my thoughts again by the sight of which I am assured I shall not be judged innocent by thee but rather more wicked as my sorrows appear to be more In vanum laeborabo ut ostendam tibi afflictum simul innocentem me esse posse Bol. for seeing thou art resolved to conclude the multitude of my sins from the multitude of my suffering in vain shall I labor to shew and approve my self as an innocent person before thee when as I shall still be an afflicted person before thee I know thâ—u canst not hold me innocent while abiding afflictions lead thy judgement to conclude that a man is wicked How shall I being in trouble gain any credit of integrity in thy opinion so long as outward troubles render me a hypocrite in thy opinion I shall note only this from it He that judgeth of a mans innocency by his outward estate may for ever condemn an innocent Bildad judged so of Job this caused Job to say I know thou wilt not hold me innocent or think me good seeing evils are still upon me and are like to continue upon me still Iudge not according to appearance but judge righteous judgement is the rule of Christ Ioh. 7.24 as if they could hardly judge what is right who judge by what appears We must not judge of things till they appear nor may we judge of persons by their appearance As oftentimes in holinesse so sometime in sinfullnesse men are not what they seem to be All is not gold that glisters and some gold doth not glister Many are not that in holinesse which they seem to be by their actings toward God and some are not in sinfulnesse what they seem to be by Gods acting toward them It is easier to do good then to be good and usually they who are good suffer that which is evil Verse 29. If I be wicked Why then labour I in vain These words may be connected with either of the interpretations given upon the former verse I know thou O God or thou O Bildad wilt not hold me innocent Now then If I be wicked c. The originall word hath been heretofore opened Only note that the Hebrew is absolute and not by way of supposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ego impius plainly thus I am wicked or I shall he accounted wicked Why therefore labour I in vain Or now therefore I labour in vain When Job saith I am wicked it is not as if he gave the cause and assented to his friends Ye have had an ill opinion of me all this while Impius hoc loco non qui sit sed qui ut improbus tractetâ—r vel qui impius videatur liquet Iobum suis amicis Impium fuisse visum ut qui in h c Christum praeferret qui cum imp js reputatus fuit Fr. Joh. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 now I begin to have as ill an opinion of my self I am wicked No he means it only thus I am handled or accounted as a wicked man I am wicked in your thoughts and the providence of God seems to give you occasion of thinking so ye look upon me as if I were a wicked man and I look like one Why then labour I in vain Why labour I in vain The word signifies hardest labour why doe I travell so painfully to vindicate my self and to stand fair in your eyes It is labouring with toil or moiling labour answerable to that Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies sore and extreme labour It is too much to bestow any labour in vain that is Laboravit defatigatus fuit Graeco 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 respondet notat ex labore summam molestiam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aquil. without fruit or successe much more to bestow hard and sore labour But what was this sore hard and painfull labour He means all those labours which he bestowed either to extricate himself from his sufferings or to clear himself from their prejudice of his sinfulnesse because he suffered as if he had said in particulars Why doe I labour in Apologies to excuse my self Or in arguments defend my cause Why doe I labour in praier to deprecate these troubles and get out of the bands of my afflictions Pleading for our selves with men is hard labour but especially pleading for our selves with God Prayer is strong labour therefore it is called wrestling Bildad advised Job to pray unto God in the 8th Chapter here Job seems to answer Why labour I in prayer and in seeking unto God seeing all 's in vain and lost labour to what end should I labour in any of these duties for I am wicked in the opinion of man or if I be wicked in the sight of God or seeing God hath cast me into such a condition as appearingly and visibly casts me among the wicked For the better understanding of this we may consider the words as an argument by way of Dilemma If I be wicked Why then labour I in vain If I wash my self with snow-water c. As if he had said Either I am wicked or I am clean and pure If I am wicked as you say I am I deserve more punishment then I labour in vain to be eased of this If I am pure and clean as washed with snow-water what will the issue be God will yet cast me into the ditch of affliction so that I am between two wals hemmed in on both sides Wickednesse would certainly ruine me and my righteousnesse will not deliver me Why therefore doe ye feed me with vain hopes that I should be delivered if I were righteous So Bildad assured him in the former Chapter Si vitae praeter itae laboribuâ— pietatis studio sanctitatem non comparavi neque coram Deo justus babeor certè labor meus inanis suit Aquin. More particularly If I am wicked Why then labour I in vain First Some interpret his words as a contest with God Thus if by my study of holinesse and care to walk circumspectly in thy waies I have not yet gained the reputation of holinesse If I cannot yet passe in thy account for a godly man surely I shall still labour in vain about that point as hitherto I have done But secondly for I lay this aside Others thus If I am wicked it is a vain thing for me to seek the Lord as you advise me Why will you put me upon a businesse which will be fruitlesse and without successe It was the word of God in Jobs time though no Scripture Si autem sic impius sum frustra laboravi i. e. si impius sum ut vos de me dicitis Vul. That God heareth not sinners Not such sinners as Jobs friends challenged him to be So Job seems to compare their opinion of him and counsell given him thus together your opinion of me is that I am a wicked man your counsell to me is that I should
Judge of all the earth doe right It is impossible for God who judgeth all men to doe an act of injustice unto any man He that judgeth all can doe injustice to none God takes no advantage to be unjust because none can call him to account for injustice They should be furthest from doing wrong who need not fear any appeal from them or complaint against them if they doe wrong The Judge of the whole earth hath none to judge him He will do right to all who cannot be judged by any Further Consider those two words judgement and justice Judgement and justice are often put in Scripture for the same and when put together the later is as an epithite to the former Psal 119.121 I have done judgement and justice that is I have done judgement justly exactly to a hair Sometimes they have a distinct signification Facere legem praeceptum est facere judicium Deus ideo leges suas judicia vocat quod aequissima sunt quae praescribit First Judgement signifies that right which every man ought to doe at all times Psal 106.3 Isa 5.7 Secondly The Law or rule it self according to which every man is to do right Levit. 26.26 Psal 19.10 God cals all his Laws judgements because they are all most just and equall Judgement hath a three-fold opposition by which we may understand the nature of it First Judgement is opposed to anger rigour and severity Jer. 10.24 Correct me O Lord but with judgement not in thine angere That is Correct me mercifully moderately and in measure suffer not thy whole displeasure to arise Ezek. 44.14 doe not exact the utmost farthing In which sense the judgements of God upon wicked men in hell shall be without judgement And thus to doe a thing without judgement is all one as to do it without mercy 2. Judgement is opposed to folly or to foolishnesse Judgement is wisdome when we say Such an one is a man of judgement we mean he is a wise man Thus judgement is an ability to judge 3. Judgement opposed to injustice and wrong which is the vulgar and common meaning We may take it in any of these senses here As judgement is opposed to anger so it is moderation in justice Will the Lord pervert judgement That is will not he be as moderate in executâ—ng judgement as equity can admit Hos 11.9 I will not execute the fiercenesse of mine anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim for I am God and not man the Holy One in the midst of thee and I will not enter into the City As an enemy having taken a City to shew them some favour saith I will not enter your City with my Army to spoyl and plunder you so God speaks here Though men be as wicked as they can yet God will not be as angry as he can Again Will he pervert judgement as it imports wisdome No he walks exactly by the rule of wisdome of the highest and purest wisdome There are no mists or clouds of ignorance before the eye of his understanding And as he hath no darknesse so no false lights Lastly Take it as opposed to injustice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudicium jus mos seu modus in judicando Iudicium est in vero absque errore cognoscendo justitia in tribuendo cuique quod suum est Iudicium paenaÌ„ respicit justitia compensationem bene actorum Drus Will the Lord pervert judgement Will he wrong any man Carries he a matter sinisterly or partially He will not do it Againe As judgement and justice are taken precisely or distinctly First Judgement signifies due order in trying and finding out the state of a cause And justice the giving of sentence upon that triall Secondly Judgement is a clear knowledge of what ought to be done And justice is the doing of that which we know Justice is an evennesse and uprightnesse of conscience in passing every thing according to received light Thirdly Some distinguish them thus Judgement is in condemning those that are guilty and justice is in absolving and acquitting those that are innocent or rewarding those who have done well Fourthly Thus Judgement respects capitall causes which are for life and justice respects civill causes which are for estate or liberty Take them in any of these senses or under whatsoever other distinction they are considerable The Lord