words of truth and tended to peace Some truths may be burthensome at some times to a good heart Hard words are alwayes burthensome Job had store of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Consolatores laboris aut molestiae Heb. The letter of the Hebrew gives the sense thus Yee are comforters of trouble that is troublesome comforters As if he had sayd Yee doe not comfort me in my troubles but yee trouble me with your comforts Yee are comforters made up of trouble that 's the predominant Element which denominates your complexion and constitution yee are so troublesome that you seeme to be nothing but trouble Our rendering in the concrete is cleare to Jobs scope Miserable comforters are yee all Hence Observe Some while they goe about to act the part of comforters doe but add to their sorrow whom they pretend to comfort and in stead of comforters prove tormenters But when doth a man deserve this title A miserable comforter That which caused Job to charge his Freinds with this miscarriage of their paines with him will resolve the question and tell us when First They gave him little hope of good or they did not open to him a doone of hope wide enough 't is true they made some overtures that way which yet comparatively to what they ought were scarce considerable And Eliphaz who had been somewhat large upon the point in his first congresse with Job speakes nothing of it in his last For as if he thought his case desperate and had given him for a lost man he shuts up in the darke as we see in the close of the former Chapter where he thunders out the judgements of God upon Hypocrites and Bribe-takers without so much as one word of comfort to the penitent This is to be a Miserable comforter The song of comforters should at least be mixt like that of David to the Lord of mercy and of judgement Psal 101.1 A song of judgement alone or most of judgement to a heavy heart may be called like that of Jeremie A Lamentation but it is not a Consolation Secondly They as was toucht before tyred out his afflicted soule with tedious discourses and unpleasing repetitions they alwayes harped upon the same string and that makes no musicke to a disconsolate soule As God complaines of those prayers as unpleasing which are full of unnecessary repetitions so also those counsels are unpleasing to man which are made up of needlesse repetitions To presse the same point though true oft and oft is a wearinesse to the spirit and because it suggests this suspition that the hearer doth oppose or resist that truth it proves an upbraiding rather then a teaching or a comforting Comfort must be stolne in unawares by a holy sleight of hand it must not be beaten in with beetles as it were by force of hand Solomon tels us Prov. 25.12 As an earering of Gold Subrepere debet consolatio fucum facere affectibus Sen. and an ornament of fine Gold so is a wise reprover upon an obedient eare What he speakes of a reprover is as true of a comforter and he onely is fit to be a reprover who is skil'd or knowes how to be a comforter Hee that will open or launce a soare had need be acquainted with the meanes of healing it The spirit of God who is the Reprover John 16.8 is also the Comforter John 14.26 We may therefore take up Solomons Proverbe here As an earering of Gold and an ornament of fine Gold so is a wise comforter upon an obedient eare They who hang Jewels in their eares as it was the custome of those times and is to this day take that which is of great price and value yet of little weight No man hangs a Talent or a great lump of Gold in his eare Gold is precious but much Gold is ponderous and burdens rather then adornes the eare the bulke of it is more combersome then the beauty of it is conspicuous Esto correptio non levis pretii sed levis pâ—ndeâ—is So comfort which is the most pleasant Jewell of the eare should be pure and precious as the Gold of Ophir but yet it must be like an earering which though it be not light in regard of worth yet it is light in regard of weight We must not load but guide a man with counsell nor must we burden him with many but ease him with pertinent words of comfort Thirdly That which rendered them yet more miserable Comforters was their unkinde grating upon that string of his sinfulnesse and studyed hypocrisie Job acknowledged himselfe a sinner and that he could not be justified in the sight of God by any righteousnesse of his owne yet still his freinds were unsatisfied about his sincerity and still they presented him with suspicions of secret wickednesse as the cause of all his sufferings still they told him of the sad fate of Tyrants of Oppressours of unjust Judges of unsound and false-hearted Worshippers and though they did not apply these Parables personally to Job yet the generall discourse sounded as if they had sayd Thou art the man Now as the Apostle speaks concerning death 1 Cor. 15.56 so we may say concerning any affliction The sting of affliction is sin the sting of sicknesse the sting of poverty the sting of disgrace is sin when the least trouble is armed with sin the strongest tremble at the sight of it A godly man can easier beare the weight of all afflictions then the weight and burthen of one sin so long as he sees all cleare between God and his owne soule so long as he can looke up to God as having his sin pardoned and can approve his heart to God that he lives not in any knowne sin in this case though the Lord lay the heaviest burthen of affliction upon him he can goe lightly under it The spirit of a man will beare all these infirmities but if his spirit be wounded either with the guilt of sin or with the feare of the wrath of God how can hee beare it This afflicts more then all other afflictions This was it which caused Job to cry out Miserable comforters His Freinds ever upbraiding him with his sin his sin his sin as the root and therefore as the sting of all his troubles They applyed nothing but these corrasives to his wounded soule which called alowd for the balme of Gilead There are two sorts of miserable comforters First They who flatter the soule that lives in sin Secondly They who embitter and burden their soules who being under burdens of sorrow are also in bitternesse for their sin Some sow Pillowes under the elbowes of those who delight in sin and dawbe them up with untempered morter others thrust Swords and shoot arrowes into the bowels of those who mourne for sin and in stead of bringing well-tempered morter to binde and cement their soules lay hard stones under them which vex and gaul their soules Both are Miserable comforters They who
Elumbem reddere which is as some thinke the Elephant Job 40.16 And a man of no loynes is a man of no strength in common language Thirdly To cleave the reynes is to give a mortall wound Chyrurgions and Physitians observe That if the reynes be struck through Mala immedicabilia indicat there is no helpe for it cleaving the reynes is much like peircing the heart this is present death and that leaves no hope of life the wound of it is incurable There is a fourth interpretation He cleaveth my reynes may note the torture of any acute disease especially that of the Stone in the reynes or kidneys which is as it were the cutting of the back asunder poore Patients under it are often heard so complaining O 't is like a sharpe Knife the Stone is not onely a grinding but a cutting paine I shall onely lay in the consideration of these foure glosses from the literall sense of the word to a further making out of the first generall Observation That God often deales very severely in outward or present dispensations with many of his dearest Servants He doth that which they may call cleaving of the reines and that in the easiest of the foure senses is a very severe dispensation much more which wee may suppose when the paine of all foure meets in one man as doubtlesse they did in Job He cleaveth my reines asunder And doth not spare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pepercit ignonovit propitius fuit Nullam Domini in me miserecordiam sed omnigenam saevitiam experiâ—r Merc. He that doth not spare useth the utmost extreamity and shewes no pitty or Indulgence to spare is both an act and one of the kinds of mercy Sparing is opposed to severity it is a doing lesse against another then we may and that two wayes First When wee doe lesse then wee can Wee having power though no right to doe more then we doe no nor to doe so much as we doe Thus a Theefe may be sayd to spare a man when he doth not take all from him life and all Secondly When vve doe lesse against another then we may both according to the right of our cause and the power in our hands Thus a Magistrate spares a Theefe or a Creditor his Debtor when the one exacts not the vvhole punishment nor the other the whole Summ due And in this sense God spareth the Sons of men he hath both power and right to punish sinfull man to the utmost but he spares him To hold the hand though but a little is sparing merccy but Job found not this mercy He doth not spare as if he had sayd The Lord layes on layes on and doth not forbeare Hence Observe There is mercy in sparing There is a fivefold mercy of God First Rewarding mercy towards those who have done well Secondly Pardoning mercy which is exercised towards those who have done ill or towards past sin Thirdly Preventing mercy when hee keeps us from evill whether it be the evill of sin or of punishment Fourthly Delivering mercy when though he let us fall into the evill of sin or punishment yet he is pleased to help us up and takes us out againe Fifthly There is Sparing mercy if while we are in affliction God deales gently with us this is sparing mercy As God was not pleased to prevent Jobs sorrows nor to deliver him from them so he did not spare him in them his hand continued heavy upon him he had no ease There is a fourefould degree of this sparing mercy of God First Not to punish at all thus God sometimes spares his owne people as a Father spares his Son that serveth him Mal. 3.17 Though they faile yet he passeth it by and doth not reckon with them for it The Lord represented himselfe to Amos forming Grasse-hoppers which eyther in kinde or in a figure shaddowing the Assyrians threatned to devoure the Land this Vision put the Prophet upon that earnest prayer O Lord God forgive by whom shall Jacob arise for he is small The Lord repented for this it shall not be saith the Lord Amos 7.1 2 3. Here was sparing mercy and this is repeated a second time Vers 6. yet in the third Vision of a Plumbe line by which God was noted taking exact notice of all the unevennesse and crookednesse of that people in that Vision I say as the Prophet suspended prayer so the Lord being resolved no longer to suspend their punishment saith I will not passe by them againe any more that is I will spare them no more which is againe repeated Chap. 8.2 where by a Basket of Summer fruit the Lord shewed their ripenesse in sin and his readinesse to punish and not to spare Secondly It is sparing mercy when punishment is deferred or adjourned to a further day thus the Lord spared the old World a hundred and twenty yeares My spirit shall not alway strive It did a long time he spared them many yeares to draw them to repentance and to leave them inexcusable because they repented not Thirdly It is sparing mercy when judgement is moderated When though God punish yet he doth not punish to the full when though the cloud break yet he lets but a few drops fall on us and doth not powre out showres or make an inundation to overwhelme us when though he strike yet he gives but few strokes yea if he abate but one stroke it is sparing mercy The Jewes 2 Cor. 11.24 gave Paul forty stripes save one and in this they would be thought to be mercifull because they might have given him forty by the Law Deut. 25.3 therefore to abate one was sparing mercy As to punish beyond the Law though it be but a little beyond is cruelty so to punish lesse though it be but a little lesse is mercy And this is brought in as an argument of great mercy Psal 78.38 But he being full of compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stirr up all his wrath They felt his wrath but God did not stirr up all his wrath they were smitten but not destroyed Justice did not make an utter end of them there was mercy in that The like read Jer. 30.11 Jer. 46.28 I will not let thee goe altogether unpunished yet I will spare thee though I punish thee I will correct thee in measure I will not make a full end of thee But are not all the corrections of God yea and his judgements too done in measure All the judgements of God are done in measure as measure notes a rule of equity but not as measure notes a rule of equality Againe to doe a thing by measure doth not alwayes note the rule by which it is done but the degree in which it is done And so to doe a thing in measure is to doe it moderately as when it is sayd John 3.24 That God gives not the spirit by measure to Christ the meaning is
be able to get off in haste There are many who have struck yea wounded their owne hearts incurably by striking hands for their Freinds Goe to the Courts of Justice and there is nothing more frequently heard of then the sighes of Sureties He disassures his owne Estate who assures for others Secondly As Contracts and Suretiship for Money were confirmed by striking hands so it is very probable that those suretiships which were given about Tryals and for appearing to the Action of the Plaintiffe in Judgement were also confirmed by that outward ceremony in which sense we are to understand it here Further The word which we translate to Strike signifies also to Fasten which shewes another part of the ceremony for as striking so joyning and clasping of hands was used Once more the word signifies Clangere tuba Complosis manibus sonus editur and oft is applyed to the sounding of a Trumpet or the giving of any sound This also carries on the same allusion because when two men strike hands they make a sound the interpretation of which is that the bargaine is made or it speâ—kes the parties agreed and hence that knowne expression among us Of striking up a bargaine or a businesse Thus the whole Text is carryed on in termes alluding to the ordinary proceeding eyther in becomming bound with another for Money or in giving assurance to performe and stand to the arbitrement or award of those who shall judge and determine any matter in difference But how are wee to apply this to the present case Lay downe now put me in a surety with thee who is hee that will strike hands with me There are three or foure expositions given about it First That Job in these words desires God to give surety that he would stand to the judgement which should be given or he would have God assure him Da fidejussorem apud te qui in hac contentione quae mihi tecum intercidit spondeat te staturum iis quae judicata fuerint ut te non tanquam judicem geras sed tanquam litigato rem Merc. Familiarius quam par erat cum Deo agit Merc. that hee would not deale with him according to the severity of his Justice or the excellency of his Soveraignty as a Judge but descend to such a course as is usuall among men while they are engaged in any controversie between themselves Job hath spoken the same sense cleerely before in some other passages of this Book especially Chap. 9 33 34. But this sense is not cleere to the scope of the present place And therefore as they who maintaine it confesse that Job was somewhat too bold with God so wee may say that they are somewhat too bold with the Text. For the reason or ground upon which Job desires that God would give him a surety hath no correspondence with this interpretation Vers 4. For thou hast hid their heart from understanding Now what coherence is there betweene these two that Job should say Thou hast hid their heart that is the heart of these men from understanding therefore give mee a surety that thou wilt proceed with me after the manner of men Besides the words of the fifth Verse oppose it yet more He that speaks flattery to his Freind the eyes of his Children shall faile Now for Job to desire God to put him in a surety that hee would deale thus or thus with him because the man who speakes flattery to his Freind his Childrens eyes shall faile hath no argument at all in it yet the abetters of this Interpretation mollifie all by saying that Job spake from a disturbed spirit being much moved with the ill dealing of his Freinds and though there may be some inconsistence with the context yet the Text considered in its owne compasse beares it well enough but I passe from it Secondly That Job desires God to appoint a Surety betweene him and his Freinds who should undertake both Gods cause and his against them three As if hee had sayd Lord my Freinds have wronged me and they have wronged thee too O that thou wouldest provide a man furnished with wisedome and a spirit of discerning both to right thy honour and to cleare up my integrity Such a one was Elihu who appeared shortly after upon the Stage and there acted such a part as this Thirdly say others Job desires that God himselfe would be his Surety and take up the whole matter betweene him and his Freinds which hee also did in the latter end of this Book giving judgement for Job and blaming the miscarriage of his Freinds So the word is used Isa 38.14 when Hezekiah lay sick even unto death he prayed Lord I am oppressed undertake for me It is this word Be Surety for me A learned Translator renders it Weave me through or weave me to the end for the word signifies the Thred in weaving Pertexe me Jun. called the Woofe which being put upon the Shuttle is cast through the Warpe in making Cloath whether Linnen or Woollen thus it is used Lev. 13.52 and so these words of Hezekiah carry on the Allegory of the tenth Verse I sayd in the cutting off of my dayes c. and of the twelfth Verse I have cut off like a Weaver my life he will cut me off with pining sicknesse In both which Verses Hezekiah compares mans life to a peece of Cloath in the Loome which is made sometimes shorter and sometimes longer and wheresoever it ends the Woofe or running Thred is cut off Hence Hezekiah prayeth Lord these sicknesses like a sharpe Knife threaten to cut the thred of my life yet I beseech thee doe thou weave on weave me to the end of that Warpe which is given to man in the common course of nature and let not this sicknesse cut my thred in the mid-way This is a good sense of the Text. But when our Translators render the word Vndertake for me the meaning is I am sore oppressed with the violence of this sicknesse which like one of the Sergeants of cruell death hath arrested me nor is there any way for me to escape unlesse thou O Lord rescue me out of its hands or as it were give Bayle and become surety for me I am opprest O Lord undertake for me David having done a great peece of Justice which contracted him much envy and had drawne many Enemies upon him thus bespeakes God Psal 119.121 122. I have done judgement and justice leave me not to mine oppressors be surety for thy Servant that is mainetaine mee against those who vvould wrong me because I have done right put thy selfe or interpose betweene mee and mine Enemies as if thou wert my pledge Impartiall justice upon oppressors layes the Judges open to oppression but they who run greatest hazzards in zeale for God shall finde God ready to be their Surety when they pray Be surety for thy servants And thus we may conceive Job entreating the Lord to be his Surety and
give check to your patience till it be got up this step and hath set your soules a rejoycing or as we speake a crowing over all your temptations Every grace should have its perfect worke in us and so they have when patience hath its perfect worke and then patience hath done that perfect work there commanded when we waite quietly thankfully and rejoycingly till God hath done the worke which he hath promised This waiting patience is also called by Christ himselfe The possession of the soule Luke 21.19 Possesse yee your soules in patience What title soever we have to our owne soules we have no possession of them without patience As Faith gives us the possession of Christ so patience gives us the possession of our selves An impatient man is not in his owne hands and as waiting patience gives us the present possession of our selves so it will bring us to the possession of all good things else that we stand in need of to make us happy The Prophet pronounceth them blessed who waite every blessing is a good thing but to be blessed is all good things not onely is a blessing but blessednesse the reward of a waiter The Lord is a God of judgement blessed are all they that waite for him Isa 30.18 Waiting is not onely a duty but a benefit yea our blessednesse And if any object How is it blessednesse or so much as a single blessing to waite upon God under this notion as a God of judgement To have sayd God is a God of mercy blessed are they that waite for him might have taken upon the heart but to say God is a God of judgement blessed are they that waite for him How can that be Is there any desireablenesse in judgement I answer Judgement is not there opposed to mercy there 's no blessednesse in being neer such judgement We may consider judgement in a threefold opposition First Judgement is opposed to anger and severity Jer. 10.24 Correct me O Lord in judgement not in thine anger It is a blessed thing to wait upon a God of judgement in opposition to anger or as judgement imports the golden Bridle of moderation upon the passions and affections Secondly Judgement is opposed to injustice it is a blessed thing to waite upon a just God who will certainely doe us right it is a misery one of the greatest miseries under the Sun to waite upon unjust and unrighteous men but how great a mercy is it to waite upon a just and a righteous God Thirdly Judgement is opposed to folly ignorance and unadvisednesse thus God is a God of judgement or wisedome and blessed are they that waite upon the wise it is a vexation to waite upon rash foolish heady men who doe they care not what or know not what they doe but to wait upon a man much more upon the God of judgement who knowes how to order and doe all things who hath the full compasse of every cause within him and will time every circumstance to our best advantage to waite upon this God I say is a high pâ—iâ—e of happinesse God being such a God of judgement Blessed are they that waite for him and so blessed are they that however he may put them to waite long yet he at his comming will more then recompence all their waiting as we finde in that exultation of the Church Isa 25.9 And it shall be sayd in that day Loe this is our God wee have waited for him he will save us this is the Lord we have waited for him wee will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation Possibly some had sayd then to the Church as was sayd continually to David Psal 42.3 Where is your God Yee have long looked for him but he doth not yet appeare The Church having borne thoses reproaches long sees God comming at last and then shee breakes forth in tryumph as if shee had held God forth in her hand and cryes him up Loe this is our God wee have waited for him The words have a sound of victory yea of many victories in them They shall in the end overcome all difficulties who can but overcome their owne hearts to a patient waiting upon God As true repentance for the evill we have done so holy patience for the good we would receive shall never be repented of And to add that further though when as it appeared here to Job God in his providentiall actings determines negatively and speakes it out by the manner of his workings that his will is not to give or doe for us such a thing it ceases to be a duty to waite for it yet to lay downe the duty of waiting or to throw it up at any time upon such grounds as these foure which are the usuall grounds upon which it is layd downe or throwne up is extreamly sinfull and a high contempt of God First It is extreamly sinfull to give over waiting upon God as being unwilling to tarry his leisure 'T is the prerogative of God to date all times as much as to doe all things for us our times are in his hand as well as our affaires and he is the disposer of all things as in regard of the means so also of their seasons Hence 't is our duty to waite as a time so all the dayes of our appointed time how many soever they are they are all of Gods appointment till our change shall come as Job professed his resolution to doe Chap. 14.14 The Israelites are charged Psal 78.41 For limitting the holy one of Israel How did they limit him There is a twofold limitting of God First to meanes when we thinke we cannot be saved unlesse we are saved our owne way Secondly there is a limitting of God to times he must save us by such a day or else we cannot be saved Thus the Israelites limitted the Holy one of Israel and set bounds to him whose power and wisedome are immeasurable God may justly limit man and man never doth justly till hee keeps within the limits of God but it is not a sin but a high presumption for man to limit God nor is it possible for man to breake his owne bounds more by any thing he doth then by setting bounds to God what or when he shall doe Secondly It is exceeding sinfull to give over waiting on God for deliverance out of an affliction because we are eyther displeased with God who sends it or are angry at the affliction sent When God throwes a stone at us wee should stoop humbly and taking it up put it into our bosome if we doe so though it looke like a worthlesse Peble it will quickly change into a precious Pearle however wee must not like the Dogg rage at it and bite it which yet many doe Now they who are vexed at the affliction which God sends or at God himselfe for sending the affliction these will never waite upon God for the removing of it Such was the frame of that wretched King 2 Kings 6.33 who sayd
