seek unto God betimes and make thy supplication unto the Almighty c He would awake for thee There are two parts of Bildads counsell 1. To humble himself in prayer ver 5. 2. To purge himself by repentance ver 6. Or we may look upon this counsell as a patern of repentance and turning to God in three things 1. To seek unto God 2. To acknowledge our own unworthinesse to receive any mercy from God 3. To be sincere and upright-hearted with God in both If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est quafi aurorare aut diluculare DeuÌ„ Diâ—igenter sedulo magno studio quaerere Qui mare surgit precandi causa dicitur manicare DeuÌ„ Dâ—us We have met with the word more then once before and in strictnesse of translation it sounds thus much If thou wouldest seek unto God in the morning or If thou wouldest morning God be with him early in the morning that is If thou wouldest seek unto him diligently they that come in the morning about businesse are diligent in their businesse The Apostles rule is Heb. 3. To day harden not your hearts but here Bildad adviseth Whilest it is morning which is the first part or beginning of the day pour out thy heart to God So then it may be taken for seeking God either at the first of the day the morning or for any earnest diligent and fervent seeking unto God in any part of the day To seek God diligently though in the night is according to this Hebraisme a seeking him in the morning It was an ancient custome to seek God in the morning take it in the letter early in the morning David professes this Psal 5.3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up And Heathens by the light of nature took this course in their profane and superstitious worship Herodot l 10. Plin Ep. 57. ad Trâ—jâ—â— Tertul. Apol. to p. 2. Herodotus in his tenth book tels us of the Persian Magi who addressed themselves early in the morning to seek their false gods And the Primitive Christians were wondered at for their early devotions Pliny in an Epistle to Trajan and Tertullian in his Apologeticks for the Christians report their assemblies before day-break to pray and call upon God And there hath been and still is a superstitious abuse of this among the Papists who call their morning prayers their Mattins because they begin early in the morning Hence observe First Prayer is our seeking unto God That 's the generall description of prayer When we pray our work is to get neer to God to finde God every soul that praies indeed feeles it selfe at a losse for somewhat that God only can bestow In God all that we want is to be found and therefore he invites us to seek him In this life the Saints are a generation of seekers in the next they shall be a generation of enjoyers when God is fully found there 's nothing more to be sought Having him we have all The work of heaven is to blesse God for what we have found not to seek him for what we want Secondly God must be sought unto without delay As it is with vows so with prayers Deferre not to pay them deferre not to pray Isa 5.5 Seek him whilest he may be found Matth. 6.33 Seek first the Kingdom of God first in time not only chiefly but early put not God behinde in the later end of the day or in the later end of your businesses It is best to begin with him who is best Thirdly God must be sought unto with diligence We must lay our strength and spirits out in seeking God It is not a sleight enquiry which findes out God We read that he is found of some who seek him not at all but that he is found of any who seek him negligently we read not Free-grace prevents those who have no ability to seek him but it meets not those who will not lay out their abilities in seeking him If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes And make thy supplication to the Almighty The word which we translate Make thy supplication is very significant of the manner how we should seek unto God namely Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denotat gratuitaÌ„ illaÌ„ commiserationem quae sine ullo merito impenditur bottoming our selves upon free-grace alone A thought of our own worth is inconsistent with a supplication Call upon the Almighty for pity saith M. Broughton when we supplicate we desire that to be done for us for which there is no reason in us why it should be done To make supplication is to seek help and relief freely or gratis acknowledging there is nothing in us worthy love That adverb used in the first and repeated in the second Chapter where the devil objects Doth Job serve God for nought that is without respect of good pay for his pains from God that adverb I say comes from this verb. As we ought to serve God in this sense for nought and not like mercenaries for our hire So God helps us for nought without looking to any thing in us or from us as an hire of his help The Baptist had his name John from this word either because he preached the free-grace of God in Christ then exhibited or because God bestowed him upon his parents in their old-age as a speciall grace and favour The poor saith Solomon Prov. 18.23 useth intreaties some render it thus The poor maketh or speaketh supplications a poor man hath nothing of desert to plead why he should receive your charity but he lies at your feet and begs somewhat because he is in want because misery hath arrested and taken hold upon him The poor useth intreaties he doth not call for any thing of right and he will not wrest any thing from you by force he only supplicates your favour We in our drawing nigh unto God should pray for grace and favour as a poor man begging an alms who makes this his plea that he is poor So then Bildads counsell to Job is this Stand not upon thy tearms with God plead not thine own integrity and good works but cast thy self at his feet for mercy Make thy supplication unto him The word is used by Moses Deut. 3.23 when he describeth his own unbelief for which God said he should not goe into Canaan And I besought the Lord at that time saying c. When Moses perceived God was angry he did not reckon his former good services to balance this failing but he sought unto God for mercy as one that had never done him any service at all And as man expresses his desires of free-grace by this word so doth the Lord his highest actings of it Exod. 33.19 I will be gracious unto whom I will be gracious To shew that to make supplication is to desire the Lord to be gracious and that to be
minde the good they had done that they remembred not they ever did it The Lord keeps a faithfull record of vvhat his people doe but themselves doe not It is our duty to remember to doe good but let God alone to remember the good we have done The Lord is not unrighteous to forget our labour of love Heb. 6.10 but we lose our righteousnesse unlesse vve forget it If we much remember what we doe God will remember it but little The servants of God know well enough when they doe good to do good ignorantly is a degree of doing evil They know vvhen they doe good and they know vvhat good they doe but vvhen 't is done 't is to them as unknown Hezekiah Isa 38.3 put God in minde of his good deeds Lord saith he remember how I walked before thee with an upright heart c. Hezekiah desired the Lord to remember his uprightnes So Nehemiah in divers passages of that book Chap. 13.14.22.29.31 puts the Lord in remembrance of his righteousnesse But it is one thing to put the Lord in remembrance of vvhat vve have done historically and another thing to plead vvhat vve have done legally It s one thing to shew to the Lord the vvork of his own grace in us and another thing minde the Lord of our vvorks to obtain his grace Hezekiah vvould have God to take notice of vvhat he vvas to pity him in his sicknesse Lord I am thus remember the work of thy hands as I am thy creature remember the vvork of thy Spirit as I am a new creature as I am thy servant And Nehemiah puts all upon the score of mercy He did not say Lord remember me for vvhat I have done answer me according to vvhat I have done but Remember me O my God concerning this and spare me according to the greatnesse of thy mercy Chap. 13.22 If Saints at any time remember God of their works it is not to ground an argument of merit upon their vvorks but to shew God the vvorkings of his grace and spirit Though I were righteous I would not answer him What then What vvill Job doe What course vvill he take for himself if he vvill not answer the Lord What This course he takes and it is the best I would make supplication to my Judge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. The Septuagint render it thus I would deprecate his judgement that is I vvould sue for mercy As if he had said I am not vvithout hope because I have none in my self I am not lost because I am lost to my self I have a sure way yet left I will make supplication to my Judge or as M. Broughton reads it I would crave pity of my Judge as if he had said Though justice cast me yet mercy will relieve me Mercy will help me as well and honour God more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad facientem judicareme Mont. The word notes humblest submission as when a man begs for his life Jacob Hos 12.4 wept and made supplication The brethren of Joseph Gen. 42.21 were exceedingly afflicted at the remembrance of their hard usage toward him their brother when they sold him to the Aegyptians Fum qui me judecare facit Pagn We would not hearken when he besought us it is this vvord Think with how much submission Joseph being ready to be sold unto strangers supplicated his brethren for pity Or how a man vvill lie begging at an enemies feet vvho is ready to kill him With such submissive language Job resolved to crave pardon and pity at the hands of God Thus he obeys the counsell of Bildad in the 8th Chapter If thou seek unto God and make thy supplication unto him betimes Job seems to answer Your counsell is good friend Bildad Though I were righteous I would not answer him but according to your advice I would make supplication to my Judge The praiers of the Church in greatest straits and distresses are usually expressed by this word supplications All petitionary Prayer is supplication but because we are much abased and laid very low at such times therefore praier then put up is specially called supplication Hence Solomon at the dedication of the Temple putting cases and suppositions of many afflictions incident to that people still concludes At what time they shall confesse their sinnes and pray and make supplication then c. 1 King 8. And Esth 4.8 Mordecai sends to Esther charging her to goe in to the King What to doe To make supplication unto him The lives of the Jews being given away to satisfie the malice of Haman it was time for her to supplicate in the lowliest posture Thus Job had it in the thoughts of his heart to make supplications to his Judge as if he had said If I were to stand at the tribunall of an earthly Judge I would not supplicate but plead I would not petition his favour but stand upon my right I would not crave his pity but expect his justice I would bring forth my reasons and arguments my proofs and witnesses this course would I run with an earthly Judge but my cause being with God I will only put a petition into the Court and submit unto him let him doe with me what he pleaseth Hence we may observe First That there is no weapon can prevail with God but only praier and supplication Jobs thoughts had travel'd thorow all the creatures and found not one of them could stand before God Etsi opus virtutis exercuero ad vitam non ex meritis sed ad veniam convalesco Preci itaque innitendū est cum recta agimus ut omne quod justè vivimus humilitare condiamus Greg. therefore he resolves to fall down before him I will make supplication Praier overcometh when nothing else can Christ conquered by dying and we conquer by submitting And yet it is not supplication as an act of ours but supplication as it is an ordinance of Gods that prevails with him he looks upon praier as having the stamp of his own institution otherwise our greatest humblings could prevail no more then our proudest contendings The Word preached prevails upon the heart not as it is the act of a man who dispenceth it there is no strength in that but as it is an ordinance of God who hath appointed it So humble supplication obtains much with God because he hath said it shall Secondly To make supplication is to crave pity As praier prevails so no plea in praier can prevail unlesse vve plead pity pity mercy mercy a suppliant looks for all good at the hand of free grace We at any time have sinne enough to procure us evil Jer. 4.18 Thy sinnes have procured these things unto thee But we never have goodnesse enough to procure us any mercy Mercy comes for mercies sake Thirdly In that he saith I would make supplication to my Judge Observe God is the Judge of all our actions and intentions Job was in a great contest with men but
