and wicked men then saith the Lord ver 14. I will confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee that is I will yield thee the cause I will acknowledge that thou who canst thus bring down the pride of men in the height of their iniquity art also able to help thy self out of all thy misery yea that thou art able to contend with me who often have done and still can do these great things with ease with the turning of my hand with a word of my mouth yea then I will confess that thou art as I am that thou art God as I am But alas poor worm thou canst do none of these things therefore humble thy self and be quiet under mine afflicting hand This seems to be the general scope of the holy Ghost in these five verses even yet further to convince Job that he had not an arm like God nor could thunder with a voice like him forasmuch as he could not put forth such acts nor shew such effects of power as God both had and could put forth and shew in the face of all the world Vers 10. Deck thy self now with majesty c. Deck or adorn thy self the word signifieth to adorn to put on ornaments make as fair a shew of thy self as thou canst The Apostle Gal. 6.12 speaks of some who desired to make a fair shew in the flesh The Lord bids Job make as fair a shew of himself as he could in flesh Deck Thy self Let thy majesty proceed from thy self Thus it is with God he needs no hand to adorn and deck him to apparel him or put on his robes as the Kings and Princes of the earth need others deck them others adorn them and put on their robes but the Lord decks himself Now saith the Lord to Job Deck thy self as I do With majesty and excellency Kings and Princes are decked with majesty and excellency at all times a majestick excellency is inherent in their estate and when they shew themselves in state or shew their state they put on their Crowns and Robes Thus saith the Lord to Job Put on majesty and excellency Both words signifie highness exaltation and are often used to signifie pride because they that are high and exalted are usually proud and are alwayes under a temptation to be proud of their highness and greatness And these words which here in the abstract we translate majesty and excellency are rendred in the concrete proud vers 11 12. Behold every one that is proud vers 11. Look upon every one that is proud vers 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Majesty is proper to Kings and therefore we speak to them in that language Your Majesty Excellency belongs to persons of great dignity we say to Princes and great Commanders Your Excellency because they excel and exceed others in honour and power Moses spake so of God Exod. 15.7 In the greatness of thy Excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee In the greatness of thy Excellency or in the greatness of thy lifting up and exaltation the word notes both Gods high magnificence Psal 68.35 and mans pride or haughtiness Psal 10.2 The wicked in his pride or haughtiness of spirit persecutes the poor Deck thy self with Majesty as a King and with Excellency as a Prince put on thy Emperial robes and thy Princely garments Yea further Array thy self with glory and beauty Dicimus etiam nidui dedecore vel ignominia nam quare ornamur vel dedecoramur ea elegantèr niduâ— dicimur Diuâ— Here are two other ornamental expressions Glory and Beauty Glory is man in his best array or mans best array yea Glory is God in his best array or Gods best array The perfect happiness of man in heaven is called glory mans best suit is his suit of glory Grace Gloria est clara cum laude notitia Ambros 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Notat spendorem claritatem quae efficere potest assensum confessionem apud spectatores ad gloriam ipsius quòd omnia â—gat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deus non habet circundatum decorem quasi superadditum ejus essentiae Sed ipsa essentia ejus decor est Aquin. which is our best suit on earth is sometimes called glory 2 Cor. 3.18 We are changed from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord that is fâ—om grace to grace Mans first change is from sin to grace his second is from grace to grace or from one degree of grace to another Grace is glory begun and glory is grace perfected Now as glory is mans best suit so glory is as I may say Gods best suit He is as the God of all grace 1 Pet. 5.10 so the God of all glory for all glory is to be given unto him and his glory will he not give to any other The glory of God is twofold First Essential and internal for ever unchangeably abiding in himself indeed the very Essence of God is glory Of this we read Exod. 33.18 I will make all my goodness pass before thee I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy this kind of glory I will shew thee but thou canst not see my face and live that is my essential glory Secondly There is a providential or external glory of God the manifestations of God in his greatness goodness and power are his glory Thus 't is said at the dedication of Solomons Temple 1 King 8.11 The glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord that is there was a glorious and wonderful manifestation of the presence of the Lord in his house Whatever God manifests of himself whether his power or his goodness or his mercy or his grace or his patience or his justice is his glory The Lord often arrayeth himself with these glories that is he declares both by his word and by his works that he is powerful good merciful gracious patient and just towards the children of men The Scripture calleth God the glory of his people Psal 106.20 that is it is the glory of any people or that which they should glory in that God is known to them or that they are owned by God But the idolatrizing Jews changed their glory into the similitude of an Ox that eateth grass that is they changed God who was their glory and in whom they should have gloried into the form of an in-glorious beast while they either worshipped the image of a beast or their God in that image And it is considerable that the Apostle Rom. 1.23 at least alluding to as the reference in our Bible intimates if not quoting that place last mentioned in the Psalm whilst he speaks of the idolatrous Gentiles doth not say as there They changed their glory c. for the true God was not the glory of the Gentiles in those dayes they owned him not as their only
God in our selves there is no standing before God without a Mediator and there is no Mediator but Jesus Christ who is both God and Man or God-man for man to stand before God in Thus much of the first use or inference which the Lord makes from all that he had said of Leviathan The second inference followeth in the next verse Vers 11. Who hath prevented me that I should repay him As in the former verse the Lord gave us instruction concerning his own all-sufficiency and irresistible power Who can stand before me So in this he instructs us concerning his own absolute independency Who hath prevented me that I should repay him Both which parts of the Application the Lords shuts up with an Assertion of his universal soveraignty and lordship over all creatures in the close of this 11th verse Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine Who hath prevented me that I should repay him Master Broughton renders Who gave me any thing first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quis precessit me that I may pay him again These words the Apostle Paul plainly alludes to some conceive he quotes them in the 35th verse of the 11th Chapter of his Epistle to the Romans Who hath known the mind of the Lord or who hath been his counseller or who hath first given to him and it shall be recompensed unto him again So saith Saint Paul and here the Lord himself saith Who hath prevented me that I should repay him as much as to say Who hath first given to me and it shall be recompensed unto him again Who hath prevented me The Lord seems in these words Quis ostendit mihi viam in cretione totius mundi Vatebl to make proclamation all the world over to enquire among Angels and Men who it is or whether there be any one that can come forth and say he hath prevented him To prevent is to be aforehand with another in courtesie or kindness in help or assistance God prevents man in all these but no man hath prevented God in any one of them We may give a three-fold interpretation of this divine challenge First Who hath prevented me or who was afore-hand with me in the work of Creation who helpt me to make Leviathan you see what a piece of work he is how vast how dreadful a creature he is who helped me or who gave me any help in the forming or creating of him Several expound this question of the Lords independency in the work of creation none began to him none directed him how to create none counselled him what to create The Apostle useth that word Who hath been his counseller No man hath been the Lords counseller nor did he need any counsel in or about any of his works And as none were his counsellers to give him advice so none were his helpers to give him any assistance to bring the work about no hand hath been put to it but his own no hand was at it nor in it but his own I am he saith the Lord Isa 54.24 that maketh all things that stretcheth forth the heavens alone that spreadeth abroad the earth by my self I have done all alone all by my self the Angels did not help me As God made the Angels without help so he used not the help of Angels in making any thing else Secondly Who hath prevented me in governing and disposing the affairs of the world I have had no counsel hitherto for that And shall any now take upon them to teach me the art of government Thirdly In general Who hath prevented me that is who hath done me any good office who contributed the least benefit to me to whom am I beholding for the least mite That I should repay him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is that I should be engaged to repay him The word which we render to repay signifies properly to make peace because when debts are paid and what is due discharged then all is quiet there is no matter of difference remaining As if the Lord had said If any one can produce any bill or bond or make proof that I stand indebted to him I am ready to satisfie him and to discharge all my obligations Who hath prevented me that I should repay him Hence note First God will not be in any mans debt If any can make it good that they have prevented him that they have given him counsel or assistance in his works of creation and providence or that they have done him the least courtesie they shall receive to the full worth and value of it What we do in way of duty to the Lord he is ready to reward us for it we shall not lose our labour though God be no gainer by it And though it be through his grace strength and assistance that we do any good yet we shall be rewarded as if we had done it alone Surely then God would not be in our debt if we could do any thing alone or that did in it self oblige him Secondly Note God is afore-hand with us not we with him The Lord prevents us we do not prevent him That 's it which the Lord would then have Job and now us to understand by this question Who hath prevented me even that himself hath prevented us all and in all by his grace and goodness in any good we have received or done David waited for this preventing grace Psal 59.10 The God of my mercy shall prevent me he shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies he shall prevent not only my endeavours but even my desires and wishes Yet what in this Psalm he professed an assurance of in another Psalm to shew that our assurance of mercy must not give a stop to duty he puts into a prayer Psal 79.8 O remember not against us former iniquities let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us for we are brought very low The Lord hath preventing mercies for his people in their low estate Though we do not prevent the Lord though we are not before-hand with him by our preparations and prayers by our repentings and reformings in our low estate yet he hath mercies ready and prepared for us yea though we come forth to meet the Lord as we are advised Amos 4.12 humbling our selves before him in prayers and tears yet this doth not prevent the Lord but he prevents us by his grace and favour helping us to mourn and pray And as the Lord alwayes prevents us by helping us to pray so he sometimes prevents us with an answer to our prayers before he helps us to pray Isa 65.24 It shall come to pass that before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear that is they shall have an answer to their prayers before they have made their prayers so that when we have made many prayers and have been long in prayer much fasting and humbling our selves yet mercy prevents us Mercy comes usually before
