God by a cast of his eye can cast down all proud men as the Lord can help his people with a look David desired no more for his portion but that God would lift up the light of his countenance upon him Psal 4.6 that is that God would look upon him favourably And that prayer is made three times Psal 80 4 7 19. Cause thy face to shine upon us and we have enough we shall be saved we shall be delivered we shall be protected A good look from God is all good to man God with a good look can save us and if God withdraw his eye from any and will not look upon them if he turn his back upon them or hide his face from them his favour is withdrawn and they are helpless Now as God can save his people with a smiling look so he can destroy his enemies with a frowning one His look is as powerful and effectual to destroy as it is to save though to look savingly be much more the delight of God if I may so speak than to look destroyingly It is said God looked through the pillar of fire and the cloud upon the Hosts of Pharoah and troubled them and took off the chariot wheels Exod. 14.24 Surely God abaseth the proud men of the world easily when he doth it with a look He indeed as the holy Virgin spake in her song Luke 1.51 52. Sheweth strength with his arm or the strength of his arm when he scattereth the proud in the imaginations of their hearts and puts down the mighty from their seats and exalteth them of low degree yet all this the Lord can do with a look from heaven The habitation of his Holiness and of his Glory Now If the Lord deal thus with proud men take these inferences from it First Hath God such an evil eye upon proud men will he cast them down will he certainly do it and can he easily do it Then woe to proud men 't is the word of the Prophet Isa 28.1 Woe to the crown of pride to the drunkards of Ephraim that is to those who crown themselves with pride and make that their glory and their honour which will pâ—ove their shame and downfal and these the Prophet calls the drunkards of Ephraim I conceive he means not those that drink themselves drunk with wine but those that are drunk with their own presumptions with the pride of their spirits or as many also are with vain hopes and expectations We have vain confidents and expectants so expressed Nahum 1.10 While they are folded together as thorns and while they are drunken as drunkards they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry that is while they are drunken with pride and self-confidence to carry all before them while they are thus folded together like thorns in their plots and contrivements while they are drunken with false hopes they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry that is they shall be utterly consumed and devoured Secondly If there be such a woe to proud ones if the Lord hath such a bad eye upon them and is able to lay them low and will certainly do it and can easily do it we had need consider who are the proud ones Pride is an evil weed yet it groweth many times in the best soyl even in a good heart and it is no easie matter to find out who are the proud men intended in this Text and Point yet I answer In general First All they are proud who value themselves very highly yea they are proud who put any undue value upon themselves we can scarcely value our selves any thing at all but we shal over-value â—ur selves for we are worms and no men saith David He said also What is man O Lord that thou art mindful of him Man is so small a thing that the Psalmist could hardly tell what he is or what to make of him sure enough man is no such thing as most men make of themselves Doubtless if we have any high thoughts of our selves we over-think our selves and usually they that have least true worth have greatest thoughts of their own worthiness Man hath lost all is stript of all as he cometh into the world yet he is proud as if he had all As they that have much are proud or in great danger of pride so it is a truth that they who have nothing are often proud too The Apostle bids Timothy 1 Tim. 6.17 Charge them that be rich in this world that they be not high-minded And among rich men they who as I may say according to the phrase of the world have raised their own fortunes are most apt to be proud and there are two reasons of it First Because of the change of their state they were low and empty but now they are high and full This change of their condition changeth their disposition and as we say Their blood riseth with their good Secondly That which they have is say they of their own getting they think their skill and their diligence hath got it Hence Job protested If I rejoyced because my hand hath gotten much Nebuchadnezzar boasted of his great Palace because he had built it Is not this great Babel that I have built Now as they are apt to be proud who have much especially when it is of their own acquisition though indeed we have nothing meerly of our own acquisition so they who have little or nothing are not out of
also accepted Job This gives evidence or witness to the goodness of Job and his eminence in grace how full of love how ready to forgive was he He did not insult over Eliphaz c. nor say now I have got the day God hath determined the matter for me Amicè ut amicos illos amplexus est he did not tell them ye have wronged and abused me ye have unjustly censured and reproached me but putting their unkindnesses into oblivion and laying aside the thought of them he laid out his soul to the utmost for the healing or making up of the difference arising from their folly between God and them For the better improvement of these words First Let us compare them with those in the eighth verse Here it is said The Lord also accepted Job and there the Lord said Him will I accept there it is a promise here a performance Hence note Whatsoever the Lord promiseth to do he will certainly perform and do A word from God is as sure as his deed our hope upon promise as good as possession In hope of eternal life which God who cannot lye promised before the world began Tit. 1.2 Christ will be Amen that is performance 2 Cor. 1.20 to all the promises 2 Cor. 1.20 As they are all made in him so they shall every one of them and in every thing be made good by him unto the glory of God by us that is we shall at last have abundant cause of glorifying of God in performing and making good of all the promises upon the undertaking of Jesus Christ for us No man shall fail of acceptance that is under as Job was a promise of acceptation get under promises and you shall partake the good promised Secondly Whereas upon their doing according as the Lord commanded presently it followeth The Lord also accepted Job Note Though the Lord will surely perform what he hath promised yet if we would have the good promised we must do the duty commanded otherwise our faith is but presumption If Eliphaz and his two friends had not done as the Lord commanded them they could not rightly have expected God should do what he promised accept Job and so themselves There are promises of two sorts First of preventing grace these are made to the wicked and unconverted Secondly there are promises of rewarding grace these are made to the godly who must perform the duty commanded if they would receive the mercy promised As many as walk according to this rule peace be on them and mercy Gal. 6.16 If you will have peace you must walk according to rule the Lord is not bound to fulfil promises if we take liberty to break Commandements or neglect to do them And they who have true faith in the truth and faithfulness of God to fulfil the one can never take liberty to break the other None are so sure to the Command as they who have fullest assurance in the Promise The Lord also accepted Job Here are but few words yet much matter and who knoweth how much mercy Here is much yea all in a little The Lord accepted Job Hence note Thirdly To be accepted of God is the answer of all our prayers and desires a full reward for all our services Acceptation with God is the happiness of man and should be his satisfaction If we are accepted in our services we are bountifully rewarded for them and if our persons are accepted we shall be everlastingly saved When the Lord accepted Job he he heard his prayer for his friends they were reconciled This good news The Lord also accepted Job was enough to make their hearts leap for joy Acceptation is a reviving word the sum of all that we can wish or pray for 't is enough enough to confirm our faith and to wind up our assurance to the very highest expectation of a supply to all our wants and of pardon for all our sins All the kindnesses of God are comprehended in this one word Acceptation Fourthly The Lord accepted Job Here is no mention at all of accepting his sacrifice yet that was accepted too Hence note The Lord having respect to our persons cannot but have respect to our services If our persons are accepted our services are and if the services of any are not respected it is because their persons are not 'T is said Gen. 4.4 5. The Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering but unto Cain and his offering he had no respect Respect or no respect to what is done alwayes begins with the person of the doer Yet further Job was accepted but uâ—on what account or how was Job accepted not in himself nor for himself but in Christ the promised Messias Hence note Fifthly That any mans person is accepted is from free grace through Jesus Christ When we have done all we deserve nothing we are only accepted The Lord accepted Job not for his own sake not for the worth of his service not for the worthiness of his person but for him whom he in that action represented and in whom he believed Jesus Christ Job himself needed Christ for his acceptation 't is in and through him that any are accepted The word Acceptance plainly implieth that there is nothing of merit in us acceptation notes grace and favour This respect to us is not for any desert in us From the whole we may infer First If the Lord accepted Job when he offered sacrifice and prayed for his friends how much more doth he accept Jesus Christ who offered himself a sacrifice for sinners and ever liveth to make intercession for them whose sacrifice he is Did the Lord presently accept Job and his friends or Job for his friends then what confidence may we have that Jesus Christ who is our everlasting sacrifice and Advocate who is entred into the holiest the Sanctuary of heaven and there pleads for us with his own blood is accepted for us and we through him Christs suit shall never be refused nor shall we while we come to God through him This act of divine grace was as I may say but a shadow or figure of that great work of Jesus Christ in reconciling sinners and making them accepted with the Lord and therefore as often as we pray Christs everlasting sacrifice should come to our remembrance for the confirmation of our faith and our encouragement against fears We may argue down all our doubts about acceptation by Christ upon this account that Jobs friends were accepted at his suit and their acceptation not bottom'd on him nor in his sacrifice but as both shadowed Christ Where the Reconciler is accepted they that are in him and for whom he makes request are accepted too What the Lord spake from heaven Mat. 3.17 This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased reacheth all believers to the end of the world whose head and representer Christ is Let us adore and ever be thankful that we have received such grace in Christ for though Jesus