God El-Shaddai is no perverter of either He never disturbs or cloggs the order of tryall He is no hinderer of the sentence from due execution He exactly understands every cause and he awards what is due to every person He wrongs no man in life or limb in estate or liberty Thus we see what judgement and justice are I shall now open what it is to pervert judgement and justice The same word is used in both * Istae repetitiones div na eloquia multum commeÌ„dant sive eadem verba alia sententia sive aliis verbis eadem sententia repetatur illa enim ejusdem rei resumptio moram quandam in meditando ponderando requirit quod in psalmis frequens August 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pervertit subvertit detorquet à recto aequo supplantat Vulg. Est autem in verbo supplanto perbella Metaphora propriè est objecto vel supposito pede aliquem ad casum in pellere Doth God pervert Some translate it supplant justice And so it imports secret cunning waies of injustice for to supplant properly is to come behinde a man and to strike up his heels and cast him down or to lay somewhat in his way upon which he may trip or stumble and then fall God doth not supplant justice he layes no plots he sets no snares to entangle or overthrow a man in his cause More largely The word signifieth To make crooked and so it very well answers the point in hand Judgement and justice are both carried by a straight line They are the rectitude of our actions To pervert judgement is to make crooked lines So we have the word Eccles 1.16 That which is crooked cannot be made straight He means it of civill not naturall things whose crookednesse is often cured by art but who can cure all civill evils man is not able by all his diligence to turn the course of things which God hath determined though to him there appear much crookednesse and many distortions Solomon himself makes this interpretation Chap. 7.13 where he shews that it is best to submit to God because his will is irresistible and the effects of it unavoidable Consider the work of God for who can make that straight which he hath made crooked So then to pervert judgement is to make judgement crooked or to make judgement to which all things and persons should bow to bow it self down as the word is also used Eccles 12.3 In the description of old-age The strong men shall bow themselves the leggs and knees in old-age bow and double under us To pervert justice is
like men have transgressed the Covenant they have done like themselves When we see men vain and wicked and sinfull and covetous and earthly we may say of them they have done like men and how wonderous and glorious things soever God doth we can but say He hath done like God As a consectary from the whole take this caution If God is not a man as we are then God must never be measured by the rule and line of man Man hath not line enough to measure God by The Lord exceeds man in all he is not only above mans infirmities but he is above all his perfections The Lord is not only not weak as man is weak or unholy as man is unholy but the Lord is not strong as man is strong nor holy as man is holy nor just as man is just nor wise as man is wise Then man must not venture to judge of the wisdome of God by his own wisdome or of the justice holinesse and strength of God by his own strength holinesse and justice Man is not able to measure God in any of his Attributes and in three things especially man should take heed of measuring God in his actings First In the great work of election In this man is very apt to be meddling and to be measuring God by the line of naturall reason or of civil justice the Apostles dispute beats down this presumption Rom. 9. We read there how man begins to bustle and startle at that great conclusion vers 18. Therefore he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth If it be thus saith he if every mans state be peremptorily determined by the will of God if he loves and hates before men have done either good or evil Why doth he finde fault for who hath resisted his will What need any trouble themselves about the way when their end is under an unmovable decree Why should any strive to forsake evil and doe good on earth seeing it was resolved in heaven what should become of them before they had done either good or evil Thus the pride and ignorance of man cavils at the decrees of God But stay saith the Apostle O man who art thou that repliest against God! He is not a man as thou art he hath done what he hath done by vertue of his just prerogative and therefore he is not unjust in doing it Besides if ye will needs argue from reason then see how common reason confutes this blasphemy Hath not the Potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessell unto honour and another unto dishonour What if God hath done thus and what if he will doe thus What hast thou to doe with it Know thy place and keep thy rank art not thou clay in the hand of the Potter Secondly Measure not God by your own line in his providentiall dispensations He may have a method of his own in giving or taking away in pulling down or building up in wounding or healing in abasing man or in raising him because all is his own He who hath a right to all can wrong none and he who possesses all is debtour to none Thirdly Measure not God by your own line in the matter of your ordinary approvings and that two waies First Doe it not in your approving of things And Secondly Doe it not in your approving of persons Take heed first of measuring God by your selves in your approving of things as if because you approve it therefore God surely doth This misconceit hath been the cause of almost all and almost all the cause of all the superstition idolatry and will-worship that ever was in the world Man thinks God must needs like any thing which is done to his honour hence because the adorning and adoring of images bowing to altars using of unwritten Ceremonies are directed to the honour of God therfore man concludes surely God likes them Whereas nothing pleases God but what himself appoints he is never honoured but when he is obeyed As no man hath been his counsellour to direct him what to doe with us So no man can be his counsellour to direct him what to require of us Not that which we commend is approved but that which the Lord commends Secondly Take heed of this in your approbation or estimation of persons Not be whom you commend is approved but he whom the Lord commends We should judge of men as we believe God judges Or to come nearer let no man think himself is approved of God because he is approved by himself Many flatter themselves in their own eyes till their iniquity is found to be hatefull Psal 36.2 Christ intimates this speaking to the Pharisees Luk. 16.15 Ye are they that justifie your selves ye have high thoughts of your own worth and glory in your own excellencies and ye think God hath high thoughts of you that he glories in you too but let me tell you That which is highly esteemed amongst men is an abomination in the sight of God We are the men said the Pharisees ours are excellent gifts thus they admired and doted upon themselves but the Lord found them out and what they highly esteemed he abominated Some write and subscribe their own letters testimoniall and can get no hand to them but their own Not he who commends himself is approved but he whom the Lord commends such shall finde that their own good word would do them no good He is not a man as they are He saith Job is not a man as I am that I should answer him And we should come together in judgement It hath been shewed what judgement is at the 19th verse of this Chapter and at the third verse of the eighth Chapter therefore I shall not now stay upon it only as to the matter in hand Judgement may be taken three waies First For pleading which is but preparatory to judgement 1 Disceptatio mutur◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rationum 2 Iuris definitio 3 Exactio castigationis debiti Merc. the opening and arguing of the case or fact under triall Secondly For the decision and determination of the case according to law or the award of judgement Thirdly For the inflicting and executing of the sentence according to the judgement awarded Here Job chiefly intends the first He is not a man as I am that I should answer him and we should come together in judgement that is that I should plead argue and debate my matters with him before any other Judge God and man cannot come together to be judged for all man-kinde must receive their judgement from God Vt veniamus pariter in judicium Or nearer the Hebrew which sutes the former clause better He is not a man as I am that we should come alike to judgement No we should be very unlike very unequally matched in judgement Man and man who are upon even terms in their nature may yet be upon such uneven terms in their condition that
Thus God seeth or looketh not as man seeth he looketh not disdainfully upon a poor afflicted soul as men do upon their friends in their affliction or as ye my friends do upon me in mine affliction This is the fourth dishonourable thought which Iob removeth from God His eyes are not eyes of flesh he seeth not as man seeth either in reference to the truth or manner the clearnesse or speedinesse the certainty or impartiality the infallibility or charity of his judgement Upon all which his former request is again to be inferred Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me He proceedeth to a fifth which he also by way of interrogation removeth from God and so virtually reneweth the same petition Verse 5. Are thy daies as the daies of men Are thy years as mans daies I know they are not Are thy daies at mans daies Some interpreters take the word day for judgement Are thy daies as mans daies that is Are thy judging daies Ponitur dies pro judicio ex Cilicum idiotismo Hieron Putarim Paulum potius diem maluisse dicere quam judicium u◠alluderet ad diem illum supremum in quo Dominus ipse judex sedebit Bez. or thy judgement given upon those daies like mans daies or the judgement which man giveth We have the word in that sense 1 Cor. 4.3 where the Apostle concludes in his own case It is a very small thing with me to be judged of you or of mans judgement the Greek is To be judged of mans day and according to the idiom of that language in some countreys the day of a man is put for the judgement of a man Though others conceive Paul calls it a day rather