of him will honour him with what they have even with their substance and with the first fruits of all their increase Prov. 3.9 Thirdly We may infer Seing God founded the earth He is also the Ruler of it And that the Lord rules the earth is a mercy to all men on the earth The Lord reigns let the earth rejoyce Psal 97.1 That is men of the earth have cause to rejoyce because they have God who is infinitely both wise and good to rule them The Lord is King over all the earth sing ye praises with understanding Psal 47.7 And surely they who understand what a King he is will praise him Fourthly We may be encouraged to go unto God or apply our selves to God about all things here on earth seeing â—e hath laid the fouâ—dations of the earth The Lord having invited his people to ask him things to come concerning his sons and concerning the work of his hands to command him Isa 45.11 adds this in the next words as an encouragement to do so I have made the earth and created man upon it As if he had said Ask of me whatever you would have me do or would have done on earth for I am he that created the earth It may help our faith much when as David expresseth it Psal 11.3 the very foundations of earthly things are destroyed to consider that God laid the foundations of the earth In such a case it may be said as it followeth there in the Psalme What can the righteous do but may it not be said even in that hard case when foundations are destroyed What cannot the Lord do who laid the foundations of the earth This argument the Psalmist also useth Psal 124.8 Our help stands in the Name of the Lord who made heaven and earth Though earth and heaven shake and seem to be confounded or mingled together yet he who made heaven and earth without help can give us help or be our helper If our help stood in the best of men made of earth they might fail us but while our help stands in him that made the earth he will never fail us for he hath said he will not Heb. 13.5 and their experience who have trusted the Lord hath said it too Psal 9.10 This is the great priviledge of all that believe they may address to God by Christ for any thing in this earth because he is the Maker of it and having made it by a word speaking what cannot he do for them if he speak the word Fifthly Let us be much in praising the Lord for his wisdom power and greatness all which gloriously appear and shine forth in his laying the foundations of the earth David makes this a special part of Divine praise Psal 136.6 VVe should not onely praise the Lord for the great things he hath done on the earth but for this that he hath made the earth The work of God in laying the foundations of the earth calls as loudly for our praise as any thing except our redemption from the earth Rev. 5.9 chap. 14.3 which ever God wrought upon the face of the earth The making of the earth calls us to praise the Lord First Because he hath made so vast a body as this earth is or because he hath made such a large house for us Secondly Because he hath founded it so miraculosly hanging upon nothing that appears but in the ayre yet standing more firmly than any house built upon a rock Thirdly VVe should praise the wisdom of God that hath formed it so exactly and adorned it so richly It 's not a house huddled and clapt up together without skill or art though it was made word a word speaking in six days yet it was made with infinite wisdom as is more particularly held out v. 5. where the Lord speaks of laying the measures thereof and stretching the line upon it as also of fastning the foundations and laying the câ—rner-stone thereof all which â—â—ew it is not a house clapt up in haste but made with admirable exactness so that as 't is usual when great houses are built there were great acclamations made at the building of it as we have it the seventh verse of this Chapter then the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy to see such a magnificent pile reared up Lastly Take this inference If the visible world be such a building what is the invisible world the City having foundations which God hath prepared for those that love him Thus much of the first part of Jobs Conviction he had nothing to do in laying the foundations of the earth and he had as little in setting up and finishing that goodly structure as will appear in that which followeth Yet before the Lord proceeded any further to question Job about this great work of Creation he requires or calls for his answer in the close of this fourth verse to the question propounded in the former part of it Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the Earth Declare if thou hast understanding God challengeth Job to answer The Hebrew is If thou knowest understanding And so the word is used Isa 29.24 where we render They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding or as the Margin hath it shall know understanding Again Huram said 2 Chron. 2.12 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel that made heaven and earth who hath given to David the King a wise son endued with prudence and understanding The Original is thus strictly read Knowing prudence and understanding Daniel spake in the same forme chap. 2.21 He giveth wisdom to the wise and knowledge to them that know understanding To know is a work of the understanding No man knoweth any thing but by the help of his understanding The understanding is the first or Master-wheel in that noble engine the soul of man and when rightly informed and inlightned all the other wheels or faculties of the soul move aright unless over-poized by passions and self-ends Every rational creature hath an understanding yet every rational creature doth not know understanding that is doth not is not able to speak knowingly or to use and act his understanding knowingly about every matter The Lord supposeth Job might be defective here and therefore bespeaks him thus Declare if thou hast understanding or knowest understanding As if he had said The things which I question thee about may possibly be too high or too big for thy understanding Si perituâ— sis tantarum rerum Vatab. such as possibly thou canst not reach And hence some render or rather paraphrase the Text thus Declare if thou art skilful in such great things as I now speak of If thou art so wise as thou seemest to be by thy former contesting with my provideâ—ces declare thy wisdom in this point wherein I know thou wilt but declare thy ignorance thy infancy or inability to speak as one speaks Thou wilt shew thy self but a child while thou
bones upon a wheel To be broken is to be utterly spoiled A broken heart is a great mercy Psal 51.17 but a broken arm notes a great misery This Scripture threatens the high arm with breaking yet it leaves us unresolved or faith nothing expresly about these three Queries First Whose high arm is here threatned with breaking Secondly By whom the high arm shall be broken Thirdly How or by what means or in what manner it shall be broken I answer to the first These terrible words are not levell'd nor intended against any high arm eo nomine upon that account because it is high God is not angry with the highness of men They who are highest and have the highest arm among men may be highly pleasing unto God The highest powers on earth are of Gods ordaining and appointing now God cannot be against his own ordinances and appointments therefore he never bâ—eaks the high arm because 't is high in power but because 't is high in wickedness So then we may be confident 't is only the high arm of the wicked which is here threatned to be broken To the second and third Queries I answer in a word It is God who breaks the high arm and he breaks it in what manner and by what means soever pleaseth him In which we may see a signal work of divine Providence which doth not suffer the difference of good and evil of right and wrong to pass long unobserved And in this passage possibly the Lord might intend a refutation of what Job said Chap. 10.3 That God shined upon the Counsels of the wicked For seeing the very light or life of the wicked is with-holden from them and their high arm broken doth not God declare and testifie that he loveth righteousness and hateth iniquity And if the ministration of Divine Justice lye in the dark at any time doth not the return of the light every day intimate that a day of the revelation of the righteous Judgment of God is at hand The high arm shall be broken Hence Note First Wicked men may grow high and have a very high and strong arm Therefore be not scandalized when 't is so The most high God often suffers it to be so The wicked man in the Text is he that hath the high arm Note Secondly As all men by nature are altogether wâ—cked in their state so some of them are extreamly wicked in their lives They sin with an high hand or with an high arm they sin as if they would dare God himself Not onely have wicked men been high in power and high in place but there they have sinned highly and stretched forth their hand against Heaven it self Note Thirdly Observa in voce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hoc versiculo v. 13. literam צ in Bibliis magnis â—â—empl emendatis suspensam esse i. e. non eodem tenore cum aliis scriptam sed supra caeteras sursum versas penderâ— hoc modo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod forsun mysterio non caret quasi lux impiis totus eorum splendor sit in suspenso non stabilis Merc. The wicked how high or how strong soever they are they shall be broken A learned Interpreter takes notice that in the larger Bibles and most correct Copies the Hebrew Word signifying the wicked both in this 15th verse and in the 13th verse hath one letter raised up higher than the rest and exceeding