neither foundation nor corner-stone Remember O Job and well consider that as when in the beginning I saw the earth without form and void Gen. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I by a creating word commanded it into form and fulness So when thou seest nothing but Tohu and Bohu confusion and disorder voidness and darkness in the earth even then I am laying the measures of Justice and stretching the line of Truth and Equity upon all that is done or suffered and will bring forth my work in full perfection Nothing shall be amiss or out of order when my work is finished how much soever it may seem to be amiss as to beginnings or present actings Therefore O Job leave off thy complainings and rest quietly in my dealings Some have questioned the Natural Works of God yet 't is impossible to mend any part or the least pin of them And 't is as impossible for the wit and understanding of Men or Angels to mend any thing in the Providential Works of God That 's the scope of this discourse even that the consideration of Gods power and wisdom in making the world should bâ—idle our curiosity and awe our spirits when they begin to quarrel with yea but to query about any thing that God hath done though it appear to us altogether irregular and confused or as done without either line or measure The Lords work is beautiful and glorious 't is also sure and strong As his Promise or Covenant is ordered in all things and sure 2 Sam. 23.5 So are his Providences too for they are the issues and accomplishments of his Promises oâ—dered as to means and sure as to the end They shall end oâ— issue in b inging about the things which are laid in the foundation and corner-stone of his purposes counsels and decrees all which work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose Rom. 8.28 And to convince Job from the Works of Creation that he ought not only to acquiesce or rest quietly under the Works of Providence whatsoever they were but to rejoyce in them the Lord tells him in the next verse that there was great rejoycing yea shouting for joy when the foundations of the earth were fastened and the corner-stone thereof laid JOB Chap. 38. Vers 7. 7. When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy THere are two opinions among learned Interpreters concerning the general state of this verse First Some here reassuming the first words of these questions proposed at the fourth verse by God to Job Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth c. make this the second instance of Gods mighty power in the works of Creation Where wast thou when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy As if the Lord had said I have as yet questioned thee only where thou wast when I made the earth which is the most inferiour part of the world But now I purpose to rise higher in my discourse and therefore I put these questions to thee Where wast thou when I set up the morning stars those sparkling lights which shine to the earth through the firmament of heaven as also the sons of God those blessed spirits all which sang together and shouted for joy at the appearance of my power and wisdom Secondly Others connect these words in a continued sense and sentence with the verse going before Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth c. at which sight the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy Taking the words thus they carry an allusion to or are a similitude taken from noble buildings or structures whose foundations use to be laid with solemnity and their corner-stones to be set up with shouting and acclamation That it was anciently customary to make such acclamations at the laying of the foundation of some eminent building besides what is clear out of humane Authors and Histories we have several Scripture evidences The 87th Psalm throughout setting forth the structure of the Gospel Church of the spiritual Zion by way of prophesie begins thus His foundation is in the holy mountains there 's the foundation of Zion laid Then followeth as at the second verse The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou City of God! Selah As if he had said there was a great acclamation high praises at the laying the foundation of Zion with which the Psalme closeth more expresly v. 7. As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there all my Springs are in thee Again Psal 118.22 23 24. there is no sooner mention made of the corner-stone the stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner but presently we have acclamations about it This is the Lords doing it is marvelous in our eyes This is a blessed work indeed This is the day which the Lord hath made we will rejoyce and be glad in it That corner-stone of salvation Jesus Christ being laid as I may say all the stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy This is the day which the Lord hath made If we go to those material buildings which were figurative of the Church and Christ we shall find the like Ezra 3.10 When the Jewes at the return of their Captivity began to build the Temple the Text saith at the tenth verse And when the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the Lord then they set the Priests in their apparel and with their voices with the Levits and the sons of Asaph to praise the Lord. As soon as the foundation was laid they were all in song and raised up in holy rejoycings though some of the old men who remembred the first Temple wept when the foundation of this was laid That Scripture Zach. 4.7 speaks of the same thing where the Prophet in the Spirit fore-seeing the disappointments of all the enemies of the people of God thus triumphs over them by faith Who art thou O great Mountain before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain he shall bring forth the head-stone thereof with shouting That is the building of Hierusalem or the restoring of the Temple shall be brought to perfection and then they shall cry grace grace unto it Now in allusion to the practice both of men in common and of the people of God in special at the raising of great structures the Lord tells us here that when he laid the foundations of the earth and when he fastened the corner-stone thereof there was a Triumph made Then the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy Thus we have the state of this verse either taking it for another instance of the power of God in creating the Stars and the Angels or else subjoyning it as an acclamation
our thoughts to the praise of God to sing and shout his praises Did the Stars take them properly and did the Sons of God the Angels rejoyce when the work first began and is not the work to be rejoyced in now 't is finished Though sin hath sullied the work yet the glory of God is still transparent in it the power goodness and wisdom of God are gloriously seen in the things that are made Rom. 1.20 not onely were they seen but they are â—een to this day The creatures are still a glass wherein we may â—â—hold the invisible things of God even his eternal Power and God-head so that they who glorifie him not in and for those works will be found and left without excuse They are a book a volume consisting of as many leaves and lines as there are distinct sorts of creatures wherein we may read the great God plainly described to us and if so let us remember our fault this day Is it not our sin and shame that we are so little in admiring God for this work which set all the Angels in heaven a singing a shouting a wondring There are several things in the Works of Creation which well considered will soon provoke us to singing and to shouting First The multitude of Creatures Secondly The various kinds of Creatures Thirdly The beauty and excellency that is in the Creatures Fourthly The profit and the usefulness of the Creatures These laid together should draw out our praises and cause us to exalt the power wisdom and goodness of God manifested in and by his Creatures Lastly Consider what was iâ— that caused the Angels to â—hout for jâ—y when they saw this woâ—k of God begun Surely it was the appearance or manifestation of God shining brightly in the Work of Creation Hence Observe The discoveries of the power wisdom and goodness of God should stir up and engage every man and cannot but effectually stir up and engage those who are wise and good to rejoyce in God Somewhat of God is stamped or there are certain lines of his transcendent perfections drawn upon every Creature here a line of wisdom and there a line of power here a line of goodness and there a line of mercy the sight of these should cause us to shout for joy especially that this God the Creator of the ends of the Earth is our God for ever and ever and will be our guide even unto death How many lines have we of God in the World which we have not read much less studied and commented upon In how many things is God visible and yet we see him not nor acknowledge him as we ought Take onely these two things by way of inference from the whole First To be of a praising of a rejoycing spirit iâ—â—o be of an excellent spirit of an angelical spirit Let us imitate â—he Angels in praising God The Angels are called the Sons of God because they imitate him let us imitate the Angels in praising God so shall we approve our selves the Sons of God too Secondly Consider The Angels rejoyced at the laying of the foundations of the Earth The Earth was made for man Heaven was the Angels habitation they were well provided for if there had never been an Earth they had been provided for yet they shouted for joy when God laid the foundations of the Earth for the use of man and beast Hence take this Inference It shews a good spirit to rejoyce at the good of others or to be pleased with that which is beneficial to others though it be no benefit to us This argues an excellent spirit an angelical spirit Some if they are well housed and provided for care not whether others are housed and provided for or no nor can they rejoyce at the good of others but as their own good is concern'd In glory we shall be like to the Angels our very bodies shall be like to the Angels living without food without sleep without marriage in Heaven we shall neither marry nor be given in marriage but shall be like the Angels O let us strive to be like the Angels in our minds now as we hope to have our bodies like the Angels hereafter even clothed as the Schoolmen call them with angelical endowments Unless our spirits are like the Angels here unless we have hearts like the hearts of Angels in this World we shall never have bodies like them hereafter or in the World to come JOB Chap. 38. Vers 8 9 10 11. 8. Or who shut up the Sea with doors when it brake forth as if it had issued out of the womb 9. When I made the Cloud the garment thereof and thick darkness a swadling band for it 10. And brake up for it my decreed place and set bars and doors 11. And said Hitherto shalt thou come but no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed THe Lord having questioned Job about the Fabrick of the Earth and shewed the triumph and acclamations of Angels at it in the former Context He next leads him to the waters or carrieth him to the Sea there to consider his Works of wonder As Moses in the beginning of Genesis having summarily and in general spoken of the Creation of Heaven and Earth descendeth to particulars so here we have the Lord passing from one part of the Creation to another from the Creation of the Earth to that other great part of the Creation the Waters or the Sea Vers 8. Who shut up the Sea with doors c. In these words we have First The Creation of the Sea Secondly Its Constitution both set forth by most elegant Metaphors The Creation or Production of the Sea is shadowed by allusion to an Infant breaking forth out of the womb Vers 8. The Constitution or settlement of the Sea is carried on in suitable Metaphors to the end of the eleventh Verse Vers 8. Or who hath shut up the Sea with doors when it brake forth c. We have here First The Birth or Nativity of the Sea Secondly What God did with the Sea when it was born and issued out of the womb Then God shut it in with doors and prepared garments and swadling bands for it then he restrained the rage force and fury of it and held it as his prisoner or captive in bonds As soon as an Infant is born it is bound up and swadled and as soon as the Sea as I may say was born or come into the World God took order with it and to keep it in order he provided doors to shut it in and garments to bind it up with What the Scripture speaks of Gods coercing the Sea may be reduced to two heads First To that restraint which he laid upon the Sea presently upon its Creation some say the first others the third day of the Creation according to that Gen. 1.9 God said Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together into one place and let the dry land appear and it was so Thus the
I may say fed and fattened from heaven All Vegetatives grass herbs plants flowers trees all Sensitives beasts of the earth fowls of the air yea and rational creatures too all men who breath in the air and walk upon the earth are refreshed and fed by the influences of heaven by the clouds and stars Further the Stars send down their influences not only upon living creatures in their three ranks but even upon inanimate creatures the minerals the stones that lye deep under the earth the precious gems with those of a courser grain receive much from the influences of the Stars So then all earthly bodies receive and derive their vigor and beauty from the heavenly the Sun and Moon have the greatest power and there is a very great power in the Stars and Constellations in the Pleiades Orion and Arcturus for the production of great effects Secondly In that 't is said Canst thou bind or stop the Influences of Pleiades Observe It is not in the power of man of any man to hinder or stay the virtue of the stars from falling down upon the earth What God will do by the creature no man can undo If God set those heavenly bodies at liberty and bids them send down their influences man cannot lock them up nor imprison their powers nor bind them from working And hence we may inferr First if none can bind the influences nor stay the comfortable virtue of the stars when God is pleased to let them out then much less can any bind or hinder the influences of the Spirit When God is pleased to send his Spirit to work upon the heart of man who can lett him There is a threefold influence or work of the spirit of God upon the soul of man First To enlighten or to give the light of the knowledge of his own glory in the face of Jesus Christ Who can hinder God when he purposeth thus to instruct and teach the ignorant and make them wise unto Salvation wiser than their teachers who can hinder it Secondly To convert to work faith and repentance together with love humility c. These graces are destilled and drop down from the Spirit of God upon the soul and who can hinder the Spirit from working them in the most hardened and unbelieving souls in the most vain proud and presumptuous soul the barren'st wilderness dryest heath such are persons unconverted are made fruitful by the influences of the Spirit Thirdly To refresh and comfort There are unspeakable influences of joy destilled from the spirit upon believers and when God will let them down from heaven who can lett them what can let them All the troubles and sorrows all the pains and tortures