their pardon of God who is great in mercy David made the greatnesse of his sin his argument to move the Lord to pardon it Psal 25.11 Pardon my sin for it is great who could speak thus unlesse he had that upon his heart that he spake to the great God who is greater in nothing and hath magnified his greatnesse in nothing more then in acts of mercy to Greatest sinners Thirdly If God be a great God then he must have great services and duties He must have great praise Psal 48.1 great is the Lord and greatly to be praised he must have great love we must love him even with all our heart and with all our might He must have great feare Psal 89.7 Great faith Math 15.28 Great honour from all his people When David was about to make great preparations for the building of the Temple he saith 1 Chron 29.11 Thine O Lord is greatnesse and the power and the glory c. And when Solomon was about to build the Temple he saith 2 Chron 2.5 The house which I build is great for great is our God above all Gods We see David prepared and Solomon builded in proportion to the God for whom the one prepared and the other built a house Thus I may say of all you doe for God or to God let it be the greatest your stocke and ability can reach to because he is a great God The Lord himselfe useth that argument by the Prophet to urge his people to doe their utmost in whatsoever they were called to doe Mal 1.14 Cursed be the deceiver which hath a male in his flocke and voweth and sacrificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing that is who when he is able to performe a greater service to the Lord puts him off with a lesser one for I am a great King saith the Lord of hosts c. Therefore take heed of putting me off with weake female services I expect a male your best that service which is most spirituall and masculine Fourthly If God be great then they who are but little themselves having an interest in God may doe great things too The least creature having an interest in the great God is as great yea infinitely greater then the greatest in the world who stand in their owne strength Moses saith Deut 4.38 Deut 7.1 that the presenâ—e of God with Israel was such that by it they overcame Nations greater and mightier then they their littlenesse did not hinder them because the great God was with them in their workes and wayes yea God loves to use small instruments that his owne greatnesse who is the efficient may appeare That question which was twice put in the Prophet Amos 7.2 5. is very often put in that case By whom shall Jacob arise for he is small That which made it so questionable whether Jacob should rise was his smallness And could we remember the Greatness of the God of Jacob we should either never make such questions or easily answer them Fifthly Seeing God is great we should be alwayes ascribing greatnesse to God we should lift him up in his greatnesse Thus Moses exhorted others Deut 32.3 Because I will publish the name of the Lord ascribe ye greatnesse to our God And David at once prophecieth the same of others and promiseth it for himselfe Psal 145.6 Men shall speake of the might of thy terrible Acts and I will declare thy greatnesse Againe Consider these words as they are expressed comparatively God is greater then man As God is great so greater then the greatest men God is great above all Gods that is above all the Kings and Princes of the earth Now I know sayd Jethro Exod 18.11 that God is greater then all Gods greater then Rharoah and his Egyptian Princes for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them David challenged all the Gods on Gods behalfe Psal 77.13 Who is so great a God as our God Let any man name him if he can He is a God above all Gods that is above the greatest powers in this world who are called Gods Thus Christ comforts believers with an assurance of safety for ever John 10.29 My father is greater then all then the devill and all But some may say who knoweth not this that God is Great or that he is greater then men or devills Job himselfe spake much of this subject yea his friends made it their businesse to exalt the greatnesse of God as we may see in severall passages of this Booke So that Elihu seemeth to say no more here then had been sayd already and doth no more then hath been done already Is not this then a cold way of arguing to tell Job that which he knew already For answer to this I shall stay a while as was promised before I goe off from these words to shew why though for the matter this is no more then hath been sayd already that yet Elihu had reason to bring this argument for the conviction of Job that God is greater then man for though the Greatnesse of God hath been often spoken of in the course of this disputation between Job and his friends yet neither Job nor his friends did handle or improve it to that poynt or in that extent as here intended by Elihu as may appeare by these following Considerations First When Elihu spake of the greatnesse of God we are not to understand this greatnesse abstractly or alone but concreetely or in conjunction with his goodnesse and righteousnesse with his mercy and faithfulnesse c. Job confessed the greatnesse of God but he seemed to intimate severall things to the disparagement of the goodnesse mercy and righteousnesse of God For though in his frequent complainings he did not question yet he did much darken and obscure these Divine perfections And therefore Elihu speaking of the Greatnesse of God urgeth it in conjunction with all his perfections and indeed they cannot be dis-joyned except in notion or discourse Secondly Elihu insisted so much upon the greatnesse of God to humble Job and to convince him that he had done amisse in his bold appeales to him and complaints about his dealing with him Elihu doth wisely to hold out the greatnesse and soveraignty of God for the keeping downe and repression of his yet unhumbled spirit Thirdly Elihu mannageth this argument for another end and purpose then his friends did They used it to prove Job was wicked or had done wickedly in the former passages of his life He to shew that Job ought to be patient under and quietly submit to the present providences of God Fourthly This argument which Elihu brings from the greatnesse of God hath not at all the lesse force in it because grounded upon so common and generally received a principle the greatnesse of God yea it hath therefore the greater force in it for what is more unreasonable then for man to intimate any thing which reflects upon God or to complaine of what God doth when as God by the
they have given the Lord occasion to destroy them when they have put a sword into his hand to smite them when by their unbeliefe and pride and neglect of knowne duties they have layd themselves open to ruine and destruction even then he hath held his hand and spared them Is it not then a great a grosse sin to charge the Lord that he seekes occasions against us Yea indeed as was touched before the Lord needs not seek occasion against any man for as much as the best of men give him too much occasion and too often He needs not stand to spy advantages against us we lay our selves too open and naked to him continually As in Fenceing when two that are very expert at that art are engaged there is watching for an occasion or advantage to get the mastery but if an expert Master of Defence be to deale with an ignorant fellow that knows not his postures nor how to use his weapon he needs not seeke occasion he may have him here and there and every where It is so with the best of Saints when they have to doe with God He needs not watch for an occasion where to hit or smite them for they through their ignorance and folly lay their naked breasts open to his stroakes every day Were he not infinite in mercy to cover our sins Ecce invenit in me vacillationes Scult 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocat ea quae pij faciunt praeter rectum sed citra animum a deo aversum c. Coc and to pardon our transgressions we must needs perish under his justice Againe The word is rendred Infirmities faylings or lesser sins that 's another translation of the text and 't is a usefull one For as the former supposeth the Lord taking occasion where none at all was given so this supposeth him to take the least occasion As if Elihu supposed Job saying Behold he seeks out my little faults Quaesivit deus parva quaedam imo penè nulla peccata propter quae velut si nefanda crimina commisissem atroci me sententia condemnavit Bold my vacillations my trippings my stumblings in a word my infirmities We may take them two wayes First for his youthfull sins the slips of his youth Secondly for his dayly sins commonly called faylings As if Job had sayd Though I can charge my selfe and freely doe with many sins and weaknesses yet I am not a man chargeable with any crimes nor wickednesses mine are no black nor bloody sins no crimson no skarlet sins I have not sinned presumptuously or with a high hand I have not given scope to my lusts nor indulged my corruptions I have not pleased my selfe with displeasing God nor hath the bent of my soule been to breake his commandements as bonds yoakes or shakles put upon me by an enemy I have not rejected his dominion or rule over me in any wilfull defection or departure from his word Yet notwithstanding God findes out my infirmities and faylings and urgeth them sorely against me yea he deales with me as if I were his enemy even for those sins which I have committed through inadvertency or meere humane frailty Some Interpreters insist most upon this signification of the word as if the matter which Elihu charged Job with were that he should say God carried it towards him as an enemy for small faults or lesser sins Nor doe I see any thing which hinders the joyning of this and the former reading together for surely he seekes occasions to punish and vex anoâ—her who insists upon his lesser sins and imperfections as if they were great and grievous crimes From this laâ—ter or second sence of the word Observe First in General To take strict notice of the faylings infirmities or lesser sins of others is a poynt of very great severity Some are pleased with nothing more then to heare and discourse of other mens faylings 'T is a great fault to be picking up the lesser faults of others yet how many are there who if they can but see as it were any bare place they will be charging at it if they see but the least scratch or sore they as the fly love to be feeding upon it or raking in it 'T is our holinesse to take notice of the least sin in our selves and the more holy any man is the more quick-sighted and quick-sented he is in taking notice of his lesser sins when the least neglect of duty and of the least negligence in performance of duty any ill frame of heart any vaine thought any idle word any undue carriage any uncomelinesse is taken notice of and corrected this shewes an excellent frame of spirit and a great measure of Grace but it is not good to do so by others yea it is an argument we are very much wanting and fayling in holinesse our selves when we are so apt to take notice of and aggravate every want and fayling in our brethren Yea when as Christ saith Math 7.3 We see a mâ—te in our brothers eye we seldome see the beame in our owne And it is an argument men have beames in their owne eyes when they are so quick-sighted in looking after motes in their brothers eye I grant it is a duty to be watchfull over one another as brethren and to take notice for right ends of the least faylings and faults of any This is a duty if we doe it with a purpose to pray for them that they may walke more circumspectly or that we may lovingly reprove admonish and counsell them as also that we may consider our selves and our owne wayes lest we fall as they have done Thus to take notice of the least faylings of others is a great Gospel duty But to take notice of mens faults to censure or defame their persons to insult over them or accuse them this is the spirit of a Cham who mocked at his fathers nakedness And thus to be critticall about the faults of others argues that we are careless of our owne Secondly As to the particular case in the text for which Job is tax'd by Elihu that he said thus of God Observe To say or think of the Lord that he takes a strict and severe notice of our infirmities to reckon with us riggedly for them is very sinfull Such thoughts are a great derogation from the goodnesse and mercy of God The Lord doth not willingly see the faults of his people Though he seeth them yet he doth not willingly see them he is glad when it is with his people as it was at that time with Israel Numb 23.21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob neither hath he seene perversness in Israel But was there no sin to be seene in Jacob Was Israel altogether innocent at that time Surely they even they and even then were a sinfull people and had their faults neither few nor small but because there was no iniquity no perversness nor prevarication against God found among them at that time therefore he over-looked
then Ish The wisest and most accomplisht the most perfect and mightiest of men as well as he is greater then Enosh sorrowfull or miserable man I answer the word Enosh is not to be taken exclusively as if when he saith the puissant is greater then the sorrowfull man he were not also greater then the greatest or strongest man but it notes that all men or man considered in his best estate is but weaknesse and wretchedness when put in the ballance with the great God or the puissant Lord what is man saith David one of the best and greatest of men a King Psal 144.3 that thou takest knowledge of him or the son of man that thou makest account of him Now if it be even too much that God should make any account of man then what is any man in account to God O what man or Angel is able to cast up the account how much the great God is greater or more then man The words are plaine only there is somewhat yet to be added or touched upon to cleare up further the scope of Elihu in speaking thus to Job which I shall endeavour to cleare and make out when I have given a note or two from the words as they are a plaine proposition God is greater then man Hence Observe First God is Great He that is greater then the Greatest is certainly great he that is higher then the highest is high This greatness of God is every where celebrated in Scripture The Prophet Isa 12.6 calls the inhabitant of Zion to cry out and shout why For great is the holy One of Israel in the midst of thee that is the holy one of Israel who is in the midst of thee is both Great in himselfe and declares his greatness in thee Mal 1.14 I am a great King saith the Lord of hosts and my name is dreadfull among the heathens I need not stay to give particular Scriptures to hold forth the attribute of Gods greatness his greatness runs through all his attributes Whatsoever God is he is great in it He is great in power Psal 56.3 Psal 147.5 he is great in all sorts of power great in authoritative power and great in executative power As God commandeth what he pleaseth to be done so he can doe what he commandeth The power of man in doing is not alwayes commensurate with his power in commanding but Gods is He needs no helpe much lesse any leave to execute what he willeth Againe God is great in wisdome he hath the compasse of all things in his understanding God is so wise that he is called the only wise God 1 Tim 1.17 The wisdome of men and Angels is folly to his God is great also in his goodnes so great that Christ himselfe as man would not be called good but told him that called him so by way of rebuke There is none good but one that is God Math 19.17 Holy David brake out into the admiration of that goodness which God hath layd up yea of that which he dayly worketh for man How much more did he and ought we to admire that goodness which is not so much in himselfe as himselfe Psal 31.19 O how great is thy goodnesse which thou hast layd up for them that feare thee which thou workest for them that trust upon thee before the sons of men The goodnesse which God acts and puts forth for the creature is a great goodnesse Isa 63.7 Neh 9 25â— but that goodnesse which is the goodnesse of his nature is a goodnesse as great as God is a goodnesse infinite in greatnesse Againe how often is God called great yea admired for his greatnesse in mercy When David 2 Sam 24.14 made choyce to fall into the hands of God he gave this reason of it For his mercies are great He is also great in wrath we read 2 Kings 23.26 of the fiercenesse of his great wrath And how great is his Love First in redeeming us by Christ Joh 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son c. God loved us so much in that gift that no man could ever tell how much love he hath given us in it Secondly His love is great in quickning us with Christ Eph 2.4 God who is rich in mercy for the great Love wherewith he hath loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ His love both in redeeming and quickning us is so great that while we are called to the greatest study after the knowledge of we are told we cannot know the greatnesse of it Eph 3.18 That you may know the Love of God which passeth knowledge I will not stay upon this Attribute the Greatnesse of God onely take these five briefe inferences from it God is Great Then First God can doe great things the greatest things for us every thing is in working as it is in being they that are but little can doe but little God being great in his being that is in his power in his wisdome in his goodnesse in his mercy how easily can he doe great things The Scripture is abundant in shewing forth the great things which God hath done and will doe 2 Sam 7.22 23. Job 5.9 Psal 71.19 Psal 86.10 Psal 92.5 Psal 111.2 Psal 126.2 3. Psal 136.7 17. Joel 2.21 The workes of God in all ages and in all places have borne the stamp of and given testimony to his excellent Greatnesse We say There is nothing great to a great mind or to a man of a great spirit A Great spirited man will overcome not only great difficulties but seeming impossibilities yea he is glad to meete with greatest difficulties because they match the greatnesse of his mind Then certainly the Great God doth nothing but great and can doe the greatest things 'T is no matter how great the things are which we have need to be done for us if we can but interest the Great God in the doing of them God can doe great things in wayes of mercy for his people and he can doe great things in wayes of Judgement against his enemies Though his enemies be Great Oakes and Cedars he can hew them downe Amos 2.9 Though his enemies be as great as the greatest mountaines he can remove and level them Who art thou O great mountaine before Zorobabell thou shalt become a plaine Zech 4.7 that is the great power of God with Zorobabell can overthrow or overturne those powers which oppose or stand in the way of his Church and people though they appeare as inseparable and immoveable as a Great Mountaine Secondly If God be Great then he can pardon great transgressions you that are great sinners feare not Were not God a great God the least of our sins could not be pardoned were not he great in mercy and great in goodnesse our hearâ—s would fayle us yea our faith could have no bottome to come to him for the pardon of our great sins But why should great sins discourage us to aske
