at the last day Our late Annotators dealing with these words as reported Luk. 17.37 say that by the flight of the Eagle is signified the sudden assembling of the Saints unto Christ coming unto judgement answerable to that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.52 as also to that 1 Thes 4.17 Now though according to this allegorical interpretation of the Texts in St. Matthew and Luke Christ is the carcass and believers the Eagles yet I shall close my interpretation of thâ—s Text in Job to which both the Evangelists allude by shewing that in other Scriptures such things are spoken of Christ himselâ— as hold out a likeness between him and the Eagle in many respeâ—â—s First As the Eagle is the royal bird the Princess or Queen of birds so Jesus Christ is the Prince of the Kings of the earth Rev. 1.5 And again Rev. 19.16 King of Kings and Lord of Lords As the Eagle among birds so Christ among both men and Angels hath the preheminence Secondly As the Eagle mounts up so also did Jesus Christ Psal 68.18 Thou hast ascended on high yea so high hath Christ ascended that the Eaglâ—â—annot follow him The Heaven to which natural Eagles mount is as I may say but a pavement to that which Jesus Christ ascended to Christ had a high slight he mounted up to the heaven of heavens far above all visible heavens Eph. 4.10 he is made higher than the Heavens Heb. 7.26 Thirdly Hath the Eagle a piercing eye so hath Jesus Christ he not only from the height of the clouds whither the Eagle mounts but from the highest heavens can look into the secret of every mans heart even into the hell of a bad mans heart and see what 's doing there what 's lying there It was said of Christ while on earth John 2.25 He needed not that any should testifie of man for he knew what was in man and still he looks quite through man through the wisest closest and most reserved among the sons of men All things are naked and open before the eyes of him this Eagle with whom we have to do his eyes behold afar off Fourthly Historians tell us the Eagle fights or wars with Dragons and Serpents and overcomes them Jesus Christ this Eagle hath fought with that great dragon the devil and bruised the head of the Serpent Gen. 3.15 Fifthly The Eagle is very tender and careful of her young ones Now as an Eagle saith Moses Deut. 32.11 12. stirreth up her nest that is those in her nest fluttereth over her young spreadeth abroad her wings taketh them beareth them on her wings so the Lord alone did lead him and there was no strange God with him God bare the Israelites on Eagles wings out of Egypt and brought them to himself Exod. 19.5 that is he brought them speedily and safely and so he bore them all the years of their journeying in the wilderness The Eagle beareth her young ones upon her wings that they may be safe she must be hurt before her young ones can while she bears them there Thus Christ bears his people on his wings yea in his bosome The eternal God is their refuge and underneath are the everlasting Arms Deut. 33.27 Sixthly Naturalists tell us the Eagle gives her young ones of her own blood Aelian l. 14. cap. 14. when she cannot get other blood for them to drink or suck This is most true of Christ he suffered himself to be wounded for us his hands and feet yea his very heart was pierced that we might have his blood to drink in believing My blood saith he Joh. 6. is drink indeed Seventhly The Eagle is long lived Aquila vocatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propter longae vitatem vivit annos centum Epiphan The Greek expresseth her by a word signifying longevity and some give the reason not only from the excellent temperament and constitution of her body but also because she lives in such pure air free from ill vapours and noisom smells Jesus Christ is not only long lived but he lives for ever he was from everlasting and will be to everlasting he is the King eternal 1 Tim. 1.17 the eternal father Isa 9.6 Thus we see how Christ is like the Eagle in these seven particulars I shall shew seven more wherein true Christians also are like the Eagle First Doth the Eagle flie high so do they by the wings of faith They mount up saith the Prophet Isa 40.31 with wings as the Eagle Secondly Hath the Eagle a clear sight doth she see far off so Saints by faith can see far off Isa 33.17 Their eyes see the King in his beauty they behold the Land that is very far off Which Scripture though it be properly and litterally meant of beholding King Hezekiah in his earthly glory yet it is much more verified of a believers seeing his King the Lord Jesus Christ in his heavenly glory and of his beholding Heaven which may well be called the Land of farness and distances or as we translate The Land very far off Stephen the Protomartyr had a clear intellectual spiritual eye when he said Acts 7.56 Behold I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God Believers have a clear Eagle-eye here and they shall have a much clearer eye hereafter when they shall see Christ as he is 1 John 3.2 All Saints will be more than eagle-eyed in glory Thirdly Doth the Eagle dwell on a rock so doth every true believer Isa 33.16 His place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks bread shall be given him his water shall be sure The Apostle tells us who the rock is 1 Cor. 10.4 The rock which followed them was Christ Fourthly Doth the Eagle renew her strength So do believers when any oldness is coming upon the new creature as it doth sometimes then they renew their strength by looking to Jesus Christ who is at once their righteousness and their strength He satisfieth their mouth with good things so that their youth is renewed as the Eagles Psal 103.5 As the Lord often bâ—ings his people low by bodily sickness and weakness and then renews their natural health and strength So when there are decays and declinings upon their souls he renews their spiritual health and strength Isa 40.31 They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strengh and then as was said before they shall mount up with wings as Eagles The Eagles youth is renewed by the growth and succession of new feathers of the same kind in the place of the old but a believer reneweth his youth or strength by casting off gradually the remainders of the old man which is corrupt and by putting on more of the new man who is quite of another kind created after God in righteousness and true holiness Eph. 4.24 Fifthly Can the Eagle look fully upon the Sun Surely helievers have not only as clear but as strong a sight as the Eagle they can look upon Jesus Christ the
things their being in the beginning hath hitherto preserved their being and will to the end And not only so but Thirdly all things are his in possession the Lord hath all in his hand In whose hand soever the things of the world are they are all in the Lords hand As Abraham said in his Treaty with the King of Sodom Gen. 14.22 I have lift up my hands to the most high God the possessor of heaven and of earth Psal 24.1 The earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof the world and they that dwell therein that is they are all at his dispose And again The world is mine and the fulness thereof saith the Lord himself Psal 50.12 and therefore if I were hungry that is if I needed any thing I would not tell thee that is complain to thee or go a begging to thee who art but a beggar I can help my self and take what and where I will There is a fourth title by which all things under heaven are the Lords even by Redemption The Lord hath restored the whole world to a kind of new life by the death of his Son Jesus Christ is the Saviour of all men especially of them which believe 1 Tim. 4.10 All have some benefit by redemption and so whatsoever is under the whole heaven the whole Systome of heaven and earth is the Lords by redemption though the specialty of redemption be theirs only and intended to them only who believe who as they have a peculiar portion a Benjamins Mess in the grace of redemption so the Lord calleth them his peculiars Exod. 19.5 Ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people for all the earth is mine And they are called the Lords portion Deut. 32.9 The Lords portion is his people Jacob is the lot of his inheritance Thus as all under the whole heaven is the Lords so all is his by a fourfold title by the titles of creation and sustentation and possession and redemption All things visible and invisible have been created are sustained and possessed by him as their great Lord and all things visible have been redeemed by him from present perishing and a world of them in this world that they should never perish but have everlasting life John 3.16 From this general Assertion That whatsoever is under the whole heaven is the Lords take these following Inferences First Then the Devil is a lyar a great lyar for Mat. 4. in his last assault against Christ he boasted that he would give him all the Kingdoms of the earth and the glory of them whereas the truth is he hath not a shoe latchet at his dispose While the Devil saith all is mine the truth is nothing is his but a lye of that he is the father As he hath not given a being to the least worm so he cannot dispose of the least worm he is not worth a straw for all is the Lords Secondly Hence we learn That there is a lying spirit in most of the children of men even in all them who look upon any thing they have as their own There is a sense in which we have a right to and a propriety in what we have and may call it ours but that spirit which moves in most of the children of men is a lying spirit when they say this and that is their own David Psal 12.4 brings in the wicked saying With our tongue will we prevail our lips are our own who is Lord over us What have not we who have so many Lordships the Lordship of our selves the Lordship of that little piece of our selves our lips But were not their lips their own not in the sense they spake it as if they were accountable to none for them for their next word was Who is Lord over us Thus most do they look upon their lips and all the members of their body as their own but what saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.20 Glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods And vers 19. Ye are not your own Your body is not your own but it is the Lords then much less are the things that you have your own your Land is not your own nor your cattel your own the beasts of the earth are not your own nor the fishes of the Sea your own nor is a hair of your head your own nor a pin upon your sleeve they are all the Lords Is it not then a lying spirit which possesseth very many among the children of men who look upon themselves and what they have as their own Their houses and lands are their own their gold and silver are their own who is Lord over them or theirs O let such remember that themselves their houses and lands their gold and silver are the Lords and that the Lord saith expressly The silver is mine and the gold is mine Hag. 2.8 Thirdly If all be the Lords then the Lord is able to supply the wants of all who wait upon him and to supply them plentifully The Lord supplieth the wants of all creatures The Lord keepeth a great house he feedeth all that he hath made he provideth food for Leviathan he satisfieth every living thing Psal 145 16. and Psal 115.16 The heaven even the heavens are the Lords but the earth hath he given to the children of men that is whatsoever of the earth the children of men that is men in common or mankind have the Lord hath given it to them and seing his own children have need of it surely he will not deny it them The Lord I say hath given the earth to the children of men and if the Lord hath bestowed the earth on men as men then much more hath he the earth to bestow upon his own children Christ in his Sermon upon the mount Mat. 6.32 assureth them of it Your heavenly father knoweth that ye have need of these things Food and cloathing is in your fathers hand your father is rich he is rich indeed and therefore he can supply your wants If children do but remember that their father hath such and such lands and houses they think they shall be well provided for how much more may a godly man say my father hath a great deal of land the whole earth is his and therefore I shall be provided for The Apostle improves this position twice 1 Cor. 10. First to makâ— use of our liberty in eating whatsoever is fold in the shambles asking no question for conscience sake for saith he the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof vers 26. He makes use of it Secondly to perswade us not to abuse our liberty ver 28. But if any man say unto you this is offered in sacrifice unto idols eat not for his sake that shewed it do not offend him and for conscience sake do not offend thy self The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof As if he had said why shouldst thou trouble thy self or others by eating such meat seing there is enough
he hath founded it upon the waters as was shewed before yet that cannot be meant properly for how can water a fluid body naturally bear up or sustain the Earth a heavy body and not at all boyant We all see it hangeth or standeth in the ayre But what foundation can the ayre be to the Earth which will scarcely bear a feather It remains then undeniable that the Will and Power of God are the foundations of the Earth Rationi nihil occurrit cui innitatur terra si divinam exceperis voluntatem Nazian Orat. 24. There 's nothing can be given or assigned in reason if you look not to the Will of God for the foundation of the Earth Besides that there 's no bottom for it One of the Ancients giving a description of the Creation saith All things are laid up in his Power and Will these are the foundations the stay and establishment of all things Omnia reposita existimo in ejus potestate quod voluntas ejus sit fundamentum universorum Ambr. l. 1. Hexam c. 6. And as it is so with respect to the standing of the Earth so with respect to all those great things which God hath promised to do in the Earth the foundation of them all is his own Power and Will or his Powerful Will The foundation laid in Election and the foundation laid in Redemption by Jesus Christ other foundation can no man lay for all our spiritual comforts present priviledges and future hopes 1 Cor. 3.11 These foundations I say were laid in the Will of God Lo I come to do thy Will O God Heb. 10.7.9 The Will of God is the foundation and establishment of all things whether Natural or Civil Spiritual or Eternal Seventhly From the scope of these words we may Observe God who hath made the Earth by his Power doth also govern it and man who inhabits it And therefore man ought to be quiet and sit down in his governing as well as in his Creating Will. To convince and perswade Job of this is as hath been toucht the purpose of God in all that followeth He that hath made the World governs the World and if so shall poor creatures you or I or any other though a Job find fault with his government of it Will a Master-Builder suffer any one to find fault with his work who understands not how to lay a stone in it much less to give the rule or direction for the whole work Forasmuch then as the Lord is not only the Master-Builder but the sole Maker of this great House the World it becomes man for whose use it was made to acquiesce or rest quietly in his Government of it Surely the Maker of all things hath a right to dispose of all things and therefore all persons are to be satisfied in his disposal of them From the whole verse and the observations given upon it take these Scripture inferences First The Scripture makes this inference from it God is one and there is none like to him Isa 40.26 Isa 46.8 To whom will ye liken me to whom will you compare me I am he that stretched out the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth there 's none like to him in Wisdome none in Power who laid the foundation of the Earth There was never such a visible piece of work done in the World as the making of the World therefore theâ—e is none such as the Maker of the World The hypocrite is brought in dreaming that God was altogether such as himself Psal 50.21 And 't is as it hath been the common guise of Idolaters to think that God is no better than their Idol But what the Lord by his Prophet Jer. 10.11 12 taught the captive Jews to say to their great Lords the Babylonians the same hath he taught us to say to all Hypocrites and Idolaters The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens Then presently followeth as in Job He hath made the earth by his power he hath established the world by his wisdom and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion As if it had been said Will ye imagine that the Idols which you have made are like him who made you and all things And 't is considerable that whereas the whole Prophesie of Jeremy is written in the Hebrew Tongue this eleventh verse which holds out at once a testimony and a threatning against those Idolaters is written in the Chaldean Language with which the Jews by their long Captivity in Babylon were well acquainted that so the Babylonians might hear of it and know that the God of Israel who made heaven and earth was altogether unlike their gods who did never so much as arrogate to themsâ—lves any hand in much less the sole power of making heaven and earth Secondly Take this Scripture inference Seeing the Lord hath laid the foundations of the earth by his own Power and Wisdome then He is the Proprietor of the whole earth or the whole earth is the Lords proper possession Psal 34.1 The earth is the Lords aâ—d the fulness thereof the Lord made it and it is his He was not called nor set a work to build this great House for another but he made iâ— as by his own power so for his own pleasure all the inhabitants of the earth are his tenants and not only the earth but the whole stock and furniture of it is his For as the Lord made the earth so all that the earth is stored with Thus spake Abraham Gen. 14.22 to the King of Sodome who bid him take the goods to himself I have lifted up my hand unto the Lord the most high God possessor of heaven and earth that I will not take from a threed even to a shoe latchet c. As if he had said The Lord who is possessor of heaven and earth is my portion my possession and he can give me enough of the earth yea he will give me heaven also therefore I will not take any thing of thine lest thou shouldest say I have made Abraham rich The Lord who is possessor of the earth can give his people what earthly portions or possessions of the earth he pleaseth And let us remember what earthly portions soever we have in this world we have no reason to boast seeing all is the Lords and we are but his stewards and tenants at will And because 't is the Lords earth which we possess let us also remember to pay our rent our quit-rent to him that is thanks duly and daily lest we provoke him to distrain upon us or to take the forfeiture and turn us out of all Many hold lands from great Lords to pay only some small rent or service in a way of acknowledgement O let us remember to pay our rent to our Great Land-Lord The Lord of the whole earth They who acknowledge what they have is his or that they have and hold all they have