makes a bold adventure who dares passe but an unpleasing thought against the waies or works of God Fourthly Not to be satisfied with what God doth is a degree of hardening our selves against God discontents and unquietnesses upon our spirits are oppositions Fiftly Not to give God glory in what he doth hath somewhat in it of hardening of our selves against God And lastly He that will not give God glory in what he commands is in a degree hardened against God We may see what it is to harden our selves against God by the opposite of it Prov. 28.14 Blessed is the man that feareth alwaies but he that hardeneth himself shall fall into mischief Hardnesse is contrary to holy fear holy fear is a disposition of heart ready to yeeld to God in every thing A man thus fearing quickly takes impressions of the word will and works of God and therefore whosoever doth not comply with God in holy submission to his will hardens himself in part against God That which is here chiefly meant is the grosser act of hardnesse when men either speak or go on in their way acting against God let him say what he will his word stops them not or do what he will his works stop them not They are like the adamant the hammer of the Word makes no impression upon hard hearts but recoyls back again upon him that strikes with it More distinctly this is either a sensible hardnesse of heart of which the Church complains Isa 63.15 Wherefore hast thou hardened our hearts c. or an insensible hardnesse which in some arises from ignorance in others from malice and obstinacy Further We read of Gods hardening mans heart and sometimes of mans hardening his own heart There is a three-fold hardnesse of heart First Naturall which is the common stock of all men we receive the stone of a hard heart by descent every man comes into the world hardened against God Secondly There is an acquired hardnesse of heart Men harden themselves and adde to their former hardnesse He stretcheth out his hand against God and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty Job 15.25 There is a growth in sin as well as a growth in grace many acts make hardnesse more habituall 2 Chron. 36.13 He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord. I know thy rebellion and thy stiffe necke Deut. 31.27 Thirdly There is a judiciary hardnesse of heart an hard heart inflicted by God as a Judge When men will harden their hearts against God he agrees it their hearts shall be hard he will take away all the means which should soften and moisten them he will not give them any help to make them pliable to his will or he will not blesse it to them He will speak to his Prophets and they shall make their hearts fat that is senslesse and their ears heavy that is heedlesse under all they speak Isa 6.10 Thus also God hardned the heart of Pharaoh and of the Aegyptians by the ministery of Moses and Aaron So then we having hardnesse of heart by nature doe by custome acquire a further hardnesse and the Lord in wrath inflicteth hardnesse then the sinner is pertinacious in sinning All these put together make him irrecoverably sinfull His neck is an iron sinew and his brow brasse Isa 48.4 Observe first There is an active hardnesse of heart or man hardens his own heart Exod. 5. We read of Pharaoh hardening his heart before the Lord hardened it Who is the Lord saith he that I should let Israel goe Here was Pharaoh hardening his heart and steeling his spirit against the command of God God sent him a command to let Israel goe he replies Who is the Lord I know not the Lord who is this that takes upon him to command me Am not I King of Aegypt I know no Peer much lesse Superiour Lord. It was true indeed poor creature he did not know the Lord Pharaoh spake right in that I know not the Lord if he had he would never have said I will not let Israel go he would have let all goe at his command had he known who the Lord was that commanded Thus Sennacherib 2 Chron. 32.14 blasphemes by his messengers Who was there among all the gods of those Nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people out of mine hand that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand These are hard words against God and hardening words to man Every act of sinne hardens the heart of man but the heat of blasphemy at once shews and puts it into the extremity of hardnesse Man hardens himself against God four waies especially First Upon presumption of mercy many doe evil because they hear God is good they turn his grace into wantonnesse and are without all fear of the Lord because there is mercy so much with the Lord. Secondly The patience of God or his delaies of judgement harden others because God is slow to strike they are swift to sin If the sound of judgment be not at the heels of sin they conclude there is no such danger in sin Solomon observed this Eccles 8.11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to doe evil or it is full in them to doe evil They have not some velleities and propensions some motions and inclinations some queries and debates about it but the matter upon this ground is fully stated and determined they are so full of it that they have no room in their hearts for better thoughts or counsels the summe of all is they are hardened and resolved to doe evil Thirdly Grosse ignorance hardens many 1. Ignorance of themselves And 2. Ignorance of God he that knows not what he ought to doe cares not much what he doth None are so venturous as they who know not their danger Pharaoh said I know not the Lord he knew not the Lord nor himself therefore he ran on blinde-fold and desperately hardened himself against the Lord. Fourthly Hardnesse of heart in sinning is contracted from the multitude of those who sinne They thinke none shall suffer for that which so many doe The Law of Moses said Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe evil Exod. 23.2 There is a speciall restraint upon it because man is so easily led by many The heart is ready to flatter it self into an opinion that God will not be very angry when a practice is grown common this is the course of the world this is the way of most men therefore surely no great danger in it And examples harden chiefly upon three considerations Ego bomuncto non facerem Tâ—r. First If great ones go that way the Heathen brings in a young man who hearing of the adulteries and wickednesses of the gods said what Doe they so and shall I stick at it Secondly If some wise and learned men go that way ignorant and unlearned men conclude
our visiting God as providence is Gods visiting of us we should visit God by praier not only as they Isa 26. in trouble but in our peace we should desire him to visit our estates our families but especially our souls and spirits in their most flourishing condition The Apostle useth it as an argument to keep us from distracting thoughts Phil. 4.2 Let your moderation be known unto all men The Lord is at hand be carefull in nothing but in every thing by praier and supplication let your requests be made known unto God The Lord is at hand let not your hearts be troubled Visit God in duty who is at hand to visit you in mercy Though there be an infinite distance between God and man yet God is not farre from any man and he is ever near some men Let not us be strangers to God when we hear he maketh continuall visits to us Thy visitation doth preserve my spirit Verse 13. And these things hast thou hid in thine heart I know that this is with thee Some read the first clause which adds sharpnesse to it with an interrogation And hast thou hid these things in thine heart Is it so with thee or hast thou dealt so with me indeed The heart of God is the will purpose or decree of God These are a vast repository wherein all things are laid up And these things hast thou hid c. What things what is the antecedent to these things 1. Some say His afflictions These things that is these afflictions which thou hast now laid upon me were hid in thine heart thou hast shewed me many favours while in secret thou didst prepare rods for me 2. The antecedent to these things is mercy life favour and visitation spoken of before say others As if Job had spoken thus This bill of blâ—ssings now read these priviledges now reekoned up were hidden in thiâ—e heart thou hast had gratious intentions towards me while thou hast been smiting me I know all this is with thee Scio quia universorum me mâ—eris Vulg. That is Thou remembrest all this and keepest a record of it by thee The Vulgar makes this the text I know thou remembrest all things or all men Some supposing the antecedent to be his afflictions make out this harsh and unbecoming sense Quasi haec mala velut in animo recondita in tempus opportunum asservasset ut nec opinanteÌ„ opprimeret Atrox querimonia Merl As if Job had thus uttered his minde to God I now perceive thou hast had coles of anger raked up in the ashes while those warm beams of love did shine upon me Thou hast held out mercy in thine hand but somewhat else lay in thine heart This interpretation in the common understanding of it is most unworthy of God It is the wickednesse of men to speak fair and to doe some courtesies while cruelty and revenges are hid in their hearts When Esau Gen. 27.41 saw himself defeated of the blessing by his brother He said in his heart The daies of mourning for my father are at hand then will I slay my brother Iacob Here 's the character of malice he gave neither brother nor mother ill language but he said in his heart The holy God never speaks good to them to whom he intends evil The Creatour needs not daub or pervaricate with his creatures I grant