pro corde cor pro intellectu mente accipitur in Scriptura A wise man should desire that his heart may be filled with the sweet gales and holy breathings of the spirit of God by heavenly inspirations And shall hee fill his heart with the East-wind of earthly passions The word which we translate East wind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rab. Mardoch Observat hunc ventum a Graecis appellari Apeâ—â—oren quod a sole spiret atque eadem ratione appellatur a Latinis subsolanum signifies onely the East Should he fill his belly with the East we rightly add the East wind he compares Jobs passions unto the winde and unto the East wind to the wind because of the vanity of them to the East wind because of the hurtfulnesse of them For as by wind in the former clause he meanes worthlesse things so by East wind in this he meanes dangerous things There are two reasons why he expresses such inwaâ—d motions by the East wind First The East wind is a vehement and strong wind wee read Exod. 14.21 Portae Eurum Appellans truculemum rapidum animosum tumidum indomitum that when God divided the Red Sea to make a passage for his people he caused an East wind to blow all night and divided the Sea with the force of it Poets describe the East winde to be feirce heady turbulent and impetuous that 's one ground of it Secondly The East winde is observed by Naturalists to be a hot and fiery winde Ardore Hence the Vulgar translates Thou fillest thy belly with heate The East winde parcheth and blasteth Corne and Fruits Pharoah beheld in his Dreame seven eares withered Sub calidi aestuantis aeris similitudine sermones ejus exspaeratos excandescentia plenos describit thin and blasted with the East wind Gen. 41.23 So then under this notion of the East winde Eliphaz closely censures Job First that his thoughts were violent and impetuous Secondly that they were angry fiery furious as if coales were kindled in his bosome and a flame ready to blaze at his lips As if like Paul while Saul Acts 9.1 he breathed out threatnings and slaughter or was inwardly heated with resolutions of revenge The Prophet Jeremie saith The Word of God was as a fire in his bosome and he could not refraine Jobo attribuit vanitatem in sententia tempestatem in affectu imbecillitatem in argumento superfluitatem in verbis Coc. Many a mans breast is like a heated Oven he is ready to consume all with the breath of it But why doth Eliphaz charge Job with such unruly perturbations Some assigne the reason from those words Chap. 14. v. 14. where he desires that God would even hide him in the grave he was so vext and troubled at the state wherein he lived that he preferred death before it and thought a not being in the World better then a being in his condition But we may rather leave the reason more at large to all that vehemency of spirit with which Job had prosecuted and pleaded his sorrowfull case From the scope of Eliphaz in this part of his reproofe we may observe First That violent passions are the disguise of a wise man We cannot see who he is while he acts unlike himselfe anger lodgeth in the bosome of fooles and when it doth but intrude into the bosome of a wise man he for the time looks like a foole Secondly Passions in the minde are like a tempest in the ayre they disturbe others much but our selves more Many a man like a Ship at Sea hath been overset and sunke with the violent gusts and whirle-whinds of his owne Spirit Observe thirdly He that fills his owne minde with passionate thoughts will soone fill the eares of others with unprofitable words this is cleare from that which goeth before He utters vaine knowledge and it is clearer from that which followes after when a mans thoughts are like a winde his words which are the first borne of his thoughts must needs be windy A passionate man speakes all in passion and sometimes cannot speake at all for passion his extreame desire to say much stops him from saying any thing But whatsoever he saith is the copy of his present selfe fierce and boysterous The image and superscription of our hearts is stamped upon our words Some can speake better then they are but usually men speak according to what they are and then especially when they are which passionate men alwayes are not themselves Thus it followes in the next Verse Vers 3. Should he reason with unprofitable talke Eliphaz speakes all Interrogatories and these speak him in anger if not in some distemper Should he doe this and should he doe that doe shew that either another hath very much done what he should not or that he who reproves him hath not such a spirit of meeknesse as a reprover should Gal. 6.1 The words shew the effect of what he taxed him with before as if he had sayd Cum interrogatione stomacho legenda sunt haec Merc. Would you know what to expect from a passionate man from a man whose belly is filled with the East-wind You shall have him shortly filling your eares with an East wind even reasoning with unprofitable words And as the next clause gives it which is onely an exposition of this with speeches wherewith he can doe no good Some words are great doers they doe much hurt or they doe much good and those words usually doe some hurt which can do no good yea that which is weake and unable to doe good may be strong and powerfull to doe evill However not to doe good is to doe evill because it is every mans duty whatsoever he doth to be doing good Here Eliphaz reproves Jobs words as evill while he onely saith they doe no good And yet he saith somewhat more then that for he saith They can doe no good It is ill not to doe good actually but not to have a possibility of doing good is farre worse When the Apostle would say his worst of the best of mans sinfull flesh he doth not onely say It is not subject to the Law of God but adds Neither indeed can be Rom. 8.7 So here Words wherewith a man can doe no good how bad are they Hence observe First That which can doe no good should not be spoken Before we speake a word we should aske this question to what purpose Cui bono to what profit is it shall he that heares it be made more knowing or more holy by it Observe secondly Vnprofitable talke is sinfull and speeches which doe no good are evill Every idle word that men shall speake they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgement Matth. 12.37 and though a man be very busie and take much paines in speaking yet if his words be unprofitable and his speeches such as can doe no good they will come under
is there betweene these two sorrow and winking that the one should cause the other These words he that winketh with his eye are the description of a deceitfull man such a one may cause sorrow enough Qui annuit oculo suo cum fraude both to himselfe and others Solomon intends not a simple but a subtill sly winking with the eye and so the Syriake readeth it He who winketh with his eye deceitfully causeth sorrow Deceit makes the deceived sorrowfull and it will make the Deceiver sorrowfull he must either be sorrowfull to repentance or feele the sorrow of punishment Fifthly This winking with the eye is conceived to be a metaphor taken from those who shoot with Guns or Bowes Quid collimant oculi tui Jun. Metaphora a jaculatoribus sumpta id Gunners and Archers winke when they shoot that they may take aime the better The contracting of the sight strengthens it So here What dost thou wink at that is what dost thou aime at The eye of a mans minde aimes at some marke in meditation and hence it is usuall for a man in vehement meditation to wink with his eye As if Eliphaz had sayd surely thou hast some great designe some grand plot in thy braine thou pretendest to some deep wisedome or unheard of policies thou hast set up some faire marke before thy fancie and thou wilt be sure to hit it what is it that thou aymest at We finde the phrase used in this sense Prov. 16.30 He shutteth his eye to devise froward things moving his lips he bringeth evill to passe he shutteth his eyes as if hee would make his thoughts more steddy and fixt to hit or reach that froward device which he is casting about how he may effect And as a wicked man shuts his eyes to devise froward that is sinfull things so a good man shuts his eyes lest variety of objects should divert or call off his minde when he is devising and studying what is best both for himselfe and others Et quasi magna cogitans attonitos habes oculoâ— Vulg. The rendring of the Vulgar Latine though it be farre from the letter of the Originall and is rather a Paraphrase then a Tranasltion yet it reacheth this sense fully Wherefore doth thy heart carry thee away Oculos in caelo defigere solent cogitabundi quibus gravis inest solicitudo Sanct. and why liftest thou up thine eyes as if thou wert thinking of some great matter Or as if the affaires of Kingdomes and States depended upon thy care or were committed to thy trust All these interpretations are serviceable to the Text before us and though we cannot positively and particularly resolve which of them was here intended by Eliphaz yet considering that his scope was to reprove Job we may take in the sense of them all and conclude that he censured Job in this one word of all those miscarriages of the heart which may be signified at the eye as appeares by the inference which he makes in the next Verse For having sayd What doth thy eye wink at he presently subjoynes Vers 13. That thou turnest thy spirit against God and lettest such words goe out of thy mouth So that this Verse is an explication of the former Explicationem continet praecedentis versiculi Bold and gives us more clearely what Eliphaz meant by the Carrying away of the heart and the winking of the eye His heart is carryed out of all bounds who turneth his spirit against God His eye winks sinfully whose mouth presently upon it speakes unduely Thou winkest with thy eye thou art very thoughtfull and what the fruit or birth of thy thoughts is we may discerne by thy speech while thou lettest such words goe out of thy mouth Thou turnest thy spirit against God As if he had sayd In stead of humbling thy selfe under the punishment of thy sin thou with an incensed minde contestest against God himselfe and though while he saith against God he doth not meane God directly but God in his judgements and counsells in his Word or in his Workes yet this is a very high charge one of the highest that is in the whole Booke but very unjust Indeed Job used some passionate speeches to his Freinds and these Eliphaz judgeth to proceed from an opposition against God Thou turnest thy Spirit against God There is a twofold turning the spirit against God First Naturall Rom. 8.7 Enmity is the turning of the spirit The wisedome or lust of the flesh is enmity against God Secondly Improved when we heighten this opposition in our practice and are enemies to God in our mindes or Gods hearty enemies by wicked workes Col. 1.21 Quod rediri feceris ad Deum spiritum tuum Heb. Quia respondit ad Deum spiritus tuus Mont. Pedire facit verbum qui re spondet Drus The Hebrew is Thou makest thy spirit to returne to God which is expounded two wayes first thou makest thy spirit to turn upon or against God Secondly thy spirit answers or replyeth upon God both meet in one meaning for though there may be a turning away of the spirit without answering yet in one sense all answers are the turning of our spirit if any man aske a question the answer is the returne of his minde who makes the answer so some render Why doth thy spirit returne answer to God as if he rebuked him for his boldnesse in replying Thy spirit returnes upon God if he speak one word thou wilt have two in that sense the word is used Titus 2.9 where the Apostle giving rules among other relations to Servants charges them Servants be obedient to your owne Masters and please them well in all things not answering againe But is it a fault for a Servant when asked a question to make an answer no it were a fault not to answer The meaning is that a Servant being reproved for a fault must not answer that is his spirit must not rise and returne against his Master or if a Servant be directed to doe any warrantable worke he must not answer againe that is hee must not contradict or murmure at the orders which he hath received but addresse himselfe to the fulfilling of them this is the answering againe reproved as a fault in Servants which is rather gain saying then answering as we put in the Margent of our Bibles in which sense answering is taken here according to this interpretation Thy spirit answers God or turnes against him We may cleare it also by that of the Apostle Rom. 9.20 Where having shewed the absolute soveraignty of God in his Decrees and purposes by the example of Jacob and Esau as also by that of Pharoah He concludes Vers 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth Saint Paul soresaw that this Doctrine would rayse a great deale of dust and cause many to turne their spirits against God which he thus represents Vers 19. Thou wilt say unto me
evill good to us and all good better unbeleife makes all good evill to us and all evill worse Faith like the Horse Job 39.19 laughs at the shaking of the Speare unbeleife trembles at the shaking of a leafe Faith findes food in Famine and a Table in the Wildernesse In greatest dangers faith answers I have a great God when outward strength is broken and all lyes a bleeding faith answers The promises are strong still they have not lost a drop of blood nor have they a skarre upon them When God himselfe apreares angry faith answers I know how to please him and I can goe to one in whom he is and will be wel-pleased for ever Thus faith pulls out the sting of trouble draws out the gall and wormwood of every affliction But where faith is wanting every affliction is full of gall and wormwood and every trouble vexeth with a double sting It stings such as it is a trouble and it stings them more as they see no comfort in nor way out of trouble The darknesse of darknesse is this Not to beleeve that we shall returne out of darknesse And he is waited for of the Sword This clause is neer in sense to the latter part of the former Verse and yet in this variety of expression there is some variety of intention For the clearing of it two things are to be enquired First What is meant by the Sword Secondly What is meant by waited for of the Sword The Sword is taken two wayes in Scripture First litterally for That weapon of Warr and by a Synechdoche the Sword is put for all weapons of Warr as also by a Metonymie for Warr it selfe When the Sword is threatned in Scripture Warr is threatned Secondly The Sword is taken for the power of the Magistrate who beares not the Sword in vaine Christ is described as a King armed with his Sword Isa 11.4 By the Sword that is with the Word of his mouth he will slay the wicked Nempe sua sententia tradens eum justitiae ministro Christ will pronounce a sentence of condemnation and deliver them up to execution Thus the Judge slayes the Malefactor by the sword of his mouth Further by a Synechdoche the Sword is taken for all manner of evill and trouble Quicquid pungit percutit torquet cruciat in scripturis sanctis gladius appellaturs Hieron in cap. ult Isa whatsoever hurts or afflicts is comprehended under the notion of a Sword Luke 1.35 Old Simeon tells the holy Virgin in his song Also a Sword shall passe through thy soule his meaning is not that she should be cut off in Warr by the hand of the Souldier or in peace by the sentence of the Judge but that sore troubles and afflictions like a sharpe Sword should pierce her soule Here the Sword may be taken either for the Sword of War or of Peace or for any evill that befalls the Wicked Man But how is he waited for of the Sword the Originall word is rendered two wayes First Actively Secondly Passively Some render actively Hee is waiting for of the Sword He stands expecting the Sword and that in a double sense Circumspectans undique gladium Vulg. Sc. vel quo pereat vel quo se defendat Tanquam exspecula expectat Tigur Hebraizantes tenent esse participium passinum hinc Rab. Levi. exponit Conspicitur a gladio Aspectus gladio Vatabl. Est Hebraismus ut videeri a gladio sit ab hostibus observari per insidias Decretus in manu ferri Sept. Conspectus ipse ad gladium Mont. Nempe a Deo conspectus destinatus ad gladium Praevisus enim est ad gladium Sym. he waits for the Sword which he feares will destroy him or he waits for a Sword which he desires to defend him Mr. Broughton gives this sense Having watch hee thinketh upon the Sword Againe others render it passively He is waited for of the Sword when he thinkes not of it The Sword lies in ambush to surprize him A man is sayd to be waited for by an Enemy when he intends to assault him unawares To be thus waited for by the sword is to be waited for by sword-men And it is as great a disadvantage to be seen of the Sword before we see the Sword as it is according to the old Proverb to be seen of the Wolf or of the Crocodile before we see either The wicked is waited for of the Sword not for any service but for the revenge it owes him the Sword lyes behind the doore or under a bush to snap him as he passeth The Septuagint in stead of he is waited or watched or looked for by the Sword render thus He is decreed into the hand of the Sword leading us to the appointment and destination of God who hath set him out and marked him for judgement Hee is appointed to the Sword Such a decree the Prophet seems to poynt at Jer. 15.2 where he brings in the Lord as resolved to proceed in judgement against all prayers and intreaties though made by his greatest Favorites Though Moses and Samuâ—l stood before me yet my minde could not be into this people but such as are for death to death and such as are for the Sword to the Sword That is such as are decreed into the hand of the Sword let the Sword take them the decree shall stand the sentence is irrevocable Taking the Text actively Observe That a wicked man thinks every one his enemy He dreames of danger when he sleeps and where ever he comes he waites for the Sword He that hath a minde to hurt others feares it is in the minde of every one to hurt him He that is harmelesse is fearelesse Nunquam non divinâ—m ultionem expectat vel metuit Merc. Ex omni parte inimicos sibi imminere videns Aquin. Qui de nullo confidit de omnibus timet id and while we goe about doing good we are free from the suspicion of evill Cain having murthered his Brother complaines of the Lords sentence against him Thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth and from thy face shall I be hid and I shall be a fugitive and a Vagabond on the earth and it shall come to passe that every man that finds me shall slay me Gen. 4.14 Cains complaint is the Comment of this Text Every one that findes me shall slay me is I wait for or I expect the Sword Cain speaks as if an Army were continually pursuing him or as if the avenger of blood were alwayes ready at his heels And that which aggravates the wonder of this jealousie is that we can give account but of one man alive in the World besides himselfe at that time and that was his owne Father Adam we read not of any Son that Abel left behind him nor had Cain any Son upon record at that time and yet he cries out as if the World had been full of Inhabitants and every