about to frame and O how many how exceeding many or innumerable are they yet God saw not onely some or many but every one of them It was said by one of the Ancients upon this place Profundum mâ—ris deuâ— ingreditâ—r quâ—ndo visitare mentes etiam pressâ—â— sceleribus non dedignatur Greg. l. 29. c. 7 God goes to the depth of the sea as often as he goeth into the depth of mans heart and beholds what is there And there â—e beholds not onely the great but small beasts as the Psalmist calls the fish of the sea that is not onely great but small lusts and foolish imaginations the huge multitudes and shoals of vain thoughts which swim and play in that wide sea of mans heart are distinctly seen and as distinctly judged as if but one were there Thirdly From the scope of this place note That seeing we cannot search into the depth of the sea it should stay our curiosity in searching into and stay us from discontent when we cannot find the depth of Gods Counsels concerning us and of his Providences towards us There is a dutiful search into the Works of God David speaks of it Psal 111.2 The works of the Lord are great sought out of all those that have pleasure in them They are sought out that is they who have pleasure in them do and will endeavour soberly to search them out as much as may be but let all take heed of searching them wantonly or presumptuously that is either to satisfie their curiosity or with an opinion that they can reach the depth of them The Lord would have us satisfie our selves in the ignorance or rather nescience of those natural things which he hath not made known to us Surely then which is as hath been said the scope of this Chapter we should be satisfied though we in some cases know not nor can perceive the reason of Gods providential dealings either towaâ—ds particular persons and families or his Church in general Will any wise or sober man vex and disquiet himself will he be angry and pettish because he knows not all the secrets of the earâ—h and sea as some say Aristotle the Philosopher was to death and drowning because he could not find out the reason why the sea in one place ebbed and slowed seven times in one day Why then should we be impatient because the reason of Gods proceedings with the sons of men or of the strange ebbings and slowings of things in the sea of this world is secreted and hidden fâ—om us And therefore when we are not able to enter into the springs of this sea nor to walk in the search of this depth let it not trouble us but humble us as it did Job to whom the Lord put these questions and proceeded to put more and more hard questions if harder can be in the next words Vers 17. Have the gates of death been opened or revealed unto thee Or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death Here is another strange question Who among the living hath had the gates of death opened to him Oâ— hath viewed the doors of the shadow of death We read often in Scripture of the gates of death Psal 9.13 Num illius profunda quae verè dixirim mortis regiam c. rimatus es Bez. Psal 107.18 and which is all one of the gates of the grave Isa 38.10 but who knows what these gates are yet we may say something towards the clearing of this question A gate in strict sense is that by which we are admitted into any place and so the gates of death are That whatsoever it is by which we enter into death or go into the black hall of the grave Again The gates of death are any great and eminent danger Then we may be said to be at the gates of death when our lives are in great hazard to be lost either by the violence of enemies or by any violent sickness In the former sense David spake in way of supplication Psal 9.13 Have mercy on me O Lord consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me thou that liftest me up from the gates of death that is from deadly danger In the latter he spake by way of narration in his elegant description of the sick Psal 107.18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat and they draw near unto the gates of death that is they are ready to die or sick unto death And thus said King Hezekiah upon his sick-bed and as he thought a little before upon his death-bed Isa 38.10 I shall go to the gates of the grave I am deprived of the residue of my years that is of those years which I might have reckoned upon as mine according to the common account of mans life or the usual course of nature These are the more general gates of death and about these all agree But there are several opinions what should be specially intended by the gates of death in this place Portae mortis sunt causae corruptionis quantum advirtutes corporum â—â—lestium Aquin. in loc First One riseth very high saying that by the gates of death we are to understand the visible heavens because the heavenly bodies send down sometimes malignant influences which have a mighty power to corrupt the bodies of men here below so causing death to carry them away Thus he imagins death issuing out of the clouds as out of opened gates upon men on earth But that 's a far fetcht interpretation Secondly Oâ—hers go to the utmost contrary point and say by the gates of death we are to understand Hell The Papists give a description of several receptacles for souls departed under the earth they make at least three distinctions First Limbus Patrum The place where they affiâ—m the souls of the Fathers were before Christ came in the flesh and had accomplished the work of our redemption here on earth Secondly Purgatory the place where the souls of all that die not in mortal sin as they distinguish are reserved to be purged by temporary punishments before they can get to heaven Thirdly The lowest of all is that which we call Hell the place of the damned whither all go say they and we too who die in sin without repentance This place of torment some take for the gates of death But seeing the Lord is here speaking of natural things not of moral actions not of the consequents of them rewards and punishments therefore though we may truly call Hell the gates or power of death yet that notion as well as the former is altogether heterogeneal in this Text. Thirdly Several expound the gates of death in connection with the former verse for the depth or bottom of the sea where many dead carcases lie rotting all such as are cast away by shipwracks or die at sea being usually thrown into the deep and therefore at last the sea shall give up her dead as well as the earth Fourthly The gates of death
two interpretations First Some expound it of staying the rain when there is most need of rain or when the earth wants it most or in a time of drought For then the earth groweth hard like a molten-pillar and the clods thereof cleaving one to another make clefts in the body of the earth In a time of great drought the earth at once cleaves asunder and runs closet together as it were to succour it self Who stayeth the bottles of heaven when the earth is chapt and gapes for rain to soften and cool it Surely man doth it not nor can he be said to do it unless meritoriously It is God alone who efficiently stays the clouds from rain in a time of drought or when the necessities of the earth call aloud for it Taking the words in this sense Observe God can stop any of our mercies as here the rain when we have most need of them I saith the Lord Amos 4.7 have withholden the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest and I caused it to rain upon one City and caused it not to rain upon another City one piece was rained upon and the piece whereupon it rained not withered One months drought before harvest threatens a scarsity or dearth of Corn but two yea three months drought must needs usher in a dreadful famine Voce◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—â—â—o sermentâ—tiâ—â—m â—erbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quâ—d â—â—gnificat â—â—rmentari atque intâ—mescere E. Pisc The second interpretation of these words seems yet more clear Who can stay the bottles of heaven when the dust groweth into hardness and the clods cleave fast together that is who but God can stop rain when there is no farther need of rain As it the Loâ—d had said When the bottles of heaven have given out so much rain as may sit the earth for fruit-bearing or when the ground hath had its fill so that the light dust is turned into lumps of earth and that dust which was raised and tossed with every breath of wiâ—d is clodded and agglutinated by water into a massie substance when I say 't is thus with the earth who can stay or stop the bottles of heaven from raining more to the spâ—il of all but my self So then the true use of rain is held forth in this 38. vers namely that the dust of the earth being moistened with rain may coalesce or be joyned close together This I conceive is the most natural and proper sense of the Text. For the earth which by drought was cruâ—bled into dust rain falling plentifully upon it is knit again into one body like meal or flower into which leven is put and so is made ready to receive Humore aquae terrae puries continentur uniuntur quae ante disjunctae fuerant Merc. Vt perfusio sit formentandae terrae ut conglutinentur glebae Jun. Trans I. e. ut terram quum pulverulenta est ab ariditate immissis pluviis sermentet ad glebarum comâ—agem rerum ex ea nascentium alimentum Jun. nourish and b ing forth whatever grain is cast into the bosome of it Rain falling upon the dust embodies it The ground moulders in a time of drought but when rain comes that hardens it The dust as we commonly say slyes before but as drought cleaves the earth so rain causeth the parts to unite anâ— then the earth which like a heap of sand would not hang together becomes solid and fit for tillage Now when so much rain hath fallen as prepares the earth and as the word imports fermentates or levens it to receive the seed cast into it then who stayeth the bottles of heaven Hence note First Rain compacts the earth As moisture loosens compacted things so it compacts or knit together loose things The earth is soon made dust by droughts and it would be a very dust-heap if it had no moisture to reunite it The Lord threatens his people in case of disobedience Deut. 28.24 to make the rain of their Land powder and dust that is they should have dust and powder instead of water Long drought turns the earth to dust In this learn how great a mercy there is in rain Secondly note The Lord knows when the earth hath had sufficient rain And therefore unless in judgement he will not let the clouds run wast he will stay his bottles from letting down one drop more when once the dust by rain falling upon it groweth into hardness and the clods cleave fast together Note Thirdly 'T is a mercy when the earth hath enough that God stops the bottles As it is a duty when we have drank enough to stop the bottle that is to give over drinking so 't is a mercy that the Lord stops the bottles when the earth hath drank enough When the earth hath enough the Lord sometimes will not stop the bottles of heaven but lets them pour down rain till the fruits of the earth are utterly spoyled and this he doth for the punishment of mans sin always and sometimes for the punishment of those special sins mans unthankfulness for and abuse of the fruits of the earth that is because he did not stay the bottle when he had taken enough Now if the Lord knows when to give rain and when to stop it with respect to husbandry and the natural fruits of the earth then doubtless he knows and will take care to give rain for the souls of his people when they have need Psal 68.2 Thou O God didst send a plentiful rain whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance when it was weary which is specially meant of spiritual rain There are bottles of heaven which water souls The Preachers of the word are those bottles or clouds which hold and destil the mystical rain the Lord will not stop them till he sees the hearts of men made fit to bring forth the fruits of righteousness holiness he will not stop I say that spiritual rain till this be effected unless in judgement to a people that have despised the rain and slighted those showers of divine doctrine against such the Lord will stop the bottles of heaven then their souls turn to dust and their hearts become hard as rocks or like the mountains upon which neither rain nor dew falls fruitless and barren of every good word and work JOB Chap. 38. Vers 39 40 41. 39. Wilt thou hunt the prey for the Lion or fill the appetite of the young Lions 40 When they couch in their dens and abide in the covert to lie in wait 41. Who provideth for the Raven his food when his young ones cry unto God they wander for lack of meat THe Lord having by a multitude of questions proposed to Job concerning inanimates or creatures without life such as are the Earth the Sea the Heavens the Clouds and Meteors having I say by these questions convinced him of his weakness and insufficiency as also of the transcendent power and wisdom which abideth
to hunt the prey for him yet the testimony of those ingenious Travellers or Navigators upon whose report of what they have seen or heard in those Countreys the worthy Author above-named makes this relation this testimony I say may be a probable ground for such an Exposition of the Text that the Lord had in his wise providence provided one to hunt the prey for the Lion Though I conceive the sense of the place to be moâ—e general namely that the Lord himself hath one way or other taken care that even the Lion shall have his prey and that neither Job then nor any one else needed take care in that matter How great an argument that might be both for Jobs conviction and consolation will appear afterwards Wilt thou hunt the prey For the Lion The word rendred Lion signifies a stout Lion Mr. Broughton renders the hardy Lion others the old Lion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leoni vetulo qui viribus deficientibus non amplius potest venari sed à juvenibus capta praeda rugitu eum ad participationem praedae vocantibus alitur Aelian l. 9. Histor Animal c. 1. Wilt thou hunt the prey for the old Lion and there 's a double interpretation with respect to that translation That either here is meant a Lion come up to his full strength and so every way able to provide for himself or that by the old Lion is meant a Lion gâ—own so old and weak with old age that he can no longer provide for nor hunt the prey for himself and therefore the Lord saith Wilt thou hunt the prey for the old Lion that cannot hunt for himself dost thou provide for the Lion that cannot pâ—ovide for himself 'T is I who provide a prey for the old Lion that cannot hunt the prey for himself This is a good sense and I shall touch it in the Observation However 't is plain that by the Lion in the first part of the verse is meant an old Lion for he stands opposed to the young Lion in the latter part of the veâ—se Wilt thou hunt the prey for the Lion Naturalists speak many things of the nature of the Lion to whom I refer the Reader I shall have occasion to touch some of them while I mention what the Scâ—ipture saith of him The Lion bears a four-fold resemblance in Scripture First The Lion is the emblem of a King Judah whose tribe was the stock of Kings or the tribe Royal is called a Lions whelp Gen. 49.9 Thus spake Jacob Judah is a Lions whelp from the prey my Son thâ—s art gone up he stooped down he couched as a Lion and as an old Lion who shall rouse him up The Kings of the earth are compared to Lions First Because of their greatness and supe iotity What the Lion is among beasts Kings are among men their chiefs Secondly Because of their stoutness and courage Solomon saith of the Lion Prov. 30.30 He is strongest among beasts and turneth not away for any That is he is not afraid of any beast To be bold as a Lion is a sacred as well as a common proverbiâ—l noting greatest boldness Aristotle saith Nunquam in locis patentibus fugit aut metuit pedetentimque discedit Arist the Lion never flies oâ— makes any hasty retreat let the danger be what it will in open view but goes off keeping his own pace A modern Writer speaks thus The Lion in Africk is more fierce than in colder climate He shrinkâ— not in danger except some covert of Woods hâ—dâ—s him from witnesses and then he will take the benefit of a flight which otherwise he seems to disdain Such is the true spirit of Kings Leoni tantum ex feris clementia in supplices Plin. l. 8. c. 16. Satis est prostrasse Leoni Vigilans oculus sceptro impositus perpetuae vigiliae symbolum est they are much above ignoble fears Thirdly Lions resemble Kings because of their mildness and nobleness to them that submit Fourthly Because of the stateliness of their gate and majesty of their aâ—pect Fifthly Because of their vigilancy and watchfulness The Lion sleeps say Naâ—uralists with his eyes open he sleeps as if he were not asleep and as some observe he often moves his tail while he sleepeth as giving notice that he is not as we speak fast asleep And as the Lion is an emblem of earthly Kings so Secondly of the Lord Jesus Christ the King of heaven and earth the King of Kings To shew his supeâ—eminent excellency he is called a Lion Rev. 5.5 There was found none wâ—rthy to open the Book but the Lion of the tribe of Judah Now Jesus Christ is compared to a Lion upon all those accounts before named for which worthy and heroick Kings are so compared for First Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 19.16 He is highly exalted he hath a name given him above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth Phil. 2.9 10. And as Jesus Christ is like the Lion for his superiority so Secondly for his clemency true nobleness of spirit towards those who yield unto him 'T is enough indeed to humble our selves before this Lion How ready must Christ be to receive and embrace humbled sinners who humbled himself to death that he mâ—ght save sinners even while they were proud and rebelled against him Thirdly Jesus Christ is a Lion also in respect of his watchfulness over his Church This Lion that keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps Psal 121.4 and Fourthly for his invincible courage and strength always ready to be put forth for his Church The Prophet Isa 31.4 compares Christ to a Lion that will not be frighted Like as the Lion saith he and the young Lion roaring on his prey when a multitude of Shepherds is called out against him he will not be afraid of their voice nor abase himself for the noise of them so shall the Lord of Hosts himself come down to fight for mount Sion and for the hill thereof As if the Prophet had said God will protect Jerusalem against all her enemies the Assyrian forces are there specially intended no more regarding or fearing them than a fierce Lion in the prime of his strength will regard or fear a company of simple Shepherds that shall attempt to rescue his prey from between his teeth And because of this Lion-like power and courage of Christ so his Church another Prophet saith that tâ—e Church herself shall be as a Lion Mâ—c 5.8 And the remnant of Jacob that is the true Church shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people who are enemies and unbelievâ—ng as a Lion among the beasts of the forrest as a young Lion among the flocks of sheep or rather as the Margin haâ—h it Goats who if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces and none can deliver That is as our late
alone will not do it For that there may be an increase these five things must concur First The skill and industry of the Husband-man Secondly The strength and labour of the Ox or Horse Thirdly The vertue and fatness of the earth Fourthly The showers and influences of heaven Fifthly And above all the blessing of God Old Isaac said of his Son Jacob Gen. 27.27 See the smell of my Son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed As there is no increase without the blessing of God how much soever men or oxen labour so there is great increase the Lord adding his blessing by the labour of men and oxen Labour and increase usually go together and where no labour is there except by miracle is no increase Where no labour is the barn is empty the crib is empty the belly is empty the purse is empty Of doing nothing comes nothing but want and misery 'T is said when the Ox is weariest he treads surest To be sure they who are most wearied by honest pains-taking tread surest upon honest profit Secondly observe Seed sown is not lost but returns and comes home again That which was scattered abroad in the field is gathered into the barn Some may think when they see the Husbandman cast his seed into the ground that he casts it away but by the labour of the Ox by the skill of the Husbandman and the blessing of God upon all the seed cometh home again Thus the Apostle spake in a spiritual sense He that ploweth should plow in hope and he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope 1 Cor. 9.10 It should be so according to the ordination of God as to the faithful Ministers of God of whose labour in plowing up souls by the word and sowing those souls with the word the Apostle there treats And it is so through the benediction of God as to laborious Husband-men and their cattel in plowing and sowing the soyl of the earth Yea thus it is in all we do our actions good or bad are as seed sown which will certainly come again they will not be lost Good done will assuredly turn to good and evil done and not undone by repentance will as surely turn to evil The Apostle gives us this double assurance Gal. 6.7 8. Whatsoever a man soweth that not numerically but specifically shall he also reap For He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting And thus in special works of charity or our distributions to the necessities of others are more significantly called sowing Psal 112.9 He hath dispersed he hath given to the poor That is he hath sowed his alms abundantly what then It followeth His righteousness endureth for ever his horn shall be exalted with honor To give to the poor especially to Gods poor to the godly poor or to those that are made poor for Gods sake is sowing good seed and he that soweth thus shall receive a fruitful crop Grain sowed in the field may yield a good increase but that which is rightly sowed in the bowels of the poor shall certainly yield a better What we give is like seed sowed in the field which increaseth thirty sixty an hundred fold What we keep by us is like corn stored up in the garner which we bring forth and spend and there 's an end of it Here 's great encouragement to do good yea to abound in doing good to others What we so part with is not lost but sowed it will come back to the barn it will come home again and that with a great increase And doubtless where there hath been a plowing up of the heart by a work of grace there will be a free sowing in every good work And though we are not to do good works meerly eying a return or our personal advantage yet we may have an eye to it as Moses had in his holy sufferings and services to the recompence of reward yea and take incouragement from the Lords bounty to be more in duty more in charity even unto bounty We may consider the harvest while we are diligent in sowing yea to make us more diligent in sowing Having thus opened the several properties of this creature here called the Vnicorn properly taken and given out some meditations upon them it will not be I conceive either unuseful or unacceptable to the Reader if for the conclusion of the whole matter in hand I shew how the holy Scriptures together with some of the Ancients make use of this creature tropically or in a figure to resemble and represent First The state of the Church and people of God Thus Moses reports Balaam shadowing the power and blessedness of Israel when he came and was hired to curse them Numb 23.22 God saith he brought them that is the children of Israel out of Egypt he hath as it were the strength of an Vnicorn Most expound the word He collectively concerning that whole people as one body He that is Israel hath as it were the strength of an Vnicorn that is he is exceeding strong Some expound it of God He that is God who brought them out of Egypt the mighty God of Jacob hath as it were the strength of an Unicorn God is indeed infinitely strong stronger than the Unicorn That which is most eminent in any creature or for which any creature is most eminent the Scripture often ascribes in a way of super-eminency unto God The Lord hath strength like the strongest and how strong soever he is he is strong for his Israel yea he is the strength of his Israel So that if we take the word in this latter sense it reaches the same thing setting forth the power and strength of Israel by the strength of the Unicorn for the Lord who is their strength will make them strong like Unicorns Balaam spake thus again Numb 24.8 God brought him all Israel as one man out of Egypt he hath as it were the strength of an Vnicorn he shall eat up the Nations his enemies and shall break their bones and pierce them through with his arrows Thus also Moses spake or prophecyed of the Tribe of Joseph Deut. 33.17 His glory is like the firstling of his Bullock and his horns are like the horns of Vnicorns with them shall he push the people or peoples the word is plural together to the ends of the earth and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim and they are the thousands of Manasseh Moses sets out the fruitfulness of Ephraim beyond that of Manasseh ten for one and in both joyntly shews how powerful how prevailing they shall be even as if they pusht their enemies with horns like those of Unicorns In all these Scriptures the Lord fore-shewed the wonderful force of the Jewish Church of old his portion and peculiar people by that of the Unicorn David also as was said before expresseth his assurance of