that men can invent or inflict upon a believer cannot bind these influences of the Spirit nor hinder joy in believing The greatest evils of this life can neither shut up nor shut out that comfort which the Spirit speaketh The most churlish winds that can blow from the coldest quarters of the world cannot chill much less kill or blast those fruits of the Spirit Love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness saith meekness temperance mentioned by the Apostle Gal. 5.22 23. The soul grows green like a Garden or Pasture in the Spring the soul bud's blossom's and brings forth these blessed fruits abundantly when fed with these dainties and delicacies of the Spirit Those great floods of trouble and persecution which the Serpent any where or at any time casts out of his mouth cannot prevail against the least drop of Consolation wrought in the heart by the Spirits influence Paul and Silas were bound in Prison but there their persecutors could not bind the sweet influences of the Spirit from comforting them nor daunt them by any terror from triumphing in Christ they could sing in Prison yea they sung at Midnight Secondly We may Inferr If God hath placed the Stars in heaven to drop down sweet influences upon us then at every sight of the Stars our hearts should be raised up in the admiring thoughts of the wisdom goodness and power of God We usually look upon the Stars as if they were only so many lights bespangling the Canopy of heaven and sparkling as so many fires in the firmament but we seldom consider their virtues their influences or the wonderful effects which they produce How few are there who behold the heavens with Davids eyes Psal 8.3 4. When I said he consider thy heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast made What is man that thou are mindful of him God is mindful of man not only to give him light by the Moon and Stars by the benefit whereof he sees other things but God gives many unseen benefits by the Moon and Stars The influences of the Stars are as beneficial to us Qui negat esse Deum spectet modo fidero câ—li Sidorâ— qui spectat non negat esse Deum and as great a treasure as their light We indeed have great cause as we are commanded Psal 136.7 8 9. to pay the tribute of thanks to God for setting up the Sun Moon and Stars in the heavens to give us light O give thanks to him that made great lights the Sun to rule by day the Moon and Stars to rule by night Yet we must not confine our thankfulness to God for them only as they give us light for they give us heat as well as light and wonder working influences as well as either Moses their civil Father blessing the twelve Tribes as Jacob their natural Father did before his departure out of the world thus bespake the blessing upon Joseph Deut. 33.13 14 15. Blessed of the Lord be his land for the precious things of heaven for the dew and also for the deep that coucheth beneath and for the precious fruits brought forth by the Sun and for the precious things put forth by the Moon and for the chief things of the ancient mountains and for the precious things of the lasting hills and for the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof c. Here we have two sorts of precious things First The precious things of heaven Secondly The precious things of the earth of the hills and mountains The former precious things are the cause the latter the effect The precious things of heaven are the influences of the Sun and Moon under which we are to comprehend the influences of the Stars these cause or produce the precious things of the earth that is Grass Hearbs with all sorts of Vegetables growing upon the surface of the earth they produce also the precious things of the ancient mountains and of the lasting hills that is gems or precious stones gold and silver together with all sorts of inferiour minerals Now if the Stars by their influences yield us all these precious things have we not much cause to admire both the power of God who hath implanted those vertues and opperations in them as also his
the clouds above may hear thee and so powerfully that they will obey thee Any man the meanest man may lift up his voice toward the clouds but no man no not the mightiest man can lift up his voice to the clouds and be heard that is be obeyed by them Thou canst not command the clouds Though a man speak and speak aloud though he lift up his voice as God bid the Prophet to his people like a Trumpet to the clouds yet the clouds will be deaf at his voice as deaf as sinners commonly are at the voice of a Prophet though lifted up like a Trumpet The voice here intended is an effectual voice such a voice to the clouds is proper and peculiar to God alone Numquid descendet ad te pluvia imperio â—uâ— Vatabl. whose power and Empire is so great and large that he can stretch forth his voice to the clouds far and near all the air over and cause them both to appear at his call and presently to empty themselves and pour out their waters according to his direction upon any coast or quarter of the earth The text is singular Canst thou lift up thy voice to the cloud canst thou lift up thy voice to any one of them as it were by name We render it plurally Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds to any one or to all of them That as it followeth abundance of waters may cover thee As if the Lord had said If I lift up my voice to the clouds they presently dissolve and melt and abundance of waters flow down to cover man and beast to cover the fields the corn the grass nor is it any marvel if the clouds those thin and upon the matter liquid bodies melt and slow down at the voice of God whenâ—s at his voice the mountains flow down and the rocks themselves even the hardest rocks are melted into waters or give forth abundance of water Num. 20.8 Eliphaz said to Job at the 22. Chap. of this book and the 11. Vers Abundance of waters cover thee The words are the same there and here but the sence is very different Eliphâ—z meant it there of metaphorical waters the waters of affliction with which God covered yea almost over-whelmed and drowned Job But the Lord speaks here of natural waters Job could not call to the clouds and get abundance of those waters to cover him nor was he able in a way of command to get one drop of water from the clouds The words are plain and the scope of them obvious even to convince Job yet further of his inability and frailty or that he ought to leave God to the government of the world to the government of Persons Families and Nations for as much as himself was not able to govern a cloud nor to order out the least shower of rain Hence Note Man hath no absolute or soveraign power over any creature Clouds will not be commanded cannot be commanded by the greatest and mightiest of the sons of men Job was a great Prince himself yet he could not neither can the greatest Princes of the world command a shower nor a drop of rain to fall from the heavens Man cannot command the clouds to rain either when he will or where he will or how much he will these powers belong to God alone Yet in one sen e man may lift up his voice to the clouds and abundance of waters will cover him There is a twofold voice of man Fiâ—st A commanding voice And secondly A praying voice Let man lift up his commanding voice to the clouds as long as he will he shall get down no rain but if man by faith lift up his praying voice to the clouds that is to God in whose hand the clouds are he may get rain yea abundance of waters to cover him Zach. 10.1 A k ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain so the Lord shall make bright clouds and give them showers of rain to every one grass in the field At the voice of man humbly praying the Lord makes bright clouds or as our Margin hath it lâ—ghtenings which fore-run black clouds to those God gives showers of rain and those showers of rain give every one grass that is they cause all sorts of Vegetables to spring and flourish in the fieldâ— both for man and beast This was one of the cases which Solomon put in his prayer at the dedication of the Temple for the Lords answering of prayer 1 Kings 8.35 When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against thee if they pray towards this place and confess thy name and turn from their sins when thou afflictest them then hear thou in heaven and forgive the sin of thy servants c. and give rain upon thy land When the clouds are lockt up when they are as brass over our heads prayer moves the Lord to open them or to melt them down into showers for the refreshing and fructifying of the earth The Apostle James Chap. 5.17 18. tells us that â—lias covered the earth with abundance of rain by lifting up his voice in prayer Elias saith he was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months And he prayed again and the heavens gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit The holy history makes the same report 1 Kings 18 45. And it came to pass in the mean while that the heaven was black with clouds and wind and there was a great rain c. If we would have rain we must ask for it and lift up a praying voice to God who commands the clouds it is a vain thing for us to lift up a voice to the clouds in our own name to command them to give us rain in the season of it And as this is true of the clouds and rain so of all creatures Their powers and vertues their efficacies and influences are not at our command but if we look up to God and wait upon him in prayer he can command them all to give out their vertues both to serve our necessities and accommodate our delights Now as in this question God shews Job his insufficiency to command water so in the next to command fire from the clouds Vers 35. Canst thou send lightnings that they may go and say unto thee here we are What lightning is hath been shewed once or twice already in this and the former Chapter and therefore I shall not stay here in any discourse either about the nature or the wonderful effects of lightning But the Lords manner of speaking and his purpose in speaking here about the lightning is very considerable and calls for further discourse Canst thou send lightnings that they may go c. As if the Lord had said If thou canst not prevail with the clouds to send rain canst thou prevail
to hunt the prey for him yet the testimony of those ingenious Travellers or Navigators upon whose report of what they have seen or heard in those Countreys the worthy Author above-named makes this relation this testimony I say may be a probable ground for such an Exposition of the Text that the Lord had in his wise providence provided one to hunt the prey for the Lion Though I conceive the sense of the place to be moâ—e general namely that the Lord himself hath one way or other taken care that even the Lion shall have his prey and that neither Job then nor any one else needed take care in that matter How great an argument that might be both for Jobs conviction and consolation will appear afterwards Wilt thou hunt the prey For the Lion The word rendred Lion signifies a stout Lion Mr. Broughton renders the hardy Lion others the old Lion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leoni vetulo qui viribus deficientibus non amplius potest venari sed à juvenibus capta praeda rugitu eum ad participationem praedae vocantibus alitur Aelian l. 9. Histor Animal c. 1. Wilt thou hunt the prey for the old Lion and there 's a double interpretation with respect to that translation That either here is meant a Lion come up to his full strength and so every way able to provide for himself or that by the old Lion is meant a Lion gâ—own so old and weak with old age that he can no longer provide for nor hunt the prey for himself and therefore the Lord saith Wilt thou hunt the prey for the old Lion that cannot hunt for himself dost thou provide for the Lion that cannot pâ—ovide for himself 'T is I who provide a prey for the old Lion that cannot hunt the prey for himself This is a good sense and I shall touch it in the Observation However 't is plain that by the Lion in the first part of the verse is meant an old Lion for he stands opposed to the young Lion in the latter part of the veâ—se Wilt thou hunt the prey for the Lion Naturalists speak many things of the nature of the Lion to whom I refer the Reader I shall have occasion to touch some of them while I mention what the Scâ—ipture saith of him The Lion bears a four-fold resemblance in Scripture First The Lion is the emblem of a King Judah whose tribe was the stock of Kings or the tribe Royal is called a Lions whelp Gen. 49.9 Thus spake Jacob Judah is a Lions whelp from the prey my Son thâ—s art gone up he stooped down he couched as a Lion and as an old Lion who shall rouse him up The Kings of the earth are compared to Lions First Because of their greatness and supe iotity What the Lion is among beasts Kings are among men their chiefs Secondly Because of their stoutness and courage Solomon saith of the Lion Prov. 30.30 He is strongest among beasts and turneth not away for any That is he is not afraid of any beast To be bold as a Lion is a sacred as well as a common proverbiâ—l noting greatest boldness Aristotle saith Nunquam in locis patentibus fugit aut metuit pedetentimque discedit Arist the Lion never flies oâ— makes any hasty retreat let the danger be what it will in open view but goes off keeping his own pace A modern Writer speaks thus The Lion in Africk is more fierce than in colder climate He shrinkâ— not in