Gospel and to prepare the way for Christ by whom grace and truth came The Baptist was as it were the loop and button between the legall and the Gospel dispensation therefore his name might well be called John And there is frequent use in Scripture of the Adverb which comes from this Verb to signifie injuries received without desert or undeservedly Ps 7.4 Yea I have delivered him that without cause was mine enemy or that was mine enemy gratis And again Psal 35.7 For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit which without cause have they digged for my soul Yet more as the word signifies the doing of good gratis or when there is no desert so any injury done gratis or when no provocation hath been given the party so to doe Now as all the mischief which the wicked plot against or doe to the people of God is undeserved and floweth meerly from their malice so all the good which God doth for his people is undeserved and floweth purely from the fountaine of his free grace or from his compassions which faile not And surely the Lord deserveth highest praises from man for any good he doth him seeing what he doth is gratis or undeserved Further This Hebrew word Chinnam answers the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rendred freely Rom. 3.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gratis i. e. ejus gratia Bez We are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ How can unjust men deserve justification Therefore Mr Beza translates We are justified gratis that is by his grace Againe When it is said then he or the Lord is gracious it may be taken two wayes First as to be gracious implyeth the intrinsecall graciousness of his nature or that mercifullness and kindness which dwells in the heart of God and which indeed is God for the graciousnesse of God is the gracious God thus God is alwayes and altogether gracious he is infinitely and uncessantly gracious Secondly when it is said he is gracious it may note only the graciousness of his acts and dispensations thus as I may say the Lord is gracious ad hinc et nunc as he sees cause at this time he is gracious and not at that time that is he puts forth acts of grace now and not then The Lord puts forth acts of grace both according to the pleasure of his own will without respect to any thing in man as also without respecting what man is or doth according to his pleasure And thus we are chiefly to understand it here then he is gracious God is gracious in his nature alwayes and alwayes alike gracious but he is not alwayes alike gracious in his dispensations or in giving forth acts of grace he is gracious to man according to his secret will as he pleaseth but he is gracious according to his revealed will as man pleaseth him Hence Observe first The first cause and spring of all our mercies is the graciousnesse of God Or All our mercyes flow out from the grace of God That 's the fountaine yea that 's the Ocean which seeds and fills all the Channels of mercy which stream to us as our happiness in this world and for our everlasting happiness in the world which is to come All is of grace fundamentally or because the Lord is and will be for ever gracious Thus the Lord spake to Moses Exod. 33.19 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious My mercy shall flow our when and to whom and where I please And the proclamation which he made of himselfe in all his royall Titles runs in the same straine Exod. 34.6 The Lord the Lord God mercifull and gracious long-suffering and aboundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity If we consider God first in doing us good Secondly in forgiving us the evill which we doe Thirdly in delivering us from the evills which we now suffer Fourthly in delivering us from the feare of future sufferings all is from grace and from free grace He doth us good though we are undeserving any good that 's grace yea he doth us good though we are ill deserving and that 's more grace He doth all for us through grace First in spiritualls and Secondly in temporalls not only doe the good things of eternall life but the good things of this present life flow from grace unto his own people Not only the health of their souls but the health of their bodyes not only deliverance from hell but deliverance from sickness also flow from his free grace in Jesus Christ Therefore of all their mercies and salvations both as to the foundation and top-stone of them the people of God must cry as the Prophet Zachery Chap. 4.7 foretells the people of God should say of that longed for deliverance when that great mountaine should become a plain before Zerubbabell grace grace unto them That is grace hath begun them and grace alone will maintaine continue and perfect what it hath begun As there is nothing in us except our misery which moves the Lord to begin so there is nothing in us but our inability which moves the Lord to perfect what he hath begun He seeth we cannot and therefore he will perfect what he hath begun and all this he doth that he may exalt his own name and perfect the praise of his free grace towards us More distinctly that all comes from grace or from the graciousness of God may note these five things to us First not only that God doth all for his people freely or without desert But Secondly that he doth all things willingly or without constraint for his people Thirdly that he doth all things forwardly for his people He doth very much unaskt and unsought and he is not much askt or hardly drawne to doe any thing for his people Though he hath said of some things I will be sought unto or inquired after that I may doe them for you Ezek. 36.37 yet his mercies are never forced nor wrested from him by intreaties but flow from a principle of love naturally as water out of a fountain Fourthly he doth all rejoycingly even with his whole heart and with his whole soul Mercy pleaseth him and he is pleased with occasions of shewing mercy 't is no burden to him to doe us good mercy proceeds from his nature and therefore he delighteth in mercy Mic 7.18 yea to be mercifull is his nature and therefore he cannot but delight in it Fifthly graciousness being the very nature of God implyeth that he will do us good liberally and constantly or that as the Apostle James speaks he giveth liberally and upbraideth not he doth not upbraid us with our poverty who receive nor doâ—h he upbraid us with the riches of the gifts which himself bestoweth And because they flow from his nature therefore he doth not in the least empty himself how much soever he fills the creature with his gifts or goodness Some men
upon the matter even exhaust and undoe themselves by liberallity unto others and they who give most or have most to give cannot alwayes give It is said in this Book Chap. 37.11 By watering he wearieth the thick cloud that is God commandeth the cloud to give raine so long that it hath not a drop more to give but is quite spent Springs or fountaines are never wearied or spent with watering because their waters come as freely and as fast as they goe God is an everlasting spring of grace and goodness He is not wearyed nor emptyed by what he giveth out to or doth for the creature because all floweth from his naturall graciousnesse as from a fountaine Then he is gracious I would urge the second reference of that word then a little further It was shewed before that it might refer First to the extreamity of the sick man Secondly to the sick mans humiliation or the right disposure of his spirit to receive renewed acts of grace and favour from the Lord. Hence observe Secondly God usually dispenseth or giveth out acts of grace when we repent and turne from sin Si aegrotus ille monitis illius nuncij paruerit ac proinde resipuerit tum c. Pisc when we believe and lay hold upon the promise Then he is gracious It is said Isa 30.18 Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious The Lord hath alwayes a gracious disposition a gracious nature he alwayes hath a store and a stocke a rich stocke and store of mercy by him but he doth not alwayes give it forth no he waits to be gracious that is he waits till we are in a fit frame till we are in a due temper to receive his grace And because as to the dispensings of grace God waits to be gracious therefore many retard and hinder their owne good they are not yet in a frame to receive their vessell is not yet seasoned to hold mercy The Lord waited to be gracious to David after his grievous fall and therefore he did not give Nathan a Commission to say Thy sin is done away till Davids heart was broken and had said 2 Sam 12.13 I have sinned against the Lord But when once that word fell from him then Nathan declared how gracious the Lord was to him As soone as David said I have sinned that 's an act of repentance presently Nathan said the Lord hath done away thy sin that 's an act of grace When did Ephraim heare a word of comfort from God The Prophet tells us Jer 31.18 19 20. I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe that is mourning over and bewayling his sin saying thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoake We have him there also praying Turne me O Lord and I shall be turned c. Upon this how graciously how meltingly did the Lord speak Is Ephraim my deare son is he a pleasant child since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still or in remembring I remember him my bowells are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him Now I will manifest my grace and acquaint him with my goodness The Lord was very gracious to Saul afterwards Paul he sent Ananias to him with a message of mercy as to restore the sight of his bodyly eyes so to assure him that he should be an instrument in the hand of Christ to open the eyes of many and a chosen vessel to beare his name before the Gentiles and Kings and the Children of Israel Acts 9.15 But when was this message delivered him the text tells us v. 11. For behold he prayeth the man is in the dust he is brought upon his knees his spirit is broken that word he prayeth comprehends the whole worke of a gracious soule as to his humiliation and returning to the Lord. In the parable of the prodigall Son his father is represented abundantly gracious to him but he did not signifie it he did not send the ring not the rich robe to him when he was abroad in a strange Country among harlots drinking and wasting his estate time and strength vainely we read of no acts of grace to him then but when being pinched with famine and hunger he came to himselfe and began to bethink himselfe of coming back to his fathers house and that he had brought himselfe by his own folly to beggery and want and husks when he was upon these termes or resolves to goe home to his father and cast himselfe at his feet as unworthy the name or priviledge of a Son then his father ran to meete him fell on his neck and kissed him then he put on the ring and cloathed him with the robe then he killed the fatted calfe and made a feast for him All which sceane of mercy doth but hold out this one word in the text Then he is gracious There are two sorts of gracious acts of God First some are acts of absolute grace or of preventing grace These are put forth upon and exercised towards the creature before there is any the lest preparation in the heart to draw them out or invite the bestowing of them Thus the grace of God in election is absolutely free there was no prevision of any qualification in man moving God to elect him And so that wonderfull act of grace in which election first descends and discovers it selfe effectuall vocation is absolutely free God calls a sinner when he is in the heat and hurry of his evill wayes pursuing his lusts in the height of his pride and in the hardness of his impenitent heart Now if when God first calleth a sinner there is nothing in him but sin What can move God to call him but free grace A third absolute act of grace is justification God doth not justifie a sinner for any thing that he finds or sees in us As to us 't is altogether free He justifieth the ungodly Rom 4.5 when that wretched infant was in its blood which expresseth a miserable uncleane poluted condition then was a time of love Ezek 16.8 then was God gracious What loveliness was there in that infant representing the best of men in that fallen naturall estate to draw out the love of God nothing at all yea she was altogether unlovely yet then saith God thy time was the time of love or then was the time of putting forth love in her conversion and vocâ—tion Then I sayd unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live And because the thing might seeme not only strange but even impossible that the heart of God should be towards such a wretched one for good the word is doubled yea I sayd unto theâ— when thou wast in thy blood live These acts of absolute free grace are the glory of the Covenant of grace for if the Covenant should hold out acts of Grace only upon our pre-dispositions when should we receive any act of grace The promise is not of this tenour I will pardon them when
O that my people had hearkned unto me and Israel had walked in my wayes I should soone have subdued their enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves but their time should have endured for ever I should have fed them also with the finest of the wheate c. As if the Lord had sayd How glad should I have been if my people had been but fitly qualified to give me occasion of removing all evill from them and of doing them all manner of good The holy Prophet speakes the heart of God in the same readiness Isa 30.18 Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you As if he had sayd The Lord expects your reformation that he may not proceed in rigour against you or as some conceive rather he only delayeth his putting an end to your troubles till ye are humbled expecting a seasonable time to shew you that mercy in bestowing of which he will exalt and advance his owne name and honour when once he seeth you fitted and duely prepared to receive it The Lord saith David Psal 14.2 looked downe from heaven upon all the children of men to see if there were any did understand and seek God There he is represented looking downe from heaven to see if any did understand as here he looketh upon men to see if any doe repent saying I have sinned c. The Lord often yea alwayes looketh downe upon Nations Cities and people to see if any have a right understanding of him or a will with upright affections to him The Lord at this day is looking upon the sick and looking upon the sound to see if there are any who are going on faithfully in a right way or repenting that they have gone wrong He looketh upon men And if any say I have sinned c. In this latter part of the verse we have the matter expressed which the Lord looketh upon men for 't is repentance and godly sorrow for sin If any say I have sinned That is if any repent When the Lord saith If any say I have sinned he doth not meane it of a bare saying so but if any say so laying his sin to heart if any say so from a true sence of the evill of sin if any say so burden'd with sin and tasting the bitterness of it if any shall say I have sinned and say it thus then c. The word which we translate sinned notes a mistake of our ayme or way As if it had been sayd If any man say I have gone besides the line and done besides the rule Sin is in all men a missing of the mark and a stepping out of the right path it is also in very many as 't is expressed in the next clause a perverting of that which is right If any say I have sinned and perverted that which is right 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 curvus obliquus contortus perversus Latini dicunt curvos mores The word implyeth more then ordinary sinning more then sins of infirmity which arise from ignorance and mistake even those which are committed with a resolvedness of spirit and purpose of heart or they imply not those sins which a man