also accepted Job This gives evidence or witness to the goodness of Job and his eminence in grace how full of love how ready to forgive was he He did not insult over Eliphaz c. nor say now I have got the day God hath determined the matter for me Amicè ut amicos illos amplexus est he did not tell them ye have wronged and abused me ye have unjustly censured and reproached me but putting their unkindnesses into oblivion and laying aside the thought of them he laid out his soul to the utmost for the healing or making up of the difference arising from their folly between God and them For the better improvement of these words First Let us compare them with those in the eighth verse Here it is said The Lord also accepted Job and there the Lord said Him will I accept there it is a promise here a performance Hence note Whatsoever the Lord promiseth to do he will certainly perform and do A word from God is as sure as his deed our hope upon promise as good as possession In hope of eternal life which God who cannot lye promised before the world began Tit. 1.2 Christ will be Amen that is performance 2 Cor. 1.20 to all the promises 2 Cor. 1.20 As they are all made in him so they shall every one of them and in every thing be made good by him unto the glory of God by us that is we shall at last have abundant cause of glorifying of God in performing and making good of all the promises upon the undertaking of Jesus Christ for us No man shall fail of acceptance that is under as Job was a promise of acceptation get under promises and you shall partake the good promised Secondly Whereas upon their doing according as the Lord commanded presently it followeth The Lord also accepted Job Note Though the Lord will surely perform what he hath promised yet if we would have the good promised we must do the duty commanded otherwise our faith is but presumption If Eliphaz and his two friends had not done as the Lord commanded them they could not rightly have expected God should do what he promised accept Job and so themselves There are promises of two sorts First of preventing grace these are made to the wicked and unconverted Secondly there are promises of rewarding grace these are made to the godly who must perform the duty commanded if they would receive the mercy promised As many as walk according to this rule peace be on them and mercy Gal. 6.16 If you will have peace you must walk according to rule the Lord is not bound to fulfil promises if we take liberty to break Commandements or neglect to do them And they who have true faith in the truth and faithfulness of God to fulfil the one can never take liberty to break the other None are so sure to the Command as they who have fullest assurance in the Promise The Lord also accepted Job Here are but few words yet much matter and who knoweth how much mercy Here is much yea all in a little The Lord accepted Job Hence note Thirdly To be accepted of God is the answer of all our prayers and desires a full reward for all our services Acceptation with God is the happiness of man and should be his satisfaction If we are accepted in our services we are bountifully rewarded for them and if our persons are accepted we shall be everlastingly saved When the Lord accepted Job he he heard his prayer for his friends they were reconciled This good news The Lord also accepted Job was enough to make their hearts leap for joy Acceptation is a reviving word the sum of all that we can wish or pray for 't is enough enough to confirm our faith and to wind up our assurance to the very highest expectation of a supply to all our wants and of pardon for all our sins All the kindnesses of God are comprehended in this one word Acceptation Fourthly The Lord accepted Job Here is no mention at all of accepting his sacrifice yet that was accepted too Hence note The Lord having respect to our persons cannot but have respect to our services If our persons are accepted our services are and if the services of any are not respected it is because their persons are not 'T is said Gen. 4.4 5. The Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering but unto Cain and his offering he had no respect Respect or no respect to what is done alwayes begins with the person of the doer Yet further Job was accepted but uâ—on what account or how was Job accepted not in himself nor for himself but in Christ the promised Messias Hence note Fifthly That any mans person is accepted is from free grace through Jesus Christ When we have done all we deserve nothing we are only accepted The Lord accepted Job not for his own sake not for the worth of his service not for the worthiness of his person but for him whom he in that action represented and in whom he believed Jesus Christ Job himself needed Christ for his acceptation 't is in and through him that any are accepted The word Acceptance plainly implieth that there is nothing of merit in us acceptation notes grace and favour This respect to us is not for any desert in us From the whole we may infer First If the Lord accepted Job when he offered sacrifice and prayed for his friends how much more doth he accept Jesus Christ who offered himself a sacrifice for sinners and ever liveth to make intercession for them whose sacrifice he is Did the Lord presently accept Job and his friends or Job for his friends then what confidence may we have that Jesus Christ who is our everlasting sacrifice and Advocate who is entred into the holiest the Sanctuary of heaven and there pleads for us with his own blood is accepted for us and we through him Christs suit shall never be refused nor shall we while we come to God through him This act of divine grace was as I may say but a shadow or figure of that great work of Jesus Christ in reconciling sinners and making them accepted with the Lord and therefore as often as we pray Christs everlasting sacrifice should come to our remembrance for the confirmation of our faith and our encouragement against fears We may argue down all our doubts about acceptation by Christ upon this account that Jobs friends were accepted at his suit and their acceptation not bottom'd on him nor in his sacrifice but as both shadowed Christ Where the Reconciler is accepted they that are in him and for whom he makes request are accepted too What the Lord spake from heaven Mat. 3.17 This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased reacheth all believers to the end of the world whose head and representer Christ is Let us adore and ever be thankful that we have received such grace in Christ for though Jesus
Christ in his person is of infinite worth and his sacrifice of so great a value that it became a price sufficient for the ransom and redemption of all sinners yet it was of free grace that Christ was made a ransom for sinners and we accepted through him Secondly Take this Inference If the Lord be ready to hear a Job for his friends then the Lord will much more hear a Job for himself That the prayers and supplications which Believers put up to the Lord obtain mercy and good things for others may strengthen faith that they shall obtain for themselves Thirdly We may infer Job was become a great favourite with God after his humiliation and self-abhorrence He no sooner fell out with himself for his former miscarriages but the Lord as it were fell in love with him afresh What a favourite was he grown who could thus readily get an answer and obtain favour for those against whom the Lord said My wrath is kindled Thus much concerning the judgment and determination of God in this matter which put a period to the long continued controversie between Job and his three friends and reconciled both parties both unto God and between themselves O how blessed is the issue of the Lords Judgment and undertaking towards his servants and children When once he was pleased to appear in the case he soon silenced both sides and made them in the conclusion both of one heart and of one mind And no sooner was this humbling and reconciling work done and over but restoring and restitution work followed as will appear in opening the third and last part of this Chapter which is also the last part of the whole Book JOB Chap. 42. Vers 10. 10. And the Lord turned the Captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before THis verse begins the third part of the Chapter We have seen Jâ—b humbled before God in the first part we have seen Jobs friends reconciled to God and his anger turned away from them in the second In this third we have Job himself restored or the restitution of Job to as good yea to a better estate than he had before and this was done when he prayed for his friends The Crown is set upon the head of prayer The restitution of Job is set down two wayes First more generally in this verse where it is described three wayes First by the Author of it The Lord it was he that turned the Captivity of Job Secondly by the season of it When he prayed for his friends Thirdly by the degree and measure of it Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before His was not a bare return or restitution but with advantage and that to a duplication And the Lord turned the captivity of Job Before I open the words as translated by us I shall briefly mind the Reader of another translation Probarem si esset 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ubi nunc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conversio paenitentia Drus Dominus quoque conversus est ad paenitentiam Job Vulg. The word which we render Captivity is by some rendred Repentance and there is a twofold interpretation of that rendring First Some refer it to God and read the words thus The Lord was turned to repentance concerning Job And then the meaning is the Lord repented or changed his dispensation with respect to the affliction of Job when he prayed for his friends The Scripture speaks of the Lords repentance two wayes First that he repenteth of the good which he hath done for or bestowed upon man Gen. 6.6 It repented the Lord that he had made man he seemed as one troubled in his mind that ever he had set up man in such a condition And as there the Lord repented of his making mankind in general in that good natural state so elsewhere he is said to repent of his doing good to some men in particular as to their civil state 1 Sam. 15.11 The Lord repented that he had made Saul King that he had set him upon a Throne to rule men on earth who had no better obeyed the Rule given from his own Throne in heaven Secondly The Lord is said to repent of the evil which he hath either actually brought upon man or threatned to bring upon him In the former sense Moses saith Deut. 32.36 The Lord shall judge his people and repent himself for his servanss when he seeth that their power is gone and there is none shut up or left that is when they are in an afflicted low condition the Lord taketh the opportunity or season to restore them and then he is said to repent concerning any afflictive evil brought upon his people In the latter sense as he is said to repent of the evil threatned it is said of repenting Niniveh Jonah 3.10 The Lord repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them and he did it not Thus the Lord is turned to repentance with respect to evil either brought or threatned to be brought upon a people for which we have that remarkable promise Jer. 18.7 8. At what instant I shall speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdome to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it if that Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil I will repent of the evil I thought to do unto them If they turn I will turn Another word is used in the Hebrew there but it imports the same thing Repentance in God is not any change of his Will Counsel or Purpose it only notes a change in his providences and dispensations The Lord is of one mind who can turn him Job 23.13 But he is not alwayes of one way he repenteth that is he changeth his way somtimes and so he did towards Job He once cast him down and left him as a captive bound hand and foot under the power of Satan as to his outward man and worldly enjoyments but the Lord turned and repented that is turned his Captivity This sense and reading is much insisted on by several Interpreters and it is a comfortable truth yet I am not satisfied that it is the truth intended in this place Secondly Others who follow that translation refer this repentance to Job and so the sense is this The Lord turned at the repentance or upon the repentance of Job when he prayed for his friends of which repentance we read in the foâ—mer part of the Chapter The Observation which naturally ariseth from this interpretation is clear from many other Texts of Scripture When persons or Nations pray and depart from iniquity when they joyn true repentance with prayer the Lord turneth to them in mercy and turneth evil away from them The Lord turned in mercy to repenting Job when he prayed for his friends And this was promised to Gods peculiar people the Jewish Nation 2 Chron. 7.14 If my
to the former instance of the power of God the Stars and Angels rejoycing at the laying of the foundations of the earth And the general reason why the Lord bâ—ings in the stars and the sons of God rejoycing at the laying the foundations of the earth and finishing that work we may conceive to be this that the Lord would thereby convince Job of his murmuring and complaining or of the unquietness of his spirit under the works of his providence As if he had said The stars and all the sons of God rejoyced at the founding of the Earth extolling the work Monetur Jobus ut exemplo angelorum dei opera miretur laudet non sugillet Scult and congratulating the appearances of my power and glory in it Now who art thou that when I have put forth my power and wisdom in this work of my providence towards thee thou shouldst complain and find fault with what I have done instead of resting and rejoycing in it Surely O Job thou thinkest my works of providence are imperfect though my work of Creation was not but consider was the Creation in the very first part of it such as caused all the sons of God to rejoyce and wilt thou who sayest thou art a son of God sit unsatisfied with any of my works Thus the Lord handles Job and from that testimony which the stars and his sons gave of the Works of Creation reproves him for his unquietness under his Works of Providence So much for the general state of the words Yet to clear them farther in general before I come to the particulars there are three veins of interpretation opened about them First Some interpret this whole verse concerning the stars or the heavenly bodies not only taking the first part of the verse literally for the stars in heaven but by the sons of God in the latter part of the verse they understand the stars in a figure as I shall shew more fully when I come to the opening of those words Thus they expound the whole verse concerning the glory and praise which the stars in heaven gave to God for the Work of Creation at the laying of the foundations of the Earth Hieronymus Gregorius Beda A second sort of Interpreters expound the whole verse of the Angels and not of the Stars properly at all they suppose the morning Stars to be Angels in a figure and the Sons of God to be Angels in the letter and so expound the whole verse of the Angels as if the words were a description only of that joy which the Angels of Heaven only expressed when they saw God beginning the Work of Creation or laying the foundations of the Earth The third sort of Interpreters divide the sense expounding the first part of the verse properly for the Stars those studs of light with which the Heavens are adorned whâ—ch in their kind are brought in singing at the Creation of the Earth and by the Sons of God in the latter part of the verse they understand the Angels those spiritual substances who are the Native Inhabitants of Heaven they especially are represented shouting for joy when that work was begun I cannot adhere to the first sort of Interpreters giving all to the Stars nor to the second giving all to the Angels though that hath many learned Authors who press it hard but following the middle way shall take the former part of this verse for the Stars of Heaven and the latter for the Angels in Heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sunt steâ—â—ae quaedam singulares quae non aliis admistae solae feruntur Sydora vero quae in aliquod signum stellarum plurium composita feruntur Macrob. l. 1. c. 14. Matutinas nominat meo judicio quod sub auroram magis splendere videantur Merc. When the morning Stars sang together There are single Stars and Stars as I may say in a combination commonly called a Constellation There is an Evening Star and a Morning Star which yet are but one called by the Greeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and by the Latines Lucifer The light bringer because that Star appears very bright immediately before day-break or before the Sun riseth and the same Star which ushered or led in the Sun in the morning comes behind the Sun in the evening and is then called Hesperus The Evening Star Here the Lord speaks in the plural number of the morning Stars not in the singular of a morning Star And the Lord calls them morning Stars say some because the Stars appear most clearly and shine most brightly near the approach of the morning or break of the day Secondly Others conceive them so called Sydera summo mundi mane lucentia mequâ— suo formoso splendore landantia because they were created or formed in the very morning of the World they were early made For though as I shall touch afterward as to their perfection the Stars were made the fourth day yet their Creation is comprehended in the work of the first day under those general words Gen. 1.1 In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth the Heavens contained all the Stars in their materiality though not yet formally produced for the Stars being but the thicker part of the Heavenly Orb when the Heavens were made the Stars were also made and may therefore be called Morning Stars as being made in the Morning of the World early made Thirdly They may be called Morning Stars because they according to their manner exprest their joy early or betimes in the Morning of the World or as soon as the Lord had laid the foundations of the Earth Those things which are done early Qui mane aliquid aggrediuntur opus Matutini dicuntur Nec minus Aeneas se matutinus agebat Virg l. 8. Idem est matutina astra laudant atque mane laudant Sanct. are done in the morning and they who do things in the morning have the denomination of the morning upon them The Poet anciently said Aeneas was Matutinus A Morning Man because he was early at his work so these may be called Morning Stars because they were early at work singing the praise of God Thus the reason why the Wolf hath this Epithite An Evening Wolf is because he doth his work he comes forth for his prey in the evening Hab. 1.8 Zeph. 3.3 In the former Prophet the Chaldean Horse-men are compared to Evening Wolves for fierceness and in the latter the Judges of Israel are set under the same comparison for blood-sucking cruelty And as thus upon different accounts some are called Morning Men others Evening Men so 't is upon no good account that any are called Night-men though the general reason of it be the same with the former because they do their bad work or works of darkness under the shadow and favour of the Night The Thief the Murderer the Adulterer are Night-men all these are wont to do their work in the Night Job 24 13 14 15 16.