indeed that the Lord giveth wicked men many outward favours and speaks them fair in his works but he never speaks them fair in his Word Say Woe to the wicked it shall be ill with him for the reward of his hands shall be given him Isa 3.11 Men are apt to flatter but flattery is much an abomination to the Lord as it is below him I grant also That the Lord giveth his own people many favours and speaketh reall kindenesses to them while he hides affliction in his heart What evil soever he brings upon them he hath thoughts to do them good and hath nothing but good for them in his thoughts We understand by those hidden things the mercies which Iob with his last breath had enumerated then the words import two things First An argument to move the Lord not to destroy him or or to assure his own heart that he would not As if he had said Lord I know thou remembrest well what thou hast done for me what cost thou hast been at in making me at first and in preserving me hitherto surely then thou wilt not pull all down in a moment Secondly The words may import that the Lord in afflicting Job had used only a kinde of sacred dissimulation A dissembler carrieth himself as if he had no intent to do what he is resolved to do It is usuall with men thus to dissemble hatred and so have some their love He that purposeth much good to another hideth it sometimes under sowre language and unkindest usage Ioseph had most endeared affection toward his brethren yet he put a disguise of anger upon it acting the part of a severe man who lieth at catch to finde out advantages and pick quarrels Ioseph used many stratagems of love to entangle his brethren and wrapt up his good will in hard speeches and rough carriages Nothing appearing lesse then what indeed he most was A loving brother forgetfull of nothing but injuries Job seems to have had such a conception of God while he saith These things hast thou hid in thine heart And then his sense riseth thus Lord I know thou bearest favour and good will towards me still The fire of thy love is not extinct but covered Thou dost but personate an enemy thou art my friend thou drawest a cloud betwixt me and the light of thy countenance but thy countenance is still as full of light towards me as ever and though I see nothing but sorrows on every side yet I know mercies are hid in thine heart Thus the words are an assertion of Jobs faith and assurance that God loved him while his chastnings lay most heavy upon him Hence observe First That the Saints while they are strong in faith are able to discern the favour of God through the clouds and coverings of his most angry dispensations This they can do and when they can they are arrived at a great height in grace To maintain our interest in Christ through disadvantages is strong faith The woman of Canaan Mat. 15.26 knew her pardon and acceptance were hid in the heart of Christ while he called her dog and would scarce vouchsafe to cast an eye upon her Faith did this and faith can do the like at this day But every true faith will not do it There is a kinde of miracle wrought in such believing So Christ concludes with that woman ver 28. O woman great is thy faith Truth of grace is not enough for every work of grace some works will not be done without strength as well as truth Weak faith is ready to say Mercy is lost when it is but hidden
They have lightly esteemed me I am not so much to them as new clothes who am indeed their life I am not so much remembred as unnecessary curiosities from whom they receive all things necessary and whose favour is the one thing necessary 4. To forget God is to depart from God We stay with God no longer then we remember him as we cannot have communion with truth so not with the God of truth without an act of memory Heb. 12.5 Ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord c. A word forgotten is to us of no more use then a word never spoken We are without all the good we forget and to forget God is Ephes 2.12 to be without God in the world or to live on earth as if there were no God in heaven either in regard of mercy to be received or of duty to be performed Hypocrites forget God all these waies though their naturall memory may be good yet spirituall memory and that only holds spirituall things they have none Observe hence First That the hypocrite is a forgotter of God Every wicked man is forgetfull of God Hence we finde these put together Psal 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the Nations that forget God But this is the speciall character of an hypocrite he is a forgetter of God Consider this saith the Psalmist ye that forget God that is ye hypocrites consider this 〈◊〉 50.22 for he speaks of such as had taken their covenant of God in their mouths What hast thou to do vers 16. to take my Covenant in thy mouth As if he had said thou professest to be in Covenant with me to have an interest in me Yet when thou sawest a thief then thou consentest with him and hast been partaker with adulterers thou givest thy mouth to evil c. Hypocrites take the Covenant of God in their mouths but cast it out of their lives God is near in their mouths but from their reins Jer. 12.2 If the hypocrite did not forget that God is about his bed and about his path and espieth out all his waies he could not be so false with God so polluted in his waies so rotten in his inward parts If an hypocrite did not forget that God being a spirit delighteth to be worshipped in Spirit he would never be satisfied in worshipping him with his body If he did not forget that God is jealous that he will not hold them guiltlesse who take his name in vain he durst not which is his every daies work take the name of God in vain Secondly observe That forgetfulnesse of God howsoever it seems no great matter yet is exceeding sinfull a wickednesse of the highest stature Forgetfulnesse of God is therefore a great wickednesse because God hath done so many things to be remembred by What could the Lord have done more to make himself remembred then he hath done Have I been a wildernesse to Israel or a land of darknesse saith the Lord Jer. 2.31 the words are an aggravation of their forgetfulnesse As if the Lord had said I have been a light to you wheresoever you goe and wheresoever I goe my steps drop fatnesse for you and am I forgotten Where can we set a step but we tread upon a remembrance of God Every creature holds forth God unto us He hath left his remembrance upon every ordinance Doe this in remembrance of me saith Christ in that great ordinance of his Supper yea all the works of his providence are remembrancers of him He leaves an impression of his wisdome holinesse justice power upon all he doth Now for us to forget God who hath as it were studied so many waies to fasten himself in our remembrance must needs be extreamly sinfull Further it is very sinfull to forget God because God doth so abundantly remember us He hath not only done that which may cause man to remember him but he hath man alwaies in his remembrance especially his own people He hath graven them upon the palms of his hands and they are continually before him They who desire to preserve their friends fresh in memorie get their pictures in their houses or engrave them upon rings and jewels which they wear alwaies about them But he that cuts the image of his friend in his flesh or draws it upon his skin how zealous is he of his friends remembrance Pictures and annulets may be lost but our hands cannot fall off When the Lord would shew how mindefull he is of his Church he assures her that he carries her picture alwaies about him not drawn upon a Tablet or engraven upon the signet of his right hand but upon the palms of his hands as if he should say I must lose my self before I can lose the sight of memory of thee Isa 49.16 He remembers her so that he cannot forget her And because the characters and stamps of nature are more abiding and indelible then those of art therefore he saith vers 15. Can a woman forget her sucking childe that she should not have compassion on the sonne of her womb Yea they may forget yet will not I forget thee A woman may break the bonds of nature but God will never break the bonds of his own free-grace May not all this raise us into Davids rapture of holy admiration Psal 8. Lord what is man that thou art mindefull of him and the sonn◠of man that thou visitest him with such remembrances What is a wicked man that God should give him bread to eat and clothes to put on And what is a godly man that God should give him Christ to eat and cloath himself withall That God should remember us is a wonder of mercy but what a wonder of unthankfulnesse is it that we should not remember God What or who is God that man should be so mindelesse of him Is not God worthy of all our remembrance Is it losse of time to call God into our thoughts Do we ever or in any thing remember our selves so much as when we remember God most It is a wonderfull favour that God should be mindefull of us at all and is it not a wonderfull sinne that man should be so unmindefull of God Thirdly Observe That Forgetfulnesse of God is a mother-sinne or the cause of all other sins It is the cause of this sinne of hypocrisie Bildad puts it as a fruit of forgetting God Forgetfulnesse of God is three-fold First A forgetfulnesse that there is a God Secondly A forgetfulnesse who or what manner of God he is Thou thoughtest that I was such an one as thy self Psal 50. Thou forgettest what manner of God I am thou presumest that will serve my turn which serves thine or that every thing will please me which pleases thee thou saiest because it is no great trouble to thee to steal and lie c. therefore it is no great trouble unto me neither Thirdly To forget
