Chapter wee have found Eliphaz charging Job with those hainous crimes injustice and uncharitablenesse towards man in these three verses he proceeds to charge him with a higher crime even irreligiousnesse and impiety against God as if at least Job doubted if not denied the providence of God about what is done here below or affirmed that he neither rewarded the righteous according to their good nor punisheth the wicked according to the evill which they have done That 's the scope of this context in which wee may observe First A twofold truth held forth Secondly A wrong suggestion of two errors as arising from those truths Thirdly An indeavour to prove and make good what he had wrongfully suggested The two truths are contained in the 12th verse first God is in the height of heaven secondly The Stars are very high these are cleare truths from these Eliphaz makes a wrong suggestion as if Job upon those grounds of Gods being in the height of heaven c. had pleased himselfe with this conceit that God could not at such a distance take notice of what passeth among or is acted by men in this inferior world Ver. 13. And thou sayest how doth God know can he judge through the dark cloud As if he had sayd God being in the height of heaven cannot know much lesse judge concerning the state of things here below Why what should hinder Hee tells us what in the 14th verse where which was the third thing he endeavours to prove his suggestion Thick clouds are a covering to him that he seeth not that 's the first proofe and then we have a second in the latter end of that verse God hath other things to doe then to minde what is done here he hath higher businesses and imployments then to look upon us who are creeping upon mole-hills and engaged about a heape of earth for he walketh in the circuit of heaven that is there lieth his great worke he hath enough in a nobler Spheare to imploy himselfe in and therefore surely thou thinkest that God takes no care at all or not such speciall care about the affayres and wayes of men This is the summe and scope of these three verses They are a new charge of impiety upon Job as shutting up or restraining the providence of God to the things of heaven alone and we see how Eliphaz frames arguments and proofes of the point for Job which as will appeare afterwards never came into his heart Now though Eliphaz misapplyed all this to Job yet herein he fully characters clearly paints out the spirit of carnal men for such secure themselves in their evill wayes upon this presumption that God takes no notice of them or that he hath something else to do then to trouble himselfe with what they are doing Ver. 12. Is not God in the height of heaven Nonne deus sublimior est coelo Pagni Nonne deus coelum alium tenet Tygur Nonne deus in sublimitate coelorum Mont Deus sublimitas coelorum Hebr There are divers readings of these words first thus Is not God higher then the heavens A second thus Doth not God possesse the high heaven The Originall may strictly be renderd God the height of heaven that is God is above all heavens we render well God is in the height or sublimitie of heaven This Question Is not God in the height of heaven is taken three wayes First Some read it as an Exhortation given by Eliphaz to Job to draw off the motion of his thoughts most of all the setled bent of his heart from those inferior things his losses troubles his sorrows paines and sicknesses he would divert his minde from these worldly sorrows and raise it up to heavenly enjoyments Is not God in heaven As if he had sayd Why standest thou poring upon things below Why dwellest thou so much upon thy dunghill and thy present poverty God is in the height of heaven consider him there This is both a safe and a very spirituall way to ease our minds of all the troubles and sorrowes which we meete with in this world could we but ascend in Spirit to the height where God is could we by an eye of faith looke to him live upon him and in him all burdens would be light and pressures easie to us Secondly This question may be taken as a plaine assertion or affirmation and it is of the same value signification with this God is in the height of heaven there he is and from thence he beholds all the children of men their wayes and workes Thirdly Is not God in the height of heaven May be understood not as the question of Eliphaz and so his affirmation but as the question of Job and so his supposition As if Eliphaz apprehended Job thus speaking in his heart Annon deus est inquis in altitudine coeli Jun. Is not God sayest thou in the height of heaven or doest not thou O Job say thus God is in the height of heaven I grant that he is there but I deny that he is there in thy sence or according to thy opinion He is not concluded or shut up there he is not so in the height of heaven but that he mindeth what is done upon the earth yea in the very depths of hell As if he had sayd Thy thoughts and conceptions of God are too strait and narrow Thou speakest much below God while thou sayest he is in the hight of heaven While thou confinest God to heaven thou makest him like thy selfe on earth From these words in the two former Expositions Observe That the hight of heaven or heaven above is the place of Gods speciall residence Heaven is my throne sayth the Lord Isa 66.1 the throne is the seate of a Prince there he declares his power and his state his glory shines from his throne A Prince looks like a common man when he is abroad in the world but when upon his throne then the rayes of Majesty break forth and he appeares as he is Thus the holy Prophet begs a gratious look of the Lord from heaven Isa 63.15 Looke downe from heaven the habitation of thy holinesse and of thy glory Heaven is called the habitation of Gods holinesse and of his glory because his holinesse and glory shine forth more in heaven then upon the earth little of the holinesse of God is discovered to us here though so much of it breaks forth here as causeth the heart of carnal men to quarrell with it continually Nor are any able with these eyes or rather with these hearts to beare the glory of God or endure his holines When but some extraordinary glimpses of these appeared to Esayah he cryed out Wo is me I am undone or cut off because I am a man of uncleane lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of uncleane lips for mine eyes have seene the King the Lord of Hâ—sts Isa 6.5 As God is of purer eyes then to behold iniquity so
man is of impurer eyes then to behold the glory and holiness of God in cleare manifestations of it and therefore heaven is the seate the habitation of his holinesse and of his glory Hence we may take two further inferences First That our hearts and our eyes should be lifted upwards the whole currunt of Scripture speaks of God as above in heaven And that 's the reason why the Apostle Col. 3.1 exhorts Sett you affections on things above and not on things here below And as on things above so most of all upon God who is above Sursum corda The old word was Lift up your hearts and David sayth in prayer Psal 25.1 I lift up my soule to thee And againe Psal 123.1 Vnto thee lift I up mine eyes O thou that dwellest in the heavens Yea our Lord Jesus Christ himselfe when he prayed Joh. 17.1 Lift up his eyes to heaven and said Father the houre is come glorifie thy Sonne c. The eye lift up to heaven is a signe of the heart lift up to heaven and that corporeall visible action serves to fix our most spirituall affections upon the invisible God 'T is indeed an easie thing to lift the eyes up to heaven but it is very hard yea impossible without a divine assistance to lift up the heart to heaven the heart of a prophane worldling mudds so much in the earth that he seldome lifts up so much as his eyes to heaven and how much or how often soever a hypocrite lifts up his eyes to heaven yet still his heart muds in the earth The eye lookes upward naturally but if ever the heart looke upward 't is a worke of Grace Secondly Then serve the Lord with reverence and holy feare in in all your addresses to him and appearings before him Wee reverence those who are on high on earth and shall wee not reverence him who is higher then the highest him who is in the hight of heaven While Christ bids us say Our Father which art in heaven he teacheth us as to pray with confidence because God is our father so to pray with reverence because he is a father in heaven Matth. 6.9 The Preacher Eccl. 5.2 makes this an argument why wee should be taken up in high thoughts of God why we should speak in a reverentiall manner both of him and to him Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God He puts as it were a double bridle upon man in his drawing neere to God first upon his mouth Let not thy mouth be rash and secondly upon his heart for the heart will talke at random as well as the mouth yea the heart will talke more at random then the mouth can and there is praying with the heart alone as well as with the heart and mouth together therefore sayth he Let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God Why for God is in heaven and thou art upon the earth therefore let thy words be few Here are indeed two arguments to enforce this composure of spirit first the highnes and Greatnes of God secondly the lownes and vilenes of man Consider God is above and thou art below not onely in regard of place but of state and dignitie of power and majesty The being of God in heaven notes not onely a power of soveraignty to command us but a power of ability both to punish and to provide for us to punish our rashnes and to supply all our wants wherewith we acquaint him and humbly mention before him therefore Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hasty c. The same Solomon in the same booke allegorically describing the declined decrepid condition of man saith of the old man that he is afraid of that which is high Eccl. 12.5 Young men will be clambering and ascending but old men are afraid of that which is high they dare not goe up a high steepe place least their strength or breath should fayle or least their braine should turne and they through giddines tumble downe Old men love to keepe upon levell or even ground and are afraid of that which is high Surely both young and old have reason to be afraid of him that is high to have reverentiall thoughts of God who is in the highâ— of heaven higher then the heavens The distance of man from God as God is in heaven and man on earth is great and the dissimilitude of man to God as God is holy and man corrupt is farre greater eyther of these Considerations single is enough but both these layd together is aboundantly enough to keepe the heart in an humble selfe-abasing frame before the Lord. 2ly Taking these words Is not God in the hight of heaven As the supposed speech of Job thou sayest God is in the hight of heaven that is confined to heaven so that he looks no further but thou art deceived God is not lockt up in heaven he looks to all things here on earth As the earth is the Lords and the fullnes of it as to right propriety so the earth is the Lords with all the fullnes of it as to care and providence Though there be a distinctnes in the manner or manifestation of his being in heaven and on earth yet he is as truly and as much on earth as he is in heaven Hence note God is omnipresent or every where Though we are to adore and worship God as in heaven yet we must not shutt up God in heaven as he is in heaven so he is upon the earth also he is with us yea he is in us he is in all places not circumscribed by any nor limited to any place God is present in all places and fills all places with his presence onely he doth not declare his presence alike in all places The Lord appeares where and as he pleaseth but he cannot be otherwise or otherwhere then he is and that is every where While the Psalmist queryed Whether shall I goe from thy presence He was so farre from imagining that any such place could be found that in the very next words he concludeth God to be every where by an enumeration of all places Psal 139.7 8. If I ascend up to heaven thou art there if I make my bed in Hel behold thou are there Hel standeth in utmost opposition to heaven as heaven in Scripture-language is the highest so hell is the lowest place now sayth David If I make my bed in hell thou art there If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the utmost parts of the sea even there shall thy hand leade me and thy right hand shall hold me That is there I shall findâ— thee efficaciously present with me The Lord having said Isa 66.1 Heaven is my throne presently adds and the earth is my footstoole So the earth is called because its scituation in nature is below the heavens his throne is there his footstoole
the breath whose spirit or whose breath came from thee The sense is the same And. First Some interpret Job thus Whose spirit or whose breath came from thee That is Consider O Bildad whose spirit moved thee or who breathed these things into thee whose breath or whose spirit came from thee when thou didst utter these words so 't is a rebuke of Bildads presumption as if he had conceaved himselfe wrought or acted by some extraordinary spirit while he was speaking or that the things which he uttered had been dropt into him by an immediate Revelation from heaven whose spirit came from thee what breath what gale hath filled thy sayles thou hast high conceits of thy selfe as if God had spoken to thee by his Spirit or as if thou hadst spoken these things to me from his mouth But is it not rather thy owne spirit thy owne heart which hath dictated these words unto thee Some thinke the same spirit comes from them when they speak which came from the holy Prophets and Apostles who yet are deceaved The Disciples of Christ thought the same spirit came from them which came from Eliah when they said Luk. 9.54 Lord wilt thou that we command fiâ—e to come downe from heaven and consume them as Elias did But he turned and rebuked them and sayd ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of As if he had sayd in the language of Job ye know not whose spirit comes from you ye would speake the words of Elias but ye have not the spirit of Elias you have a zeale but not according to knowledge yours is but a humane affection not a divine inspiration as Elias his was his was a pure spirit of zeale but yours is a rash spirit of revenge And therefore your motion suites not with your calling for as I am come so I send you to save not to destroy We may speake the same words and doe the same things which others have done and spoken and yet not with the same but with quite another spirit Therefore examine whose spirit comes from you This is a good and profitable sence Yet Cujus anima prodijt ex te i. e. quem consolatus es tam efficaciter sermone tuo ut anima ejus ex maerore quasi in corpore sepulta jacebat rursum è latebris prodierit seseq per corpus exserue rit Pisc Cujus animam verbis tuis vivificasti Hebraei Apud Merc Secondly Rather thus Whose spirit came from thee that is whose soule or whose minde hath been recovered out of trouble and feare out of sadnesse and sorrow by the words which thou hast spoken Thus the spirit is taken for his to whom he spake not for his spirit who spake or not for the spirit with which he spake This is a Great truth gratious and right words rightly applyed doe as it were releive the spirit and bring back the fainting yea dead soule from the grave of griefe and sorrow wherein it lay as buried Now sayth Job whose spirit came from thee Hast thou recovered or raysed any languishing soule by what thou hast sayd who hath felt life and power coming from thee I am sure I have not though I have heard thee out and heard thee attentively What the Moralist sayd of Idlenes the same may we say of sorrow or heavynes It is the buriall of a man while he liveth And therefore he that hath comforted a man and recovered him out of his sorrows may be sayd to give him a new life and that the spâ—rit of such a man is come forth from him yea he that instructeth the ignorant and bringeth them to the saving knowledge of God may be sayd to breath or put a soule into them In which sence some of the Jewish writers