danger except some covert of Woods hâ—dâ—s him from witnesses and then he will take the benefit of a flight which otherwise he seems to disdain Such is the true spirit of Kings Leoni tantum ex feris clementia in supplices Plin. l. 8. c. 16. Satis est prostrasse Leoni Vigilans oculus sceptro impositus perpetuae vigiliae symbolum est they are much above ignoble fears Thirdly Lions resemble Kings because of their mildness and nobleness to them that submit Fourthly Because of the stateliness of their gate and majesty of their aâ—pect Fifthly Because of their vigilancy and watchfulness The Lion sleeps say Naâ—uralists with his eyes open he sleeps as if he were not asleep and as some observe he often moves his tail while he sleepeth as giving notice that he is not as we speak fast asleep And as the Lion is an emblem of earthly Kings so Secondly of the Lord Jesus Christ the King of heaven and earth the King of Kings To shew his supeâ—eminent excellency he is called a Lion Rev. 5.5 There was found none wâ—rthy to open the Book but the Lion of the tribe of Judah Now Jesus Christ is compared to a Lion upon all those accounts before named for which worthy and heroick Kings are so compared for First Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 19.16 He is highly exalted he hath a name given him above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth Phil. 2.9 10. And as Jesus Christ is like the Lion for his superiority so Secondly for his clemency true nobleness of spirit towards those who yield unto him 'T is enough indeed to humble our selves before this Lion How ready must Christ be to receive and embrace humbled sinners who humbled himself to death that he mâ—ght save sinners even while they were proud and rebelled against him Thirdly Jesus Christ is a Lion also in respect of his watchfulness over his Church This Lion that keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps Psal 121.4 and Fourthly for his invincible courage and strength always ready to be put forth for his Church The Prophet Isa 31.4 compares Christ to a Lion that will not be frighted Like as the Lion saith he and the young Lion roaring on his prey when a multitude of Shepherds is called out against him he will not be afraid of their voice nor abase himself for the noise of them so shall the Lord of Hosts himself come down to fight for mount Sion and for the hill thereof As if the Prophet had said God will protect Jerusalem against all her enemies the Assyrian forces are there specially intended no more regarding or fearing them than a fierce Lion in the prime of his strength will regard or fear a company of simple Shepherds that shall attempt to rescue his prey from between his teeth And because of this Lion-like power and courage of Christ so his Church another Prophet saith that tâ—e Church herself shall be as a Lion Mâ—c 5.8 And the remnant of Jacob that is the true Church shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people who are enemies and unbelievâ—ng as a Lion among the beasts of the forrest as a young Lion among the flocks of sheep or rather as the Margin haâ—h it Goats who if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces and none can deliver That is as our late
Christ would make to help comfort and relieve her by the speedy running of the young Hart. 2. Jesus Christ is so compared with respect to his lovingness that 's the Epithete which Solomon gives the Hind Prov. 5.19 Let her thy Wife be as the loving Hind and pleasant Râ—e Now as the Wise should be tendered by her Husband as a loving Hind so Jesus Christ is like the Hind for his exceeding lovingness to his Spouse or Wife Christ is so full of love that he is called love it self One of the Antients speaking of Christ dying said My Love was crucified 3. Jesus Christ is shadowed by the Hind with respect to his sufferings for he was hunted as a Hind with Hounds with blood-hounds with the hell-hounds of this world the worst of wicked men Therefore it is remarkable that in the 22. Psalme which is throughout a prophecy of Christ the first words being the last he spake in this world My God my God why hast thou forsaken me The title of that Psalm is To the chief musician upon Aijeleh Sahar and if you would know what that signifies look into the Maâ—gin of your larger Bibles there you shall find The Hind of the morning Hunters use to single out that special Deer Hart or Hind early in the morning which they purpose for game that day signifying that Jesus Christ who is so much spoke of in that Psalm was a Hind not only sorely and fiercely but early hunted by wicked men to death Again The Scripture speaks of the Hind with respect unto godly men First As to the freeness and cheerfulness of their spirits in the wayes and things of God The Prophet Isa 35.6 shews how it shall be with those that receive the Gospel though they have been lame impotent cripples before not able to take one step God-ward yet saith he The lame shall leap as a Hart or as a Hind that is they shall exceedingly rejoyce at the receiving of the Gospel and be very active in the obedience of it Secondly As to that exceeding thirst strong appetite or desire which true believers have to and after Jesus Christ who is the living water the water of life Thus David spake of himself Psal 42.1 As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God Some render as the she Hart that is the Hind panteth after the water brooks c. When David would express the exceeding ardency of his souls thirst after Christ he compares it to the thirst of a hunted Hart or Hind Thirdly The Hind is very swift of foot so are believers as they have strong desires so speedy pursuits after Jesus Christ David had a holy confidence that God would make him swift in spirit when he said Psal 18.33 The Lord shall make my feet like Hinds feet that is he will make me very active agile and nimble not only for the avoiding of corporal evils but also in following of spiritual good things Fâ—u thly The Hind loves high places or to be and breath in the free air Thus the Prophet Habakkuk speaks of himself Hab. 3.19 The Lord will make my feet like Hinds feet he will make me walk upon my high places He means not the high places of worldly preferment or power but of peace and safety nor either of them so much as those truly high places of a holy life and joy in spiritual meditation and conversation to which we resort by the wings of saith in and love unto God Vpon these high places thou wilt make me to walk As if the Prophet had said I shall go lightly and sweetly on in my journey to heaven having my soul supplied and suppled as it were with the oyl of spiritual joy and gladness As it is said of Jacob Gen. 29.1 after that he had that blessed vision at Bethel in the close of the 28th Chapter He weâ—t on his journey or as we put in the margin He lift up his feet his feet were like Hinds feet lithe and nimble for his journey going on in faith towards God and in the light of his countenance Fifthly It is observed by Naturalists that Hinds are very charitable and helpful one to another and they give that special instance when swimming over any River or deep water the second is supported by the first and the third by the second and so to the last they help one another over which doth excellently shadow the usefulness that should be among Christians and their helpfulness mutual they should be as Harts and Hinds always in this respect and then most when they come into the Rivers and deep waters of sorrow and trouble then they should support and bear up each one his brother The Apostles word is Gal. 6.2 Bear one anothers burdens and so fulfil the Law of Christ The burdens which he there intends are not only the infirmities which are in us but the afflictions and troubles which possibly we may at any time be in And again Phil. 2.4 Let not every man mind his own things but let him mind the things which are anothers that is let him be helpful to others in outward things much more let him be helpful to others in spiritual things Thus the Scripture speaks both of Jesus Christ and of those that are his under the similitude of the Hind From both parts of the verse in that the Lord puts the question here to Job Knowest thou the time when the wilde Goats of the rocks bring forth or canst thou mark the time when the Hinds do calve Note First The Lord himself takes special care of the wildest creatures even of those which are most remote from the help and care of man The care and tenderness of God toward beasts turns to his praise as well as the care which he hath of and the tenderness which he shews to believers And as it doth exceedingly advance the glory of God that he takes care of wilde beasts so it may exceedingly strengthen the faith of man that he will take care of him Doth the Lord take care of wilde Goats and of Hinds then certainly he takes care of those that particularly belong to him as hath been already shewed or inferred from such like instances as we have here in the Text. Secondly From the particular Point upon which the care of God is here intimated with respect to the wilde Goats and Hinds namely their bringing forth and calving we learn that There is a special providence of God towards these and such like creatures for the production of their young He if I may so speak with reverence shews his Midwifry in helping these savage beasts when their pains come upon them As the Lord takes man in an eminent manner out of the womb Psal 22.9 so in a manner he takes beasts out of the womb too Psal 29.8 9. The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness it shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh So we translate it but the word which we render shaketh is
any one of them yea how humble should we be though adorned with them all Hence that Apostolical check to proud ones 1 Cor. 4.7 What hast thou that thou didst not receive and if thou hast received it why dost thou glory or boast as if thou hadst not received it In these words he more than implyeth two things First That they who have received those goodlier feathers of spiritual gifts and graces are in danger of being lifted up by them Secondly That they ought not The Angels who fell had goodly feathers and they were lifted up not only in pride with what they had received and were beholding to God for but in pride to have more or get higher and not be beholding to God for it There is a temptation in any good thing a great temptation in goodly things to pride and therefore we had need to pray when we have any thing that is goodly whether it be natural civil moral or spiritual to be kept humble and preserved from pride The Apostle Paul was in danger to be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations which he had when caught up to the third heaven 2 Cor. 12.3 7. The best men on earth may be over-heated by what they have received from heaven and the flesh may take occasion as by the commandement to work in us all manner of concupiscence Rom. 7.8 so by our raptures in spirit to puff us up with that special concupiscence called pride The Peacock here spoken of is so far transported with his fine feathers that he may be called the picture of pride We have a common saying in our language Such a one is as proud as a Peacock or he is a proud Peacock A Peacock and a proud person are alike in several things First As the Peacock is proud of his feathers so is he of his cloaths One of the Ancients reproving pride in cloathing said In habitu non calor sed color requiritur magisque vestium quam virtutum cultui insistitur Bern. in his time It is not so much the warmth of their cloathing but the curious dye or colour of the cloth which is regarded and most insist more upon the trimming of their vestures than upon the increase of their vertues Secondly A Peacock as he is proud of his feathers so he loves they should be seen or he loves to shew his fine feathers The Peacock spreads his plumes so doth a proud person Not only he that is proud of his apparel affects to be seen but he that is proud of his gifts knowledge learning eloquence how doth he spread these plumes and affect applause As the vain-glorious Pharisees thought nothing they did in Religion worth the doing unless they were seen in doing it so vain-glorious persons think nothing they have worth the having unless they make others see they have it Thirdly A proud man is like to the Peacock in his exulting clamorous voice or cry Such love to talk high and are very loud they love to be heard as well as seen and to hear themselves speak in the hearing of others Fourthly The Peacock say Naturalists however he hath very goodly feathers yet hath but a very weak head Pavo infirmum habet caput superbus imbecille judicium 'T is so with proud persons whatever fine shews they make their intellectuals are but course and they that are proud of the strength of their heads of their wit and understandings have indeed the weakest heads of all There is much folly lodged in that mans head where much knowledge lodgeth if pride lodge in his heart too And seeing God gives in this sense foolish men as this foolish bird fine feathers we need not envy them for their folly in being proud of their fine feathers debaseth them more in the sight of God than their fine feathers can honour them in the sight of men Usually proud persons have little that is good in them but how much soever they have it will be little more to them than a fine feather because they think it so