then a judgement in allusion to that last day wherein God will sit in judgement upon the whole world So the meaning of Job is plainly this The Lords judgement is not like mans judgement This Exposition falls in with the sense of the former verse men judge by outward proofs and probabilities by questions and interrogatories by testimonies and witnesses God needs none of these humane helps in his day of judgement yet in Jobs case he carried it as if he needed them The suit depending so long before him and such variety of experiments and trials being put upon or taken of him But we may better interpret daies for a part of time and so Enos cujus vitae duratio brevissima pene nulla Are thy daies as mans daies is Art thou short liv'd as man is The word Man signifies man in his worst condition Are thy daies like the daies of a weak man of a miserable sickly man Are they like the daies of a man whom we number among the dead and who is giving up the ghost every hour There are some men whom we call long-liv'd that is men who in probability may live very long we say of a healthy strong man we would take a lease of his life or if we were to take a lease for lives we would put his life in for one he is a man of a good complexion and constitution a man like to live and see many daies But saith Jo◠Are thy daies as the daies of Enosh As the daies of a weak sickly man as the daies of one who looks as if he would drop into the grave every day as the daies of a very borderer upon death of the next neighbour and heir apparent to the king of terrours Lord I am sure thy daies are not as the daies of such a weakling of such mouldring sickly clod of earth This sense may have a double reference Perslat Iob in excludenda ignorantia à Deo judice Dies hominis significant vitam bre vissimam quae cum multa ignorantia conjuncta est Sanct Ars longa vita brevis Hypocr 1. To the knowledge of God concerning Iob. 2. To the manner of Gods dealing with Iob. 1. Thy daies are not as the daies of man thou hast had and hast time enough to gather knowledge and experience if thou didst need such help to make thee more knowing It was the ancient complaint of that great Physitian when he saw how much of his art he had to learn and how little time he had to learn it in Art is long and time is short what can I learn in such a span-long life as mine Hence it is conceived that though the fathers before the flood some of whose lives reached eight or nine Centuries wanted the help of Libraries and Academies which we enjoy yet that by the experience of so many years they gathered a great stock of knowledge and proved men of eminent learning Men whose daies are not as the daies of ordinary men attain knowledge beyond ordinary men How then can the Lord want any perfection of the most perfect knowledge who numbereth not only by hundreds and thousands of years but by an eternity of years His knowledge must needs be full concerning the state both of things and persons who not only hath Antiquity of daies but is the Ancient of daies Dan. 7.9 Many men have lived so many daies that they are justly called Ancient but no man ever lived or shall live so long as to deserve this title Ancient of daies God is called the Ancient of daies not only because he hath been many daies yea all the daies that ever have been but because he is ancienter then daies He is the daies ancient for he made the day His daies cannot be like mans daies who made five daies ancienter then man God hath more then all daies therfore he hath all knowledg he hath all experience therfore he hath neither ignorance nor nescience Upon this ground Job argues it out with God that he must needs know all thing who was before all times and that he was acquainted with him better then all men who lived at that day because he lived and was acquainted with what he would be before man had a day even from eternity 2. These words Thy daies are not as mans daies may refer to the dealing of God with Job As if he had said Lord why then doest thou make such haste to enquire after me why dost thou so incessantly follow me with afflictions Why dost thou keep me upon the rack from day to day night and day and wilt give me no rest Lord thou needest not fear to loose time for thou hast all time at thy command thou canst not want opportunity who hast eternity The reason why man is called upon so earnestly to redeem the time is because he hath so little time given him and no time at all but what is given him His daies are short daies and they are but few and which should provoke him more to make haste he knows not how few unlesse he lay hold upon the present day he is not sure of any day But Lord thou art Lord of time and Master not only over thy work but also over thy daies thou canst allow thy self as many daies
to creeple justice to make it lame and halt This word is translated to overthrow Job 19.6 Know now that God hath overthrown me and hath compast me in with his net Iob speaks in a great passion as if God had come upon him violently in judgement and cast him We say a man is overthrown or cast in his sute God overthrows men and Nations but he never overthrows justice A man who overthrowes his adversary may settle justice Iob looked upon himself as one against whom God had entred his action and overthrown him in the sute Lamenting Ieremy cries out Lam. 3.59 O Lord thou hast seen my wrong it is this word Thou hast seen how I am vexed and wrested by the hard dealings of men judge thou my cause Thou wilt judge me aright and set me straight again Judgement is perverted two waies 1. By subtilty 2. By power First Some pervert judgement by subtilty They are wise to do evil The Lord hath infinite wisdome and so is able to go beyond and over-reach all creatures he is wise enough to be-fool all the world but he is not wise to doe evil His wisedome is not a trap or a snare to others but an unerring guide and light to himself 2. Some pervert judgement by violence and force if they cannot untie the knot by craft they will cut it asunder by power and if they have not law for it they have will for it and an arm for it and it shall be done The Lord can doe what he will but he hath no will to doe what is evil He can put forth as much strength as he desires but he hath no desire to pervert justice or to act his power to over-aw and master it Further To pervert judgement and justice hath these two things in it 1. To darken and obscure the rule of judgement 2. To torture or mis-interpret the rule of judgement 1. Judgement is perverted by darkning and obscuring the law or rule of justice God doth not doe so He never casts a mist before his Word or a vail over it that he may act against it 2. Neither doth he mis-interpret his law A good law ill expounded is made the warrant of an evil judgement A glosse corrupting the text of the Law corrupts justice Where tongue and conscience are set to sale the wit must finde out somewhat to help the market The words opened invite these Observations First That God is most exact in judgement God is a just God It is a high truth and we should adore it that whatsoever God doth he is just in doing it When reason cannot reach or make it out yet faith must and we must honour God in what we cannot understand The Lord is righteous in all his waies though his waies are past finding out For 1. He hears every cause before he judges He doth not judge one side before he knows the other or judge any man before he hath heard him fully out We see both Gen. 11. and Gen. 18. in those two great acts of justice when God confounded the builders of Babel and when he destroyed Sodome I will goe down and see whether it be altogether according to the report that is come up unto me God needs no intelligence to be brought him unto heaven neither doth he that fils all places goe to any place to enform himself but he speaks thus to note how exact he is in point of justice To shew that he deals with the children of men as a man who hearing a report of such a thing done saith I will not judge of it by what I hear but I will goe see whether it be so or no. Without evidence of the fact the sentence cannot be just though it may be right 2. He examineth and takes confession which is another point of justice So he proceeded with our first parents Gen. 3. proposing interrogatories unto them and then the judgement is pronounced according unto what was confest he judgeth them out of their own mouths ver 17. Because thou hast done this and hearkened unto the voice of thy wife therefore c. 3. God proceeds by the evidence of the Law as well as by the evidence of the fact and this also sets forth the exactnesse of his judgement These two things make judgement perfect you must not only have the evidence of the fact that such a thing is done but you must have the evidence of the Law condemning such a deed Though God himself be an everlasting Law and he may judge all from his own breast yet he hath given out a Law which gives the knowledge of sinne It is said Rom. 2. They that have sinned without the Law shall perish without the Law as if some should be judged without Law but he means without a Law formally published not materially enacted For he speaks of the Gentiles who were not within the hearing of Mount Sinai and had not seen that formality of a Law written in tables of stone yet they had a Law written in their hearts They that have not heard the Law published or seen it written in a book shall be judged by the Law written in their hearts their conscience bearing them witnesse and their thoughts accusing or else excusing one another 4. God is impartiall in giving judgement He doth not strike one and spare another who is under the same condemnation nothing can sway or bias him nothing can preponderate the balance of justice in his hand you cannot put in any consideration to sway his beam beside the right There are three things which usually cause men to pervert justice The Lord is free from them all 1. Fear of greatnesse Some would doe justice but they dare not the businesse concerns a great man and to doe justice upon such is To take a Bear by the tooth as we say or to play with the paw of a Lion Now the Lord is not turned away for fear nor deferrs he justice for any mans big looks The day of the Lord saith the Prophet Isa 2. shall be against the high Oaks He is El-Shaddai the All-mighty the all-powerfull God and therefore cares not for the might or power of man 2. Hope of reward that 's another thing which causeth many to pervert judgement With some their hope is stronger then their fear They care not for the greatnesse of men but they hope for gain A bribe taken or promised clogs and obstructs the course of justice Hos 4.14 Her Rulers with shame doe love Give ye the Hebrew is Her shields Magistrates should be as shields to the people to protect them but what did they They love Give ye that word pleased them They were more pleased with receiving rewards then with doing right The Lord is above all gifts he is Shaddai he hath all in himself and needs not that any should give unto him and he tels them expressely Ezek. 7.19 That their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of