mysteries of the Gospel are hidden from us till God is pleased to reveal them so in nature there are many things which are mysteries and secrets to us till God makes them known to us And there are some things which God will no more open to us than he hath the gates of death or the doors of the shadow of death And if so then as God will never blame us for not knowing those things which he hath hidden so we should not busie our selves with any enquiries about hidden things Though the secret of the Lord be with those that fear him Psal 25.14 yet they that fear him will not dare not meddle with nor search into the Lords secret Therefore Lastly Observe Whatsoever God is not pleased to reveal to us or is pleased to hide from us that we should be content not to know and be satisfied that it is hidden from us Deut. 29.29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and our children for ever It is both our duty and our interest to be content with our own share or to be satisfied with what belongs to us and not to invade Gods peculiars or reserves It was Jobs fault he would be entring into the secrets of God but saith God Have the gates of death been opened unto thee or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death if not then be not troubled that those things are not opened to thee which I have reserved to my self God hath not straitned us in any needful point of knowledge there is enough opened to us though the gates of death be not Is it not enough for us that in the glass of the Gospel God hath set before us the mysteries of eternal salvation unless he also acquaint us in the day of our trial which was Jobs case with all the whole mystery of his temporal dispensations The Lord having urged Job with these hard questions about the depth of the Sea and the gates of death seems now to offer him a more easie question in the next verse Vers 18. Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth Declare if thou knowest it all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. Sic terram elegantèr circumloquuntur nâ—m qui quid sub coelo â—â—reâ— terra est â—er terram ambit Drus The Septuagint render Hast thou perceived the breadth of that which is under the heavens Under the Cope or Canopy of the heavens Hast thou perceived how broad that is which is spanned or compassed about by the heavens that is as we translate the breadth of the earth That which is circled or suâ—rounded by the aereal heavens is the earth Hast thou perceived the breadth of that Though the earth be better known to man than the depth of the sea yet no man ever saw the whole earth Many parts of the earth are deserts and unpassable by man The best Writers say the whole compass of the earth is 21600 miles yet that is rather a supposition than a demonstration no man having ever visited or viewed the whole face of the earth We find Job 11.9 length ascribed to the earth and breadth to the sea But in this place the Lord having ascribed depth to the sea gives breadth to the earth We are not here to take the breadth of the earth according to the rules of Geography for so the length of the earth is from East to West Terrae latitudo hoc in locâ— est universus terrae ambitus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pluralis a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 latitudo In qualibet re major dimensâ—o vocâ—tur longitudo minor latitudo Aquiâ— and the breadth from North to South but breadth is here put sinecdochically for all the dimensions or the whole circumference of the Earth As it the Lord had said Dost thou know how big how spacious the Earth is The breadth of the Earth imports the largeness of it opposed to straitness or narrowness and to shew that here the breadth contains all dimensions the word is in the Plural Number Hast thou known the breadths of the Earth that is the whole compass of it how broad and how long and so how big the Earth is Hast thou perceived the breadth of the Earth Hence Note First The earth is a huge vast body That is very big whose bigness is not easily perceived if at all perceivable and such is the breadth or bigness of the earth Whence take this double Inference First If the earth be such a great thing that a man cannot perceive the breadth or dimensions of it then how great are the heavens The earth in comparison of the heavens is but as a point 't is as little as is imaginable O what a broad thing is heaven if the earth be such that we cannot reach the breadth of it Secondly If the earth be so great how great is God who made the heavens and the earth too That 's it which God would lead Job to the consideration of even of his own infinite greatness How great is God who made this great earth To him as the prophet Isaiah speaks chap. 40.15 16. The Nations the people of the earth are but as the drop of a bucket and as the dust of the ballance He weighs the mountains in scales and the hills in a ballance He holds the dust as one single grain in his hand What a nothing are all things to God seeing the earth is a nothing to the heavens God puts the question to Job Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth and we may put that question into this negative Proposition O Job Thou hast not perceived the breadth of the earth The wisest of men know not the breadth or bigness of the earth Some have undertaken to tell us how great the circle of the earth is but theirs are but guesses though somewhat may be said that way yet no man can give it exactly and therefore the Roman Orator attempting to write about the earth and the dimensions of it prefaceth or apologizeth thus for himself De Geographia dabo operam ut tibi satisfaciam sed nihil certi polliceor magnum opus est Cicero ad Atticum l. 2. ep 4. I will do my endeavour to satisfie thee about Geography or the dimensions of the earth but I promise nothing of certainty 't is a great work Hast thou known the breadth of the earth Declare if thou knowest it all As if the Lord had said I have put the question to thee come now answer me declare what thou knowest let me know what her thou knowest it all God provokes or challengeth Job to say his utmost We may refer these last words either strictly to the immediate question only or generally to all the questions before yet I conceive they are rather to be restrained to the last question concerning the breadth of the earth because they run in the singular number Declare if thou knowest it all
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 generavit in Hiphil de viro tantum Merc. is applyable to either Parent man or woman in a different Conjugation as Grammarians speak but in the Conjugation here used it is proper only to the man and therefore they who translate who hath conceived wrest this Text and depart from the Original sence of the word as here expressed in which the Metaphor of or the Allusion to a Father is still continued Who hath begotten The drops of dew The Lord doth not ask who hath begotten the Dew but the drops of Dew Drops are very small things yet the great God who made the mighty waters of the Sea makes also the small drops of Dew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Guttas tantum hic extat Sunt qui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exponunt quasi fluctus quod in magna abundantia fluctuum more ros effundatur c. Merc. Ros est vaporis terrae propinqui noctúque resrigerati in aquam concretio Some derive the Original word which we render drops from a Root that signifies a flood as implying that though the Dew falleth in single drops yet being fallen there is much of it even a flood of it Others deriving the word from at least judging it hath near alliance with a word signifying a drinking Cup or a Vial render who hath begotten the Cups or Vials of Dew We heard of the Dew at the 19th verse of the 29th Chapter where Job to set forth the prosperity of his former condition said The Dew lay all night upon my branches Vapours drawn up from the earth in the day by the heat of the Sun are returned in Dew by the moderate coolness and stilness of the night The remote efficient cause of Dew is the heat of Heaven raising vapours from the earth The next efficient cause of Dew is the temperate coolness and quietness of the night for if the night be windy the Dew falls not and if the night be very cold the vapours are congealed and hardned into a frost 'T is only in temperate seasons that we find those dâ—ops of Dew hanging like so many Orient Pearls upon the grass leaves and Flowers at once adorning and refreshing them Vapores sereno tempore medium aeris regionem ascendentes resolvuntur frigore in guttas tenues Arist l. de mund c. 1. Plin. l. 2. c. 60. We may take notice of two things in the falling of the Dew First It falls very silently Secondly very abundantly No man hears the Dew fall nor can any number the drops of Dew which fall Hushai used both these allusions in that piece of loyal counsel which he gave for the defeating of the counsel of Achitophel 2 Sam. 11.12 where he advised Absalom te gather all Israel from Dan to Beersheba as the sand which is by the sea for multitude and so saith he we will light upon him as the Dew falleth upon the ground that is we will come so silently upon him and in such numbers even as the drops of Dew upon the ground that he shall not be able to avoyd us no more than he can avoyd the Dew which in one and the same instant falls upon the field or Country all over An Army comes with an intent to fall upon the enemy like a storm yet it may be said to come and fall upon him like a Dew both because it comes alwayes like a multitude and because it comes somtimes very silently to surprize him at unawares Who hath begotten the drops of Dew Hence Note as before of the Rain so here of the Dew God is the father of the Dew as well as of the Rain The Dew differs not much from the Rain both are of the same nature and they have the same Father and he will be own'd in the Dew as well as in the Rain The Prophet Haggai reproving the returned Jewes Chap. 1.10 for their neglect in not building the Lords House represents the Lord thus speaking to them Because of my house that is wast and ye run every man to his own house that is you eagerly and violently running is a violent exercise pursue your private ends and interests not minding nor promoting my honour and worship Therefore the Heaven over you is stayed from Dew and the earth is stayed from her fruit The want of Dew makes many wants If we want but the Dew of Heaven we shall quickly want the fruits of the Earth We usually take notice of the want of Rain but we seldome take notice of the want of Dew or pray for the falling of it nor do we give thanks for it as for Rain when we see it fallen and sweetly filling the bosome of the earth Yet the with-holding of Dew though Dew be a less mattâ—r than Rain is a greater Judgment than the with-holding of Rain for 't is a sign that the Judgment of drought is at the height or in the perfection of it when the Lord doth not only with hold the Rain which is the greater mercy but the Dew too which is the lesser O how dry must the earth be when it hath not only no plentiful showers of Rain but not so much as a drop of Dew And therefore when the Prophet Eliah would shew the extreamity of the Famine which was coming upon Israel he made that high protest 1 Kings 1.17 As the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand there shall not be Dew nor Rain these years but according to my word Not only shall ye have no Rain but no Dew and when the Heaven is stayed from giving Rain or Dew the Earth must needs be stayed from yielding fruit or food And so great is the Lords care in disposing the Dew of Heaven that Solomon tells us Prov. 3.20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up and the Clouds drop down Dew As if he had said The Dew doth not steal down upon the earth without Gods knowledge not a drop of it destils upon the earth without his orders and privity And when 't is said By his knowledg the Clouds drop down Dew it hath this in it God knows what moysture is meet for the earth whether little or much Dew or Rain though I conceive we may take the word Dew in this Text of the Proverbs synechdochically for any or all the moysture that falls from Heaven as by the breaking up of the depths in the former part of the verse we are to understand all the moysture which riseth from and is conveighed up and down in the lesser or greater Channels of the eaâ—th The Lord doth so much know how useful and beneficial the Dew is to the Earth that it is said to drop down by his knowledge as if the Lord did exercise a very special knowledg about it The Clouds are Gods Vessels which being lockt up by him keep in their precious liquoâ— and being opened by him pour it down in Rain drop and destil it down in Dew whereof Solomon in the place last cited
assureth us there is not a drop that falleth but he takes notice of it and therefore saith by his knowleâ—ge the Clouds drop down Dew And indeed such and so wonderful is the destillation of the Dew that it may well be said to drop even through his divine fingers The Dew is very useful and beneficial to the earth two wayes or in two things chiefly First Iâ— moystens the earth Secondly It cools the earth When Isaac was giving the blessing to Jacob he put this in particularly Gen. 27.28 God give thee of the Dew of Heaven the fatness of the earth and plenty of Corn and Wine implying that the fatness of the earth causing plenty of Corn and Wine is caused by the Dew of Heaven Answerable to this blessing given by Isaac to his son Jacob is that promise or prophesie given out by Moses Deut. 33.28 The Fountain of Jacob shall be upon a Land of Corn and Wâ—ne also his Heavens shall drop down Dew By the Fountain of Jacob some understand the posterity of Jacob or the whole house of Israel spread abâ—oad like the overflowing of a Fountain to which David seems to allude Psal 68.26 Bless ye God in the Congregations even the Lord from the Fountain of Israel or as the words may be rendred Ye that are of the Fountain of Israel Now saith Moses in that Prophesie The Fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine that is upon a plentiful land also his heavens shall drop down Dew that is he shall have the best blessings of heaven Temporal blessings as Canaan was of heaven being but a shadow of spiritual and eternal blessings And when the Lord would shew how plentious in mercy chiefly in spiritual mercies he would be to his people he saith Hosea 14.5 6. I will be as a Dew unto Israel and he shall grow as the Lilly and cast forth his roots as Lebanon his branches shall spread and his beauty shall be as the Olive tree and his smell as Lebanon Thus the Lord spake by the Prophet in allusion to those great effects which the natural Dew produceth on Earth Solomon having said Prov. 19.12 that the just and deserved wrath of a King is like the roaring of a lion presently adds but his favour is as the Dew upon the grass that is he exceedingly comforts and refresheth the hearts of all upon whom his favour falls And when the Prophet Micah chap. 5.7 would shew how great a blessing the people of God would be to any place where they were cast he saith The remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people how as Dew from the Lord and as showers upon the grass By the remnant of Jacob he means the chosen and faithful remainder of Jacob after many scatterings and trials those few of the people of God in the midst of the world wheresoever they are shall be as Dew upon the g ass that is they shall be a great blessing to them The woâ—ld will scarce let that remnant be any where in some places of the world there are scarce any of them yet see of what benefit they are to any place They are as Dew from the Lord. The Apostle useth such an expression concerning himself and other faithful Ministers of the Gospel 2 Cor. 2.15 We are unto God a sweet favour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish that is we are a means of salvation and eternal life to them that are saved and we offer eternal life and salvation to them that perish So saith the Prophet concerning all the remnant of Jacob they shall be in the midst of many people as a dew upon the grass that waiteth not for man nor tarrieth for the son of man they shall be as a Dew from the Lord that is there shall be a great multitude of them and they shall be as a Dew that is they shall distill sweetly upon those many people as a Dew from the Lord and as the showres upon the grass that tarrieth not for man nor waiteth for the sons of men The grass in the field is not watered by man as herbs and flowers in a garden are and therefore may be said not to tarry nor to depend upon man nor upon the sons of men but upon God for the Dew and Showers of heaven to water it Thus those many people shall have help and sweet supplies though men neglect them yet God will take care of them and send the remnant of Jacob some or other that are faithful to be as a Dew from him upon them to make them grow and be fruitful Before I pass from this verse we may consider a threefold allusion of the Dew First To Christ himself One of the Ancients expounding that place Judges 6.37 40. where Gideon desired as a sign from the Lord that he would save Israel by his hand that the Dew might fall on the fleece the floor remaining dry and afterward that the Dew might fall upon the floor the fleece remaining dry concludes Ros in vellere Christus in virgine Rupertus in Hos 14. The Dew in the fleece is Christ in the Virgin Jesus Christ indeed came down from heaven as the Dew for the refreshing and comforting of poor sinners he came down also as a Dew to make us fruitful and grow as the Lilly and to cast forth our roots as Lebanon Secondly In the Dew there is an allusion to the word of God preached The dispensers of the Gospel are compared to Clouds Moses was a Cloud and his speech distilled as the dew Deut. 32.2 that is it came down sweetly and efficaciously As the manna and the dew fell together Exod. 16.12 14. so the graces comforts and powers of the Spirit come with the word there 's dew with the Manna and Manna with the dew When the dew of divine doctrine comes down Christ the Manna comes down too Thirdly It carries in it an allusion to that sweetness of affection that is among brethren Psal 133.1 Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwel together in unity then follows vers 3. As the dew of Hermon and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion for there the Lord commanded the blessing even life for evermore Love and unity among brethren is like dew it refresheth them and makes them fruitful They who provoke one another to love will also to good works Heb. 10.24 Unity makes a great increase Small things grow great by concord Concordia parvae res crescunt discordia magnae dilabuntur whereas discord dwindleth or reduceth great things to little things and at last to nothing So much of Gods Father-hood or relation to the Rain and Dew In the next words he is pleased to enquire of Job concerning the original of Ice and Frost Verse 29. Out of whose womb came the Ice These words are an elegant Metaphor taken from Child-bearing What woman can the Ice call Mother
I may say fed and fattened from heaven All Vegetatives grass herbs plants flowers trees all Sensitives beasts of the earth fowls of the air yea and rational creatures too all men who breath in the air and walk upon the earth are refreshed and fed by the influences of heaven by the clouds and stars Further the Stars send down their influences not only upon living creatures in their three ranks but even upon inanimate creatures the minerals the stones that lye deep under the earth the precious gems with those of a courser grain receive much from the influences of the Stars So then all earthly bodies receive and derive their vigor and beauty from the heavenly the Sun and Moon have the greatest power and there is a very great power in the Stars and Constellations in the Pleiades Orion and Arcturus for the production of great effects Secondly In that 't is said Canst thou bind or stop the Influences of Pleiades Observe It is not in the power of man of any man to hinder or stay the virtue of the stars from falling down upon the earth What God will do by the creature no man can undo If God set those heavenly bodies at liberty and bids them send down their influences man cannot lock them up nor imprison their powers nor bind them from working And hence we may inferr First if none can bind the influences nor stay the comfortable virtue of the stars when God is pleased to let them out then much less can any bind or hinder the influences of the Spirit When God is pleased to send his Spirit to work upon the heart of man who can lett him There is a threefold influence or work of the spirit of God upon the soul of man First To enlighten or to give the light of the knowledge of his own glory in the face of Jesus Christ Who can hinder God when he purposeth thus to instruct and teach the ignorant and make them wise unto Salvation wiser than their teachers who can hinder it Secondly To convert to work faith and repentance together with love humility c. These graces are destilled and drop down from the Spirit of God upon the soul and who can hinder the Spirit from working them in the most hardened and unbelieving souls in the most vain proud and presumptuous soul the barren'st wilderness dryest heath such are persons unconverted are made fruitful by the influences of the Spirit Thirdly To refresh and comfort There are unspeakable influences of joy destilled from the spirit upon believers and when God will let them down from heaven who can lett them what can let them All the troubles and sorrows all the pains and tortures that men can invent or inflict upon a believer cannot bind these influences of the Spirit nor hinder joy in believing The greatest evils of this life can neither shut up nor shut out that comfort which the Spirit speaketh The most churlish winds that can blow from the coldest quarters of the world cannot chill much less kill or blast those fruits of the Spirit Love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness saith meekness temperance mentioned by the Apostle Gal. 5.22 23. The soul grows green like a Garden or Pasture in the Spring the soul bud's blossom's and brings forth these blessed fruits abundantly when fed with these dainties and delicacies of the Spirit Those great floods of trouble and persecution which the Serpent any where or at any time casts out of his mouth cannot prevail against the least drop of Consolation wrought in the heart by the Spirits influence Paul and Silas were bound in Prison but there their persecutors could not bind the sweet influences of the Spirit from comforting them nor daunt them by any terror from triumphing in Christ they could sing in Prison yea they sung at Midnight Secondly We may Inferr If God hath placed the Stars in heaven to drop down sweet influences upon us then at every sight of the Stars our hearts should be raised up in the admiring thoughts of the wisdom goodness and power of God We usually look upon the Stars as if they were only so many lights bespangling the Canopy of heaven and sparkling as so many fires in the firmament but we seldom consider their virtues their influences or the wonderful effects which they produce How few are there who behold the heavens with Davids eyes Psal 8.3 4. When I said he consider thy heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast made What is man that thou are mindful of him God is mindful of man not only to give him light by the Moon and Stars by the benefit whereof he sees other things but God gives many unseen benefits by the Moon and Stars The influences of the Stars are as beneficial to us Qui negat esse Deum spectet modo fidero câ—li Sidorâ— qui spectat non negat esse Deum and as great a treasure as their light We indeed have great cause as we are commanded Psal 136.7 8 9. to pay the tribute of thanks to God for setting up the Sun Moon and Stars in the heavens to give us light O give thanks to him that made great lights the Sun to rule by day the Moon and Stars to rule by night Yet we must not confine our thankfulness to God for them only as they give us light for they give us heat as well as light and wonder working influences as well as either Moses their civil Father blessing the twelve Tribes as Jacob their natural Father did before his departure out of the world thus bespake the blessing upon Joseph Deut. 33.13 14 15. Blessed of the Lord be his land for the precious things of heaven for the dew and also for the deep that coucheth beneath and for the precious fruits brought forth by the Sun and for the precious things put forth by the Moon and for the chief things of the ancient mountains and for the precious things of the lasting hills and for the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof c. Here we have two sorts of precious things First The precious things of heaven Secondly The precious things of the earth of the hills and mountains The former precious things are the cause the latter the effect The precious things of heaven are the influences of the Sun and Moon under which we are to comprehend the influences of the Stars these cause or produce the precious things of the earth that is Grass Hearbs with all sorts of Vegetables growing upon the surface of the earth they produce also the precious things of the ancient mountains and of the lasting hills that is gems or precious stones gold and silver together with all sorts of inferiour minerals Now if the Stars by their influences yield us all these precious things have we not much cause to admire both the power of God who hath implanted those vertues and opperations in them as also his