much that they are proud of it Fifthly Naturalists say the Peacock and it is as true of a proud person is an Angel in aspect Angelus aspectu pede latro voce Gehenna or to look on he makes a goodly shew a thief in his foot i. e. he goeth softly without noise yet hath a voice like hell crying out and shrieking very unharmoniously to the ear A proud person may be an Angel in aspect but he is a thief in his feet he goeth softly yet deceitfully and there is a hell in his voice A loud boasting tongue is as troublesom and unpleasant to the ear as a brawling and usually boasters are brawlers too For as Solomon hath concluded it Prov. 13.10 By pride cometh contention Lastly Proud ones are like the Peacock because that which persons are most commonly proud of is of little worth The Peacock is proud of his feathers which are worthless things fit only for children to play with And though it is a truth that some men as was said before are proud of such things as are excellent in themselves and of a great intrinsick value yet as was also said before whatsoever a man is proud of will to his account be no better than a Peacocks feather A man that is proud of his beauty and apparel of his riches and outward splendor may truly be said to be proud of a feather Solomon the wisest of Kings and taught by the Spirit of God hath written vanity and insufficiency upon all worldly things And if a man be proud of his understanding knowledge or any internal endowment which are things of real excellency they all become vain to him yea if a man be proud of his graces though they shall never be utterly vain to him yet so far as he is proud of them they are vain to him being hindred by the present prevailings of corruptions from doing that which is one of the most proper works of them the keeping him humble empty and nothing in his own eyes Gavest thou goodly wings to the Peacocks And wings and feathers unto the Ostrich Several Translators as was toucht before find two distinct fowls in this latter part of the verse An pennam Ciconiae aut Struthio camelo dares Jun. Mr. Broughton saith Gavest thou feathers to the Stork and Ostrich and so others Our Translators put it thus in the Margin The feathers of the Stork and Ostrich The occasion of this difference in translating arises from the original word used last in this verse which commonly signifies a feather only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pluma pennae vel juxta quosdam Struthiocamelus quasi pennatus dictus Burtorf 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ciconia sic dicta à beneficētia quasi beneficam dicas à nomine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hic significat Struthiocamelum per antiphrasin eò quòd avis illa minime sit benefica ut quae laboret singulari
made strong even forgetting God who hath made him strong That people thought themselves strong enough with horses without the strong God and therefore the Lord told them at the third verse The Egyptians are men and not God and their horses are flesh and not spirit that is they are weak and not strong not that they were weak in themselves but weak to save and deliver them or to give them victory in battel they are but flesh and not spirit flesh notes weakness and spirit notes strength so that though a horse hath a mighty strength yet if you trust to him he is but flesh that is he is weak And some conceive this was the reason why the Lord commanded Joshua in his war with the Canaanites to hough their horses as the rule is given Josh 11.6 Thou shalt hough their horses and burn their chariots with fire that is cut their nerves or as we say their ham-strings Why did the Lord command him to hough their horses why might he not preserve them for service in his wars Doubtless it was lest he should think that horses could do the work And therefore according to this command of God when David took a thousand chariots and seven hundred horse-men from the Moabites he houghed all the chariot-horses but reserved of them for an hundred chariots 2 Sam. 8.4 He would not multiply horses to himself out of the spoyls of the enemy lest he should seem to trust their strength and numbers Fifthly Fear not the strength of horses The Prophet saith to the fearful Jer. 12.5 If thou hast run with foot-men and they have wearied thee how canst thou contend with horses When we have horses to contend with 't is a very dangerous conflict The Prophet by foot-men and horse-men intends lesser and greater oppositions when we have to deal with lesser difficulties we have to deal with foot-men but when with greater then with horse-men If then you have to do with horses either in the metaphor or in plain sense fear them not why for they are but creatures and God who hath given them their strength can take away their strength and make them useless Psal 76.6 At thy rebuke O God of Jacob both the chariot and the horse are cast into a deep sleep Suppose a multitude of chariots and horses should come against us yet at the Lords rebuke if he doth but speak the word if the God of Jacob do but give a rebuke the chariots and horses are laid in a deep sleep that is they are as nothing or as dead Death is a deep sleep therefore though horses have a mighty strength yet be no more afraid of them than of that which is dead the Lord God who hath given them their strength can defend us against their strength or disable them notwithstanding their strength to offend us Hast thou given the Horse strength Hast thou cloathed his neck with thunder To cloath with or to be cloathed with this or that is a very common Scriptural phrase metaphorically applyed to things both corporeal and incorporeal Of the first sort are all those places of Scripture where man is said to be cloathed with skin and flesh Job 10.11 The flesh with worms and clods of dust Job 7.5 The fields with flocks Psal 65.13 The earth with Sea Psal 104.6 The Sea with clouds Job 38.9 The heavens with blackness Isa 50.3 Of the second sort are all those Scriptures which say A person is cloathed with righteousness Job 39.14 Psal 132.9 With salvation Psal 132.16 With glory and beauty Job 40.10 With power or strength Psal 93.1 Isa 51.9 With the Spirit of God Judg. 6.34 2 Chron. 24.20 With desolation Ezek. 7.27 With shame Psal 71.13 Psal 109.29 And as both things and persons are said to be cloathed with these so to be cloathed with any thing notes two things either First that such have much of it Thus to be cloathed with glory is to be exceeding glorious and to be cloathed with shame is to be exceedingly ashamed and to be cloathed with pride is to be exceeding proud and to be cloathed with righteousness and honour is to be exceeding righteous and honourable and to be cloathed with humility is to be exceeding humble and lastly to be cloathed with the Spirit is to be exceeding spiritual and full of the Spirit Or Secondly to be cloathed with any thing that is good notes it to be very becoming and ornamental to us as rich and sutable garments are or if it be bad that it is very disgraceful and detrimental to us as filthy and uncomely garments are Now here in the Text when the neck of the horse is said to be cloathed with thunder it must needs note somewhat in which the horse exceeds and which is both an honour and an ornament to the horse Hast thou saith God to Job or I cloathed his neck with thunder There are various interpretations of the word which we here translate thunder First Some affirm That the word by us rendred thunder Hic tonitru est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eum tonitru alias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicatur Vestimenti nomine intelligo Jubas densas crisâ—â—antes Cajet signifies nothing less than thunder or that it doth not signifie thunder at all neither in a proper nor in a metaphorical sense but that it signifies the horses mane Nor can it be denyed but that this form of speaking is very apt and elegant to say the neck of a horse is cloathed with his mane as birds may be said to be cloathed with feathers or beasts with hair And here the mention of the horses mane is fitly brought in because the scope of the place is to set forth the chief signes and conditions of a generous stomackful War-horse For though the meanest horses have manes and that of an ancient Author be true in part of all horses That the mane is given them for an ornament Zenophon in Comment de re equestri yet generous horses have thickest and fullest manes hanging down and covering their necks as the old Poets often describe noble and warlikâ— Horses And that in this place of Job not an ordinary thin or shoâ—t mane but a thick and a deep one is intended we may collect from the word cloathed which will not well agree with those of ordinary Horses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arnol. Bootius Animad Sacrae l. 3. c. 6. sect 10. The only difficulty with which this interpretation is attended is how to make it out that the Hebrew word Ragnemah signifies the mane of a Horse it being never used in any place of Scripture but this and it is much questioned whither the word be to be found in the writings of any of the Jewish Rabbins in that sense The only answer is that it is to be reckoned among those words of which there are several in Scripture which are only once read or used and so the sense of them is to be given from the
meet the armed men he doth not stand to receive a charge but he seeks it What any have a great mind to that they are very forward in you need not press a volunteer nor spur a free a valiant horse on to the battel you can hardly hold him in with bit bridle 'T is so in any service where there is a heart set to it with a love to it O how do we go forth to it we need not to be haled nor driven to it So in spirituals a heart of that temper answers every call Psal 27.8 When thou saidst seek my face my heart said unto thee thy face Lord will I seek He presently answers the Lords call to any duty who hath a heart for it What zeal what freedom what forwardness have we to that we have a will and a mind to An up-hill way is all down-hill to a willing mind JOB Chap. 39. Vers 22 23 24 25. 22. He mocketh at fear and is not afraid neither turneth he back from the sword 23. The quiver ratleth against him the glittering spear and the shield 24. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet 25. He cries among the trumpets Ha ha and he smelleth the battel afar off the thunder of the Captains and the shoutings THese four verses continue and compleat the description oâ— the goodly valiant War-horse in his second qualification of boldness and courage of which this Text gives as many proofs as can be imagined or expected Vers 22. He mocketh at fear And what greater argument of valour than that Fear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spâ—rnit quod plenum est timoris Vataâ—l Contemnit omnia metuenda Elegans prosopopeia est qua tribuitur experti rationis animali quod hominis proprium est sc ridere arma the abstract is here put for the concrete he laughs at fear that is at those things which are most to be feared or which carry the greatest command of fear in them It is usual in Scripture to express things greatly to be feared by fear As things greatly ly hoped for are called our hope and things rejoyced in greatly are called our joy so things greatly to be feared are called our fear and in that sence above all God is called the fear of his people he is so much the object of fear that the Scripture calls him fear Jacob in his treating and contract with his Uncle Laban Gen. 31.53 Sware by the fear of his father Isaac that is he sware by God who alone hath this high honour to be sworn by in a sacred way To swear is a great part of divine worship and is sometime put for the whole of worship Jacob sware by the fear of Isaac that is by God who his father Isaac feared and in whose fear he walked all his dayes Thus spake the Prophet Isa 8.12 13. Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts in your hearts and let him be your fear which is quoted by the Apostle 1 Pet. 3.15 Now as God himself is called fear because he is so exceedingly to be feared so those things which carry in them much fear or which are much fâ—ared in Scripture sense and eloquence are called fear He scorneth or mocketh at fear Those things which make others tremble he as it were makes a sport at and plays with them So the words are an exposition of what was spoken at the close of the 21th ver He goeth on to meet the armies or the armed men who are much to be feared and dreaded In general whatsoever is or may be matter of fear that the horse mocks or laughs at that is he counts no more of it than we do of those things we laugh at Quae non curant hominis rident What men regard not care not for that they laugh at mock at We say of a valiant stout-hearted man he knows not what fear means When once a Noble person in great danger was admonished not to be afraid he laid his hand upon his breast and said Fear was never here yet and I hope shall never enter Thus the Horse is here represented as one into whose heaâ—t fear never entred he mocketh at fear And as it followeth is not affrighted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dejectus abjectus stratus metaphocè consternatus fuit mente jacuit The word which we render affrighted imports the greatest consternation of mind when the mind lyes as it were prostrate under utter dispondency breakings of spirit and discouragements Deut. 1.21 Neither any dreadful noise nor terrible sight neither the appearance nor the reallity of danger abate the spirit or prowess of the Horse He is not affrighted Hence Note Danger is the element of courage We see it in the Horse and it is much more seen in couragious men You can no more cast down true courage by representing dangers than you can drown a fish by casting it into the water it is in its element It was the speech of that great Alexander being in a most hazardous undertaking Now I see a danger sutable to my mind Jam video animo meo par periculum a match for my courage The Horse mocketh at fear Note Secondly That which is not feared is usually derided It is so with beasts and it is so with men and what more usual with some men than to mock most at those things which they should be most afraid of As there is a nobleness of courage in some men which makes a mock of fear so besides that there is a baseness of spirit a stupidness in other men that make a mock at fear Such was the spirit of Lots Sons-in-law Gen. 19.14 who when Lot reported to them the most dreadful thing that ever was in the world a shower of fire and brimstone ready to fall down from heaven upon the whole City to consume it He was to them as one that mocked the meaning is his Sons-in-law mocked at what he reported they laugh'd at his admonition Such a kind of mocking at fear we read in those hardned and debauched spirits among the ten Tribes when that good King sent and admonished them to return to the true worship of God and laid before them those dreadful judgments that would surely overtake them if they did not 2 Chron. 30.10 They laughed to scorn the messengers and mockt them As if they had said What do you tell us of the wrath of God and of his judgments if we persist in our way and course we scorn your admonition we regard not your threatnings The character given of that people 2 Chron. 36.16 when wrath was breaking out upon them without remedy was this They mockt the messengers of God and despised his words To such mockers at fear I might take occasion to say as the Prophet in a like case Isa 28.22 Be ye not mockers least your bands be made strong There are some fears that it is our honour to mock
when the weather is cold and offensive to them in the place where they are and when the heat returns to the coasts from whence they came thither they return again They know the time of their coming they know when 't is good for them to be in one Country and when in another And is not this a rebuke as the Prophet there applieth it unto a man who many times knows not what 's good for himself knows not the judgement of the Lord that is what God would have him do or what course to take in such a time and season or under such a dispensation of providence knows not as I may say Winter and Summer heat and cold and so is not so wise as the fowls of the air generally are or as the Hawk in particular is here said to be Who stretcheth her wings to the South All the children of men have and the children of God know they have a South to stretch their wings unto that is the goodness and power of God as the Psalmist spake Vnder the shadow of thy wings shall be my refuge till these calamities be overpast I will stretch my self to the South to the love and favour of God 't is best for all men to stretch their wings toward those wings of God in an evil day All should do as the Lord gives the invitation Isa 26.20 Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut the doors about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be over-past Thus the Lord directs his people to stretch themselves to the South when 't is cold and hard weather abroad in the world and the creatures spoken of by the Prophet as well as the Hawk in the Text will rise up in judgement against us if we stretch not our wings to the South when we feel the Northern cold and Winter frost taking hold of us I shall pass from this part of the verse concerning the Hawk when I have only minded the Reader that some have found a twofold resemblance in the Hawk First They resemble the Devil and evil spirits to the Hawk because of their devouring nature The old Poet said Odimus accipitrem quia semper vivit in armis Ovid. We hate the Hawk because she is alwayes in arms And so is the Devil he is always in arms and at war with the Church of God and with the souls of men and we ought alwayes to be in arms against the Devil yea to take to our selves the whole armour of God spoken of Eph. 6. to resist him and defend our selves Secondly The Hawk is like wicked men especially in three things First For their ravenous nature they love to destroy and live upon the spoyl of others Isa 33.1 Secondly They are like the Hawk preying mostly upon those that are most innocent The Psalmist saith The wicked devours the man that is more righteous than he The Hawk pursues the Dove and poor Partridge harmless creatures Thirdly The Hawk is high-priz'd when alive but when dead cast out upon the dunghil no man regarding her He that took great delight in his Hawk while alive will not call for it to his Table when dead Thus wicked men may be in great esteem while they live but when once dead they are as thrown upon the dunghil their memorial rots and is unsavoury So much for the 26th verse wherein the Spirit of God calls Job to consider the nature of the Hawk at any time flying and sometimes turning her flight to the South And now the question passeth from the Prince of birds to the Queen of birds Vers 27. Doth the Eagle mount up at thy command and make her nest on high The Eagle is a King or Queen chief among the fowls of the air 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cum sex punctis aquila sic dicta vel quod recto obtutu solem aspiciat tunc congruentiam habat cum verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel quod volatum recta in praedam dirigat tunc communicat cum verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plin. l. 10. c. 3. l. 35. c. 6. as the Lion is among the beasts of the earth and therefore the great King of Babylon is shadowed by a great Eagle with great wings Ezek. 17.3 And the Romans who Lorded it long over the world bare the Eagle in their Ensign The Hebrew word rendred Eagle hath a double derivation According to the first it signifies to Behold The Eagle is so expâ—est because she hath as the Historian describes her not only a quick and clear but a strong sight able to look full upon the Sun shining in its strength as if the name of the Eagle in Engglish were a Looker the Eagle can look the Sun in the face But according to a second derivation given by Grammatians it signifies strait or right forth And the Eagle is so called because she makes a direct course as it were by a strait line in pursuit of her prey Doth the Eagle Mount up The word in the Hebrew signifies to get high very high 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sublimis elatus fuit eminuit per metaphoram superbivit extream high and is therefore used in the Noune to set forth the highness of God Job 11.8 Psal 113.6 Isa 5.16 Isa 52.13 It notes also the highness of heaven Isa 55.9 Psal 103.11 which is called the Throne of God and the habitation of his Holiness and of his Glory 'T is used also to denote the height of a proud mans spirit which would fain rise up to the high of heaven and be like to the most High yea higher than the most High 1 Sam. 2.3 Psal 131.1 Isa 2.11 Ezek. 16.15 In all these places and many more the word is applied to the highness of a proud mans spirit which though it be indeed the lowest and basest thing in the world yet it puts man upon high thoughts of himself and upon high designs for himself he would be mounting like the Eagle Doth the Eagle Mount up The Eagles flight or mount exceeds the Hawks or any other of the winged train in three things First In the swiftness of it The Eagle hath great and long wings Ezek. 17.3 and she can make great hast with them therefore Solomon calling upon us not to set our eyes upon riches gives the reason of his counsel Prov. 23.5 For riches certainly make themselves wings they flie away as an Eagle towards heaven that is they are suddenly gone and will not return at thy call The Eagle will not come to the Lure like the Hawk To flie away as an Eagle notes two things concerning riches First That they will flie away swiftly speedily they are soon gone such is the Eagles flight Secondly That they often flie away irrecoverably there 's no recalling them The Scripture often expresseth the more than ordinary swiftness of men by the swiftness of the Eagle David lamenting the death of Saul and Jonathan
in his contemplation about so in his love to and desire of high things he doth not nakedly contemplate things above as a Philosopher may do but he hath strong affections to and longings after the enjoyment and possession of the things that are above he is as much on high in his desires and affections Non ad praeceptum hominis aut suam solius voluntatem elevatur sanctus sed â—â—gent ublevante Deâ— Jens as he is in his studies and speculations And in both respects he mounts on high in the power and at the command of God who as he hath taught the Eagle so man much more whither and how far to ascend And he therefore mightily triumphs over this lower world because his soul is lifted up as an Eagle by and upon the wings of divine support and acceptation Doth the Eagle mount up at thy command And make her nest on high The Eagle doth not only mount on high that may be from a sudden overture or occasion but she makes her nest on high The word which we render on high signifies separated because high places are places separated from ordinary concourse Eagles covet to make their nests in places furthest remote from all access both of men and beasts The best of high things spiritual things are separated from this world they are above the wisdom and way of the world and that 's the reason why the world cannot bear them I touch that only from the notation of the word The Eagle makes her nest on high But doth she so O Job at thy command dost thou direct her where to make her nest or how It seems the Lord teacheth birds to make their nests The least bird is directed by God as well as the Eagle It is by his counsel that some birds make their nests very low and that others among which the Eagle especially make their nests on high Pliny saith no man can reach or touch the Eagles nest Nidos ejsu nemo attigit indificat in excelcissimis rupibus Plin. l. 10. c. 6. We look and find birds nests in every bush but who ever found the Eagles nest such an Eagles nest as is here spoken of There are I grant some Eagles that make nests in high trees but the Eagle here intended makes her nest upon in accessible rocks When the Lord would reach the hight of mans wisdom in setting himself aboue the reach of dâ—nger it speaks thus Jerem. 49.16 Though thou shouldst make thy nest as high as the Eagle I will bring thee down from thence saith the Lord. 'T is a proverbial speech and 't is joyned with setting our nest among the stars in the 4. v. of the Prophecy of Obadiah The Idumeans with and about whom the Prophet there spake dwelt in mountanous places and slattered themselves in the strength and safety of the country as if it had all been an Eagles nest The Eagle makes her nest so high that 't is as it were next to the stars But why doth the Eagle make her nest so high there are two or three rersons given of it by the searchers of nature First For her safety high things probably are most out of danger there is a hight which is very dangerous and there is a hight that is out of the reach of danger such is the height of the Eagles nest Secondly Naturalists say the Eagle makes her nest so high because she cannot without some difficulty raise her self from the earth if she sits low she cannot easily mount up she hath a heavy body though a strong wing and therefore the wisdom of God instructs her to make her nest on high that she may with that advantage rise out of it and mount up from it The Eagle doth not as the Ostrich lay her eggs in the dust or in the sand but she makes her nest in high places that so she may be both safe in her nest and the sooner take her flight out of it Thirdly The Eagle makes her nest on high because there the air is purest and she is greatly delighted and pleased with the purity and sweetness of the air Gaudet ex hisce speculis coelum contemplari Oppian Fourthly 'T is said also the Eagle makes her nest on high because she loves from thence as from a watch-tower to behold and feed her eyes upon the fair and beautiful face of the heavens In these four respects we should be like the Eagle and make our nest on high The Eagle doth not only mount high but makes her nest on high Some men mount high that is have high notions and speculations in which they seem to be rapt up as the Apostle once truly was to the third heavens yet they make not their nest on high they do not abide there their delights are here below and so is there nest the residence and rest of their souls The nest of the rich mans soul in the Gospel was in his full barns O how many speak high discourse high profess highly heaven-high yet when all 's done their nest is upon the earth They talk as high as the Eagle mounts yet their nest is as low as that of the Oâ—trich in the dust Let us remember as to mount high so to make our nest on high The Apostle could say 1 Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in heaven not only must we be speaking high but acting on high too we must sit and brood there as the Eagle upon her nest Let us say of God as Moses the man of God did in his prayer Psal 90.1 Lord thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations thou art so and thou shalt be so for ever Thus we are taught not to imitate the foolish Ostrich building our nest in the dust but like the noble Eagle being lifted up by the mighty power of the holy Spirit making our nest or taking up our rest in heaven which is as the highest so the safest place of all Thus far of the Eagle in two of her properties First Her high flight Secondly Her high nest The third thing spoken of in this context concerning the Eagle is the choise of her abode or habitation Vers 28. She dwelleth and abideth on the rock upon the crag of the rock and the strong place As the Eagle flyeth very high so she abideth on high places Sicut aquila motum habet in altum ita etiam in altis conversatur quod pertinet ad nobilitatem naturae suae Aquin. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à raradicè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mansit per noctem unam pernoctavit Sola sine clangore sine murmuratione conversatur in montibus Plin. l. 10. c. 3. Arist l. 9. c. 32. de naturae animal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dentem vocat preminentiam aut quod praeruptum est in rupe Drus Her abiding so high shews the nobility and generosity of her nature she doth not only mount upon high sometimes and make her nest on high in breeding time but