expound that place Gen. 12.5 where it is sayd That Abraham tooke Sarah his wife and Lot his Brothers son and all their substance that they had gathered and the soules that they had gotten in Charan c. that is all those whom by good instruction and example they had gained to God or as the Apostle speakes 1 Thes 1.9 had by their meanes turned to God from Idolls to serve the living and true God These soules they got in Charan though Abraham and Sarah were barren of naturall issue yet they had much spirituall issue many soules or the soules of many came from them And therefore when Job would put a disparagement upon what Bildad had spoken he puts him this Question Whose spirit or whose soule came forth from thee or whom hast thou resouled as the Greeke word which the Apostle useth for refreshing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth elegantly signifie Acts 3.19 Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the time of refreshing or resouling shall come from the presence of the Lord. When a man faints or is very weary we say he hath lost his spirits and he is even as a man without a soule But when in the use of any meanes he is refreshed then we say his spirit or soule is come to him againe The spirit of man comes onely from God in its natural constitution he is the father of Spirits Eccl 12.7 Heb. 12.9 But the spirit of man may come from man in its refreshings and consolations And therefore sayth Job to Bildad Whose spirit came from thee or whom hast thou comforted Thou hast undertaken to comfort me but I am not comforted Hence note Holy truths or words rightly applyed have a releiving yea a reviving power in them Such words give a man his soule againe when he hath lost it and when he is as it were gone from himselfe he is brought backe to himselfe againe For as it is sayd of the repenting Prodigall he came to himselfe he was gone he was lost from himselfe his soule was departed from him his understanding was none of his he was no more Master of any spiritually rationall faculty then a dead man is of any meere rationall faculty and so his father reported him whilst in that condition this our sonne was dead but is alive he was lost but he is found Luk. 15.32 Now I say as it is in extreame sinnings so in extreame sorrowings and dejections of spirit a man is lost from himselfe he is as a dead man and so when comfort comes in againe life may be sayd to come in againe he who before was lost is found and he who was dead revives The word revives from a twofold death It revives a natural man from the death of sin and it revives a Godly man from a death in sorrow How many spirits have come forth at the voyce of the Word out of the grave of sin Christ foretold this resurrection of the soule by the preaching and publication of the Gospel Joh. 5.25 The houre is coming and now is when the dead shall heare the voyce of the son of God in the ministery of the word and they shall live And lest any
fulfilled or done on earth as it is in Heaven Thus we see the second Propnsition cleared for the understanding of these words That as the Lord takes pleasure in those who are righteous by the imputed righteousnesse of his Son so even in those also who are reghteous by the Implanted righteousnesse or holinesse of his spirit Thirdly God takes pleasure to see a sincere and upright person justifie himselfe or plead his owne justice against all the false accusations and suspitions of men The Lord likes it well to hear a man who is falsly accused to stand up and maintaine his own innocency yea it is our duty and we are bound in conscience to maintain our own innocency So David in the seventh Psalm and in the eighteenth Psalm justified himselfe against Saul And thus Job all along in this Book justified himselfe against the opinion of his friends in this sense God takes pleasure when we are so righteous in all our dealings and perfect in all our wayes that we dare encounter whosoever speaks the contrary and can wash off all the aspersions which either misguided and mistaken friends or professed Enemies cast upon us You have now had those three affirmative Propositions for the understanding of the Text. Take three more in the Negative First God hath no pleasure to see us justifie our selves before him or to plead our own righteousnesse with him yea he is extreamly displeased at it This some conceive the chief thing which Eliphaz aimed at Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou doest justifie thy selfe No thou dost highly provoke him in doing so to plead with or to justifie our selves before God that we are righteous is worse then all our unrighteousnesse for this overthrowes the whole design of the Gospel which is 1 Cor. 1.29 That no flesh should glory in his presence but be that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. And Rom. 3.19 20. The Law convinceth all That all the world may become guilty before God therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall be no flesh justified in his sight God will have every mouth stopped or cry guilty and therefore for any one to open his mouth and justifie himselfe before God is to overthrow the Gospel They are ignorant of the righteousnesse of God who goe about to establish their own righteousnesse Rom. 10.3 And as God hath no pleasure in them who boast of their righteousnesse to justifie themselves before him so Secondly God hath no pleasure in them who boast of their owne righteousnesse and contemne others Though a man may assert the righteousnesse of his Conversation against all them who question it yet God resents it highly when any proclaim their own righteousnesse to the despising of others Christ speaks a Parable against those in the 18th of Luke v. 9 10 11. who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others Two men went up into the Temple to pray the one a Pharisee the other a Publican The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himselfe God I thank thee that I am not as other men are extortioners adulterers unjust or even as this Publican Here was one that advanced his owne active righteousnesse and he did it with the contempt of another I am not as this Publican The Lord takes no pleasure in this yea the Lord is highly displeased with this And Isa 65.5 the Prophet represents the Lords indignation against this pharisaicall spirit in dreadful eloquence Stand by thy selfe come not near to me for I am holier then thou Thus they pleaded their righteousnes in contempt of others These saith the Lord are a smoak in my nose that is greevous and displeasing a fire that burneth all the day Thirdly God hath no pleasure at all in any of our righteousnesse either in the righteousnesse of our Justification or the righteousnesse of our Sanctification as the least addition to his owne happiness The reason of it is because as was shewed from the former Verse God is self-sufficient and hath no dependance at all upon the Creature So that what pleasure soever the Lord hath in the righteousnesse of our Justification or of our Sanctification we cannot put it to this account that we add any thing to his happines All the pleasure which God taketh is in himselfe or in the fulfilling of his owne good pleasure in Christ And therefore the work which Jesus was to doe on Earth is called the pleasure of God Isa 53.10 Deus nullis rebus quae extra ipsum sunt tangitur aut mutatur It pleased the Lord to bruise him he hath put him to grief when thou shalt make his soule an offering for sin he shall see his seed he shall prolong his dayes and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand That pleasure of the Lord was the work which the Lord put into his hand or which he gave him to doe even the bringing about his eternal purpose for the recovery of lost man that 's a work in which the Lord takes pleasure so much pleasure that the Prophet calleth it His pleasure And thus the Apostle speaks Eph. 1.5 6. Having predestinated us to the adoption of Children by Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of his owne will c. The good pleasure of God is onely in his owne will that 's his pleasure The Lord delights to see his will accomplisht in the saving of sinners as well as in the obedience of Saints that 's a part of the good will of God why doth he take pleasure in the obedience of Saints even because his own will is done It 's not any thing in us that doth it So when he saves us the pleasure which he takes is in the fulfilling of his owne will rather then in our salvation Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous Vers 4. Will he reprove thee for fear of thee Or will he enter with thee into judgement The Question is to be resolved into this negative He will not reprove thee for fear of thee c. Will he reprove thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 arguit redarguit corripuit judicavit The word signifies first to argue or dispute and so to convince by the authority of reason Secondly to plead so to convince by evidence of the Law and fact Mich. 6.2 Hear yee O Mountaines the Lords Controversie and ye strong foundations of the Earth for the Lord hath a controversie with his people and he will plead with Israel The Mountaines and the strong foundations of the earth are the great men of the earth or Magistratical powers with these the Lord threatens a Controversie and that he will plead or argue his cause with them Thirdly it signifies to argue or plead not with words onely but with blowes to reprove with correction Job 5.17 Happy is the man whom thou correctest The word which here we render reprove is there rendred to correct which is reproving by blowes Fourthly
godly or onely in name and outward profession are called raine floods winds So saith the Text The raine descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon the house and it fell and great was the fall of it While it stood it stood to no purpose but for a shew but when it fell it fell to purpose The fall thereof was great Thus it is more then evident from Scripture phrase that raines and floods signifie all sorts of afflicting evils and therefore we need not restraine the word flood in the Text to a Deluge of Elementary water or of water in a proper sence but wee may Enlarge it to any kinde of afflicting Evill or trouble whatsoever that falls upon man And the Scripture is I conceave so frequent in the use of this metaphor of a flood and of waters where great calamities are set forth for these two reasons First To note the swiftnes and suddennes of the judgements of God Floods come often very suddenly and rise not onely beyond expectation but before there is any the least expectation of them Noahs flood was long foretold before it came but when the time came wherein it should come it came at once Though God give long warning of his judgements yet most men are surprizâ—d with them they come like a flood Secondly To note the Irresistablenes of the Judgements of God who or what can stand before mighty waters Great floods doe not onely wash and overflow all but ruine and overthrow all there 's no resisting Such are the Judgements of God they are a flood both for their suddain rising and breaking in upon sinners and likewise for their Irresistible violence in breaking and ruining them Further It is not to be passed by That Eliphaz doth not onely say They were overflowne but Their foundation was overflowne with a flood He calls it the overflowing of their foundation to note that they were totally or utterly ruined overthrowne for when the foundation is destroyed all is destroyed destruction to the foundation is the worst of destructions The cruel enemies of the Jewes cryed Rase it rase it even to the foundation thereof Ps 137.7 but to rase the foundation it selfe is more cruel then rasing to the foundation When the Lord threatned a full and final destruction of those foolish Prophets who had seene vaine visions for his people he sayd Ezek. 13.14 I will breake downe the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter and bring it downe to the ground so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered c. That is I will destroy it as farre as destruction it selfe can goe There shall not only not a stone be left upon a stone of this building above ground but even the under-ground stones shall not be left The very foundation shall be opened and discovered That which lyeth at the bottome or the bottome it selfe of those flattering prophecies all the wiles secret wayâ— of them shal be revealed David complaines of those irreparable breaches made upon the civill state in this stile Psal 11.3 If the foundations be destroyed what can the righteous doe The civill foundation of a Nation or people is their Lawes and Constitutions the order and power that is among them that 's the foundation of a People and when once this foundation is destroyed what can the righteous doe what can the best the wisest in the world doe in such a case what can any man doe if there be not a foundation of Government left among men There is no helpe nor answer in such a case but that which followes in the 4th verse of the same Psalme The Lord is in his holy Temple the Lords throane is in heaven his eyes behold his eyelids try the children of men As if he had sayd in the midst of these confusions when as it is sayd Psal 82.5 All the foundations of the earth are out of course yet God keepes his course still he is where he was and as he was without variablenes or shadow of turning Wee read in the vision of the fower Monarchyes Dan. 2.34 That The stone Cut out without hands smote the Image upon his feete that were of Iron and Clay and brake them to peeces The stone did not strike the Image upon the head or upon the breast the golden head the silver breast c. but upon the feete that were of Iron and Clay Now the feete are to a naturall body as the foundation is to an Artificiall body A mans feete are the foundation of his body if the feete be smitten and broken to pieces the body must needs fall And therefore as soone as ever it was sayd That the Stone brake the feete to peices The ruine of the whole Image is described in the immediately following words of the vision ver 35. Then was the Iron the Clay the brass the silver and the gold broken to peices together and became like the chaffe of the Summer threshing floore and the winde carried them away that no place was found for them The breaking of the feete was the breaking up of the foundation and so the breaking downe of all Whose foundation was overflowne with a flood Hence note First Wicked men thinke themselves very sure they have foundations they lay foundations The people of God are sometimes over-conceited about the strength and stability of their worldly foundations Holy David sayd In his prosperity I shall never be moved Lord by thy favour thou hast made my mountaine to stand strong Psal 30.6 7. And if a godly man may by the strength of temptation thus over-reckon the strength of an Earthly state what may they doe whose state yea whose minds are altogether earthly How often doe they judge themselves wise and politique enough to lay for themselves an everlasting foundation in things which cannot last and that they are so surely bottom'd in the favour of men that they shall never be removed Babylon thinks her selfe setled at this day upon such everlasting mountaines upon such perpetuall hills of power and policy that certainly her foundation shall never be overflowne Thus shee spake her heart out while shee sayd in her heart Rev. 18.7 I sit a Queene and am no widdow and shall see no sorrow Babylon is bottom'd foundation'd upoÌ„ so many hils that is upon so many Interests advantages of strength as render her to her selfe impregnable and unremoveable And as this vaine confidence beares up the Spirit of that Man of sin so of very many sinfull men who presume they are upon a sure foundation when indeed none but the godly mans foundation is sure Prov. 10.25 As the whirlewinde passeth so is the wicked no more but the righteous is an everlasting foundation The wicked man supposeth himselfe founded as on a Rock of ages an everlasting strength such as the righteous man hath in God or such as God is to a righteous man Esay 26.3 Yet as the whirlewinde bee passeth away but the righteous is an