are is a secret to man Knowest thou them saith God to Job There are some Ordinances of heaven or some things for which heaven is ordained which are easily and commonly known such are the changes of seasons with the division of night and day of winter and summer There are also sec et Ordinances and Orders given to the heavens according to which they produce many unexpected and extraordinary â—ffects here on earâ—h as Drought and the consequent of it Famine Infection in the air and the consequent of it Pestilential diseases and Mortality Who knows these ordinances of heaven and if these are so unknown then we may conclude First If man know not such like secret Ordinances of heaven surely he is much less able to understand the secret counsels of heaven We know but litle of those things that are commonly seen and felt among us but there are reserves which we cannot know at all Secondly We may hence also conclude If the heavens have their statutes and Ordinances as to their motion c. then much more hath man statutes and ordinances according to which he should move The heavens never move but according to ordinances Let us be sure that whatever we do à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praefectus ideo non nemo praefecturam vertit Drus. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod Augustinus interpretatur commutationes coeâ—i we have an ordinance or word of God for it either express or consequential If the heavens be under such a rule shall we think God hath left man at random or without a rule how to speak and think and do in this world It is dangerous to move without an ordinance much more to move against an ordinance we should take heed of acting besides a Law much more of acting against a Law Knowest thou the Ordinances of heaven and as it followeth Canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth Cast thou set his force upon the earth Ponere dominium est facere ut dominetur quasi dominum constituere Hoâ— homo non facit sed solus Deus Drus. So Mr. Broughton translates To set the dominion is to make one have dominion and as it were to appoint a Lord or Governour in the earth This is not mans work but Gods As if God had said to Job Canst thâ—u give power to or impower the Stars to rule day and night to cause diversity of weathers and of seasons to which all things here below must submit or with which they must needs comply The word which we read Dominion signifies an under dominion an inferior dominion it signifies a Magistracy or power under a Power The Hebrew language hath two words the one signifying the power of a Judge who gives the rule of the Law and the other Qui simplicitèr judicat sententiam pronunciat dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sed executor qui judicatum exequitur cogit refractarios obedire sententiâ—â— judicis dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here used signifying the power of a Sheriff who sees execution done A person may be in power and have great command yet not the first or chief command The Heavens have not a supream or an absolute command over the earth but a dominion by way of administration they have and that a large and great one Heaven hath a dominion so far as to execute and fulfil that which God the supream Judge orders determines and gives forth both concerning persons and things here on earth The heavens have a ministerial dominion respecting most changes wrought in this world Their ministry respects not only the constant and usual changes of times and seasons barely considered but they have also a ministry with respect to those usual and rare changes which according to the appointment of God befal the persons and conditions of men in this world Canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth Thou canst not but I can and have I have set and determined what dominion the Heavens shall have upon the earth or how they shall exercise their dominion Hence observe The Heavens have a power on the earth Some Astrologers give them a power of doing all on the earth as if both our lives and livelihoods depended wholly upon the Aspects of Planets It is not this mans endeavour say they nor that mans skill but all flows from the Stars These make or put the Heavens which are Gods work into the place of God himself they put the heavens into the place of the God of Heaven All things are in the hand of Heaven say they We say All things even the Planets themselves are in the hand and at the dispose of God We grant and this Text proves that the Heavens have a great power upon the earth we cannot but see and feel what the Sun doth upon the earth we see it distributes the year into four seasons Summer and Winter Spring and Autumn we see it makes Equinoxes twice in the year when days and nights are of an even length and as many Solstices in one of which dayes are of greatest length and nights in the other We see how the Sun brings forth several effects in those several seasons even the generation or corruption of natural things We know also that as the North draws the Magnete or Load-stone so the Sun the Heliotrope a flower so called because it follows the motion of the Sun It is said also that the Sun hath a great power upon the Cock who therefore croweth about midnight as if he did then congratulate or welcom the return of the Sun from the Antipodes to our Hemisphear Though these instances are not demonstrative or concluding yet they are probable evidences of the Heavens dominion in the earth Further 't is generally agreed that the Moon hath a great Power upon the waters causing the ebbing and flowing of the Sea as also upon those inhabitants of the Sea Shelfish because they are observed to increase with the increase of the Moon and to decrease at the wane of it Nor may we deny the heavens have a dominion upon the bodies of men for though we subscribe not to those fancies of Astronomers who have fixed a special star as ruling the special parts of mans body as you see in Almanacks who tell us also That in the body of man the Sun answers the heart Mars the gall Jupiter the liver Mercury the mouth and tongue Saturn the head though I say we subscribe not to these no nor to those other sentiments of theirs who ascribe a special dominion to the seven Planets over the seven ages or stages into which the course of mans life is commonly divided that is First Infancy to the dominion of the Moon Secondly Childhood to Mercury Thirdly You h to Venus Fourthly Adolescency or the young mans state to the Sun Fifthly Compleat manhood to Mars Sixthly Old age to Jupiter Seventhly extream or decrepid old age to Saturn yet doubtless
the Stars have a great power upon the bodies of men as well as upon Plants and all sorts of Vegetables subordinately to the power and appointment of God who ruleth all things and persons according to the pleasure and uncontroulable soveraignty of his own will Again Naturalists tell us and many are not far from believing them that the Planets have great power over minerals and metals They say Gold is under the dominion of the Sun Silver of the Moon Iron of Mars Lead of Saturn and that Tin and Coppar are under the dominion of that Planet by them called Jupiter Now whether or no God hath set these metals under the peculiar dominion of these stars I will not dispute not will I deny that there may be a natural sympathy and congeniality between them nor that their influences may be very operative and effectual towards their geneâ—ation production and full concoction in the bowels of the earth Only let us take heed that we be not found giving that to the Heavens which God hath not given them Remember the dominion here intended of the heavens over the earth is a ministerial not a supream dominion 't is not I dare say any such dominion as those Astrologers cry up who would perswade or make us believe First That the dispositions and manners of all men are under the dominion of the Planets and Stars Secondly That the very way and course of every mans life is ordered by the dominion of Stars and Planets Thirdly That all the successes and events good or bad of mens actions and undertakings depend upon the Stars and Planets Fourthly which some have adventured to affirm That the rise and fall of great persons and families together with the growths and declinings of whole Kingdoms and Common-wealths are under the dominion of the Stars Fifthly That the flourishings and decayings of Arts and Sciences depend upon them Yea Sixthly That the stars operate much towards the planting and progress towards the rooting up or going back of Religion But this Scripture intends not any such dominion of heaven over the earth Moses hath told us long since what this dominion is Gen. 1.14 And God said let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years The ordinary lights or stars of heaven are always for ordinary signes and seasons and sometimes there are extraordinary lights seen in heaven or the ordinary are seen appearing in an extraordinary manner to signifie that God is about to do extraordinary things or to bring forth extraordinary times and seasons So then they who say the heavenly bodies have no power or produce no effects upon the earth or earthly bodies oppose not only the testimony of sense and daily experience but this and other express testimonies of Scripture And as for those who ascribe all those things before mentioned or any one of them absolutely to the dominion of the heavenly bodies or luminaries they put them in the place of God himself and overthrow the common foundations of Religion which teacheth us to depend wholly upon God for all things which teacheth us also to trust in him alone and to look upon his favour not the favourable looks or aspects of the Stars as the fountain of all our good as also to fear him and his displeasure alone not the displeased looks of the Stars as the fountain of all penal evils Therefore let us in these things speak and think according to sobriety All that I shall add for the conclusion of this Point is First Let us be warned and awakened by the signes of Heaven but let us not be dismayed at them let us leave that to the Heathen who know not God Jer. 10.2 or rather let us pray that the Heathen may no longer be left under that blindness and bondage Secondly If any would know what shall come to pass or would acquaint themselves with future events whether with respect to persons or Nations let them not go to nor consult Star-gazers but the holy Scriptures the Word of God for he hath given us a written word wherein as in a glass we may see First What God would have us to do and how to order the whole course of our lives Secondly What good what blessings what successes we are like to have or may expect through his free favour to us in Christ we walking humbly holily believingly before him Thirdly What evils what crosses what curses what miseries what mischances as we speak we are subject to and may fear if we walk proudly impenitently frowardly in the way of our own hearts We need not go to the Stars if we would know what is like to befal us in this life let us consult the Promises and they will tell us what good we shall receive if we believe and obey let us go to the threatnings and they will tell us what evils will be our portion if we are unbelieving and disobedient Let us fear God not the Stars let our hope be in God not in the Stars If we are evil and do evil the most auspicious conjunctions benigne and promising appearances of the Stars in our nativity will never produce us any true good and if we are good and do good their most inauspitious harsh and threatning appearances shall do us no hurt It needs not trouble us under what Star we were born if we are new born One being told that the Stars in power or which had the dominion in his birth bare him no good will answered I care not for that I have had a second birth Do not my words saith the Lord Mic. 2.7 do good to him that walketh uprightly doubtless they do and so they will let the Stars do their worst Let us sit down quietly in this assurance That whatsoever rule or dominion Heaven hath in the earth the dominion of God is over and over-ruleth the Heavens JOB Chap. 38. Vers 34 35 36 37 38. 34. Canst thou list up thy voice to the clouds that abundance of waters may cover thee 35. Canst thou send lightnings that they may go and say unto thee Here we are 36. Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts or who hath given understanding to the heart 37. Who can number the clouds in wisdom or who can stay the bottles of heaven 38. When the dust groweth into hardness and the clods cleave fast together IN the context of these five Verses return is made to the Meteors of Heaven The Lord having questioned Job about the Stars those pure heavenly bodies the Pleiades Orion Mazzaroth and Arcturus with his Sons here puts the question afresh about the aireal bodies or the natural works of God in the Air. The first question concerns the Clouds and the effects or births of them the waters Vers 34. Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds That is canst thou do it effectually Canst thou speak so loudly that
done with it even before him who hath put all their wisdome into them Who hath put wisdom into the inward parts Or who hath given understanding to the heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—ppâ—llatio est cordis vel mentis à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est prospicere unde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 picturae quae prospiciuntur dictae metaphortcè picturae seu prospectus cordis i. e imaginationes seu species reriâ— quae veâ—uti in corde pinguntur vel à delineatione conceptuum animi Merc. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thargum interpretatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cordi à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est prospicereâ— sic vocatur cor quia speculatur considerat omnia Drus Quisdedit gallo intelligentiam Vulg. This latter part of the Verse is of the same sence with the former only it is doubled to shew the certainty of the thing understanding in the heart is the same with wisdom in the inward parts Yet here is a word in the Original used for the heart different from what is commonly used and so occasions a difference among Interpreters and Translaters Grammarians derive it from a word that signifieth to look or behold to see and and foresee and the Noune signifieth a picture because pictures are pieces of art which draw all mens eyes to behold and look upon them and the heart is therefore exprest by this word because it forms and as it were by its imaginative faculty draws the picture of all things in it self or because in the heart or mind of man the forms of all things are represented Mans imagination delineates and shapes a thousand varieties within it self or man hath the picture and prospect of all matters in his heart and therefore the same word signifies the heart and a picture drawn and delineated to the life That 's the force of the word which here we render heart The Latine translation renders at a great distance from us yet the letter of the Text may bear that reading also Who hath given understanding to the Cock Interpreters following this translation conceive that here the Lord begins to question Job about irrational living creatures Having said who hath put wisdom into the inward parts to wit of man he now adds who hath given understanding to the Cock The same word that signifieth the heart signifies also a Cock as the heart foreseeth and looketh upon things afar off so the Cock foreseeth the rising of the Sun and the break of day and therefore hath his name from his fore-sight They who follow this Translation speak many things of the wonderful fore-sight of the Cock and surely God hath placed a natural wisdom in that creature constantly to understand the hours of the night A Cock is a natural clock to any family he hath his first and second and third crowings Talmundici in Judaicis precationibus dicunt at docent cum gallus canit dicendum esse Laudetur qui gallo dat intelligentiam Gallus enim haud dubio non aliunde quam à Deo didicit noctis momenta disâ—ernere proclivius tamen estut pro corde exponamus Merc. Plin l. 10 c. 21. Cantavit Galluâ— non ut tempora distingueret sed ut petrus paenitereâ— Ambros and having a kind of natural instinct concerning the course and return of the Sun he claps his wings and crows as rejoycing at his coming and willing to awaken all to entertain him and prepare themselves for labour study and business at his approach But I shall not stay upon this And the general stream of interpreters keeps in the former channel expounding this latter part of the Verse as the former with respect to man Who hath given understanding to the heart It is a truth I grant which the Jewish Talmudists teach that God is to be praised who hath given such understanding to the Cock that he is able to distinguish the hours of the night and tell us of the approaching day that it surprize us not like sluggards unawares The natural Histoâ—ian reports the useful qualities of the Cock And one of the Antients wittily takes notice of the Cocks crowing in the Gospel which awakened Peter according to Christs prediction Before the Cock crow twice thou shalt deny we thrice The Cock saith he was a Preacher to call Peter to repentance Christ made use of a Cock to press that eminenâ— Disciple into a conviction of and sorrow for his sin for at the crowing of the Cock he remembred the words of Christ went out and wept bitterly But that the question propounded to Job in this Verse concernes the wisdom given to man not to beasts or birds is plainly proved by the questions put him in the two Verses following Which shew that though God hath given man wisdom sufficient for many great purposes yet not for the purpose there expressed as not for several other purposes Vers 37 38. Who can number the clouds in wisdom or who can stay the bottles of heaven when the dust groweth into hardness and the clouds cleave fast together In these two Verses we have two questions more propounded by God to Job The first whereof is about the numbring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the second though under another title about the stopping of the clouds Who can number the clouds in wisdom The word rendred clouds is sometimes translated heavens and so a learned Interpreter gives it here to which he adds this gloss Quis tam prudenter fecit caelus eo numero quo sunt Vatabl. Who hath made the heavens with such wisdom in that number wherein they are who can number them The word rendred number signifieth both to number things Arithmetically and to demonstrate them Logically and it may be taken in either or both senses here who can number the clouds in wisdom that is who hath wisdom sufficient to tell how many clouds there are Man hath not arithmetick enough to number them The clouds are many in their sorts or kinds and they are many more in their singulaâ—â— or if I may so speak individuals there are many sorts of clouds and there are many of every fort as there are many sorts of living creatures and very many of every sort so of the clouds we may as well number the waves of the sea or the stars as the clouds of heaven If we look up to one part of heaven we may see more clouds than we can number how great then is the number of the clouds in the whole circumference of the heavens Again taking the word as it signifieth to demonstrate logically or to declare the question imports thus much Who can clearly and perfectly set forth the nature of the clouds or the various effects which they produce and services which they are imployed in Who can either in the former sense or in this number the stars of heaven Hence note The wisest among men can neither exactly tell how many the clouds are nor fully demonstrate what
they are As the number and nature of the stars so of the clouds which are beneath the stars exceed mans wisdom The least and lowest works of God are above mans reach how much more his greatest works and those which are far above Yet further from this word which we translate to number to declare or demonstrate that precious stone the Saphir mentioned often in Scriptures hath its name Quis sapphirinas effecit nubes sapientia Jun. and so the Text is rendred thus who can make the clouds saphâ—rine or like a Saphir the meaning is who can make the clouds bright and clear l ke the Saphir-stone The Saphir is a most pleasant resplendent and beautiful gem That glorious throne which was shewed the Prophet in vision Ezek. 1.26 had the apâ—earance â—f a Saphâ—â—-stone that is it had a most excellent and illustrious appearance Now saith the Lord who can make the clouds dark of themselves like a Saphir-stone that is serene pleasant beautiful and delightful to the eye God can make bright clouds Zech. 10.1 clouds wonderful fair and pleasant to behold even as pleasing to the eye as a precious Saphir As this translation holds out a truth in it self so 't is very sutable to that which followeth Or who can stay the bottles of heaven Clouds darken the heavens Hunc interpretationem postulâ—â—e videtur antithesis quum additur lagenas coeli quis collocet q d. quis â—oelum num â—â—renum ac sulum nunc verò nubilum reddat Pisc but when the Lord stayeth the clouds from rain then the heavens are clear like a Saphir God can make the heavens cloudy or clear Who can stay the bottles of heaven that is the clouds who can stay them or as the Hebrew strictly who can cause them to lye down Master Braughton renders who can destill the barrels of heaven The word here used signifies a bottle or any vessel wherein liquor is preserved and it may be taken either foâ— a bottle made of skin a leathern bottle or for a bottle made of clay an earthen bottle a Potters bottle as 't is called Isa 30.14 The clouds are like a leathern or an earthern bottle which as it holds the liquor so being unstopped and held up the liquor runs out who can stay the bottles of heaven that is if God once unstop the clouds they presently pour down in and who can stay them from raining no man can That 's a plain sence as if the Lord had said who can hinder the clouds from giving down rain if once opened who but I can restrain the rain which is heavy of it self and tends naturally downwards from falling out of the clouds There is another reading of this part of the verse Conâ—entum coeli qun dormire faciet Vulg. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 per quinque puncta significat Nâ—hlium in strumentum musicum utri simile habens chordas quae pulsantur who can slay the harmony of heaven The Vulgar Latine renders who can make the musick of heaven sleep that is cease or be quiet The reason of this translation is this because the same word which signifieth a bottle signifies also a musical instrument somewhat resembling the form of a bottle Psal 33.2 Thus some take it here as intending that musical or melodious harmony which antient Philosophers have affiâ—med is made by the motion of the heavenly sphears yet by this they do not mean a proper musical sound or harmony such as the Pythagoreans dreamed of which some other learned men have said is so sweet and ravishing that if we did but hear iâ— we could neither eat nor drink nor sleep Yea they tell us that Moses while he did not eat nor drink nor sleep those forty days in the Mount was all that while taken up and ravished with that Musick but you may put that among Jewish fables Sober men following this translation who can stay the musick of heaven understand by it only the harmonious concord and agreement which all the heavenly Orbes unfailably observe in their several courses without the least jarr or discord That 's a truth shewing the great wisdom and power of God who hath put the heavens into such a sweet order that they move not only constantly but harmoniously Though the motion of the heavens makes no audible or proper musick yet it makes an intelligible or metaphorical musick that is the heavens move orderly there is an agreement in their motion which is the the sweetest musick in heaven among Saints and Angels and among good men on earth We say of men moving peaceably in their places as becomes them there is a harmony among them And how blessed a thing would it be to see all sorts of men moving orderly in their spheres what a harmony would it make to see every one doing his duty and doing it in his place whereas to omit duty makes our lives useless and to do it out of our place makes us troublesome and unharmonious And therefore though I insist not upon this reading yet it were well if all would insist upon the moral of it labouring to make harmony as much as may be in all their motions But I pass from it and rest in our own Who can stay the bottles of heaven that is who can make them leave raining The Lord by a late question convinced Job that no man can make it rain vers 34. Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds that abundance of waters may cover thee and by this question he would convince him that no man can obstruct or hinder the rain Who can stay the bottles of heaven Hence observe It is God who stayeth or restraineth the clouds from raining Should not the Lord put stopples into those bottles should not he close up those barrels they would drop down continually and in stead of watering drown the earth When in the days of Noah the Lord opened the bottles of heaven forty days together who could stop or stay them Did not the clouds pour down till the whole world was over-whelmed and unless the Lord did now stay the clouds and forbid them to give out their whole stock they would again over-whelm the world There are Seas of waters above our heads God keeps them in from hurting the earth and lets them out to help iâ— The next verse intimates at least this power of God over the clouds and the season when he exerciseth it Who can stay the bottles of heaven Vers 38. When the dust groweth or is poured into hardness and the clods cleave fast together The Margin of our Bibles gives us the former part of the verse in a very different translation thus When the dust is turned into mire The earth hath had its fill if not too much rain when the dust is turned into mire And when 't is so who but God stayeth the bottles of heaven from pouring down overmuch But I shall only open the reading in the Text of which there are