the ordinary form of writing as may be seen if the Reader please to cast his eye upon the quotation in the Margin This saith my Author is not possibly without a mistery even to intimate thus much that all the prosperity and outward splendor of the wicked hangs in suspence or is very tottering and unstable But whatever occasioned that irregularity in the Hebrew writing or whatever it may import this is a sure truth that the highest estate of the wicked is very unsure The Lord who as Solomon saith Eccl. 5.8 is higher than the highest on earth can quickly bring down the highest and break or crush the strong arm as one would break a reed or crush a moth Thus the Lord bespake Edom by his Prophet Jer. 49.16 O thou that dwellest in the clifts of the rock that holdest the height of the hill though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the Eagle I will bring thee down from thence saith the Lord. And thus the Lord spake by another Prophet concerning the Amorite Amos 2.9 His height was like the height of the Cedars and he was strong as the Oaks yet I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from beneath that is I utterly destroyed him Yea the very being of the wicked high and strong is an argument that they shall be brought low destroyed and broken to pieces When Babylons arm shall be in its highest height When she shall say in her heart I sit as a Queen that is on high and am no Widdow and shall see no sorrow When Babylon is thus prophecying all good of her self and promising all good to her self then shall her plague come in one day death and famine and mourning and she shall be utterly burnt with fire for strong is the Lord who judgeth her Rev. 18.7 8. He will break her high arm and break it when she thinks it highest and her self safest David whose arm God raised on high affirmed all this of wicked high ones in general or of all those who should be found high in wickedness Psal 92.7 8. When the wicked spring as grass and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish it is that they shall be destroyed for ever As if he had said that 's the meaning of their prosperity you may spell that our of it or make that interpretation of it they shall be destroyed for ever As the Lord remembers his people in their low estate because his mercy endureth for ever Psal 136.23 so he will take vengeance on the wicked in their high estate because his justice endureth for ever The least sin deserves a breaking but when the arm of sin is grown very high we may say the Lords arm cannot hold he must break such high arms The Prophet Jeremy chap. 6.6 speaking of Jerusalem saith This City is to be visited how visited There is a twofold visiting First In favour care and kindness Secondly In wrath and judgement Usually when the Scripture speaks of visiting a City or a Land it is meant in wrath and in judgement Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord Jer. 5.9 Surely I shall there is no avoiding my visitation What kind of visitation is meant the next woâ—ds evidence Shall not my soul be avenged on such a Nation as this To be visited with vengeance and wrath is a sad Visitation and so was Jerusalem to be visited But why was the City Jerusalem to be visited in wrath there 's no City whose inhabitants are so just and righteous but the Lord may visit them in
about to frame and O how many how exceeding many or innumerable are they yet God saw not onely some or many but every one of them It was said by one of the Ancients upon this place Profundum mâ—ris deuâ— ingreditâ—r quâ—ndo visitare mentes etiam pressâ—â— sceleribus non dedignatur Greg. l. 29. c. 7 God goes to the depth of the sea as often as he goeth into the depth of mans heart and beholds what is there And there â—e beholds not onely the great but small beasts as the Psalmist calls the fish of the sea that is not onely great but small lusts and foolish imaginations the huge multitudes and shoals of vain thoughts which swim and play in that wide sea of mans heart are distinctly seen and as distinctly judged as if but one were there Thirdly From the scope of this place note That seeing we cannot search into the depth of the sea it should stay our curiosity in searching into and stay us from discontent when we cannot find the depth of Gods Counsels concerning us and of his Providences towards us There is a dutiful search into the Works of God David speaks of it Psal 111.2 The works of the Lord are great sought out of all those that have pleasure in them They are sought out that is they who have pleasure in them do and will endeavour soberly to search them out as much as may be but let all take heed of searching them wantonly or presumptuously that is either to satisfie their curiosity or with an opinion that they can reach the depth of them The Lord would have us satisfie our selves in the ignorance or rather nescience of those natural things which he hath not made known to us Surely then which is as hath been said the scope of this Chapter we should be satisfied though we in some cases know not nor can perceive the reason of Gods providential dealings either towaâ—ds particular persons and families or his Church in general Will any wise or sober man vex and disquiet himself will he be angry and pettish because he knows not all the secrets of the earâ—h and sea as some say Aristotle the Philosopher was to death and drowning because he could not find out the reason why the sea in one place ebbed and slowed seven times in one day Why then should we be impatient because the reason of Gods proceedings with the sons of men or of the strange ebbings and slowings of things in the sea of this world is secreted and hidden fâ—om us And therefore when we are not able to enter into the springs of this sea nor to walk in the search of this depth let it not trouble us but humble us as it did Job to whom the Lord put these questions and proceeded to put more and more hard questions if harder can be in the next words Vers 17. Have the gates of death been opened or revealed unto thee Or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death Here is another strange question Who among the living hath had the gates of death opened to him Oâ— hath viewed the doors of the shadow of death We read often in Scripture of the gates of death Psal 9.13 Num illius profunda quae verè dixirim mortis regiam c. rimatus es Bez. Psal 107.18 and which is all one of the gates of the grave Isa 38.10 but who knows what these gates are yet we may say something towards the clearing of this question A gate in strict sense is that by which we are admitted into any place and so the gates of death are That whatsoever it is by which we enter into death or go into the black hall of the grave Again The gates of death are any great and eminent danger Then we may be said to be at the gates of death when our lives are in great hazard to be lost either by the violence of enemies or by any violent sickness In the former sense David spake in way of supplication Psal 9.13 Have mercy on me O Lord consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me thou that liftest me up from the gates of death that is from deadly danger In the latter he spake by way of narration in his elegant description of the sick Psal 107.18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat and they draw near unto the gates of death that is they are ready to die or sick unto death And thus said King Hezekiah upon his sick-bed and as he thought a little before upon his death-bed Isa 38.10 I shall go to the gates of the grave I am deprived of the residue of my years that is of those years which I might have reckoned upon as mine according to the common account of mans life or the usual course of nature These are the more general gates of death and about these all agree But there are several opinions what should be specially intended by the gates of death in this place Portae mortis sunt causae corruptionis quantum advirtutes corporum â—â—lestium Aquin. in loc First One riseth very high saying that by the gates of death we are to understand the visible heavens because the heavenly bodies send down sometimes malignant influences which have a mighty power to corrupt the bodies of men here below so causing death to carry them away Thus he imagins death issuing out of the clouds as out of opened gates upon men on earth But that 's a far fetcht interpretation Secondly Oâ—hers go to the utmost contrary point and say by the gates of death we are to understand Hell The Papists give a description of several receptacles for souls departed under the earth they make at least three distinctions First Limbus Patrum The place where they affiâ—m the souls of the Fathers were before Christ came in the flesh and had accomplished the work of our redemption here on earth Secondly Purgatory the place where the souls of all that die not in mortal sin as they distinguish are reserved to be purged by temporary punishments before they can get to heaven Thirdly The lowest of all is that which we call Hell the place of the damned whither all go say they and we too who die in sin without repentance This place of torment some take for the gates of death But seeing the Lord is here speaking of natural things not of moral actions not of the consequents of them rewards and punishments therefore though we may truly call Hell the gates or power of death yet that notion as well as the former is altogether heterogeneal in this Text. Thirdly Several expound the gates of death in connection with the former verse for the depth or bottom of the sea where many dead carcases lie rotting all such as are cast away by shipwracks or die at sea being usually thrown into the deep and therefore at last the sea shall give up her dead as well as the earth Fourthly The gates of death