be in sight Thirdly They shall be cloathed with shame may be understood thus Est quasi praemium peccati mercedis onim nomine Syndones olim dabantur Shame shall be their reward They have been doing the busines of Satan he set them a work now see what livery they shall have at last into what sute the devil will put them They shall goe in a livery of dishonour Servants are cloathed by their Masters Satan cloaths his servants and this is their cloathing they shall be cloathed with shame Samson was to give thirty change of garments to the Philistines for a reward if they could declare his riddle Judg. 14.12 Natura pudore tactâ— saâ—guineÌ„ ante se pro velamento diffundâ—t obteâ—dit Macr. l. 7. c 11. Satan gives liveries and garments of shame to those who study out his riddles and do his drudgery Fourthly If we take the letter of the Hebraisme to be cloathed with shame implies thus much that when a man hath done a thing of which he is ashamed he as it were sends forth bloud into the face in a blush to cover that foul act he puts out a red garment or a scarlet vail to hide his filthinesse Thus he is cloathed with shame Modesty commands nature and where it is but honestly natur'd prevails with it to cast this covering over all uncomelines in speech or practice and though this blush appears only in the face yet the whole body is dipt and died with the same color Hence also they who are ashamed Solent qui erubescunt manum faciei quia opprobrium ac dedecus timent admovere Bold either hold their hands before their faces to cover them or hold their heads down that they may not be discovered Observe That which evil men glory in will be matter of their abasement The Apostle saith They glory in their shame Phil. 3.19 not formally but materially No man can glory in any thing under the notion of shame but many glory in that which is in it self shamefull 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idolum cujus pudet cultorem post quam ab eo in periculis destitutus nec aâ— jutus fuerit and will be their shame The Hebrew expresses an Idol by a word that signifies shame or a shamefull thing and it is the root of that in the text because Idols first or last make their worshippers ashamed Jer. 11.13 According to the number of thy Cities were thy gods O Judah ye have set up altars to that shamefull thing Idolaters shall see at last how foolish they have been in worshipping a stock or a stone in adoring the inventions of their own brains which can do them no good in an evil day every Idol is a shamefull thing because it deceiveth it's worshippers so every sinfull act will be like an Idol matter of shame because every sin is a deceit Isa 26. They shall be ashamed for their envy at my people They shall see their envy against the people of God was unreasonable groundlesse and fruitlesse therefore they shall be ashamed and if they shall be ashamed of their envy against the people of God how shall they be ashamed of their opposition and injuries of their oppression and injustice Isa 41.11 Behold all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed The Churches enemies glory in their own shame and the Church shall glory in the shame of her enemies therefore she is called to behold it as a piece of her glory Observe further They that hate thee shall be cloathed with shame then wicked men are haters of the righteous They are haters of God therefore they must be haters of those who have the Image of God upon them As he that loves so he that hates him that begets hates him also that is begotten Naturall men are such haters of holinesse that they hate that which is but the image the Idol of holinesse hypocrisie they cannot endure a man who doth but seem religious It is said of the Panther that he bears such hatred against man that if he see but the picture of a man he will tear it to pieces Many men have such an hatred against true reall goodnesse that they cannot abide the shadow or appearance of it Olim in tentorijs habitabant unde factum ut tentorium pro qualibet domo accipiatur Per domum innuit familiam totam cum omnibus rebus domesticis Drus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad verbum non ipsum subintelligitur est vel erit And the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought We have met many passages to this purpose Dwelling place in the Hebrew is a tabernacle because they were wont to dwell in tabernacles And when he saith His tabernacle shall be brought to nought The meaning is His whole estate shall be brought to nought not only the wals of his house shall be overthrown but all his goods his riches his honours his titles his children his relations whatsoever is dear to him shall be brought to nought the Hebrew is It shall not be it shall be as if such a thing had never been in the world God will at last make an utter consumption of wicked men None who have tabernacles in the world shall long have a tabernacle in the world But the fall of these mens tabernacles shall not be according to the condition of mortality only As Moses speaks of Corah Dathan c. These men shall not die the common death of all men a remarkable judgement shall overtake them Some take tabernacle to note their religious duties their worship and service of God and so their spirituall estate Wicked men will serve God outwardly they have their tabernacles as well as the Saints they pray and hear c. But be it a civill or be it a religious tabernacle down it must all their riches and all their religion shall come to nought JOB Chap. 9. Vers 1 2 3 4. Then Job answered and said I know it is so of a truth but how should man be just with God If he will contend with him he cannot answer him one of a thousand He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered IN the former Chapter Bildad gave a three-fold advice to Job First To think aright of the justice and judgements of God Secondly To humble himself and seek unto God Thirdly Which is implied in both the former To forbear complaining of his own troubled life or desiring the end of it by death To these three heads of Bildads advice or reproof Job shapes his answer in this 9th and in the 10th Chapter First He opens his thoughts about and highly magnifies the justice of God to the 21. verse Secondly He renounces his own righteousnesse and proves that no man is to be judged by the present dealings of God with him from the 21. verse to the end of the Chapter Thirdly He renews and justifies his complaint
against his life and his wishes for death by many arguments in the tenth Chapter In most of these points he answers exactly according to the strict laws and rules of disputation First Repeating his Opponents argument and then yeelding what was true denying what was false and distinguishing about what was doubtfull Which he doth with so much acutenesse and vigour with so much strength and clearnesse both of reason and judgement that one of the Ancients cries out upon the whole matter of his answer in these Chapters O how much Philosophy I may say Quantum verba haec praese feruâ—t philosophiam Chrys how much logick hath Job shewed in this reply to the argument of Bildad Bildads argument speaks to this effect God who hath punished thee is just therefore thou art unjust Job in answer grants the antecedent but denies the consequent His grant of the antecedent appears in the two first verses of the Chapter I know it is so of a truth I yeeld this but how should man be just with God He proves and confirms that God is just in the fourth verse by a double medium First From his wisdome He is wise in heart And Secondly From his power He is mighty in strength What force there is in these two Attributes to hold up the justice of God we shall see afterwards The fourth verse is likewise a concession unto the second part of Bildads advice namely that Job should humble himself As if Job had said You advise me to humble my self and to seek unto God it is most becomming I should doe so for he is wise in heart and mighty in strength Who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered There is no standing out against God and therefore I yeeld I fall down and abase my self before him That God is thus powerfull and wise he goes on to prove in the following parts of the Chapter to the 22. verse by the enumeration of many particular acts and effects both of his power and wisdome The other part of his argument namely the consequent that therefore Job was unjust and wicked he denies and more refutes it strongly His negation and refutation begin at the 22th verse This is one thing therefore I said it He destroyeth the righteous and the wicked As if he had said This is no argument that I am a wickedman because God hath destroyed my estate and my children for God in this sense destroyeth both the righteous and the wicked It cannot be proved that I am wicked because God hath afflicted me or that God hath afflicted me for my wickednesse I know another way how to acquit the justice of God and to declare him righteous though I doe not joyn with you in condemning and judging myself in your notion unrighteous This is the summe of his answer contained in the ninth Chapter In the tenth he renews his complaint as before in the sixth and sheweth after he had given God glory under all his sufferings what great reason he had to be sensible under the pain and smart of his sufferings Verse 1 2. Then Job answered and said I know it is so of a truth Thus he grants the antecedent I know it to be so of a truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Asseverario quaedam est rei sibi benè exploratae Radix Aman fidelem stabilem veracem esse unde Amon. or truly I know it to be so The word hath a double force in it Sometime of a bare yet