a learned Author that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 De cannot signifie sufficiency both the sense of the place shews and almost all interpreters agree And this also may be further confirmed by a like use of the same word as it is put after ב Judg. 6.5 and after מ Isa 66.23 The Learned Reader consulting the original will easily observe saith he that in both those places 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath no special signification Yet doubtless considering that not one Iota or tittle in the Scripture is in vain that additional word hath its use and possibly is of more use than any have as yet well understood For though it be granted as Rabbi David saith in his Dictionary that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all those places is paragogical yet Paragoges may have more in them than meerly the ornament of speech Our Translators intimate as much Hab. 2.13 where they do not render barely in the fire and for vanity but in the very fire and for very vanity And therefore with the good leave of that learned Author I apprehend with the Rabbin whom he quotes but likes not for this opinion that in all places where this word is used it hath a special force declaring the greatness and continuance of the thing spoken of And so in this place we may take the meaning thus As the generous horse is alwayes forward for the battel so when the trumpet begins to sound but when the trumpet soundeth long as the Lord spake to Moses at the giving of the Law Exod. 19.13 then the horse being fully assured that the battel will suddenly begin is mightily affected with a kind of joy which he expresseth as well and as fully as he can in his language saying Ha ha now 't is as I would have it That this Interjection ha ha imports joy and exultation Emittit exultationis vocem Aquin. Alacritèr se ad pugnam parat Scult Ad lituos hilarem intrepidumque tubarum prospiciebat Equum Statius l. 11. Theb. all agree and it may note not only that inward joy with which the horse is affected at the sound of the trumpet but also that outward expression which he makes of it by neighing which may not improperly be called his ha ha the sound which we hear in the air when a horse neigheth symbolizing much with this Interjection ha ha spoken by a man And all men know who know any thing of the qualities or customs of gallant horses that it is usual with them to neigh when they are much pleased and are upon a neer attainment of their desire or the injoyment of their pleasures Comparing the latter part of the former verse according to the second exposition of our Translation with this Observe Assurance of what we would have breeds extream joy and triumph in his spirit that would have it When the horse finds it is the battel indeed then he rejoyceth greatly Men often break out into such exclamations when having been long doubtful of a thing and fearful how it might issue they at last see its issue answering the utmost of their wishes and expectations Psal 40.15 Let them saith David be desolate for a reward of their shame that say Ah ha Ah ha that is let them be rewarded with desolation for their shameful doings in saying Ah ha Ah ha because they see me cast down To say Ah ha at what is done is as much as to say it pleaseth us well it gives us high content Thus also they cryed out Psal 35.21 Ah ha our eyes have seen it As the vision we shall have in heaven is faith perfected in the highest assurance imaginable so in any case in this world what of our desires our eyes see we take high content in It is comfortable when we have some hope of what we desire but when we once see it then we cry Ah ha if what our eyes see be to us as theirs was to them in the same Psalm where they are again brought in saying Ah ha so would we have it ver 25. now it is as it should be we have been looking for such a day a long time but now it is come Ah ha Ah ha So would we have it And consider it either in natural or spiritual things there is a time as to spiritual things when we do not believe the silver trumpet of the Gospel sounds mercy to us that sin is pardoned that God is gracious but when once there is a convincing sufficiency of the trumpets sound when once our unbelief is fully overcome and our hearts wound up to assurance then the soul is in its triumph and cryes out as the horse when he perceives the desired battel approacheth Ah ha Ah ha This content of the horse appears yet further in the next words He smells the battel afar off the thunder of the Captains and the shouting These words hold out another matter which doth much set forth and commend the honour of the horse and his desire of the combat He smells the battel To be in battel pleaseth him so well that the smell of it is to him a delightful and pleasant odour The very stink of a Camp as the Prophet calls it Amos 4.10 is a sweet perfume to his nostrils He smells a battel He smelleth the battel afar off 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Odorari Olfacere The Hebrew word signifieth properly to smell or take the scent of any thing And almost all interpreters ancient and modern retain that signification here yet some there are who take smelling in this place metaphorically for perceiving fore-apprehending or presaging Sentit aut praesentiscit For the Hebrew as some very well skilled in that language assure us having no word which answers the Greek and Latine words noted in the margin signifying to perceive and feel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sentire maketh use of this word in the Text for those purposes Thus 't is said Judg. 16.9 When it that is the threed toucheth or as our old translation hath it feeleth the fire So Isa 11.3 He that is Christ the Messias shall be quick of understanding in the fear of the Lord. The Hebrew is He shall smell or be quick-scented in the fear of the Lord. His very senses shall be as it were toucht with or dipt in the fear of the Lord that is he shall religiously sense or judge all things The fear of the Lord shall be the rule or guide of all his senses as it follows in that verse He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes neither reprove after the hearing of his ears that is according to outward appearances and reports Thus we may take the word in this passage the horse smelleth that is he perceiveth or apprehendeth the battel Praesagiunt pugnam Plin. l. 8. c. 42. Naturalists report wonders about the understanding of the horses and his sagaciousness in fore-seeing or presaging battels And this he doth saith the Text Afar off Our
his heart to all generations They shall stand who then shall make them fall The Sentences or Judgements of men are often disanulled by men and they may alwayes be disanulled by God Lam. 3.38 Who is he that saith and it cometh to pass when the Lord hath not commanded The Lord can disanul all the Judgements of men of the wisest men in the world but none can disanul the Lords Judgements and make them void There are but two wayes by which the Judgement that is the Sentence or the resolution and purpose of a man is disanulled First By the power of the party against whom the Judgement is given Sometimes there is a Sentence given against a man which comes to naught 't is made void why there 's no power can execute it upon him David spake much in that language Ye sons of Serviah are too hard for me Secondly Sometimes the Judgements of men are disanulled by a superiour Authority one Court recalls or takes off the Judgement of another But neither of these wayes can the Judgement of God be disanulled If God give out a Sentence against a person his power how powerful soever he is shall never hinder the execution of it though he be as it 's spoken in Amos as high as the Cedar and as strong as the Oak yet he shall not hinder the Judgement of God And as there is no man hath power of arm or of arms to hinder the Judgement of God so there is no Authority superiour to or above Gods There 's no Court above the Court of Heaven to which appeal may be made to get Gods Sentence disanulled or his Judgement reversed therefore the Judgement of God cannot be disanulled And seeing the Judgements of God as taken for the Sentence which he hath declared against sinners such as that Rom. 2.9 Tribulation and anguish upon every soul that doth evil c. cannot be disanulled what cause have we to blesse God for Christ who hath endured that Judgement in his own person which could not be disanulled nor made void and hath also as the Apostle speaks Col. 2.14 blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to his Crosse Yet Observe Secondly The Judgements of God are by him accounted as disanulled or made void by us when we do not submit to them nor humble our selves as we ought under them This was Jobs Case Why doth God aske him whether he would disanul his Judgement surely because he had made many complaints as hath been shewed in this Book about the dealings of God with him The Lord interpreted this as a disanulling of his Judgement If we are not satisfied with the Judgement of God though it be a Judgement of anger and displeasure towards us we as much as in us lies disanul the Judgement of God Let us often remember this The way of Gods proceeding with us his way of administration towards us is his Judgement now if it be a way of affliction if he speak terribly to us let us take heed of complaining lest we be found disanulling his Judgement We may come under the compasse of this Charge before we are aware As for instance If we shall say we could bear any Judgement but this any affliction but this this is to disanul the Judgement of God Let us say whatever the affliction is it is best for us and God hath most righteously brought it upon us Again If we shall say we could be patient even under this Judgement of God for the matter of it but when we consider the degree of it that it goes so far and wounds so deep who can bear it Thus Job complained Chap. 6.2 Oh that my grief were throughly weighed and my calamity laid in the ballances together for now it would be heavier than the sand of the Sea therefore my words are swallowed up It was not so much the matter of his affliction as the degree or weight or extremity of it which put him to those grievous complaints Now if we are not patient and quiet under that very degree of the Judgement which God is pleased to heighten it unto this is a disanulling of his Judgement therefore let us take heed of complainings upon that account Yet further Others will say If this Crosse had been for a short time we could have born it but it hath been long upon us already and we know not how long it may continue we can see no end of it Take heed of these complainings for this also is to disanul the Judgement of God if we find fault with the length of the Crosse Though we may cry with the souls under the Altar How long Lord how long yet we must not say it is too long Lastly There is this also at which many are much troubled and so even disanul the Judgement of God for say they if it were but in some one thing that we were afflicted we could bear it but we are afflicted in body and afflicted in mind and afflicted in our children and afflicted in our estate we are afflicted in our credit and in all our comforts if it had been in some one thing we could have sat down quietly under it but now it 's affliction all over Take heed for this also is to disanul the Judgement of God And if any of these be to disanul the Judgement of God how soon may we do it And if they are not as to either free from this charge who shew some impatience and trouble of spirit under the severer dealings of God what shall we say of those who openly murmur and even rage against them Thirdly Wilt thou disanul my Judgement Note God takes it as a high affront and a dishonour when his Judgement is touched or when his Judgement is not quietly submitted to Wilt thou saith he What! disanul my Judgement The Apostle saith Let God be true and every man a liar Let the Judgement of God stand though we fall Fourthly Consider what a huge boldnesse it is in a creature to do or say any thing which may be interpreted a disanulling of the Judgement of God Fifthly Consider how sinful a thing it is for any to go about to crosse the administration of God Somewhat we may do in all the judgements or sad dispensations of God we may pray about them and we may in an humble submission expostulate with God about them but we must take heed of an unquiet spirit under them or of any risings of heart against them Pray we may about them earnestly instantly and importunately and the more the better yet still quietly submit and the more quietly we submit to them the more fit we are to pray to and wrestle with him about them that he in his own good time and in his own way would remove them from us Wilt thou disanul my Judgement Wilt thou condemn me that thou mayest be righteous These words may be taken
God to error from the true worship of God to idolatry and from communion with God to creature-comforts and contentments you go after vain things which cannot profit To be vain and to be unprofitable are the same thing Take heed of sin for you cannot make any profit of it you cannot raise any true revenue out of it you will one time or other be ashamed as the Prophet speaks of all those revenues your hope that way is vain Secondly Then how vain a thing is it to oppose the Church of God! Why because there is no ground of hope for success in that attempt The world hath been upon it all along but they could never effect nor accomplish what they have imagined they have done all but prosper in it they never had their end which is the end or total destruction of the Church Pharaoh would oppose and vex Israel the Church of God and keep them low but he could not attain his end for the more he oppressed them the more they multiplied therefore all such are said to imagine a vain thing Psal 2.1 2. Why do the Heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing the Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed but all in vain Nothing less came of it than what they imagined or their imaginations came to nothing yea brought them to nothing I saith the Lord Zach. 12.3 will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces If any meddle with Jerusalem they will find they lift at a very heavy stone and that they meddle not with their match they shall surely be not only overmatcht but overthrown at length who do so The Church is founded upon a rock and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 16.18 that is neither the counsels nor confederacies neither the power nor the policy of men or devils shall be able to prevail against it The History of the Church saith of Dioclesian a cruel persecuter that for very vexation he gave up the Government of the Empire because he saw he could not suppress Christianity by all his machinations against the Christians And doubtless they in the Gospel John 12.19 were not a little troubâ—ed when they said among themselves Perceive ye how we prevail nothing Behold the world is gone after him Thirdly Note The loss of hope or hope lost is the greatest loss When God would shew mans worst condition he saith His hope is in vain he doth not say his labour is in vain but his hope is in vain that pincheth most of all and that 's it which will pinch Hypocrites most at last who were in hope of injoying God but not only their labour but their hope shall be in vain when they come big with expectation and say Lord Lord we have done thus and thus when as the foolish Virgins they shall knock boldly and cry earnestly Lord Lord open to us the answer given them will be only this I know you not that is I know you not for mine as you presumed your selves to be even while you walked not as mine in wisdom but in your own folly This loss of hope will grieve more than the loss of Heaven As Christ told the Pharisees You shall weep and gnash your teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God and you your selves thrust out You thought that you should be saved above all men but saith Christ you shall be thrust out and lose your hopes This the Lord speaks to shew the worst of their condition who attempt to take Leviathan Their hope shall be in vain In the latter part of the verse the Lord gives us a farther account why their hope is in vain Shall not a man be cast down at the sight of him Is there any hope of taking him at whose very sight a man shall certainly be cast down There is a twofold casting down First a casting down by outward violence when a man is thrust down as we speak by head and shoulders Thus David cast down Goliah by a sling and a stone Secondly There is a casting down by inward trouble as we usually say such a man is mightily cast down Trouble of spirit heart-vexation and fear cast down many before any hand toucheth them Christ speaking of Capernaum saith Luke 10.15 And thou Capernaum which art exalted to heaven shalt be thrust down to hell As if he had said thou hast been high in thy expectations and highly priviledged in thy enjoyments having had the Gospel preached to thee but thou shalt not only fall down but thou shalt be thrust down into hell with a kind of violence When the Lord in the Text saith Shall not one be cast down we are to understand it of a casting down by the strong impression of astonishment and fear of dread and trouble seizing upon the mans spirit who comes near Leviathan and therefore it followeth Shall not one be cast down At the sight of him A man shall no sooner see him but he shall sink and if so then how little hope hath any one to grapple with him and to take him There is small hope of overcoming this Leviathan when a man at his sight or as far off as he can see him is so afraid of him as to be cast down with fear The very sight of a Whale is a terror to Mariners and Sea-men they are afraid their Ship may be overturn'd and spoyled by him Some read the words thus Will he be cast down even at the sight of him and they give this meaning of it Will the Leviathan be cast down at the sight of a man when he cometh prepared to take him Thou thinkest Leviathan a poor spirited fish or that he will be afraid of thy looks or to see thee as other fishes are who when they see or apprehend a man near scuttle away as we say but thou wilt find Leviathan is a fish that will not be afraid at the sight of thee This is a good sense but I conceive that before given more sutable that the sight of Leviathan or a Leviathan as soon as seen is so terrible that a man will be stricken with fear as soon as he seeth him Shall not one be cast down at the sight of him Hence note First The sight of the eye worketh much upon the heart The Lord saith not Shall not one be cast down by the force of him but at the very sight of him The eye hath a mighty operation upon the inward man yea upon the whole man the eye hath a mighty force upon the heart as to three things First It hath a mighty force upon the heart as to joy If we see a person that we have a great deal of love for how do we rejoyce presently at the sight of him 'T is true also of things It is