and prospered That is did ever any man so weary out God by lengthening this warre that God was as it were forced at last to offer him terms of peace So it happens sometimes with men Ab aequipollente pacem aliquis pugnando obtinere potest licet enim eum superaâ—e non possit tamen assiâ—uitate pugnae eum fatigat ut ad pacem reducatur Aquin. Quis permansit aut perstetâ—t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sep. with Nations and Kingdoms They not getting peace by victory but being spent and tired out with warre begin to thinke of treating Did ever any one put the Lord to offer a treaty with articles of peace to save himself from further trouble They who have not strength enough to overcome may yet have power enough to vex and weary their adversary But God can neither be vanquish'd by force nor vext with our policies into a peace with man Thirdly Others give this sense Who ever held out or was able to persist in a war against the Lord The wicked shall not stand before God in the day of judgement much lesse in the day of battell Who would set the bryars and thorns against me in battell I would go thorow them I would burn them together Isa 27.4 The most steely and and flinty spirits in the world can no more stand before God then briars and thorns can before a flaming fire The Lord soon breaks and destroies all opposing power And so there is a figure in the words for man doth not only not prosper but he is undone and crusht for ever by contending with God Shall man prosper in a warre with God No it shall end in his own ruine and utter destruction Whence observe That nothing can be got but blows by contending with God The greatest Monarchs in the world have at one time or other found their matches but the great God never found his match Hoc est signum evidens quod fortitu lo Dei omnem humanaÌ„ fortitudinem exoedit quia nullus cum eo paceâ— habere potest resist endo sed solum humiliter obediendo Aquin. Vicisti Galilae Pharaoh contended with him but did he prosper in it You see what became of him at last he was drown'd in the red sea Julian contended with Christ he scoffed at him he came up to the highest degrees he sate in the chair of the scorner and in the tribunall of the persecutour but what got he at last When he was wounded and threw up his bloud toward heaven said he not O Galilean thou hast overcome I acknowledge thy power whose name and truth I have opposed Christ whom he had derided and against whom he hardened himself into scorns and scoffs was too hard for him All that harden themselves against God shall be worsted Gather your selves together O ye people and ye shall be broken in peeces Isa 8.9 Gather your selves together against whom Gather your selves together against the people of God and ye shall be broken in pieces Why Emanuel the Lord is with us If no man can prosper by hardening himself against the people of God because the Lord is with them how shall any man prosper by hardening himself immediately against God If Emanuel will not let any prosper against his people certainly he will not let any prosper against himself Therefore Prov. 28.24 Solomon laies it down directly He that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief and Prov. 29.1 He shall be destroyed and that without remedy there is no help for it all the world cannot save him A hard heart is it self the forest of all judgements and it brings all judgements upon us A hard heart treasureth up wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 As a hard heart is Satans treasury for sinne so it is Gods treasury for wrath The wals of that fiery Tophet are built up with these stones with their hard hearts who turn themselves into stones against the Lord. Then take heed of hardening your selves against God You know the counsell which Gamaliel gave Act. 5.39 Refrain from these men and let them alone c. See how tremblingly he speaks lest you be found even to fight against God as if he had said take heed what you doe it is the most dreadfull thing in the world to contend with God he speaks as of a thing he would not have them come near or be in the remotest tendency to Man will not meddle with a mortall man if he be too hard for him how should we tremble to meddle or contend with the immortall God! Christ Luk. 14. warning his Disciples to consider afore-hand what it is to be his disciples gives them an instance of a King What King saith he going to make warre against another King sitteth not down first and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that commeth against him with twenty thousand Now I say to you if any such be here that have hearts steel'd or harden'd against God who challenge God the field and send defiance to heaven O sit down sit down consider whether you with your ten thousand are able to meet God with his twenty thousand that 's great odds half in half but consider whether one single simple man can stand against his twenty thousand whether a man of no strength can stand against infinite strength whether you who have no wisdom are able to stand against him that is of infinite wisdome Can ignorance contend with knowledge folly with wisdome weaknesse with strength an earthen vessel with an iron rod O the boldnesse and madnesse of men who will hazard themselves upon such disadvantages He is wise in heart and mighty in power who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered And as God is so powerfull that no wicked man in the world can mend himself by contending with him so neither can any of his own people If they harden themselves against God they shall not prosper To harden the heart against God is not only the sin of a Pharaoh of a Senacherib and of a Julian but possibly it may be the sin of a believer the sin of a Saint And therfore the Apostle Heb. 3. gives them caution Take heed lest any of your hearts be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin and whose heart soever is hardned against God that man good or bad shall not prosper or have peace in it It is mercy that God will not give his own peace or let them thrive in sin Grace prospers not when the heart is hardened joy prospers not nor comfort nor strength when the heart is hardned the whole state and stock of a beleever is impaired when his heart is hardened And if the Saints harden their heart against God God in a sense will harden his heart against them that is he will not appear tender hearted and compassionate towards them in reference to present comforts he will harden himself to afflict and chasten when they harden themselves to
heart-burnings among friends and brethren We have a proverbiall speech among us A lean arbitration is better then a fat judgement It is better to the parties they shall get more by it the charge of obtaining right by law many times eating out all and sometimes more then all alwaies a considerable part of that which the law gives us as our right We use to say to dissenters Be friends the Law is costly 'T is very costly to most mens purses and to some mens consciences 'T is rare if a man wrongs not his soul by seeking the rights of his credit or estate Secondly Observe That no creature can umpire the businesse betwixt God and man There is a two-fold reason of it Oportet ut in judice sit altior sapienâ—ia quae sit quaâ— regula ad quam examinantur dicta utriusque partis First He that is our umpire is supposed wiser then our selves They who cannot agree need more wisdom then their own to work their agreement But there is no creature wise as God yea there is no creature wise but God who is therefore called The God only wise God is best able to judge of his own actions No man hath been his Counsellour Rom. 11.34 much lesse shall any man be his Judge Men sometimes abound too much in their own sense but God must abound in his His will is the rule of all much more his wisdom or rather his wisdom is the rule of all because his will is his will and wisdom being the same and of the same extent both infinite Oportet ut in judice sit major potest as quae possit utramque partem comprimere Secondly He that is a Daies-man or Vmpire must according to the rules before spoken of have power to compell the parties to submit or stand to what he shall determine But as we cannot lay any restraint upon God from doing what he will so we cannot lay any constraint upon him to do what we will Who shall force the Lord To whom hath he given an assumpsit or ingaged himself under a penalty to perform what he shall award The Lord doth whatsoever he pleaseth both in heaven and earth and he will do no more then he pleaseth Perswasion cannot move him much lesse can power compell him He that is above all in power cannot be dealt with any way but by perswasion And he who is above all in wisdom cannot be perswaded by any against his own will There is indeed a Daies-man betwixt God and man but God himself hath appointed him God hath referred the differences betwixt himself and man unto Jesus Christ and his own good will and free grace moving him thereunto he stands engaged in the bonds of his everlasting truth and faithfulnes to perform what Jesus Christ as Mediatour should ask for us unto him we may safely commit our cause and our souls with that assurance of the Apostle 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have believed and am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day Christ God-man is umpire between God and man what we trust him with shall not miscarry he will make our cause good and our persons acceptable before God at that great day It is infinite mercy when we were neither able to mannage our own cause nor to finde out any in heaven or earth who could that then God himself should finde out one in wisdom and power like himself one who thought it no robbery to be equall with God to be our Daies-man Many of the Ancients interpret this Text either as Jobs desire and praier that Christ would come in the flesh O that there were a days-man betwixt us or as a prophecy of Jesus Christ to come as our Daies-man in the flesh There is no Daies-man yet but a Daies-man shall come The sense is pious but the context will not bear it In the 16th Chapter v. 21. and Chap. 17. v. 3. We shall finde Job speaking clearly of the Mediatour Jesus Christ and of his great work of atonement between God and man But here he seems to keep to the present controversie about the businesse of affliction not of salvation Take two or three consectaries flowing from the whole matter First Job at the lowest speaks highly of God and humbly of himself The greater his afflictions were the purer was his language He was not able to grapple with God and there was none to be found who could umpire the matter betwixt them The will of God is the supreme law What he will do with us we must be content he should The secrets of his providence are beyond our search and his judgements above our reach Secondly The greatnesse and transcendency of God should keep us low in our own thoughts Our knowledge of God is the present cure of our own pride The knowledge of God causeth us to know our selves and that which makes us know our selves cannot but make us low in our selves Though a proud man is commonly said To know himself too much yet the truth is he doth not know himself enough no nor at all as he should know himself Many are proud of and with their knowledge yet pride is the daughter of ignorance Some pride lodges in every mans heart because more then some ignorance doth Job had some of both in his why doth he lay the thought of the infinite glory and soveraignty of God so often to his heart but to keep down or to cure the swellings of his heart Thirdly It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of God He is not a man as we are we are not able to match him and there is among men no Daies-man betwixt us David made it his election 2 Sam. 24. To fall into the hands of God and not into the hands of man And it is best for us to fall into the hands of God as David put himself into his hands with respect to his great mercies But woe unto uâ— if we fall into his hands as contenders with his great power Shall we thus provoke the Lord Are we stronger then he It is our duty when we do and our priviledge that we may cast our selves into the hands of God when the hand of man oppresses us Satis idoneus est patientiae sequester Deus si injuriam deposueris juxta eum ultor est si damnum restitutor si dolorem medicus si mortem rescuscitator est Tertul. l. de Patient for as one of the Ancients speaks sweetly and feelingly If thou doest deposit thy injuries with him he is able to revenge thee if thy losses he is able to repair thee if thy sicknesse he is able to heal thee and if thy death he can raise thee up and estate thee in life again Thus I say it is best to fall into the hands of God in expectation of mercy through the Mediatour but it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the