let us make a breach therein for us and set a king in the midst of it even the Son of Tabeal Here was their decree we will vex this people we will set a king among them the Son of Tabeal But what saith the Lord to this Thus saith the Lord God 7 ver it shall not stand neyther shall it come to passe It is this word in the Text it shall not be established You have made a decree but you have not my consent for the Establishment of it and therefore it shall not stand it shall not come to passe Take another Scripture Esay 8.10 The Lord doth as it were give them leave to make decrees make as many decrees as you will and sit together in Councell lay your Councells as deep as you can take Councell together and it shall come to nought you may take Councell but it is in my Power whether it shall succeed or no and I have decreed concerning your decree that it shall come to nought speake the word and it shall not stand The standing or not standing the frustrating or the fullfilling of our Decrees and Councells it is from the Lord. Thirdly When he saith Thou shalt decree a thing and it shaâ—â— be established unto thee We may observe The Councells of the Godly are under a promise of good successe They have a kinde of Assurance that what they say shall come to passe though they have not an absolute Assurance yet they have much assurance though wee cannot say in every particular Case that their decree shall be Established to them yet their decrees in generall are under a promise of Establishment Christ speaketh concerning the Decrees of a Church-Assembly Math. 18.18 Verily I say unto you whatsoever yee shall binde on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever yee shall loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven that is I will Establish your Decrees If when you meet together in my name you decree concerning a person to bind sin upon him he shall be bound if to loose or pronounce him pardon'd he shall be loosened your decree on earth shall be a decree in heaven I will binde what you binde and loose what you loose Now in proportion the Lord speakes the same concerning the decrees of any Godly man what he binds on earth the Lord doth binde in heaven and what he looseth on earth God looseth in heaven that is there is an Establishment of his decrees and as the Church there hath a promise that the Lord will joyne with her in her decrees so a Godly man hath a promise here that the Lord will joyne with him in his decrees We have also an excellent confirmation of it Esay 44.25 26. The Lord is many wayes described in Scripture but here he is described by disappointing and establishing the Councells of men He it is that frustrateth the tokens of the lyars and maketh diviners mad that turneth wise men backward and maketh their knowledge foolishnes Here is a description of God in reference to the disappoyntments which he puts upon his enemies in frustrating their Councells and decrees they boast of these and these tokens that assure them of good successe but the Lord frustrates their tokens The Diviners say O the Starrs promise good luck and tell us we shall have good fortune thus diviners boast but the Lord maketh the diviners mad how doth he make them mad by making them see things fall out quite cross to what they have foretold or prophesied Againe hee turnes wise men backward that is he turnes the Councells of wise men backward when they have resolved such a thing the Lord sets it quite another way this is the glory of God that he can give check to the Councells of the greatest Polititians and deepest Machiavells he turnes them backward Thus the Lord is set forth overthrowing the decrees of the wicked but at the 26 â—h ver He is set forth establishing the decrees of the Godly He it is that confirmeth the word of his servant and performeth the Councell of his Messengers that saith to Jerusalem thou shalt be Inhabited and to the Cities of Judah yee shall be built c God confirmeth the word of his servant which may be understood not onely of the word of Prophesie though that be the scope of that place as if it had been sayd when the Lord sendeth forth his Prophets and holy Diviners 't is not with them as with false Prophets and heathenish Diviners who making promises from the Starres of heaven not from the God of heaven are frustrated and disappoynted 't is not thus with the Lords holy Diviners for he confirmeth the word of his Servants Now I say wee may understand that Text not only of that word of prophecy which the Lord puts into the mouths of his Servants by an immediate inspiration but also of that word of prophecy or decree which any one of his faithfull servants speaketh or maketh according to his already revealed will This word of his servants the Lord confirmeth also and performeth the Councell of his Messengers And the reason is as was touched before about prayer because there is a suitablenes between such words and decrees of his servants and his owne Decrees for the designes of his servants falling in with his owne designes so their decrees with his decrees he in establishing their decrees doth indeed but establish his owne For the servants of God desiering that their decrees may be suitable to the written or revealed will of God they seldome misse of a suitablenes to the decrees of his hidden and secret will So that their decrees are as it were the Duplicate or Counterpane of the Decrees of God and therefore no wonder if they be under such a promise of successe and establishment The Lord saith concerning his owne Decrees or thoughts Surely as I have thought so shall it come to passe Isa 14.24 Now if wee thinke as God thinketh then what wee thinke shall come to passe too and as I have purposed so shall it stand If wee purpose as God purposeth then our purposes shall stand too Againe Esay 46.10 I am the Lord and there is none else I am God and there is none like meÌ„ declaring the End from the beginning and from ancient time the things that are not yet done saying my Councell shall stand and I will doe all my pleasure If then the Councells of Saints be the Councells of God he will doe all their pleasure That 's the summe of this promise to Job Thou shalt decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee Which appeares further from the last Clause And the light shall shine upon thy wayes Eliphaz in this promise might possibly have respect to Jobs former Complaint Chap. 19.8 Hee hath fenced up my way that I cannot passe and he hath set darknes in my pathes As if Eliphaz had here sayd thou didst Complaine a while agoe that God set darknes in thy pathes doe thou returne unto
God made two great lights the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night he made the starres also and God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth God in Creation did with the light as he did with the waters which being made were divided the waters above the firmament were divided from the waters under the firmament and the waters under the heaven he gathered together into one place Gen. 1.9 God prepared a certaine great vessell into which the waters were called and gathered that they should not spread over the earth as they did at first which gathering together of the waters God called Seas Gen. 1.10 Thus the light which was spread and scattered through the ayre over all the earth God gathered into severall vessells Pulchritudo es ornamenta coeloruÌ„ stellae sunt sicut terrae animantia et plantae Sanct and the gathering together of light he called Sunne Moone Starrs which are as Job here calleth them the garnishing of the heavens Moses epitomiseth or briefly summs up his larger narrative of the Creation in these words Gen 2.1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them that is they were finished not onely as to their essentials but ornamentalls not only was the foundation layd the walls and pillars the beames and rafters of that goodly structure set up and perfected but all the furniture of it was brought in and the beautyes of it compleated Now as gemms minerals plants trees and all living creatures are the Garnishing of the Earth and the host of God there so the Sunne Moone and Starrs are the garnishing of heaven and the host of God there David speaketh of these distinctly Psal 33.6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth All creatures whether placed in heaven or earth are for their number their strength their order their readynes at a call or command the host of God Earthly Princes shew their power in their hosts and armyes of what power God is both his acts and his hosts aboundantly declare And as these creatures are the armyes or host of God in heaven and earth so they are the Adornings and Garnishings of heaven and earth Job in this place speaketh onely of the former By his Spirit he hath Garnished the Heavens Onely here take notice that some expound the word Spirit for the winde which bloweth in the ayre and so render the text thus By his winde hee garnisheth the heavens As if this were Jobs meaning that God sending forth the windes dispelleth and scattereth those clouds foggs and mists which often cover the face of the heavens and hinder our beholding their glory and garnishings According to this interpretation the garnishing of the heavens is nothing else but the removing of that which obscureth the Garnishing of them And it is true that when the heavens are maskt over with clouds and darknesse God by the winds cleareth the ayre and so reneweth the face of those heavenly bodyes But I passe by this and shall onely insist upon the former exposition of these words as being more sutable with Jobs scope and more expressive of the power and Glory of God in the great things which he hath wrought for us By his Spirit hee garnisheth the heavens Hence learne First We ought joyntly to acknowledge and give glory to the Father Son and Spirit in the worke of Creation Solomon in his advice to the young man sayth Eccl 12.1 Remember thy creators in the dayes of thy youth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 creatorum tuorum Mysterâ—um Sanctae Trinitatis Pisc Wee translate in the singular number creator but the Hebrew is plural Creators intimating the mystery of the Holy Trinity as Moses also is conceaved to doe in that plural expression Gen 1.26 And God sayd let us make man in our image after our likenes And though this be added in a way of Eminency when the particular creation of man is set downe yet we are to understand it so generally of the whole worke of Creation and as of the worke of Creation so of all other divine workes towards the creature Redemption is the worke of the Father and of the Spirit as wel as of the Son and sanctification is the worke of the Father and of the Son as wel as of the Spirit The three persons worke together onely they have a distinct manner of working according to which each worke is chiefely attributed to that person and so creation is specially appropriated to the Father Redemption to the Son and Sanctification to the Holy Ghost Seing then all Three worke together in all things towards us All three ought to be equally and eternally honoured worshipped loved and obeyed by us By his Spirit he hath garnished the Heavens Secondly Observe The heavens are full of beauty God hath not onely made them but adorn'd them What a rich and Royall Canopy hath God hung over the heads of poore wormes dust and ashes God did not thinke it enough to give us a house unlesse he gave us also a pleasant house he was not satisfied in setting up a large fabricke for us unlesse he also furnished and garnished it for us God hath made the world not onely usefull but contentfull to us he hath fitted it not onely for our necessity but delight The earth is beautifull but the heavens exceed in beauty The heavens are the Ceiling of our house and the Starres are like Golden studs and sparkling Diamonds in that Ceiling We may inferre three things from the Garnishing of these heavens First If the heavens which we see are so glorious what are the heavens which no eye hath seene If God hath thus discernably adorned the first and second heavens how unconceaveable are the ornaments of the third heavens If nature hath so much beauty in it how beâ—utifull a thing is Glory If God hath prepared such heavens as our eyes see for those who hate him then surely eye hath not seene eare hath not heard nor hath it entred into the heart of man to understand what those heavens are which God hath prepared for them and for them alone who love him The light of these visible heavens is but darkenes to that inheritance of the Saints in light The Moone-light if I may so speake of that state shall be better and more illustrious then the Sun-light of this and the light of the Sunne shall be sevenfold as the light of seven dayes in that Great day when the Lord shall perfectly bind up All the breaches of his people and heale the stroake of their wound God who by his Spirit hath garnished these heavens will be himselfe with his Son and Spirit the eternal Garnishing of those heavens Secondly Seing God hath been so bountifull and munificent as to Garnish the heavens for us even for us by his Spirit seing he hath provided such
a house for the comfort of our lives here who never deserved the meanest cottage how should we pray that he would Garnish our soules by the Spirit as a heaven for himselfe to dwell in or as the Apostle speakes Eph. 2.22 That we may be builded for an habitation of God through the Spirit God hath two houses an upper house and a lower house The heaven of heavens is his upper house and the heaven of an holy and humble heart is his lower God is every where but he dwelleth no where but in a heaven He dwelleth not in the heart of any man till that be made a heaven and that a heaven Garnished by the Spirit As the Sunne Moone and Starres are the garnishing of the naturall heaven so holy knowledge and the graces faith hope and love are the Garnishing of those spirituall heavens the hearts of the sons of men And untill their hearts be thus garnished they are not an heaven for God but a hell or habitation for the devill and he puts furniture and garnishings into them sutable to himselfe and fitting his owne entertainement We read in the Gospel Math 12.43 44. That when the uncleane Spirit is gone out of a man he walketh through dry places seeking rest and findeth none Then he saith I will returne into my house from whence I came out and when he is come he findeth it empty swept and garnished Lusts and corruptions unbeliefe pride wrath envy these are the Garnishings of Satans house And as he delighteth most to dwel there where he findeth most of these Garnishings so God delighteth most to dwel in that soule which is most Garnished with grace Then pray and pray earnestly that God who hath garnished the heavens by his Spirit for our use would also garnish our hearts by his Spirit for his owne use Thirdly As this should provoke us to pray that our hearts may be garnished as a house of delight that God may dwel in us So it should provoke us to garnish our lives that God may be honoured by us And as God hath not onely made a good world for us as to the matter but made it pleasant and adorn'd it for us so we should strive not onely to doe that which is good for the matter but to put ornaments upon it and make it pleasant to our utmost in the eyes of God We should garnish our workes as God hath garnished his God hath as it were polisht and engraven his workes for us by exquisite art and skill so that the workmanship is better then the matter and shall we satisfie our selves if we doe that which is good for the matter though we bestow no cost no holy skill and workmanship upon it shall we serve God onely with plaine worke when we see how curious and elaborate his workes are I grant plaine worke is best and most pleasing to God as plainenes is opposed to hypocrisie but plaine worke is not best as plainenes is opposed to exactnes God loves to see some lace and trimming in sincerity upon what we doe that is it pleaseth him when he seeth that we do our best and that we not onely doe good but garnish to his prayse