one of them his Enemy Every one that meets me will slay me What is said of Ishmael is true of Oppressors Their hand is against every man and therefore they have cause enough to suspect that every mans hand is against them they are ever waiting for the Sword Secondly from the passive sense He is waited for of the Sword Observe That a wicked man is in danger wheresoever he is He cannot set his foot over the threshold but mischiefe may arrest him the Lord sayd to Cain If thou doest ill sin lyes at the door that is according to the ordinary interpretation punishment lyes at the door it lyes at the door yea it will draw the latch or turne the Key and come in at the doore There is no evill but a wicked man is subject to it as there is no good but is the inheritance of a godly man who is therefore called an heire of the promise He that is an heire of the promise hath all the good things of this life and of the next for his inheritance When he goeth forth mercy hath him by the hand yea mercy lyes under his feet and holds a canopy of protection over his head A wicked man is an heyre of the curse and therefore he alwayes stands under the droppings of Divine anger his breast is the Butt or Mark at which God levells the deadly Arrows of his indignation and he is waited for of the Sword Thirdly Observe That the expectation of evill is more afflictive then the feeling of evill He doth not say he is slaine with the Sword or cut off with the Sword but he is waited for or he waites for the Sword All evill attends him who is thus attended or who gives such attendance He that is alwayes looking for evill cannot enjoy the good which he sees For as the assured hope of approaching comfort swallows up our present sorrows so the continuall expectation of approaching sorrow swallows up our present comforts Fourthly It is not sayd either by what Sword or by whose Sword he is waited for but he is waited for of the Sword here is the Sword but here is no hand named neither the hand of God nor the hand of man drawing and weilding this Sword Hence note That the destruction of a wicked man is inevitable When we neither know whose the Sword is nor whence the Sword is how shall we prevent it or provide against it Cum Supplicium dicitur non dicitur a quo inferendum sit inevitabile supplicium significatur Sanct. When the Lord would assure us that an unavoydable overthrow shall come upon the Kingdomes of the earth which oppose the Kingdome of Christ he saith A Stone cut out without hand shall doe this it shall be done no man knows how or which way and therefore no man can know how or which way to hinder the doing of it As there is a Stone cut out without hands so here is a Sword to cut without hands The judgement of Babylon is thus expressed by the Prophet Isa 47.11 Therefore shall evill come upon thee thou shalt not know from whence it ariseth and mischiefe shall fall upon thee thou shalt not be able to put it off The former words expound the latter Why should not Babylon be able to put off the mischiefe Because it comes upon her shee knowes not from whence We say in our Proverb when we threaten a mischiefe from which there is no escaping You shall never know who hurt you He that knows not who hurts him shall never know how to help himselfe and while the hand that strikes us is not seen how shall we see to defend our selves against the stroke He that waites for the Sword is alwayes in feare and he that is waited for by the Sword is alwayes in danger Either of these is bad enough and he that is under both cannot be worse JOB Chap. 15. Vers 23 24. He wandreth abroad for bread saying Where is it Hee knoweth that the day of darknesse is ready at hand Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid they shall prevaile against him as a King ready to battell THese two Verses are a further description of the perplexed condition of a wicked man A dreadfull sound is in his eare c. He is waited for of the Sword And what more Vers 23. Hee wandereth abroad for bread saying Where is it In Hebraeo tantum est movetur propane We put in those words Saying and Is it the Hebrew being onely this He wandreth abroad for bread where as if he had sayd No man knowes where and he knowes not whither himselfe There is a twofold interpretation of this Wandering some understand it of a powerfull roaving abroad for bread he takes what he can from those who are next Tyrannorunt farta rapinas hic de scnibi putat Cajetanus or he takes what comes next to hand He must have it it matters not much with him how or from whom Such are called Rovers they rove abroad for bread they spoyle and plunder others for the supply of their wants shall I say or of their lusts But I conceive this Exposition unsuitable and the reason is because Eliphaz is not here describing the sin of a wicked man but his punishment to spoyle and plunder for bread is his sin to wander for bread is his punishment and implyes the evill and misery that comes upon the wicked not the evill and mischiefe that is done by the wicked Secondly To wander is the condition of a man who hath no setled dwelling Paul was once in such a state Even to this present houre we both hunger c. and have no certaine dwelling place 1 Cor. 4.11 This also was the lot of the Jewish Martyrs They wandered about in Sheeps-skins c. Heb. 11.37 These were holy wanderers They wandered in the World that they might not wander from God Here we have an unholy wanderer who having gone astray from God found no rest among men a downe-right Vagabond for so the word is applyed to Cain Gen. 4. A fugitive and vagabond shalt thou be and we in our Law call a sort of idle Beggars Vagabonds such as goe from Countrey to Countrey from house to house to seek their bread Such also were among the Jewes who are therefore called Vagabond Jewes Acts 19.13 To be a wanderer was one of the sharpest threats that God ever denounced against his people My God will cast them away because they did not hearken to him and they shall be wanderers among the Nations He wanders about for bread In Scripture sense bread takes in all good things Panis hoc loco non significat ut aliâs saepe quodcunque esculentum sed vilissimum quemque cibum quo possit sustentari Pined His verbis notatur aliud Dei flagellum nempe extrema inopia Bold even the best which concern this life So Christ teacheth us to pray Give us this day our daily bread But here
this similitude some place it between a wicked mans trouble and anguish and the trouble and anguish of a King ready to joyne Battell with a potent Adversary For then his spirit is much troubled knowing how great an adventure he makes in reference to his state and how great a hazzard he runs in reference to his life and person The charge being sometimes given to fight neither against small not great but onely against the King So a wicked man when trouble comes is like a King going to Battell full of feares and anxious thoughts what the issue and event may be He lookes upon himselfe as the marke both of the wrath of God and Man and that every blow shall be directed against his breast Trouble and anguish single out wicked men when God sends out his Armies of judgements he charges them not to fight against the small or great of his owne people but against the wicked of the World Wrath aymes at them and therefore they are terryfied at the approaches of wrath Praeliaturum regem circundare solebat globus militum ut lectio Tygurina indicat Angustia circumvallatio eum circumstant ut regem consertis globis praeliaturum Secondly Others give out the similitude thus Trouble and anguish shall come upon him as a King ready to battell As when a King goes to Battell he is compassed with a strong guard Every Generall hath his Life-guard much more Kings So trouble and anguish shall compasse a wicked man as yet with widest difference for the Guard compasseth the King for the safety and preservation of his person whereas trouble and anguish gather about wicked men for their destruction But the Text will hardly admit this explication and therefore I passe it Thirdly The Hebrew word which signifies a day of Battell signifies also a Spheare or round Globe we translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat globum pilam aut Sphaeram Apud Latinos Globus est hostium aut Armatorum militum cuneus Liv. lib. 1. Annal. Romulus cum globo Juvenum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Erit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad praelium a forma orbiculari Castra in orbicularem formam disponuntur ut fortiora sint Merc. a Ball Isa 22.18 where it is prophesied against Shebna that the Lord would make him an example and that as the Hebrew is Tossing he would tosse him with a tossing that is he would surely tosse and turne him like a Ball into a farr Countrey as a Ball is tossed or throwne so the Lord would throw him into Captivity Now because it is a usuall way of embattailing to draw an Army into the forme of a Globe or Ball therefore the same word which signifies a Spheare or Globe signifies also a Battell from the forme of it Taking it in this sense for any thing that is round or circular as a Ball or Spheare This third interpretation of the similitude riseth thus Trouble and anguish shall make him afrayd they shall prevaile upon him as a King put in Chaines or into a hoop of Iron some labour much for the maintaining of this interpretation That Eliphaz intends to shew how wicked oppressors shall be surrounded and held fast with trouble like some great Kings who falling into the hands of their Enemies have been shut up in round Iron Cages as Tamerlane carryed Bajazet the Turkish Emperour or bound in Chaines as it is Prophesied in the 149. Psalme It was the use of those times Declarare volens extremas impii angustias ut illum eo pacto undique stringi tribulationibus quo Rex ab hoste superatus captus pro spectaculo publicè ponebatur in Ferricernio Bold Ita etiam textum explicat Vatablus to make hoops of Iron for the securing of Kings and Princes taken in Battell the formes of which and how those captivated Kings were lockt up in them with the posture of their bodies in that base imprisonment may be seen in Boldue upon this Verse and he annexeth diverse texts of Scripture in which he conceives there is an allusion to this coorse way of handling Kings Fourthly Our reading compares trouble and anguish to a King ready to Battell as if he had sayd Trouble and anguish shall prevaile upon him irresistibly This is but a high expression of greatest preparation for a Battell for when a King goeth forth to Battell in person he will have all the strength of his Kingdome with him which Job himselfe cleares in the 29. Chapter Verse 25 where describing his own former felicity he concludes I chose out their way and sat chief and dwelt as a King in the Army That is in great strength and power So the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 4.8 You have reigned as Kings without us and I would to God yee did reigne that is you conceive you have had the confluence of all comforts and strengths You have reigned as Kings I would you had that we also might reigne with you or share in your felicity So that when Eliphaz saith Trouble and anguish shall prevaile as a King armed and ready to set forth to Battell his meaning it They shall prevaile strongly yea irresistibly The wicked man shall not be able to stand their charge much lesse repulse is These severall explications of the similitude meet in one common truth That as the wicked shall not stand in judgement when God comes to judge all the World so when the Lord sends forth his judgements upon any part of the World they are the men that shall surely fall trouble and anguish shall terrifie them as a King going to joyne Battell or as a King taken and captivated in Battell or as a King conquering and prevailing over his Foes in Battell Sin prevailes alwayes upon wicked men as a King commanding and ruling over them at last trouble which is the fruit of sin shall prevaile upon them as a King oppressing and destroying them They who will not submit to the rule of the Law as a King to guide them shall be forced to submit to the curse of the Law as a King to punish them JOB Chap. 15. Vers 25 26. For he stretched out his hand against God and strengthened himselfe against the Almighty He runneth upon him even on his necke upon the thick bosses of his Bucklers ELiphaz having explained much of the inward punishment of wicked men the torture which they indure upon the rack of conscience as also some of their outward punishments he subjoynes the reason of both their sin in these two Verses and that not an ordinary sin but a sin committed with a high hand Vers 25. He stretcheth out his hand against God And is it any wonder then that God should stretch out his hand against him Every sin deserves punishment and shall be punished either upon the sinner or upon his Surety but extraordinary sins call for extraordinary punishments they who have done much evill shall endure much Justice hath an eye to the quantity as
his Sons necke and kissed him So in heat of wrath an Enemy runs upon the neck of his Enemy and wicked men who are enmity against God run upon the neck of God Some conceive that this running upon the neck of God imports two things First That the wicked man imagines himselfe as having an equality of strength with God Erat paenae genus ut Magistratus si quem suo imperio parum obedientem viderit in collum invaderent intorquerent Liv. l. 4. And secondly That he hath authority above God or that he is Gods better and superiour This latter they ground upon an old custome among Magistrates who finding an offender contumacious were wont to command the Officer to take him by the neck and dragg him out of the Court to receive his punishment But I shall not insist upon that Criticisme especially considering the incongruity of it with the next words Even upon the thick bosses of his buckler Malefactors are never permitted to come armed before the Judge to their Arraignments The word which we translate Thicke signifies also Fat because fat is thick Hence the Vulgar Latine translates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In densitate altitudinum scutorum ejus in crassitiem corporum scutorum ejus Me c. Alludit ad pervetustum praeliandi modum cum clipeo in cujus medio erat prominentia quae dicitur umbo in quo erat cuspis quo cominus concertabatar Boâ—d He is armed with his fat neck But I passe that According to our reading which keeps closer to the Original Eliphaz describes the ancient and present forme of Bucklers which as they are defensive weapons so also offensive and therfore have not only Bosses for ornament but one especially in the center or middle with a sharpe pike in it for use For as the whole Buckler secured the body against the Arrow or Sword of the Adversary so if he pressed neer this high Bosse or Pike of the Buckler served to pierce and wound the Adversary So that while the wicked man is sayd to run upon God even upon the thick bosses of his Buckler it shewes the highest valiancy of a wicked man in opposing God he fights not onely afarr off but neer at hand and presses upon him though within the reach and danger of his Weapon Hence Observe There is no danger can keep a wicked man off from sin Like the Horse in this Book Chap. 39.22 He mocketh at feare and is not afrighted neither turneth away from the Sword hee swalloweth the ground with fiercenesse and rage he saith among the Trumpets Aha aha though God have a Buckler man will come upon him yea though God have a Bosse upon his Buckler to strike and wound him yet on he comes The Buckler of God is the Law or Word of God and the Bosses of this Buckler are the threatnings and curses of the Law Now when man sins notwithstanding the Law which is the Buckler by which God saves and protects his honour and his holinesse his name and glory from the wounds which sinfull man is ready to give him then man may be sayd to run upon his Buckler And when notwithstanding the sharpe threats and terrible curses of the Law which are the thick Bosses with which he wounds those who transgresse his Law when I say notwithstanding these man adventures to sin and transgresse the Law he may rightly be sayd To run upon the thicâ— bosses of his Bucklers God gave Adam a Law Of the Tree of knowledge of good and evill thou mayst not eate Here was the Buckler and when he added this threat In the daye thou eatest therâ—of thou shall surely dye Here was the Bosse God sent a word to Pharaoh Let my people goe this was a Buckler If thou refuse to let them goe I will slay thy first borne this was the Bosse Adam run upon the Bosse of the Buckler so did Pharoah and so doe all wilfull sinners A wicked heart will goe on sinning whatsoever God is speaking or doing Isa 57.17 I was wrath and smote him yet he went on frowardly in the way of his heart Neither the wrath of God nor their owne smart stopt their progresse though smitten yet they went on Saints sometimes goe on sinning though God be smiting they have run upon the Bosses of the Buckler to the wounding both of their soules and of their outward comforts wicked men will run upon them to the damning of their soules and bodies Though they see yea feele the bosses judgement not onely threatned but executed yet on they will and like wicked Ahaz in the time of their affliction sin more against the Lord. This is the height of sinfulnesse As it shewes the truth and height of holinesse in the Saints when they will not onely run to God in faire times when men approve but in the worst times when men oppose when they venture to doe their duty upon the Bucklers of men yea upon the Bosses of the Buckler extreamest danger So it shewes a like strength and height of wickednes when men venture upon the Bosses of the Buckler upon the point of the naked Sword of Gods displeasure they will venture let it cost what it will though the Lord set a flaming Sword in the way of lust as he did in the way of the Tree of life Gen. 3. though the Lord set an Angell with a drawn Sword in the way of lust as he did in Balams way when he was going to curse Israel yet on they will Till the heart be changed neither Swords nor Bucklers nor Bosses neither wrath threatned nor executed can cause a sinner to change his course This the Prophet complaines of Isa 9.13 The people turneth not to him that smiteth them neither doe they seek the Lord of Hoasts Their incorrigiblenesse under severest corrections is elegantly described by another Prophet enumerating five speciall stroakes or smitings to every one of which he subjoynes Yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord Amos 4.6 7 8. c. When the bellows were burnt and the lead consumed of the fire that is when all instruments and meanes of refining them were spent and worne out yet their drosse remained in them The Founder melted in vaine for the wicked that is their wickednesses or evill things were not plucked away Jer. 6.29 30. They went into the Furnace full of drosse and they came out as full of drosse as they went in The Founder blowed his fire till he burnt his bellows but their lusts had no sent of fire upon them his lead by which he seperates the drosse from the metall was all consumed and evaporated but the drosse of their corruptions wasted no more then the purest gold doth in the fire Hence the Lord resolved to wast no more of his judgements upon them Why should you be smitten any more ye will revolt more and more Isa 1.5 To revolt from God and to run upon him are sins of the same straine and they who
strength such was the power of the man whom Eliphaz describes such his strength He subdued strong Cities he conquered men and he thought he could conquer God too But though to destroy and pull downe intimate strength yet to build and set up Cities requires grater strength This strength also is here ascribed to the wicked man who First either comes to Cities already overthrowne or overthrowes Cities And then secondly builds the Cities which are overthrown that himselfe may dwell in them He will not dwell in Cities built to his hand or in Palaces ready made but he will make goodly Palaces out of desolate places a City wasted by Warr by Fire and Sword shall revive out of the rubbish and recover to its ancient splendor if he undertake it Master Broughton renders clearely to this sense Though hee makes dwellings of Cities ruinated of houses undwelt which were comming to heaps of stone Here 's the compleatnesse of his worldly power He makes flourishing Cities desolate and desolate Cities flourish he dwells in desolate Cities in Houses where no man inhabiteth that is in Cities which he himselfe once made desolate having cast out their proper Inhabitants but hath now re-edified and enlarged for his owne use and honour Hence Observe First That a wicked man cares not wohm he ruines so he may raise himselfe Downe with Kingdomes downe with Cities downe with all so he may stand or have his owne ends Secondly Observe Which is the scope of Eliphaz A man that hath great power among men begins to thinke himselfe strong enough for God also He made earthly Cities desolate and none was able to resist him therefore he hopes to make Heaven desolate and disturbe the throne of God He runs upon his neck c. Againe Some expound this Verse not of the cause of this mans sin but of the punishment of his sin He dwells in desolate Cities Terrores de quibus nuper dictum est non patiuntur impium in familiari hominum consortio vivere ideo desolatorum urbium ruinas latibula quaerit Pined in places where no man dwelt that is He shall dwell alone he shall either refuse or be refused by all good company For this miserable solitude may arise two wayes First From trouble of minde he having oppressed others shall finde himselfe at last so oppressed with the witnesse of his owne conscience that to avoyd it he retires into desolate places into waste Wildernesses into old ruinous buildings where none dwell but the Owle and the Screech-owle Isa 34. He that findes not his owne conscience good company never finds any Secondly This wicked man is cast out from the company of men he hath been a scourge to many and now all are a scourge to him Tyranny growes intolerable to mankinde Dan. 4.33 Hujusmodi tyranni eiiciuntur in exilâ—um Nebuchadnezzar was the greatest Monarch in the World and a proud Tyrant at last he was turned out to grasse his Nobles Lords and Subjects forsook him and he who ruled men lived among Beasts or as the same Prophesie of Daniel reports it Chap. 5.20 When his heart was lifted up and his minde hardned in pride he was deposed or as the Chaldee made to come downe from his Kingly throne and they tooke his glory from him and he was driven from the sons of men c. Which we may answer with Jobs text He was forced to dwell indesolate places The Roman Story tells us of Nero that perceiving himselfe a lost man by the revolt of some Provinces and the generall complaint of the people against his insolent Government he wandered up and downe and crept first into a thicket by and by into a Cave with Sporus his filthy Favorite and at last when he heard of the sentence of death given against him by the Senate and that their Officers were hasting to attach him he with a little helpe of one of his Servants cut his owne Throat Thirdly Others interpret these words as noting the wicked mans worldly decay he shall not have a House to put his head in His strong Cities and goodly Palaces shall goe to ruine or he shall be forced to dwell in a ruinous House a House ready to fall about his eares who before lived in ceiled Houses He hath pulled downe other mens houses and now he dwels in houses ready to fall downe he impoverisht others and now himselfe is turned out among the poor Hence Observe That God often makes the punishment of man suitable to his sin The Lord is known by the judgement which he executeth the wicked is snared in the work of his owne hands Psal 9.16 The judgements of God are alwayes just and sometimes their justice is visible As the wicked feel them so all may see them and say Righteous art thou O Lord. The Prophet describes this retaliation of Divine judgement Isa 5.8 9. Woe to them that add House to House and lay Feild to Feild till there be no place that is no place for others to dwell in that they may be placed in the midst of the earth What is the danger of this In mine eare saith the Lord of Hoasts of a truth many Houses shall be desolate many and faire without Inhabitant Here is desolation the reward of desolation and as they took bread from others and puld the cup from their mouthes so their bread shall be taken away and their cup left empty Thus it followes in the Prophet Vers 10. Yea ten Akers of Vineyard shall yeeld one Bath A Bath was a measure among the Jews of Liquids containing as is conceived about eight Gallons So that when he saith Ten Akers of Vineyard shall yeild one Bath the meaning is there shall be a great scarcity of Wine An Aker of Vineyard should not yeild a Gallon of Wine that 's a miserable Vintage And the seed of an Homer shall yeild an Ephah An Homer was a measure for dry things containing ten Ephahs So that when it is sayd The seed of a Homer shall yeeld an Ephah the meaning is they shall reape but the tenth part of the seed sowne which is a miserable Harvest and the highest threat of ensuing Famine Thus the Lord punished them as they had sinned they starved the poore and God threatens to starve them Hunger never pinches so terribly as when it is a punishment sent at the cry of the hungry Againe Isa 33.1 When thou shalt cease to deal treacherously then they shall deale treacherously with thee When the deceiver is deceived and the trecherous dealer ruined by treacherous dealing men then the truth and faithfulnesse of God are eminently exalted And as it is in punishments so often in rewards God doth us good in the same way wherein we have done good The Midwives saved the Males of the Israelites in Aegypt and by this act of pitty built the house of Israel which the Lord took so well at their hands That he built their houses or made their houses flourish Ez.