falls into unadvisedly and unawares but those which he commits upon deliberation and in the eye of the Law that shewing him plainly what is right and that he ought not to pervert it So then in strictness of sence to pervert that which is right is to be willingly yea wilfully unrighteous The Church making a graduall confession of her sin by three steps puts this word in the midst Psal 106.6 We have sinned with our fathers we have committed iniquity 't is this word or done that which is crooked and perverse we have done wickedly Cain the first man born sinned thus Gen 4.13 My punishment is greater then I can beare so we render or as we put in the margin mine iniquity is greater then can be forgiven Cains sin was a perversness he knew he perverted that which was right in slaying his brother So that here we have the confession of sin with the aggravation of it a notorious sin The penitent person doth not only say I have sinned but I have sinned greatly or I have perverted that which was right To sin and to pervert that which is right are materially the same only the latter intimates the manner how a sin is committed namely when we would not be ruled by the Law but accommodate the Law as if it were a leaden or lesbian rule to serve our lusts so perverting that which was right that we might countenance and embolden our selves in doing wrong If any aske What is right Surely right is First The Law Secondly that which is done according to Law The statutes of God are right rejoycing the heart Psal 19.8 The word of God is right and the rule of right yea it is a ruling right To pervert that which is right or to pervert the law of righteousness is to act against the light and convictions of conscience which will be our Judge One of the latine interpreters useth a harsh and course word to presse this by yet full and proper to the scope Peccavi et rectum torrificavi Cajet Praevaricatus sum à probitate Tygur I have tâ—rtified or writhed and bended that which was right Another renders it I have prevaricated from that which was right Our word gives the sence fully enough I have sinned and perverted that which was right Hence note First Sin must be confessed The Lord looks for it He looketh upon men to see whether any will say I have sinned He will have their sin out of their own mouths When Nathan brought the parable home to David and sayd Thou art the man he presently fell into confession I have sinned 2 Sam 12.13 But some may say Is this confession of sin sufficient to say I have sinned I answer First a generall confession of sin or that we have sinned is not sufficient unlesse we are also willing and ready to confesse before the Lord all our particular sins Some are ready enough to say they have sinned who yet will scarse be brought to acknowledge any particular sin yea many say Peccatores se esse plerique confitentur etiam qui se vel peccasse non credunt Greg l. 24. Moral c 12. they are great sinners who know not how or in what they have sinned not what it is to sin Therefore barely to say I have sinned is not a Gospel confession of sin I answer Secondly Though a generall confession is only expressed in this and many other Scriptures yet a speciall confession is intended The prodigal Son Luke 15.19 sayd I will returne to my father and I will say to my father I have sinned against heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son He did not
Psalmes The 32d Psalme as also the 42d Psalme is called Maschil as much as to say a teaching or an instructing Psalme a Psalme giving understanding and requiring deep and serious consideration Thus in the text they would not consider nor understand nor know nor contemplate any of his wayes The Hebrew is all his wayes that is none at all of them The wayes of God in Scripture are taken in a two-fold notion First for those wherein he would have us walk such are the wayes of his commandements they are called the wayes of God because he directs us to walke in them A holy life consists in our walking with God and we cannot walke with God any further or any longer then we keep in the wayes of his commandements It is sayd of the children of Israel after the death of Joshua Judg 2.17 they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in obeying the commandements of the Lord but they did not so To obey the commandements is to walke in the way of them Taking the wayes of God in this sence when Elihu saith They would not consider any of his wayes his meaning is they did not intend nor had any heart to set themselves to learne the mind of God revealed in his word concerning their duty or what they ought to doe they know not the wayes of God practically The word properly denotes the wisdome and prudence which stayeth not in notion but proceeds to action These men lived as if they had never heard of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad prudentiam sapientiam practicam rerum agendarum pertinet at least never understood the Law of God which is the rule of life They considered not the wayes of God to walke in them as Moses exhorted the people of Israel Deut 29.9 Keep therefore the words of this covenant to doe them Secondly The wayes of God are those wherein himself walketh the works of God are the wayes of God the works of his providence either in mercy or in judgement either in doing good or in doing evil that is poenal evil these are the wayes of God in these God shewes himself as in a way in these he goeth forth in his power and goodness in his mercy and justice All these divine glories and perfections are discovered in the works of God Thus David is to be understood when he saith Psal 25.10 All the wayes of God are mercy and truth to them that fear him and keep his Covenant that is all the providential works of God are mercy and truth though all of them are not mercy in the matter or precisely taken as works done though none of them are mercy respecting some persons to whom they are done for many of them are materially chastisements afflictions and crosses to good men and all of them are wrath and judgement to evil and impenitently wicked men yet they are all mercy in the issue or result of them to good men or to those who fear God and keep his covenants For whether he do good or whether he do evil whether he wounds or whether he heals all these providential wayes of God are as truth in themselves so mercy to his people or as the Apostle concludes Rom. 8.28 They work together for good to them that love God and are the called according to his purpose In both these sences we may expound this Text They would not consider any of his wayes that is they would neither consider the Lawes of God which were the way wherein they should walk towards him nor would they consider the works of God which are the wayes wherein himself walketh towards them This was the spirit of that evil generation intended in this Scripture they had not much understanding in and less consideration of the wayes of God Hence first we may take notice Elihu doth not say they did not consider his wayes but they would not It was not so much an act of carelesness and negligence as of contempt and rebellious resolution Hence Observe Evil men have no will to consider or understand the good wayes of God yea their will is against such an understanding A natural man liketh not to retain God in his knowledge Rom. 1.28 Now he that doth not like to retain God in his knowledge or had rather think of any thing then of God he can never while such like to retain the wayes of God in his knowledge he that layeth God out of his thoughts will much more lay the law of God out of his thoughts The natural man hath not only a blindness in his minde which hinders him from discerning the things of God they being discernable only by a spiritual eye but he hath an obstinacy in his Will or he hath not only an inability to know but an enmity against the knowledge of that which is spiritual He shuts his eyes and draws a curtain between himself and the light which is ready to dart in upon him away with this light saith he Thus he rebelleth against the light and as his understanding is dark so his affections are corrupt Solomon gives us all this in the expostulations of wisdome with wicked men Prov. 1.20 21 22. Wisdome cryeth c. How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and the scorners delight in their scorning and fools hate knowledge That which a man hateth he hath no will no minde to know An impotency or inability unto God argues a very sad condition but a rebellion a frowardness a wilfulness against it demonstrates a condition much more sad not to know because we have no means of knowledge will make us miserable enough but not to know because unwilling to receive or because wilfully set against the means of knowledge renders any mans condition most miserable Such were these in the Text They would not consider any of his wayes Secondly Elihu saith not they did not know any of his wayes or they knew not which way to go but they would not consider them There is no man but knowes some yea many of the ways of God that is of those wayes wherein God would have him to walk these wayes of God are written in the heart by nature there is an impression of the Will of God upon every soul though not such an impression or writing as grace maketh there that 's another kinde or manner of work for when once through grace the Law of God is written in and impressed upon the heart then the heart is suited to the Law yea the heart is not only conformed unto but transformed into the Law of God whereas by nature the Law is written only so far as to give us the knowledge of the Law and a conviction of that duty or conformity which we owe to it The men here intended by Elihu knew the Law or wayes of God by the light of a natural conscience but not by the light of a renewed conscience and therefore they would not consider any of his wayes
upon that two-fold manifestation of the goodnesse of God as a God that willingly pardoneth sin and as a God that is unwilling to destroy sinners Or we may give the summe of these two verses according unto this second translation thus 1 Condono in quo est remissio culpae 2 Non destruam in quo est remissio paenae We have first an Exhortation to repentance from the most mercifull nature of God both as ready to forgive and as loth to destroy his creatures The former act importing the taking away of the guilt of sin the latter the remittal and removall of the punishment Secondly We have here a direction about repentance or to the penitent shewing how an humbled soule should behave himselfe toward God He ought to say thus What I see not teach thou me and if I have done iniquity I will doe no more Where we see the humbled soule in the exercise of a fourefold duty First He confesseth what sins he knoweth Secondly He confesseth or supposeth that he hath many sins which he doth not know Thirdly He entreateth the Lord to shew him every sin whether of heart or life which he knoweth not of Fourthly He engageth that he will not continue in any sin which the Lord shall discover to him or give him the knowledge of You have thus the generall scope of these two verses according to this second reading I shall now a little open the words and give Notes from them according to this translation But unto God who saith I forgive It may here be justly questioned how the Original can be render'd into such variety one translation saith It is meete to be sayd to God I have borne chastisemen this other saiâ—h â—o God who saith I forgive I will not destroy It ought to be said c. The first reading makes the words to be spoken by man this second reading gives the words as spoken both by God and man Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 latissimè patet si quid aliud Hebraicum inter alios tolerandi parcendi condonandi remittendi signifiâ—atum habet etiam solitariè positum ut hic or they are a direction given by the Spirit of God to man what to say to God Who saith I forgive I will not destroy I answer for the clearing of that doubt the difference of the readings ariseth from the copious significaâ—ion of one Hebrew word which is rendred many wayes in Scripture especially two First To bear in which sense we translate I have born chastisement The word chastisement as was shewed before is not expresly in the text but supplyed to make out the sense by our translaters I have born what thy hand thy chastisement Secondly It signifies also to pardon or to forgive I shall referre you to one Scripture in which that word is used in both these senses Gen 4.13 And Cain said unto the Lord my punishment is greater then I can bear that 's the text but if you read the margin of our larger Bibles that saith My iniquity is greater then that it may be forgiven or pardoned the text saith my punishment the margin saith my iniquity the same word signifieth both sin the cause and punishment the fruit Againe there the text saith My punishment is greater then I can bear and the margin saith my iniquity is greater then that it can be forgiven So that according to the text the words are Cains complaint against the justice of God that he dealt over-rigorously with him My punishment is greater then I can bear And according to the margin they are a description of his despair of the mercy of God my sin is greater then that it may be forgiven And as we find the word used in that place both for bearing and for pardoning So in severall other places it is translated by pardoning take but one Instance in the Psalms where we find it translated twice in the space of a few verses to forgive or pardon Psal 32.1 Blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiven And againe v. 5th I said I will confesse my iniquity and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin So that though there be a different version and translation of the word in this text of Scripture yet it is such as is consonant to the use of the word in other Scriptures and also to the truth of the whole Scripture Yea we know that in our English tongue to bear with a man signifies to forgive him his present fault or not to punish him and use extremity against him for it And therefore according to the exigence of any place the word may be translated either way and here it may be safely taken in both But to God who saith I forgive I will not destroy it ought or it is meete to be said what I see not teach thou me Elihu according to the reading now before us brings in God thus speaking yea even boasting thus of himselfe I forgive or I pardon Hence note First It is Gods owne profession of his owne selfe that he is a sin-pardoning God And God doth so much say or professe this of himselfe that when he was entreated by Moses to shew him his glory this was the chiefe thing which he sayd of himselfe Exod 34.6 7. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed the Lord the Lord God mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Here 's my name saith God if you would know how I am called or what I would call my selfe this is it I am a God forgiving iniquity c. And as God pardoneth sin so there is none in heaven or in earth that pardoneth like him that hath such a name for pardon as God hath Mic 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee pardoning iniquity c. The gods of the Earth that is Kings and Princes give pardons and to doe so is the sweetest and choycest flower in the Crowne of Princes and they usually shew their Greatness by this act of grace when they come first to their Crowne and exercise of their soveraigne power The Princes or gods of the Earth can pardon but 't is no disparagement to put that question Can they pardon like God no their pardon is no pardon in comparison of Gods pardon yea their pardoning is a kinde of condemning compared with the pardoning grace of God The pardons which Kings give are but the shadow of his pardon who is King of kings Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgression As if he had said I am he and there is none else this glory is proper to me and none can partake with me in it nor will I give this glory to another All sins are committed against God and in a sense against him only therefore only to be pardoned by him Who can remit the debt but the Creditor Psal 51.1 Against thee thee only have I sinned What debt soever we