the good we doe he would have us not onely walke in the truth but honour the truth by our walkings He would have us not onely obey the doctrine but as the Apostle speakes Tit 2.10 Adorne the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things or to use Jobs language Garnish it as he by his Spirit hath garnished the heavens And his hand hath formed the crooked Serpent His hand that is his power hands are ascribed to God in a figure or in allusion to men who doe all their externall workes by their hands The hand is a noble and most serviceable Organ or Instrument and therefore the Great things which God hath done especially the heavens are called the worke of his hands and his handy-worke Psal 19.1 yea the heavens are called the worke of his fingers Psal 8.3 Which notes I conceave the exactnes and curiosity of the worke for such are those things which are wrought by the fingers God being a Spirit invisible and incorporal hath no formal hands but he hath a vertuall hand That Executive power by which he performeth and bringeth about his will in every thing is his hand This hand Hath formed the crooked Serpent There are severall opinions about this crooked Serpent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Serpentem vectem Pagn Serpentem fugacem Mont Serpentem oblongum Jun who or what it should be that Job here meaneth The Hebrew is The Sepent the barre That is The serpent which is like a barre or bolt of iron Some render the flying or running serpent because as the bolt or barre of a doore runneth from side to side so that from place to place Mr Broughton translates the long serpent But what is this serpent Divers interpretens connect the sence of these words with the former part of the verse and so place this crooked serpent in the heavens as belonging to the Garnishing of them or as if Job were giving a particular instance of what God hath done towards the garnishing of the heavens His hand hath formed the crooked serpent By which they understand the coelestiall circles or spheares which are wrapt and involved one within another as a serpent wrappeth or twineth himselfe in several rounds Another following the same sence expoundeth it of that which Astronomers call the milkey way which is a beauty in heaven It being as it were the coalition of a number of little starrs Vatablus viam lacteam intelligit which because they looke white and milkish are therefore called the milkey way Which also hath somewhat of the forme of a serpent as is evident to the eye of any diligent observer A third keeping still to that sence expoundeth it yet more particularly of that speciall constellation in the heavens knowne among Astronomers by the name of the dragon or serpent Which is supposed to be spoken of here by Job synecdochically putting a part for the whole or one for all the other Constellations with which the heavens are garnished As if it had been sayd His hand hath formed the crooked serpent that is all the Starres in their severall shapes and configurations among which one representeth the forme of a Lion another of a Beare another of a Ram and among many others one appeareth in the forme of a Dragon or Crooked Serpent shooting himselfe forth or forward like the bolt of a doore I finde a fourth sort who though they keepe the crooked serpent of the Text still in the heavens yet they bring it downe to a lower heaven that is from the starry heaven or from that heaven which is the Subject of the Starres to the ayery heaven which is the subject or shop in which the meteors of all sorts are bred and formed and among them there is a meteor called by Naturalists the flying serpent As
Eliphaz Bildad and Zophar followed their Brother Job long but they gave it over at last and returned from following him Though I confesse there is a necessity of contending and that as the Apostle Jude exhorts earnestly both by speech and pen for the faith once delivered to the Saints Yet there are many contentions which it had been well if they had never been begun or at least quickly ended And when men revile and blaspheme rather then argue It is best to take up that Counsel which good Hezekiah gave in commandement concerning Rayling Rabsakeh Answer them not Solomon hath given us the full state of this duty in a seeming contradiction while in one verse he forbids us to answer a Foole and in the next bids us answer him The foole must be answered according to his folly but the answer must be framed and drawne up by the strength of reason and wisedome that is the foole must be made to see his folly lest he grow up and be confirmed in his opinion that what he saith is true because he is not shewed the error of it yet The foole must not be answered according to his folly that is if he speake or write vainely and revilingly shewing rather the frothynes of his wit or the over-flowing of his gall then the sobriety and soundnesse of his Judgement he that answers him must not conforme eyther speech or stile to his lest he be like unto him The answer which we give to another beareth the image and is the measure of our selver And our ill-mannaging of a matter renders us as bad as others though our opinion be better Our Master Christ being reviled reviled not againe we his Disciples and followers ought to imitate him and not to render evill for evill or rayling for rayling but contrariwise to blesse While we are called to contending let us doe it fayrely and candidly Christ would have us shew love and tendernes to our brethren as wel as zeale for Him and his Truth They cannot but doe so who stand up for truth purely as 't is the truth of Christ rather then as it is their owne opinion And though I am loath to be suspitious yet I greatly suspect that the reason why many cast so much dirt and dishonour upon the persons of their Brethren while they appeare as Champions for the Truth proceeds from a secret desire to procure honour to their owne persons rather then the advancement of Truth Peace and truth are a blessed payre and were we more for peace we should sooner find out the truth But so long as men contend rather for a party or an opinion then for truth rather for victory and the Mastery then for truth rather for honour I had almost sayd humour and interest then for truth as we are sure not to meete with peace so we are extreamely hindred and puzzl'd in seeking out the truth The most probable way to keepe downe some ill-sented opinions is to lay downe all disputes about them especially now when most if not all Controversies on foote have been sifted to the branne What therefore remaines but that we waite for light and conviction from heaven looking how the holy Spirit of truth and peace will state and determine those poynts upon the consciences of men And I am fully satisfyed that if all would suffer their consciences to answer and reply rather then their conceits and parts most of our disputers in this age would like Jobs friends dispute no more O That we could a while leave arguing with and answering one another especially rayling upon and scoffing at one another and fall to praying for loving one another according to the utmost tedder of Gospel-love For as love is the complement or fullfilling of the whole Law of God the scope or intentional end of the Commandement so it would be the conclusion or finishing and determining end of all the Controversies which arise or are started among men And I conceave that in most poynts of difference a severe and Magisteriall imposing of an opinion upon others in way of dispute is as bad and as un Gospel-like as to impose it upon any by way of power Beloved and Honored Friends ye may perceave how farre my joy for being arrived at the end of this dispute between Job and his friends hath transported me to presse for at least an amicable carrying onne if not an end of all our disputes and that as the Apostle adviseth speaking the truth and for the truth or Truthing it in love we may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ From whom the whole body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplyeth according to the effectuall working of every part maketh encrease of the body to the edifying of it selfe in love Love is a knitting and therefore an increasing grace That which uniteth many in one must needs edifie That One which is the result of such a union As faith is that Grace by which we receave all from God so love is that Grace by which we conveigh and divide good among our selves There is not the least joynt in the mysticall body of Christ but giveth some supply to the whole because love is the ligament of it As we can want nothing while as the Apostle Jude exhorts we keepe our selves in the love of God whether we understand him of the love of God to us or of our love to God makes no difference as to this matter so we can hardly want any thing while we keepe our selves in the love of one another That all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity may by the presence and influence of the Spirit of love not only keepe themselves but increase in the love of God and in the love of one another till we are fully growne up in him in all things which is the head even Christ is the wish and prayer as it ought to be the endeavour of all and of him who would SIRS The 18th of the Third Moneth commonly called May. 1655. Serve you Faithfully in love JOSEPH CARYL ERRATA PAge 51. l. 5. for 34. r. 24. p. 72. l. 30. for Armes r. Arme. p. 75. for turpa r. teâ—ra p. 245. for honestes r. hostes p. 422. l. 11. supple but. p. 447. l. 36. supple life p. 480. l. 5. supple or p. 498. l. 7. for man r. mans p. 672. l 36. for 6. r. 8. p. 784. l. 29. for Zeph r. Zech. AN EXPOSITION WITH Practicall Observations UPON The Twenty-two Twenty-three Twenty-foure Twenty-five and Twenty-sixe Chapters of the Booke of JOB JOB Chap. 22. Vers 1 2 3 4. 1. Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said 2. Can a man be profitable unto God as hee that is wise may be profitable unto himselfe 3. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righous or is it gain to him that thou makest thy ways perfect 4. Will he reprove thee for feare of thee or will he
good It is not enough for a man to say he doth not judge his brother maliciously he ought not to judge him ignorantly Though to speake or judge ill of another because wee wish him ill be the greater sinne yet barely to speake or judge ill of another by whom we know no ill is very sinfull And then 't is most sinfull when wee doe it not onely as not knowing any evill they have done but because we know heare or see the evills which they suffer 'T is dangerous as well as improper to make the hardest and harshest dealings of God with any man the ground of our hard and harsh thoughts of him Thirdly Consider who they were whom Job is supposed to have oppressed they were not the great ones not the mighty men of the earth but the fatherlesse and the widow Whence note That the poore are usually the subject of oppression The greater fish in the sea of this world devoure and live upon the lesser The strong should support the weake and they who are upper-most should uphold those who are under them But because the weake and the underlings may most easily be opprest therefore they are most usually opprest As Covetousnesse is cruell so 't is cowardly and dares not meddle with its match God in reference to Spiritualls filleth the hungry with good things and the rich he sendeth empty away Luk. 1.53 Ungodly men in reference to temporals would send the rich away empty if they could but they are so farre from filling the hungry with good things that they take away all the good things they can from the hungry they care not if they starve the hungry if they make the poore poorer and take all from them who have but little Fourthly Job having been a Magistrate and so by his place a Minister of Justice is strongly pressed with the doing of injustice Whence note First That they who have power may easily though not alwayes justly be suspected for the abuse of it To have a power in our hands whereby we may doe good is a temptation to doe evill 'T is hard to keepe power within its bounds and to rule that by which others are ruled The Prophet Isa 1.10 calls the rulers of Sion rulers of Sodome because they ruled like them or rather worse then they eating up the people under their charge rather then feeding them and vexing those whom they undertooke to governe and to be a Shield unto against the vexations of others Secondly Note That as oppression is a sinne in any man so it is most sinfull in those who have power in their hands to releeve the oppressed Such act not onely contrary to a common rule but contrary to their speciall duty by how much we have the more obligation not to doe a thing by so much we sin the more if we doe it Thirdly Note That as it is very sinfull in Magistrates to wrong any man so it is most sinfull to wrong them or to deny them right who have most need of it the widow and the fatherlesse Magistrates are called Gods And God who hath honoured them by putting his name upon them expects that they should honour him by imitating or acting like unto him What a Magistrate doth he should doe like God he should doe it so that every one may be convinced that God is in him and with him of a truth As God takes care of the widow and of the fatherlesse so should he God is knowne by this Title A father of the fatherlesse and a Judge of the widow is God in his holy habitation Psal 68.5 That is in Heaven for that 's the habitation of his holines and of his glory there he dwells Judging for the widow and the fatherlesse And as that is the speciall businesse as it were of God in Heaven so they who are Gods on earth ought to make it their speciall businesse to judge for the widow and the fatherlesse Hence wee finde the widow and the fatherlesse commended by name to the care of the Magistrate The fatherlesse have no naturall parents living or none neere of kinne remaining to maintaine and defend them therefore the Magistrate who is pater patriae the common father of his Country should be their Foster-Father They who want power are the charge should be the speciall care of those in power Thus they are commanded Psa 82.3 4. Defend the poore fatherless doe justice to the afflicted needy deliver the poore and needy rid them out of the hand of the wicked Here 's their worke and the neglect of this worke how busie so ever Magistrates are about other worke is often complained of aloud in Scripture as a crying sinne as a sinne that ruines Nations and drawes downe publicke Judgements upon a people Isaiah 1.17 Cease to doe evill learne to doe well seeke Judgement relieve the oppressed Judge the fatherlesse plead for the widow And at the 23 verse They judge not the fatherlesse neither doth the Cause of the widow come unto them Againe Jer. 5.28 They judge not the Cause of the fatherlesse It is a sin not to judge any mans Cause not to judge the Cause of the richest of the greatest yet it is more sinfull not to judge the Cause of the widow and the fatherlesse And when he saith They judge not the Cause c. the meaning is they judge not the Cause of the fatherlesse impartially and righteously And indeed he that doth not judge righteously doth not judge at all and when the Prophet saith They judge not the Cause of the fatherlesse it is as if he had said Among all the Causes that lye unjudged this is the Cause that God takes most notice of and is most displeased with the neglect of it even when the Cause of the fatherlesse is not pleaded or judged All are forward enough to plead the Cause of the rich but when the Client is poore and appeares in forma pauperis his cause seld me finds any but a poore and formal pleading We read Acts 6.1 That there was a great murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrewâ—s because their widdowes were neglected in the daily Administration Church-Officers in their capacity as well as State-Officers in theirs ought to have a carefull eye upon widows that are in want And the Apostle James Cha. 1.27 summes up as it were all Religion into this one duty Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherlesse and the widow Not as if this were indeed all religion or the all of religion but as when the Spirit in Scripture hath to doe with prophane persons or meere moral honest men who place all religion in civill righteousnesse and workes of charity then he calls them to first Table duties or to the sincere worship of God so when the Spirit is speaking to those who place all their religion in worship or in first Table duties neglecting the duties of charity and righteousnes then we finde