we may conceive the Lord at once speaking to and severely reprehending Job in the words which follow Verse 2. Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him Shall he or can he surely he shall not surely he cannot There are several readings of this former part of the verse I shall only name four and then come to the explication of the words as they lie in our Translation Raâ—bi David First The words are rendered thus Is it wisdom or learning to contend with the Almighty This reading puts the latter words first Is it wisdom or instruction or is that man well instructed or well in his wits who contends with the Almighty The sense of that reading is plain and the improvement of it might be very useful for indeed these two are utterly repugnant and contrariant Non est ille eruditus neque bene obsequens divinae disciplinae qui deo castiganti obstreâ—it litem intendit Vatabl. To contend with God and to be wise to contend with God and to shew our selves well taught That man hath not received instruction either by or about divine correction who mutters or quarrels at God correcting him For how wise soever he is in his own eyes he shews himself a very fool at least as to that point or attempt very foolish So then 't is a great truth which this reading holds forth Is it wisdom is it learning to contend with the Almighty Whosoever doth so erres in doing so and will at last both see and feel his errour by sad experiences Secondly thus Should he be instructed who contends with the Almighty This Translation may have a double interpretation First Surely that man deserves not to be instructed but corrected who contends with the Almighty he deserves not to be taught but to be punished Should he be taught that contends with the Almighty Doubtless onely as Gideon taught the men of Succoth Judg. 8.16 with briars and thorns of the wilderness that is with severest chastisements Secondly Should he be instructed that contends with the Almighty That is is a learner a competent match for God is one that needs instruction and teaching fit to take up the bucklers and enter the field of dispute with God He had need to be a Master not a Scholar a Teacher not a Learner that undertakes to deal wiâ—h God That man had need be skilled and well furnished he had nâ—ed be as â—e speak his Crafts-master and all little enough yea all too little who contends with the Almighty Thirdly The word which we render to instruct Numquid contendet cum omnipotente quem ille castigat Lavat signifies also to correct taking it so the Text is thus rendred Shall he contend with the Almighty whom he corrects or Shall a man corrected by or under the correcting hand of the Almighty contend with him Shall any give God words for his blows or expostulate the matter with him No man may with such a spirit say unto God What dost thou whatsoever he suffers nor may any man be displeased with what God doth whatsoever he is pleased to do either with himself or others Lastly which was hinted in the second Doth not contending with the Almighty deserve chastening Certainly it doth or Is not chastening due to contending that is to contenders with God Nonne contentioni cum deo castigatio upple debetur Doubtless it is He that will contend with God though but in words is worthy of no answer nor satisfaction but in blows Every one of these Translations hath a fairness in it as also with the Hebrew Text but I shall insist upon our own reading only and give you some few notes from that Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him There is a twofold contending First By force and strength of arm or strength of arms We cannot suppose the Lord speaking here of such a Contention There were a sort of robustious men Giants of old 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called fighters with God and many profane Atheists have blasphemously set themselves against heaven as if they would pull God from his Throne Such as these are not the Contenders with God here intended Job was far from being a man of that spirit Secondly Qui offert se disputaturum cum eo Aqu. There is a contending with God by force of Argument or by reasonings This I conceive is here meant Job was often found in these contendings with God But shall any think to logick it with God to enter a dispute with God to argue with or reply upon him as the Apostle speaks Rom. 9.20 O man who art thou that repliest against God Arguing and replying are a kind of contending and this is of two sorts First With the Word of God declaring what God would have us do or what God would have us believe Thus many contend with God even as many as submit not to his Word This is a common quarrel whether the Word of God or mans will shall stand whether the Law of God or the lusts of men shall carry it and bear the sway The Apostle is express in it Rom. 8.7 8. The carnal mind is enmity against God and if so then it contendeth with God for enmity will be contending and what kind of contending is there meant appears in the next words it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be Every natural man till subdued and conquered by grace is contending with the Word of God he submits not to what God would have him do nor to what God would have him believe he will not form either his faith or his life as God would have him Infinite are the Contentions of man with God in this notion but neither is this the contending here aimed at and I would speak to no more than is directly to the scope of the Text. Therefore Secondly There is a contending with the works of God or with what God himself hath done or is doing Thus also there are many Contenders with God in the world and this is the Contention here spoken of a Contention about the works of God what God either hath done or is doing All the debate which Job had with God was about his dealings with him God had laid him low and stript him naked God had broken his estate and filled his body full of sores and pains God had wounded his spirit and filled his soul with gall and wormwood God had with-drawn hiimself or his comforts from him and his friends were against him or at best but miserable comforters were they all Now though he was a patient man yet under these pressures he often broke out into impatient speeches Thus Job contended with the Almighty Moreover the Lord answered Job and said shall he that contendeth with the Almighty about what he is doing Instruct him Shall he have the better of him and be able to teach him or put him in a better way than he is in Shall he
him I look upon the proud man and bring him low now let me see you do so too Canst thou with a look only abate their pride and bring down the pomp of man Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath Hence note First There is wrath in God God knoweth how to cast forth his wrath as well as to send forth his love Habet ira Domini suam energiam nunquam egreditur vana or shed it abroad as the Apostles word is Rom. 5.5 in the hearts of his justified ones by the holy Ghost which is given unto them The wrath of God saith the same Apostle Rom. 1.18 is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness The wrath of God is such as we can neither First withstand nor Secondly avoid there 's no out-running no making an escape from it but only by Jesus Christ and therefore the Apostle gives that glory to him alone 1 Thess 1.10 Even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come There is a wrath to come which God will scatter over all this sinful wicked world blessed are they that are delivered from it Yea not only is there wrath in God but a fierceness of wrath terrible wrath such as will cause the wicked as was said before to run into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth Isa 2.19 Let us mind this wrath and the fierceness of it and let us bless the Lord who hath sent Jesus Christ â—o deliver us from this wrath and from the fierceness of it When wrath shall be cast abroad upon the wicked world that it falls not upon the godly is the fruit of highest and freest love And though they sip of the cup yet that they drink not the dregs of it is rich mercy Psal 75.98 In the hand of the Lord there is a cup and the wine is red it is full of mixture and he powreth out the same in this powring out possibly a godly man may drink somewhat of it especially in a time of common calamity but the dregs thereof all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and drink them It is of the Lords mercy and because his compassions fail not that we are delivered from the fierceness of his wrath and from drinking the very dregs of the cup of his displeasure Consider further upon whom this wrath will be exercised Cast forth the rage of thy wrath behold every one that is proud and abase him This the Lord bids Job do to shew what himself usually doth Hence note First The Lord takes special notice of proud persons He beholds them he locks upon them As it is said Saul 1 Sam. 18.9 He eyed David from that day forward that is which was his great sin he cast a revengeful envious eye upon him Thus when the holy God seeth wicked men gâ—ow lofty and proud he eyeth and beholdeth them from that very day with an eye of just revenge or with a purpose to break them and be revenged on them God beholds them as I may say with an evil eye that is with an intent to bring evil upon them He saith David Psal 138.6 knoweth the proud afar off As it is said of the Father of the humbled Prodigal in the Parable Luke 15. When he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion So God quickly spies out a proud man even a great way off and hath indignation against him or as we may rather expound the Psalm He knoweth the proud afar off that is a proud man shall never come near him he will not admit him into his presence much less into his imbraces To be known afar off is to be far from the favourable or respectful knowledge of God yea to those whom the Lord knows afar off in this world he will say in the next I never knew you depart from me ye workers of iniquity Mat. 7.23 Secondly Note God is able to and will cast down proud men That which he would have Job do he himself as was said usually doth He beholdeth the proud and abaseth them he layeth them low Nebuchadnezzar that proud Monarch was brought to that confession Dan. 4.37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and honour and extol the King of Heaven all whose works are true and his ways judgment and those that walk in pride he is able to abase If men will be proud and lofty the Lord both knoweth very well how and is able very easily to bring them down And as he knows how and is able to deal with proud men so he desires and delights to deal with them above all sorts of sinners his greatest contests are with the proud Isa 2.12 13 14. The day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty and upon every one that is lifted up in his own conceit especially and he shall be brought low and upon all the Cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up and upon all the Oaks of Bashan and upon all the high mountains c. What meaneth the Prophet by these is the Lord angry with trees and mountains These are but the shadows of great and proud men the day of the Lord shall be upon every one of them and his hand will be heavy upon them in that day Proud men look upon themselves much above others but as God is above them so he loves to shew himself ahove them especially when they shew out their pride As Jethroe said to Moses Exod. 18.9 11. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them God sheweth himself above all when he acts above proud men and acts them down in their proudest actings And as the Lord delights to bring proud men down so he will certainly do it he is resolved upon it He looketh upon every one that is proud to abase him The Angels that fell were proud they kept not their first estate but left their habitation they did not like the state wherein God had placed them and therefo e God cast them down and he hath reserved them in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day Jude 6. When man in Paradise began to be proud and would be more than God made him God made him above all earthly creatures but he would be as God as his Creator he would be as it were the founder of his own happiness pride and unbelief at once took hold of him and led him to his sin-fall and then followed his fall his judgment-fall God cast him down God abased him and not only that proud man but man-kind for his pride they being in him his pride was theirs And to this day God hath all along set his face against all proud men and the pride