way might be cleared to him Secondly observe A godly man may be long in the dark about the reason of Gods dealing with him He labours alwaies to give an account of his own heart and waies to God but he is seldom able to give an account of the waies of God toward him The way of God both in mercy and in judgement is in the sea and his foot-steps are not seen As there is much of the Word of God which a sincere heart after many praiers and much study is not able to give a reason of so also are there many of his works The text of both is dark to us till God make the Comment and he sees it best sometimes to make us call and call wait and wait before he makes it There was famine in the Land of Israel three years year after year and yet David knew not the cause doubtles he did often examine his own heart look into the Kingdom to see what might be a provocation there but saw nothing till after three years he enquired of the Lord who answered It is for Saul and for his bloudy house because he slew the Gibeonites 2 Sam. 21.1 It is more then probable that David had enquired of the Lord before that time A holy heart especially one so holy as Davids was can hardly let personall affliction be a day or an hour old without enquiring of the Lord about it And shall we think that David let this Nationall affliction grow three years old before he enquired of the Lord about it surely then this enquiry after the end of three years was that grand and most solemn enquiry by Vrim and Thummim appointed as the last resort to God in cases of greatest difficulty and concernment till David used this means he found no resolution of that case why the Lord contended with his Kingdom by famine year after year Neither had Iob got resolution when he thus complained why the Lord contended with him by sore diseases and mighty terrours day after day But because it might yet be wondered at by some how he durst adventure to put up such a request to God he argues further in the next verse that the state wherein he was seemed to necessitate him to it and to prompt or put that request into his mouth Ne cui mirum videatur istud a me postulari res ipsa huc me adegit absit enim a me ut tibi placere posse existimem vioâ—eÌ„tam cujuspiam oppressionem Bez. As if he had said My condition cries aloud to me that I should cry aloud to God Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me For farre be it from me to think that the Lord delighteth in oppression in breaking the work of his own hands or in maintaining the works of wicked men wicked Iudges use to doe so whom God will never encourage as with a light shining from heaven by his example Farre be it from me to thinke so dishonourably of God and therefore I am thus importunate to know the reason of his dealings with me and what his thoughts are concerning me Verse 3. Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppresse that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands and shine upon the counsel of the wicked Is it good c I am sure it is not it is not pleasing unto thee to oppresse to despise the work of thy hands thou delightest not to shine upon the counsel of the wicked Nequaquam probat alioâ—um iniquam vim multò minus ipse alios opprimit Sanct. Thou canst not endure any of these evils acted by man much lesse wilt thou act them thy self Thou who art just even justice it self canst not love oppression thou who art mercifull even mercy it self wilt not despise the work of thine hands thou who art holy even holinesse it self how shouldest thou delight in wicked men Thou art of purer eies then to behold iniquity and approve of it What blasphemy then is it to imagine that thou dost practise it Thy justice thy mercy thy holinesse are such as cannot admit the taint of these aspersions Omnes vias injustitiae quibus terreni julices corrumpi jus pervertere solent a Domino conator amoliri Merc. Interrogatio sensum reddit omninâ— contrarium me â—uaquaÌ„ probas c. Sanct. So then in this third and fourth verse Iob reckons up those waies by which earthly men corrupt ot pervert justice and he removes them all from the Lord. Some men do but God doth not oppresse Some men do but God doth not destroy the work of his hands Some men do but God never doth shine upon the counsel of the wicked Is it good to thee that thou doest oppresse c These interrogations we see are vehement negations they flatly and peremptorily deny what they seem doubtingly to enquire The sense is It is not good unto thee yea it is evil in thy sight to oppresse c. Thou hatest oppression Ab absurdis argumentatur quae in Deo minimè sunt tameÌ„ cogitari possunt ab infirmitate humana Jun. wrong dealing shall not dwell with thee Iob puts these questions not as if he questioned whether it were good to the Lord to oppresse or good to destroy the work of his hands and to shine upon the counsel of the wicked These were no points of controversie with him nor did he seek resolution about them Yea he therefore begs a reason of the Lord wherefore he was so oppressed becaase he knew it was not good unto Him that he should oppresse Is it good unto thee The Hebrew signifies three things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bonum triplex denotat 1. Vtile 2. Iucundum 3. Honestum First That which is profitable Secondly That which is pleasant Thirdly That which is just right or honourable any thing tendâ—ng to reputation And there may be this three-fold sense of it in this place 1. Is it good unto thee that is Numquid tibi proderit Vatab. comes there any advantage unto the Lord by oppressing Surely none What profit is there in our bloud 2. Is it good unto thee that is Is it pleasing or delightfull Is the Lord taken with the afflicting of his people I know he doth not willingly afflict the children of men 3. Is it good unto thee that is Doest thou reckon it thine honour to lay thy hand severely upon thy poor creatures No it is thy glory to passe by a transgression Now seeing it it not good unto thee any of these waies seeing thou hast no gain or profit by it no joy or delight in it no glory or honour from it Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me That 's still the burden of this mournfull Song Is it good unto thee That thou shouldest oppresse The word which we translate to oppresse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat opprimere aliqueÌ„ verbu aut factis Numquid loâ—uÌ„ tibi videtur si calumnieris me Vulg. signifies a
not what your selves are To doe so is a sin and a sinne in respect of the body very common Many are ashamed to be seen as God hath made them few are ashamed to be seen what the devil hath made them Many are troubled at small defects in the outward man Few are troubled at the greatest deformities of their inner man they call for no repairs for no fresh colours to be laid on there many buy artificiall beauty to supply the defects of naturall who never had a thought of buying without money spirituall beauty to supply the defects of supernaturall The crookednesse and distortions the blacknesse and uncomelinesse of the soul are most deplorable yet are they little deplored we are called every day to mend and cure them we are told where and how we may have all set right and made fair again and yet the most stirre not or not to purpose God will not know any body at the last day unlesse his souls be mended by grace and some do so mend their bodies by art that God will not know their souls at that day Depart from me I know you not will be all their entertainment ye have mended your bodies till ye have mar'd your souls Besides What can the man do that cometh after the King saith Solomon Eccles 2.12 The work of the wisest among men is beyond the correction of an ordinary man Much more may we say What can the man doe that cometh after God The work of the most wise God is beyond the correction of the wisest among men They who thus come after God to mend his work lest they should be despised will but make themselves more despicable There is more worth in the very defects of Gods work then in the perfection of mans We may use means to help many bodily infirmities but they who are discontent with Gods work are quickly proud of their own and will one day be ashamed of their own Secondly Consider how Job argues Is it good that thou shouldest despise the work of thy hands Hence observe It is an argument moving the Lord to much compassion to tell him that we are his work as we are creatures and his work especially as we are new creatures When we are under such afflictions as threaten to ruine us 't is seasonable to tell the Lord he made us David strengthens prayer upon this argument Psal 138.8 Forsake not the work of thy own hands All men love their own works many dote upon them Shall we think God will forsake his See how the people of God plead with God in greatest distresse Isa 64.8 But now O Lord thou art our Father we are the clay and thou our Potter and we all are the work of thine hand Be not wroth very sore O Lord. Wilt thou be angry with thy work Lord be angry with the works of wicked men and destroy the work of Satan Doe not destroy the work of thine own hands thy people are thy work Hast thou not formed them for thy self They will shew forth thy praise That invitation to prayer Isa 45.11 seems to intimate that this plea hath a kinde of command upon God Thus saith the Lord the holy One of Israel and his maker Ask me of things to come concerning my sonnes and concerning the work of my hands command ye me while ye come to me under that notion that these are the work of my hands I cannot deny you Doe but name this and it is a law upon me ye may have any thing of me or doe any thing with me while ye speak for the work of mine hands Hence when the Prophet had put the Jews from that plea they were a lost people and their case was desperate This is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Isa 27.11 As if he had said Ye were wont I know to come to God with this motive of mercy when he afflicted you Lord thou didst make and forme us therefore have mercy upon us but this shall prevail no more He that made you will not have mercy on you He that formed you will shew you no favour There is but one argument stronger then this among all the Topicks of prayer and that never fails namely that God hath redeemed us or that we are his redeemed ones God bestowed much cost upon us in the work of Creation and therefore under that title he can hardly cast us off but he hath bestowed so much cost upon us in the work of redemption that he will never cast us off Further The Scripture makes frequent use of this argument to represse the pride and presumption of man and to stop his mouth when he begins to question and call God to account about any of his dealings with why is it thus Or why am I thus Thus the Prophet silences the murmurings both of mans heart and tongue Isa 45.9 10. Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker shall the clay say to him that fashioned it Why hast thou made me thus And when the Apostle found unquiet and bold spirits busied in contesting with God about his eternall counsels in chusing some and rejecting others in shewing mercy to some and hardening others he stops them with Who art thou O man that repliest against God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus Remember thou art the clay and he is the Potter That we are the work of Gods hand moveth his compassion towards us and represseth our presumption against him We must not proudly dispute it out with him for we are the vvork of his hands and we may humbly plead with him not to despise the work of his hands or to Shine upon the counsel of the wicked God is light and he hath light but he hath none for wicked men or for their counsels To shine upon the counsel of the wicked notes three things Impiorum consitia illustrare idem est quod juvare illorum caeptis ac conatibus favere First To favour or delight in them Secondly To succour or assist them Thirdly To make them prosperous and successefull David praying against his enemies saith Let their way be dark and slippery Psal 35.6 And when the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwinde he questions Who is this that darkneth counsel by words without knowledge Job 38.2 As to darken waies and to darken counsel is to hinder and trouble them so to shine upon waies and counsels is to help and favour them The Sunne is the candle of the world and Sunshine is the comfort of the world The Psalmist praies in this language Thou that dwellest between the Cherubims shine forth that is help and favour us so it is expounded in the next verse Before Ephraim Benjamin and Manasses stir up thy strength and come and save us Psal 80.1 2. Thou wilt light my candle was Davids confidence