be shortned in spiritualls the raine of holy doctrine shall not be removed from you or as vve translate thy teachers shall not be removed c. Some amongst us vvould have the teachers of holy doctrine removed lest by feeding them the bread vvater of the Land should fayle as if the charge of publick preaching the riches of the Grace of Christ would be an undoing or at least an impoverishing of the Nation Whereas I touch it onely by the way the Prophet comforts the people of God in the midst of all their wants outward afflictions that they should not want the presence of their teachers nor the showers of holy instruction by them Againe Joel 2.23 Be glad O Zion and rejoyce in the Lord your God for he hath given you the former raine moderately and he will cause to come downe the raine the former raine and the latter raine in the first month That vvhich vve render The former raine moderately others translate a Teacher of righteousnes Sanctè colludit propheta nominibus doctoris seu legislatoris pluvâ—ae seu imbris maturini serotini or according to righteousnes so you may finde in the Margin of your larger Bibles And that 's the great mercy vvhich Zion is to rejoyce in for can vve thinke that Zion the children of Zion should be called so earnestly to rejoyce meerly in natural raine or the effects of it because of the abundance of Corne and Wine and Oyle which the earth vvell vvatered usually produceth This is too poore a thing considered alone for Zion to rejoyce in Zion or the people of God doe and must confesse themselves unvvorthy of the least outward mercy even of a shovver of raine or of a sheafe of corne and they ought to praise God and be very thankfull for these But these are not properly the matter of Zions gladnesse and rejoycing In these the vvorld rejoyceth Who will shew us any good Psal 4.7 they are for Corne and Wine and Oyle but Lord saith David lift up the light of thy Countenance upon me Thou hast put gladnes in mine heart more then in the time that their corne and their wine encreased As if he had said Worldly men rejoyce in corne and vvine but I rejoyce more in the light of thy countenance The light of the favour of God and the light of the knowledge of God are the chiefe matters of a beleevers joy And this light of holy joy comes in usually vvith and by the raine of that doctrine which falls upon us from the mouth of God in the teachings of his divine Lavv. Receive the Law from his mouth But you vvill say What is this Lavv vvhich comes dovvne like raine from heaven and vvhich vve are to receive from the mouth of God I ansvver The Lavv may be taken tvvo vvayes First Strictly for the ten Commandements or the five Bookes of Moses vvhich are called the Lavv. Secondly More largely and so the vvhole vvord of God is the Lavv. Christ himselfe calls the Booke of Psalmes the Lavv tvvo or three times in the nevv Testament Joh. 10.34 Jesus answered them is it not written in your Law I have said yee are Gods vvhere vvas that vvritten in the 82d Psal v. 6. And so againe Joh. 15.25 But this cometh to passe that the word might be fullfilled that is written in their Law they hated me without a cause What Lavv doth he meane those vvords vve finde Psal 35.19 Take one text further 1 Cor. 14.21 In the Law it is written With men of other tongues and other lips will I speake unto this People Where is that vvritten Esay 28.11 So that the Law in a large sense is taken for the vvhole body of the vvord of God or for the general Revelation of the mysterie of his vvill in vvhich sense vvee may say the Gospel is the Lavv And the Gospel is expressely called the Law or rule of faith Rom. 3.27 So that by Law here vve may understand vvhatsoever the Lord hath given us eyther as a rule of life or as a rule of faith The Seaventy translate Eliphaz speaking in that latitude 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Receive whatsoever God delivers declares or puts forth Receive I pray thee the Law from his mouth From vvhose mouth from the mouth of God how can that be Indeed Moses vvent up into the Mount and vvas vvith God fourty dayes and there received the Lavv from his mouth but could Job Receive the Lavv from his mouth as Moses did I ansvver If God had called him to it as he did Moses he might But that 's not the purpose of Eliphaz Neither are wee I conceive to understand him of such a Receiving from the mouth of God as the old Prophets had vvho received the minde of God by Immediate Inspiration dictates from God himselfe for though they vvere not called up solemnly into a Mount as Moses to receive the Lavv yet the Spirit was sent to make knowne the minde of God to them And in that sence the Prophet Jeremiah is said to warne King Zedekiah from the mouth of the Lord 2 Chron. 36.12 And he did that which was evill in the sight of the Lord his God and humbled not himselfe before Jeremiah the Prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord that is he received a vvord from God by an Extraordinary Revelation to carry unto the King vvho yet humbled not himselfe And so Esay 30.2 the Lord complaines of his people that walked to goe downe to Aegypt to strengthen themselves with the strength of Pharaoh c. and yet had not asked at his mouth that is had not asked direction in the thing according to the vvayes of Revelation then in use by enquiring of the Prophets or of the high Priest And the Lord tels the Prophet Jeremy Ch. 15.19 Prophetae sunt quasi os dei quia per ipsos loquutus est that he should be as his mouth if he would take forth the precious from the vile as if he had sayd if thou art faithfull in my vvork I will reveale my selfe to thee thou shalt speak even as if I my selfe spoke thou shalt be as my mouth Now I conceive Eliphaz doth not goe thus high when he bids Job Receive the Law from the mouth of God as if he vvere to expect Immediate direction and advice from him For then we may be sayd to receive a rule or a law from the mouth of God when vve receive that which God hath manifested at any time as a rule and lavv for us vvith the rest of his people to walke by they vvho receive that law once delivered from the mouth of God may be said to receive the lavv from his mouth though they are not the Immediate receivers of it yea though it were published some thousands of yeares before they vvere borne Some from these words collect that the books of Moses vvere written before this time and that Eliphaz did referre Job to those
to God As David saith Psal 25.1 Vnto thee O Lord doe I lift up my soule Equiparantia sunâ— caput vel oculos vel faciem vel animam ad deum levare Bold Eliphaz meanes not the lifting up of a heart-lesse face or head such as the hypocrite or formalist lifts up to God in worship nor the lifting up of a meere living head or face such as all men lift up to God according to the forme or frame of their natural constitution Fiduciam habebis recurrendi ad deum Aquin. but the courage and confidence of the soule and that a holy courage and confidence is here intended And there are not many who can thus lift up their face to God as is promised here to Job by way of priviledge And shalt lift up thy face to God To lift up the face is taken under a twofold notion in Scripture first Faciei elevatio orantis habitus est Pinec as a gesture or bodily position in prayer He that prayeth doth usually lift up his face to God and so to lift up the face to God is to pray unto God A corporal posture being put often in Scripture to signifie a spirituall duty Thus some understand it here Thou shalt lift up thy face to God that is thou shalt pray secondly which further complyes with the duty of prayer To lift up the face Vultum attollit qui sibi bene conscius est animoque fidenti Drus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. notes as was touched before confidence of spirit and boldnesse courage and assurance towards him before whom the face is lifted up whether God or man The Septuagint who rather paraphrase then translate this text give this sense fully Thou shalt be confident before the Lord or thou shalt act fiducially and boldly before him and behold heaven chearefully This lifting up the face is opposed to casting downe the face that is a phrase used in Scripture to signifie shame and fayling of spirit When courage is downe the countenance is down too as we say such a man hath a downe looke that is there is an appearance of guilt upon him The face is cast downe three wayes First by feare secondly by sorrow thirdly by shame Ezra 9.6 O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face unto thee for our iniquities are increased over our heads So Luk. 18.13 the Publican durst not lift up his eyes to heaven and possibly there was a complication of all these three causes why he durst not feare sorrow shame he was so much terrified so much grieved so much ashamed of himselfe that he durst not lift up his eyes to heaven It was the speech of Abner to Asahel 2 Sam. 2.22 Turne thee aside from following me why should I smite thee to the ground how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother that is if I slay thee I shall be afraid to looke him in the face nor can I have any confidence of his favour and it is well conceived that he spake thus for it is indeed a very unusuall thing for the Generall of an Army in the very heate of warre to looke after the favour of the Generall of the opposite Army but I say 't is conceived he spake thus as being convinced that he had undertaken a bad cause in upholding the house of Saul against David and therefore had misgivings that he might shortly fall into the hands of Joab Davids Generall and was therefore unwilling to provoke him by killing his brother This made him say How shall I hold up my face to thy brother Joab As if he had sayd I shall obstruct the way of my owne reconciliation to thy brother in case The turne of things in this warre cast me into his hands by killing thee Againe we may looke backe to Gen. 4.5 where it is reported of Caine That he was wrath and his countenance fell anger and sorrow and shame falling at once upon him because the Lord had respect to Abel and his offering but had no respect to him or his caused his countenance to fall which phrase stands in direct opposition to lifting up the face in all the three occasions of it For it implyeth first feare which is opposed to boldnes secondly sorrow or anger which are opposed to content and joy thirdly shame which is opposed both to freedome of approach and liberty of speech We have an expression which paralels much with this in that Prophecy of Christ Psal 110.7 Qâ—od legitur Exod. â—4 8 egâ—essos filios Israel in manu excelsâ— Chaldaâ—â—è dicitur capite discooperto i. e. palam confidentèr sine metu He shall drinke of the brooke in the way therefore shall he lift up his head that is he shall rise and appeare like a mighty Conquerour with boldnesse honour and triumph So Christ himselfe prophecying of the troubles which shall be in the latter dayes comforts the surviving Saints in this language When these things begin to come to passe then looke up and lift up your heads that is then take heart and boldnesse for the day of your redemption draweth nigh Luke 21.28 that is the day is at hand wherein you shall be freed from all feares and sorrowes Hence observe Holinesse hath boldnesse and freedome of spirit with God Then shalt thou lift up thy face unto God As soone as Adam sinned he hid himselfe from the presence of the Lord amongst the trees of the Garden Gen. 3.8 He ran into the thickets for shelter he durst not appeare or shew his face But when once we are reconciled to God and sinne is taken off when we are freed from the bonds of guilt then we have boldnesse reconciliation is accompanied with the spirit of adoption whereby we cry abba father we can then speake to God as a childe to his father the childe dares lift up his face to his father and speakes freely to him Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty faith the Apostle 2 Cor. 3.17 and that a threefold liberty First a liberty from sinne secondly a liberty unto righteousnes or a freenes and readines of spirit to doe good thirdly where the spirit of the Lord is there is a liberty of speech or accesse with boldnesse in all our holy Addresses unto God As the Apostle clearely sheweth at the 12 â—h verse of the same Chapter Seing then that we have such hope we use great plainnesse or boldnesse of speech as wee put in the Margin of our Bibles to expresse the significancy of the Greeke word in the full compasse of it For as because we have such hope we ought to use great plainnesse of speech towards men in preaching and dispensing the Gospel to them so great boldnesse towards God in receiving the offers and promises of the Gospel for our selves Eliphaz having thus shewed what freedome Job truely repenting might have with God in prayer proceeds in the next verse to shew what successe with
and that not onely in doing but in suffering 1 Pet. 2.21 For even hereunto are we called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow his steps â—equere deum Epict. Christ is not onely a principle of holinesse in us or our spirituall life but he is also a patterne of holinesse according to which we ought to live And the same Apostle represents the holinesse of God both as a rule and as a motive of that holinesse which should be acted by us 1 Ep 1.15 16. As he that hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation because it is written Lev 11.14 Be ye holy for I am holy To be holy as God is in all manner of conversation is stedfastly to hold the steps of God And when as Christ exhorts Math. 5.55 Wee are mercifull as our father which is in heaven is mercifull When as the Apostle exhorts Eph. 4.32 Wee forgive as God for Christs sake hath forgiven us when we are patient and long-suffering one towards another as God is towards us all then we take hold of his steps this should be our businesse every day to follow God in his word and in his workes to follow him fully It is said of Caleb Num. 14.24 My servant Caleb hath another spirit he hath followed me fully Here some may object to follow the counsel of God fully is the dutie of all but to follow the example of God is surely beyond the attainment of any This seemes to be a hight of holinesse too high for man For if Solomon said Eccl 2.12 What can the man doe that cometh after the King even that which hath been already done or more close to the Original in those things which have been already done How much more may we say What can the man doe that comes after God the King of Kings can he doe that which hath been done already I answer no man can paralel the workes of God but all men are called to imitate him in his workes though we cannot follow him with equall steps yet we may follow the equity and holines of his steps This Job did and we through grace may doe My foote hath held his steps His way have I kept and not declined The way of God is his Law in that he will have us to walke and that is called his way because he hath prescribed it and is the author of it as that is mans way wherein he walks so that is Gods way wherein he will have man to walke Blessed is the undefiled in the way Psal 119.1 What the way is he tels us in the next words Blessed are they that keepe his testimonies and who walke in the Law of the Lord. His law and testimonies are his way now sayth Job As I have held his steps or followed his example so I have kept his way that is I have done that which he hath commanded The way of God is put sometimes in Scripture for that which himselfe hath done Ezek. 18.25 Via del hominis sumitur 1 Pro itinere gressibus 2 Pâ—o ipsa via strata Heare O house of Israel is not my way equall that is the way wherein I my selfe have gone the