and messengers of his word with his Spirit he will impower them from on high and so we shall learn his Statutes and understand his wayes David ascribes even his skill in Military affairs to Gods teaching Psal 144.1 Blessed be the Lord my strength who teacheth my hand◠to war and my fingers to fight God only teacheth a man powerfully to be a good Souldier Surely then it is God only who teacheth us to be good Christians to be Believers to be holy He hath his seat in heaven who teacheth hearts on earth Secondly As these words hold out to us the temper of an humble sinner Note A gracious humble soul is teachable or is willing to be taught As it is the duty of the Ministers of the Gospel to be apt to teach that 's their special gift or characteristical property so 't is the peoples duty and grace to be apt to be taught to be willing to be led and instructed naturally we are unteachable and untractable As we know nothing of God savingly by nature so we are not willing to know we would sit down in our ignorance or at most in a form of knowledge To be willing to learn is the first or rather the second step to learning The first is a sight of our ignorance and the second a readiness to be taught and entertain the means of knowledge Thirdly The words being the form of a Prayer Note It is our duty to entreat the Lord earnestly that he would teach us what we know not It is a great favour and a mercy that God will teach us that he will be our master our Tutor Now as we are to ask and pray for every mercy so for this that God would vouchsafe to be our Teacher Psal 25.4 5. Shew me thy wayes O Lord teach me thy paths Lead me in thy truth and teach me David spake it twice in prayer Lead me and Teach me Lead me on in the truth which I know and teach me the truths which I know not So he prayeth again Psal 119.26 Teach me thy Statutes make me to understand the way of thy precepts David was convinced that he could not understand the Statutes of God unless God would be his Teacher though he could read the Statutes of God and understand the language of them yet he did not understand the Spirit of them till he was taught and taught of God and therefore he prayed so earnestly once and again for his teaching When Philip put that question to the Eunuch Acts 8.30 Vnderstandest thou what thou readest He said how can I except some man should guide me Or unless I am taught Though we read the Statutes of God and read them every day yet we shall know little unless the Lord teach us Solomon made it his request for all Israel at the solemn Dedication of the Temple 1 Kings 8.37 Teach them the good way wherein they should walk God who is our Commander is also our Counseller Fourthly From the special matter wherein this penitent person would be taught which is plain from part of the latter verse If I have done iniquity Note A gracious heart is willing to know and see the worst of himself He would have God teach him what iniquity he hath done David was often upon that prayer Psal 139.24 Search me O God and know my heart and see if there be any wicked way in me Lord shew me my sin as I would not conceal my sin from thee so I would not have my sin concealed from my self A carnal man who lives in sin though possibly he may pray for knowledge in some things and would be a knowing man yet he hath no minde that either God or man should shew him his sin He loves not to see the worst of himself his dark part he as little loves to see his sin as to have it seen But a godly man never thinks he seeth his sin enough how little soever he sins he thinks he sins too much that 's the general bent of a gracious mans heart and how much soever he sees his sin he thinks he sees it too little And therefore as he tells God what he knows of his sin so he would have God tell him that of his sin which he doth not know That which I know not teach thou me If I have done iniquity I will do no more There are two special parts of repentance First Confession of sin whether known or unknown This we have in the former part of the verse That which I see not teach thou me There is the confession of sin even of unknown sin The second part of repentance is reformation or amendment a turning from sin a forsaking of that iniquity which we desire God would shew us we have this second part of repentance in this latter part of the verse If I have done iniquity I will do no more But why doth he say If I have c. Had he any any doubt whether he had done iniquity or no every man must confess down right that he hath sinned and done iniquity without ifs or an's Solomon having made such a supposition in his prayer at the Dedication of the Temple 1 Kings 8.46 If they sin against thee presently puts it into this position for there is no man that sinneth not The Apostle concludes 1 John 1.8 If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Therefore this If I have done iniquity is not to be understood as if this or that man as if he or any man might be without sin but when the penitent is brought in saying If I have done iniquity h◠meaning is First What ever iniquity I have done I am willing to leave it to abandon it I will do so no more Secondly Thus If I have done iniquity that is if I have done any great iniquity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Perverse agere if I have acted perverseness or perversly as the word signifieth I will do so no more to do iniquity is more then barely to sin As if he had said though I cannot promise that I will sin no more yet Lord if thou dost discover to me any iniquity any gross sin or perversenesse I will do that no more I will engage my self against that sin with all my might and to the utmost of my power by grace received I will keep my self pure from every sin If I have done iniquity Hence Note First A godly man hath a gracious suspition of himself that he hath done evil yea some great evil that he hath done amiss yea greatly amiss though he be not able to charge himself with this or that particular iniquity He knoweth he hath sinned done evil though he knoweth not every evil he hath done nor how sinfully he may have sinned he doubts it may be worse with him then he seeth Possibly he hath done iniquity Job in reference to his children chap. 1.5 had an holy suspition that in their feasting
truth there be nothing They had which may be a fifth step of this wickednesse a secret hope that he would halt and give them occasion of insulting Peradventure say they he will be inticed peradventure we shall catch him in this snare this was their hope and if attained their joy Which makes a 6th step of this wickednesse For so David describes his enemies Psal 38.16 17. They rejoyce when my foot slippeth for I am ready to halt or as we put in the margin for halting There is a double halting a halting by transgression and a halting by affliction that I conceive David chiefly spake of in that place because he presently adds in the close of the 17th verse And my sorrow is continually before me He shewes his enemies possessed with the same evill spirit and in the same posture Psal 35.15 In mine adversity or in my halting they rejoyced The same word is used in this Psalme for adversity which we had in the 38th for halting This is as true of evill men as halting is taken in the other notion for sinning The wicked are as if not more ready to rejoyce at falls or halts by sinning as at falls or halts by suffering In both these cases as David found in this 35th Psalme v. 15. the very abjects will teare the best of men as they did David and not cease But what doe they teare their flesh if they can but to be sure and so 't is meant there their good names and reputation by slanders and accusations O how contrary is this practice and that joy to the spirit of the Gospel The Apostle tells us the Grace of charity utterly abhorres it 1 Cor 13.6 Charity rejoyceth not in iniquity It neither rejoyceth in doing iniquity it selfe nor to charge others with iniquity Seventhly which is the highest step Some rather then faile will forme and frame occasions against others they will forge or fancy them in their own braine and then accuse their brethren as if they had been acting what themselves have been imagining Such the Apostle Peter speaks of 1 Pet 3.16 where admonishing Saints to much strictnesse and exactnesse in walking he gives this account why they should doe so That whereas they speak evill of you as evill doers they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ They who have not so much as a shadow of truth will make something out of a lie they will falsely accuse and strongly impeach knowing that if they doe so some of the dirt at least will disfigure the faces and stick upon the skirts of those who are impeached Thus I have given seven degrees of this wickedness every one of which plainly discover and all put together mightily aggravate the sinfullness of this sin the seeking of occasions against any man whosoever much more against any good man And therefore which was the second poynt proposed for the clearing of this truth you see how great a matter of charge was brought by Elihu against Job when he saith Job hath sayd He that is God seeketh occasions against me Hence note Secondly To charge the Lord with a willingnesse to breake with us either upon no occasion or to seeke an occasion that he may is exceeding sinfull and dishonourable to his Majesty neere to Blasphemy How sinfull is it that we who give the Lord so many occasions against us that he needs not seek any should yet say he seeketh occasions against us The people of Israel as it appeares intimated at least that God had broken with them or sought occasion to doe it this word is used in that text Numb 14.34 while the Lord to shew how ill he resented such thoughts and jealousies of him tells them According to the number of the dayes in which ye searched the Land even forty dayes each day for a yeare shall ye beare your iniquities even forty yeares and ye shall know my breach of promise or as read in the margin my Altering of my purpose As if he had said Ye shall know whether I have sought occasion against you Cognoscetis confractionem meam si dici possit latinè irritationem non a verbo irrito sed ab adjectivo irritus q.d. videbitis ut ego omnia aâ—â—a vestra per hos quadraginta annos irrita faciam conatus ac instituto impediam Merc whether I have frustrated your hopes and endeavours these forty yeares in the wilderness or no ye shall know whether I have done any thing to breake and entangle you or whether all this hath nor proceeded from your owne frowardness and unbeliefe The Lord who searched their hearts and saw the utmost scope of their complaints found this evill thought lying at the bottome of all that he surely had put them upon all those difficulties or brought them into those straites on purpose to breake with them And therefore he saith Ye shall know my breach of promise Ye shall see one day or at last whether I have kept covenant and stood to my engagement or you whether I have sought an occasion against you or you have given me occasion to deale with you as I have done So that when the Lord sayd Ye shall know my breach of promise his meaning was ye shall know that I have kept my promise to you exactly or to a tittle and that ye only have been the promise-breakers 'T is infinitely below the nature of God to seeke occasions against the creature And 't is strange that the Jewes had any the remotest suspition of him as doing so after they had heard of those glorious stiles and titles in which he proclaimed his name Exod 34.6 The Lord the Lord God gracious and mercifull slow to anger abundant in goodnesse and in truth pardoning iniquity transgression and sin What can be speld out of this name that should yeild the least shaddow of a jealousie that the Lord would seeke occasions against them A good Prince desires to finde many good subjects who deserve to be rewarded but it troubles him to finde any who deserve to be punished or whom he is necessitated to punish Now what is the goodnesse of the most benigne and gracious Princes in the world to the graciousnesse and benignity of God! Againe his precious promises evidence the unworthinesse of such a surmise all which are full of mercy and goodnesse and patience and pardon and tendernesse to poore sinners so farre is the Lord from seeking occasions to charge any one with what is not that he seekes all the wayes and occasions he can to doe good and to extend compassion to those who have done amisse He even labours to deliver poore soules from their dangers and from their sins How farre is he then from desiring to find them tripping and sinning or from urging sin hardly harshly or causlesly upon them yea all the experiences of Saints bring in witness against this blasphemous apprehension They will tell us from what they have found and felt that when
either immediate from himselfe in those dreames and visions to the Prophets or mediate by the Prophets And though now God doth not speake to us immediately as he did to the Prophets before Christ came in the flesh and to the Apostles after he was come in the flesh yet All the Propheticall and Apostolicall writings are the speakings of God to us besides what he dayly speaketh to us answerable to what is written both inwardly by the workings of his Spirit and outwardly by the workes of his providence For he speaketh once c. Hence note In what way soever God reveales his minde unto man he speakes unto him Every manifestation of the will of God to us is a Sermon what man speaketh to us according to the word of God is to be received as the word of God For as God speaketh to us though not formally yet expressely in the holy Scriptures which are his word so he speaketh to us vertually though not expressely by his works And that First by his workes of creation by them God is continually opening and manifesting himselfe to man in his wisdome power and goodnesse He speaketh to us Secondly by his works of providence whether first they be works of mercy every mercy hath a voyce in it every blessing a speech or secondly whether they be works of judgement Micah 6.9 The Lords voyce cryeth unto the Citie and the man of wisdome shall see thy name heare ye the rod and who hath appointed it Sicknesses and losses the crosses and troubles that we meet with in the world cry aloud to us especially when they make us as they often doe cry aloud As the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy worke day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge Psal 19.1 2. so those things that are done and acted night and day utter the mind and speak out the heart of God unto man For God speaketh once yea twice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in una pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in una vice The Hebrew is in once that is for one Turne or Time or by one meanes or way The word once hath a threefold signification in Scripture all which are applyable to the text in hand First Once is as much as surely certainly verily irrevocably Thus Psal 89.35 Once have I sworne by my holinesse that I will not lie unto David That is I have surely sworne certainly sworne irrevocably sworne my word yea my oath is out and it is immutable That which God in this sence once saith it is alwayes sayd or 't is sayd for ever how much more that which he swareth Thus the Apostle argueth Heb 6.17 18. God willing more abundantly or more then needed as to him and the truth of the thing in it self to shew unto the heires of promise the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lye namely his promise and his oath we might have strong consolation c. In like notion we may expound that once which we finde Heb 9.27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die or to dye once and after that cometh the judgement Some referre once to dye as if the meaning were it is appointed unto men to dye once that is men must expect to dye a naturall death which happens but once and once at least equivalently will and must happen to all men Others referre the once to appointed in the sence of this present exposition It is appointed once that is God hath certainly and firmly appointed established and decreed this thing he hath ratified it in heaven that men must dye This statute is irrevocable The thing is appointed and there is no reversing or revoking of that appointment This is a good sence and sutable enough to the scope of Elihu God speaketh once that is what he speaketh is a sure and certain word an infallible word the word setled for ever in heaven Psal 119.89 his promise is not only sure but most sure As the Apostle speakes 2 Pet. 1.18 19. And this voyce which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy Mount We have also a more sure the Comparative imports the Superlative a most sure word of prophecy whereunto ye doe well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a darke place untill the day dawne and the day-starre arise in your hearts As the whole propheticall so the whole historicall and doctrinall word of God is most sure being once spoken it is spoken for ever And written as with a pen of iron and the point of a Diamond and that upon a rocke which cannot be removed That which was vaine-gloriously and beyond the line of man sayd of the Law of the Medes and Persians Dan 6.8 is only true of the word of God it altereth not Secondly This once speaking Semel loquitur deus et secundo id ipsum non repetet Vulg Quia quod sufficienter factum est iterare superfluum est Aq notes the speaking of a thing so sufficiently or fully that there is enough sayd at once and so no more needs be sayd The vulgar translation takes up this sence God hath spoken once that is he hath spoken fully or sufficiently for mans instruction and admonition at once and therefore he translates the latter part of the verse thus And he doth not repeate it the second time That which is done at once sufficiently needs not be done a second time This is a truth There is a sufficiency and a fullnesse in the word of God once spoken there needs nothing to be added or as others expound this translation When once God speakes that is resolves and determines a thing he doth not as man who often repents of what he hath purposed bring it into a second consideration for he cannot erre and therefore he needs decree but once But though this be a truth yet I doe not conceive it to be the meaning of this place because it doth not well agree with what goes before and lesse with that which followeth at the 29th verse Loe all these things worketh God oftentimes or as our Margin hath it twice and thrice with man And therefore here Elihu rather intimates the variety of those wayes by which God reveales himselfe to man then the sufficiency of any one of them For though we grant any one of them sufficient yet God out of his abundant goodnesse is pleased to reveale himselfe more wayes then one and more times then once Thirdly This once may be taken exclusively so iâ— Scripture once is once and no more once and not againe or as we say once for all and so it is opposed to the repeating and acting over of the same thing Thus Abisha sayd to David 1 Sam 26.8 God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day now therefore lâ—â— me smite him I pray thee