1.21 As the destroyer shall be destroyed so the builder shall be built mercy loves to be exact as well as judgement Againe Eliphaz tells us of Cities and Houses ready to become heapes Hence Note The most flourishing Cities the strongest structures in the World are subject to ruine Art cannot prevent the decayes of nature much lesse the decrees of divine Justice Materiall Jerusalem was threatned that one stone should not be left upon another which should not be cast downe the event answered that prediction Mysticall Babylon is under a more dreadfull doom and the event will in due time answer that prediction Babylon is ready to become heaps and one stone shall not be left upon another There is no cement can hold that together to which God saith Fall Eliphaz having shewed the causes of the wicked mans impudent opposition against God and according to the two latter Expositions of this Verse some part of his punishment proceeds further to shew his punishment Vers 29. He shall not be rich neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth Vers 30. He shall not depart out of darknesse the flame shall dry up his branch and by the breath of his mouth shall hee goe away Here is compleat misery in externalls The judgement is layd downe two wayes First Negatively And secondly Affirmatively Negatively what the wicked man shall not be what he shall not attaine to and then affirmatively what the wicked man shall be or what shall come upon him the Negative part hath a gradation of four steps The first is this He shall not be rich The second is His substance shall not continue The third is He shall not prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth The fourth is this He shall not depart out of darknesse Those are the Negative parts of his punishments the Affirmative are two First The flame shall dry up his branch Secondly By the breath of his mouth he shall goe away 1. He shall not he rich The words seeme to carry an opposition all along to the wicked mans purposes and projects The wicked man saith in his heart if not with his mouth He will be rich to which God answers He shall not be rich The Apostle 1 Tim. 6.9 speakes of such a sort of Rich Will-bees They that will be rich fall into temptation c. When a man comes to this hight of resolvednesse He will be rich what ever comes of it or who-ever stands in his way he will be rich and aske no mans leave no nor Gods leave then God rises to his high resolves Hee shall not be rich Let it come to tryall whose word shall stand his or mine And when once this word is gone out of Gods mouth then he and all his trees which should beare him that golden fruit are blasted and mildew'd Then though he lay the strongest projects for riches yet he shall not be rich though he sweat and toyle to be rich though he digg deep into the ground and turne every stone above ground to finde riches yet he shall not be rich though he cares not whom he makes poore yea though himselfe live poorly all his dayes that he may dye rich yet he shall not be rich Hence Observe It is not in the power of man to get riches A man may make it his designe to be rich but he cannot make himselfe rich Moses Deut. 8.18 gives it in charge to the people of Israel Thou shalt remember the Lord thy God for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth c. Man is very apt to forget the author not onely of his spirituall but of his temporall good things and is readier to ascribe his riches to his owne getting then to Gods giving Temporall good things lye more levell to the power of nature and humane industry then spiritualls yet we can no more attaine temporalls then spiritualls without the power of God Christ teacheth us that our care can no more add a penny to our estate then a cubit to our stature Matth. 6.27 How often have we seen experience sealing to this truth Many have endeavoured after and reacht at riches in good and hopefull in faire and probable wayes yet they have not reacht to riches Others have striven for riches in base and unwarrantable in unjust and sinfull wayes yet they could never get a step beyond beggery The Lord gives them a stop and saith Yee shall not be rich evill men doe not alwayes thrive Ex quocunque piscatu non evadet ditior Peter fished all night but got nothing till Christ bid him put downe the Net Some have cast their Net in all sorts of waters yet could never catch the great fish of worldly wealth It is the blessing of God that makes good men rich and it is a permission from God that makes evill men rich Godlinesse is profitable for all things having the promise of this life and of that which is to come yet every godly man meets not with the profit of this life ungodlinesse is profitable for nothing having neither the promise of this life nor of that which is to come yet some ungodly men meet with the profit of this life Though sinners are never on the thriving hand yet they often thrive in their way and though Saints are ever on the thriving side yet they doe not alwayes thrive in their way Neither the one sort nor the other thrives if the Lord saith They shall not be rich When he saith so to the Saints it is to humble them but when he saith so to a wicked man it is to punish him He shall not be rich that 's the first step of his misery But suppose he get riches yet he cannot keep them The wages which he earnes is put into a bagg with holes or pierced through all 's gone Hag. 1.6 Carnall men are like leaking Vessells to the Word of God they as the Apostle cautions Beleevers lest at any time they should Heb. 2.1 alwayes let it run out Now as they let out what they have heard of the Word of God so God lets out what they have got of the World He makes all the Vessells which hold their earthly substance leaky So it follows 2. Neither shall his substance continue This is his second woe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 robur pro opibus saepe sumitur Latine copias possis vertere Merc. The word which we render Substance signifies also Power and strength because riches impower and strengthen men to doe great things but how strong and substantiall soever they are in the opinion of men their time is but short They shall not continue and this ariseth two wayes First From the nature of the things of the World which are all frayle and momentany Summis negatum est stare diu and though we call them Substance yet indeed they are but a Shadow there is no continuance in them Secondly This ariseth from the judgement and curse of God
destruction of that Forrest of Lebanon which the Romans cut down for the service of their Seige against Jerusalem or figuratively for the flourishing estate of Jerusalem whose branches though like the branches of the Cedars in Lebanon were dryed up by the flame of that dreadfull War In which stile and figure the Prophet Isaiah denounceth the judgements of God Ch. 2.12 13. The day of the Lord shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty c. And upon all the Cedars of Lebanon And the Prophet Ezekiel puts forth this Riddle and Parable Chap. 17.3 Thus saith the Lord A great Eagle that is Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon with great wings long winged full of feathers which had diverse colours came unto Lebanon that is unto Judea and Jerusalem and tooke che highest branch of the Cedar Namely Jehojakim the King of Judah and carryed him Captive to Babylon The Lord can make any affliction a consumption to the most beautifull branches of a sinfull people or person Whatsoever he useth as an instrument of his indignation is his flame In this sense the very waters which drowned the old World were the fire and flame of God He can by poverty as by a flame consume and dry up riches by disgrace as by a flame consume and dry up honour by sicknesse as by a flame consume and dry up health God hath speciall flames for every speciall branch nothing can continue to doe us good when God gives Warrant or Commission to any of his flames to scorch and consume it The flame shall burne up his branch And by the breath of his mouth shall he goe away We have the flame of God in the former clause and the breath of his mouth in this Some Interpreters conceive that Eliphaz mentions these two The flame and the breath purposesy to put Job in minde what God had done to him for we read in the first Chapter of this Book of the flame of God a fire from Heaven consuming that branch his flocks of Sheep and a breath from God namely a mighty strong winde destroying a more precious branch his flock of Children Eliphaz cloathes this discourse in such termes as might easily reminde and represent to Job what God had done to him in the day of his calamity And by the breath of his mouth shall he goe away There is yet a difference among Expositors about the Antecedent to his His mouth whose mouth Most understand it of the breath of Gods mouth as hath been hinted already Some expound it of the breath of the wicked mans owne mouth I shall touch upon both First By the breath of Gods mouth he shall goe away the breath of God may be taken two wayes Either first as the flame before for his anger which is often expressed by puffing the breath Secondly It may be taken for the decree or determination of God Both these wayes a wicked man goes away by the breath of God first by the anger of God if God doe but breath angerly upon him he is blasted and gone His glory and greatnesse langâ—ish before the least puff of Divine displeasure God needs not make great preparations of Armies or Forces to contend with wicked men he needs not raise Mounts and Batteries to overthrow their best Fortifications of Riches and Honour The Channels of waters were seen saith David Psal 18.15 and the foundations of the World were discovered at thy rebuke O Lord at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils The Prophet tels those who neglected to build the House of the Lord Hag. 1.9 Yee looked for much but loe it came to little and when yee brought it home I did blow upon it God did but blow upon it and by the breath of his mouth all their expected encrease went away When Pharaoh pursued the Israelites in the height of pride and presumption the Text saith It came to passe in the morning watch the Lord looked upon the Hoast of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud and troubled the Egyptians and tooke off their Chariot wheeles that they drave them heavily Exod. 14.24 25. God confounded them by a looke how easily can the Lord rise up and destroy all the power that riseth up against his people Hee can doe it with a breath from his mouth With a cast of his eye When Christ was apprehended by the Officers armed with Staves and Swords he sayd Whom seek you They answered Jesus of Nazereth He saith I am he Christ was not afraid to confesse himselfe As soon then as he had sayd unto them I am he they went backward and fell to the ground Joh 18.6 What a strange power was here that Christ could cast them down with a word and that not an angry word not a word of conviction but confession he did not chide them and say Yee wretches how dare you lay your hands upon me who am an innocent person how dare you carry me to judgement who shall one day be your Judge Christ spake no such terrible language but onely sayd I am he and downe they fell If these words of submission had such a force in them as overthrew those Officers to the ground how shall his Enemies stand before the thunder of his severest increpations and finall sentence As the Lord needs not make great provisions for comforting of his people if he speaks a word it is done if he give but a good look their hearts revive Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon me thou hast put gladnesse in my heart Psal 4.6 7. So if God doe but darken his countenance against wicked men and frowne upon them if he doe but breath at them he puts sorrow enough into their hearts even consuming killing sorrow By the breath of his mouth they goe away Againe take the breath of God For the decree of God Verbo vel mandato ex ore Dei procedente Jun. for the word or command which goethout of his mouth by this breath of God they goe away The destruction of the wicked is under a Decree God hath spoken in his holinesse Psal 108. 7 8 9. That is he hath given out his word from Heaven the habitation of his holinesse and of his glory or He hath spoken it certainely there is nothing but holinesse in his word and that 's the strength of words David having received this word stands assured That as Shechem and Succoth Gilead and Manasseh Ephraim and Iudah would willingly submit to him and yeild obedience So also that Moab Edom and Philistia who were his professed Enemies should be subdued to him He expected to conquer and tryumph over them to put them to the basest offices as his Vassals because God had decreed and spoken it in his holinesse God hath spoken the word saith he therefore it shall be done yea 't is done and therefore David cryed All 's mine Gilead is mine Manasseh is mine Moab and Edom are mine as soone as God had spoken the
word All that ever was done in the World hath been done by the breath of Gods mouth that is by the word or decree of God So some understand that of the Apostle 2 Thes 2.8 And then shall that wicked one be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit or breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightnesse of his comming Antichrist hath stood long and he hath been for some time declining his downfall hastens the breath of God will leave him breathlesse As he hath stood by the flattering breath of men so he shall fall by the consuming breath of God This consuming with breath notes either as before the easinesse of that consumption 't is done with a breath or the way and manner of doing it 't is done by the command and decree of God or by the Preaching of the Gospell which indeed gives Antichrist his fatall blow and shakes all the Towres of mysticall Babylon and is called by the Prophet The rod of his mouth Spiritu oris sc ipsius impii credo potius referrendum esse ad impium quasi ille sibi ipsi fuerit mortis causa dum contra Deum loquitur confidenter libere Sanct. and the breath of his lips Isa 11.4 He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked Life and death sit upon the lips of Christ he hath a reviving breath and a killing breath he quickens the deadest heart and deads the quickest the proudest heart with a word speaking By the breath of his mouth the wicked goe away Further The breath of his mouth say some is the breath of the wicked mans owne mouth By the breath of his mouth shall he goe away That is by the words which breath out of his mouth His passionate distempered speeches shall undoe him while he speaks either outragiously and blasphemously against God or falsely and seditiously towards man his ruine enters at the opening of his lips The motion of the breath is the preserver of life Spiritu oris sui i. e. suis verbis quae spiritu halitu in ore ormantur and while breath lasts life lasts yet many a mans life had lasted longer had it not been for his breath The wicked mans breath proves his death and his tongue which hath been a scourge to others becomes a Sword to himselfe His words possibly have wounded and his breath hath been the death of many But now he is wounded by his owne words and crusht to death by the weight of his owne breath or by the fall of his owne tongue upon him So the Psalmist gives it Psal 64.8 They shall make their owne tongues to fall upon themselves that is Their owne words shall be brought as a Testimony against them and condemne them The tongue is a little member saith the Apostle James Chap. 3.5 and therefore a light member yet it falls heavy as heavy as lead A man were better have his House fall upon him then that in this sense his tongue should fall upon him Some have been pressed to death because they would not speak but stood mute before the Judge but more have been pressed to death by their sinfull freedome or rather licentiousnesse in speaking this hath brought them to judgement and cast them in judgement Their tongue hath fallen upon them and by the breath of their mouth they have gone away Lastly but I will not stay upon it because the Originall doth not well beare it these words are cast into the forme of a similitude describing the manner how the wicked man and all his glory shall goe away even as a breath or as his breath As the breath of his mouth he shall goe away that is he shall go speedily he shall goe suddenly A breath is soon fetcht it is both come and gone in a moment A breathing time is a Proverbiall for a little time much like that In the twinckling of an eye Thus man comes and goes is come and gone especially a wicked man who is driven by the wrath of God as soon as seen by others as soon as he hath breathed himselfe It will not be long ere he goes and he will not be long a going For as the breath of his mouth he shall goe away The breath of man goes continually and so doth the life of man while man sleeps his breath goes and so doth his life while man stands still his breath goes and so doth his life The breath indeed is sometimes in a hurry and goes faster then it doth at other times but though the life of man doth not goe faster at one time then at another yet it alwayes goes Or if at any time our life may be sayd to goe faster then at another it is when our breath is by some stop in its passage at a stand and when ever our breath comes to a full stop our life is not onely going but quite gone The life of man hath so much dependence upon his breath that it is called Breath and the breath of life When God formed man out of the dust of the ground he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soule Gen. 2.7 And as soon as God calls back this breath of life man becomes a dead body or a carkasse The life of man must needs goe as his breath for it goes with his breath and when the life of a wicked man is gone all that he called his his worldly glory goes with him In that day all his thoughts perish For As the breath of his mouth he shall goe away Eliphaz having layd downe the wicked mans sad condition and the causes of it concludes with a use or application of the whole Doctrine at the 31. Verse Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity c. JOB CHAP. 15. Vers 31 32 33 34 35. Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity for vanity shall be his recompence It shall be accomplished before his time and his branch shall not be greene He shall shake off his unripe Grape as the Vine and shall cast off his flower as the Olive For the Congregation of Hypocrites shall be desolate and fire shall consume the Tabernacles of bribery They conceive mischiefe and bring forth vanity and their belly prepareth deceit ELiphaz layd downe his Doctrine at the 20. Verse of this Chapter That a wicked mans life is a miserable life he travells in paine all his dayes and having insisted long upon the proofe he now gives us the application of it in a use of dehortation Vers 31. Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity He inforceth this dehortation by a summary repetition of the Doctrine before delivered which he doth First Plainly in the close of the 31. and in the beginning of the 32. Verses For vanity shall he his recompence it shall be accomplished before its time Secondly He doth it allegorically in the
Justice Fire is prepared for both their Tabernacles that is for their whole estates or for all that belongs unto them Yet Eliphaz may seem rather to ayme at bribe-takers or unjust Judges among whom he secretly numbers Job who suffer themselves to be corrupted with gifts and to have their eyes put out by rewards The Septuagint is expresse in that sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 munera accipientum 70. Fire shall consume say they the Tabernacles of bribe-takers And indeed if there were no bribe-takers there would be no bribe-givers as we say There would be no Theeves if there were no Receivers The Receiver makes the Theife and corrupt Judges who take bribes make so many bribe-givers Further The word which we translate Bribery signifies properly a gift and the Text may be rendred thus Fire shall consume the Tabernacles of gifts There are many gifts which are farr from bribes There are five sorts of gifts First Gifts of charity to the poore Secondly Gifts of freindship between equals Thirdly Gifts of duty from inferiours to those above them to testifie either thankfulnesse or obedience Fourthly Gifts of bounty and grace from Superiours to those who are below them to testifie their favour to them and that they are wel-pleased in them or in their services There is no hurt either in giving or receiving these gifts These are onely testimonies of respect from man to man and tend onely to maintaine humane society But there is a fifth sort of Gifts which we may call gifts of injury or in the language of the Text Gifts of Bribery These are given either to pervert or delay Justice and to overthrow a man and his cause The Hebrew expresseth a gift in generall and a bribe by the same word Quid est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quâ—d facit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unum dantem scilicet accipientem quam primum accipit munus ab ipso tunc accedit anima ejus ad ipsum fit si cut ille ipse Rab. Becei c. Buxtorf Lex because as all bribes are gifts so very many gifts are bribes Gifts of charity of freindship of duty of favour are but few in comparison of bribing gifts And 't is exceeding hard for any man that is interessed in affaires of Judgement between man and man to receive a gift from either of them and not be brib'd by it to transgresse the rules of equity and righteousnesse A gift transformes the Judge into a party or makes as the Hebrew criticks tell us upon that word the Judge and party to be but one person Lastly The tabernacles of bribery may be taken not onely in generall for the estates of those who have given or taken Bribes but particularly for the very Houses which have been built by giving or taking Bribes Some have built houses with what they have gotten by giving Bribes and many by taking Bribes have got enough to build houses While such look on their houses and dwellings they may say if they will say the truth Injustice hath built us these houses these are the Tabernacles of bribery A Traveller comming to Rome and viewing many famous structures Haec sunt peccara Germanorum and goodly houses there asked who built them It was answered These are the sins of Germany the meaning was that the Money brought for Pardons out of Germany built those Houses So we may say of many faire places and goodly dwellings These are Bribes and Oppressions such a man built these by iniquity Bribes may build houses but bribe-takers cannot protect them The Tabernacles of bribery shall be consumed Hence Observe First Bribery is an odious sin That sin which is put to expresse all sins against our neighbours must needs be a very odious as well as a very comprehensive sin God loves judgement bribery opposeth what God loves God commands charity as well as judgement and delights to see men bountifull as well as righteous Yet charity without judgement and bounty without righteousnesse are an abomination to God God is a God of judgement they that are against judgement act not onely against the rule which God makes but against the example which God gives It is as much the honour of God that he is a God of judgement giving all their due as that he is a God of mercy giving to all his what they have not at all deserved Secondly Observe That which is sinfully gotten shall be miserably lost Fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery There is nothing gained though much be gotten by injustice Many give bribes to undoe others and all who receive bribes undoe themselves what is the advantage of any sinfull gaine when the fire of Gods wrath consumes the gainer What shall a man give in exchange for his soule And as the losse is infinite that comes by sin in reference to the next life so at best the gaine is little in reference to this present life Either the actor of injustice or his Heire shall finde a fire in the foundation a fire in the Stones and Timber of his House and downe 't will come Bribery never bought any lasting materialls to build with Woe be to him saith the Prophet Hab. 2.9 10 11 12. that coveteth an evill covetousnesse or according to the Hebrew that gaineth an evill gaine to his house that he may set his nest on high that he may be delivered from the power of evill Thou hast consulted shame to thy house c. For the Stone shall cry out of the wall and the beame out of the Timber shall answer it What shall the stones cry Or what shall the beame answer The stones shall cry that the morter in which they were layd was tempered with the blood of innocents and the beame shall answer that it was set up by pulling downe the poor Those are crying sins indeed which cause stones that cannot speak to cry And what answer can be given for those iniquities which provoke Timber beames to answer Such is the iniquity of oppression and injustice which are the fruits of bribery See a paralell place Jer. 22.13 14 15 16 17. the summ of which may be drawne up into this conclusion given by Eliphaz Fire shall consume the Tabernacles of Bribery Eliphaz having thus described the perishing estate of wicked men as an argument to deterr and stave them off from wickednesse concludes his whole discourse with an Allegoricall recapitulation both of their sin and misery in the last words of this Chapter Vers 35. They conceive mischiefe and bring forth vanity and their belly prepareth deceit They conceive mischeife The Scripture is frequent in this metaphor we have it Psal 7.14 almost word for word Behold he travelleth with iniquity and hath conceived mischeife and hath brought forth falshood Isa 59.4 They conceive mischeife and bring forth iniquity The Apostle James Chap. 1.15 speaks the same language When lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death All