way of my dispensations to you both in rewarding and punishing And as the workes of providence so the worke of Creation is called the way of God Pro. 8.22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way that is before he came forth in the worke of Creation before his workes of old his way and his workes are the same or his workes are his way But in this Text as I touch't before we may rather take way for that which God would have us doe or for the way in which we ought to walke And so we have the compleatnes of Jobs obedience he imitated the example and he obeyed the command of God His way have I kept Yet further There is a twofold keeping of the way of God First by practice and obedience thus we keepe the way of God by submitting to it Secondly There is a keeping the way of God by protection and defence Thus we keepe the way of God when we stand up to maintaine it We may take it here in both senses and in both doubtlesse Jobs Spirit was led out to keepe the way of God Hence note A godly man keepes close to the word of God He keepes close to it by obeying it and he keepes it close by defending it and this he doth as Job did it universally for so this indefinite proposition His way have I kept is to be understood it was not this or that way but any or every way of God which he kept And thus a godly man keepes the way of God though it be a difficult and to the flesh an uneasie way though it be among men a reproachfull and ignominious way though it be as to his outward concernements a disadvantageous and dangerous way yet he keepes it he that is through with God doth not onely keepe those wayes which suit with his owne pleasure and credit with the safety of his owne interests and accommodations in the world but if the way of God lie through difficulties through dangers and disgraces he will yet keepe it And if we thus keepe the way of God we may be sure that the way of God or rather the God of this way will keepe us and keepe us in perfect peace in spirituall freedome safetie and honour though we have trouble in and from the world His way have I kept and which doth heighten his obedience care and zeale in keeping it He addes And not declined 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word signifies to be unsteady or to move every way As if he had said I have kept his wayes stedfastly and unmoveably Job speakes both in the affirmative I have kept and in the negative I have not declined Some keepe the wayes of God a while but they keepe not on much lesse doe they keepe up in keeping them There is a twofold declining First a declining from the way of God to evill and sinfull wayes and these are of two sorts first erroneous opinions secondly wicked practices secondly there is a declining in the way of God when though we keepe the good way yet we are not so good in the way as we were but slacke our pace coole in our zeale to the good wayes of God We may expound Jobs negative in reference to both these as if he had sayd I have neither gone out of the way of God nor have I been sloathfull in it 'T is the highest commendation of man thus to keepe the way of God and not decline Hence note A godly man is or ought to be and 't is his honour to be steady in a good way Perfeverance is our Crowne The Apostle 1 Cor. 15.58 Exhorts to be steady and unmoveable alwayes abounding in the worke of the Lord. We should
say a worme thou art and to wormes thou shalt returne Thus wee see man is a poore thing a very poore thing and hence I shall make foure or five briefe inferences First Let no man be proud or have high thoughts of himselfe the son of man is but a worme O why doth man swel above the clouds or proudly make his nest among the Starres when as he must shortly fall among the clods and as he is a worme so be eaten up of wormes Secondly Let men take heed of adorning one another with great words and flattering titles let us take heed of having the persons of men in admiration it is as vaine a thing for any man to give great flattering titles to others as it is to have high thoughts of himselfe The titles which the Spirit of God gives to man are humbling titles a flower a shadow c. any thing which may keep downe his spirit and abate selfe-valuations we should learne as to thinke of our selves so to speake of other men as the Holy Ghost speaketh As he doth not paint man out with praises nor speake of him as Courtiers whose hearts are the shops of complements and their tongues the venters of them doe of Princes So neyther should we There are two extreames which wee should labour exceedingly to avoyd in our references to men and yet most men walke in one of these extreames towards men First we should take heed or reproaching vilifying and despising others for though it be a duty for every man to thinke meanely of himselfe and to say of himselfe I am a worme and though wee may lawfully thinke and say so of all men as to the general truth of the proposition yet it is so farre from being a duty that it is not at all lawfull to call any man worme with reproach and contempt of the meanenes of his person Secondly we should take heed of flattering and daubing others as those Tyrians did Herod crying out it is the voyce of God and not of man Acts 12.22 whereas God to shew their mistake and that he was indeed but a worme smote him and he was eaten up of wormes Elihu concludes and resolves excellently to this poynt Job 32.21 22. Let me not I pray you accept any mans person neyther let me give flattering titles unto man for I know not to give flattering titles in so doing my maker would soone take me away As God tooke away Herod for receaving flattering titles so they who give them are in danger to be taken away by God Thirdly Be not Envious at others what if another have a little more glory riches beauty strength power then thou hast what though he have a little more knowledge and be a little higher in gifts then others yet hee is but a worme still what 's man but a worme and what 's the son of man the best of men but a worme why should a worme Envy a worme what though some men are silke wormes a little better furnished and richer then others in mind and body yet they are but wormes in silke and many who appeare so are but Glow-wormes which shine a little but have no consistence Fourthly Let the sons of men take heed of vexing one another why should wormes rise up against wormes why should wormes destroy wormes cruelly bloodily Wee are all weake as wormes let us therefore engage that little strength wee have for the supporting not for the ruining of one another Wee usually have so much tendernes towards wormes in kinde that when wee see them crawling upō the ground we avoyd treading upon them yet how doe men purposely tread upon wormes in likenes All men are wormes in likenes we should not willingly tread upon or hurt any man But poore men and men of low degree are more wormes then rich men and men in high places are therefore take heed of oppressing the poore for that is indeed a treading upon wormes And though while you tread upon wormes the weake and needy they cannot as Christ speakes of swine Math. 7.6 turne againe and rent you yet if you doe so God the strong God will turne upon you and teare you while there is none to deliver Lastly Take this inference from it Man by sin is much degraded and fallen below himselfe Man by sin is become inferiour to the meanest creatures who was once above all visible creatures man in the state of Creation was the chiefe piece of the visible world hee was next to the Angels who are of the Invisible world but now man is fallen very low he is levell'd with the lowest of the Creatures a worme not onely doe the heavenly bodyes exceed him in beauty but even the earthly bodyes the beasts of the field and the worme that crawles upon the earth and lives in the bowels of it is good enough to make comparison with him See what man hath lost by sin see how hee is degraded and fallen from his state and statelynes yea I may say that man by sin is not onely fallen from that state and statelynes wherein he was created but he is fallen below the state of the lowest creature Man by sin is not onely a worme but worse then a worme A worme is not capable of morall polution a toad hath naturall poyson but man hath morall poyson in him which is worse then naturall poyson and which makes the condition of man yet more vile his moral poyson sin I meane is to him naturall It is his misery and his dishonour that he hath it and it is his greater misery and dishonour that he loves it and that it is not so much his disease as his desire and as the first sin the sin of nature hath debased all mankinde at once so every man that goeth on in and multiplyeth with desire the acts of sin debaseth himselfe yet more and maketh himselfe not onely lower then the worme which is the lowest of living things but even lower then the lowest things that have no life Sencelesse livelesse creatures are better then sinfull men such I meane as live in sin and better it had been for any never to have had a being or not to have lived at all then to dye in sin Seeing then sin hath degraded us and placed us among and below the wormes who were once next to Angels how are we engaged to Jesus Christ who by becoming a worme for us hath raised us to be heyres of blessedness with the holy Angels for ever and hath lifted us up to that hight of honour that even the holy Angels minister to us as long as we are here And how should we strive to raise our selves up higher and higher in the Improvement of all that grace which is freely offered to us in Christ even to our dayly conversation in heaven and our sitting together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus as the Apostle speakes Eph. 2.16 It is sad for any man who is but a worme to be lifted up in himselfe
but it is the duty of every man to strive that he may be lifted up not onely above the wormes but above the heavens Wee may quickly sin in seeking our owne exaltation in a worldly But the more we seeke our exaltation in a heavenly state the more holy yea the more humble we are Wee never act as those who know they are but wormes here on earth till we have an ambition to be like the Angels who are in heaven Thus I have opened and done with this third and that a very short discourse of Bildad in this Chapter wherein he hath spoken Excellently as to the generall truth in exalting God and humbling man yet he is upon the old mistake Concluding Job a selfe-Justifier yea a contender with God Whereas indeed his thoughts were as low as his state or person in reference to any conceit of righteousnesse in himselfe or of any boldnes in charging God with the least unrighteousnesse though there was much severity in his dealings with him JOB CHAP. 26. Vers 1 2 3 4. But Job answered and said How hast thou helped him that is without power how savest thou the arm that hath no strength How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdome and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is To whom hast thou uttered words and whose spirit came from thee THis Chapter containeth Jobs answer to the third and last dispute or opposition of his second freind Bildad Non respondit ad Bildadi dicta sed eum ridet quasi ea attulerit quae parum ad rem faciant imo ab instituto aliena Merc wherein he doth two things First He complaineth of and in a manner derideth Bildads dealing with him as if what he had urged were not onely little to the purpose but very wide from it This he doth in the foure first verses of the Chapter Secondly Job gives out a large narrative of the power perfections and excellencies of God of his wonderfull works and providences which Bildad had but lightly touched this he doth in the remaining part of the Chapter Vers 1 2. But Job answered and said How hast thou helped him that is without power There is a question among Interpreters who is here meant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 admirantis est haec dicit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Drus by him that is without power and who by the arme that hath no strength who by him that hath no wisedome There are three opinions about the resolving of this question First Some expound it not of a person but of a thing for the original leaves it in such words as may be determined upon eyther In qua re adjuvisti sententiam tuam de providentia dei particulari in qua nullae sunt viris Quare ex Hebraeo legit non cujus sed quid adjuvisti Vatabl and may as wel be rendred that which hath no power as him that hath no power And the thing without power which this interpretation aymes at is the opinion or tenet which Bildad and his friends had held forth in their discourse which Job is conceived to looke upon as weake and without power as having neyther strength nor wisdome in it And because Bildad made the last reply Job according to this exposition bespeaks him thus Thine owne former arguments as also those of thy friends had no power no strength of reason nor true wisdome in them and hast thou mended the matter now hast thou by what thou spakest last put any strength into what hath been weakly and feebly argued already As for my selfe I am neyther better enformed nor comforted then I was and therefore have reason to conclude that there is no more strength nor power in what is now sayd then in what was sayd before It is usuall to apply strength to a speech we say such a man made a strong speech as for such a one his speech had no strength no sinewes in it And that speech which hath no strength in it can never administer strength to those to whom it is spoken so that to say how hast thou helped him that hath no power is to say the speech by which thou hast attempted or endeavoured to helpe him that hath no power Yet I conceave that Job doth here intend a person whom his freinds supposed without power strength or wisdome Hoc de deo accipio O quam egregâ—e eum adjuvisti qui imbecillis erat invalido es patrocinatus Quasi tua defensione deus indigerit Merc Cujus adjuâ—or es num in becillis sustentas brachium ejus qui non est fortis Vulg Cui Auxiliatus es cui non potentia Mont rather then his freinds speech which himselfe judged and as his owne releife found to be so Secondly By him that hath no power and the arme that hath no strength some understand God himselfe who is indeed all power all arme who is altogether strong and onely wise As if Job had sayd O Bildad thou hast stood up in the defence of God as if he had not been able to defend himselfe thou hast been an Advocate for him who hath no need thou shouldest Hath not he power hath his arme no strength in it or is he destitute of counsel surely God hath no need of thy patronage or assistance Therefore consider whose helper hast thou been what the helper of him that is weake and hast thou sustained the armes of him that hath no strength surely no God hath strength enough to defend his own cause and wisdome enough to maintaine his own acts against me and all men else Thou oughtest indeed to have helped him that hath no power but thou hast onely given helpe to him that hath all power Thus some cary on the whole context under that frame and forme of this exposition as if Job did but rebuke Bildad for undertaking the matter on Gods part whereas he should have used his utmost endeavours for the support and comfort of him a poore weake creature labouring under heavy burdens of most sad afflictions and wanting counsel how to beare and improve them as layed upon him by the hand of God For this Job had no power and might expect helpe from his friend but he bestowed all his helpe in vindicating the honour of God against Job not in helping or advising Job how to beare up under the hand of God and therefore he thus interrogates him How hast thou helped him that hath no power But Thirdly I rather expound the words of Job himselfe as being now burdened and distressed with great affliction and under sore temptations and therefore fitly represented in these words a man without power an arme without strength and him that had no wisdome at least that he was such in the opinion and judgement of his friends As if he had sayd O Bildad Thou lookest upon me as a man without power strength or wisdome very well be it so