thy labour to hâ—m This latter part of the Verse is of the same importance with the former yet I shall touch a little upon it Wilt thou leave thy labour to him Labour is taken in Scripture two ways First For the very act of labour Jacob said Gen. 31.42 God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands God knows said he to Laban what pains I have taken what hard work I have been at in thy service and how hard he had been at work he told Laban ver 40. Thus I was in the day the drought consumed me and the frost by night and my sleep departed from me To such hard work in spirituals the Apostle exhorts Be stedfast and unmoveable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Labor à radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 laboravit defatigatus fuit always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 The word in the Text which we render labour signifieth a labouring to weariness or a labour which causeth weariness Strong labour diligent labour wearieth a strong man and though an industrious person is not weary of his labour yet he may be wearied with his labour yea the more industrious he is in labouring the sooner he may be wearied with his labour Secondly Labour is taken sometimes for the fruit of labour or for that which is got by labour the reward and wages given and received for work and service done is called labour Psal 128.2 Thou shalt eat the labour of thy hands No man can eat the acts of his labour but every man should eat the fruit of his labour labour brings in bread and that bread is sweetest which comes in by labour The Lord threateneth his people Deut. 28.33 strangers shall eat thy labour that is the encrease that comes in or hath been gotten by thy labour even that which thou hast laboured for And it was a mercy bestowed by the Lord upon his Israel Psal 105.44 that they inhâ—rited the labour of the people that is they dwelt in the houses which they had built and enjoyed the gardens which they had planted reaped the fields which they the Heathen had sowed In a word they had the fruit of all their labours Some understand the word here in this latter sence Wilt thou leave thy labour unto him that is Fruges tuas labore tuo partas Pisc wilt thou allow him any of the fruit of thy ground seeing he refuseth to work in thy ground surely thou wilt not Labouring cattel have somewhat for their labour they share in those good things which are the product of their labour 1 Cor. 9.9 Thou shalt not muzzel the Oxe that treadeth out the corn But though it is a truth that labouring cattel eat of and are fed with the fruit of their labour yet here by labour I understand the very act of labour not the fruit of it Wilt thou leave thy labour to him that is wilt thou leave thy business with him wilt thou trust him with thy Plow or with thy Harrow And consider the dependance if thou darest not trust him then thou wilt not leave thy labour unto him Note hence First It is not Wisdom to leave our work to such as we cannot trust Our work will be ill done or half done or not done at all by those that we cannot trust We trust those much to whom we leave our business and there are three things requisite in those to whom we leave it First That they have strength and ability for it there is a necessity of that No wise man will trust or leave his business with him that hath no strength to do it no ability for it Secondly That they be subject and obedient to us No wise man will leave his business in the hand of those who acknowledge no obedience nor subjection to him how much strength soever they have An unsubmitting strength will work against us rather than for us Thirdly That they be faithful No man will leave his business to a person of strength and in subjection to him if he be not honest to him Solomon hath sufficienâ—ly caution'd us against trusting such while he saith Prov. 25.19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble 't is true also in time of peace is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joynt A bâ—oken tooth cannot chew our meat and a foot out of joynt can worse go a journey an unfaithful man will prove a worser servant to us than the worst of these And as it is thus among men they will not leave their business with an Unicorn with one that hath strength but yeilds no subjection nor ever shewed any faithfulness so God will not leave his labour his work and service to such as are like the Unicorn he will not leave it in such hands as have great ability to carry it through yet want obedience to his will and faithfulness in his work There must be a concurrence of these three strength subjection and faithfulness in all those to whom the Lord God the God only wise will leave his labour or commit the doing of any service for him But where these three meet and center in any person strength of body and mind submission of will and faithfulness to a work how great things may they do in the service whether of God or Man Secondly Observe A will a mind to work or a wâ—lling mind to work is better than great strength As the Unicorn with his great strength so they who are like the Unicorn in strength may do little or nothing But they that have only a little strength and a mind to be doing have done and may do much Little strength is a kind of weakness yet where there is a willing mind weakness will do more than great strength without a willing mind We have a common saying John is a good servant when Will is at home Willingness to work works better than bare strength We have this conclusion Neh. 4.6 So built we the wall Nehemiah spake there of the Jews return'd from Babylon And all the wall was joyned together unto the half thereof For the people had a mind or as the Hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an heart to work The wall of a great City being soon raised half up the reason given was because they had a mind to work The Jews at that time were a people under so much weakness that the enemies jâ—ar'd them with it ver 2. What will these feeble Jews do will they fortifie themselves will they sacrifice will they make an end in a day will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish c. Will they work miracles remove mountains But how feeble soever they were the work went on amain For the people had a mind a heart to work Though they were no Unicorns no people of great strength though they were feeble Jews yet they
bad men and that 's the first Case Secondly When good men are vexed oppressed and trodden under feet as mire in the streets what risings of heart and what unsatisfiedness of spirit is there in many good men In both these Cases there is much contending with God though in both our hearts upon many accounts should acquiesce and rest in the will of God who in the former doth not declare himself a friend to evil men nor doth he in the latter declare himself an enemy to those who are good But seeing there is a spirit in man even to contend with God let us watch our selves in this thing that such thoughts rise not or let us carefully suppress them as soon as they are risen It is good for us and our duty to keep down the Contendings of our hearts with men for we are very apt to be out with one another 'T is sad to see breaches the fruit of heart-burnings between man and man But much more should we keep down those contendings yea qâ—ench the first sparkes which may kindle heart-burnings about the works of God for they may soon come to be Contendings with him For the close of thiâ— point take these four Considerations which may move all sorts of men to watch their hearts against Contendings with God whether as to his dealings in the world or with themselves First Remember Whatsoever the Lord doth he may do for he is an absolutely sovereign Lord and therefore not to be contended with about any thing he doth because no way accountable for any thing he doth as hath been shewed upon several occasions offered in opening this Book He is Lord of our being and hath given to all life breath and all things as the Apostle told the superstitious Athenians Acts 17.25 and may not he do what he will to all beings in whom all have their being and who hath given all things to all which concern that being He is our Maker and hath not the potter power over the clay to do what he will with it Hath not the Creator power over the creature to dispose of it as he pleaseth Isa 45.9 Let the potsheard strive with the potsheards of the earth If any will be striving let them strive with their like potsheards with potsheards not potsheards with the potter to whom they are so unlike The Lord used no other aâ—gument but this to quiet all Psal 46.10 Be still and know that I am God remember that and you will either not begin or quickly have done contending with God Yet in that Psalm the Lord is represented making most dreadful work Come behold the works of the Lord what desolations he hath made on the earth Though God make that which was as a garden to become a desolate wilderness yet contend not with him be still and know that he is God Secondly Remember whatsoever work the Lord makes in the world it is all righteous workâ— there is nothing amiss in it He is a rock said Moses Deut. 32.4 His work is perfect for all his wayes are judgements not as judgements are opposed to mercies but to injustice as it followeth in that verse a God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he To this David gives witness Psal 145.17 The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works Not only is he righteous and holy in this and that way or work but in all his wayes and works in wayes of judgement as well as in wayes of mercy in wayes of destruction as well as in wayes of salvation He is righteous in pulling down as well as in building up in rooting up as well as in planting Now if there be a righteousness in all the wayes and works of God who shall contend with him about any of his wayes or works Thirdly All the works of God have an infinite wisdom in them they are done wisely even in exactest wisdom and shall we fools contend with him who is not onely a wise God but the God onely wise Rom. 16.27 and all whose works are done in and according to the Idea or platforme of his own infinite and eternal wisdom The foolishness of God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 1.25 is wiser than men that is the wisest men are meer fools to God or that work of God which some men call foolishness is infinitely more wisely done than the wisest work that the wisest men in the world ever did or can do with all their wisdome Fourthly Let all that fear and love God especially take heed of contending with God about any of his works for God is good to all such in all his works and all his works are good to such Shall any contend with God about that which is for their own good Not onely are those works of God good to such which are good in themselves that is which we call good being favourable providences and for our comfort and support in this world but even those works of God which we call cross providences or providences which bring the Crosse with them are all good to such even to all them that love God and are the called according to his purpose Rom. 8.28 Shall they contend with God about any thing who hear and may be assured that he hath an intendment of good to them in all things Psal 73.1 Truly God is good to Israel that is though he afflicts them and the Cup be very bitter which he gives them to drink yet he is good to them Or thus Truly God not the world or though the world be not is good to Israel Once more we may take the Psalmist thus Truly God is good to Israel not so as to them to the world though as it followeth in the Psalme they enjoy never so much worldly good These Considerations may perswade all not to contend with God about his works to which I shall adde onely this counsel If the works of God are grievous to us at any time let us go the right way to work in our Contendings with him For I do not urge this point as if we should sit still and let the Lord alone as he seemingly said to Moses Exod. 32.10 when he dealeth out hard and grievous things to us There is a contending with God by supplication and prayer by mourning and humiliation this becomes us when the works of God are hard when they are breaking desolating scattering and afflictive towards us Take heed of discontent with providence yet wrestle and contend earnestly with God by prayer when providences go hard with you or with the whole Israel of God Moses in a holy manner assaulted God and contended with him in that case and therefore the Lord said to him in the place last mentioned Let me alone as we say to a man that contends and strives with us Let me alone Moses was contending with the Lord about that dispensation but it was in a gracious way and so may we yea so must we The Lord