bring forth winde not that Man-childe of mercy which was expected So much more doe wicked men after all their pleasing conceptions and pangs of travell they bring forth vanity and their vessell is mar'd upon the wheele Secondly They are sayd to bring forth vanity Parturium montes c. or a vaine thing because what they bring forth is not proportionable to their expectation Their Mountaine proves a Mole-hill or as it was sayd of old a Mouse Thirdly Because the birth is not onely alwayes below but often quite crosse to their expectation they conceive mischeife against others and bring forth mischeife upon on themselves this is vanity yea and vexation of spirit They bring forth vanity Observe from this allusion Wicked men cannot but act evill They who conceive must doe their utmost to bring forth conceptions As a Woman with Childe cannot but bring forth when her time is come and her paines are on her if you would give her all the World it is impossible to divert or delay the birth So it is with a wicked man when he hath mischeivous conceptions in his heart He sleepeth not unlesse he doe mischeife Prov. 4.16 What ever comes of it fall back or fall edge he must doe it He cannot forbeare an attempt to doe it though it cost him his life many have been at that cost in attempting to doe it but could not Observe secondly Wicked men are oft put to much paine in fulfilling their lusts or in acting their conceived mischeifes It is with such men as with the Woman in child-bearing on whom the Lord hath layd that heavy burthen In sorrow shalt thou bring forth Children Gen. 3.16 wicked men feele this to the full In sorrow they bring forth The wicked man travelleth in paine all his dayes vers 20. It is their delight to sin but for the most part they smart in sinning and run through many sorrows to accomplish their sin They are so mad upon sinning that the sweetnesse of doing mischeife pleaseth them more then all the troubles they goe through in doing it discourageth them Many evils cannot be done with ease it costs sinners deare to effect what they designe they often have as we say of Women after long and sore travell in child-bearing A very hard bargaine of it and pay very deare for that which is worth or worthy of nothing but repentance or greater paine Thirdly Taking vanity for iniquity which sense was given in opening the termes Observe Such as our thoughts and conceptions are such are our productions They conceive mischeife and bring forth iniquity such as we plow and sow in the minde such is the Harvest of our actions The very forme the lineaments and portraiture of a mans spirit is drawne upon the things he doth his works are the image of his heart As it is sayd of Adam in nature He begat a Son in his owne likenesse so doth every man in morals Our actions are as our selves are they are begotten and brought forth in our owne likenesse whether good or evill onely with this difference Good actions are borne in our supernaturall likenesse evill actions in our naturall likenesse Fourthly As to bring forth vanity imports as was interpreted either no fruit or that which is not sutable to the designes and desires of wicked men Observe Sinfull conceptions often prove abortive and miscarry they bring forth nothing or nothing as they would have it who have conceived them The birth is sometimes short in degree and not seldome contrary in kinde they have not what they expect yea they have what they least expect Psal 2.1 Why doe the heathen rage and the people imagine a vaine thing Why a vaine thing Because they cannot obtaine their desire it is vaine to imagine the pulling downe of Christs Kingdome which must stand for ever Pharaoh designed mischeife Let us worke wisely here is the language of conceivers but hee brought forth vanity in all the notions spoken of vanity as it was a sinfull and wicked act vanity as he fayled in the thing he did expect he thought to bring destruction upon Israel but he could not he thought to subdue the people of Israel and make them slaves for ever but he could not He brought forth vanity also in the worst sense the issue was contrary to his expectation himselfe and his Army were swallowed in the Red Sea and Israel was saved Haman devised mischeife against the Jewes but he brought forth vanity he did not effect what he intended against them this was vanity nay it wrought the contrary way himselfe was hanged on the Gibet he had prepared for Mordecay this was vanity and vexation too Perseverante allegoria venter sumitur ex consueto loquendi modo sacri sermonis pro intelligendi facultate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every wicked man brings forth vanity in some one if not in all these notions of it after all his conceptions of mischeife And their belly prepareth deceit The belly is taken here metaphorically for the understanding or minde because naturall conception is in the belly wrought therefore Eliphaz prosecutes the Allegory in suitable expressâ—ons Their belly prepareth deceit The word signifies To prepare Accurately Strongly Their belly prepareth deceit They expresse a kinde of curiosity in working they are very exact in every point they prepare with art they will not have their work like a Copweb curious yet weak but they must have it strong too they prepare for establishment and plot as if it were for everlasting So the word is used Psal 37.3 Psal 89.14 Righteousnesse and judgement are the habitation of Gods Throne It is this word The establishment or strength of Gods Throne is righteousnesse and judgement Righteousnesse and judgement are the bassis and establishment of all Thrones That which hath made Thrones to totter in all Ages hath been the want of righteousnesse and judgement The wicked man in the Text prepares not onely curiously but strongly as he likes no bungling so he is not pleased with toyes and and bables he would lay his designes so cunningly and so firmely that as they sayd of the Pouder-Plot All the Devills in Hell shall not disappoint it He hopes to catch and hold not the weak Flyes onely but the strongest Eagles in his deceits and snares Their belly prepareth deceit That is they prepare to deceive and ensnare The Prophet denounceth judgement against the Priests against the house of Israel and against the house of the King because they had been a snare upon Mizpeh and a net spread upon Tabor Hos 5.1 that is because they had prepared nets and snares to entangle and deceive the people Their bellies prepared deceit and so did theirs who sayd Jer. 18.18 Come let us devise devises let us contrive somewhat to ensnare the Prophet Jer. 18.18 Their belly prepareth deceit He speaks in the present tense as if they were alwayes doing it they know neither vacation nor cessation from this wicked worke It is a
undertake the office of comforting others should consider these three things especially First The nature of the affliction whether internall or externall that which will comfort a man in bodily afflictions will not doe it in soule afflictions Secondly The degree or measure of the affliction If the Playster be too narrow for the Soare how can it heale Thirdly They should consider the temper of the Person afflicted if he be pressed in conscience for sin they should not presse his conscience with sin much lesse should they thunder out judgement and terrour against him for sin if he be very weak they should use few words if he be passionate they should use gentle words lest in stead of perswading they provoke his spirit Many a soule is cast downe and swallowed up in despaire by the ignorance or unfaithfulnesse of those who would bee called Comforters and Supporters Ezek. 13.19 They slay the soules that should not dye and save them alive that should not live Unskilfull Physitians of the body kill more then bodily diseases And though the unskilfulnesse of soule-physitians doth not indeed kill soules that should dye for 't is their owne sin that kils them nor can kill the soules that should not dye for the medicine of Christs most precious blood will heale and save such from their sins yet unskilfull soule-physitians shall be judged and dealt with as having done all this because they have done their utmost to doe it which is also the meaning of that Text 1 Cor. 8.11 And through thy knowledge shall the weake brother perish for whom Christ dyed that is an indiscreet use of that liberty which thy knowledge teacheth thee doth that which may be accounted a destroying of thy weake Brother As that knowledge so the ignorance before spoken of slayes the soules that should not dye As it requires the power so the wisedome and teachings of God to comfort and extricate poore sâ—ules in and from the Labyrinth of their sorrows The Lord hath given me the tongue of the learned What to doe That I should know how to speake a word in season to him that is weary Isa 50.4 It is a great peice of learning to speak aright to a weary soule to deale with them so as neither to flatter them in their sins nor oppresse them under their sins to deale with them so in th ir affliction as that we neither cause them to sleight the hand of God nor yet to sink under it He that can guid and steer the course of a soule that is afflicted and tossed with the tempest of sin and sorrow between this rock and gulfe the Scylla of presumption and the Charybdis of despaire he is a learned Pilot indeed This learning is the speciall gift of God Christ himselfe acknowledgeth that the Lord his Father had given him the tongue of the learned for this end This learning is not taught in the Schooles of men Philosophers and Oratours never taught such an art of consolation nor can it be attained by the bare teaching of the holyest Doctors and Preachers of Divine truths Wee may have a rich furniture of materials for this worke and yet make no worke of it nor be able to put truths and consciences rightly together unlesse the annoynting teach us As the Prophet brings in our great Master and Tutor in this heavenly science againe confessing of himselfe Isa 61.1 The spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord hath annoynted me to preach good tydings to the meek he hath sent me to binde up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the Captives Till we are annoynted by God we cannot speake effectually to man without the spirit who is the comforter wee prove but miserable comforters we bungle at the work and rather undoe soules then doe them any good Wee may Preach good tydings good newes from Heaven the Gospel is nothing else but good newes yet no good comes of it till the good spirit comes with it both instructing the hearts of those that heare and the tongues of those that speake duely to apply the word Master Calvin upon this place saith Some Comforters have but one song to sing and they have no regard to whom they sing it All persons all estates and all conditions are alike to them The wisedome of a comforter consists in discerning and making these differences As the Apostle Jude hints unto us Ver. 22 23. And of some have compassion making a difference and others save with feare As faith saves all so in a sense feare saves some that is they must be terrifyed and made afraid that they may be saved Jobs Freinds would needs save him with feare whereas they should have had compassion of him and have spoken kindly to him Because they could not make this difference therefore they tooke a wrong course with him and were justly taxed without distinction Miserable comforters are yee all Vers 3. Shall vaine words have an end As if he had sayd I have got no comfort I would faine get some rest your words have not refreshed me I desire you would not trouble me you have done me no good will you have done Shall vaine words have an end The Hebrew is Shall words of winde have an end That expression hath ben opened twice before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verba vervi i e. ventosa parum solidas rationes habentia How long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong East winde saith Bildad Chap. 8.2 Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge and fill his belly with the East winde saith Eliphaz Chap. 15.2 Job retorts it upon them Shall words of winde have an end You tell mee that my words are windy yours are so indeed I must hide my selfe from these blasts and stormes of your tongues unlesse you grow calmer Shall windy words have an end Words are windy First When they have no solid reason no substance in them reason is the substance of words and so is truth these two goe alwayes together and where these are not nothing goes out of the mouth but winde Projicit ampullas c. we say of all words which are not followed with action Words are but winde we may say so also of all words which are not accompanyed with reason Verba plena spiritu superbiae Secondly Words are windy when they have much pride and swelling conceitednesse in them The Scripture cals such words Swelling words of vanity That which swels our hearts will quickly swell our lips pride doth both Pride is a winde within us vaine words are a winde without us the proud man knowes not how to ease himselfe of this winde within but by breaking it out in words Thirdly Words are windy when they have much passion in them when they are angry and furious an angry man blusters rather then speakes and makes a noise rather then a discourse While David Psal 39.2 3. was dumb with silence while he held his peace from good his sorrow
yea and saved their soules among and towards vvhom hee hath diligently used those meanes appointed by God for the attaining of those great and noble ends though possibly those ends be not attained God himselfe reckons thus of all the labours of his faithfull servants they shall be rewarded as having done that vvhich they have been doing vvith their hearts hands and tongues though they see little fruit of eyther Then I sayd I have laboured in vaine Isa 49.4 but though it vvas in vaine to those for whom he laboured that is they got no good by it yet it was not in vain to him who laboured he got much good by it as it follows in the same Verse Surely my judgement is with the Lord and my worke or my reward one vvord signifies both reward and vvorke to shew that these can never be seperated my worke saith hee is with my God and Vers 5. Though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my strength As vve are not to judge of the goodnesse of any cause by the successe but by the justice of it so neither doth God adjudge the reward of any vvorke by the successe but by the goodnesse of it together with the sweat and sincerity of him that doth it As the will of a godly man is accepted for the deed so his deed is accepted for the successe JOB CHAP. 16. Vers 6 7 8 9 10 11. Though I speak my griefe is not asswaged and though I forbeare what am I eased But now he hath made mee weary thou hast made desolate all my company And thou hast filled me with wrinkles which is a witnesse against me and my leanenesse rising up in me beareth witnesse to my face He teareth me in his wrath who hateth me he gnasheth upon me with his teeth mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me They have gaped upon me with their mouth they have smitten mee upon the cheek reproachfully they have gathered them selves together against me God hath delivered me to the ungodly and turned me over to the hands of the wicked IN the five former Verses of this Chapter Job reproved the personall faylings of his Freinds towards him hee now enters upon the confutation of their opinion This is the constant method both of Job and his Freinds they never come to the matter till they have fallen upon the man nor touch the opinion till they have dealt with the person And this is the tenour of most mens spirits to this day in disputes and controversies and some doe not onely deale with the man before the matter but lose the matter in dealing with the man entangling and engaging themselves so much in personall quarrels that they forget or desert the doctrinall quarrell Job and his Freinds though they were too mindfull of the former yet they did not forget the latter and here Job addresses himselfe unto it Yet before he enters upon the state of the question he sets forth his owne state and shews how it was with him granting which Eliphaz had made the ground of his accusation that he was in an extreamely afflicted condition yet denying what he from thence inferred that he was therefore wicked or continued knowingly in any sinfull course He describes his afflictions with much variety of Argument and Elocution to the seventeenth Verse First Aggravating them by their unmoveablenesse or remedilesnesse His sorrows were stubborne and such as would not yeeld to any kinde of remedy Vers 6. Though I speake my griefe is not asswaged and though I forbeare what am I eased In the former Verse Job speakes in a high straine of assurance that if his Freinds were afflicted The moving of his lips should asswage their griefe But it seemes his owne experience had taught him that the moving of his lips could not asswage his owne greife Though I speake saith he here my griefe is not asswaged Hence Observe A man may doe that for others which he cannot doe for himselfe He may comfort others in their sorrows when hee cannot comfort himselfe he may resolve others in their doubts when he cannot resolve himselfe hee may answer to cases which their consciences put him when he cannot answer his owne yea 't is possible for a man to speak such words to another as may turne him from his sin and save his soule and yet himselfe continue in sin and lose his owne soule for ever Naturalists have a rule concerning the senses That when a sensible object is brought too neere or layd upon the sense it not onely hinders but takes away the present sensation This holds a proportion in rationall actings the neerer any one is to us in relation the harder it is to fixe counsell upon him and because wee are neerest to our selves therefore it is hardest of all to counsell our selves Our Saviour Christ prevents what he foresaw some ready to object against him Luke 4.23 Yee will surely say unto me this Proverbe Physitian heale thy selfe The Proverbe in its Originall is I conceive to be understood personally but as Christ suggests it there it is to be understood Nationally or Provincially Heale thy selfe is heale thy owne Countrey exercise thy power of working miracles there as well as thou hast done it in other places that this is the meaning of it appeares plainely by the next words Whatsoever we have heard done in Canaan doe also in thine owne Countrey For Christ as yet had wrought no mighty workes of healing there Mark 6.5 But why was Christ so slow in manifesting himselfe to his owne Countreymen Hee gives the reason Vers 24. And he sayd Verily I say unto you no Prophet is accepted in his owne Countrey The Gospel of Mark Chap. 6.4 adds two closer relations His owne Kin and his owne House They in a mans house are neerer to him then his kindred abroad and his kindred are neerer to him then his Countrey-men now among these a Prophet hath no honour They know him so much that they doe not respect him or his sayings The Jewes sayd Is not this the Carpenter the Son of Mary the Brother of James c. Christ being thus neere to them had little honour among them Now for as much as a man is neerer to himselfe not onely then his Countrey-men but then any of his Kin therefore his owne counsels and comforts have ordinarily so little effect upon himselfe he is not accepted in his owne breast There are some indeed so gracious or great in their owne eyes that they vvill aske counsell of none but themselves nor follow any advise but their owne but usually man seeks out as being neither able to satisfie his owne doubts nor abate his owne sorrowes though possibly more able for both then he to whom he seekes Though I speake my griefe is not asswaged and though I forbeare what am I eased Some conceive Job speaking here like an Orator who seems to stand in doubt vvhat to doe
many because every one hath many Arrows Men carry but one Sword and one Speare but they carry many Arrows therefore the word signifies many His Archers or many compasse me round about Hence note in prosecution of the same point That God hath variety of meanes to afflict He can make any creature his Archer and he hath many Quivers full of Arrows Old Jacob sayd of Joseph Gen. 49.23 The Archers shot sore at him and grieved him Joseph was a mark of envy because God had put so many markes of honour upon him His owne Brethren were the Archers Job had many Archers shooting at him I can name you seven eminent Archers that shot at Job First Heaven was an Archer the heavens shot fire which burnt up his flocks of sheep Secondly The Ayre was an Archer that shot winde and downe fell the House upon his Children Thirdly The Chaldeans and Sabeans were Archers and they shot spoyling and plundering they tooke away all his Cattell and slew his Servants with the edge of the Sword Fourthly The Devill was an Archer he shot diseases and wounded his body all over with soares Fifthly The earth was an Archer and that shot Wormes he was cloathed with Worms and clods of Earth Sixthly His Wife was an Archer or an Archeresse she shot terrible Arrows evill and bitter words Seventhly His Freinds were Archers they shot reproofes and uncomfortable comforts they peirced him with their salyes and the very meanes that they used to heal him grieved him more All these shot at him hee must needs have many hurts who was compassed about with so many Archers David felt the anguish of these Arrows Psal 38 1. O Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath neither chasten mee in thy hot displeasure For thine arrows stick fast in me and thy hand presseth me sore David was full of Arrows what those Arrows were is not determined in the Text. One of the Ancients saith They were the threatnings of God with which his conscience was wounded for sin as for his body and outward estate they were in a whole skin 't is true judgements or wrath threatned wound the spirit deeper then judgements or wrath executed wound the outward man and as the whole word of God so that part of it especially which consists of threatnings is as the Apostle speakes Heb. 4.12 Quick and powerfull and sharper then any two-edged Sword peircing even to the dividing asunder of the soule and spirit c. Yet I rather conceive that Davids Arrows were bodily troubles or diseases already inflicted the immediate cause of which was the anger of God and the cause of that vvas his owne sinne both vvhich are expressed at the third Verse There is no soundnesse in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin When sin stirrs up the anger of God the anger of God can quickly send his Arrowes abroad nor is there any thing in this World so neere unto us but hee can make an Arrow or an Archer of it His Archers compasse me round And see what kind of Archers his were they were no bunglers they were good marks men like the left handed Benjamites Judg. 20.16 They could shoot at a haires breadth and not misse For it follows He cleaveth my reines asunder They are expert Archers who can cleave the reines The reines are in the middle of the back he that shoots at a Butt and hits the middle of it shoots exactly the whole Butt is not the mark but the White vvhich is set according to a Geometricall proportion in the middle of it He that hits the mark hits the middle of the Butt but he that cleaves the Pin that 's the Archers Dialect which fastens the mark to the Butt That 's the Archer or That 's He as they also use to speake at their sport he wins the prize Renes sedes sunt affectus libidinis vehementissimi Renum nomen in Hebraeo a desiderando dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vulnerare renes est tenuiores affectus configere An Archer may hit the man and not his reynes but to hit his reynes is skilfull archery Jobs Archers were thus cunning in their art They compasse mee about and cleave my reynes asunder That 's the first Further We may understand it by a metaphor and so two wayes First The reynes being the seat of desire as Naturalists speake some interpret he cleaveth my reines asunder thus He smites me in that which is to me most pleasant and desireable and then the seat of affection is put for the thing which we affect This holds out a profitable truth God can wound us in that upon which wee most entirely set our affections He knowes how to cleave our very reines asunder and he often doth it that which vve inordinately love is usually the mark at vvhich he aymes his Arrow The readyest vvay to lose any comfort is to over-love it I add that by vvay of caution not of direction And indeed though it be a great deal of smart to us yet it may prove a great deal of ease to us to be vvounded in that which vve over-love God in much mercy to those he loves takes that from them vvhich they love too much that so they may love him the more to whom all their love and more if they had it is but due He cleaves their reines that their reines may cleave to him Secondly The reines in a metaphor Renes occultissima denotant cor intelligit renes consulunt signifie that which is most secret and hidden Psal 16.7 My reines also instruct me in the night season that is my most inward thoughts instruct me I have secret communion with my selfe and my heart reads me a curtaine Lecture every night My reines instruct mee in the night season This metaphoricall interpretation gives us this plaine Note God peirceth into our most retired thoughts and can punish our most secret sins Those sins which lye as much out of sight as the reines doe he seeth and he seeth them as plainely as an Archer doth the White or marke which stands open to the eye for all things are naked and manifest anatomiz'd or cut open to the reines of the back so much the word beares and so manifest are we before his eyes with whom we have to doe Take it literally and then to cleave the reines is an expression of putting a man to the greatest sorrow or paine imaginable if the back vvere chyned as we speake and cut quite downe through the reynes this would be an exquisite torment the reynes are a very tender part A deep vvound in some other parts of the body is but a scratch and such vvounding were a kinde of embracing in comparison of that Secondly To cleave the reynes is to weaken because the reynes or the loynes are the strength of a man or of any creature Loe his strength is in his loynes saith God of Behemoth
vve have used them both for our owne good and the good of others I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe thus saith the Lord Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised Jer. 31.18 Ephraims outward moanes were as musick in the eares of God Ephraim did not murmure against God but he bemoaned himselfe Ephraim was not angry at his chastisement but Ephraim mourned being chastised God heard this fully in hearing hee heard it or it pleased him to heare it It is our duty to testifie our sorrow by the saddest notes of a troubled spirit and it is a delight to God when vve doe so not that hee delights in our sorrows but he delights in the witnesse vvhich vve beare to his wisedome righteousnesse and faithfulnesse in sending those sorrowes I heard Ephraim bemoane himselfe Will an offendor that lookes for mercy come before the Judge in rich apparrell or in some affected dresse Comes he not rather in his Prison clothes puts he not on the garments of heavinesse The Messengers of Benhadad put dust on their heads and ropes about their necks and sack-cloth on their loynes when they came to mediate for the life of their Master And thus the Lord speakes to the Israelites Exod. 33.5 when they had sinned and he was wroth Put off your Ornaments that I may know what to doe with you Ornaments are uncomly when God is threatning judgements It is time for us to lay by our bravery when God is about to make us naked Sack-cloth sowed upon the skin and our horne in the dust are the best ensignes of an afflicted state The Prophets counsell indeed is Joel 2.13 Rend your hearts and not your garments Rending the garments may be taken not onely strictly for that act but largely for all outward actings of sorrow Yet when he saith Rent not this is not a prohibition of but a caution about the outward acting of their sorrow Not in Scripture is not alwayes totally negative it is often directive and comparative So in this place Rend your hearts and not your garments is your hearts rather then your garments or be sure to rend your hearts as well as your garments The one must be done the other ought not to be left undone See more of this Chap. 1. Vers 20. upon those word Then Job rent his Mantle Thirdly Observe Great sorrow produceth great effects and leaveth such impressions as testifie where it is The Apostle saith of the sorrow of the World That it worketh death 2 Cor. 7.10 The sorrow of the World may be taken two wayes First For the sorrow of carnall worldly men whose sorrow for sin is only a vexing of their hearts not a breaking or humbling of their hearts which being separate both from true faith for the pardon of sin and from any reall purpose of leaving their sin worketh death both temporall death often wearing out their naturall life lingringly and sometime destroying their naturall life violently as in Judas as also hastning them on to eternall death of which it selfe is a foretast or beginning Secondly This sorrow of the World is a sorrow for the losse of or disappoyntments about worldly things This also worketh both those deaths in meere worldly men and when it is excessive as under a temptation it may be in a godly man it may be sayd to worke the death of the body in him yea great and continued sorrow though it be not excessive worketh towards this death in a godly man drying his bones and drawing out his spirits as is cleare in Job on whose eye-lids the very shadow of death sate while hee wept and sorrowed 'T is hard to dissemble a little griefe but a great deale cannot be hid As godly sorrow manifests it selfe in excellent effects upon the soule of which the Apostle numbers up seven at the eleventh Verse of that Chapter For this selfe same thing that yee sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulnesse it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves c. Now I say as godly sorrow manifests it selfe in manifold effects upon the soule so doth the sorrow of the World set its marks upon the body As a good mans heart is made cleane by weeping the teares of godly sorrow so every mans face is made foule by weeping the teares of worldly sorrow and as godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation and life eternall so the sorrow of the World vvorketh an entrance to temporall death yea we may say that godly sorrow doth sometimes worke temporall death Paul was afrayd lest the incestuous person while he was repenting might be Swallowed up with over much sorrow 2 Cor. 2.7 vvhich as vvee are to understand cheifely of a swallowing up in the gulfe of despaire so we may take in that also as a consequent of the other a swallowing of him up in the Grave of death as if hee had sayd The poore man may both despayre and dye under this burden if you let it lye too long upon him As soone as Heman had sayd in his desertion My soule is full of troubles he presently adds And my life draweth nigh unto the Grave I am counted with them that goe downe to the pit free among the dead Psal 88.3 4 5. To which he subjoyns Ver. 9. Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction and then expostulates Vers 10. Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead Shall the dead arise and praise thee As if he had sayd These sorrows will bring me to my grave or in the language of Job On my eye-lids is the shadow of death Till wee enjoy a life beyond the reach of all sorrows wee shall not be beyond the reach of death Hence that promise Revel 21.4 God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes and there shall be no more death neyther sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more paine And as that life which hath no death in it shall have no sorrow in it so that life which is a continuall death the life of the damned is nothing else but sorrow There shall be weeping and wayling and gnashing of teeth for evermore Mat. 13.42 Their eyes shall ever weep their faces shall ever be foule with weeping and on their eye-lids the shadow of death shall dwell for ever Fourthly The hand of God being heavy upon Job he defiled his horne in the dust and fouled his face with weeping he regarded neyther the beauty of his face nor the dignity of his condition all was nothing to him Learne from it Great afflictions take off our respect to the World and all worldly things What is honour What is Gold or Silver What is a goodly House What is a beautifull Wife and pleasant Children What are fine cloathes or a faire face in a day of sorrow or in the approaches of death Spirituals are highest prized when we are lowest Grace shines clearest in worldly darknesse but the light of worldly enjoyments is darknesse to us and that vvhich some esteeme as a Sun is but a