Acts 27.20 Tenere faciem throni est coelum occultare et obducere nubibus That neyther Sun nor Starrs in many dayes appeared here was a holding backe or covering of the face of the throne of God And thus our experiences have often found it held backe the face of heaven being masked or vayled over with naturall clouds and vapours Againe if we take the face of the throne of God for that eminent manifestation of himselfe as in heaven Thus also God holdeth backe the face of his throne by covering it with a Metaphoricall cloud as it is expressed Psal 97.1 2. The Lord reigneth c. clouds and darknesse are round about him that is we can see no more of his glory in reigning then we can see of a Kings throne which is covered with a Canopy and compassed about with curtaines Job gives this plainly for the interpretation of this former part of the verse in the latter part of it And spreadeth his cloud upon it That is upon the face of his throne Wee may take this cloud first properly thus God covers the heavens from the sight of our eyes Secondly improperly as clouds note onely secrecy and privacy Thus God spreadeth a cloud upon his throne to hide it from the eye of our understanding so that we can no more comprehend the glory of God in himselfe or in his wayes and workings towards man then we can see the Sunne Moone and Starres when muffled and wrapt up in thicke clouds Thus David speaketh of the Lord Psal 18.11 He made darkenes his secret place his pavilion round about him were darke waters and thicke clouds of the skyes But the Apostle saith 1 Tim. 6.16 That God dwelleth in light How then doth the Psalmist say there and elsewhere that he made clouds and darknes his secret place and his pavilion I answer As the Lord is light and hath no darkenes at all in him Joh 1.5 so as to himselfe he ever dwelleth in light and hath no clouds nor darkenes at all about him And therefore when it is sayd that he spreadeth a cloud upon his throne and maketh darkness his secret place or his secret place darke we are to understand it in reference to our selves for whensoever God hideth himselfe or the reason of his dealings and dispensations from us Then the cloud is spread upon his Throne When God is sayd to spread a cloud over us or any thing we have it noteth his care over us and his protection of us Isa 4.5 And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion and upon her assemblyes a cloud and smoake by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night what is meant both by this cloud and flaming fire is clearely expounded in the last words of the verse for upon all the glory shall be a defence or a covering Thus I say a cloud spread by God upon us implyeth that we are under his covert and defence But when God spreadeth a cloud upon or covereth himselfe with a cloud this implyeth all the Scripture over the hiding and concealing of himselfe and his workes from us And in this sence Job sayth He holdeth backe the face of his throne and spreadeth a cloud upon it Hence note First God hath a throne Kings have thrones much more hath God who is the King of kings King Solomon made himselfe a great throne of Ivory and overlayd it with the best Gold 1 Kings 10.18 Kings have formall Thrones God hath a real one Hee hath all power in his hand and this he administreth according to the pleasure of his owne will both in heaven and earth Note Secondly God manifesteth himselfe in heaven as Princes upon their thrones so heaven is the throne of God And where God acts most our affections should be most and our conversation most Where the Throne is thither the great resort is many flocke to the Court. As it will be our glory hereafter to be in heaven or about the throne of God for ever in person so it is our grace to be dayly there in Spirit while we are here The earth is Gods footestoole yet many make that their throne Heaven is Gods throne and many make that their footestoole They tread and trample upon the things of heaven while they set their hearts upon the things of the earth 'T is a sad mistake when men set their feete where they should set their hearts and prophane the throne of God not onely by levelling it with but by laying it lower then the ground Observe Thirdly God hideth his owne glory from the sight of man He holdeth backe the face of his throne he will not suffer the lustre of it to appeare but spreadeth a cloud upon it Indeed we are not able to beare the cleare discoveryes of divine Glory 1 Tim. 6.16 God dwelleth in light which no man can approach unto though he were permitted and offered the priviledge to approach unto it God dwelleth in and is possessed of that infinite perfection of light that no creature is capable of When Moses made that petition to God Exod 33.18 I beseech thee shew me thy glory The Lord answered v. 20. Thou canst not see my face for no man shall see me and live It seemes that while God spake with Moses his glory was overshadowed or that God to use Jobs language in the text held backe the face of his throne and spread a cloud upon it and therefore Moses begg'd the removall of it or that his glory might breake through it and shine unto him Wel sayth God thou canst not see my face as if he had sayd If I should grant thee that request thou art not able to enjoy it or make use of it for as my nature is altogether invisible so thou canst not beare the super-excelling brightnes which the cleare manifestations of my immediate presence would dart forth upon thee for that Glory of my presence is too great a weight for humane fraylety to stand under it would astonish rather then comfort thee and in stead of refreshing confound and make thee as a dead man No man shall see my face and live Man must dye before he can in that sence see the face of God and then he shall as the Apostle speakes 1 Cor 13.12 see face to face and know as he is knowne So that though we are much short of the happines of the next life while we see as through a glasse darkely and God holdeth backe the face of his throne yet it is a mercy to us while we are in this life that he doth so because we are not able to abide the sight of him face to face or to behold the face of his throne As Christ had many things to say to his Desciples which they were not able then to beare so Christ hath purchased such mercyes and priviledges for his people as they are not able to beare while they are on this side the grave Every state hath enjoyments suitable
in man to desire God to strike through his pride and it is a great act of mercy to man when God doth so The more God smiteth our sins the more he declares his love to and his care of our soules The remainders of pride in the Saints shall be smitten through but sinners who remaine in their pride shall be smitten through themselves God whose power and understanding are made known by smiting through the proud waves of the Sea will at last make his Justice and his holynes knowne by smiting through the proud hearts of men or rather men of proud hearts Proud men strike at God yea kicke against him no wonder then if he strike and kicke them All the sufferings of Christ are wrapt up under that one word His humiliation implying that as he was smitten for all our sins so most of all for our pride That man whose pride is not smitten to death or mortifyed by the death of Christ shall surely be smitten to death even to eternall death for his pride As God understandeth thoroughly who are proud so by his understanding he will smite through the proud JOB CHAP. 26. Vers 13 14. By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens his hand hath formed the crooked Serpent Lo these are parts of his wayes but how little a portion is heard of him but the thunder of his power who can understand JOB hath given us a particular of many illustrious works of God what he doth in the depths below Et ut in opere ipsius pulcherrimo desinam hic ille est qui coelos illa enarrabili pulchritudine exornavit spherae illae suis giris undique coelos serpeÌ„tium instar percurreÌ„tes sunt opus manibus ipsius tornatum Bez and what in the hights above in this verse he gives another instance and that a very choyce one upon the same subject As if he had sayd After all this large discourse which I have made of the workes of God I will conclude with that which is the most remarkeable peice of them all This is he who hath adorn'd the heavens with that unutterable beauty wherewith they shine and the spheares which wind and turne round about the heavens like Serpents are smoothed and polished by his hand Vers 13. By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens The Spirit of God is taken two wayes in Scripture First q. d. visua voluntate ut nomen spiritus saepius in scriptura usurpatur sed malo ipsum dei spiritum almum accipere quo omnia deus fecit Merc for the power of God Secondly and so here for God the power as distinct from the Father and the Son By whom God wrought all things in the creation of the world Gen 1.2 The Earth was without forme and voyd and darkenes was upon the face of the deepe and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters It is a rule in Divinity That the external workes of the Trinity are undevided and so the Three Persons concurred in the making of the world God the Father created and is called Father in Scripture not onely in relation to the Eternall ineffable Generation of God the Son but also in reference to the production of the creature God the Son or the Eternal Word created Joh. 1.1 2 3. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God All things were made by him and without him was nothing made that was made God the Spirit or Holy-Ghost he likewise created and He onely is mentioned by Moses distinctly or by name as the Agent in the original constitution of all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non simplicem motionem denotat sed qualem columba perficit cum evis ad excludendum pullos incubat Rab Selom Verbum â—ranslatum ab avibus pullitiei suae incubantibus Jun. And the Hebrew word rendred in our translatioÌ„ moved the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters by which the Agency of the Spirit in that Great worke is expressed caryeth in it a very accurate significancy of that formative vertue or power which the Spirit put forth about it For it is a metaphor taken from birds who sit upon their eggs to hatch and bring forth their young ones and so importeth the effectual working of the Spirit whereby that confused masse or heape was drawne out and formed up into those severall creatures specifyed by Moses in the Historie of the Creation Among which we find the Garnishing of the heavens spoken of here by Job is reported by Moses for the worke of the fourth day Further we may consider the heavens first in their matter and being secondly in their beauty and ornaments Job speakes of the latter By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adornavit decoravit pulchrè fecit God hath not onely created but pollished and as it were painted or embroydered the heavens The originall word implyeth the making of them beautifull contentfull and pleasant unto the eye this is the Lords worke And therefore as the whole world because of the excellent order and beauty of it is exprest in the Greeke by a word that signifies beautifull 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so some parts of the world have a speciall beauty and lustre put upon them beyond the rest The heavens are not like a plaine garment as we say without welt or guard but they are laced and trimmed they are enamel'd and spangled they glister and sparkle in our eyes with rayes and beames of light By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens If it be asked what is this garnishing of the heavens I answer the setting or placing in of those excellent lights Sunne Moone and Starres in the heavens are the garnishing of them Light is beautifull and the more light any thing hath the more beauty it hath Precious stones have much light in them those lights the Starres are as so many stones of beauty and glory set or moving in the heavens Light as diffused and shed abroad in the ayre is exceeding delightfull and beautifull but light as it is contracted and drawne together into the Sunne Moone and Starres is farre more beautifull light in the ayre pleaseth the eye but light in the Sunne conquers and dazzel's the eye by the excessive beauty and brightnesse of it In the first day of the Creation God sayd Let there be light and there was light but in the fourth day he sayd let there be lights that is let there be severall vessells to receave hold and containe light and then to issue it out among the inhabitants of the earth Gen. 1.14 And God sayd let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night and let them be for signes and for seasons and for dayes and for yeares and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth and it was so And
if the meaning of these words His hand hath formed the crooked serpent Draco volans were this God hath wrought and formed by his power wisdome all those fiery meteors that are often seene as it were flying and shooting in the ayre to the wonder of many and the astonishment of not a few There are the treasures of the snow and of the hayle there God prepareth a way for the lightning of the thunder Job 38.22.25 Some learned interpreters insist much upon this Exposition placing the crooked serpent in the heavens eyther the upper or lower as hath been shewed under foure distinct titles nor can it be denyed but that the hand of God hath wrought all these things much lesse can it be denyed that the working of these things is a great argument and demonstration of the power and wisedome of God which is the purpose of Job in this place therefore I shall not totally lay it aside Neyther yet will I leave it with the reader as the speciall meaning of this place for this reason because I much doubt whether those poeticall phancyes in giving such fictitious names to the Starres of heaven as The Lion the Beare the Bull the Dragon the Serpent c. of which Philosophers and Astronomers have made use were at all borne or ever so much as heard of in those elder times in which and before which Job lived For though both in the 9th Chapter of this booke v. 9. as also in the 38th Chapter v. 21 22. many Names are given to the Starres which both the Greeke and Latine translaters and we following them in the English render by those poeticall names yet The Original Hebrew words beare no allusion at all to those phancyes As for instance The Hebrew word which we render Arcturus Chap 9.9 hath nothing at all in it signifying The Tayle of a Beare But here in this text the word properly signifyeth a crooked serpent and therefore to place it in the heavens as a Starre when as in the times when this was written there is so little if any probability at all that any such apprehensions were taken up by any or any such allusive names given to the Starres seemes to me somewhat improper There is another veine of interpretation carrying the sence of these words His hand hath formed the crooked serpent to quite another poynt for 't is conceaved by the Authors of this opinion that as Job gave instance before in the workes of God above his highest workes in nature the garnishing of the heavens so hee now giveth instance in his workes below or in his lowest workes This general interpretation is delivered two wayes distinctly First That as God hath garnished the heavens so he hath made and now governeth hel too His hand hath formed the crocked serpent that is the Devill That which favoureth this opinion and hath possibly cast the thoughts of many upon it is that in Scripture the devil is often called a serpent yea a crooked serpent and that he acted a serpent as his instrument in the first temptation Gen. 3.1 Now the serpent was more subtile then any of the beasts of the feild which the Lord God had made and he sayd unto the woman that is The Devill in or by the Serpent sayd unto her c. He hath wel deserved to be called a Serpent who acted his first malice against mankinde by the helpe of a Serpent And for his thus early making use of a Serpent he