seldome doe at the first he calleth againe and againe twice or thrice or often-times that is as often as he seeth it good needfull or expedient to doe it And we may suppose that Elihu useth this number twice or thrice in allusion to the customes of men whether civil Magistrates or Churches who when they deale with others about any fault committed or offence given they doe not take them at the very first default but warne and admonish them twice or thrice or send them as the case may require severall Citations to appeare and either to acknowledge their guilt or acquit themselves of it These things worketh God twice or thrice Tiibus vicibus i. e. multoties sed utitur numero ternorio ut congruat humanae consuetudini per quam solent homines ter moneri vel citari Aquin And remember it is but twice or thrice which speech though it may be well rendred as we say oftentimes yet it is not very often once is no number twice is the least number and thrice is but a small number two or three witnesses are the least number of witnesses that can be admitted in any business That the Lord will doe this twice or thrice proves that he will doe it severall times men shall have meanes and frequent meanes but twice or thrice may not be very often much lesse alwayes there is a stint and a determinate number in the breast of God and that we might not expect to have his patience lengthned out alwayes to us 't is put into the smallest numbers All these things worketh God twice or thrice with man The word by which man is here expressed is no ordinary word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non quelibet viruÌ„ importat sed ut plurimum nobâ—lem illustrem vel aliqua ratione spectabilem Bold 't is that word by which signifieth the highest and greatest of men God deales thus not only with inferiour persons and mean men but with great men with men of note with men of power and strength let men be as strong and stout as they will God can tame them and bring them to his foote Further when he saith Lo all these things God worketh oftentimes with man This appellative man may be taken two wayes First Personally or individually that is he worketh thus oftentimes with the same man God is put to renew his actings more then once with one and the same man because he will not bow nor obey at first Secondly We may take this word man specially as implying severall men or men of all sorts as well as any one man of a sort That manner of speaking is frequent in the old Testament Job 1.4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses man his day q. d. unicunque hominum solet deus praedicta suae voluntatis judicia manifestare ut sit oratio distributiva Bold or every one his day So Jon 1.7 And they sayd every one to his fellow or man to his fellow so here God worketh these things oftentimes with man that is with severall men as seemeth good to him The speech is distributive For though we are not to understand it so largely as if God dealt thus with every particular man yet he deales thus with many men even with as many as himselfe pleaseth or hath purposed Lo All these things worketh God oftentimes with man Hence note Such is the goodness of God that though man is not wrought upon presently or at the first yet he will come a second or a third time to carry his worke through with him 'T is a mercy that God will speake once or use any means once with us 't is mercy that he will speake any one word in any one way to bring us off from sin 't is mercy that he will send one vision or one affliction to awaken us out of our security or one messenger to instruct us once in our duty but when the Lord is pleased to use severall meanes and those severall meanes severall times how doth the aboundant mercy and graciousness of God appeare in this And as the mercy of God in generall so the patience of God in speciall appeareth aboundantly in it The Lord waites to be gracious he waites the working of this or that means of a second and third meanes and he waites the working of them all over againe and againe or oftentimes here is patience with long-sufferance Secondly Observe God will perfect his worke and bring it to an issue with sinfull man God would not give over working to humble Job till he had fully humbled him And this made Job almost amazed at Gods dealing with him Chap 7.17 18 19. What is man that thou shouldest magnifie him and that thou shouldest set thy heart upon him And that thou shouldest visit him every morning and try him every moment Job seemed much troubled at this instancy of God with him and therefore expostulated in the next words How long wilt thou not depart from me nor let me alone till I swallow downe my spittle But for all his crying God would not depart from him nor let him alone for a morning no nor for a moment till he had finished his worke and accomplished his will both in him and upon him till he had brought his heart into a due frame and temper under his mighty hand If once or twice will not doe it he will doe it thrice The Lord is not weary either of working or waiting God is a rocke saith Moses Deut 32.4 and his worke is perfect and of all his workes that of grace is most perfect His visible providentiall works are perfect or shall be before he hath done with them or put his last hand to them but his invisible spirituall workes are most perfect as God worketh often to bring man out of the state of sin to grace so he will not cease working till grace be perfected he will worke till that worke is wrought to the height till the top-stone of it is set up or as the Apostle phraseth it Eph 4.13 Till we all come to a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ Though a man hath been once truly humbled yet God humbles him againe that he may be humbled gradually as well as truly to his own mind They that are humbled by affliction may need more afflictions to humble them The same meanes by which faith and repentance are wrought at first doe also encrease and strengthen faith and repentance Those meanes by which a man is at first purged are very proper for his further purging John 15.2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit As no man can be a true branch hypocrites and formalists are branches only in appearance and profession they were never truly purged now I say as no man can be a true branch till he is purged so God purgeth
in vengeance Psal 7.11 12 13. God is angry with the wicked every day if he turne not he will whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready he hath also prepared for him the instruments of death he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutours Secondly Note The wounds which God makes cannot be healed by any medicines but his owne Jobs wound was incurable there was no balme for him in the Gilead of this world no Physician there And therefore the Lord bids Egypt in scorne seeke healing there Jer 46.11 Goe up into Gilead and take balme O virgin the daughter of Egypt in vaine shalt thou use many medicines for thou shalt not be cured Who can heale where God will wound Psal 38.2 3. Thine arrows stick fast in me there is no soundness in my flesh even David complained that the wounds which the arrows of God had made in him were incurable Why is my paine perpetuall said the Prophet Jer 15.18 and my wound incurable which refuseth to be healed When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to king Jareb to help him yet could he not heale you nor cure you of your wounds Hos 5.13 God gives states or bodyes politick such wounds as all the medicines and meanes in the world cannot helpe They may goe to the Assyrian and send to king Jareb to this and that power They may call a whole colledge of State-Physicians or deepest politicians for counsel and advise yet neither one nor other can be a healer to them Therefore in the next Chapter v. 1. the Church concluded upon another course and a better addresse then either to the Assyrian or to king Jareb Come let us returne unto the Lord for he hath torne and he will heale us only the Lord who gives the wound can heale the wound the same hand which smites us must cure us else our wound is incurable Thirdly Note To complaine of our wounds as incurable or past cure is an argument of our unbeliefe 'T is good for us even to despaire of help from creatures and to say the least wound if but the scratch of a pin is incurable by all the art meanes and medicines which this world can administer but to say our wound though never so deep dangerous and deadly is absolutely incurable is our sin While we ruine our selves that is while we provoke God to ruine us yet there is hope in God O Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe but in me is thine helpe Hos 13.9 despaire as much as you will of creatures helpe but still hope in God Thirdly In that he saith My wound is incurable without transgression Note The Lord may and doth take liberty to afflict those grievously who have not sinned greatly There is no man liveth and sinneth not yet every man is not in strict sense a sinner that is a great sinner a rebell a worker of iniquity yet the Lord when 't is needfull giveth them great wounds who have not comparatively sinned greatly Though no sin should be little in our eye yet there are degrees of sin and some are lesse then others in the eye both of God and man Elihu chargeth Job not as saying he had no sin but because he complained his wounds were great though his sins were not or that there was not a due proportion between his offence and his punishment his sins and his sufferings Hence note Fourthly Though the Lord taketh liberty to afflict those greatly that have not sinned greatly yet they must not take liberty to complaine of the greatness of their afflictions how little soever their sins have been A gracious heart lookes upon the least of his mercies as greater then the greatest of his good deservings and upon the greatest of his sufferings as lesse then the least of his ill deservings or demerits And surely besides that liberty which God hath as he is supreame and soveraigne to afflict whom he will and in what degree he will we must know that the least sin deserves the greatest wound An evill thought deserves all the evill that can be heaped upon us Whatsoever we suffer on this side hell is less then the least of our sins And therefore if we have reason to confesse our little sins great and our greatest wounds little compared with our little sins how much more should we confesse our great sufferings little compared with our great sins as the Church did Ezra 9.13 After all that is come upon us our long and hard bondage in Babylon for our evill deeds and for our great trespasse thou O Lord hast punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve Further from the whole verse in that Elihu chargeth Job with these severall sayings Observe First A good mans sayings are often worse then his meanings Elihu rebuketh his speeches not his spirits his words though in some respect true yet were dangerous and because not well explained by himselfe scandalous to others But his heart was not trecherous not the bent of his mind wrong set in uttering them Evill men may speake good words but 't is with a bad heart Good men sometimes speake bad and offensive words yet with honest hearts and when their mindes are serene and they cleared from those clouds of perturbation which have darkned them they as Job are ready to recant them and repent of them Secondly Note It is an high offence to intimate any thing which doth in the least intrench upon the Justice and righteousness of God To say God hath taken away our judgement may call downe judgements To say we are wounded without transgression is a great transgression and the reason why it is so is plaine because such sayings tell the world that we suffer if not quite without desert yet more then we deserve and what is this but to justifie our selves and lay blame upon God then which as was shewed at the 2d verse of the 32d Chapter nothing is more derogatory to God or more blame-worthy in man Thirdly Note If we speak amisse or indiscreetly about the dealings of God with us we may thank our selves if we are hardly censured and soundly chidden for it Though Jobs heart was honest yet his tongue was intemperate and he too bold with God and you see how God stir'd up the spirit of Elihu to lay it home to him and bring him upon his knees for it They who vent unwarrantable speeches must not thinke much if they meet with sharpe reproofes and cutting censures Tongue-faults seldome escape without tongue-lashes And 't is a mercy to meete with them from a faithfull friend Their lashing and cutting tongues prove healing tongues Psal 141.5 Fourthly Note Every speaker is at the mercy of his hearers No man knows what glosse his words may have put upon them when once uttered Here are foure sayings brought against Job yet Job never spoke any of them expressely or in so many words but such collections were made indeed they
hide themselves from God yet they come to this that God hideth himself as not regarding what they do from them Hence David affirms of the wicked man Psal 10.11 He hath said in his heart God hath forgotten he hideth his face he will never see it Many say in their hearts God seeth them not while with their tongues they confess he is an all-seeing God The heart hath a tongue in it as well as the head and these two tongues seldome speak the same language While the head-tongue saith we cannot hide our selves from the sight of God the heart-tongue of wicked men will say God will hide himself from us he will not see But if their heart speak not thus then as the Prophet saith Isa 29.15 They dig deep to hide their counsels from God surely they have a hope to hide their counsels else they would not dig deep to hide them Their digging is not proper but tropical as men dig deep to hide what they would not have seen in the earth so they by heir wits plots and devices do their best to hide their counsels from God and they say who seeth who knoweth We surely are not seen either by God or man Now 't is very natural for sinners to endeavour the hiding of themselves from God upon a two-fold account First To avoid shame All sinners are not altogether deboist all have not altogether baffled their own consciences they have a kinde of modesty they would not be seen sinning it troubles them not to do evil but a fear to be detected in doing it is their trouble Secondly Sinners hide themselves for fear so Adam did he wa◠afraid as well as ashamed I was afraid said he because I was naked and I hid my self Gen. 3.10 The Prophet tells us of such Isa 2.21 They shall go into the clefts of the rock and into the tops of the ragged rocks for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his Majesty when he shall arise to shake terribly the earth We finde all sorts call to the hills to hide them for fear of him that sate on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb Rev. 6.15 16. Secondly Observe How much soever sinners attempt yet they cannot hide themselves from God Let them study never so long and dig never so deep they cannot be hid Where can a sinner be hid from him who is every where Or what thing can be our covering from him in whose sight all things are open Then let none think they have made a good market in sinning when they have hid their sins from the eyes of men what will it avail to hide your selves from men when you lie open and manifest to the eye of God read Psal 139.12 Amos 3.2 The Apostle saith 1 Tim. 5.24 25. some mens sins are open before hand going before to judgment that is other men quickly see what they are can judge what they have done and some men they follow after though they were hidden at the first yet they are afterward discovered unto men often as alwayes unto God As they are not hid from God now so he will bring them forth at last in the sight of men that the Apostle adds in the next verse Likewise also the good works of some are manifest before hand and they that are otherwise cannot be hid The word otherwise may have a two-fold reference First to the word manifest As if he had said though the good works of a man be not presently manifest yet they cannot be long hid they shall be opened and revealed Secondly The word otherwise may refer to good works and so it reaches the point fully that is those works which are not good or otherwise then good cannot be hid though men labour much to hide them Sinners leave off your hiding leave off your hiding for you shall not be hid There is no way for sinners to hide themselves from God they may hide themselves in God in the love in the favour and mercy of God Thus sinners may hide themselves in God but from God they cannot be hid Christ is a hiding place unto his people and he is so in a double respect First from trouble or in time of trouble thus David spake Psal 32.7 Thou art my hiding place The name of the Lord is a strong Tower saith Solomon Prov. 18.10 the righteous runneth into it for shelter in time of trouble and is safe The Prophet is express in this Isa 32.2 A man that is Christ shall be for a hiding place from the winde a covert from the Tempest Christ is truly so as to the outward troubles and storms which men raise against his people in the things of this life he is so especially as to those internal troubles and storms which Satan or our owne unbelieving hearts raise against us about the things and concernments of the next life That man who is also God who is God-man is the hiding place of humbled sinners against the assault of all evils whether temporal or spiritual Secondly As Christ is a hiding place from those troubles which men bring us unto for righteousness sake or which Satan and our own hearts bring us into by raising questions about our interest in the righteousness of Christ So he is a hiding place for us against our own unrighteousness Sinners or unrighteous persons cannot hide themselves from Christ And as Christ is the best hiding place from bodily dangers so he is the only hiding place from soul-danger Any sinner may hide himself in Christ as to the guilt of sin whose eyes are opened to see and acknowledge his sin Or more distinctly sinners under a fourfold consideration may hide themselves in Christ First if humbled sinners Secondly if confessing sinners Thirdly if reforming sinners Fourthly believing sinners Christ is a hiding place to all such sinners Cum videri nos non credimus in sole clausos oculos tenemus Illum à nos abscondimus non nos illi Greg. l 25. c. 6. And seeing no sinner can hide himself from the wrath of God by any means of his own devising or contriving Let all sinners give over such vain contrivements and learn that Gospel wisdome to hide themselves in Christ from that wrath which is to come When we labour to hide our selves any other way we lose our labour and do not hide our selves from God but God from our selves that is we hide the favour and mercy of God from our selves Lastly Observe Men are not easily perswaded that they cannot hide themselves from the sight of God That hath much hold of us which we are often warned to avoid This is not the only place of the whole Scripture no nor of this particular book where this truth is held forth There are many and many Scriptures wherein this common truth is pressed upon us And doth not this if not strongly infer yet intimate at least that man doth not easily believe it Yea Is it not an argument