own personal afflictions and when under sad dispensations All this is as it were a speaking in the whirlwind And he speaks graciously winningly and comfortably or to the hearts of his people even when he leads them into the wilderness Hos 2.14 The Apostle saith Knowing the terror of the Lord we perswade men that is we perswade men by the terror of the Lord and so knowing the goodness and the mercy of the Lord we perswade men that is we perswade them by the goodness the mercy of the Lord. I saith the Apostle Rom 12.1 beseech you by the mercies of God present your bodies c. Of some we must have compassion making a difference others save with fear Jude vers 22.23 that is we must put them in fear that they may be saved or as I may say scare and fright them to heaven Secondly Consider who it is that the Lord spake to in a whirlwind he spake to Job and who was Job surely a very godly man a man that feared God a man that had a very noble testimony from God himself and yet here God spake to Job himself in a whirlwind Hence Note The best of men may sometimes need the terrible appearances of God to humble them and to bring them to a due confession of their sins Certainly God would not have spoken to Job in a whirlwind if there had not been cause for it he would not have spoken twice in a whirlwind if there had not been double cause for it The Apostle Peter saith 1 Eph. 1.6 Ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations that is afflictions and trials if need be We should never feel any affliction from the hand of God never be in heaviness if there were not need There is need that the holiest in this world should sometimes be made heavy or that heaviness should be upon them for a time We should always have calms and fair weather never any storms nor tempests nor whirlwinds from God did not our needs call for it As we every day need bread which is therefore called by Christ our daily bread so most days we need a rod either the rod of his mouth to reprove us or the rod of his hand to chasten us And we do so especially for these reasons First To bring us into a deep sence of our own vileness to humble us to lay us low Secondly To make greater impressions upon our hearts of the power and soveraignty of God of the holiness and righteousness of God It is that we might know our selves more and that we might know God more that God speaks to us in whirlwinds in terrible dispensations Further As this is a second whirlwind as it is a second speaking to Job a good man in a whirlwind Observe God will not give over terrible dispensations and appearances till he hath brought man to his purpose God hath an end a purpose in every work and every work of his goeth on till he hath attained his purpose As the word which goeth out of the Lords mouth shall not return unto him void but shall accomplish that which he pleaseth and prosper in the thing whereto he sends it Isa 55.11 So the work which God takes in hand shall not be in vain but shall prosper to the purpose for which he undertakes it Now if any ask what is the purpose of God in whirlwind dispensations that was shewed before even to make us more humble and to have higher thoughts of God in every respect But some may say Job had very low thoughts of himself before he had said I am vile doubtless Job spake this in great humility why then doth the Lord speak to Job in a whirlwind again seeing he was truly humbled at his first speaking I answer Though Job was humbled yet he was not humbled enough he was not yet laid low enough nor melted down enough and therefore God spake to him in a whirlwind again It would not serve his turn barely to say I am vile God must have more of him than that he must make a fuller confession of his fault than that God brought him at last to say I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes which is a description of deepest humiliation Now because Job was not come to that but had only said I am vile though there was matter of great humiliation in that the Lord questions with him again in a whirlwind This should be of great consideration to us in any day of affliction For if God hath not his purpose in bringing the first affliction we shall be spoken to in a whirlwind a second time We are apt to wonder and think it strange that God should speak terribly to us so often that he should renew our afflictions and make us new crosses We think if we do but make a light confession of our sins and say we are vile presently the storm should cease and the affliction be removed Let us not deceive our selves Job had said he was vile yet God continued the storm because he was not yet low enough 'T is not enough for us that we are truly humbled As there must be truth in our humiliation so there must be depth in it for questionless when Job said before I am vile he did not dissemble with God he was hearty in it and spake his heart what he spake was from his very soul and in sincerity he did not complement with God he did not flatter God with his mouth nor lie unto him with his tongue as the Israelites did Psal 78.36 his heart was right with God as theirs was not ver 37. yet because his spirit was not come down as it should therefore he must be awakened and humbled more with another whirlwind he must be further school'd that he might give further glory to God in his own abasement And hence we may infer If the Lord spake thus to Job and may speak thus terribly to any good man once and again Then with what terror in how dreadful a whirlwind will God at last speak to all the wicked of the world If he spake out of a whirlwind to a Job a gracious godly man what will that whirlwind be out of which he will speak to a Pharoah to prophane and hard-hearted sinners As our Lord Jesus Christ said of himself in the Gospel If it be thus done to a green tree what shall be done to the dry If God hath whirlwinds for his Jobs for his own people who are as green flourishing trees in grace and holiness what will he do with the dry sticks of the world And I may argue it as the Apostle doth 1 Pet. 4.13 If judgment begin at the house of God what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel what shall their end be no man is able to say no nor to conceive how sad it will be Judgment begins at the house of God God will not spare his own house not his own houshold he will not
faint Note When God intends and purposeth to humble his people most he would not have them despair in the least When God layes them in the dust he would not have them sink in despair but be of good cheer God loves to see his people humbled but he doth not love to see them dejected As God would have us sensible so comfortable Comfort ye comfort ye my people said the Lord Isa 40.1 when he saw they were ready to sink he commanded comfort to be spoken to them He gives Cordials and Restoratives when he is speaking out of a whirlwind and therefore he said to Job Gird up thy loyns like a man But however the Lord is either counselling or comforting Job in these words he checks and reproves him in the next Verse 8. Wilt thou also disanul my Judgement wilt thou condemn me that thou mayest be righteous These are words of reproof and a very great reproof they are Here the Lord begins to chide and expostulate with Job Wilt thou 'T is a quick kind of speech Irritum facere est simplex verbum contrarium verbo confirmandi aut natum firmumque aliquid faciendi such Questions have much spirit and life in them How now Job Wilt thou disanul my Judgement But what is meant by disanulling what by the Judgement that God saith Job was about to disanul To disanul is to make void to frustrate to break a thing so as it shall not stand in any stead or be of any force it is applied to the breaking of an Oath to the breaking of a Covenant and to the disappointment of counsels and purposes Read Num. 30.14 15. 1 Kings 15.19 Jer. 35.20 Psal 33.10 11. Isa 8.10 Thus saith the Lord Wilt thou disanul or make void my Judgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ne repellas judicium meum Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Numquid repelles judicium meum Symach The Septuagint render it as a Negative Command Do not thou repel or resist my Judgement An ancient Greek Translator renders it as we by way of Question What wilt thou repel or oppose my Judgement The word is applied to great sinnings Ezra 9.13 And after all this that is come upon us c. seeing our God hath given us such deliverance as this should we again break thy Commandements c. But did Ezra think that after that they should no more break the Commandements Taking a breach of the Commandements barely for sinning he could not expresse it so therefore by breaking the Commandements he means disanulling the Commandements What is that 'T is so to break the Commandements as if we would rescind and repeal them There is such a kind of sinning as if men would not onely sin against the Law but sin the Law away or out of doors as if men would sin the Bible out of the world that 's the meaning of the word there If we shall again break thy Commandements for it followeth and joyn in affinity with the people of these abominations 'T is not breaking the Commandements by any sin but to sin so as if we would make them all void and reverse the statutes of heaven Thus the word is used by David Psal 119.126 An etiam mutabis judicium meum Targ. which doth much clear the sense of this Text Lord it is time for thee to work Why for they have made void thy law 'T is the same word here in Job They have disanulled thy law 'T is high time for God to awake to bestir himself and look to men when they come to this height of sinning to make void and disanul his Law by setting up their own lusts Some would even enact their own lusts and throw down the Law of God That 's the significancy of the word here used saith God to Job Wilt thou disanul my Judgement Wilt thou make it void or break the course of it Wilt thou change it and put or introduce somewhat of thine own in the room and place of it as some glosse the words Wilt thou disanul My judgement Judgement I conceive in this place is taken for that course of administration which God uses in the World whether with particular persons or with Nations As if the Lord had said Thinkest thou thy self not only able to comprehend the reason of all my administrations towards thy self or others but wilt thou also presume to subject them to thy will and wisdom as if thou couldst administer them with more equality and righteousness or to better purpose than I have done The course or way of Gods dispensation is Gods Judgement and 't is called his Judgement First Because it proceeds upon the highest reason upon the clearest acting of Judgement and understanding and in that sense 't is alwayes Judgement For God is a God of Judgement Isa 30.18 That is of the highest reason and understanding in all matters that he doth Secondly 'T is called Judgement because oftentimes these administrations are as a sentence pronounced and given out by God whether against particular persons or Kingdomes and so have Judgement in them that is wrath and punishment Judgement is often put for punishment In this sense we are to understand it here Wilt thou disanul my Judgement particularly with thy self I have taken this course with thee I have brought all these afflictions upon thee I have broken thy estate I have broken thy body I have broken thy spirit this is the course I have taken with thee wilt thou disanul this course that I have taken with thee surely thou shouldest not I know thou canst not So then the Lord expostulates thus with Job as if he would have crossed all his proceedings and dealings with him or would have rescinded as it were the sentence and decree of God concerning him Wouldest thou have me to change either the matter manner or measure of thy chastnings No my will not thine shall be the rule of them Wilt thou disanul my Judgement Now from this sense of the words Note First It is impossible to reverse rescind or disanul the Judgement of God The Lord speaks to Job as attempting a thing beyond himself or beyond his power What saith the Lord wilt thou disanul my judgement surely thou wilt not venture at that thou wilt not offer that 't is more than thou or any man can do The Lords judgement or the way which he will take with any man no man can supersede or stop no man can hinder him in it What the Lord determines what he gives forth it shall stand Balaam could say Numb 23.20 The Lord hath blessed and I cannot reverse it The judgement of the Lord at that time towards Israel was a Judgement or Sentence of favour and mercy therefore saith Balaam The Lord hath blessed and I cannot reverse it And if the Lord gives out a Sentence of affliction or commands a crosse upon any man who shall reverse it Psal 33.10 The Counsel of the Lord shall stand and the thoughts of