much faith A few words please God where he seeth much faith First He confesseth Gods Omnipotency I know that thou canst do every thing I know The word notes a certain knowledge such a knowledge as leaveth no place for doubting nor for an uncertain opinionating I know is as much as I am assured As Jacob said to Joseph when he told him Manasseh was his first born Gen. 48.19 I know it my son I know it c. As if he had said I do not lay my right hand upon the younger by mistake but choice I know very well which is the first-born and I know what I do in laying my right hand upon the younger Thus saith Job here I know that thou canst do every thing This great truth is fixed and fully settled upon my heart and I urge my self with all my might now to give thee the glory of it though sometimes under my grievous pains and undue passions I have obscured it and spoken as if I doubted or were not well assured of it I know That thou canst do every thing The word rendred canst do notes two things First Might 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potuit potestatem habuit potentior fuit superavit praevaluit Id tantum possumus quod juro possumus Secondly Right to do all things For indeed we can do no more than we have a right to do Again It signifies not only a power of doing but a prevailing power of doing or a conquering power a power that overcomes all difficulties and removes all obstacles or obstructions such a power is intended in this word We have it in a proper name Prov. 30.1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh even the prophesie The man spake unto Ithiel even unto Ithiel and Ucal Under both these names Ithiel and Vcal some conceive Christ is to be understood he is Ithiel which signifies as Emanuel God with us and he is Vcal that is powerful and almighty When the Prophet Jeremiah would shew how strongly that people were bent to sin he speaks to them all as one man Jer. 3.5 Behold thou hast spoken and done evil as thou couldst that is thou hast put forth thy utmost Can thou hast done as much evil as thou canst As here Job saith of the Lord Thou canst do all things So said the Prophet of the people Thou hast spoken and done evil as thou couldst A godly man sins but he doth not sin as he can he doth not lay his utmost strength nor set his shoulders to it but an evil man doth evil as he can he serves his lust as he should serve God with all his might I urge that place only to note the force of the word I know that thou canst do Every thing That is every thing which is fit for and becoming thy Majesty to do every thing which is good every thing which is just every thing which doth not reflect dishonour upon thy name every thing that is not a contradiction to thy self Thus take things of what kind you will God can do them and take things in what degree you will God can do them he can do not only little things but great things yea the greatest things Great and little make no matter of difference with God As if Job had said O Lord I know and acknowledge there is nothing too hard for thee yea nothing is hard to thee and that as thy counsels and decrees are altogether wise and just so thou hast power enough to execute and bring them about Thou canst do Every thing There is no bound to the power of God except his own will God will not do every thing that he can but he can do every thing that he willeth nothing can stop the power of God in doing where his will is to do Thou canst do every thing Or we may take it thus God can do every thing that is every thing that he hath said he will do every thing that he hath engaged himself to do by promise or by prophesie he hath power to do what he hath said or fore-shewed shall be done Thus Job gives glory to God and begins as David Psal 59.16 17. to sing of the power of the Lord as well as of his mercy I will sing of thy power unto thee O my strength will I sing Here Job sings of the power of God I know that thou canst do every thing The words have no difficulty in them only when Job saith here I know that thou canst do every thing it may be questioned Did not Job know this before yea had not Job said as much as this before that God could do every thing In several passages of the ninth and twelfth Chapters he said as much as this and more cannot be said of God We have said every thing of God when once we have said he can do every thing There Job cryes up the power of God together with his wisdom vers 4. c. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who hath hardned himself against him and prospered If any ask what can God do Job answers He can remove the mountains and overturn them in his anger he shaketh the earth out of its place he commandeth the Sun and it riseth not and sealeth up the Stars he alone spreadeth out the heavens and treadeth upon the waves of the Sea All these are speakings forth of the Almightiness of God and he that can do these things surely can do all things Now seeing Job was there so much upon this point before how is it that here he saith I know that thou canst do every thing as if this were some new matter which he was not acquainted with before or had never uttered I answer it is true Job knew this before but he did not know it before as he knew it now Though he knew the Lords power before and spake of it yet the trouble of his spirit and the anguish of his soul under his sufferings did very much darken him as to this knowledge and therefore when Job saith I know that thou canst do every thing this knowing is not to be understood as opposed to ignorance only as if Job knew this now and did not know it at all before but knowing here is opposed to a lesser degree of knowledge or knowing here imports a higher and greater degree of knowledge than ever he had before concerning the power of God Job spake sometimes before as if he knew little of this great truth and he much detracted from the absolute power of God over all creatures by his complainings especially that he and other innocent ones were afflicted as also by his earnest desire of knowing why he was afflicted being innocent thereby intimating that he was not so well satisfied in the dealing of God with him nor had wholly resigned up himself to the soveraign power and will of God to be disposed of at his pleasure so that in this short confession Job seems to speak more largely
thus Now at length O Lord I know more fully than ever that thou hast a most just right and power to command and dispose of all things and that thou both dost and mayst effect whatsoever pleaseth thee nor ought any to murmur at much less resist thy counsels or dealings seeing every thing is and cannot but be just and righteous which thou dost We conclude then Job knew this truth before but not as he knew it now Hence note First Knowledge is a growing thing And it were well if we were all found growing in knowledge That 's the Apostle Peters charge 2 Epist 3.18 Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He puts both together There is a growth in knowledge as well as in grace and in proportion to our spiritual growth in knowledge is our growth in grace for though many grow much in notional and speculative knowledge who grow little in grace yet they cannot but grow much in grace who grow much in spiritual and experimental knowledge As a godly man groweth in knowledge so in grace too Knowledge is a growing thing The rising and encreasing waters of the Sanctuary were a type of the encreasings of knowledge those waters were first to the ancles and then to the knees and then to the loyns and then to the neck And as knowledge increaseth with respect to the several times and states of the Church for so that place Ezek. 47.3 4 5. is to be be understood so it is a truth that there is an increase of knowledge with respect to the state of every particular believer his knowledge is first to the ancles and then to the knees and then to the loyns and then to the neck As some points to be known are so easie or shallow that according to that clear and common similitude a Lamb may wade through them others so difficult and deep that an Elephant may swim in them so the degree of knowledge in the same person which at one time was very small and shallow at another time may be swelled into a great deep and he called a man of deep knowledge We have a general promise of such an increase Isa 11.9 The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea that is there shall be a wonderful increase of knowledge That 's also the import of Daniels Prophesie Chap. 12.4 Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased Particular persons shall improve in knowledge and so shall the whole Church So then this increase of knowledge is of two sorts First it is a knowledge of more things and Secondly of every thing more We should labour to know more truths we must thus add to our knowledge For though it be true that every believer hath received the anointing whereby he knoweth all things that are of absolute necessity 1 John 2.20 yet he may come to the knowledge of more things which are exceeding useful and helpful to him Secondly We should labour to know every thing more as in the Text. Job knew before that God was omnipotent and could do all things but now he knew it more and so much more that the knowledge which he had before might be called ignorance compared with the knowledge which he had now received Then we increase our knowledge fully when we get the knowledge of more things and of every thing more Again we should labour to increase as in speculative so in experimental knowledge Speculative knowledge alone goes no further than the notion of what we know experimental knowledge finds and feels the power of what we know it subjects us or makes us subject to what we know the motions of the Will follow the light and dictate of the Understanding This is the best knowledge Knowledge which is felt and acted is better than that which is heard and declared What the Apostle John said of himself and his fellow Apostles who were personally present with Christ while here on earth with respect to their sensitive knowledge of him is most true of the spiritual and experimental knowledge which believers have of Christ now in heaven and they absent from him 1 John 1.1 That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life that declare we unto you we declare that unto you which we have seen and felt 'T is a blessed thing when we can say that the things which we declare to others we have felt them and even handled them our selves Many as our usual expression is handle Texts and handle truths learnedly and excellently in a discourse who never handled no nor so much as toucht them by any experience of their sweetness or efficacy either in their hearts or lives Further consider in what way Job came to this proficiency in knowledge he had been a great while in the School of affliction before he said I know and I know to purpose that thou canst do every thing Hence note Afflictions and sufferings are a special means to increase our knowledge and wise us in the things of God The godly never increase more in knowledge than under the Cross under afflictions of one kind or another David saith Psal 119.71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes Did not David know the Statutes of God before doubtless he did he was all-along trained up in the statutes of God but when God took him into the School of affliction then he leaâ—nt the Statutes of God much better Let us consider what profiting we find at any time under affliction as to the knowledge of God and of our selves if we do not better our knowledge by one cross we may expect to meet with another and another till matters mend with us Solomon saith Prov. 27.22 Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a morter among wheat with a pestle yet will not his foolishness depart from him that is an obstinate sinner he is the fool there spoken of though extreamly afflicted is not bettered but a godly man profits by his affliction both as to the departure and riddance of his folly as also to his growth in spiritual experimental knowledge Once more which will give us a third note Job was not only in affliction but God taught him in his affliction Job had not only a rod upon his back but a tutor by his side His three friends had been long with him and spoken much to him but he learnt little by them When Elihu had been speaking to him he yielded somewhat to him though not fully but when once God undertook to tutor and instruct him Job learned amain and profited greatly in knowledge Hence note Then we profit indeed under afflictions when God teacheth us in our afflictions If we have nothing but the rod we profit not by the rod yea if we have
a godly man acknowledgeth his weaknesses and lies low before God in sense of them when he hath not great and gross sins to be humbled for Seventhly As Job was now discovering his former ignorance so upon an increase of knowledge he was growing up into a clearer light about the things of God than he had manifested in his former discourses Hence note It is a good degree of knowledg and understanding to be convinced that we know and understand little As to be conscious of our weakness is a great part of our strength so to be sensible of our ignorance is a good degree of knowledg Agur said of himself Prov. 30.2 Surely I am more brutish than any man and have not the understanding of a man I neither learned wisdom nor have the knowledg of the holy This good man was none of the ignorant ones he had knowledg in a large measure and was growing into a further light while he thus bewailed his own darkness Davids knowledg was then clearest when he made that confession So ignorant was I. Eighthly When was it that Job saw he knew little It was when God was come nearer to him when God had been dealing with him and speaking to him Hence note No man knoweth what a nothing he is in knowledge and grace and goodness till the Lord is pleased to reveal himself to him It is upon some eminent discovery of God to us that we see we have little grace righteousness or knowledg While we compare our selves with our selves or compare our selves with others below our selves we have high thoughts of our selves but when we compare our selves with God who is infinitely above us we are little we are nothing we are little or nothing in our own eyes when God appears in his fulness to us we appear empty to our selves Lastly From those words Things too wonderful for me which I knew not These wonderful things being the dealings of God with him according to the counsel of God concerning him Note Ninthly The dealings of God with men are wonderful Not only the decrees of God from eternity but the works of God in time are full of wonder nor can his works in time be otherwise seeing they bear the express image and are the issue of those eternal decrees Jesus Christ is called wonderful counseller Isa 9.6 and he is wonderful in his counsels As the works of God in us so his works towards us are called wonderful Pal. 40.5 Many O Lord my God are thy wonderful works which thou hast done and thy thoughts which are to us-ward The works of God as of man too are the birth of his thoughts and the thoughts of God about the birth of man have many wonders in them David said Psal 139 6. Such knowledg is too wonderful for me it is high I cannot attain unto it What knowledg was it that he could not attain unto The context tells us it was the knowledg of Gods knowledg concerning the formation of his body before he was born ver 14 15 16. I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made c. Again the Prophet having described the various courses and methods which God useth in humbling sinners by afflictions and tribulations which are shadowed under those Metaphors and Allegorical expressions of Plowing and Harrowing and the different ways of Threshing out the Corn by the staff or the rod or the wheel The Spirit of God doth not there intend the husband-mans work alone in which yet there is much of God and his teachings The Prophet I say having done this concludes Isa 28.29 This also cometh forth from the Lord of Hosts who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working And as there are wonders in the works of God which are the fulfilling of his secret and hidden counsel so there are wonders in the Word of God which is his revealed and open counsel Psal 119.18 Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law The Law is wonderful but the Gospel is as it were a continued wonder and we shall be for ever wondring at and admiring the grace and goodness of God discovered therein when we come to heaven and now as we see further into the mistery of Christ we do it too 1 Cor. 2.7 We speak the wisdom of God in a mistery even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him They are wonderful things which man by all his natural wisdom cannot attain unto Philosophers who pry into all the secrets of nature cannot understand these supernatural secrets how long soever they stand prying upon them And though Job had been long considering of and speaking about those things of God which the eye often sees and the ear heard yea which he himself to his grief had felt yet he saw reason enough at last to say that even those things in the whole compass of them exceeded his reason I said he have uttered that I understood not things too wonderful for me which I knew not Job having thus acknowledged his want of knowledg and the weakness of his understanding in the misteries of providence applieth himself to God for instruction in the next verse Vers 4. Hear I beseech thee and I will speak I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me This is Jobs humble petition and it consisteth of two parts First That God would not reject but give ear to a poor creature burdened with the sense of his infirmities in his addresses to him Hear I beseech thee and I will speak or as Mr. Broughton renders Oh hear me when I do speak Secondly That God would admit him under his tuition and instruct him while he waited for advice and counsel I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me Lord teach thou me Job speaketh submissively as became a learner he is not now what he was he comes to God in another manner than he had done before Hear I beseech thee and I will speak As if he had said I have formerly desired to plead my cause with thee Chap. 13.22 and thou hast justly checkt and chid me for it Chap. 38.3 Chap. 40.2 as if I presumed I could teach thee but now I see my error I submit and earnestly desire to be taught by thee I have spoken heretofore otherwise than I ought and otherwise than I purpose to speak hereafter I spake before in a challenging strain Chap. 13.22 Then call thou and I will answer or let me speak and answer thou me There Job seemed to challenge God to be either opponent or respondent and he would argue or dispute it out with him But here though his words are near the same in sound yet his sence is far different Hear I beseech thee and I will speak I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me There is a
petitioner to the Lord for instruction having confessed his own ignorance and weakness And that he had formerly profited under the teachings of God and was now in a further way of profiting is evident by that which followeth Vers 5. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee Job had no sooner asked for teaching but God taught him though not formally and explicitely as he desired yet really and effectually as he needed For this verse seems to be a real answer to the petition he made in the former verse and in it Job asserts two things First That he had heard of God by the hearing of the ear Secondly That now his eye did see him There are two opinions about the general sense of this verse and I shall conclude in a third First Some conceive these discoveries of God to Job were only inward to his soul so that when he saith I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee we are not to understand him as if he had had any visible appearance of God but that these words may be taken First as a comparison between a slight hearing when the mind is not intent upon what the ear heareth and a serious hearing which brings the mind fully into the ear As if Job had formerly been a careless hearer but now an attentive one and so the knowledge which Job had of God formerly was little compared with his present knowledge He had a knowledge of God by hearing only before but his mind was not intent upon it he heard only with the hearing of his ear but his eye did not see that is he had not a clear sight or knowledge which is an intellectual sight of the things which he heard But doubtless Job was no slight hearer of the word in former times he did not hear the word in the dayes of his prosperity as if he had only as we say given it the hearing for had he not seriously hearkned to the voice of God in those dayes he had never obtained such a testimony as God gave of him towards the end of those dayes yea this very phrase I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear implyeth serious and attentive hearing Secondly Others who deny any visible manifestation of God to Job grant that the first part of the verse notes serious hearing and receiving of the word the latter more so that here say they is a comparison between that lesser light or knowledge which Job had of the will of God before and that fuller light which he got upon this discourse which the Lord had with him the former being but as of a matter heard this as of things seen The Scripture sometimes calls clear knowledge sight So that look how much that which we see with our bodily eyes is clearer to us than that whereof we have only heard the report by so much the knowledge which Job had now of the things of God especially about the whole mystery of Gods dealing with him was clearer and fuller than what he had before even as if he now saw what before he only heard As we say One eye-witness is better than ten ear-witnesses so one eying of the word of God the eye of the mind fully and distinctly taken in what is heard is better than ten earings of it that is when little or nothing is taken in at the ear but a sound of words For then only we may be said to know divine things by the seeing of the eye when we know them not only from without by the report of others but from experience within our selves The Apostle saith of those who took joyfully the spoyling of their goods for the truths sake They knew in themselves that they had in heaven a better and a more enduring substance Heb. 10.34 that is they had even got a sight of that heavenly enduring substance Hence in Scripture vision is applied to spiritual things heard and we are said to see the Word of God Jer. 2.31 O generation see ye the Word of the Lord have I been a wilderness c. As if the Lord had said Ye have heard it before but now see it Seeing notes the highest knowledge then we see what we hear when we fully understand what we have heard Thus they expound this Text who judge there was no outward vision at all but that Jobs seeing was only spiritual and intellectual Secondly Others affirm that Job had an outward apparition and that the eye of his sense was affected And concerning this First Some are so much of this opinion that they say Christ appeared in humane shape to Job as he did to many of the holy Patriarks and Prophets of old which apparitions are by the Ancients called preludes to his incarnation And some Jewish Writers tell us that Job upon this sight of God had a spirit of prophesie given him but they need not insist upon that for several have had apparitions who were no Prophets Secondly others say the appearance of God to Job was only in or by a cloud with the whirlwind But that he had a vision or sight of God one way or other is asserted as by many of the Jewish Writers so by most of the Christian Ancients And doubtless when the Lord spake to him out of the whirlwind he had a vision or an extraordinary manifestation of God even to his eye Not that God in himself can be seen No man hath seen God at any time 1 John 4.12 It is reported by the Jewish Writers that the Prophet Isaiah was sawn asunder by his own Nation for saying that he had seen the Lord Isa 6.1 I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up This they counted blasphemy and put him to death for it say some yet others say he was put to death for his plainness in reproving the Princes and people of Israel in those words Isa 1.10 Hear the word of the Lord ye Rulers of Sodom give ear to the Law of our God ye people of Gomorrah But of that by the way I say God in himself cannot be seen he is seen only by those visible demonstrations of his presence which he is pleased to make of himself as here he spake to Job out of the whirlwind I conceive we may take in both so that when Job speaketh of his hearing by the ear he intends that teaching which he had in former times by the Ministry of his Ancestors And that when he saith But now mine eye seeth thee he intends that teaching which he had from the present appearance of God to him for his instruction and humiliation I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee As if he had said Lord heretofore I heard of thee for I was religiously brought up I had Parents and Ancestors who declared to me who the Lord was and I heard many things of thee which