of his hands Indeed God doth much in the world he walketh in many dark and hidden wayes which though we consider we cannot fully understand Thy way saith Asaph Psal 77.19 is in the sea and thy path in the great waters and thy foot-steps are not known God hath many invisible works both of mercy and of judgement yet we should be though not curiously yet seriously searching as much as possibly we can Arcana imperii even into those wayes of God which are unsearchable we should consider though we cannot search them out But as for those works of God that are visible and plain which are written as it were with the beams of the Sun which are so plain and obvious that he who runs may read them to neglect the consideration of these or lightly to pass them by how sinful is it Those works of God which are most plain have wonders in them if we could finde them out As in the plainest Text of Scripture there is a world of holiness and spiritualness and if we in prayer and dependance upon God did sit down and consider it we might behold much more of those wonders then yet appear to us It may be at once reading or looking we see little or nothing as Elijah's servant when he went once he saw nothing therefore he was commanded to look seven times What now saith the Prophet O now I see a cloud rising like a mans hand and by and by the whole surface of the heavens was covered with clouds So you may look lightly upon a Scripture and see nothing and look again and see little but look seven times upon it meditate often upon it and then you shall see a light like the light of the Sun 'T is thus also with the works of God we pass many of them by as small matters but when throughly considered there is a wonderful depth in them now not to consider those wayes of God wherein he is so visible and which are the actings and exercising of his power goodness wisdome and faithfulness this must needs be a very great sin Isa 26.11 Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see they take no notice of it much less lay it to heart but they shall see they shall be made to see one way or other and be ashamed for their envie at the people or as the margin hath it towards thy people As godly men see the hand of God and are both confirmed and comforted for his mercy to his people so wicked men shall see and be both ashamed and confounded because they both envyed the people of God that mercy and opposed it They who will not see the works of God to give him glory shall see them to their own shame God hath given us his works of Creation that we should consider them daylie as David did Psal 8.3 When I consider thy heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast ordained What is man c. How was the Psalmist ravisht with that contemplation And so may we while we consider the works of Providence whether works of judgement or works of mercy whether vengeance upon the wicked or deliverance for the godly Let us therefore set our selves to this soul-ravishing and God-exalting work the consideration of the works of God And we are the more engaged to do it because God hath fitted man among all creatures in this lower world and he hath only fitted man to give him glory by considering his works The beasts of the earth cannot glorifie God by considering his works 't is true both they the fowls of the ayr with the fifh of the sea according to their kinde praise God but man only is fitted and furnished with an intellect or understanding faculty to consider and so to draw out from all the works of God those peculiar excellencies which make his Name glorious Now for man to leave such a faculty unexercised and unacted as they who consider not the works of God do is not only a dishonour to God but a degradation of himself As it is the priviledge and happiness of a man to enjoy the benefit of the works of God so it is his holiness and his duty to consider the beauty of them And to all who brutishly lay by the works of God without consideration let me adde this consideration God considers all your works or wayes and will not you consider the works the wayes of God! Of this be sure whether you consider the wayes of God his Word-wayes or Work-wayes of this be sure God will consider your wayes certainly he will those wayes of yours which in themselves are not worth the considering or looking upon your sinful wayes though they are so vile so abominable that if your selves did but look upon them and consider them you would be utterly ashamed of them yea though they are an abomination to God while he beholds them yet he will behold and consider them The Lord who is of purer eyes then to behold any the least iniquity to approve it will yet behold the greatest of your iniquities and your impurest wayes to consider them Thou saith David Psal 10.14 Thou beholdest mischief and spite to requite it God beholdeth the foulest dirtyest wayes of men their wayes of oppression and unrighteousness their wayes of intemperance and lasciviousness their wayes of wrath and maliciousness at once to detest detect and requite them If the Lord thus considereth the wayes of men even these filthy and crooked wayes of men should not men consider the holy the just and righteous wayes of God And that God considers all the wayes the worst of wayes of the sons men appeares further in the next verse Vers 28. So that they cause the cry of the poore to come up to him and he heareth the cry of the afflicted If the wayes of men come up to God then surely God considers the wayes of men even their vile and base wayes their wicked and unworthy wayes how can he but consider those wayes the cry of which cometh up to him So that they cause the cry of the poore to come up to him Effectum hujus malitiae affectatae ostendit Aquin Here Elihu expounds to us or gives us more particularly what those wayes of God were which those men would not consider as also what the sin of those mighty ones was which provoked God to strike them as wicked men in the open sight of others The wayes of God which they would not consider were the wayes of his righteousnesse and justice of his compassion to and care for the poore they went quite crosse to those wayes of God For they caused the cry of the poore to come up to him But doe ungodly men bring the cry of the poore up to God Certainly they have no such purpose and therefore those words So that they cause the cry of the poore to come up unto him Note only a consequent of what those
run into by any sin committed against man God only is the Creditor All that men can doe is but to forgive the trespasse against themselves so farre as man is wronged he may yea he ought to forgive as Christ teacheth us to pray Math 6.12 Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors All that we can forgive is only the trespass done to our selves and so forbeare personal and private revenge We cannot forgive the offence against God For when Christ saith John 21.20 Whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted that remission is but the declaring of a pardon it is not the bestowing of a pardon or it is only a ministerial forgivenesse not an authoritative forgivenesse so to forgive is Gods Royalty He saith I forgive Secondly To God who saith I forgive c. Forgive what forgive whom Here 's neither what nor whom neither things nor persons named God barely saith I forgive Hence observe The pardoning mercy of God is boundlesse and unlimited Here 's no sin named therefore all are included no sinner specified therefore all are intended I forgive I pardon the pardoning mercy of God knows no limits it is not limitted First to any sort of sins or sinners Secondly it is not limited to any degree of sins or sinners let sins or sinners be of what sort they will let sins or sinners be of what degree they will they are within the compasse of Gods pardoning mercy And as this text intimates that the pardoning mercy of God is boundlesse because it expresseth no bounds So other Scriptures tell us expresly that it is boundlesse extending it selfe to all sorts and degrees of sins and sinners Math 12.31 Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven That a sin is great that it is extremely aggravated is no barre at all to the pardoning mercy of God he can as easily pardon great sins as little sins even sins that are as Crimson and scarlet as well as those of the lightest tincture The die or colour of some cloaths or stuffs is so fading that as we say the next wind will blow it off or cause it to dye away but scarlet and crimson in graine never change their colour yet the pardoning grace of God causeth crimson and scarlet sin to change colour and makes them as white as the naturall wool or snow that is takes them quite and cleane away Yea the greatnesse of sin is so far from being a stop to pardon that it is used asan argument to move God to pardon David prayeth Psal 25.11 For thy names sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity why doth he say because it is little or only a small sin a sin committed rashly unadvisedly or but once no he useth none of these excusatory pleas for pardon but saith pardon my sin for it is great Moses was not afraid to speake for pardon upon this ground also Exod 32.31 Lord saith he this people have committed a great sin and have made them gods of gold yet now if thou wilt forgive their sin c. There 's a great deale of divine Rhetorique in that speech Moses was not doubtfull whether God would forgive them their sin because it was great but he urged the Lord to forgive their sin because it was great Where sin aboundeth Grace doth much more abound Rom 5.20 and therefore God is said to pardon abundantly or to multiply to pardon Isa 55.7 and whom doth he promise to pardon there even the man of iniquity so that Scripture hath it Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man or the man of iniquity his thoughts c. If you who have sinned abundantly repent I will pardon abundantly The heart of God in pardoning sin is infinitely larger then the heart of man can be in committing sin and as the least sin needs pardon so the greatest may have it nothing hinders the pardon of sin but the sinners not coming for it or his not asking it The sin against the holy Ghost cannot be forgiven but the reason is because such as commit that sin utterly reject the grace of God and tread the blood of the Covenant under their feet as an unholy thing Thirdly The text speakes in the present tense God saith not I will pardon or possibly I may pardon but sheweth what he both actually doth and what he alwayes doth To God who saith I pardon Hence note God pardoneth presently he pardoneth continually I pardon is a present it is a continued act To pardon is Gods work to day and Gods work to morrow As every soule may say of himselfe Lord I sin not only I have sinned or I shall sin hereafter but I sin so saith God I pardon as men stand alwayes in need of pardon so God stands alwayes prepared to pardon He is Psal 86.5 plenteous in mercy ready to forgive The heart of God is never out of frame for that woâ—ke never indisposed to it David found him so Psal 32.5 I said I will confesse mine iniquity he did not say I have confessed mine iniquity he was not come to a formall Confession onely he had it upon his heart to humble himselfe before God and confesse his sin yet it follows and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin While there was but a holy resolve upon his heart to confesse his sin the pardon of it was given him The holy history of his sin and of Gods mercy assureth us that the word was no sooner out of his mouth 2 Sam 12.13 I have sinned but instantly Nathan said The Lord hath put away thy sin Though God doth not pardon of course yet he is in a continuall course of pardon therefore Moses prayed Numb 14.19 That God would pardon the people according to the greatness of his mercy and as he had forgiven them from Egypt untill then As if he had sayd Lord thou hast been pardoning all along from the very first step we took out of Egypt to this day thou hast exercised abundance of patience long-suffering and mercy in pardoning this people now Lord pardon us as thou hast done from Egypt to this day doe not stop thy acts of Grace The very first act of pardon stands for ever he that is once pardon'd is alwayes pardon'd yet there are dayly renewings of pardon and fresh acts of it every day Fourthly The word render'd to pardon signifies to take away as to beare a burden upon our selves according to the former translation so to beare or lift it off from another Hence Note Pardon is the taking away or the bearing of sin off from us An unpardoned soul hath a burden of sin upon him ready to break his back yea enough to break his heart were he sensible of it the Lord by pardon takes this burden off from him David speaks of his sins under this notion of a burden Psal 38.4 My sins are gone over my head they are a burden too heavie for me to bear Yea sin is a burden too heavie for the strongest Angel in
to flow in upon us Christ said to the sick man Matth. 