a strong asseveration and sometimes of an Oath I know it to be so of a truth I affirm or aver the thing or truly and indeed or verily I know the thing to be so As if Job had said This is so much a truth that I dare swear it is a truth that God is just I durst take my oath of it if I were called to it I would swear for the justice of God above all things in the world As we ought to swear in truth Psal 89.49 so to affirme a thing to be so in truth is swearing Further the word is taken either in way of affirmation Amen dupliceÌ„ habet sensum 1. Vt fit affirmatio eorum quae dicturi sumuâ— 2. Vt sit confirmatio eorum quae jam dicta sunt Hebraicè innotare solet confirmationem Syriacè in N. T. affirmationem Bol. or in way of confirmation In way of affirmation it refers to that which is to be spoken so frequently in the new Testament Amen Amen verily verily is a vehement affirmation of what was afterwards to be spoken Verily verily I say unto you But here rather it is a note of confirmation of the truth already spoken The Syriack of the new Testament uses it commonly for an affirmation the Hebrew in the old for a confirmation So then it is here a sealing to the former truth delivered both by Bildad and Eliphaz about the justice of God Eliphaz in the 4th Chapter vers 17. and Bildad in the 8th ver 3. Doth the Almighty pervert judgement No saith Job I know it of a truth that he doth not And so the sense runs thus Bildad doest thou surmise by what I have spoken that I have ill or hard thoughts of the justice of God Did I ever thinke that justice was perverted because I was afflicted I acknowledge thou hast truly said that God doth not pervert judgement and I acknowledge thou hast faithfully counselled me to seek unto God and make my supplication to the Almighty for alas who am I that I should contend with God What am I that I should dispute it out with him concerning my troubles and his dealings with me Or if I should be so rash so fool-hardy and adventurous to attempt such a thing alas I could make nothing of it I could not answer him one argument of a thousand whereby he might maintain his own justice or to one charge and article of a thousand whereby he might impeach mine I am no match for God Therefore I yeeld thee the whole matter so farre as concerns the honouring of God in that great Attribute of his justice and the duty of weak man in humbling himself before the great God I know it to be so of a truth Note hence First That in all disputes and controversies it is a note both of an ingenuous and of an holy heart to yeeld as much as without wrong to truth may be yeelded unto It is good to agree as farre as we can if we cannot agree in all We should walk with an adversary one mile when it lies in our way though we cannot walk twain Jobus veritatis fidissimus assertor qui omnia ratione non afflictionis sensu metiretur tam ingenuè satetur commendat vera quae ab impugnatoribus promuntur quaÌ„ generoâ—è falsa depellit quod hoc praesertim capite liquidò demonstrat dum verum duorum disputatorum assertum non admittit modo verum elegantissimè disertissimè inte groâ—erè capite amplificat
striving in her womb the Lord answereth thus Two Nations are in thy womb and two manner of people and then addeth The one people shall be stronger then the other people it is this word Regnum regno praevalebit sc populuâ— prae populo robustior the one people shall be prevailingly strong and shall overcome the other both people shall be strong mighty and potent but there is one of them shall have the rule and shall conquer and subdue the other If I speak of strength he is strong The summe is If the Question be about strength and power then the Lord carries the day and the honour he is most powerfull he is strong above all Hence observe That God is of infinite and insuperable strength He hath strength many have malice and wickednesse boldnesse and presumption enough to oppose but none have power enough to overcome him He hath force which none can subdue and he hath authority which none ought to resist These two must concurre wheresoever there is full determining power A man may have authority or right to do a thing and yet have no strength to execute and effect it And many have strength to doe those things as to oppresse a man to take his goods or his life from him for which they have no authority both meet in the Lord therefore he is the Soveraign Lord he hath authority to doe as much as he can and he hath strength to doe as much as he will Some men would make strange work in the world if they had strength sutable to their authority and others would make a good world by their works if they had authority sutable to their strength both these meet in God who can contend with him If we speak of strength loe he is strong There are three things wherein this insuperablenesse of the strength of God appears 1. He hath strength to doe whatsoever he will There is nothing not fecible or too hard for him 2. He hath strength to doe what he willeth not the Lord is able to doe more then ever he will doe he could presently take vengeance upon all the wicked but he will not he is patient and good toward them who look not at all towards repentance to which his goodnesse and patience lead them Rom. 2.5 3. He is so strong that he can doe whatsoeveâ— imports strength because he only doth what he will doe To doâ—â—â—at which is not our will to dâ—e is a note of disability It argues a want of power to be forced to doe a thing as well as not to be able to it He that doth what he would not is not able to doe what he would God is therefore able to doe whatsoever he wils because he never did nor can be drawn to do any thing against his will It follows then That the Lord is so strong that he can doe whatsoever names him strong and only cannot doe those things which if he did he must be weak as was further shewed at the fourth verse of this Chapter Secondly Hence it appears That No creature is able to grapple with God He is strongest The Apostle gives that admonition 1 Cor. 10.22 Doe we provoke the Lord to jealousie Are we stronger then he Surely except man thought he were able to match God he would not be so fool-hardy so vain to throw down the Gauntlet or enter the lists with God The weaknesse of God is stronger then men 1 Cor. 1.25 not that there is any weaknesse in God but take that which men conceive to be weaknesse or weakest in him that 's stronger then man Or The weaknesse of God that is the weakest instruments which God uses are stronger scil in their effects then the strongest which men use God can doe more with ten men then man can doe with an hundred The most stammering tongue and flattest language shall perswade more if God speak with it then the most fluent tongue and sparkling Oratory spoken meerly by man If I speak of strength loe he is strong And if of judgement Who shall set me a time to plead If I cannot by force and power may I not by subtilty and wit by reason and argument by eloquence and rhetorick prevail against him No If of judgement Who shall set me a time to plead As I cannot deal with God at the sword or in the field so neither can I deal with him at the bar or at the judgement seat There are two words in the Hebrew which are used for judging 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudicium jus ratio The first is Dan the name of one of the twelve Patriarks and from him of a Tribe in Israel Dan shall judge his people Gen. 49.16 And that word in strictnesse signifies to give doom or sentence in a cause The other word is that in the text Shaphat which signifies more especially the doing of right or the righting of a man in any controversie The Greek word takes in both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now while Job saith If of judgement or if we speak of judgement the Question is What judgement doth he mean Judgement is taken three waies First For the rule of judging or for the Law whereby we judge It is said 1 Sam. 10.25 that Samuel after he had anointed Saul for King told the people the manner of the Kingdom and wrote it in a book this manner of the Kingdom was not the common practice and custom of the Kingdom but it is the word of the text the judgements of the Kingdom that is those rules and laws by which the Kingdoâ—â— ought to be governed and judged Secondly Judgement is put for an ability or fitnesse to judge to discern and weigh things to scan a cause and try out the uttermost truth of every circumstance judgement is the ability of the person judging And Thirdly Judgement is taken for the sentence given upon the person judged after the evidence of his cause is heard and taken Judgement in this third sense is the result of the former two For when by judgement as it is the rule of judging and an ability to judge the Judge hath wrought and tried out what the merit of a mans cause and the truth of a businesse in controversie is then the issue of both is Judgement in this third sense that is an act which is passed or a sentence pronounced upon the person that standeth in or the cause which is brought to judgement So If of judgement is If I bring forth my cause to be tried by the abilities of the Judge and by the rule of the Law this will be no relief to me I shall be in as ill a case as if I were to deal with God by plain strength There is an opinion that takes in a fourth sense about this word judgement as if judgement were not a forensicall or a judiciall term in this text but signified only afflictions or punishments upon a people or person Iulicium sumitur hoc loco