injustice thus smitten how just is it with God to smite those who are unjust The repenting Theefe rebuked him that blasphemed and spake evill of Christ upon this consideration Dost thou not feare God seeing thou art in the same condemnation and we justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds This man and we are in the same condemnation but not in the same fault we are all condemned to dye but wee justly and he unjustly This man hath done nothing amisse but we have done much amisse Luke 22.40 41. Now as this Theefe was patient under his owne just sufferings seeing another suffer who was just So when we heare that the Lord afflicts those who have done no evill how ought such to lay their hands upon their mouthes who are afflicted for the evill which they have done We know saith the Apostle Rom. 3.19 that whatsoever the Law saith in a way of threatning it saith to them who are under the Law that is who are not onely under it as having heard the precept of the Law but are under it also as having by sin deserved the penalty of it that every mouth may be stopped and all the World become guilty before God or subject to the judgement of God not having a word to object why sentence should not be executed because they have transgressed My prayer is pure Taking prayer either for the worship of God in generall or for that speciall duty of calling upon the name of God Note from it That Onely pure prayer is acceptable prayer Cain brought an offering to God as well as Abel But unto Cain and his offering God had not respect Gen. 4.5 It is not what we doe but how we doe it which is acceptable to God Pure prayer is pleasing to the pure God and no other can please him Heathens have told us that their Gods require pure worshippers and pure worship The impure spirit imitates God he will be worshipped and he will have according to mans opinion a pure worship Omnis proefatio sacrorum eos quibus non sunt purae manus sacris arcet Liv. lib. 41. Praecipuum est non admittere in animum mala consilia â—uras ad caelum manus tollere Sen. lib. 3. Nat. Qu. how much more doth the holy God require pure worship But what is it which denominates prayer pure or when is prayer pure Prayer is pure First When it is directed to a right object when we pray to God and to God onely It is the sole priviledge of God to receive prayer O thou that hearest prayer to thee shall all flesh come There is but one hearer of prayer and that is God Daniel withstood the Decree of the King when he forbad him to make his prayers to God he would rather be cast to the Lyons then not to pray or pray to any besides God therefore he opened his window to let them see his resolution and prayed to God thrice a day openly We may petition living men but we must pray onely to the living God All men except such as have sinned unto death are to be prayed for but no man must be prayed unto Neither Saint nor Angell nor any Creature are the object of prayer but God alone Secondly Pure prayer must be right in the matter of it as well as the object if we pray for that which is unlawfull our prayer must needs be unlawfull as it is a sin to doe any thing which God commands not so it is a sin to aske any thing which God allows not God hath set speciall bounds to three things First To our Faith he teacheth us what to beleeve Secondly To our actions he teacheth us what to doe Thirdly To our prayers he teacheth us what to desire We may make enlarged prayers but we are not left at large in prayer The square or rule of prayer is the will of God 1 John 5.14 And this is the confidence that we have in him if we aske any thing according to his will he heareth us The will of God is the rule not onely of things to be done by us but of things which we are to aske God to doe for us As man naturally would rather doe so he would rather have his owne will then the will of God Man would faine be his owne carver but God will not let him It pleases man better to goe two mile upon his owne errand then one upon Gods errand and it pleases man better to have any one thing of his owne chusing then two of Gods chusing but it should not The will of God under a threefold revelation is the rule and matter of prayer First The will of God in commandements whatsoever God hath charged upon us to doe wee may pray for power and strength to doe it or that it may be done Secondly The will of God in Promises what God hath sayd he will give we may pray to receive Thirdly The will of God in Prophesies what God hath foreshewed shall come to passe we must pray that it may come to passe The prayer of man gives birth to the Prophesies of God Thus saith the Lord I will yet for this be enquired of by the House of Israel to doe it for them Ezek. 36.37 God is a sure pay-master yet he expects we should sue him before he payes Daniel found by Books that the time drew nigh for the deliverance of the Jews out of Babylon and then saith he I set my face unto the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplications with fasting sack-cloth and ashes Dan. 9.1 2. The manifestation of the will of God in a Prophesie is a strong ground of prayer Thus the matter of prayer is the will of God under one of those three manifestations a Command a Promise or a Prophesie A third thing in pure prayer is the forme of it There is a twofold forme of prayer First The internall or essentiall forme Secondly The externall or accidentall forme of prayer The externall forme is that habit of words and expressions with which we cloath our desires when we present them unto God This forme varies not onely according to the severall occasions and emergencies of this life which call us to the duty of prayer but also according to the severall gifts and abilities of those who pray We are free as to this forme from all tyes and prescriptions except this that wee utter our mindes to God soberly gravely spiritually with an eye to those formes and patternes of wholesome words delivered to us in the word of God and especially to that part of the word which Christ gave both as a compendium and a copy of holy prayer But as for the essentiall and internall forme of prayer that is unchangeable and must ever be one and the same Namely That we pray in the name of Christ One of the Ancients was much delighted in reading Tullies Hortensius yet this at last abated the edge of his delight in it That he did not finde
vocantur quae Ebraeis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in quibus sacrificabant idolis Caeterum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proprie de Deo usurpatur de caelo de Deo in singulari numero de caelo in utroque Drus Dicitur Deus testis in excelsis propter locum aptissimum ad contemplandum tanquam in sublimi specula quicquid agitur Pined wherein the false gods were worshipped or the true God falsely Job puts that word into his appeale which belongs properly to God and signifies in Scripture the place of his glorious residence Jobs record was not onely on high but Bemerumim the Hebrew is Plurall in the heights Some translate it in the Superlative not in excelsis on high but in altissimis in the highests As if he had sayd My witnesse is above all witnesses and therefore he is a witnesse above all exception And Job did well for his purpose to say his record was on high not onely because of the dignity of that which is high but for the advantage which hee hath who is on high or in the highest to be a witnesse God is sayd to be a witnesse in Heaven or on high to shew how easily he can observe and take notice of those things which are below God hath eyes infinitely pure and piercing he beholds all things and hee beholds them from on high as from a watch-tower which renders the object more obvious to the eye The sight is soone intercepted upon a levell but The Lord saith David Psal 14.2 looked downe from Heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seeke God If but one had sought God God had found him out but the report which he makes upon that surveigh tels us They are all gone aside they are altogether become filthy there is none that doth good no not one Vers 3. Further he saith My witnesse is in Heaven or on high implying that he was such a witnesse as was able to protect him a witnesse who is above all feare and who needs no favour Some witnesses are not onely men of no state but of no conscience Such underlings will be hirelings upon Oath against the truth and are ready to testifie any thing for hope of gaine or for feare of a frown My witnesse saith Job is in Heaven my record is on high such a witnesse he is as cannot be corrupted by gifts such as hath no need of any mans gifts seeing he gives to all men life and breath and all things Hence Observe First That as God is the Judge of all men so hee is their witnesse God is the Judge of all the earth and God is the witnesse of all the earth too Jer. 29.23 Because they have committed villanie in Israel and have committed adultery with their neighbours Wives and have spoken lying words in my name that I have not commanded them even I know and am a witnesse saith the Lord Hee saith not I know and am Judge but I know and am witnesse Let no man hope to escape the judgement of God because there is none to witnesse against him for if God hath not the witnesse of man if our sin be a secret to all the World yet God hath alwayes two witnesses First Our owne conscience Secondly Himselfe An earthly Judge must not be a witnesse his duty is to give sentence not to give evidence hee must determine according to what is alleaged and proved upon testimony given but he cannot give testimony he cannot be Judge and Party too But God is so transcendently Soveraigne that hee is both Judge and Partie he pronounceth sentence and gives in evidence Christ is called The faithfull and the true witnesse Revel 3.14 And yet All judgement is given into his hand John 5.22 27. God judgeth upon his owne knowledge not upon the knowledge of others and therefore as there can be no fayling in so no avoyding of his judgement Secondly Observe It is lawfull to appeale to God or to take God to witnesse An Oath is the calling of God to witnesse and whensoever we appeale to God or call him to witnesse it is an Oath The Apostle Paul tooke an Oath when he sayd Rom. 1.9 God is my witnesse whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son that without ceasing I make mention of you in my prayers Thus in highest holinesse he sware that he prayed for the Romans spirituall good while he was absent from them and had never so much as seene them and that he passionately desired to be present with them and see them that hee might impart unto them some spirituall gift Because being a meere stranger he had not yet made his actions a witnesse of his love to them and because no man can be an unerring witnesse of another mans heart or of the moving of his affections therefore he calls God to witnesse who alone knowes the heart and can tell how much we love eyther himselfe or one another He speakes as much though in another case to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 1.23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soule that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth As if he had sayd By this my earnest adjuration I assure you that the reason why I have deferred my comming to you was not from any levity of minde or change of purpose in me but onely because I was unwilling to use such severity as the distempers among you call for and would have pressed mee unto being present We find him in the same tenour of speech towards the Philippians Chap. 1.8 For God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Christ that is I call God to witnesse I love you And againe 1 Thes 2.5 Neyther at any time used wee flattering words as you know nor a cloak of covetousnesse God is witnesse As if he had sayd Had I used flattering words you might witnesse it and that I have not used a cloake of covetousnesse God is witnesse I might have worne a cloak of covetousnesse so closely that you could not have seene it but God could he can judge through the darkest clouds and see through the thickest cloaks and coverings but I appeale to him whether I have put on such a cloake or no. As Paul by Oath purged himselfe from covetousnesse of spirit so Abraham protested by Oath against all covetous practices Gen. 14.22 I have lifted up mine hand to the most high God the possessour of Heaven and Earth that I will not take any thing that is thine This gesture of lifting up the hand when an Oath is taken is there put for an Oath it selfe by which Abraham appealed to God as a witnesse of his sincere intentions in taking up those Armes for the rescue of his Nephew Lot and that as he had overcome his Enemies so he had overcome covetousnesse which was of the two the farr more noble victory This calling of God to witnesse is
of two sorts First When wee are called by others who have lawfull power to testifie the truth such is swearing before a Magistrate Secondly When we offer it our selves for the removall of such jealousies as are cast upon us and wee have no other way left to free or vindicate our selves from This latter was the occasion of Jobs Oath as also of those alleadged concerning Paul and Abraham but whether it be an Oath of the one sort or of the other both meet in this that God is appealed to and called to witnesse by such as use them and seeing he is a jealous God who will not hold them guiltlesse that take his name in vaine I shall add some cautions for the bounding and directing of our practice First We may call God to witnesse in weighty matters and unlesse the matter be weighty eyther in it selfe or in the consequents of it wee may not God is my witnesse and God is my Judge are not for common much lesse for vaine things There are two things in every Oath or appeale to God which shew this First An Oath is for confirmation Heb. 6.16 vaine things are not worthy the mentioning much lesse are they worthy the confirming we ought not to strive at all about them much lesse ought we to sweare about them which is an end of all strife Secondly In every Oath or appeale to God there is an invocation of the Name of God but the name of God must not be taken in vaine which it cannot but be when it is taken into our mouthes about a vaine thing Secondly We may call God to witnesse when men give a wrong witnesse of us or will not give a right witnesse for us but if we can have testimony upon earth wee must not goe to Heaven for it God must be our last resort Job found none on earth to witnesse for him and his afflictions were looked upon as sufficient witnesses against him and therefore he was necessitated to make his addresse to God Thirdly When the matter is not onely such as others will not testifie when they might but such as no man can testifie none being privy to it but onely God and our owne soules then wee have a just ground of appeale to God who will bring to light the hidden things of darknesse and will make manifest the counsels of the heart Jobs sincerity was suspected and that is such a secret as man hath no accesse unto and therefore can give no witnesse to it Who is sincere and who is an hypocrite is resolved onely by the testimony of God and of our owne soules Fourthly We must be sure to call God to witnesse in truth Thou shall sweare the Lord liveth in truth in righteousnesse and in judgement Jer. 4.2 Vnlesse we have a witnesse within us wee must not call God to witnesse who is above us God is ready to witnesse with our consciences but woe to those who call God to witnesse against their consciences Holy Paul called God to record upon his soule 2 Cor. 1.23 that is He did as it were which is also done in every Oath engage or pawne his soule and salvation upon it that he spake the truth When our soules beare record with us we may venture to call God to record upon our soules But some when they have no witnesse from their soules yea when their soules witnesse against them will yet venture to call God to record upon their soules They will needs be tryed by God who dare not abide the just tryall of men such would make God who cannot lye witnesse to a lye They use the glorious God as some doe a sort of miscreants called Knights of the Post who for a Fee will not onely say but sweare what you will This is highest prophanation of the name of God For as he that beleeves not the truth of God makes him a lyar so also doth he that appeales to God for the witnesse of an untruth More partiularly My witnesse is in Heaven my record is on high Job speakes this not onely because he wanted the witnesse of men but because of the high esteeme hee had of the witnesse of God Hence Observe The witnesse of God is the most desirâ—â—ble witnesse The witnesse wee have on 〈◊〉 is nothing worth unlesse we have a witnesse in Heaven Iâ— we have not the inward witnesse of our owne conscience it is little advantage though we have a thousand outward witnesses conscience is more then a thousand witnesses but God is more then ten thousand consciences Therefore never rest in any witnesse till you have the witnesse of God We labour saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.9 and that word signifies not onely an earnest or an industrious but an ambitious labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him As if he had sayd Possibly we might gaine acceptation and applause among men would wee but study to please and apply our selves to them but the favour of men will not serve our turne nor can we sit downe and rest our selves under their shadow Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight O Lord was Davids prayer Psal 19.14 David could not beare it that a word or a thought of his should misse acceptation with God It did not satisfie him that his actions were vvell vvitnessed unto by men on earth unlesse his very thoughts were witnessed to by the Lord in Heaven Some as it is sayd of those Rulers John 12.42 Love the praise of men more then the praise of God So long as they have a record here below they little regard his record who is on high There is no greater argument of a carnall minde then this He that loves the praise or testimony of men as much as he loves the praise or testimony of God doth indeed love it more Seeing there is nothing more unequall then an equall partition of our esteeme betweene God and Man Where our obligation unto two is unequall wee can never be discharged by paying each of them an equall summ We have cause to blesse God when we have vvitnesse among men but the witnesse of men should be of no price with us in comparison of the witnesse of God Not onely may wee have recourse to the vvitnesse of God vvhen we cannot obtaine the witnesse of men but wee must preferr the single witnesse of God before a throng of humane witnesses and when wee have enough on earth yet say with Job My witnes is in Heaven The witnesse of the men of this world or of evill men while wee keepe a good conscience is a mercy But as the witnesse of good men is more desireable than the witnesse of all other men and the witnesse of a good conscience is more desireable than the witnesse of good men so the vvitnes of God is more desireable than without which we cannot have it and with which we shal have it the witnesse of a good conscience For
dishonourable unto God Job who here wept to God in his low estate had often rejoyced in God in his best estate and preferred him before his cheifest joy They may confidently weep to God in sad times who have delighted themselves with God in comfortable times Secondly Observe Liberty of addresse to God when men scorne and reject us is the great priviledge of the Saints Every man cannot do this can the men of the world powre out teares to God when they are scorned by the world can they powre out prayers to God when they are ill intreated by the world Can they goe into the imbraces of God when they are cast out by men they cannot They can vexe themselves when they are vexed by others and perhaps vexe those that vexe them they can be angrie when they are scorned and perhaps scorne their scorners but how to spread their condition before God or to powre out tears to him they know not they who can doe thus are honoured by God when scorned by men and God will powre out comforts into their bosomes who can powre their teares into his they can never be at any losse who finde out God to weepe to Job having thus given the reason of his appeale to Heaven enforceth it farther with a stong wish according to our translation which is also confirmed by the concurring vote of divers other translations Vers 21. O that one might plead for a man with God as a man pleadeth for his Neighbour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vtinam disputare posset vir cum deo et filius hominis sodali suo Pagn Optat ex aequari haeo duo hominis cum deo et hominis cum homine disceptationem Merc. Certe hic aliquid subauditur ut et quis deo viro vel ut faciat ac concedat Deus sc hoc viro Merc. The Summe of his desire may be drawne up into this Breife that he might argue his case as freely with God as men of the same rank and degree argue out their cases with one another Some expound it as a correction of his boldnes in appealing to God As if he had said I have indeed called God to witnes but what am I or what is my Fathers house that God should descend to my concernments The infinit distance which is between the Creator and the creature seemes to forbid and check my motion bidding me keep within my owne line or spheare and medle with my equals But O that I might speake with God as man with man or man for man I doubt not but I should carry the day and prove my selfe innocent not that Job intended a controversie with God or would stand upon his defence with the most high I have before shew'd how far this was from the temper of his broken spirit All that he intends by the proposall of this desire is the gaining of an opportunity to set himselfe right in the opinion of men by that impartiall dâ—cision of his cause which he was vvell assured God would give upon the whole matter in question betweene him and his friends if once he would be pleased to vouchsafe him a free and familiar hearing of it As if he had further said I have not apealed to Heaven because I am unwilling to have my condition knowne on earth Vtinam mihi conâ—ederetur causam meam adversum vos apud Dei Tribunal disceptare sicut agere homines cum hominibus consueverunt Bez. that men should see the worst of me for my desire is that I might plead before God as a man for his Neighbour and that I might be laid open in open Court by the evidence of witnesses and a full examination of my cause Taking these explications of the text in the forme of a wish The scope of it seemes to be the same with what he spak before Chap. 9. 33.34.35 God is not a man as I am that I should answer him and we should come together in judgement neither is there any Dayes-man betwixt us c. In which words as in these before us while Job lifts up the Majesty of God and humbleth himselfe as unworthy to have to doe with God yet he discovers the vehement longings of his soule to receive a judgement or determination from God in this suit or controversie which had depended so long between him and his friends The Observations which arise from this reading and sence of the Text are of the same straine with those formerly given upon that and some other passages where Job knowing his own uprightnes and integritie declares not only willingnesse but extreame earnestnesse to have his cause tryed at the Bar and before the Tribunal of God who both saw his wayes and searched his heart who as he had justified him from all guilt in reference to himselfe by not imputing sinne unto him so he would justifie him against the sinnes which men imputed to him by saying he was not at all guilty These points having been more then once hinted already I shall not insist upon them here Secondly The words are rendred as noting the designe which Job had in powring out teares to God and then the connection betweene this and the former verse stands thus Apud Deum stillat oculus meus utdisceptet causam viri cum deo sicut filius hominis causam amici sui Jun. I powre out teares to God that he would be pleased to plead the cause of a man with God as the Sonne of man pleades the cause of his friend Mr. Broughton joynes fully with this Vnto the puissant doth mine eye drop that he mould decide the cause for earthly-wight before the puissant as the sonne of Adam doth with his Neighbour Our translation carries the sence of a wish that a man might have liberty to plead with God as man with man this carries the sence of a wish that God would plead the cause of a man with God as a man pleades the cause of his friend which is indeed to desire God to be his advocat Ad Deum stillat oculus meus ut judicet viro cum Deo silium hominis respectu proximi sui Coc. How God is an advocat with God wil appear further in the prosecution of the text A third reading keepes to this dependance upon the former verse and to the same scope of this yet varyes the translation Thus Mine eye powreth out teares to God that he would judge for a man with God and that he would judge the Sonne man in respect of his Neighour The first reading makes the latter branch of the vvords a description of the manner how Job desired to plead with God even as man doth with man The second makes it a description of the manner how Job desired God to plead the cause of man with God even as man pleades with man This third makes it a second distinct desire and the whole verse to consist of two distinct desires First That God would judge for a man