9.2 Be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee Fourthly It is a precious mercy because it stops and keeps off all evils and judgements strictly so called I forgive I will not destroy Our comforts cannot stand before the guilt of sin and our troubles cannot stand long before the pardon of sin Isa 33.24 The highest wtath of God appears in this when he will not pardon and it argues the greatest displeasure of man against man when he prayeth that he may not be pardoned That was a most dreadful prayer of the Prophet Isa 2.9 The mean man is bowed down and the mighty man humbles himself therefore forgive them not here was a prayer that they might not be forgiven and the ground why he prayed so seems to be as strange as the matter of it was dreadful Is it a sin to be excepted from pardon to see a mean man bow down and a mighty man humble himself The meaning is they bowed themselves not to God but to idols all bowing and humbling our selves either to worship an idol or in idol worship is rebelling against God We have a like prayer Jer. 18.23 the Prophet having spoken of the plots and devisings of the people against him turns himself thus to God Thou knowest all their counsel to slay me forgive not their iniquity neither blot their sin from thy sight Nothing can be wisht worse to any man then this that his sin may never be pardoned And here it may be questioned how the Prophet could make such a prayer which seems to have the height of all uncharitableness in it I answer first The Prophet was led by an extraordinary Spirit to do this Secondly We are not to conceive that the Prophet prayed for their eternal condemnation but that God would call them to a reckoning and make them feel the evil of their own doings There is a sin unto death for the pardon of which we are not to pray 1 John 5.16 yet there is no sin about which we are to pray that it may never be pardoned The worst prayer that can be made against any man is that he may not be pardoned and there is nothing better to be prayed for then pardon It shewed the height of Christs love when hanging on the Cross he prayed thus for his enemies Luke 23.34 Father forgive them they know not what they do And the Protomartyr Stephen breathed out a like spirit of charity while he was breathing out his life in a shower of stones powred upon him from more stony hearts Acts 7.60 with this prayer Lord lay not this sin to their charge Thus I have finished this 31th verse both according to our own Translation and that other insisted upon by many of the learned only from the connexion of this verse with the next according to the latter reading To God who saith I pardon I will not destroy it should be said that which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more Observe The very consideration that God is ready to pardon sin should make us resolved against the committing of sin The sin-pardoning mercy of God is one of the highest and most spiritual arguments by which the soul is kept from sin There is forgiveness with thee saith David Psal 130.4 that thou mayst be feared that is because thou art so merciful as to forgive sinners therefore they ought to fear thee in doing what thy will is and in avoiding whatsoever is contrary to thy will 'T is prophesied that frame of spirit shall dwell upon the people of God in the latter dayes Hos 3.5 They shall fear the Lord and his goodness that is Si scirem homines ignoraturos Deos ignoscituros tamen non facerem Sen◠they shall fear to offend the Lord because he is so good and ready to pardon It was said by a Heathen and it may shame many who profess themselves Christians that a heathen said so if I did know that men should never know the evil which I do and that the gods so he speaks in their language would pardon and forgive the evil which I do yet I would not do it Surely the spirit of a true believer must needs rise thus high and higher upon the clear grounds of Gospel grace and discoveries of the free love of God Cannot a true believer say though I know that God will pardon my sin though he hath declared that my sin is pardoned and though I could be assured that men should never know of this sin if I commit it yet I will not do it To God who saith I pardon it should be said I will sin no more I shall now proceed to the 32d verse which stands fair to either reading Vers 32. That which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more Some carry the general sence of these words as if spoken by God himself to Job and spoken by an irony or in scorn as if he had thus bespoken him If I have afflicted thee beyond thy desert or have overthrown thy judgement that Job had more then once complained of Si quid me fugit in te affligendo vel si quid errarem tu me doceas Si te venando perperam egi vel injustè me habui non ultra id fecero 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Merc. if I have not kept to the true rules of reason and righteousness in chastening thee if in my dealings with thee I have done amiss or have not done thee right Shew me wherein O Job and I will afflict thee so no more I shall not stay upon this but take the words according to our Translation as the whole verse intends a further description of a person deeply humbled under and sensible of the hand the chastening the afflicting hand of God who having said with respect to all known sins in the former verse I will offend no more saith here in this verse concerning all unknown sins That which I see not teach thou me and if I have done iniquity I will do no more That which I see not There is a two-sold sight First Corporal the sight of the bodily eye Secondly Intellectual the sight of the eye of the minde or of the understanding when Elihu represents the penitent afflicted person speaking thus What I see not c. he intends not a corporal sight but an intellectual Seeing is here as often elsewhere in Scripture put for knowing the understanding is the eye of the soul How blinde and dark are those men who have no understanding in the things of God! Eph. 4.18 When Christ had sayd For judgement am I come into the world that they which see not might see and that they which see might be made blinde some of the Pharisees said unto him John 9.41 are we blinde also have we no eyes Jesus said unto them If ye were blinde ye should have
considerations from it 599 600 E Eagle how she reneweth her strength 419 Eare twofold 290. The eare naturally stopt against the teachings of God 291. Seven Eare-stoppers 291 God openeth the eare by foure meanes 292. Eare how it tryeth words 499. The use of the eares 501. How the word must be tryed by the eare before 't is submitted to 502 503. The reproofe of those who use their mouthes more then their eares 504. Eare its power 850 Earth what it signifieth in Scripture 576 Easiness to follow or be led by others very dangerous 99 Eldership twofold 36 Election an act of absolute free grace 397. Election as an act of man vid chusing Elihu what that name signifieth 11 Eloquence how it may be burdensome 191 Error an error cannot alwayes be maintained 105. Errors both of understanding will and wayes many times secret to us 818 Evill not to know to doe evill or to be a bungler at it is best 130 131. The spirit of a good man is set against it 132. They that doe evill have reason to expect evill 138. Example of superiors in doing evill very powerfull 778 Examples of Gods Judgements are to be eyed and marked 686. Exemplary punishment all beholding 694 695 Three reasons why some are punished so 696 Excuse they who excuse a fault shew they have a mind to continue in it 549 Exercise of the soule under affliction in what it doth consist 796 Eyes of God what they signifie 656 Eyes see more then an eye 843 F Face of a man why put for his person 119 Face of God what and what it is to see his face 431. Face of God sometimes hid from his people and why 433. It is the sole priviledge of the favourites of God to see his face 434 It is our greatest joy and happiness to see the face of God 435. Face of God what it signifieth 727. The hiding of Gods face notes three things 727. How the face of God may be seene 729. Not to behold the face of God what it imports 729 730. Hiding of Gods face from nations Vide Nations The hiding of Gods face is exceeding grievous to his people 755 577. Caution to beware of provoking God to hide his face 756 Faith our faith not be pinn'd upon men how great or ancient soever 67. Faith is our vision of God in this life 432 Father a relation or title of great honour and comfort 849 Father-hood God the fountaine of it 849 Favourites to God who 427. A godly man is used by God like a favourite 429 430 433 Feare twofold 42. A good feare what they seldome doe amisse who feare they may 44 Flattery is iniquity 127. A twofold flattery opened 127 128. The other extreame to be avoyded 129 Flattery is a wrath-provoking sin 135. To suffer our selves to be flattered is very dangerous 136. To give flattery hath a double danger 136 137. More sinfull to flatter those that doe evill then to doe evill 231 Flesh what meant by it in Scripture 349 350. Flesh a fading thing 352. Flesh called grasse in two respects 352. Six practicall inferences from the fadingness of the flesh 354 355. Man not called flesh till after the fall 595 Flight or to flee for our lives is a grievous Judgement 648 Folly refusall of obedience to God the folly of man 64 Forgiveness of sin Vide pardon Fortune the wickedness of ascribing any thing to it 583 G Gaine of worldly things a strong temptation 454 Gifts of the mind wisdome and understanding come from God 55 56 57 Gluttony kills more then the sword 367 God is to be eyed in all our wayes 140. God who gives us life fits us also for all the services of this life 172 173. God so good that he never seekes occasions or advantages against us nor needs he we give him too many 215 216. We are apt to have hard thoughts of God when we suffer hard things 222. We should maintaine good thoughts of God when we suffer evill 223. God is great the use of it 234 235. Vid Greatness of God His power and dominion absolute he gives no account and why 253 254. His word of command is effectuall 419. God usually deales with men according to what they doe 438. Vnworthy thoughts of God should be rejected with indignation 554. God neither doth nor can doe any unrighteousness 556 557 574 578. Two inferences from it 572. Those foure things which cause men to doe wrong are at furthest distance from God 573. All things and times as present to God 574. Power of God primitive and unlimited shewed in five particulars 579 580. A fourefold universality of the power of God 582 583. Admonition to those that are in and under power from that consideration 584 585. God can easily doe whatsoever he hath a mind to doe 591. Two inferences from it 592. God is most just shewed in three things 616. That God is just in punishing proved by seven particulars 617. God can doe the greatest things alone 653. Two inferences from it 654. God how he hideth himselfe 668 Justice of God Vide Justice What God hath a mind to doe he can and will doe 689. All should follow after God 702. God his teaching Vide teaching Good men they that are truely good and gracious are willing to know and see the worst of themselves 824 Good in the doing of it many sins are mingled as well as it is sinfull not to doe good 819 Gospel knowne from the beginning 412 Government a spirit for it the most proper gift bestowed upon Princes 56 God taketh care of the government of the world or to maintaine government 684 Good what is properly our good 510. Goodnesse and strength where they meete how usefull 555 Grace though it abideth alwayes yet it doth not act alwayes alike where it is 247. Two eminent acts of grace in God towards man 299 All our mercies flow from the free grace of God 393. That all comes from grace implyeth five things 394. God usually gives out acts of grace when we repent c. 395 Graciousness of God opened 391 392 To be gracious notes two things â—n God 393. Two sorts of 〈…〉 acts 〈◊〉 Great men wisdome 〈…〉 with them 63 64. Therefore no taking things upon trust from them 64 65 Greatness of men or their abilities either to reward or hurt us must not turne us from the right 122 123 Greatness of God opened 234. Five inferences from it 235 236. We may both say and believe that God is great and yet not answer it in our practise 239. who they are that indeed acknowledge God in his greatness 240. Our not laying to heart the greatness of God causeth our unsubmission to him 241 Guilt a godly man is as carefull to avoyd the act of sin as to be freed from the guilt of it 799 H Halting of two sorts 213 Hand striking the hands together in a twofold signification 692. Hands clapping of them in a threefold sence 861. Hand
we labour as much for the favour of God as ever any of the sons of ambition laboured for the favour of Princes or regard with the Kings of this world No man ever plotted or flatter'd and crouched so much to the Kings of the earth for favour as we doe to God for favour herein we labour We make it our business to be accepted with him if God once accept a man you may turne him loose he will shift for one How compleately happy the condition of such a favourite is will appeare yet furtber in opening the next clause of this verse And he shall see his face with joy When once God is favourable to a poor sinner then he shall be used or dealt with like a favourite Great Favourites stand in the presence of Princes and frequently see their faces Whomsoever any man favours he freely admits to his presence and takes delight in his company Thus Elihu speaks of Gods Favourite He shall see his face with joy There is a twofold interpretation of these words tending both to the same spirituall sence Videbit deus faciem ejus cum laetitia i. e. hilaritèr cum intuebitur vultu laeto et facili eum respiciet cum ante vultum iratus avertebat Merc First Some by the Antecedent He understand God himselfe and by his face the face of the humbled sick man and so the sence of this assertion he shall see his face with joy is plainly this God will look cheerfully and smilingly upon the face of this poor suppliant God will look upon him as we doe upon friends whom we favour and have much respect for Friends may see content and joy shining in or stampt upon our faces when we look them in the face The content which we take in seeing the face of another is visible in the smiles and joyes of our own faces As when we look sowrely angryly sorrowfully sullenly upon a man when darkness is seen in our faces and clouds gather in our brows ready to dissolve into a storme this speaks we beare him no good will or rather that we bear him much displeasure So when we looke pleasantly upon a man doth it not say that we are highly pleased with him To be sure when God is at peace with a repenting sinner he no longer frownes upon him nor turns his face from him as an enemy but entertaines and welcomes him as a friend which is directly opposite to Jobs apprehension of God at the 10th verse of this Chapter Behold he findeth occasions against me he counteth me for his enemy This is a sweet soul-reviving and ravishing truth God beholds the face of his people with joy he beholds them smileingly cheerfully delightfully David calls it The light of Gods countenance Psal 4.6 Et videbit homo faciem dei cum jubilo Merc Secondly and I rather conceive that to be the meaning of the place most relate the He to the sick man who having been upon his knees humbling himself before God and finding God favourable to him he then seeth his face that is the face of God with joy God fills his soule with a great deale of peace comfort and sweetness in his approaches to him Before possibly if he did but think upon God he was troubled as Asaph found Psal 77.3 I remembred God and was troubled To a man in great trouble especially in trouble of mind the very thoughts of God who is our only help in trouble may be troublesom but when he is set right and restored to the favour of God or God being again favourable unto him he beholds his face with abundance of joy Here are yet two things to be opened or two Queries may be made and answered for the clearing of these words First What is meant by the face of God Secondly what is meant by seeing his face To the former query I answer First the face of God is the essentiall being or perfect Majesty of God of which himself saith to Moses Exod. 33.23 My face shall not be seen Secondly the good will and favour of God is his face Ps 80.3 Cause thy face to shine that is be good to us and we shall be saved Thirdly the face of God in Scripture is put for any manifestations of God to man God manifesteth himself in wrath to some men Psal 34.16 The face of the Lord is against them that doe evill Facies dei iram quandoque favorem notat Drus That is he is angry and greatly displeased with them He manifesteth himself in love to others and all such are said either as in the Text to see his face or as other Texts express it to have his face shining upon them God is a spirit he hath no face properly but as the face of a man is that by which he is knowne if a man hide his face we know not who he is though we see all the other parts of his body he is a concealed man so that whatsoever it is by which God is clearly knowne that in Scripture language is called his face And hence Thirdly the worship and holy ordinances of God are called the face of God Gen. 4.14 because they are great manifestations of God or because God is manifested in his Ordinances in his word and worship who and what he is After a sick man through the help of God is recovered he goes into the congregation to give thanks and then he may be said to see the face of God because there be exhibits the signs of his presence doth as it were shew his face There as in a glass we behold the face of God that is the discoveries of his holiness of his love goodness The face of God is seen in his works as the Apostle teacâ—eth us Rom. 1.20 The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternall power and godhead much more in his word and Ordinances and above all in Jesus Christ is God seen and manifested Jesus Christ is the face of God the brightnesse of his glory the expresse image of his person Heb. 1.3 The light of the knowledge of the glory of God shineth to us in the face of Christ Thus the face of God is beheld in the face of Christ There we may see how holy how just how good and mercifull God is all this glory of God appeareth to us in the face of Christ who is the highest manifestation of God Here in the Text by the face of God we are to understand any demonstration of Gods favourable presence in which sence of the word Aaron was to blesse the children of Israel Numb 6.25 The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon thee and give thee peace That is the Lord manifest himself to thee in wayes of grace and peace in favour and in mercy David prayed in the same