vel officio vel apti tudine Nomen judicis apud Hebraeos latius patet quam apud latinos non enim ille tantum vocatur judex qui controvertiis vacat sed etiaÌ„ qui rempublicaÌ„ armis tuetur Bold Vidi servos i. e. servire dignos principes i. e. dignos imperio Yet further the word Iudges in the originall notes not only such as are in actuall office to determine controversies whether criminall or civil but any man that is worthy to be a Judge or is fit to govern and mannage publike affairs whether in peace or warre And so it implies a suppressing and keeping down of those that are most able and best qualified to undertake any service for States and Kingdoms Eccles 10.7 I have seen servants upon horses and Princes walking as servants upon the earth that is I have seen men who are worthy no better imploiment then that of a servant to rub horse heels or doe the meanest offices such as these I have seen in the saddle and in their trappings And I have seen Princes walking upon the earth on foot that is men who deserve to bear rule and to govern Kingdoms who both for ability and integrity are worthy to have the rains of authority in their hand and to sit at the helm these I have seen walking upon the earth or tugging at an oar as common men that 's an evil which Solomon saw under the Sunne So here He covereth the faces of the Judges may have this meaning Evil Princes keep down and hold in obscurity men of parts and gifts of spirit and courage of honesty and uprightnesse and preferre only those who are base and corrupt who will serve turns and comply with times Hence note That it is the policy of wicked Princes to corrupt and blinde Judges or to employ such as are blinde and corrupt They take away power from those who would use power well and give power to them who are slaves to their wils Secondly It is the character of a wicked man to bribe a Judge to put out the eyes and cover the face of a Judge with gifts A good cause fears not the eye of the Judge and a good man had rather lose his cause then pervert the Judge So much of mans covering the faces of the Judges now see how God covers them He who opens the eyes and uncovers the faces of the Judges that they may discern between cause and cause doth also cover the faces of Judges Tegit ne videant quod bonum aequum est Drus that they cannot discern between cause and cause As the Lord hardens the heart and blindes the eye in spirituall things so also in civil not by taking away the sight which man had but by with-drawing or denying his own light The Lord covers the faces of the Judges when he doth not give them light nor shew them the path of justice If God suspend his light the greatest lights are presently in darknesse God doth not hood-winke or muffle up the Judges by putting any thing before their eyes but by hiding his own eyes from them The Psalmist speaks of Judges thus covered Psal 82.5 They know not neither will they understand they walk on in darknesse all the foundations of the earth are out of course We have here the character of evil Judges and what the consequents of it are They know not neither will they understand they walk on in darknesse these three expressions explain this text and what follows Then all the foundations of the earth are out of course Law and justice are out of course no man knoweth where to have right or by whom to be protected against wrong Hence observe Hinc elicimus malos judices etiaÌ„ a Deo esse Drus Ignorant and evil Judges are sent by God as a scourge I gave them a King in mine anger Hos 13.11 Lastly for the clearing of this The covering of the faces of the Judges notes three things First Ignorance and blindenesse or an inability to judge Iudex oculatissimus esse debet Secondly Inhumanity and cruelty The faces of the Judges being covered they will not look upon the case of a poor man Solebant judices intra cortinas se coâ—tinere cum contra reum capitis sententiam pronunciabant Fined It is usuall for an oppressed petitioner to say to the Judge Look upon me good my Lord cast an eye upon me the Judge who will not see is covered with incompassion Thirdly Covering of the face imports the affected partiality of Judges many doe as if they could not see as if their faces were covered Affection blindes the judgment and none are so blinde as they that will not see The reason why the Heathen pictured their Fortune blinde was because she distributed things as if she affected blindenesse giving good to those that were evil and evil to those that were good Antiqui fortunam caecam pingebant quòd malis bona ma la bonis indiscriminatim conserrentur when Judges give rewards to those that should be punished and punish those that should be rewarded their faces are covered they are blinde Judges were anciently pourtrai'd or pictur'd without hands and without eyes without hands as noting that Judges must not receive or take gifts And without eyes because they must not see friend or neighbour great or small kinsman or stranger they were to distribute justice according unto every mans cause and not with respect to any mans state or relation It is said of Christ Isa 11.3 where his Kingdome is described that he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes that is by what appears to the eye but he shall judge righteous judgement In this sense it is the Judges duty and honour to have his face covered But the covering here meant is either of ignorance and inability or of corruptnesse and partiality All which hinder the Judge from doing his duty and are blemishes of his honour But some may object Shall we attribute this to God Doth he cover the faces of the Judges God is pure from all sinne while he leaves men in their impurity He is just in giving man over to his own injustice So we answer and the next words challenge all to make another answer If not where and who is he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si non ubi ille Dagn Si non ergo Quis ille lingua sancta concisa valde Si non supple Deus qui hoc faciat ergo quis est supple qui faciat If it is not the Lord who doth this tell me who is it as if he had said Some may be offended and scandalized at my doctrine that I assert The earth is given into the hands of the wicked that be covereth the faces of the Iudges If any man shall deny or scruple this let him shew me whence these things are and who is the cause of them There is a three-fold understanding of these words Some make
they cannot come alike to judgement A poor man cannot grapple with a rich man nor a mean man with the honourable Now if they who are of the same nature cannot come alike in judgment because of a disparity in their condition How shall they who differ not only in condition but in nature Can God and man Can poor wretched and miserable man come alike in judgement with the great and glorious God And so the meaning of Job may be thus conceived If I had only a man like my self to deal with then I would venture a triall with him at any seat of judgement or Court of Justice but he is not a man as I am much lesse such a man as I am How shall I set my self with him to be judged when as himself is the Judge of all and is himself judged of none Hence observe Man is not able to contend with God in judgement Who is like me and who will appoint me the time or nearer the letter who will convent me in judgement Who is that shepherd that will stand before me Isa 49.19 Man must come before God in judgement We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ 2 Cor. 5.10 None shall escape his tribunall But man cannot stand before God in judgement The wicked cannot stand at all before him in judgement because they stand upon their own bottom The righteous dare not stand before him in judgement upon their own bottom if they should themselves and their cause would quickly fall together There are seven considerations which tell us that we cannot come together much lesse alike together with God in judgment 1. He is of such strength that none can wrest themselves out of his hand No power can daunt him 2. He is of such sincerity that bribes cannot corrupt him nor can gifts put out his eies 3. He is of such wisdom that none can over-reach him nor can our wit entangle him 4. He is so knowing that none of our sins and failings no not the least of them are secrets to or hidden from him 5. He is so holy that he cannot bear with the least sin and so just that he cannot but punish it unlesse he receive satisfaction for it 6. He cannot be a party in judgement for he is the supreme Judge and there is no appealing from his sentence 7. He is the last yea an everlasting Judge and therefore there is no repealing of his sentence Who is able to contend with him whom no power can daunt no bribes corrupt no wit over-reach who knows all our sins and will spare none of them from whose sentence there is no appealing and whose sentence cannot be repealed There is no Judge above God therefore we cannot appeal from him there is none to come after God therefore what he hath judged cannot be repealed Job having thus waved and professed against contending with God in judgement proceedeth in the thirty third verse to shew that there is none to whom his case might be referred for arbitration There are two waies by which controversies are ended First By the legall sentence of the publike Judge Secondly By the moderation of a private friend This later Job means when he saith Verse 33. Neither is there any Daies-man betwixt us that can lay his hand upon us both The Septuagint render these words as a wish or as a prayer * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. O that there were a Daies-man or a Mediatour betwixt God and me that might lay his hand upon us both But the originall bears it clearly in the negative Neither is there any Daies-man betwixt us The word which we translate Daies-man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arguere Heb. Non est arguens inter nos vel increpans commeth from a root which signifieth to argue or reprove and so some render it here Neither is there any Arguer or Reprover none to set the matter right between God and me none to state the question between us none to reprove the Lord if I should say or if by the common rules of justice it should appear he hath done me wrong The word is used in that sense Gen. 31.24 where Jacob tels his uncle Laban The Lord rebuked thee yesternight the Lord himself came as an umpire as a Daies-man betwixt Jacob and Laban and rebuked Laban for his hard and unjust thoughts of and intentions concerning Jacob Take heed saith God thou speak not unto Jacob either good or bad that is doe not threaten or perswade him to return thou wilt repent it if thou doest Thus also the Lord appeared as a Daies-man between his people of old and the great ones of the world Psal 105.14 He suffered no man to doe them wrong yea he rebuked Kings for their sakes God is alwaies able to and often doth interpose for and vindicate his people from the oppressions of men 'T is costly medling with the Saints Kings may get a rebuke for it Yea Kings may smart and Kingdoms shake for it Fere omnes interpretes hunc versum de Mediatore seu arbitro quem jurisconsulti vocant sequestrem intelligunt quasi Iob optasset ordinarium Iudicem praecedenti versiculo mediatorem vero seu arbi trum hoc versu What a Daies-man is is so plain and