with God Secondly That God would judge the Sonne of man in respect of his Neighbour In the former he petitions for mercy with God in the latter for right against man or in the former he sues for a judgement of acceptation for himselfe and in the latter for a judgement of reproofe and redargution upon his friends This difference is grounded upon the different construction of the vvords in the originall For the word which is rendred to plead or judge is construed with or governs as gramarians speake the Dative case in the first and the Accusative case in the latter clause of the verse Hence the former is rendred That he would judge or plead for a man with God which notes favour and a benigne defence or patronage of his cause with God so this is used by the Prophet Isai 11.4 He shall reprove argue judge or plead with equity for the meeke of the earth that is he shall reprove or plead in favour of the meeke or on their side he shall undertake their cause and make their defence for them And thus at last God did judge or plead for Job giving sentence in his behalfe and casting the scales on his side against his friends and therefore the latter clause is rendred thus That he would judge the Sonne of man in respect of his Neighbour that is that he would reprehend and reprove him for the wrongs vvhich he hath donâ— to and for the uncharitable censures vvhich he hath layd upon his Neighbour The meaning of the whole verse according to this translation may be represented and paraleld in that prayer of David Psal 35.1 2 3. Plead my cause O Lord with them that strive with me fight against them that fight against me c. say unto my soule I am thy salvation Thus Job as David desires the Lord to speake a word of comfort to him and to tell his enemies or his uncomfortable friends their owne I shall only leave one observation upon this exposition When Christ comes gratiously to assert the innocency of his owne people he will severely rebuke those who have done them wrong Laban had given Jacob hard usage vvhile he was a Servant in his House and when he was gone Laban persued him vvith hard thoughts but God pleaded for Jacob and rebuked Laban Gen. 31.42 the Prophet foretels That the mountaine of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountaines that is he vvill not only deliver but advance his oppressed Church The house of the God of Jacob Isai 21.2 3. and when he doth this He shall judge among the Nations and shall rebuke many people Vers 4. Some have observed the same difference in these latter words of Isay which hath been noted in the text of Job and render it thus He shall judge among the Nations that is the Heathen Nations who have vexed his Church And he shall rebuke or plead it is the same word in the Grammaticall construction as here in Job For or in the behalfe of many people that is for many of his owne people who have been opposed by those Nations the effect whereof wee have in the next words And they shall beate their swords into plow-shares that is God will so judge those Nations that his people shall not need to stand upon their guard or learne warr any more because their enemies shall either be turned to them or be totally overturned woe to the Nations when God stands up for his people he will certainly ruine Babylon when he undertakes the controversie and pleades the cause of Zion Yea the day hastens when he will Convince all that are ungodly of all the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him Jud. vers 15. that is against his people for his sake Fourthly Besides these three expositions of the Text I finde another which is more litterall and yet more spiritual then any of the three and it is that which our late learned Annotators have given us Mine eye powres out teares unto God And he will plead for a man with God and the Sonne of man for his friend The mind of which translation is this He that is Christ Jesus the Mediatour betweene God and man will plead for a man that is for me he speakes in the third person for modesties sake though he meanes himselfe he will plead for me though you plead never so much against me for me I say he will plead with God that is with God his Father the Hebrew word here used for God is in the singular number Eloah not Elohim and so it is in the close of the former verse Mine eye powreth out teares to Eloah God and he will plead with God which more then intimates a distinct personalitie or subsistence in the divine nature One who is and is called God acting towards another who is and is called God though God be but one or unissimus One-most in nature Job weepes to God the Son in assurance that he will plead for him with God the Father He will plead for a man with God And the Son of man that is Jesus Christ whom he called God before he cals now The Sonne of man this Title is frequently attributed unto Christ in the New-Testament Matth. 8.20 The Foxes have holes c. but the Sonne of man hath not where to lay his head so Matth. 10.23.11.19.12.8 c Jesus Christ is called the Sonne of man First to shew the truth of his humane nature he being lineally descended from David according to the flesh and is therefore styled The Sonne of David Secondly to shew the depth of his abasement Christ humbled yea emptyed and nothing'd himself when Being in the forme of God he was made in the likenesse of men Phil. 2. when being the Sonne of God he submitted to so meane a style The Sonne of man Ezekiel amongst all the Prophets is oftenest called Son of man The reason which some assigne is very probable That God spake to him under that Title to keep him humble in the midst of his many visions and revelations for which end Paul in the same case had A I horne in the flesh the Messenger of Satan to buffet him 2 Cor. 12. and though Jesus Christ needed nothing either to make or keepe him humble he being infinitely beyond the reach of pride yet he needed much to shew and give proofe how humble he was Nor could there be any greater evidence of it then this that he was pleased to be The Sonne of man Yet I conceive Son of man may be here only an Hebraisme denoting man which kinde of speaking is also usuall among the the Greekes And that Job might speake of Christ under this notion is cleare from that faith which he discovered in the mysterie of his incarnation that great mysterie of godlines God manifested in the flesh of which he spake so confidâ—ntly Chap. 19.25 26 27. I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter
light and puft up with knowledg Secondly vvhen men are unthankfull for the light and vvill not acknowledge God the giver of it Thirdly vvhen men grow vvanton or vaine in the light vvhen they abuse it and having the light vvalke in darknesse All vvhich reasons of Gods vvithdrawing light as many Scriptures testifie so they are all testified in that one Scripture Rom. 1.21 22. Fourthly As God may be sayd to hide the heart from understanding by a totall withdrawing of light so by vvithholding it for a time or in part by clouding or eclipsing it God hides the heart of some men from understanding onely in such a point or at such a season giving them light in other things yea and in that thing too at another season This fourth way I conceive most proper to this Text of Job for his Freinds vvere not under that terrible judgement of a totall hiding their hearts from understanding onely the light was with-held from them in and about that transaction As vvhen Christ after his resurrection appeared to those Disciples Luke 24.26 the Text saith Their eyes were held that they should not know him And Vers 31. Their eyes were opened and they knew him Thus God at one time holds the intellectuall eye of some good men that they cannot discerne such or such a Truth yet afterwards he opens their eyes and they discerne it Hence Observe First The wisest men doe not see all truths nor are they able to judge of all matters These were vvise men very vvise men they spake excellent things and very understandingly about God they gave Job very good counsell but yet they failed here Elihu Ch. 32.9 saith Great men are not alwayes wise vve may say vvise men are not alwayes wise and as no man is wise at all times so there is no man wise in all things We cannot conclude that because a man hath given a right judgement in some one or in many points that therefore we may trust his decisions in all points As God hides all wisedome from some men so he very rarely if at all trusts any one man or sort of men at one time with all vvisedome Jobs Freinds were vvell acquainted with and they have acquainted us with many excellent notions about that great Doctrine of Providence but they were much mistaken about the Providence of God with Job nor did they shew themselves acquainted vvith that excellent Designe of God in his afflicting Providences thereby to try the strength and manifest the graces vvhich hee hath bestowed upon his people Secondly Observe The hiding of the heart from and the opening of the heart to understanding are the worke of God We see no further then God gives us light and so farr as he leads us we goe right if hee vvithdraw vve turne aside and quickly vvander from the way of truth and righteousnesse We have nothing of our owne but sin and ignorance wisedome is of God Every good and perfect gift comes from above As God hides all Gospell-truths and mysteries from vvorldly vvise men so no Gospell mysterie is knowne to any man till God discover and make it knowne Matth. 11.25 At that time Jesus answered and sayd I thanke thee O Father Lord of Heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent but hast revealed them unto babes By vvise and prudent he meanes wordly vvise men meere Philosophers and Politicians or hypocriticall Professors such as the Scribes and Pharisees were from these God in judgement hides the things of the Kingdome of Heaven and reveales them unto Babes even to such as are at the greatest distance in naturall considerations from the capacity of such rich and heavenly manifestations There is no greater argument that God opens the heart to understand then to see Babes understand If true knowledge in spirituall mysteries vvere from man they vvho have most of man in them vvould have most of that knowledge but vvee are taught by experience that such men as the World calls Fooles doe not erre in the way of holinesse Isa 35.8 And that the course of all Worldly vvise men is a continuall erring from that vvay and that some godly men who are higher by head and shoulders then some of their Brethren in naturall wisedome have run into and maintained errors whither can we ascribe all this but to the power of God Moses speakes of the many signes and miracles which God wrought in the midst of that people vvhich they did not understand Why what was the reason Moses tells us expressely vvhat Yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to conceive nor eyes to see nor eares to heare to this day Deut. 29.4 They had sensitive eyes and eares yea they had a rationall heart or minde but they vvanted a spirituall eye to see a spirituall care to heare a spirituall heart or minde to apprehend and improve those wonderfull vvorkes of God And these they had not because God had not given them such eyes eares and hearts Wonders without grace cannot open the eyes fully but grace without wonders can And as man hath not an eye to see the wonderfull workes of God spiritually untill it is given so much lesse hath he an eye to see the wonders of the Word of God till it be given him from above and therefore David prayes Psal 119.18 Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wonderous things out of thy Law And if the wondrous things of the Law are not much seene till God give an eye then much lesse are the vvondrous things of the Gospell The light of nature shewes us somwhat of the Law but nothing of the Gospell was ever seen by the light of nature Many who have seene and admired some excellencies in the Law could never see and therefore have derided that which is the excellency of the Gospell till God hath opened their heart to understanding Thirdly Observe It is a great judgement to have our hearts hidden from understanding in the things of God It is a sore judgement not to have the light but it is a sorer judgement not to see by the light when we have it To have a heart hid from understanding is farr worse then to have a heart unable to understand Our inability to understand ariseth two vvayes First From a naturall infirmity in the understanding Secondly From the naturall obscurity of the matter presented to the understanding Plaine truthes are not apprehended by a weake understanding and the strongest understanding cannot apprehend some obscure truthes as the Apostle Peter saith of Saint Pauls Epistles that in them there are some things hard to be understood 2 Pet. 3.16 Now as there is an affliction in it not to be able to understand any truth which God hath revealed for our use so there is much wrath and judgement in it when God hides understanding from the heart in any of those things which he hath revealed for our use but especially in those things which are necessary
but as Parties putting in their accusation and pleading against him Hence Observe It is an honour and an exaltation to win the day in any cause or to get the better Whatsoever the contention be or in what way so ever mannaged whether by the Sword or by the tongue or by the Pen to be victorious in it is honourable and hee that loses his Causes loses much of his credit also And though prevailing or successe doth not at all justifie the matter it is the matter which must justifie the successe yet successe doth alwayes exalt the man He that overcomes in a dispute carries away the honour though possibly he carry not away the truth Lastly From the connexion of this with the former part of the Verse Observe They who maintaine errour among men shall not finde favour with God A heart hid from understanding is hid from the truth God loves his truth so well that he will not exalt those who depresse his truth Jobs Freinds being left in the darke as to that point in question Did not speake of God the thing that was right Chap. 42.7 And therefore the Lord sayd to Eliphaz My wrath is kindled against thee and against thy two Freinds Though an error be held unknowne and in zeale for God as they did yet the jealousie of God waxeth hot against such These repenting were and such as they repenting may be pardoned but they shall not be exalted And if they who for want of light of knowledge and in much heat of honest zeale defend a lesser error such was theirs shall not be exalted how will the Lord cast them downe who broach and spread blasphemous errors and damnable Doctrines in a time of cleere light and against frequent admonitions if not convictions Whosoever saith Christ Matth. 5.19 shall breake one of these least Commandements and teach men so Joyning the error of his practice with or turning it into the error of his opinion he shall be called least that is nothing at all or No-body in the Kingdome of Heaven And he who is nothing in the Kingdome of Heaven is not exalted how high soever he may get in the Kingdomes of the earth And if the teacher of error against the least Commandement of the Law shall have no place in Heaven where vvill their place be who teach errors against the greatest Commandements of the Law yea against the most precious and absolute necessary principles and foundations of the Gospell Vers 5. He that speakes flattery to his freind even the eyes of his Children shall faile There is some variety in expounding these words because of the severall notions into which the Originall is rendred As we read the Text it is a plaine affirmation of judgment upon the posterity of Flatterers The word vvhich we translate Flatterie signifies in the Verbe to divide into parts and hence in the Noune 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Divisit in partes in Hiphil emollivit laevigavit blanditus fuit a lott or portion because every lott or portion is divided from the whole it signifies also a prey or booty which men take in Warr or which Theeves and Robbers take from Travellers upon the high way and that upon the former reason because when a prey is taken they divide or cast it into severall portions or parts Hence also say some it signifies to flatter because the tongue of a flatterer is divided from his heart Further It signifieth to smooth and pollish or as wee say to make a thing very glib and neate This comes neerest our translation for a flatterer hath a smooth pollished tongue and his trade is to smooth or sooth both things and persons The flatterers tongue is like the Harlots tongue to whom this word is applyed Prov. 7.21 With much faire speech shee caused him to yeild with the flattering of her lips with the smoothnesse or as some translate with the lenity of her lips shee forced him Flattery seemes to be farr from force yet nothing puts or holds men under a greater force then flattery He that speakes flattery to his freind Flattery is a speciall language though it be spoken in all languages 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Men learne to speake flattery even as we learne to speake Latine French Italian Spanish or any other language Flattery is an Art it hath rules of its owne and termes of its owne he that speakes flattery Master Broughton in this place calls it Vaine-goodly-speech And the Apostle Paul calls it Good words and faire speeches Rom. 16.18 The expressions which the Apostle useth are most proper to the description of flattery they are both Compounds as the spirit of the Flatterer also is He hates simplicity or singlenesse of heart making a shew of much goodnesse in word but is voyd of deed and substance Hee promiseth faire and when hee speakes you would thinke hee minded nothing or were sollicitous about nothing but the Honour and advantage of him to whom hee speakes when indeed he minds nothing but himselfe and selfe-concernements as the Apostle in that place desciphers him He serves not our Lord Jesus Christ Haec est blandities quae a Graecis vocatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristoteles vulgo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appellari docet eos qui comiter cum omnibus conversantur sed veram amicitiam cum nemine colunt Arist l. 8. ad Nicom Pertinax Imperator dictus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod blandus esset magis quam benignus Bez. in loc ex Aurelio Vict. but his owne belly and by his good words and faire speeches he deceives the hearts of the simple The Greeks have another characteristicall word for this sort of men by which they meane all such as seeme to carry it faire with all men but maintaine true freindship with no man wee may call them Men-pleasers but Selfe-seekers As also one of the old Emperours had his Sir-name from that word used by the Apostle in the place last mentioned because hee was observed very ready to give all men good words but had no regard to doe good yea he did very much evill or as another gives the reason because he was a Fanning Prince rather then a kinde one Job seemes to charge his Freinds that they were men of such a temperament and had rather faund upon him then been reall freinds to him But here it may be questioned Why doth Job speake his Freinds speakers of flattery Hee had little reason to complaine he was flattered and wee finde him often complaining that he was roughly dealt with Job heard few pollished or buttered words but bitter words great store why then doth he say He that speakes flattery to his freind We may understand it two wayes In reference to Job God First His Freinds had spoken flattery to him for though in some things they were very severe and harsh yet in other things he might interpret their sayings to be but soothings Is est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 qui
from the King of Moab the misery which fell upon the Moabites by that Warr was put into Verse and passed into a Proverbe Numb 21.27 28 29 30. Wherefore they that speake in Proverbs say Come into Heshbon let the City of Sihon be built and prepared For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon a flame from the City of Sihon c. That is A feirce hot Warr is made which hath consumed Ar of Moab and the Lords of the high places of Arnon Holy David met with this measure from men in the day of his sorrowes Psal 69.10 11. When I wept and chastned my soule with fasting that was to my reproach I made sack-cloath my Garment I became a Proverbe or a By-word 't is Jobs language to them In the next Verse he tels us who did this by way of distribution They that sit in the Gate that is Great ones speake against me and I was the song of the Drunkard that is Of the common sort When those false Prophets Ahab and Zedekiah who to put the Jewes into a hope of a speedy returne from their Captivity in Babylon prophesied the speedy ruine of Babylon it selfe when I say those false Prophets should be cruelly put to death by the command of the King of Babylon according to the Prediction of the Prophet Jeremiah then the same Prophet foretels also that this judgement of God upon them for their lyes should be made a By-word and their names a curse Jer. 29.21 22. And of them shall be taken up a curse Plagae Zedikiae tangant te sit frater servus Zedekiae Vatabl. by all the Captivity of Judah which are in Babylon saying The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab whom the King of Babylon rosted in the fire That signall Victory of Gideon over the Midianites became a Proverbe in Israel Isa 9.4 As in the day of Midian And the Lord promises his people that the fall of the King of Babylon shall be so notorious that they shall take up this Proverbe and say How hath the oppressor ceased The golden City ceased Isa 14.4 The Prophet Habakkuk assured them that this should be while he sayd Chap. 2.6 Shall not all these certainely they shall take up a Parable against him and say Woe to him that encreaseth that which is not bis how long And to him that ladeth himselfe with thicke clay Secondly Observe It is a great burden to be made a disgracefull by-word â—hus God threatned his owne people and numbered it among the sorest punishments of their disobedience Deut. 28. 37. The Lord shall bring thee and thy King whom thou hast set over thee to a Nation whom thou nor thy Fathers have knowne and there thou shalt serve other Gods Wood and Stone and thou shalt become an astonishment and a Proverbe and a by-word among all the Nations whither the Lord shall lead thee This threat was renewed 1 Kings 9.7 And the Psalmist bewailes it that God had brought his people into such a condition Thou hast made us a by-word among the Heathen a shaking of the head among the people thou hast made us a reproach to our neighbours a scorne and derision to them that are round about us Psal 44.13 The Prophet Jeremiah speakes terrour from the Lord Jer. 24.9 I will deliver them to be removed to all the Kingdomes of the earth for their hurt to be a reproach and a proverbe and a taunt and a curse in all the places whither I shall drive them The Hypocrite who putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face and commeth to a Prophet to enquire of the Lord hath his doome denounced in this tenour Ezek. 14.8 I will set my face against that man and make him a signe and a proverbe and cut him off from amidst my people Againe Ezek. 16.44 They that speake in proverbs shall say Such as the Mother is such is the Daughter The Hittites and the Israelites were both alike in sin and they should not be unlike in punishment Such short sentences are an advantage to memory and serve in stead of larger Histories of eminent providences whether mercies or judgements Thirdly Observe God often turnes that to the honour of his servants which men intended to their disgrace Job was a by-word in disgrace God made him a by-word too but for his honour Job is famous to a Proverbe at this day for as when wee would set forth the greatnesse of any mans suffering we say Hee is as poore as Job so when wee would set forth the greatnesse of any mans patience we say He is as patient as Job or he is another Job All the vertues In proverbium abiit Jobi patientia and graces which the Saints have manifested under sufferings are proverbially exprest under the sufferings and patience of Job Never did Caesar nor Alexander nor any of the great Hero's of the World obtaine such a Name and glory by victories over men as Job did by patient suffering under the hand of God And as hee is proverbially spoken of for his suffering so likewise for his holinesse God made his Piety a Proverbe too though his Freinds suspected him for an Hypocrite When the Lord would shew himselfe so unalterably resolved that nothing should take him off from bringing judgement upon a sinfull people he saith I will not doe it though Noah Daniel and Job stood before me Ezek 14.14 As if he had sayd I will not doe it though the most eminent men in holinesse or the greatest favorites that ever I had in the World should sue that they might be spared if any in the World could obtaine this of God Noah Daniel and Job could but they should not therefore none shall See with what honourable Names he is listed Noah and Daniel men remembred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Interpretatur antea prius i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel ante facies i. e. in conspectu hominum in oculis eorum Exemplum sum coram eis Vulg. Sumitur ver bum Tophet ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 portentum prodigium res mira i e. Exemplum quod dam prodigiosum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et nollet eam ignomi iae expâ—nere Bez. Graeci dicunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitaâ—p oscriptus publicè in cippo yea crowned with honour by God and all good men are but company good enough for Job Thou hast made me a by-word And aforetime I was as a Tabret Aforetime The word may be taken two wayes First As signifying what was or hath been done in former times in which sense we translate Aforetime or formerly I was as a Tabret Secondly As signifying what is or hath been done in the presence of others Before them I was as a Tabret Wee put in the Margin Before their face or in their sight that is They being witnesses of it I was as a Tabret The Vulgar Latine translates the word which wee render
Tabret an Example I am a by-word and an example before them which is a good sense and then the word Tophet of which more by and by is used for Mophet which signifies a wonder or some strange unusuall thing which appeares or is reported to the admiration of all beholders and hearers I am a Proverbe and a strange example Strange examples grow often into a Proverbe So the Greek expresseth it and we in English say to a man who hath offended greatly You shall be made an example that is You shall be severely punished Mat. 1.19 Joseph being very tender of the honour of Mary his espoused Wise perceiving that shee was with Childe before they came together he was loath to make her a Paradigme or an example of dishonesty and disloyalty he was unwilling to make her a publique example and therefore was minded to put her away privily till the Lord gave him warning in a dreame about it So saith Job here according to this rendring I am a by-word among the people and as it were a Paradigme a publique example Great afflictions have these three things in them in reference to others First They are a wonder to others Secondly They are a terrour to others Thirdly They are an instruction unto others Wee finde all these and more in one Verse Ezek. 5.15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt an instruction and an astonishment unto the Nations round about thee when I shall execute judgements in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebuke I the Lord have spoken it The Apostle Peter describing the judgements of God first upon the Angels secondly upon the old World and lastly upon Sodome and Gomorah saith that God turning the Cities of Sodome and Gomorah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow making them an ensample to those that after should live ungodly 2 Pet. 2.6 The burning of those five Cities by immediate fire from Heaven made them examples or instructions to all succeeding Generations we may read the odiousnesse of those sins and the severity of God against them by the light of that fire to this very day Great afflictions are teaching afflictions Those calamities which destroy some should instruct all We are not onely to admire and wonder at them to be amazed and terrified at them but to be taught and admonished by them So the Apostle concludes concerning the severall judgements which God brought upon the Jewes while they murmured and disobeyed him in the Wildernesse All these things happened to them for examples or types and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the World are come 1 Cor. 10.11 There are two sorts of examples written in the Word First There are examples for our imitation Secondly There are examples for our caution Some are examples by the good which they have done these must be imitated others are examples by the evils which they have suffered by these we must be warned This translation of the Text intends Job an example of Caution Againe Aforetime I was as a Tabret that is Aforetime I was in good repute or I was pleasant company As if hee had sayd I am now derided mocked at and tossed upon the tongues of men yea I am now voted an Hypocrite though heretofore in my prosperity report gave a very pleasant sound of me though absent and my person was as welcome to them as a Tabret To speake of mee where I came not was musick and I was musicke wheresoever I came but now what am I A by-word musicke still if you will but in scorne a song of disgrace That 's the first sense Hence take one Observation before I proceed to further explication The affections and opinions of men are very variable I am now a By-word before time I was as a Tabret As the estates of men change so usually doe our opinions of them Jobs heart was the same as before he was as holy as ever hee was onely he was not so wealthy as he was his spirit was as full of grace as before onely his Purse was not so full of Gold as before he had not so many thousand Sheep nor so many hundred Oxen he had not such a Family and retinue such worldly riches and honour and because hee endured such a change in his condition see what a change he suffered in mens affections he that before was as a Tabret all were glad of him is now a by-word the scorne of all Christ giveth testimony of John Baptist John 5.35 He was a burning and a shining light and what followes And you rejoyced in him for a season Though John did burne and shine all the while which God continued him in the Candlestick of the Church with equall heat and lustre yet they rejoyced in him but for a while or for a season The Jewes changed their thoughts of John and their esteeme of him was weakned though John continued in the same strength of parts and gifts Then how would they have changed if John had changed The peoples hearts were flatted towards him though his abilities were not John had not that repute and honour after a few yeares which hee had at the first And the word in the Gospel which we translate to rejoyce comes neere the word which we have in this Text a Tabret for it signifies to leape and dance and the Tabret is a musicall Instrument at the sound of which men dance and leape for a time they leaped â—bout John he was a burning and shining light and they danced and skipped about him as Children doe about a blazing fire in the Streets but this was onely for a season John himselfe found the World a changling his followers kept no constant tenour towards him how constant soever his tenour was How great a change did Christ himselfe finde Hee is yesterday to day and the same for ever yet one day the Jewes cry Hosanna they will needs make him a King he had much adoe to keep himselfe from a Crowne the ayre eccoes with Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord yet presently after the cry was Crucifie him crucifie him he is not worthy to live he could not keep himselfe by all his power as man from a Crosse a murtherer is preferred before him Not this man but Barrabas We read Acts 14. how suddenly the Tyde and Streame of affections turned and how opinions varyed about Paul when he and Barnabas had wrought a great cure the people came and would needs adore them and offer Sacrifice and sayd The Gods are come downe in the likenesse of men They brought Oxen and Garlands and would needs worship them there was much adoe to stave them off from Deifying or making Gods of them and yet before that Chapter is at an end their acceptation of him was at an end and Paul was stoned as unworthy the society of men by the same men and in the same place where he was saluted as a God It is no