dead It is usuall in Scripture by a dogge to set forth the vilest estate of man and the most excellent by a lion When Mephibosheth would shew how low he was in his own eyes though the son of a noble Prince he joyns these two Dead and a dog together 2 Sam. 9.8 What is thy servant that thou shouldst look upon such a dead dog as I am He cals himself not only a dog as Christ did the woman of Canaan and as she acknowledged her self to be but to lay himself as low as lownesse it self he cals himself a dead dog implying That life giveth some honour and casteth a lustre upon every subject which it inhabits though it be the meanest When Esau was near perishing with hunger Gen. 25.32 he resolves thus I am at the point to die and what profit shall this birth-right do to me As if he had said Shall I keep my birth-right and lose my life My life is more precious Thus he spake and he spake profanely in it yet there is some truth in what he spake for if we take birth-right precisely in the notion of a civil priviledge so life is better then a birth-right but he is called profane Esau because there was a spirituall priviledge in his birth-right which he ought to have valued above his life Any spirituall good thing is better then naturall life but life is the best of naturall and better then all civil good things When the Prophet would expresse how great a blessing a King was to his people he called him The breath of their nostrils Lam. 4.29 and live for ever was the highest apprecation given the Babylonian Kings The most noble imitations of art are about this piece of nature It is the ambition of a painter to draw to the life or to shadow the motions and actings of life When we would commend a picture we say It is done to the life How precious a favour is reall life the very shadow of which is of so great a price He that laieth down his life paieth the greatest debt whether to justice or to nature Christ went to the highest price for and shewed the greatest favour to sinners when he parted with and pawned this jewell for them his precious life This should minde parents as to pray for quickning after conceptions so to give thanks when the embryon is quickned Now if this naturall life be such a favour What is spirituall and eternall life Thou hast given me life and favour Chesed omnia beneficia Dei promiscuè complectitur Coc. Non solum vitam dedisti sed cumulasti banis omnibus quae ad victum honorem rem vitae necessariam pertinent Hoc nomine coÌ„plectitur etiam omnia beneficia quae ultra vitaÌ„ Deus homini concedit dum educandum euÌ„ instituendum informanduÌ„ in lege sua timore curat Merc. or life as a favour Thirdly By favour in conjunction with life we may understand the accidents of life that is those good things which accompany and accommodate our lives Thou hast given me life not a bare life not a meer subsistence or being in the world but with life thou hast also given me favour many mercies and comforts to make my life sweet and pleasant to me Besides favour takes in not only those outward comforts of health strength liberty plenty but those inward ornaments of life also good education and instruction in knowledge both humane and divine It appears Iob had a fair portion of these favours His was not a naked but a clothed soul a soul gilded and engraven all over with heavenly truths So that Job in this word reports the bounty and munificence of God towards him in all the former additions and accomplishments of his life Many have lives which they scarce look upon as a favour Some accidents of life are more worth then the substance of it Our well-being is better then our being It may prove a desirable favour to be rid of life In which sense Iob spake of himself at the first verse of this Chapter My soul is weary of my life His life was then a burden but once a favour Thou hast granted me life with favour Fourthly Iob may here intend spirituall and eternall favour Quoniam Chesed significat aliquid perfectum in amore idcirca slatuimus Iohum hic intelligere istaÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sive studium quod Deus exercet erga suos quâ—s facit filios suos in Christo Coc. Chesed signifies the grace or favour of God in Christ Psal 89.33 My loving kindenesse will I not take from him nor suffer my faithfulnesse to fail If he fail in duty I will chasten him in mercy I will not remove mercy from him The Vulgar translates Thou hast given me life and mercy which some expound of that speciall mercy the pardon of his sinne and his washing from originall corruption As if Iob had said I partake not only of life but also of that which is better then life it self Thy favour or loving-kindenesse Psal 63.4 The favour of God in spirituall things in pardoning sin in regenerating the soul in sending the holy Spirit is the perfection of his favour What is man without that favour which makes him a sonne of God but even a beautifull or at most a rationall beast as David cals him Psal 49.21 And should a man give thanks for outward favours only without any reflection upon spirituall a beast could he speak might give such thanks The life of sense and growth is a mercy but beasts and plants live thus The life of reason is a greater mercy but wicked men live thus many are in hell unto whom God granted this life and they would be glad God would call in his grant and take it from them But unto these three lives God adds a fourth to his elect even a life of grace through Jesus Christ This is the favour of favours and the blessing of all our blessings except this favour be granted with our lives it were better for us never to have had a grant of our lives It is more eligible not to have been born then not to be born again Chesed sumitur pro venustate corporis Coc. There is a fifth Interpretation taking the word Chesed for corporall favour or the beauty of the body we say such an one is well favoured he hath an excellent feature the favour of a man is seen in the feature of his face Favour is the perfection of beauty Some have a clear mixture of white and red yet no favour In this sense the word is used Isa 40.6 where the Lord makes a proclamation The voice said Cry and he said What shall I cry All flesh is grasse and the goodlinâ—sse thereof as the flower of the field The word which we translate goodlinesse is Chesed All flesh is grasse man withers quickly and Chesed the goodlinesse thereof all of man his favour beauty strength all these are as the
and that God means us no good when we doe not enjoy good But the strong faith speaketh on this wise Lord I know there is mercy in thine heart towards me though I see nothing in thy face but frowns and feel nothing from thy hand but blows Let God do what he pleaseth with me I will not have a jealous thought of him or suspect his intentions towards me whatsoever his actions be Secondly observe We may gather arguments of support in our greatest sufferings from the apprehension of concealed mercies The skill and holy subtilty of faith can winde it self in Gods bosome and from what it findes lying secretly there for us encourages us to bear what is openly laid upon us Lastly Observe A believer looks upon all his receits as coming out of the heart of God As he can look into his own heart and see all the Commandments and revealed counsels of God hidden there so he can look into the heart of God and see all the comforts he wanteth hidden there Men of the world take their comforts only from the hand of God Saints take theirs from the heart of God It putteth the price upon every blessing when we can look upon speciall love as the spring of it Look how much of the heart of our friend we can see in a courtesie so much true value there is in it Hence it is usuall with man when he would expresse his freenesse to those who desire a favour at his hands to say Yes Take it with heart and good will you have it with all my heart We reade of one who complained he had received but a golden cup when he saw another receive a kisse from a noble Prince A kisse is a better gift then a cup of gold Love is the richest present How happy then are they who have the golden cup and a kisse too much from the hand and all from the heart from the love of God Job having thus revised and read over the particular of his former mercies received from the bounty and free love of God revives his complaint about and renews his desire of deliverance from present sorrows in his next addresse to God JOB Chap. 10. Vers 14 15 16 17. If I sinne then thou markest me and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity If I be wicked woe unto me if I be righteous yet will I not lift up my head I am full of confusion therefore see thou mine affliction For it encreaseth Thou huntest me as a fierce lion and again thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me Thou renewest thy witnesses against me and encreasest thine indignation upon me changes and war are against me THe connection of these words lieth somewhat in the dark and this inevidence hath caused divers conjectures about it 1. Some make the connection with the 13. verse I know said Job that this is with thee and here he declareth what was with him namely that If I sinne then thou markest me and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity 2. The connection is made by others with the 12. verse Thou hast granted me life and favour and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit yet if I sin thou markest me c. As if Job had said Though thou hast been pleased to make so many grants of favour and hast done all those things for me which were hidden in thine heart yet I know thou wilt not