him I look upon the proud man and bring him low now let me see you do so too Canst thou with a look only abate their pride and bring down the pomp of man Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath Hence note First There is wrath in God God knoweth how to cast forth his wrath as well as to send forth his love Habet ira Domini suam energiam nunquam egreditur vana or shed it abroad as the Apostles word is Rom. 5.5 in the hearts of his justified ones by the holy Ghost which is given unto them The wrath of God saith the same Apostle Rom. 1.18 is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness The wrath of God is such as we can neither First withstand nor Secondly avoid there 's no out-running no making an escape from it but only by Jesus Christ and therefore the Apostle gives that glory to him alone 1 Thess 1.10 Even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come There is a wrath to come which God will scatter over all this sinful wicked world blessed are they that are delivered from it Yea not only is there wrath in God but a fierceness of wrath terrible wrath such as will cause the wicked as was said before to run into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth Isa 2.19 Let us mind this wrath and the fierceness of it and let us bless the Lord who hath sent Jesus Christ â—o deliver us from this wrath and from the fierceness of it When wrath shall be cast abroad upon the wicked world that it falls not upon the godly is the fruit of highest and freest love And though they sip of the cup yet that they drink not the dregs of it is rich mercy Psal 75.98 In the hand of the Lord there is a cup and the wine is red it is full of mixture and he powreth out the same in this powring out possibly a godly man may drink somewhat of it especially in a time of common calamity but the dregs thereof all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and drink them It is of the Lords mercy and because his compassions fail not that we are delivered from the fierceness of his wrath and from drinking the very dregs of the cup of his displeasure Consider further upon whom this wrath will be exercised Cast forth the rage of thy wrath behold every one that is proud and abase him This the Lord bids Job do to shew what himself usually doth Hence note First The Lord takes special notice of proud persons He beholds them he locks upon them As it is said Saul 1 Sam. 18.9 He eyed David from that day forward that is which was his great sin he cast a revengeful envious eye upon him Thus when the holy God seeth wicked men gâ—ow lofty and proud he eyeth and beholdeth them from that very day with an eye of just revenge or with a purpose to break them and be revenged on them God beholds them as I may say with an evil eye that is with an intent to bring evil upon them He saith David Psal 138.6 knoweth the proud afar off As it is said of the Father of the humbled Prodigal in the Parable Luke 15. When he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion So God quickly spies out a proud man even a great way off and hath indignation against him or as we may rather expound the Psalm He knoweth the proud afar off that is a proud man shall never come near him he will not admit him into his presence much less into his imbraces To be known afar off is to be far from the favourable or respectful knowledge of God yea to those whom the Lord knows afar off in this world he will say in the next I never knew you depart from me ye workers of iniquity Mat. 7.23 Secondly Note God is able to and will cast down proud men That which he would have Job do he himself as was said usually doth He beholdeth the proud and abaseth them he layeth them low Nebuchadnezzar that proud Monarch was brought to that confession Dan. 4.37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and honour and extol the King of Heaven all whose works are true and his ways judgment and those that walk in pride he is able to abase If men will be proud and lofty the Lord both knoweth very well how and is able very easily to bring them down And as he knows how and is able to deal with proud men so he desires and delights to deal with them above all sorts of sinners his greatest contests are with the proud Isa 2.12 13 14. The day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty and upon every one that is lifted up in his own conceit especially and he shall be brought low and upon all the Cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up and upon all the Oaks of Bashan and upon all the high mountains c. What meaneth the Prophet by these is the Lord angry with trees and mountains These are but the shadows of great and proud men the day of the Lord shall be upon every one of them and his hand will be heavy upon them in that day Proud men look upon themselves much above others but as God is above them so he loves to shew himself ahove them especially when they shew out their pride As Jethroe said to Moses Exod. 18.9 11. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them God sheweth himself above all when he acts above proud men and acts them down in their proudest actings And as the Lord delights to bring proud men down so he will certainly do it he is resolved upon it He looketh upon every one that is proud to abase him The Angels that fell were proud they kept not their first estate but left their habitation they did not like the state wherein God had placed them and therefo e God cast them down and he hath reserved them in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day Jude 6. When man in Paradise began to be proud and would be more than God made him God made him above all earthly creatures but he would be as God as his Creator he would be as it were the founder of his own happiness pride and unbelief at once took hold of him and led him to his sin-fall and then followed his fall his judgment-fall God cast him down God abased him and not only that proud man but man-kind for his pride they being in him his pride was theirs And to this day God hath all along set his face against all proud men and the pride
pride of the Assyrian put him upon other sins upon oppression especially he could not keep at home nor be contented with his own Dominion thâ—ugh a very large and vast one he must go abroad and invade other mens Territories his pride sent him to do mischief and he enlarged his desire as hell Proud men must oppress and wrong others to bring in fewel for their own lusts Pride calls in aid from many sins to serve its turn Lastly If Pride provokes God if he looketh upon every one that is proud to abase him and bring him low then how should we labour to be humble ones that the Lord may look upon us with a favourable eye and so he doth upon all them that walk humbly with him As God resisteth the proud so he giveth grace to the humble that is favour The humble shall have his favour and the proud his frowns As to do justly and to love mercy is the sum of all duty to man so to walk humbly is the sum of all duty to God Mic. 6.8 They who walk humbly walk not onely holily but safely They who are low in their own eyes are under the special protection of the high God The Lord having called upon Job to shew the effect of his wrath against one sort of bad men the proud calleth upon him in the next words to shew the effects of his wrath upon all sorts of bad men comprehended under this general word The wicked And tread down the wicked in their place The Lord bids Job do this if he could indeed he could not that he might shew himself a competent match for God As if the Lord had said I tread down the wicked in their places do thou so too if thou canst God had said before Abase every one that is proud and bring him low now he saith Tread down the wicked Tread them down As mire in the street We tread upon vile and contemptible things To tread upon any tâ—ing a person especially notes utter contempt of him and abâ—olute conquest over him and therefore Josh 10.24 to shew the compleat victory which the Lords people had goâ— over the Kings of Canaan Joshua called for all the men of Israel and said unto the Captains of the men of war which went with him Come near put your feet upon the necks of these Kings and they came near and put their feet upon the necks of them And that 's it which the Apostle gives in way of promise as an assurance of our conquest over the evil spirit the devil Rom. 16.20 God shall bruise we put in the Margin tread the Greek word signiâ—ies to bruise by treading God shall tread Satan under your feet shortly that is God will give you a full and a final victory over the devil We have a like expression or promise Psal 91.13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet God will give his people power not onely over hurtful beasts but over men which are hurtful as those beasts and over Satan who is eminently shadowed by the Lion the Adder the young Lion and the Dragon in that evil spirit all these evil beasts are trodden under feet that is subdued and conquered When David would shew how he in case he were faulty was willing to be made a very slave to his enemies he phrases it thus Psal 7.5 Let the enemy persecute my soul and take it yea let him tread down my life upon the earth and lay mine honour in the dust that is let him have full power over me let me be at his mercy though he be mercilesse Once more saith the Church Psal 44.5 Through thee will we push down our enemies through thy name will we tread them down that rise up against us Thus the Lord bespake Job Come saith he Let me see you tread down the wicked get an absolute