Tophet which is the word of the Text is ordeined of old yea for the King it is prepared he hath made it deepe and large the pile th reof is fire and much wood the breath of the Lord like a streame of brimstone doth kindle it In these words saith my Author there is a cleere description of that kinde of torture called Tympanization or Drumming with which the King of Assyria is eyther threatned in specie particularly and properly or by a Synechdoche to shew that God would lay severe punishments upon him For saith the Prophet Through the voyce of the Lord shall the Assyrian he beaten downe which smote with a Rod He smote with a Rod but he shall be beaten downe with a Staffe for in every place where the grounded staffe shall passe or every passing of the Rod founded that is Of the Rod founded in the Decree of God which so establisheth it that no power nor policy of the Assyrian shall avoyd or remove it For though God will not let the Rod of the wicked rest upon the lot of the righteous Psal 125.3 yet the Rod of God shall rest upon the lot of the wicked There shall be the rest thereof Zech. 9.1 The Rod of God by the lighting down of his arme V. 30. shall strike home to yea into the flesh of his Enemies and there make deep gashes or cuts running like so many rivelets with blood and saith hee The Lord shall lay it upon him or as our Margin hath it Shall cause it to rest upon him when the Lord layes it on let who so will or rather who so can and indeed none can take it off The Lord shall lay it upon him and as it follows it shall he with Tabrets and Harpes which as most Interpret of the joy which the Jewes should have at the downefall of the Assyrian so my Author expounds it suitably to his Notion of the manner of Gods smiting the Assyrian which should be as a Drum or Tabret is smitten with many repeated stroakes which in some exercisings of that Art passe so thick and so uncessantly that the Sticks seeme to rest upon the Drum as also the finger upon the Harpe and not to move at all off from eyther even thus shall God lay his Staffe upon the Assyrian and in battells of shaking will he fight with it or with them that is by the shaking of Battels or by frequent renewed Battels will he fight with and destroy them For as it followes Tophet is prepared of old that is The Engine upon which he shall be tortured the forme and manner of which is in many particulars described out of ancient Writers by the Author of this exposition but I shall not stay upon them This Tophet is prepared of old or from yesterday that is God hath prepared it aforehand and made it ready He hath made it deep and large that is proportionable in all iâ—s dimensions for that use and purpose yea for the King it is prepared the great King of Assyria which is added because this was a punishment for common men yet the King saith he shall be thus tortured he shall no more escape the hand of God then the meanest of his Subjects and hee shall be handled in the same manner as the meanest among them shall The dishonour of such a suffering is a greater punishment to a great King then the paine of it yet he cannot be dispensed with yea for the King it is prepared The pile of it is fire and much wood What 's the meaning of that My Author answers This punishment of drumming was sometims but preparatory another first they were beaten and then they were burned and therefore saith he before the Engine a great fire was made into which when they were tortured by beating offenders were cast and consumed to ashes Jubet amoveri noxialem stipitem plebeia clarum paena me damnet virum Prud. in Rom. Martyr Our Martyrologyes tell us of some who have been first hanged and then burned and ordinarily among us when Traytors are put to death a fire is made at the place of Execution into which their bowells are cast when their bodies are cut up and quartered Thus here The pile thereof is fire and much wood And the breath of the Lord as a streame of brimstone doth kindle it that is The Lord being extreamly angry with and incensed against the King of Assyria will therefore kindle this fire of his wrath totally to consume him But here it may be demanded Did any of the Kings of Assyria who captivated and afflicted the Jewes suffer such a kinde of death as this I suppose none of them did Some tell us that the Army of Senacherib which invaded Judea was overthrowne and destroyed by the Angell in that place called Tophet or in the Valley of Hinnon which is also given as a reason why that word is used in the Prophet but Senacharib himself was slain in the Temple of his Idol 2 K. 19.37 Nor is it as I conceive the minde of our Expositor to conclude from hence that the King of Babylon was put to death by such a torture but onely to shew under the description of that kinde of death that the death and destruction of the King of Babylon should be very terrible and that God would judge him even as notorious offenders are both to a painefull and a shamefull end As this Interpretation of the Prophet gives much light to that of Job so it is an ingenious conjecture upon that place and carries a faire correspondence both to truth and reason Nor is there that I have met with any Interpreter who doth not understand that Text of Isaiah in its first and literall sense of the temporary judgements which God threatned to powre out upon the State and King of Babylon as most in a Tropologicall and Allusive sense Interpret it of eternall judgement in Hell which is indeed a fiery Tophet and is prepared of old yea for the King it is prepared for the great King of Assyria as well as for the meanest person There is a seventh Translation and Exposition of these words which takes the former part of the Verse as was toucht upon the last and reads the whole thus For he will make me a Governour among the people Nam fore ut instituat me ad praesidendum populis quamvis tympanotribarum materia ante fuerim Jun. Restituet me Deus in dignitatem meam altius provehet Jun. though I have thus been made as matter for the Fidlers or Taberers Song So that as the former Exposition renders the Text as a complaint proceeding from Jobs griefe that he who had been a Great Man a Governour of the people should be now punisht as a slave or as a Malefactour so this renders it as a Prophesie proceeding from his Faith That God would restore and raise him againe to be a Governour among the people though now he was the scorne and derision of
Woe to those who put off their beginnings in grace till they are readdy to finish in nature A dying man is unfit for any businesse how much more for this He is extreamely indisposed for worldly purposes much more for heavenly and therefore as soone as a man that hath any Estate begins to be sick Freinds will move him Pray Sir settle your Estate make your Will you know not how God may deale with you if your disease should encrease a little more you may be totally disabled to doe it therefore pray hasten Yea we finde that most men of valuable Estates in the World make their Wills in their health when they are free from sicknesse and furthest from death when they have the greatest activity of minde and body They wisely remember how some who had a full purpose to make their Wills in sicknesse have been suddenly overpowred by the malignity of a disease and could never doe it but have left all at six and sevens If so shall any man leave his soule undisposed of or at six and sevens till such a time A sick man being minded of any worldly businesse unlesse he have a great minde to it thinkes it excuse enough to wave it because he is sick I pray doe not trouble me with it saith he I cannot thinke of it now you and I will speak about it hereafter when I am recovered Doe sick men thinke it reason they should be excused from worldly businesse because they are sick and shall any man resolve that it is best to deale about spirituall businesses when he is sick If Job who had a holy and a sound minde under a diseased body sayd My purposes are broken off and the thoughts or possessions of my heart how much more will they feele these breaches whose minds are sick and more diseased then their bodyes Further Observe The difference betweene God and man what a vaine creature man is and how excellent God is God never had one of his purposes broken whatever hee purposed he hath carryed to perfection hee never lost a thought nor any of the possessions of his heart The counsell of the Lord stanâ—eth for ever and the thoughts of his heart to all Generations Psal 33.11 'T is the glory of God that his purposes stand he is able to make them stand though all the World should combine as one man to cast them downe 'T is the dishonour of man that hee so often falls from his owne purposes and eates up his owne resolves and 't is the punishment of some men that their purposes receive a fall that their most solemne debates and setled resolves are scattered and confounded The Lord in judgement bringeth the counsell of the Heathen to nought he maketh the devices of the people of none effect Psal 33.10 All the thoughts of man are loseable and most men lose their thoughts It is the comfort of Beleevers that they are not bottom'd upon their owne purposes or thoughts but upon the thoughts and purposes of God that 's their basis and that shall never be broken God is unchangeable and therefore his purposes cannot break When mans purposes are broken hee eyther changeth or suffers a change of which Job complaines in the next Verse Vers 12. They change the night into day and the light is short because of darknesse Here are two things to be opened First What is meant by changing the night into day Secondly Who it is that changeth the night into day They change the night into day Hath not the Lord made a promise yea a Covenant which is more then a promise and annexed a signe to it which is the ratification of a Covenant Gen. 8.22 that to the end of the World while the earth remaineth Seed time and harvest and Summer and Winter and cold and heate and day and night shall not cease that is they shall not cease in their turnes and seasons How is it here sayd They change the night into day as if the night and day were out of course when as the Lord hath covenanted that they shall continue in their course I answer There is a twofold change of times of day and night First A naturall Change Secondly A metaphoricall Change The united power of all creatures in Heaven and Earth cannot make a naturall change of day into night and God the Creator hath promised that he will not make that change he will not breake the succession of night and day while the Earth remaineth But a metaphoricall change of night into day and of day into night hath been often made for when the night is so full of trouble to us that we cannot sleep the night is changed into day and when the day is so full of trouble to us that wee can neyther doe our worke Hoc tormentum cordis nec nox interrumpebat quae est tempus deputatum humanae quieti graviuâ— est pati somni defectum in nocte quam in die Aquin. Meae cogitationes molestae animum rodentes noctem mihi convertunt in diem efficiunt ut noctes ducam in somnes Merc nor take our comforts then the day is changed into night The night is the time appointed for naturall rest therefore the night may be sayd to be changed into day when we cannot rest and this is a great affliction for though in some sense and in Scripture sense too to have the night changed into day is a mercy and notes a change from a troubled estate into a comfortable estate yet to have the night changed by our restlesnesse or want of sleep is both an affliction it selfe and an argument that we are burdned and over-pressed with other manifold afflictions In this sense Job complaines of the change of his night into day and thus God often changeth times and seasons both to particular persons and whole Nations Dan. 2.21 Daniel answered and sayd Blessed be the Name of God for ever and ever for wisedome and might are his and hee changeth the times and the seasons hee removeth Kings and hee sets up Kings He changeth the times and seasons that is He makes seasons comfortable or troublesome peaceable or unquiet hee changeth the night into day or the day into night as himselfe pleaseth And the light is short because of darknesse Propter calamitates Jun. That is The day is to me as no day because of my calamity and misery my day is short because darknesse suddenly overtakes it Artificiall dayes are long or short according to the distance which the darknesse of the night keepes from them Our metaphoricall dayes are long or short according to the distance which the darknesse of trouble keepes from them Thus the change of day into night and of night into day is to be reckoned by the condition we are in When we cannot sleep in the night our night is changed into day and when sorrow seazeth on us in the day our day is changed into night or The light is short to us by
our rest together is in the dust They shall goe downe Spes meae omnia mea recte in plurali dicit significans non spem tantum sibi ab illis propositam sed omnes alias spes hujus vitae Merc. Who or vvhat shall goe downe There is no expresse Relative in the Hebrew They that is say some these hopes he speakes in the plurall Number as if hee had sayd All my hopes about this life are going downe to the pit The best of worldly hopes and worldly things are dying and perishing mine are to me as dead and perished Secondly Others understand it of Job himselfe for the word vvhich wee translate Barrs signifies also the members of the body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vectes significat ea omnia quae velut vectes aliquid sustentant Aliqui Rabbini ad ipsum Jobum referant quod ipsius fulchra i. e. membra brachia vires robur descendent Vectibus sepulchralibus descendent Jun. Mâ—ae videbitis istas expectationes quas praedicatis una cum corpore ferretro efferri in sepulchrum Jun. As if he had sayd I my selfe shall goe downe to the Pit or Grave A third thus They shall descend upon the barrs of the Grave The meaning is Yee shall quickly see mee and all my worldly hopes which yee so much speake of put together in a Coffin and carryed out upon a Beire to the Grave for buriall This going downe to the barrs of the Pit according to our reading imports that he and his hopes should descend to the lower parts of the earth the Grave and be buryed there the pit would shut him in and make him fast enough The Grave is a Prison and there are Barrs or bolts belonging to that Prison vvhich shut the Prisoners in there 's no breaking of that Prison The Decree of God is the Barre of the Grave and his purpose locks it up till the day which himselfe hath appointed for the resurrection from the dead and the judgement vvhich is to follow As the evill Angels are reserved in chaines of darknesse to the Judgement of the great day so are the bodies of men chained and barred downe in the darknesse of the Grave till God sends out the Arch-angel with the sound of a Trumpet to summon them to his Barr. Yet further these words are interpreted as spoken in derision of those overtures which his Freinds made to him about worldly happinesse Per irrisiâ—nem haec dicta sunt Cajet As if he had sayd You perswade me that I shall have much good in the World very well let it be so but doe you thinke that I can carry my Goods my Houses and Lands my Silver and Gold my Corne and my Wine to make merry with in the Grave Shall I and the greatnesse you promise me live together in the Grave and make our abode in darknesse The Septuagint seeme to favour that sense rendering it An bona mea mecum ad infernos descendent aut pariter super pulverem descendemus Shall my Goods goe with me to the Grave or shall wee descend into the dust hand in hand vvhen I surrender this battered Fort into the hands of death shall I march out with Bagg and Baggage to these Subterranean dwellings The Apostle affirmes That we brought nothing with us into this World and he doth more then affirme It is certaine saith he we can carry nothing out 1 Tim. 6.7 And therefore vvhat doth it availe a dying man to tell him of riches seeing vvhen he dyes he must leave all his riches Master Broughton translates plainely thus To the midst of the Grave all shall descend when wee shall goe downe together in the dust From which our reading of the latter clause varies but a little When we shall rest together in the dust The vvord vvhich we expresse by rest is derived by some from a root signifying to descend or goe downe hence the difference of translation The Hebrew particle im which we render When signifies also For or Forasmuch Further it is sometimes taken conditionally for If as also interrogatively for utrum whether according to all which acceptions this clause hath undergone a variety of reading But I passe them by and keep to our owne When our rest together is in the dust or for as much as we shall rest together in the dust Of this rest I have spoken before Chap. 3.17 There the weary be at rest thither I referr the Reader Wee may also take Jobs sense in this place by that which hee speakes so cleerely out to this point Chap. 30. Vers 23. For I know that thou wilt bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living I shall not stay here to draw out Observations matter of this purport about the certainty of and about our rest in death having occurred heretofore All that I shall add for the close of this Verse and Chapter shall onely be an offer towards the resolution of a doubt vvhich may arise upon the vvhole matter of Jobs continued resolves for death and his refusals of any entertainment of the hopes of life Hence it may be questioned Did not Job sin in giving up his hope and in refu ing to be comforted when his Freinds wise and godly men laboured to assure him of deliverance I answer First Job was vvilling to be comforted but hee did not like their way of comforting which vvas indeed a wounding for the promises vvhich they made him did all along carry an implication of his guilt they never promising him any deliverance but upon the supposition of his repentance from those wickednesses vvith vvhich they charged him vvhereas hee utterly denyed their charge in the sense which they layd against him Secondly I answer Wee cannot altogether acquit Job from blame in judging his state so deplorable and remedilesse For though with an eye to the creature and all second causes there was no probability or possibility for his recovery yet Job should have raised his hopes upon the power and Al-sufficiency of God he might have remembred that as his affliction was extraordinary and the hand of God very visible in it So his deliverance also might have been as extraordinary and that God could have put forth as strong and as visible a hand to restore him as he did to cast him downe 'T is sayd of Abraham Rom. 4.18 19. that he against hope beleeved in hope nothing appeared for the support of his hopes yet Abraham did not say Where is my hope or why should I waite for Children He considered not his own body now dead when he was about an hundred yeares old neyther yet the deadnesse of Sarah's wombe These naturall impediments came not to his minde while he had a word from the Lord of nature Hee staggered not at the promise of God through unbeleife but was strong in Faith giving glory to God But we may say of Job from the continuall tenour of his owne answers that he
both upon such rich men and upon their riches if the Lord doth not stop them from getting riches yet he can speak a word and blast all that they have gotten Hence Note That the most substantiall of earthly things are of small or no continuance More particularly That ill gotten goods are not lasting or long-lived Sometimes they melt away and dye in the same hands that got them they alwayes dye and melt away in some of their hands for whom they were gotten There is no tack in their estate in whom there is no Justice That which is gathered by the unrighteousnesse of man shall be scattered by the wrath of God As the little which a righteous man hath is better so it is surer then the great riches of many wicked Sin makes no provision at all for the soule and it makes very ill-provision for the body The title by which we hold worldly things is more considerable then worldly things themselves To hold in Capite from Christ is as the purest so the strongest Tenure Onely he who continues the same for ever and changes not can give continuance to that which is changeable But suppose the wicked mans substance doth continue long for bulke and matter yet the beauty and comfort of it shall not continue for a moment which is the third step of this Gradation 3. Neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth Riches are one thing the perfection of riches is another as in spirituall things there is the substance of them and the perfection of them so in temporalls The word signifies the consummation of any thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfectio eorum a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfecit alii Minlam vincam dictionem perinde ac si duae essent exponunt quâ—si 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex eo quod est illorum i. e. res illorum non extendentur per terram Merc. or the bringing it to its perfective end Isa 33.1 When thou shalt make an end to deale treacherously they shall deale treacherously with thee The Prophet doth nor meane it of making an end by way of cessation as if hand heart or tongue did cease dealing treacherously for so wicked men will never make an end of wickednesse if they might have an eternity to act evill in they would act it eternally but he meanes it of making an end by way of consummation as if he had sayd When they are come to a full stature in treachery and have compleated their conspiracies against goodnesse and good men then they shall be dealt with in their kind and as they best deserve Now as a wicked man would compleat his sin and often reaches the very perfection of it so he would compleat his estate and doth sometimes reach to the perfection of it The wicked man would be perfectly rich he is not satisfied to have a compleat estate or enough for meat drink and cloathing he must have a great estate enough for pride pompe and glory Manna pleases him not he must have Quailes superfluities as well as necessaries He thinkes a little too much in spiritualls but a great deale is not enough for him in temporals His internall imperfections trouble him not his aime is at perfection in externalls That is perfect onely in a strict sense to which nothing can be added and from which nothing can be taken away The wicked man would attaine to such perfection but he cannot his owne heart forbids the first for how much soever he hath he would have more added to it he saith not it is enough though it be too much God forbids the latter his portion shall be abated or in the words of the Text He shall not prolong the perfection thereof The utmost perfection he can attaine unto is but the shadow of perfection and though shadows towards the setting of the Sun grow longer and longer yet no shadow can be prolonged they quickly passe and flye away Solomon tells us Prov. 12.3 A man shall not be established in wickednesse Nec mittet in terra radicem ejus Vulg. but the root of the righteous shall continue A wicked man may be set in the ground but he hath no root in the ground Their stock shall not take root in the earth and he that is God shall blow upon them and they shall wither Isa 40.24 A tree not rooted falls by a puffe of winde or withers while it stands The tree of a wicked man may have a great body but he hath no good root he is not rooted in Christ he hath no hold of the Covenant therefore his perfection cannot continue Hence Observe That as there is no worldly perfection of any long continuance so the perfection of wicked men is of shortest continuance Athenasius sayd of Julian the Apostate when he was in the height in the very zenith and perfection of earthly felicity having ascended the Impereall Throne and giving the Law to a great part of the then knowne World He is but a little cloud Nubecula est cito transibit he will soon vanish And indeed his glory and the perfection of it did not continue for when he was but thirty yeares old in that prime of his naturall course and constitution he was out off his power could not protect his Person nor prolong his perfection on the earth David professeth as from his owne experience Psal 119.96 I have seen an end of all perfection The terme of universality All doth not compasse in every kinde of perfection but all the perfections of one kinde The end of Divine perfections cannot be seen when we have seen the most of them there is more of them unseen but the end of all humane perfections may be seen There is a twofold sight First Of the eye Secondly Of the understanding Davids eye had seen the end of many humane perfections and his understanding saw the end of them all he had seen some ending and he saw all must end Never dream of prolonging your perfection here No worldly thing can continue long for the World it selfe shall not continue long If the Scaffold or Stage upon which these perfections are shewed or acted must fall the perfections themselves cannot stand There have been but few that ever advanced so farr as to an earthly perfection but there was never any one that prolonged his perfection on the Earth Adam did not continue in that created perfection which had no imperfection in it how then shall any of his Children continue in an imperfect such is their best perfection As Eliphaz hath shewed us the wicked mans misery in the not prolonging of his perfection so now he shewes us a further degree of it by the prolonging of his affliction Vers 30. He shall not depart out of darknesse Here is the fourth step of this gradation The wicked mans misery in misery He cannot stay in a good nor get out of an ill estate Eliphaz seems to take off an objection for some might