well known by the custom and usage of most places that it needs little explication We in our language sometimes call him an umpire sometimes an Arbitratour sometimes a Mediatour sometimes a Referree and in some Countreys with us when a question arises between neighbours concerning which they are unwilling to spend money and time in sutes of Law they say We will referre it unto men which kinde of speaking seems to allude to the title of Magistrates and Judges whom the Scripture calleth gods and when a businesse is brought before them it may be said to be referr'd or put to God In opposition to which when it is taken up by the umpiridge of friends it is said To be referred or put to men We in our English tongue call such Daies-men either because they bestowed a daies pains upon the ending of a businesse or because they were obliged to end it by a set day whereas Judges may take more liberty to themselves Yet some of the Greeks expresse all mans judgement by this word Ideo sequester appellatur quod ejus qui electus sit utraque pars fidem sequatur Gel. l. 20. c. 10. Sequester est qui errantibus medius intervenit qui aâ—ud Graecos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 d citur apud quem pignota deponi solent à sequendo dictas quod ejus fidem utraque pars sequatur Isidor l 10. Etymol Mans-day because certain daies were appointed for judicature The Apostle Paul uses the same phrase 1 Cor. 4.3 in opposition to the Lords-day the great day of judgment to which he there appeals from all the daies set for mans judgement in this world The Latins call
can see We may see a thing and not know what we see But the eye of the Lord seeth and discerneth at all distances There are none so neer him but he knows what they are neernesse doth not hinder his sight and there are none so farre from him but he can discover what they are remotenesse doth not hinder his sight And indeed all things are present with him as in time so in place God is nearest Deus non soluâ— est proximus objecto sed est intimè cum illo conjunctut even next to every object He is in every place yet not included by any he is in every thing yet not mixed with any Prov. 15.3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good His eies are upon the waies of man he seeth all his goings Job 34.21 and that this seeing is a distinguishing sight another Scripture clears to us His eye-lids try the children of men Psal 11.5 Let them be what they will and where they will his eye-lids do not only see but try that is he hath a distinct and a certain knowledge or a criticall sight of the state and condition of every man 5. Man seeth but the colour and skin the face and out-side of things or persons but God seeth the in-sides and looks into the very bowels of them He is a searcher and discerner of the heart He seeth the spirit as soon as the face Our clothes are not more open to him then our brests and bosoms An Heathen wished for a window there and if we had windows there we could not see what 's there An eye of flesh cannot reade the meaning of our spirits but the Lord can look into the heart without a window yea we are all window to him and he at every turn looks not only upon us but into us It was prophecied of Christ Isa 11.3 He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes neither reprove after the hearing of his ears that is he shall not judge as a meer man but as God he shall not judge according to fair appearances or flying reports He shall judge with righteousnesse and reprove with equity Man whose eyes are of flesh should not judge according to appearance yet because his eyes are of flesh he cannot judge of that which doth not appear But God who calleth those things which are not as if they were judgeth of those things which appear not as if they did appear 6. An eye of flesh may be deceived The sight of man is subject to manifold deceptions Many things put a stop to the sight of the eye The eye of man is in danger of as many fallacies as the understanding and the understanding is entangled with many fallacies by the eye But there is no errour in the sight of God nor any deception of his eye you cannot by any art or device by any policy or hypocrisie by any masques or disguises by any simulations or dissimulations make that appear to him which is not or make it appear to him otherwise then it is The heart of man saith the Lord is deceitfull above all things and desperately wicked who can know it only the Lord who makes can answer this challenge so he doth in the next words I the Lord search the heart I try the reins even to give every man according to his waies and according to the fruit of his doings How can that which is deceitfull receive according to its doings but by knowing all its doings and all it's deceits As the tongue the greatest troubler of the world no man can tame so the heart the greatest impostour in the world no man can discover but God and he can do it easily and doth it continually 7. When it is said the Lord hath not eyes of flesh he seeth not as man seeth the meaning is his knowledge is not imperfect as the knowledge of man is An eye of flesh hath bin but a while and can be but a while and therefore cannot attain much knowledge We are but of yesterday and know nothing saith Bilaad c. 8. He that hath but little experience must needs have more then a little ignorance Experience breeds knowledge and brings to perfection in knowledge The eye of God is from everlasting If he had not as he hath all knowledge in and from himself he might have fetcht it in before this time from what he hath seen And he having seen all things must needs have perfect knowledge whose knowledge had been perfect though he had never seen any of these things Besides As this phrase an eye of flesh imports thinnesse of experience and thence imperfection of knowledge so grossenesse of spirit and dimnesse of understanding to attain knowledge When Peter made that gracious confession Mat. 16.16 Thou art Christ the Sonne of the living God Christ answers Carò significat aliquia pingue obtusum crassuÌ„ minime subtiâ—e aut perspicax Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona for flesh and bloud that is man hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in heaven As if he had said All men are flesh and bloud so dull-sighted and blinde that they could never have perceived this truth by any study or observation it comes only by gift and revelation The eye of God is not an eye of flesh in this sense neither All spirits have much clearnesse of understanding much sharpnesse and quicknesse of apprehension The devil being a spirit Daemon though now a wicked spirit hath one name from knowledge How much more knowing is he who is The spirit the Creatour of the spirits of all flesh and the Creatour of those spirits which subsist without flesh Further Sight is put for judgement and seeing for judging Judging is an act beyond knowing Judgement is the result of knowledge So Thou dost not see is Thou dost not judge as man judgeth 1. Mans judgement is often hindered by his affections Num vides more hominum siâ—ut illi ex facie judicas ut affectibus ducaris siâ—ut illi His judgement is hindred by divers affections especially by love and the nearnesse of relations man can hardly see a fault and a friend a sin and a son together Love makes knowledge as ignorance and light as darknesse Christian charity covers a multitude of sins from private revenge and harsh censures But humane charity coverâ— a multitude of sins from publike justice and wholsome admonitions The former keeps from rigid severity this endangers to cockering flattery It is not thus with God He seeth not as man seeth They who have the greatest interest the nearest relation to God are seen what they are and shall be judged as they are God hath indeed an infinite largenesse of affection to poor sinners and the lap of his garment of love covers every day a multitude yea many multitudes of sins But he doth not this because his love to the persons offending hinders his eye from seeing but because
his Son having satisfied his justice for the persons offending he turns away his eye from seeing their sins God proclaims himself at once The God pardoning iniquity transgression and sin and that will by no means acquit the guilty Exod. 34.7 There is nothing but the Name of his Son and of his Son suffering which turns his eye from sin He will espy and punish or espy to punish all our faults through all other titles and interests whatsoever Again Mans judgment is clouded by wrath and malice He cannot see the innocency of those he hates or do them justice to whom he bears no affection The want of love hinders an eye of flesh as much as the inordinacy or excesse of it But though the Lord be angry and displeased with man yet he wrongs no man The wrath of man cannot work the righteousnesse of God but the wrath of God works righteousnesse to man He never gives more then right to those he loves most nor lesse then right to those he hates most That which we call passion in God is acted with highest reason his anger never errs 2. Man is much swaied in judgment by the power pomp and splendour of men We are apt to think they have most worth in them who are worth most And that they are good with whom all 's well Even the Saints are toucht with this infirmity The Apostle James chap. 2.2 3. bespeaks them thus If there come into your Assembly a man with a gold ring in goodly apparel and there come in a poor man in vile raiment and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing and say unto him Come and sit here by me in a good place and say to the poor Stand thou there or sit here under my foot-stool Are ye not partiall in your selves and Judges of evil thoughts that is Are ye not condemned in your selves and convinced in your own consciences that you do evil and so that your thoughts have been evil which moved you to do so Can you chuse but judge this an evil thought to think him the best man that weareth the best clothes and him a vile person that is in vile apparel Thus men yea good men may mis-judge of men But the Lord seeth not as man seeth It is not good clothes but a good heart it is not a gold ring but a golden conversation which he accepts wickednesse is abominable in his eye though it sit upon a throne and holinesse shines in his eye though it lie upon a dung-hill Holinesse is not lesse lovely to him because cloathed with rags nor unholinesse