conquest over them that they may rise up no more in this world to do wickedly Tread down The wicked The word wicked is often taken largely so every man in a sinful state may be called a wicked man every person unconverted or unregenerate every person that hath not true grace is wicked There is no middle estate among men between good and bad converted and unconverted yet here the wicked are not to be taken onely in a large sense for sinners in common but strictly First For the proud before spoken of There the Lord said abase the proud here he saith Tread down the wicked that is the wicked who are proud To be wicked and to be proud are the same For as most wicked men are proud so all proud men are wicked for pride it self is a great wickednesse and it is pride that causeth most men to do wickedly even to rebel against God and his righteous laws to rise up against his wayes and truths When we have said of a man he is proud if we have not said all evil we have said one of the worst evils of him and that which layes him open as to suffer the worst penal evils so to do the worst sinful evils Secondly If we take the words distinctly as we may then by the wicked are meant grosse and flagitious sinners notorious sinners for though as I said before any one that hath not grace may be called wicked yet properly and in Scripture sense wicked ones are notorious presumptuous and flagitious sinners such as sin with a high hand and with a stiffe neck Thirdly By the wicked we may especially understand oppressors who are troublesome and vexatious to others As some are wicked in taking their own pleasure and in satisfying their vain desires so many are wicked in vexing afflicting and oppressing others The Hebrew word for a wicked man signifies such a one as is both unquiet himself and will not suffer others to be quiet In any of or in all these three notions we may expound the word wicked here the wicked are proud ones or notorious evil ones or oppressors of others Tread down the wicked In their place The Hebrew is Vnder them The word also signifieth as we render a proper place and that 's considerable Tread them down in their place The Lord doth not say in thy place but in their place which may note these two things First Wheresoever thou findest them tread them down Secondly In their place that is where they flourish most where they are best rooted or most strongly secured where they have the greatest advantages and strengths to save them harmlesse That is specially a mans place Non est difficile superbum hominem petentem in alieno loco superare quia in eo minus habet potentiae Sanct. where he seateth and hopes to settle himself Now saith God Tread them down in their place I do so I destroy the wicked when and where they think themselves safest where they think no hand can touch them nor arm reach them there my foot shall tread
we are well fitted for mercy alwayes before we have merited or deserved it But saith not David Psal 88.13 Vnto thee have I cryed O Lord and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee Here David seemed to be afore-hand with God Who hath prevented me saith God yet David said My prayer shall prevent thee The meaning is only this That David would pray very early and very earnestly or that David would watch unto prayer and so if possible even prevent God not that his prayers did indeed prevent God but he was resolved to set so hard to and sit so close at the duty of prayer that if such a thing could be he would even prevent him he would as we may say take God before he was awake as the Psalmist spake elsewhere Arise O God why sleepest thou Their prayer may be said to prevent God who pray early and earnestly according to that of David Psal 5.3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up And again Psal 119.140 Mine eyes prevent the night watches He was at it very early he sought the Lord very diligently That 's all we are to understand by such expressions for the Lord is then afore-hand with us in mercies when we are most early and most instant in our duties The Lord who is the beginning and the end and who knows the end of all things from the beginning often gives us our end or what we aimed at in prayer before we begin Thirdly Note God is self-sufficient he can do his whole work alone Take it in the instance of the Text he needs no help to create Leviathan nor needs he the help of any creature to destroy Leviathan what he made without help he can as I may say unmake make without help The Lord who is all-sufficient to do any work or bring what he pleaseth to pass for us is also self-sufficient or able to do any work or what he pleaseth for himself that is to please himself It is a great honour to God that he can command what he will and whom he will to help him in any of his works but it is a far greater honour to the great God that he needs not any help to do or bring about any of his works When the Apostle had said Who hath given to him and it shall be recompenced unto him again Rom. 11.35 He presently gives this reason which is the point in hand ver 36. For of him are all things that is he is the sole efficient of all things all things are from him as from the first principle or mover and he orders all things as it followeth in the same verse through him are all things Deus est omnè modo omnium rerum causa 1. Causa efficiens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Causa administrans 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. Causa finalis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad quem omnia quasi in circulum redeunt As of him are all things in their constitution so through him are all things in their dispensation We have the work of creation in the first part of the verse Of him are all things and the work of providence in the latter Through him are all things that is he dispenceth and disposeth all things And thus spake the same Apostle to the great Philosophers at Athens Acts 17.28 In him we live and move and have our being As if it had been said Of him are all things and through him are all things and therefore to him are all things All creatures turn about as in a circle to their Creator all things end in him or he is the end of all as all things began in him and by him This truth is a spring of comfort and consolation to all the faithful or from this general head many streams flow which may both instruct and comfort the City of God From hence we may learn or be instructed First Creatures one or other men or Angels cannot merit any thing at the hand of God Man gives God nothing but what he first receives from him for who hath prevented him therefore there 's no merit preventing-mercy excludes and shuts it out of doors Secondly which followeth upon that God is debtor to no creature he oweth us nothing we owe him all Deus factus est debitor non aliquid à nobis accipiendo sed quod ei placuit promitiendo Aug. de verb. Dom. Ser. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nihil aliud est quam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deus enim propriè non retribuit sed tribuit Who hath prevented me saith God If we have any thing we have it from him but he hath nothing from us therefore we are in his books he is not at all in ours All that God is indebted to us is by his promises which proceed freely from himself we receive no good upon the worthiness of what we have done but because he hath assured us we shall receive good if we do good so and so or are such and such God gives us much but retributes us nothing all his rewards are free gifts or pure alms Thirdly God can do no creature any wrong Man hath no right to any thing he hath inherent in or arising from himself nor hath man obliged God at all to give him any thing therefore he can do man no wrong how little soever he gives him or how much soever he takes from him So that if any man shall say he will not contend with me by right but by might and shall complain that something is taken from him which he would not or not given him which he would what right hath any man to plead with God upon who hath no right to any thing but by the gift of God Fourthly Then the grace of God to man is altogether free Many expound this Scripture as denying the fore-sight of mans works or worthiness of his faith or perseverance in grace as to the grace of Election God did not elect us because he foresaw any worthiness in us Nemo ut divina illum subsequatur gratia prius aliquid contulit Deo si ergo electi praeveniente se gratia sequuntur reprobi juxta quod merentur accipiunt de miserecordia inveniunt electi quod laudent de justitia non habent reprobi quod accusent Bene igitur dicitur quis ante dedit Greg. nor will he save us upon the desert of any thing done by us The foundation-stone of Election and the top-stone of Salvation are laid in free grace Fifthly We have no reason to be discouraged what deficiency soever we see in the creature as to any thing we desire God should do for us forasmuch as none have prevented God either with counsel or assistance in any of those great things which he hath already done either for our selves or others What cannot he do for us alone who made Heaven and
of counsel Great dangers even unhinge our reason and put it out of place The Disciples of Christ in a storm Mat. 8.25 were not only like men at their wits end but almost at their faiths end too crying out Lord save us we perish if thou help us not we are all undone And he said why are ye fearful O ye of little faith There is nothing but faith can keep down the prevailings of fear in great or prevailing dangers breakings and when once we are at our faiths end in a time of extremity we shall soon be at our wits end also yea even quite out of our wits A faithless man is no match for little fears he that hath but a little faith or is a man of little faith may soon be over-matcht with great ones As perfect love either the actings of our perfect love to God or the evidence and apprehensions of the perfect love of God to us casteth out fear 1 Joh. 4.18 that is all that fear which hath torment in it so also doth perfect faith in God that is a strong a well-foundation'd and a well and high-built faith 'T is either for want of faith or for some want in faith that mighty men by reason of breakings are not only afraid but wander as uncertain of their way That 's the first reading Secondly We say They purifie themselves What 's that there are two interpretations of this translation First Some interpret it of a bodily distemper Quando mare fluctibus intumescit nausea â—boritur qui sunt in navi fere vomuâ—â— stomachum purguntes Drus Alvum solvit Bez. Rab. Levi. coming upon the mighty by reason of their fear In storms at sea passengers purge their stomacks usually by vomiting and sometimes by stool Thus I say some expound this Text that through extreamity of fear they are surprised with a suddein loosness The Prophet speaking of a dreadful day saith Ezek. 7.17 All knees shall be feeble we put in the Margin All knees shall go into the water the meaning is as all interpreters give it they shall not be able to hold there water And as some upon a suddain assault of fear cannot hold their water so neither can others their ordure The reason of it is plain in nature fear making a great