took impression upon my heart heretofore but I never had such an impression as in this tempest I never heard God speaking thus immediately to me nor did he ever give me any such visible demonstration of his presence as he hath vouchsafed me at this time speaking out of the whirlwind And from all we may conclude that as Job had a powerful illumination of the Spirit so an outward apparition of the Glory and Majesty of God or of Gods glorious Majesty to convince and humble him So that though Job had a saving knowledge of God formerly yet this discourse of God with him and discovery of God to him had made him a better Scholar than all his earthly teachers I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear But now mine eye seeth thee That is now I have as clear a sight or knowledge of thy mind and will of thy justice and goodness of thy power and soveraignty as if I had seen thee with mine eyes and had seen or looked into thy heart Or thus Not only hast thou graciously instructed me by speaking so much to me but thou hast manifested thy self present with me by an aspectable sign Mine eye hath seen thee that is thou hast given me to see that which assures me thou art neer unto me namely the Cloud out of which thou hast been pleased to speak and make known thy mind to me who am but dust and ashes The Lord may be seen these four wayes First In his Word Secondly In his works Thirdly In outward apparitions Fourthly And above all God is seen in his Son our Lord Jesus Christ whom the Apostle calls Heb. 1.3 The brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and in whose face the light of the knowledge of God shineth 2 Cor. 4.6 And hence Christ saith John 14.9 He that hath seen me hath seen the father The invisible father is seen in his Son who was made visible in our flesh John 1.18 Thus God may be seen But in his nature God is altogether invisible he cannot be seen Moses saw him that is invisible Heb. 11.27 that is he saw him by an eye of faith who is invisible to the eye of sense I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee Hence note First It is a great mercy and much to be acknowledged that we have the word of God sounding in our ears Faith cometh by hearing Rom. 10.17 The Prophet saith Isa 55.3 Hear and your soul shall live Now if faith and life come by hearing to have the word of God sounding in our ears must needs be a great mercy Though to have the word only sounding in our ear will do no man good yet 't is good to hear that joyful sound Though that sad Prophesie mentioned by Christ Mat. 13.14 be fulfilled in many By hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive Yet he said to his faithful followers vers 16. Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear They receive a blessing by hearing whose ears are blessed when they hear O how many souls are blessing God that ever they heard of himself and his Son our Lord Jesus Christ by the hearing of the ear To have an ear to hear is a common blessing but to have an hearing ear or to hear by the hearing of the ear is a special blessing Observe Secondly We should hear the Word very diligently That phrase I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear as the Hebrew Writers note signifieth a very attentive hearing Every hearing is not an hearing with the ear nor every seeing like that we intend when a man saith I saw it with my eyes One may see and not see hear and not hear The Word of God is to be heard with a hearing Such doublings in Scripture have a great emphasis in them As when the Lord saith They are cursed with a curse it notes a great and a certain curse is coming so to hear by the hearing of the ear implyeth fruitful hearing and a laying up of that in the mind which hath been heard Psal 44.1 We have heard with our ears O God our fathers have told us what work thou didst in their dayes in the times of old They who thus hear with their ears treasure up in their hearts and do with their hands what they have heard The Lord charged Ezekiel Chap. 44.5 Son of man mark well and behold with thine eyes and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee that is mind diligently what I shew and say unto thee The Lord called for the exercise of both senses in attending to what he spake to the Prophet He did not only say Hear with thine ears but see with thine eyes that is hear as if thou didst even see that which thou hearest For though possibly the Lord presented somewhat to the eye of the Prophet as well as he spake to his ear yet the former notion may well be taken in yea and intended in that command Many hear as if they had no ears and see as if they had no eyes One of the Ancients taking notice of that saith Such kind of hearers are like Malchus in the Gospel who had his ear cut off From those words But now mine eye seeth thee taken distinctly Observe Thirdly God revealeth himself more clearly and fully at one time than at another Seeing is somewhat more than hearing though it be attentive hearing As the full and clear manifestation which we shall have of God in the next life is expressed by seeing and called vision so the fullest and clearest apprehension which we have of God and the things of God in this life is a degree of seeing both him and them 't is the sight of faith and may also be called vision A true and strong believer tasts and feels and sees the truths of the Gospel which he hath heard his faith which is the eye of his soul is the evidence of those things to him which are not seen nor can be seen by an eye of sense He by the help of the Holy Ghost looks stedfastly into heaven and with this eye seeth the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God in his measure as blessed Stephen did Acts 7.55 This sight of God and spirituals hath three things in it beyond that ordinary though real knowledge which comes in by the hearing of the ear First a surpassing clearness Secondly an undoubted certainty Thirdly a ravishing sweetness and the overflowings of consolation Fourthly Note According to the measure of Gods revealing himself to us such is the measure of our profiting in the knowledge of God The word is spoken to all in the publick Ministry of it it is scattered upon all but they only learn to know God themselves truly to whom God doth inwardly reveal it whose hearts he toucheth and openeth by
Pulcritudo terrenae faelicitatis eximia portio est ad dispensationem veteris testamenti pertinens the fairness here spoken of was that of the body and we must reckon it as a part of Jobs renewed felicity not only that he had three daughters as he had before but that his daughters were fairer than any in the land Hence note The bodily beauty of our children is a gift of God and no small one Beauty is not only one of the excellencies of nature but some part of Gods image in man and much respected in women Species corporis simulacrum est mentis figura probitatis Amb. l. 2. de virgin The beauty of the body bears the image of a beautiful mind and is a figure of holiness hence that Scripture phrase The beauty of holiness It is said of Moses He was a goodly child and of Sarah that she was a very beautiful woman so beautiful that Abraham was afraid her beauty might endanger him among strangers Rebeccah also was beautiful and very fair Gratior est pulchro veniens è corpore virtus and though beauty is no grace yet it is a grace to grace Beauty is and duly may be a great attractive of love and affection Though we know it is often an incentive to lust yet it is an attractive of true love What is said of the Church Psal 45.11 So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty thy spiritual or inward beauty is true also of outward or corporal beauty Beauty to some is a portion among men to others a favour from God Beauty is a silent eloquence a tacit perswasion it works much But consider I speak of that beauty first which is natural not artificial I speak not of beauty out of a box but of that which is laid on by the hand of God that 's a blessing and a mercy then especially when it is joyned with better beauty Only remember though bodily beauty be a blessing it is but an inferior blessing it is a gift of God yet an inferior gift And there are many considerations which may keep them humble in their own thoughts who are most beautiful in the eyes of others For First As beauty is a blessing so it is a snare oftentimes and that in two respects First It proveth a snare to them that have it Fastus inest pulchris sequiturque superbia formam If they have not grace it maketh them proud and vain such are often given up to new-fangled inventions their natural beauty will nor serve them they must have artifical set-offs Again much beauty maketh many disdainful of others and they who are so are under the disdain of God and it had been much better for such if they had been the veriest Doudes as some call unhandsome ones or the most deformed creatures in the world Therefore I say remember there is a snare in beauty to those that have it yet by how much beauty hath the more temptation in it by so much are they the more to be commended who being beautiful overcome those temptations and continue humble modest chast discreet and diligent avoiding evil with all the occasions of it turning from every vanity and doing good Secondly Beauty is often a snare to others When the Persian Captive Ladies were presented to Alexander the Great he called them The sores or pain of the eyes He was afraid they might wholly conquer him who had conquered so great a part of the world What reason have any to be proud of that which may insnare and so undo both themselves and others Secondly Consider there is nothing more frail nor sooner lost than bodily beauty A little sorrow a few tears spoil and fully a a fair face a fit of sickness withereth beauty and inevitably old age will do it Est exigui donum breve temporù Sen. in Hippol. at best 't is quickly gone and every day when once at best abates it the longer you have it the less you have of it Some conceive as I toucht before that Job called his eldest daughter Jemima Day because beauty lasteth but as it were a day one day bloweth it and another day blasteth it Formae omnes insidiantur Thirdly Beauty endangers the weaker sex to become a prey to the lusts of adulterous men who often lye in wait for such a booty So then though beauty be a blessing yet we have little reason to be proud of it if these three things be true as who can deny the truth of any one of them which have been said of it and three times three things more might be said of it with as much truth to take all off from over-much valuing it or to abate our valuation of it Therefore above all look to the beauty of the mind that 's a beauty worth the striving after and that is truest bodily beauty which is adorned with soul-beauty or when the beauty of comeliness is associated with the beauty of holiness It had been no great matter of commendation to Jobs daughters that they were the fairest women in all the â—nd if they had not been the holiest The beauty of the mind is ten thousand times more commendable than that of the body the King of heaven desires such beauty It is not a naturally fair face that will make the Lord Jesus desiâ—e you and as for an artificially fair that will cause the Lord Jesus to abhor you The Kings daughter is all glorious within Psal 45.13 her glory is a spiritual glory Solomon hath told us what natural beauty is without spiritual Prov. 11.22 As a jewel in a swines snout so is a fair woman which is without discretion especially that fair woman is so who as the Margin hath it departeth from discretion They are truly beautiful and lovely who have beautiful dispositions and follow beautiful and lovely actions The Lord said of the Jewish Church Ezek. 16.14 Thy renown went forth among the heathen for beauty for it was perfect through my comeliness which I had put upon thee But what was the comeliness which God had put upon her It was the comeliness of divine gifts and graces planted in her and exercised or held out by her That 's the ornament with which the Apostle Peter saith the good women in the old time adorned themselves even the hidden man of the heart a meek and quiet spirit 1 Epist 3.4 5. And let men as well as women strive for these ornaments They that are deformed in person may more than make it up by being conformed to Christ in their ways and works Better be deformed in body and conformed to Christ than to have a well-proportion'd comely body and no conformity unto Christ It hath been said of some wise and worthy men that their souls were ill-housed that is they had ill shap'd or unhandsome bodies But though the house of the body be mean and despicable yet if the inhabitant or the soul be wise and good that makes a mends for