lesse loathsome to him because it goes in a gay coat 'T is well conceived Forte Iob respâ—cit ad carneos judicum oculos qui ex specie carnis splendore judicant sordidos vero squalâ—dos contemnuâ—t At Deus sordida humilia non despicit Sanct. that Job had reference to his own condition when he spake thus he lay in a wofull plight all over sores and boils and filthinesse yet saith he Lord I know thou seest not as man seeth Thou dost not therefore think me the worse because I am thus ill I am even a loathing not only to others but to my self yet I know thou dost not loath me Thou hast not a bad opinion of me because my condition is thus bad 3. Man judgeth the cause by the effect the tree by the fruit the man by his actions that 's the way of mans judgement and so man ought to judge We ought to think well of them who do well and when the hand is clean charity bids us say the heart is clean too But the Lord seeth not as man seeth he in judging men transcends the rule he gives men to judge by He judgeth the fruit by the tree the effect by the cause and the action by the man he had respect to Abel and then to his offering If the worker please him not neither doth his work as he makes so he sees the tree good and then then the fruit good Till the man mends his manners never mend in Gods esteem When a good tree brings forth evil fruit or an evil tree good fruit 't is accidentall to them both not naturall God judgeth us by what we alwaies are not by what we sometimes act either in good or evil In this also Job comforts himself that whatsoever fruit he might seem to bring forth yet the Lord judg'd him not as his friends did by some unsavoury speeches that came from him but by the savourinesse of that spirit which was in him He knew God judged him by the setled temper of his inward man and the soundnesse of his minde not by the casuall distemper of his outward man or the sound of his tongue Job was a good tree and the root of the matter was in him And Job was assured God would not condemn him for his fruit if some of it were bitter and unpleasant while he saw his root was good 4. Man must take time to hear and discusse every case to finde and beat out the truth of every controversie but God judgeth all at an instant the matter is no sooner before him but he knoweth it fully indeed the matter was ever before him and ever fully known he knew it from eternity Things are known to him before they are by whom all things are The Lord needeth not to put questions or to be informed by confessions God is able to prevent our questions with resolutions and to give us answers before we give him our doubts Joh. 16.30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things and needest not that any man should ask thee that is acquainted with our doubts before we propose them can answer them as soon as we propose them Seeing it is thus saith Job why am I held so long upon the rack to draw out the matter from me I know thou dost not judge as man judgeth by enquiring into or comparing circumstances and actions answers and questions Thou art able to make out a judgement of me and of my condition from thy own knowledge without the contribution of my answers to thy questions or of other mens testimonies concerning my actions Thou seest not as man seeth Lastly To have eyes of flesh and to see as man is to see with scorn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est aliquando despicere cernere cum contemptu or with disdain The originall word which we translate to see put alone signifies sometimes to despise The Prince of Tyrus is threatned thus Ezek. 28.17 I will lay thee before kings that they may behold that is despise and deride thee And the Spouse in the Canticles Chap. 1.6 deprecates look not upon me because I am black because the Sunne hath looked upon me that is God hath looked upon me with a scorching eye of displeasure and made me black with troubles do not ye look upon me with a scornfull eye of disdain because of my blacknes
's the reason of those former Questions As if he had said Lord surely thou needest not search and examine me in this manner seeing it is neither thus nor thus with thee It is not good to thee to oppresse or to despise the work of thy hands thou hast not eyes of flesh or daies of man That thou enquirest after mine iniquity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat non tam verbis interrogatione quam actionibus summa studio aliquid inqu rere non raro de poena nece procuranda accipitur The originall signifies an enquiry two waies 1. By word 2. By actions By somewhat done or by somewhat spoken And it signifies both to do and speak with great intention and heat of spirit The word is also applied to those enquiries which are made by torture when the party is suspected for concealment of the matter under enquiry Which way of examination is called by the Latines the bringing of a man to question That last engine which was invented to support the tottering state of Rome wherein poor souls are put to extream tortures to force confessions or self accusations that I say is called the Inquisition and the Judges Inquisitours because inquisition or enquiry according to the word of the text is there made after the iniquities of men after their supposed heresies and hereticall practices against the Romish Church Job seems to allude to such waies of examination why doth the Lord enquire after my iniquity by fore judgements and terrible afflictions by strong pains and mighty terrours At lowest the word signifieth a diligent search or a scrutiny with utmost industry even such as they use who maliciously hunt for the precious life The Lord saith to Moses return into Aegypt for all the men which sought thy life are dead Exod. 4.19 it is this word So 1 Sam. 22.23 abide thou with me saith David to Abiathar fear not for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life When revenge makes a search it is a diligent search malice hath a piercing eye and enquires narrowly That gracious promise is thus expressed Jer. 50.20 In those daies the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found Job complains here Thou enquirest after mine iniquity there the promise is In those daies the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for or enquired after and it shall not be found that is suppose the iniquity of Israel should be sought after suppose there should be an hue and cry sent out after the sin of my people yet saith the Lord it shall not be found why what hinders the finding of it or where shall it be hid The next words resolve the doubt It shall be hid in the pardoning mercies of God I the Lord will pardon those whom I reserve The Lord would give such a full and free pardon of sin that what search and enquiry soever should be made after it there should not be so much as any scar or mark not so much as any print or stain left to be a witnesse of their sin or a plea for their condemnation Answerable to that Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Job speaks as if God were so farre from hiding his iniquity in a pardon when it came to be searched for that himself searched for it as if he were resolved not to pardon it Wherefore is it that thou enquirest after mine iniquity and searchest after my sin Both parts of the verse meet in the same sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est inquirere in peccatorem per testes judiciartam questionem Pined Quaerere not at scientiam Dei denotat animadversionem vindictam Darash à Bakâ—sh distingui potest si illud in revocatione ad animum hoc inscrutatione occultorum ponamus Coc. The word Darash in the later being often applied as the former to a judiciary search Yet some distinguish them strictly thus the former to signifie an enquiry by recalling to memory or the examining of our selves Thou enquirest after mine iniquitie that is thou askest thy self whether thou hast not observed some iniquity in me Thou doest as it were rub up thy memory and take an account of what is laid up there concerning me Memory is the store-house or treasury the record or register of the soul Books are a memory without us and memory is a book within us Then the other word signifies searching by examination of the suspected party in either of those waies before explained The Lord tels the Jews whose wickednesse was grown immodest and rose a step beyond hypocrisie that he needed not search after their sins In thy skirts is found the bloud of the souls of poor innocents I have not not found it by secret search Ier. 2.34 as noting that the Lord doth sometimes make a secret search and that there are some who hide their sins some who sit close upon and cover them as Rachel did the stolne Idols when Laâ—an came to search Jacobs stuff that there are some who make excuses and apologies for them to these the Lord comes with a secret search for their iniquity The word in Jeremy signifies digging I have not found it by digging some put their sins under ground only deep digging can finde these out Job enquires of the Lord why he made such a searching after his iniquities why he was so curious in looking into every corner Sententia plana est non est necesse ut in peccata mea curiofiùs inquiras cum Deus sit cui not a sunt perspecta omnia etiam interiora cordis Bold and behinde every door to finde out the rubbish of his life seeing the closest sin is as open to his eye as the Sun at noon-day and besides God knew that Job had no close sins no darling beloved sin in his bosom no sweet morsels of any forbidden fruit under his tongue He tels the Lord as much in plain terms in the next words Thou knowest that I am not wicked As we use to say to a man that makes a busie search after any thing either in a place or about a person where there is no probability that it should be found or when we suppose the party searching cannot have the least ground of perswasion that the thing is there or with him In such a case I say a man will answer why do ye make such a search ye know what ye look for is not here ye know well enough I have it not ye have some other end in this Thus Job speaks here Lord why doest thou search for mine iniquity Thou knowest well enough that I am not wicked there is certainly somewhat else in the winde Shew me wherefore thou contendâ—st with me Take a note or two from these words That thou enquirest after mine iniquity c. First God knoweth us before he searcheth us Job professes of himself as