is called not only a serpent but that old Serpent Rev. 12.9 The great Dragon was cast out that old Serpent called the Devill and Satan which deceiveth the whole world he was cast out into the earth and his Angells were cast out with him The hand of God hath formed this crooked serpent To cleare which some interpret the former part of the verse in complyance with this sence for the good Angells thus By his Spirit he hath Garnished the heavens Spiritus ejus ornavit coelos Vulg i. e. coelestes spiritus ornamētis scilicet spiritualium denorum Aquin Et obstetricante manu ejus eductus est coleber tortuosus Vulg that is he hath bestowed excellent gifts upon the Angels who are the great ornament of heaven and may tropically be called heaven as men are called earth And as holy wise just and faithfull men are the ornaments and garnishings of the earth so the holy Angels are the garnishings of heaven they having such mighty power and excellent gifts Now saith this interpretation as God garnished the heavens with good Angels so he brought forth the crooked serpent the Devill by his working power Not as if they who stand up for this exposition did affirme that God did make the Devill by his immediate hand as he did the good Angels and the rest of the Creatures for when God saw every thing that he had made behold it was very good and therefore the crooked-serpent as taken under this Notion for the Devill who is the Evill one could not be of his making Therefore though the Devill according to his original or general nature as an Angel was formed of God yet the crookednes of his nature as wel as of his wayes which properly and formally denominate him a Devill was of himselfe he having turned away from God and defiled that state by the freedom of his own will in which he was created pure and had society with his fellow-Angels Eduxit deus diabolum è medio Angelorum Aquin till God for his sin did as it were pull him and his Adhaerents from the midst of them and as the Apostle Jude saith v. 6. Hath reserved them together in chaines of darknesse unto the judgement of the great day But I conceave that Job is not here speaking of an Allegoricall or Metaphoricall serpent such a one as the Devill is but of a reall and proper one And therefore I lay by this exposition as unsutable to the text in hand And conclude that Job having in the former part of the verse set forth the power and wisedome of God in garnishing the heavens his meditation descendeth in this latter part of it though not so low as hel yet as low as the waters especially the waters of the Sea and there sheweth us the hand of God at worke both in making and destroying in forming and wounding the crooked serpent For the Hebrew word which we render hath formed signifyes also to wound and so we translate it Isa 51.9 Awake awake O arme of the Lord c. art not thou it which hath cut Rahab and wounded the Dragon yea it is so translated by some in this text of Job His hand hath wounded the crooked serpent Which cometh neere that of the Prophet according to the bare literal reading Isa 27.1 In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the peircing or as we put in the Margin the crossing like a bar serpent even Leviathan that crooked
and terror as appeared like one In the Booke of the Revelation which hath as one of the Ancients speaketh as many mysteryes as words the dreadfull judgements prophecyed to come upon the world in the severall Ages of it are expressed by Thunder Revel 10.4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voyces I was about to write and I heard a voyce from heaven saying unto mee seale up those things which the seven thunders uttered and write them not And as elsewhere so especially in this booke of Job we find those things which carry the greatest strength and terror in them exprest by thunder Job 39.19 Hast thou given the horse strength hast thou clothed his necke with thunder that is hast thou made the horse who is so strong and terrible And at the 25th verse treating still of the horse he sayth among the trumpets Haec nos cogitata et levitèr cōmemorata obstupefaciūt quid si majora quae illius potestate continentur c. Pined Quis comprehendere potest ingentes domini virtutes quae velut vocem tonitrui more attollant prae magnitudine et multitudine Merc Quis satis consideret Pisc Tonitru fortitudinū vocat sermonem clarum fortitèr prolatum quod sit velut tonitru maximum Coc Tonitru potentiae i. e. Ipsum intonantem loquentem coram Argumentum est per comparationem majoris Jun Tonare eos dicimus qui orarationis et eloquentiae vi maximè pollent Novar ha ha and he smelleth the battaile afarre of the thunder of the Captaines and the shouting that is the horse is pleased to heare the Great Commanders speake with a loud voyce eyther directing threatning or encouraging their Souldiers Thus the Thunder of Gods power is some wonderfull act of his power which lifts up its voyce as it were like Thunder This who can understand none can The word signifyes also to weigh and consider so some render it here Who can sufficiently consider the Thunder of his power who can consider it as he ought eyther first according to the depth and mysteriousnesse of it or secondly according to the dignity and worthines of it Thirdly These words who can understand the thunder of his power may be expounded of the highest and clearest publication of his power The thundering of it out As if Job had sayd I have whispered a little to you but if God should thunder out himselfe or if his workes were spoken out as they deserve in thunder the minds of men would be amazed and their understandings confounded The thunder of his power who can understand 'T is usuall among the learned to expresse high eloquence and strong confidence of speech by thundering It was sayd of Alcibiades that hee thundred Greece He was a man so mighty in Elocution that he made his hearers tremble And hence Christ himselfe surnamed two of his owne Disciples James the son of Zebedee and John the Brother of James Boanerges which is The Sons of Thunder They did not speake as we say like a mouse in a cheese but with a great voyce and with a greater spirit they spake the messages of heaven as if it thundered from heaven There may be a great force in a low voyce while what is spoken comes with much clearenes of reason and strength of Authority or as the Apostle gives it in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit but when all these are convayed by a mighty voyce a voyce like thunder how forceable are they Basil was sayd to Thunder in his doctrine and lighten in his life Such to the hight was that voyce of words in Mount Horeb at the giving of the Law Which voyce they that heard intreated that the Word should not be spoken to them any more Heb 12.19 that is that it should not be spoken to them any more in that manner or by an immediate voyce from God as appeares Exod 20. v 18 19. And all the people saw the Thunderings and the lightnings and the noyse of the Trumpet c. And they sayd unto Moses speake thou with us and we will heare but let not God speake with us lest we dye We cannot understand the Thunder of his power Hence note Man is not able to receave and beare those highest discoveryes of God God can speake in such a light as will blind the eyes of man and in such a language as will rather astonish then instruct him As among beleevers they who are carnal and babes in Christ are not able to eate strong meate they must be fed with milke as the Apostles speakes 1 Cor. 3.2 So wee may say of all Beleevers even of those that are strongest God doth onely whisper and speake gently to them the thunder of his power they cannot understand For as there is a peace of God which passeth all understanding Phil. 4.7 they that have it not understand nothing of it and they that have it understand but little of it it passeth all understanding not a naturall understanding onely but also a spirituall And as there is a love of Christ passing knowledge Eph. 3.19 which yet we should labour to know a love which hath an incomprehensible height and length and bredth and depth in it which yet all the Saints are labouring to comprehend so there is a manifestation of the will and workes of God a Thunder of his power which were it made and spoken out to us our understanding could not graspe nor comprehend how much soever we should desire and labour to comprehend it And therefore God is pleased to put the treasure of his minde and messages in earthen vessells not onely as the Apostle gives the reason 2 Cor 4.7 That the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us but he doth it also condiscending to our weakenes lest if he should give out this treasure immediately from himselfe or should put it into some heavenly vessel we should not be able to beare the excellency or as Job here speakes The Thunder of his power Thus after a very long ventilation of the Question between Job and his friends wee are arrived at the Conclusion of their dispute Job hath answered two of his friends thrice the third Zophar I meane onely twice He it seemes gave out and sate downe whether satisfyed or wearyed whether having no more to say or being unwilling to say any more or thinking that enough had been sayd already I determine not But though Jobs friends have done arguing against him yet he hath not done arguing for himselfe Which he doth in five entire Chapters twice called the continuation of his Parable In what sence he calleth his ensuing speech a parable together with the subject matter of it may through the Gratious presence and supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ who hath helped hetherto and hath not suffered that little oyle in the Cruse to fayle shine forth with a clearer light A TABLE Directing to some speciall Points noted in the
which will be as so many Observations from the Text. It may seem a very Paradox to assert that it is no pleasure to the Almighty that a man makes his way perfect therefore take the sense first in three Affirmative Propositions and then in three that are Negative First The Lord hath pleasure in us as we are righteous in Christ Yea he loves to hear us boast of this righteousnesse and glory in it and the more we doe so the more pleasure he taketh in it Isa 45.25 Surely shall one say in the Lord have I righteousnes even to him shall men come c. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory The seed of Israel are righteous in the Lord and glory in that righteousnesse yea the Lord is pleased to hear them glorying in that righteousnesse for that 's the righteousnesse of his Son in whom he is well pleased Mat. 3. â—7 And because the Church is cloathed with this righteousnesse therefore she is called The Lords delight Isai 62.4 Thou shalt no more be called forsaken neither shall thy Land any more be termed desolate but thou shalt be called Hephzibah thy land Beulah for the Lord delighteth in thee Thou shalt be called my delight or my pleasure is in her The word of the Text the Lords pleasure is in the Church and therefore the Lords pleasure is in the Church becaus the Church is adorned and beautified with the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ this is it which causeth the Lord to call his Church Hephzibah My pleasure is in her When Eliphaz enquireth Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous We may answer the Lord hath pleasure in this righteousnesse and as he tels the Church so every perticular Believer his delight and pleasure is in him Secondly God takes pleasure also in us as we are righteous in Conversation David Psal 147.10 11. gives a clear proof of it both in the negative and in the affirmative The Lord delighteth not in the strength of a Horse he taketh not pleasure in the leggs of a man The Lords delight is neither in Horses nor in men neither in their strength nor in their beauty wherein is the Lords pleasure then The next words shew us where He takes pleasure in them that feare him and hope in his mercy This Scripture seems to speak directly contrary to Eliphaz in Job he saith Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous But David saith The Lord takes pleasure in those that feare him therefore we must not understand Eliphaz in this sense as if the Lord had no delight or contentment at all in the holinesse of his people as if it were all one to him whether they are holy or unholy There is a Generation who say that all actions are alike and that it is all one before God whether men be righteous or unrighteous whether they doe good or evil wo to them that understand this Scripture in such a corrupt sense for the Lord doth not onely hate iniquity but he is Of purer eyes then to behold any iniquity He hath no pleasure either in unrighteousnesse or in the unrighteous but both righteousnesse and the righteous are his pleasure There are three things which I shall touch for the confirmation of it First the Lord cannot but take pleasure in his own Image Now that righteousnesse which is implanted in us and put forth by us the righteousnesse of our natures and of our actions as we are regenerate is nothing else but the Image of God renewed upon us Seeing then God cannot but take pleasure in his own Image therefore it is a wickednesse to think that God takes no pleasure in a righteous man or in his righteousnesse Secondly as this righteousnesse is the image of God in us so it is the very workmanship of God upon us Ephes 2.10 For we are his workmanship we are so not only first in our naturall capacity as we are men and secondly in our civil capacity as such or such men high or low rich or poor but also which is the thing intended by the Apostle in our spiritual capacity as Saints Thus we are the workmanship of God created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them The same Apostle saith againe He that hath wrought us for this selfe same thing is God 2 Cor. 5.5 Is it possible that God should have no pleasure in his own works We read in the first of Genesis that when he had made the world the Lord saw all that he had made and behold it was very good God hath an All-seeing eye he alwayes beholdeth all things but when 't is said he saw all that he had made this imports a special act of God after the manner of men who strictly view and behold what they have done delighting in it Thus the Lord saw all that he had made he as it were came to view his own work he saw and behold it was very good he took pleasure in it Now if God took pleasure in that structure and fabrick of the world the first Creation how much more doth he take pleasure in that holinesse which he hath wrought in the hearts of his people which is a second creation and that 's a more curious and noble structure then this visible world is The new Creation is more excellent then the old Therfore the Lord cannot but delight in a righteous person for he is his workmanship What Job Ch. 14.15 assures himselfe of is most true in this respect Thou wilt have a desire to the worke of thine hands Job speaks there of his outward man my body he means was made by thee 't is the work of thy hands and thou wilt fetch it back again thou wilt redeem it from the dust Whatsoever hath the workmanship of God upon it he hath pleasure in it as it is his work and a speciall pleasure in that which as any work of Grace is is his speciall work Thirdly this Consideration shews that the Lord must take pleasure in a righteous person because he bears the form of his will revealed in his word Holinesse is our conformity to the will of God Now the Lord cannot but take pleasure in those who conforme to his will Samuel tels Saul 1 Sam. 15.22 and there he useth this word in the Text Hath the Lord as great delight in Burnt-offrings and sacrifices as in obeying the voyce of the Lord God gave thee a word a Command to which he expected thy conformity but thou hast thought to please the Lord with Sacrifices which he commanded thee not this was thy mistake and thy folly We honour God when we do his will surely then he must needs take pleasure in those that doe it Man takes pleasure when he can have his will though it be a corrupt and sinfull will fulfilled It cannot but be a pleasure to God when his holy will is