bear with or connive at me If I sinne against thee Thou hast not given me these mercies that I should be imboldened to transgresse the rule of thy justice no though thou hast done much for me Yet if I sin thou markest me and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity 3. A third goeth higher and makes these words depend upon the third verse where Job puts three Queries to God the last of which is Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest shine upon the counsel of the wicked I know it is not for 't is like I might escape as well as another yet If I sinne thou markest me and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity If I be wicked woe unto me Mine own experience proves thee farre enough from shining upon the counsell of the wicked Behold clouds and darknesse are upon me There is a fair sense in any of these connections which to determine is not easie I shall leave all three before the Reader Verse 14. If I sin then thou markest me If I sinne Sin standeth here in opposition to wickednesse Thou wilt not shine upon the counsel of the wicked And vers 15. If I be wicked then woe unto me for if I sinne then thou markest me Sin is any transgression against or deviation though but an hairs bredth from the rule if I fail be it never so little Then thou markest me The Originall hath four significations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which occasion as many different interpretations of the text First To preserve and that two wales first by protecting from those evils which others would bring upon us Psal 141.9 Keep me from the snare which they have laid That is Protect me from the danger which their snares threaten me with So at the 12th verse of this Chapter Thy visitation doth preserve my spirit Secondly It is rendered to preserve by sparing or not bringing those evils upon us which our own sins have deserved So the Vulgar here who to make out his sense Si peccavi ad horam pepercisti mihi c. Vulg. puts the later part into the form of an interrogation If I have sinned and thou hast spared me for a time Wherefore then dost thou not acquit me from mine iniquity As if the meaning of Job were this When in former times I sinned against thee thou wast pleased to remit of thy severity and deal gently with me Thou didst spare me as a father spareth a sonne that serveth him Why is the tenour of thy dispensations so much changed from what it was seeing thou art a God that changest not and I am but what I was a weak and changeable man Why am I now charged with sinne and not set free as sometimes I have been from sorrow the fruit of it Wilt thou deal with me who sinne out of infirmity or against my will as with those who are wicked and have a will to sin Secondly To prevent others from doing what they desire or our selves from what we fear Psal 18.23 I was upright before him and I kept my self from mine iniquity As if he had said I have maintained such a strict watch over my own heart that I have prevented my self from falling into that sin which I was most subject to and in danger of both in regard of my constitution and temptation Taking this meaning of the word the whole verse is rendered thus If or when I am ready to sinne thou stoppest or preventest me Why then dost thou not acquit me from mine iniquity As if he had said Lord wilt
turned up-side down To wipe Ierusalem as a dish was to do that which was never done before Some expound that place of the frequency of affliction that God would smite them again and again as they that make clean a dish wipe it over and over that no filth may stay in it The Seventy and the Vulgar translate Delebo IerusaleÌ„ sicut deleri soleÌ„t tabulae Vulg. I will blot out Ierusalem as they use to blot out a table-book that is written all over He that hath a table-book full of writing and would write more takes a cloth or a spunge and blotteth out what was written that he may thorowly wipe his table-book he rubs it often with his spunge to get the letters clear out Thus God threatned to do with Ierusalem He would wipe or blot out her golden characters and honourable inscriptions till nothing of Ierusalem but her shame and her sinne should remain unblotted out Was not the judgement brought upon Ierusalem a wonder when the Prophet saith Lam. 4.12 The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world would not have believed it The Apostle speaks thus of his own and of his fellow-Apostles afflictions 1 Cor. 4.9 We are made a spectacle as upon a theater unto the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to Angels and to men All begin to wonder at us what the matter is what strange creatures we are whom the Lord suffers to be thus used The people of God are often a gazingstock to the world in regard of what they do and not seldom in regard of what they suffer Secondly Observe That when God doth greatly afflict his own people he goes out of his ordinary way He shews himself marvellous or wonderfull a man is never marvelled at when he goes his old pace in his old path God loves to have his hand in the hony-pot therefore it is strange to see him give his people a bitter cup to drink or feeding them with wormwood and with gall Judgement is the strange work of God Isa 28.21 The Lord shall be wrath in the valley of Gibeon that he may do his work his strange work and bring to passe his act his strange act And if every work of judgement be his strange work a work he delighteth not to be conversant in what then are great and sore judgements Though the Lord be infinitely pleased in the executions of judgement yet because if a more may be conceived in infinity he is more pleased with mercy therefore judgement is called his strange work his strange act To see a Prince renowned for clemency and pity passing a severe sentence is a strange sight We say he hath shewed himself marvellous he hath gone against both his practice and his nature his custome and his inclination To see any man do what he useth not hath somewhat of wonder in it much more to see God do so When he taketh up his rod we begin to start how much more when he taketh up his sword when he hunts those like a lion whom he dearly loveth and uses those as wilde beasts who are his precious children when he smites them with rigour whom he carrieth in his own bosome These these are acts which represent him to admiration as many acts of his power and mercy cause the Saints to cry out admiringly yet joyfully Who is a God like unto thee So some acts of his visible severity cause others of them to cry out admiringly yet sorrowfully Why O God dost thou act in appearance so unlike thy self Verse 17. Thou renewest thy witnesses against me or thou bringest new witnesses against me and encreasest thine indignation upon me changes and war are against me This 17th verse is but a further amplification of what he had spoken before setting forth the greatnesse and frequent returns of his trouble Thou renewest The first day of the moneth is called Chodesh Chodesh novilunium primus dies mensis quo quasi luna innovatur in the Hebrew from the word here used because then there was a new moon or a change of the moon so Thou renewest thou makest a change I have many new moons but they are all and alwaies at full in sorrow Thou renewest Thy witnesses The Septuagint saith Thy examinations so it is an allusion to the triall of a malefactour who is examined by the Judge and if he deals not plainly in confession then his examination is renewed Thus saith Job Thou sendest as it were new examiners with more articles and additionall Interrogatories as if I had conceal'd somewhat and had not told thee my whole heart We translate and so the word most properly beareth witnesses the sense is the same As some malefactours are often examined so more evidence and new witnesses are brought against them though in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established yet where there are more witnesses then two or three there is more establishment Again As they who are of a wrangling and unquiet disposition will never sit down in a suit when by the examination of some witnesses they have brought the matter to a triall and are cast yet this doth not satisfie them they will have their writ of errour Non tam videtur de instauratione plurium testium queri quam de sententiae ferendae dilatione morâ Pined and bring the matter about again in another Court Thus saith Job as if the Lord were resolved this sute should never have an end He reneweth his witnesses against me When I think all is concluded and agreed between us I am as much to seek as ever he brings all about again So that after all my travell I am as farre from an end as I was at the beginning I am where I was and am like to continue there for I see the Lord renewing his witnesses against me still The doubt is What or whom he meaneth by these Witnesses Philippus in lo. One saith These witnesses were devils Satan accused him at first and he is not alone either in tempting or accusing he can soon have a legion to joyn with him in any design of wickednesse But I passe that opinion Secondly Others say The Witnesses were Iobs three friends they all testified against him Eliphaz began and Bildad was his second Zophar stood ready to follow all against Iob. Poena â—â—ius peccati quasi destatione decedeÌ„te aliam quasi succenturiatam suffecturus es Coc. Thirdly By Witnesses most and they most clearly understand his afflictions Thou renewest thy witnesses that is thou bringest new troubles to testifie against me When one affliction hath spoken at thy bar against me thou callest for the testimony of another and of another and when there will not be another I know not unlesse it be when I am not When Naomi was become Marah her former pleasures being turned into bitternesse she saith Ruth 1.21 The Lord hath testified against me Iob is very expresse in the