stile Psal 67.1 God be mercifull to us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us that is give us tokens and pledges of his favour Secondly How see we the face of God Doth not God tell Moses No man can see my face and live How then can the face of God be seene I answer The face of God which was touched before as taken for the essence of God or for his essentiall glory cannot be seene That 's too transcendent a glory for man to behold What we see of God is but some ray or beaming out of light and glory from himselfe we cannot see himselfe The essentiall or personall glory of God is that face which cannot be seene but the declarative glory of God is a face of God which may be clearely seene by faith in the light of his word and workes And to see the face of God is nothing else but for a man to know in himselfe as the Apostles word is in somewhat a parallel case Heb 10.34 that God is gracious to him that is to have an assurance of his favour or a reflect act of faith about it The holy Spirit sheweth us what God is and what the things of God are 1 Cor 2.12 We have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God that is that we mayâ—e enlightned with the knowledge of the grace goodness and favour of God to us discovered in the Gospel The Spirit sheweth us this blessed face of God and we see it by the actings of our faith all our visions of God in this life are visions of faith upon whose wings all our intellectuall powers soare aloft and are carried up to God Faith is not only a worke of the will in consent and application but a worke of the understanding by assent and knowledge Thus we see God as a Spirit is only to be seene with a spirituall eye The vision of God is intellectuall the vision of faith Videre faciem dei nihil aliud est quam sentire apud animum suum deum propitium Coc In Jubilo i. e. in quodam inexplicabili gaudio Aquin Thus the reconciled sinner finding God favourable to him he seeth his face with joy The word signifies joyfull acclamation or shouting for joy such as men use after great favours done them and benefits or rather bounties bestowed upon them There is a seeing of the face of God with terror so the wicked shall see God that is they shall have manifestations of Gods displeasure they shall be made to see him with shame and sorrow They shall say when they see him to the mountaines and rockes fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe They who never saw the face of God with joy shall see it with horror amazement Saints see it with joy they have unexpressible comfort and contentment in beholding God they shall rejoyce with shouting as in the yeare of Jubile when they sounded out their joyes with trumpets or made a joyfull noyse 'T is no ordinary but a triumphant joy with which the godly see the face of God Extraordinary sights affect with extraordinary joy Now the face of God being the highest and most glorious sight in the world it must needs affect the beholder with a glorious with a Jubilean joy He shall see his face with joy First It being sayd He shall see his face with joy upon his prayer and the humbling of himselfe before God Observe God hides or vayles his face till we humble our soules and seeke his face God will not be seene at all times no not by his owne people There are severall cases in which he turneth away his face in anger or drawes a curtaine as it were yea a cloud between himselfe and the soule And this he doth First and most usually to try his people how they can beare his withdrawings and to see whether or to what they will betake themselves when he takes himselfe so much from them that they cannot see him Secondly He doth it often to chasten and correct man for sin To be under the hidings of Gods face is the saddest effect of sin to a sencible or an awakened soule David made a grievous complaint because of this what ever the cause or occasion of it was Psal 13.1 The absence of God from him though possibly but for a short time was so tedious to him that he cryed out How long wilt thou forget me O Lord for ever How long wilt thou hide thy face from me Even Jesus Christ while he stood in the place of sinners bare the hiding of his fathers face as the summe of all those punishments which were due to and deserved by our sin This pressed him more then all bodyly sufferings and made him cry out while he hung upon the Crosse My God my God not why hast thou left me to be crucified but why hast thou forsaken me Math 27.46 Thirdly God hideth his face from some because the manifestations of it have not been received thankfully nor improved rightly We ought to give thankes for the light of the Sun shining in the ayre and also doe our worke in it Is it any wonder if God cloud and eclipse the light of his countenance towards those who neither prize it nor improve it If you would alwayes see the face of God then be ye alwayes seene at the worke and in the wayes of God Secondly Observe It is the sole priviledge of Gods Favourites or of those to whom he is favourable to see his face As no man can see that face of God his essentiall presence so none but Godly men shall see this face of God his comfortable or blessed-making presence Without holiness no man shall see the Lord Heb 12.14 There is a two-fold vision or sight of God and that negative assertion may be understood of either or of both There 's first a vision of God on earth thus we see his face as was shewed before in the actings of faith For though the Apostle opposeth these two faith and sight We walke by faith and not by sight 2 Cor 5.7 yet faith hath its sight we walke not by sight as the worldly men walk who doe as they see and make their eyes both the guide of their consciences and the in-bringers of their comforts we walke not by outward sight nor doe we make conclusions how to guide our conversations by what we see We walke by faith and that 's the sight which we have of God while we are here on earth which cannot possibly be without holiness faith being so great a part of our holiness and by drawing vertue from Christ dayly the maintainer of it all Secondly there is a sight of the face of God in glory And if none can enter into glory but holy men then no man without
hath the command of so he hath a use for every creature Isa 7.18 The Lord shall hisse for the fly if God doe but hisse to the fly or any creature on earth yea to the devills in hell they are at his call and doe his will though they intend it not Further though God can doe all himselfe yet he useth various instruments that he may indear man to man or that no man may say he hath no need of another Thus the Apostle argues 1 Cor 12.21 The eye cannot say unto the hand I have no need of thee nor againe the head to the feete I have no need of you Surely then the feete cannot say to the head we have no need of thee nor the hand to the eye we have no need of thee That Creatures may shew their love to one another and see their need of one another God is pleased to give them a charge to worke and dispose of the things in the world though the charge and disposure of the whole world be in himselfe Now if the Lord be thus invested with all power originally and essentially then I would mind those who are in power of two things and those that are under power of one First Let them that have power remember to use it for God They that have but family power should use it for God how much more they that have power over nations Psal 2.10 11. Be wise now therefore O ye Kings be instructed ye Judges of the earth serve the Lord with feare and rejoyce with trembling When he saith serve the Lord with feare I suppose he doth not intend it in that notion of serving the Lord as serving him denotes our holinesse and obedience in generall but when he saith serve the Lord with feare his meaning is serve him so in the exercise of your power and in your places as you have power in your hand as you have received a Charge or Commission from God over this or that part of the earth so serve him with feare in the use of that power As man ought in all the service of God to be in a holy feare so especially when he serveth God in the administration of power because all power is from God And therefore which is the next thing I would hence mind those of that are in power Secondly Remember The day of account must needs be a sad day to those who abuse their power to the oppression of man and chiefely to those who turne their power against God that is against the wayes and truths of God against the servants and people of God against the ends and designes of God God will call such as have had any charge over the earth to an account and let them who either of these wayes abuse their power consider whether such accounts will passe as they must give Surely when the day of the Lord shall be upon such Oakes and Cedars upon such mountaines and hils as the Prophet Isa 2.13 14. calleth the Powers and Princes of this world they will even be forced as he describes them at the 19th verse to goe into the holes of the rockes and into the caves of the earth for feare of the Lord and for the glory of his Majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth It is bad to be abused by the power of man but 't is worst for that man who abuseth his power Thy terriblenesse hath deceived thee saith the Prophet Jer 49.16 and the pride of thine heart O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rocke that holdest the height of the hill that is thou that art in high power and also holdest thy height thou art deceived and thy terriblenesse hath deceived thee because thou hast been able to terrifie many with thy power therefore thou hast presumed that none shall ever terrifie or trouble thee This vaine confidence hath deceived thee for as it followeth in the latter part of that verse though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the Eagle I will bring thee downe from thence saith the Lord that is I will bring thee to a reckoning for terrifying those with thy power whom thou shouldest have protected by it Lastly This is matter of great Comfort to all good men who are under power though rhey are wronged and oppressed by the power of man this may support them God hath power over all the earth he hath the Charge and he will see them righted one time or other Eccles 3.16 17. Moreover I saw under the Sun the place of Judgement that wickednesse was there and the place of righteousnesse that iniquity was there I said in mine heart God shall judge the righteous and the wicked for there is a time for every purpose and for every worke And if for every purpose and worke then surely for this the reviewing of the unrighteous judgements of the Princes and Powers of the earth who hold the places of Judgement and righteousnesse to punish the perverting of which the Lord who is Prince of the Kings of the earth often powreth contempt upon Princes Psal 107.40 41. and causeth them to wander in the wildernesse where there is no way yet setteth he the poore on high from affliction and maketh him familyes like a flocke For as the Holy Ghost saith Psal 138.6 7. Though the Lord be high yet hath he regard to the lowly but the proud he knoweth a farr of hereupon his faith riseth up to a full assurance in the next verse Though I walke in the midst of trouble thou wilt revive me thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies and thy right hand shall save me Thus much for the argument here used the Lord is righteous for he hath all power in his hand and he hath no reason upon any account in the world to pervert power yea for him to doe any thing that is not righteous were to act against himselfe even against his owne being and blessednesse who is God blessed for evermore JOB Chap. 34. Vers 14 15. If he set his heart upon man if he gather unto himselfe his spirit and his breath All flesh shall perish together and man shall turn to his dust IN these two verses Elihu perfects the proofe of what he lately asserted that God is just and that there is no unrighteousnesse in him v. 12. yea surely God will not doe wickedly neither will the Almighty pervert Judgement For as Moses in his dying song describes him He is the rocke his worke is perfect for all his wayes are judgement a God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he The first argument for the confirmation of this was opened at the 13 verse And it was grounded upon the absoluteness and universality of his dominion Here we have a second argument from the sweet temperament of his power and goodness God hath power enough in his hand at once to destroy all flesh and to command every man back into the dust But
he doth not thus put out his power We live and live comfortably we enjoy not only our lives but many mercies of this life and therefore surely God doth not deale rigorously much lesse unrighteously with man He that doth all men good beyond their deserts will not punish any man beyond his demerits He that doth not exercise his power alwayes where he might will not exercise it all where he ought not That 's the summe and scope of Elihu in the context under hand Vers 14. If he set his heart upon man To set the heart upon any thing or person is a Scripture expression often used noting more then barely to think upon or mind both or either It signifieth to have deep and serious thoughts to think with consideration and attention yea with some height and heat of affection And all this whether that thing which the heart and affections are set upon please or displease be comfortable or grievous for both love and hatred hope and feare are thoughtfull of and sollicitous about their severall objects Hence that caution Psal 62.10 If riches encrease set not your heart upon them we naturally love riches and therefore as naturally spend many thoughts both how to get and how to keepe them If a man have riches or an encrease of riches it is not unlawfull for him to thinke or them yet we should be as sparing of our thoughts that way as can be our thoughts and the bent of our soules should alwayes be upon God but that which the Psalmist forbids is the setling of our hearts As if he had sayd Let not your thoughts stay or dwell there Riches are themselves transient things therefore they should have but our transient thoughts Set not your hearts upon them for they may quickly be unsetled Samuel bespake Saul in the same language about a worldly concernment when he went out to seek his fathers Asses 1 Sam 9.20 Set not thy mind on them 'T is like Saul was over-burdened with this thought What 's become of or what shall I doe for my fathers Asses Be not sollicitous about them saith Samuel greater things are towards thee Abigail useth the same forme of speaking to David concerning Naball 1 Sam 25.23 Let not my Lord regard this man of Belial lay not to heart what Nabal hath sayd or done Thus Jonadab took off Davids feare that in one day he had been deprived of all his Sons 2 Sam 13.33 Now therefore let not my Lord the King take the thing to heart to think that all the Kings sons are dead for Amnon only is dead We are as apt to set our heart upon our losses as upon our enjoyments And to shew how little Pharoah regarded the heavy hand of God upon him it is sayd after Moses had turned all the waters that were in the river to blood Exod 7.23 And Pharoah turned and went into his house neither did set his heart to this also That is he slighted what God had done Let God speak and strike once and againe Apponere cor est vello decernere constituere q. d. Si ei suus animus suggererit Vatabl yea a third time yet hard-hearted men doe not lay it to heart nor set their heart upon it Thus here in the Affirmative it is sayd of God If he set his heart upon man that is if he doe but intend and mind this matter he can quickly bring it about even the perishing of all flesh If he set his heart upon man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Valet contra Si poneret concra eum cor suum i. e. si sibi proponeret hostiliter eum aggredi Pisc The text is rendered also If he set his heart against man The Hebrew particle signifieth not only upon but against Amos 7.16 Prophesie not against Israel c. And the generall sence of that reading may be given two wayes First If he set his heart against man to enquire strictly into his life and wayes if he should critically mark all his errours or faults and so resolve to proceed against him he might soon make an end of him as it followeth in the next verse As the strongest so the best and holyest of men are not able to stand before him Thus the words are an answer given by Elihu to that frequent request of Job that God would let him come near to judgement and hear his cause argued and debated before him even at his Bar but saith Elihu according to this sence If God set his heart against man if he doth but strictly enquire into his condition course and conversation it would be sad with him All men must perish Those two places in the Psalmes answer this interpretation fully Psal 130.3 If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquities O Lord who should stand That is No man shall We cannot stand in our righteousness before God how then shall we stand in our iniquities And therefore the second Text deprecates the Lord 's severe enquiry into our purest and most perfect services Psal 143.2 Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Secondly If he set his heart against man that is If he have a general purpose to destroy and ruine him by his absolute Soveraignty he can easily do it what God hath a minde to do or only willeth it to be done he hath power enough to do it He can make any man miserable and not only strip him of the comforts of this life but of his life too And as he hath power enough if he would use it so he hath soveraign unquestionable authority enough to bear him out in the use of his power Now seeing God who is cloathed with this absolute power yet doth not exercise such a power but having given man a being continues to very many men a comfortable being in this world and doth not willingly grieve or afflict any of the children of men nor execute any vengeance upon them without their desert surely then God is righteous he will not do wickedly Thus we have the importance of the Translation If he set his heart against man We say which also beareth fairly enough the same sence If he set his heart upon man Si direxerit ad eum cor suum spiritum illius flatum ad so trahet Vulg. If he gathereth unto himself his Spirit and his breath Some render it thus If he set his heart upon or against man he will gather unto him his spirit and his breath and then as it followeth All flesh shall perish together We repeat the supposition according to the Hebrew Text If he set his heart upon man If he gather to himself his spirit and his breath then c. Take either reading the general sense is the same and in brief 't is this If God have a minde to it he can quickly thrust all men out of the world He that gave man his spirit and his breath can at pleasure recal both and then