took impression upon my heart heretofore but I never had such an impression as in this tempest I never heard God speaking thus immediately to me nor did he ever give me any such visible demonstration of his presence as he hath vouchsafed me at this time speaking out of the whirlwind And from all we may conclude that as Job had a powerful illumination of the Spirit so an outward apparition of the Glory and Majesty of God or of Gods glorious Majesty to convince and humble him So that though Job had a saving knowledge of God formerly yet this discourse of God with him and discovery of God to him had made him a better Scholar than all his earthly teachers I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear But now mine eye seeth thee That is now I have as clear a sight or knowledge of thy mind and will of thy justice and goodness of thy power and soveraignty as if I had seen thee with mine eyes and had seen or looked into thy heart Or thus Not only hast thou graciously instructed me by speaking so much to me but thou hast manifested thy self present with me by an aspectable sign Mine eye hath seen thee that is thou hast given me to see that which assures me thou art neer unto me namely the Cloud out of which thou hast been pleased to speak and make known thy mind to me who am but dust and ashes The Lord may be seen these four wayes First In his Word Secondly In his works Thirdly In outward apparitions Fourthly And above all God is seen in his Son our Lord Jesus Christ whom the Apostle calls Heb. 1.3 The brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and in whose face the light of the knowledge of God shineth 2 Cor. 4.6 And hence Christ saith John 14.9 He that hath seen me hath seen the father The invisible father is seen in his Son who was made visible in our flesh John 1.18 Thus God may be seen But in his nature God is altogether invisible he cannot be seen Moses saw him that is invisible Heb. 11.27 that is he saw him by an eye of faith who is invisible to the eye of sense I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee Hence note First It is a great mercy and much to be acknowledged that we have the word of God sounding in our ears Faith cometh by hearing Rom. 10.17 The Prophet saith Isa 55.3 Hear and your soul shall live Now if faith and life come by hearing to have the word of God sounding in our ears must needs be a great mercy Though to have the word only sounding in our ear will do no man good yet 't is good to hear that joyful sound Though that sad Prophesie mentioned by Christ Mat. 13.14 be fulfilled in many By hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive Yet he said to his faithful followers vers 16. Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear They receive a blessing by hearing whose ears are blessed when they hear O how many souls are blessing God that ever they heard of himself and his Son our Lord Jesus Christ by the hearing of the ear To have an ear to hear is a common blessing but to have an hearing ear or to hear by the hearing of the ear is a special blessing Observe Secondly We should hear the Word very diligently That phrase I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear as the Hebrew Writers note signifieth a very attentive hearing Every hearing is not an hearing with the ear nor every seeing like that we intend when a man saith I saw it with my eyes One may see and not see hear and not hear The Word of God is to be heard with a hearing Such doublings in Scripture have a great emphasis in them As when the Lord saith They are cursed with a curse it notes a great and a certain curse is coming so to hear by the hearing of the ear implyeth fruitful hearing and a laying up of that in the mind which hath been heard Psal 44.1 We have heard with our ears O God our fathers have told us what work thou didst in their dayes in the times of old They who thus hear with their ears treasure up in their hearts and do with their hands what they have heard The Lord charged Ezekiel Chap. 44.5 Son of man mark well and behold with thine eyes and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee that is mind diligently what I shew and say unto thee The Lord called for the exercise of both senses in attending to what he spake to the Prophet He did not only say Hear with thine ears but see with thine eyes that is hear as if thou didst even see that which thou hearest For though possibly the Lord presented somewhat to the eye of the Prophet as well as he spake to his ear yet the former notion may well be taken in yea and intended in that command Many hear as if they had no ears and see as if they had no eyes One of the Ancients taking notice of that saith Such kind of hearers are like Malchus in the Gospel who had his ear cut off From those words But now mine eye seeth thee taken distinctly Observe Thirdly God revealeth himself more clearly and fully at one time than at another Seeing is somewhat more than hearing though it be attentive hearing As the full and clear manifestation which we shall have of God in the next life is expressed by seeing and called vision so the fullest and clearest apprehension which we have of God and the things of God in this life is a degree of seeing both him and them 't is the sight of faith and may also be called vision A true and strong believer tasts and feels and sees the truths of the Gospel which he hath heard his faith which is the eye of his soul is the evidence of those things to him which are not seen nor can be seen by an eye of sense He by the help of the Holy Ghost looks stedfastly into heaven and with this eye seeth the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God in his measure as blessed Stephen did Acts 7.55 This sight of God and spirituals hath three things in it beyond that ordinary though real knowledge which comes in by the hearing of the ear First a surpassing clearness Secondly an undoubted certainty Thirdly a ravishing sweetness and the overflowings of consolation Fourthly Note According to the measure of Gods revealing himself to us such is the measure of our profiting in the knowledge of God The word is spoken to all in the publick Ministry of it it is scattered upon all but they only learn to know God themselves truly to whom God doth inwardly reveal it whose hearts he toucheth and openeth by
Nathan the Prophet did to reprove King David but he told his friends at first word My wrath is kindled against you Though they were good men yet not so dear to God as Job and therefore he dealt in a more fatherly and favourable way with Job than with them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exarsit incensus inflammatus est Inter septem voculas Hebraeorum quae iram significant haec omnium est gravissima Scult they had only hot words My wrath is kindled against you c. I am more than angry As the coals of spiritual love spoken of Cant. 8.6 so the coals of divine wrath are coals of fire which hath a most vehement flame There are seven words in the Hebrew language which signifie anger and this notes the most vehement of them all My wrath is kindled The Latine words Ira and Irasco seem to be derived from it The word is sometimes applied to grief there is a kind of fire in grief Thus 't is said 1 Sam. 15.11 It grieved Samuel and he cryed unto the Lord all night Samuel was vehemently grieved becauâ—e of the ill performance of Saul in his expedition against the Amalakites 'T is also translated to fret Psal 37.8 9. Fret not thy self in any wise to do evil fretting hath its burning My wrath saith the Lord is kindled There is a wrath of God which is not kindled as I may say it is not blown up 't is covered in the ashes of his patience and forbearance but here saith God My wrath is kindled This is spoken by God after the manner of men God feels no change by wrath or anger no impression is made on him by any passion Wrath in God notes only his change of dispensations towards man not any in himself When he acts like a man whose wrath is greatly kindled then 't is said his wrath is kindled as when he acteth like a man that sheweth much love it may be said his love is kindled Further when God saith My wrath is kindled it implieth there is some great provocation given him by man as in the present case Eliphaz and his two friends had done The Lord threatned a sinful Land with brimstone and salt and burning like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and this being executed all Nations shall say wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this Land what meaneth the heat of this great anger Then men shall say because they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord God of their Fathers c. Deut. 29.23 24 25. The wrath of God is never kindled till blown and that which bloweth it up is mans sin nor doth the ordinary sins of man kindle the wrath of God for then it must be alwayes kindled even against the best of men Doubtless when the Lord said in the Text to Eliphaz My wrath is kindled against thee and thy two friends there was somewhat extraordinary in their sin which kindled it and therefore the Lord directed them an extraordinary way as to circumstances for the querching of it and the making of their peace But here it may be questioned why did the Lord say his wrath was kindled only against Eliphaz and his two friends had he nothing to say against Elihu he had spoken as harshly to Job as any of them yet Elihu was not at all reproved much less was the wrath of God kindled against him I answer 'T is true Elihu spake very hard words of Job yet we may say four things of Elihu which might exempt him from this blame which fell upon those three First He did not speak with nor discover a bitter spirit as they did Secondly Elihu objected not against Job his former life nor charged him as having done wickedly towards man or hypocritically towards God he only condemned him for present miscarriages under his trouble for impatience and unquietness of spirit under the cross Thirdly That which Elihu chiefly objected against Job was the justifying of himself rather than God as he speaks at the beginning of the 32d Chapter not the maintaining of his own innocency nor the justifying of himself before men Indeed Job failed while he insisted so much upon that point that he seemed more careful to clear himself than to justifie God Fourthly When Elihu spake hardly it was more out of a true zeal to defend the justice of God in afflicting him than to tax him with injustice Now because Elihu did not carry it with a bitter spirit and hit the mark much better than his friends though in some things he also shot wide and misunderstood Job therefore the blame fell only upon Jobs three friends and not upon Elihu The Lord said to Eliphaz my wrath is kindled against thee and against thy two friends but his wrath went no further Hence note First The Lord knows how to declare wrath as well as love displeasure as well as favour He hath a store of wrath as well as of love and that is kindled when he is highly displeased Secondly Note Sin causeth kindlings or discoveries of divine wrath Had it not been for sin the Lord had never declared any wrath in the world nothing had gone out from him but kindness and love favours and mercies Wrath is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and against unrighteousness only Rom. 1.18 Unrighteousness kindleth wrath sin is the kindle-coal When we see wrath or displeasure going out we may conclude sin is gone out Moses said to Aaron Numb 16.46 Take a Censer and put fire therein from off the altar and put on incense and go quickly unto the congregation and make an atonement for them for there is wrath gone out from the Lord the plague is begun Now as in this latter part of the chapter Moses shews that wrath was gone out against that people from the Lord so in the former part of it he shews that sin and that a great sin was gone out from that people against the Lord. Thirdly Note The Lord sometimes declareth wrath even against those whom he loveth Wrath may fall upon good men such were these friends of Job All the Elect whilest they remain unconverted or uncalled are called Children of wrath Ephes 2.3 Though they are in the everlasting love of God yet they are children of wrath as to their present condition whilst in a state of nature and unreconciled to God Now as the children of God are children of wrath before their conversion so when any great sin is committed after conversion they are in some sense under wrath and the Lord declareth wrath against them till the breach be healed and their peace sued out It is dangerous continuing for a moment in any sin unrepented of or we not going unto God by Jesus Christ for pardon When once the wrath of God is kindled how far it may burn who knoweth There is no safety under guilt Therefore kiss the son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little blessed
me So the Lords servants have often had experience of his power and goodness in delivering them or as 't is here expressed concerning Job of turning their captivity take one instance for all Psal 34.4 6. I said David sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears This poor man cryed and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles The Lord who doth us good when we pray for others cannot but do it when we pray for our selves The Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends But some may ask will the Lord turn any mans captivity when he prayeth for his friends whose prayer and what prayer is it that obtains so high a favour I answer in general It is the prayer of a Job That is First The prayer of a faithful man or of one who is perfect and upright with God It is not the prayer of every man that prevails with God Jam. 5.16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man only availeth much Nor is it the prayer of a meer morally righteous man that availeth he must be an Evangelically righteous man that is a man estated by faith in the righteousness of Jesus Christ Secondly As 't is the prayer of the faithful so the prayer of faith as it is the prayer of one in a state of grace so of one acting his graces especially that grace of faith It is possible for a man that hath faith not to pray in faith and such a prayer obtaineth not Jam. 1.5 6 7. If any man saith that Apostle lack wisdom we may say whatsoever any man lacketh let him ask of God but let him ask in faith nothing wavering for let not that man the man that wavereth think that he shall receive any thing that is any good thing asked of the Lord. To ask without faith may bear the name but is not the thing called prayer and therefore such receive nothing when they ask Thirdly It is the prayer of a person repenting as well as believing Job was a penitent he repented in dust and ashes for the evil he had done before he obtained that good for his friends and for himself by prayer If my people saith the Lord 2 Chron. 7.14 Which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked wayes there 's compleat repentance then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their Land there is compleat mercy Some pretend at least to be much in believing yet are little if at all in repenting and humbling themselves under the mighty hand of God How can their prayers prevail for the turning away of their captivity who turn not from iniquity If I said David Psal 66.18 regard iniquity in my heart his meaning is if I put it not both out of my heart and hand by sound repentance God will not hear me that is he will not regard much less favourably answer my prayer It is a piece of impudeâ—câ— I am sure such a piece of confidence as God will reject and wherein no man shall prosper to expect good from God by prayers while our evils are retained or abide in our bosoms unrepented of God hath joyned faith and repentance together woe to those who put them asunder They who either repent without believing or believe without repenting indeed do neither they neither repent nor believe nor can they obtain any thing of God by prayer But the prayer of a faithful man made in faith and mixed with sound repentance will make great turns such a one may turn the whole world about by the engine of prayer But what is there in such a prayer that should make such turns and move the Lord to change his dispensations or our conditions I answer First Such prayer is the Lords own Ordinance or appointment and he will answer that When we meet God in his own way he cannot refuse us he seals to his own institutions by gracious answers Secondly As prayer is the Ordinance of God so he hath made promise to hear and turn the captivity of those that pray as was shewed before Promises are engagements to performance God will not be behind hand with man as to any engagement For as he is powerful and can so he is faithful and will do whatever he hath engaged himself to do by promise A word from the God of heaven is enough to settle our souls upon for ever seeing his word is settled for ever in heaven Psal 119.89 Half a promise or an half promise an it may be Zeph. 2.3 from God is better security than an absolute promise than an it shall be yea than an oath from any of the sons of men Thirdly Prayer honours God Our seeking to him in our wants and weaknesses in our fears and dangers are an argument that we suppose him able to help us that all our ruines may be under his hand Such a seeking to God is the honouring of God and therefore God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him and call upon him Our coming to God in all our wants shews that he is an inexhaustible fountain so thick a cloud thar we cannot weary him nor he spend all his waters how much soever he showers down or spends upon us He can distil mercies and drop down blessings everlastingly We often want vessels to receive but he never wants oyle to give It is the glory of Kings and Princes that so many come with petitions to them that they have many suiters at their gates may possibly burden them but undoubtedly it honours them doth it not signifie that he hath a purse to relieve their necessities or power to redress their wrongs and injuries O thou that hearest prayer is a title of honour given to God Psal 65.2 To thee shall all flesh come As God hath said Psal 50.15 they that call upon him shall glorified him for help received so they do glorifie him by calling upon him for help No marvel then if he turn a Jobs captivity when he prayeth Fourthly Prayer is the voice of the new creature The Lord loveth that voice 't is musick the best musick next to praise in his ear Let me hear thy voice Cant. 2.14 that is let me hear thee praying or thy prayer-voice let me see thy countenance for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely The Lord delighteth in prayer therefore the Lord will turn the captivity of a Job when he prayeth Fifthly Prayer is not only the voice of the new creature but it is the voice of the Spirit with the new creature The Spirit himself maketh intercession for us Rom. 8.26 'T is the holy Spirits work to form requests in our hearts to God As the Spirit it self witnesseth with our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8.16 so he prayeth in the spirits of Gods children The prayer of a believer hath the power of the holy
Lords stock and treasure can never be drawn dry he is an ever-over-flowing fountain If you had much at the beginning you may have much more at the latter end So much of these words as they hold out the restoring of Jobs estate in general the particulars are summ'd up in the close of the verse For he had fourteen thousand Sheep and six thousand Camels and a thousand yoke of Oxen and a thousand She-Asses The encrease of his estate is here set forth in cattel only as his first estate was cattel were the riches of those times and Countreys yet doubtless his estate encreased in every thing or kind First his family and servants encreased to look to so many cattel Secondly his Lands and pastures encreased to feed them Thirdly his house and buildings encreased to receive and lodge so numerous a Family Fourthly his honour and dignity increased Some affirm that whereas before he had only some small principality under his government now he was declared King over all the Land of Vz Thus all sorts of good things were given him double but whether at once or by degrees is not exprest Some of the Rabbins have a fancy and it is a wild one that Jobs cattel which were taken from him were not carried quite away but only driven into some other Country and there kept so that when he was restored they were brought home to him again with this double encrease This may well go for a fancy for not his own cattel but cattel of the same kind were restored to him double There is no difficulty in these words The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning giving double or twice as many Sheep Oxen Camels Asses as he had before Hence note Outward good things Sheep and Oxen Houses and Lands Gold and Silver are a blessing as they come from God unto his servants Here is nothing said of the best things all was but Sheep and Oxen yet in these Job received a blessing The Lord Deut. 28.4 made large promises of blessings to his obeying people or to his people in case of obedience and all in outward comforts Blessed shalt thou be in the City and blessed shalt thou be in the field blessed shall be the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy ground and the fruit of thy cattel the encrease of thy kine and the flocks of thy sheep blessed shall be thy basket and thy store Spiritual things are the best blessings spiritual things are not only the noblest but the most necessary blessings The favour of God the light of his countenance pardon of sin grace in our hearts these are excellent blessings and these make us exceedingly blessed and no doubt but Job did chiefly look after these blessings this good man desired the light of Gods countenance the shinings of his face upon him the workings of his grace and spirit in him the evidences of his love to him infinitely above cattel corn and wine A godly man accounts himself but in a poor condition if he were to reckon all his estate in Houses and Lands in Sheep and Oxen yet these are a blessing from the Lord upon him and so he accounts them And still it must be remembred which hath already been touched that before the coming of Christ before there was a full discovery and a clear manifestation of the grace of God in Christ to his people they in those times were much led and fed with promises of temporal blessings The faithful were allured to heaven by earthly things Jesus Christ who came down from heaven to lift us up thither who took our nature that we might partake of the divine nature who was cloathed with our flesh to shew that God dwelleth in us and hath joyned us to his glory and immortality Jesus Christ I say was known only in shadows and remote prophesies in those times and therefore it was necessary the Lord should deal with them accordingly and allure them by promises of cattel and corn and children especially by the promise of long life which hath the greatest resemblance to and bears the fairest image of eternal life and all because the heavenly life was not then so perfectly discovered as it is now in these Gospel-times For though it be a truth that all the good things of the world are not sufficient to make a love-token yet God gives those good things to his people as tokens of his love and they see love in them and these lesser good things are then best to us when we can look on them as blessings coming from the love of God which we may do First When we can say we have got and keep them with a good conscience Secondly When we use and order them with prudence Thirdly When we dispence them charitably and freely according to the needs and necessities of others When we truly and intentionally honour God with our substance in doing acts of love it shews that he hath given it us in love Fourthly When the Lord with encrease of riches gives us an encrease of grace when our souls thrive as well as our estates then we may look upon riches as coming to us in love Sheep and Oxen Gold and Silver without a just and wise and gracious possessing and using of them prove curses at last not blessings snares not favours There are none so unhappy as foolish rich men none so base as covetous rich men none so intollerable as proud rich men none so vile and despicable as sluggish voluptuous rich men none more ungodly and irreligious than they who having riches trust in them and dote upon them only when the Lord gives spiritual things with temporal grace with goods they are mercies to us When Luther received a favour from a great Prince he began to be afraid that God would put him off with such things A godly man receives a portion in earthly good things but he will not take all the good things of the earth for his portion Now as all spiritual things are better than temporal so among temporals some are better than others Job received good things when his cattel were doubled but he had better blessings of this life restored to him than those his estate restored double in cattle was nothing to his children restored single as it follows in the next words Vers 13. He had also seven sons and three daughters This is the third part of Jobs restauration sons and daughters We may consider this blessing First In the number Secondly In the sex In number his children were seven and three As to sex they were both sons and daughters he had seven sons and three daughters in all ten just the number he had before as we read at the second verse of the first chapter Some of the Jewish Rabbies before spoken of say his former children were not indeed slain but removed during the time of his affliction and that being ended were restored the same both in number and