Man is apt to say there is no reason for that of which he seeth not the reason When we are at our wits end and at our reasons end we think there is an end of all wisdom and reason as if neither God nor man could give an account beyond ours or answer when we are non-plust Yet we may conceive Iob had a further sense which yeelds a more mollifying meaning of these words for though he as all the Saints in the old Testament was much in the dark about the benefit of sufferings which the Gospel hath now more clearly revealed to us and called us unto yet he might have some other intendment in these expostulations We may charitably suppose him troubled that he was in a condition of life which as he conceived hindered the main end of his life the glorifying of God Wherefore hast thou brought me forth out of the womb As if he had said Lord I am in a state wherein I know not how to honour thee and then what is my life worth unto me Thy justice is greatly obscured towards me many are ready to say for my sake that surely thou art a hard Master leaving them to reap evil who have sowed good and paying thy faithfull and most active servants their wages in sufferings And as for mercy I taste little of that Nunc in me justitia tua obscuratur ego non sentio fructum gratiae tuae quâ in re ergo gloriae tuae inservire potest vita mea Coc. comforts are dainties with me my cup is bitter my sorrows are multiplied Now when neither justice nor mercy move visibly towards me how shall I glorifie thee And wherein can my life be usefull or advantagious to thee Am I not like a broken vessel a vessel wherein there is no pleasure Wherefore then was I brought forth out of the womb This exposition teaches us That A godly man thinks he liveth to no purpose if he do not live to the praise and glory of God God hath made all things for himself and it is the design of the Saints to be for him While that end is attained they can easily part with all their own and where that is crossed they cannot be pleased in the attainment of any of their own The interest of Christ is not only their greatest but all their interest Any stop of much more a disservice to this causeth an honest heart to cry out with Iob and 't is easie to conceive it caused Iob to cry out Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the wombe O that I had given up the ghost and no eye had seen me O that I had given up the ghost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Facilem sine dolore mortem innuit The originall signifies usually a gentle and an easie kinde of death Giving up the ghost is not a pulling or a violent rending of life away from us but our laying it down our surrender or willing resignation of it Some read this clause not as we optatively O that I had given up the ghost but declaratively Wherefore hast thou brought me out of the womb for then I had quickly given up the ghost But rather take it as a wish O that I had given up the ghost And no eye had seen me That is say some I would I had died before I had been born for then no eye had seen me Or more generally thus O that I had died speedily so speedily that I might have gone out of the world before I was observed to have been there Who delights to see the dead especially a childe dead-born or dying as soon as born Sarah was the delight of Abrahams eyes whiles she lived and yet assoon as she was dead he gives any money for a sepulchre to bury her out of his sight Or again Job that he might shew how little he regarded life disregards that which is most desirable in life Innatum est omnibus ut cognosci se velint studio teneantur res alias cognoscendi Man naturally desires To see and to be seen to know and to be known That which carries a great part of the world is an affectation to be pointed at and taken notice of as Some-bodies in the world He that liveth unseen in the world is as a man out of the world or as one buried alive To be in prison is a great punishment because a prisoner liveth out of view he cannot freely see or be seen Job wishes no eye had seen him rather then his eyes should have seen so much evil or that others should have seen him in the midst of so many evils Hence note First That undue and unreasonable questions are usually followed and fruited with undue and unreasonable wishes Having put the question Wherefore hast thou brought me forth out of the womb See what a wish comes upon it O that I had given up the ghost and no eye had seen me He that takes undue liberty to speak or do knows not where he shall restrain himself They who alwaies act as farre as they may shall often act beyond what they ought And they who act at all beyond what they are directed are often carried beyond what themselves intended Secondly Observe Man had rather not be seen at all then to be seen miserable To be seen is a great part of the comfort of this life but who would not gladly exchange it for ease in obscurity It is an honour to be seen but who would be seen cloathed with dishonour When Christ is prophecied of as the great patern of patience and self-deniall it is said He hid not his face from shame and spitting Isa 50.6 To be a spectacle of misery is to some worse then their being miserable They would count it a piece of their happinesse to be unhappy in a corner and their troubles half removed if they might steal their troubles As to be in a good estate and to know that we are so makes our estate better to us So to be in an ill estate and to be known that we are so makes it to some tempers a great deal worse As the hypocrite hopes when he sins that no eye sees him so many wish when they suffer O that no eye had seen me Verse 19. I should have been as though I had not been I should have been carried from the womb to the grave Some read this verse also as a wish O that I had been as though I had never been O that I had been carried from the womb to the grave He confirms what he had said by a further declaration of his condition in case he had not been brought forth out of the womb or had died before he had been seen in the throng of the world Why what then Job Then I should have been as though I had not been and my afflictions should never have had any being so speedy a death had quitted me of all the evils of my life I
hand p. 389. No creature can be a daies-man between God and man only Christ is p. 392. Daies of God not like the days of man p. 459. Death Sudden death or to be slain suddenly in what sense a mercy p. 313. Death Man dies by statute p. 508. Whether death was naturall to man or no p. 509. Death without order two waies p. 584. No naturall return from it p. 580. Delight in sinne worse then the committing of sin p. 478. Despair is the cutting off of hope p. 88. Duties dangerous to lean upon them p. 97. How hypocrites duties fail p. 98. How we must hold duties fast and how not p. 99. E EAgles flight time compared to it p. 339. Earth taken five waies in Scripture p. 321. How the earth is given to wicked men p. 322. Earth-quake the force of it p. 183. The cause of it ib. Eclipse of the Sun when Christ suffered was miraculous in two respects p. 190. Egypt called Rahab in Scripture and why p. 245. Eternity is Gods day p. 462. Difference between eternity eviternity and time ib. God hath time enough to do his work in p. 463. Evil-doers who p. 127. God will not help such ib. How God concurs with evil-doers and how not p. 128 129. God resists them a two-fold resistance p. 131. Example The examples of others falling into sin or under punishment should be our warnings p. 31. Eyes of God what p. 451. Seven differences between the eyes of God and man p. 452. F FAces of Judges covered what it imports p. 326. Face put for anger c. why p. 346. Faith must have somewhat to lean upon p. 93. Faith necessary in prayer p. 273. Faith in prayer doth not deserve an answer though it get one p. 274. Faith hath its decaies pag. 276. Fear taken two waies p. 404. Sutream fear binders speech p. 405. Forgetfulnesse of God consists in four things p. 78. Hypocrites are forgetters of God p. 79. To forget God is a very great sinne p. 80. Forgetfulnesse of God is a mother sinne p. 81. Forgetfulnesse of three sorts p. 345. Some things can hardly be forgotten others as hardly remembred p. 346. G GIfts not to be trusted to p. 95 God gives to men two waies p. 322. God The best way for man to get his heart humbled is to look up to the holinesse of God p. 148. God is invisible and incomprehensible p. 229. As God is so he works above man p. 375. The consideration that God is above man should humble man p. 376. The unevennesse of mans acting towards God arises from thoughts of his evennesse with God p. 377. 378. Man was made in the image of God but God is not in the image of man p. 380. Man should take heed of measuring God especially in three things p. 381. Man cannot contend with God shewed in seven things 384. Why it is so fearfull to fall into the hands of God p 394. Presence of God both joyfull and terrible p. 402 403. Man cannot bear the anger of God p. 403. God knows the state of every man p. 471. God knoweth all things in and of himself p 473. Godly man shall never be cast away p. 122. How God may be said to east his people away p. 123 God highly honours them p. 124. A godly man exalts God while God is casting him down p. 222. Godly men are a safety and a support to the places where they live p. 244. Yet sometimes God will not be entreated by the godly ib. A godly man may put the worst cases to himself p. 543. Good and bad alike dealt with by God in outward things p. 310. Grace acts alwaies like it self but a gracious man doth not p. 364. Guilt Till guilt be removed fear will not p. 357. Guilt of sin wearieth the soul p. 413. H HAnd Putting forth the hand notes three things in Scripture p. 125 126. Hand put for outward conversation or action p. 367. Washing hands an emblem of freedom from guilt p. 368. Laying on of the hand what it signifies p. 387. Hands How ascribed to God his hand implies two things p. 442. Hands of God what p. 489. Hardning the heart what 160 A hardning the heart to do either good or evil ib. The heart hardned appears in six things p. 161. A three-fold hardnesse of heart p. 162. Man hardens himself against God upon four grounds p. 163. Nine degrees or steps of hardnesse of heart p. 164 165. None ever prospered by hardning themselves against God p. 166. A hard heart is Satans cushion p. 166. Hatred taken two waies 137. Wicked men haters of the righteous p. 141. Hearkning is more then hearing p. 272. Head Lifting up of the head what it imports in Scripture 545. Heart the best repository for truth p. 70. Heaven The various acceptations of it in the Scriptures 199. Heaven is a building of three stories p. 200. Help given by God two-fold p. 128. Holy persons fit for holy duties p. 34. It is not contrary to free grace to say we must be holy if we would be heard p. 35. Hopelesse To be so is the worst condition p. 84 88. Where hope faileth indeavour faileth also 364 Humility a godly mans thoughts are lowest of himself p 251. The more holinesse any man hath the more humility he hath p. 547. Hypocrite compared to a rush in six particulars p. 75 76 77. What an hypocrite is p. 82. Two sorts of hypocrites p. 83. They are filthy they may be full of hopes their hopes will deceive them p. 84 He shall loath himself p. 85 86. his whole course is nothing but foolishnes p. 87. He shall be hopelesse 88. His hope like a spiders-web shewed in five things p. 90 91. He hath two houses p. 94. His hopes may be very strong p. 96. He hath three witnesses ib. All he trusts to shall fail p 97. He may abound in outward blessings p. 104. They do all to be seen p. 105. They may endure persecution a while p 105. They care not whom they wrong so they may thrive 108. They are often destroied in the height of their prosperity 110. They shall be forgotten or remembred with disgrace p. 113 114 He may have much joy p. 115. His joy is most from outward things 116. His joy is short ib. I IDol The same word in Hebrew signifies sorrow and an idol two reasons of it 353. Idols why called Emims p. 401. Immortality three-fold 510. Instruments and second causes What God doth by them is to be reckoned as his own act p. 235. Joy is the portion of the Saints and they shall receive it in good time p 135. They rejoyce in the works of Gods mercies to themselves judgements on enemies 136 Justice and judgement how they differ p. 12. Judgement opposed to three things ib. Judgement subverted two waies p. 14. To pervert judgement what p. 13 15. Judgements of God finde most men secure p. 178. Judgement taken three waies p. 291. Judgement of God