dissipation of spirits weakens the retentive faculty Some look upon this as a sense too low and mean for the intendment of this place though in it self a truth And therefore 't is enough to mention it nor ought it to be left unmentioned seeing it may humble us to consider unto what pitiful exigents mighty ones may be brought when surprised with dangers But Secondly I conceive and upon that I shall insist these words Vox 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Piet Hiphtael expiationem à peccato importat unde vertitur expiabunt se seu paenitentiam agent remissionem à Deo petent praesenti mortis discrimino teriti Scult They purifie themselves are rather to be taken morally that is mighty men when they see themselves in such danger mighty Leviathan raising himself breaking all before him what do they they purifie themselves that is they betake themselves to prayer and repentance and then they will purifie themselves in all hast by confessing and vowing to put away their sins then they will in all hast make their peace with God this is a good interpretation And the word which we translate here to purifie is applied to this spiritual purifying by confessing of sin and tuâ—ning to God and promises of amendment Psalm 51.7 Purge or purifie me with hysop and I shall be clean only there 't is Gods act here mans But as God doth purge us by pardon so we may be said to purge our selves by repentance and earnest suing to God for pardon And how usual is it even with bad men when they are in great danger when they see nothing but death before them then to fall a praying and repenting then to confess their sins and promise amendment or to become new men Thus by reason of breakings when all is ready to be broken loft and spoiled they purifie themselves Hence Observe In great dangers which threaten present death or undoing at least even common men will confess their sins and make great shews or semblances of repentance When the mighty are afraid when they are in trouble and misery then they cry to God for mercy and cry out upon their sins as the procuring cause of their miseries and troubles How good how godly will they be for a fit and it may work further in a day of evil It is said of the Marriners in a storm Psal 107.28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their distresses Even such Marriners as seldom think of God nor pray to him in a calm being in a storm fall a praying they purifie thomselves Now they are for repentance now they will cast their sins over-board seing themselves almost swallowed up by the raging sea Thus Jon. 1.4 5. When the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea and there was a mighty tempest in the sea so that the ship was like to be broken Then the Marriners were afraid that was the first effect which the tempest wrought in them and what was the next that was a fit of devotion They cryed every man to his God Now they purified themselves by repentance and prayer Were not these Marriners grown very good when beset with evil Thus many pray repent make lamentations over their sins take up resolutions against their sins in a storm then or thus even carnal ignorant common men will purifie themselves in times of great danger We say well true repentances is never too late but late repentance is seldome true We may say also Repentance in a storm is good but repentance in a storm it not always good real dangers may produce but false feniged and forced repentance And they who repent only when they are in or because they are in a storm were never good as yet nor will they continue in that goodness which then they make shew of As a godly man purifies himself when he sees a storm so he purifies himself in a calm too or when he is in greatest safety And if we do not purifie our selves in a calm as well as in a storm our repentance is but the repentance of Heathen Marriners Be in a calm what you are in a storm be when you see Lambs what you were when you see or saw Leviathans Secondly Observe It is a duty to repent when we see great dangers or as the Text speaks great breakings To be sure we ought to repent in a time of trouble We are to repent at all times but then most Be careful you leave not that work undone at any time but do it very carefully at such a time It is said of those that were scorched with great heat Revel 16.9 they blasphemod the Name of God which hath power over
himself down to speak and treat with dust and ashes What a wonder is it that the Lord of Heaven and Earth should admit and enter into a parly with man who is but a well-shaped clod of Earth Solomon was in a kind of amazement at the mercy when he said at the Dedication of the Temple 1 Kings 8.22 But will God indeed dwell on Earth And may not we that God should come down to confer with an afflicted bed-rid man on Earth I know some are of opinion that the Lord spake by an Angel to Job however here was the Lords presence it was Jehovah who manifested himself to Job what Ministry soever he used Thus the Lord is pleased often to interpose in the case and cause of his afflicted servants though we see him not nor have such formal apparitions as here in the Text. The Lord the high and lofty One who dwelleth in the high and holy Place dwelleth also with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit and be dwelleth with him to revive him Isa 57.15 Therefore surely he manifests himself to him in his loving-kindness which is better than life and the very life of our lives The Lord who hath Heaven for his Throne and the Earth his footstool saith by the same prophet Isa 66.1 2. To this man will I look and lest any should take this man to be one of the mighty ones of this world he giveth us both a signal specification and clear character of this man to whom he looketh even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and that trembleth at my Word And if the Lord look to such a man if he vouchsafe him his gracious â—ye doubtless he also reveals himself graciously and freely to him Secondly The Lord came here to instruct and teach Job Several persons had dealt with him before and they very worthy good and learned persons and they came with a purpose to do him good yet all would not do All that his three friends said who undertook him first in their turns was to little purpose in appearance And though Elihu a spritely young man discours'd him with much life and heat yet neither could he do the business Jobs spirit began indeed to yeeld upon the last engagement of Elihu with him yet he did not convince him fully God came at last and he prevailed he did the deed Then the Lord answered Job Hence Note We need the teachings of God besides all the teachings of men that we may rightly know him and our selves together with the intendment of his dealings with us and our own duty under them 'T is the mercy of the New Covenant that we shall be taught of God and not by man onely nor alone As here Job had three or four so we may have thrice three men toyling with us a long time in vain The work is never well done till God comes and though we have not such appearances of God now yet he doth the same thing in effect to this day This and that man a thousand men yea a man who is an Interpreter one of a thousand as Elihu spake may be labouring upon the conscience of a sinner and never bring things home either to convince or comfort him till God is pleased to come in by the power of his blessed Spirit and then who can but be convinced and comforted Hence our Lord Christ had no sooner reported the Covenant Promise out of the Prophet They shall be all taught of God John 6.45 but presently he makes this inference from it Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me We may say to all who are savingly wrought upon as Christ to Peter upon that Confession which he made Matth. 16.16 Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God Flesh and blood hath not revealed this to you but your Father which is in Heaven Impossibile est deum discere sine deo Iraen l. 4. adversus Haret c. 10. A deo discendum quicquid de deo intelligendum Hilar. l. 5. de Trin. It was said by one of the Ancients it is impossible to know God without God And so said another We must learn all that from God which we understand of God Unless God be our Tutor we shall never be good Scholars We know neither God nor our selves any further than God teacheth us Christ saith Be not called Masters for one is your Master even Christ Matth. 23.8 There are two sorts of Masters 1. Ruling or Commanding Masters 2. Teaching Masters To the former we are Servants to the latter we are Scholars In the eighth verse Christ speaks of Teaching Masters as of Ruling Masters at the tenth verse Now when Christ would not have any man take upon him or own the Title of Master or Teacher his meaning is that no man should arrogate to himself the honour of principal Teacher which is the peculiar of God but to acknowledge that all mans teaching is nothing without Gods as the Apostle also saith 1 Cor. 3. We must learn from God whatever we know aright either of God or of our selves Eliphaz Bildad and Zophar spake much of God to Job but Job was never effectually humbled till God spake Thirdly Note As God here by his Word so alwayes the Word of God is the true determiner of controversies and resolver of doubts No question can be truly stated but by the Word of God Rectum est index sui obliqui As the statutes of the Lord are right Psal 19.8 So they shew what is right and what is not A strait Rule declares it self to be strait and detects the crookedness of whatsoever is crooked The last appeal in all things doubtful is to the Law Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no light or as the Margin hath it no morning in them The Sun of righteousness hath not risen upon them who speak and hold unrighteous things Search the Scriptures saith Christ John 5.39 or as 't is well rendred in the Indicative Mood Ye search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life Nor did they think amiss in thinking so but that which Christ secretly reproved while he said so was that they did amiss or contradicted the Scripture in their lives while they boastingly thought so Not what this or that man saith but what God saith is the true ground of mans faith Sumamus exlibris divinitus inspiratis solutionem questionum Theod. l. 1. Hist Eccles c. 7. It was a worthy speech of Constantine in the Nicene Council Let us take out of that Book divinely inspired the solution of our Questions It is not what the Fathers say nor what the Pope saith nor what Councils say but what the Word of God saith that must be heard and relied upon for salvation The Word is the Judge that is the rule of Judgement As here God was the
than a Whirle-wind yet Job found this storme ushering in a sweet calme and a most comfortable sunshine Job said chap. 9.16 17. If I had called and he had answered me yet would I not have beleeved that he had hearkened to my v ice for he breaketh me with a tempest or a Whirld-wind Now the Lord came in a Whirl-wind and Job finds the quite contrary God came in a Whirl-wind not to break him but to bind him up not to condemn him but to convince him not to discourage him but to comfort him comfort comes out of a storme Thus comfort hath come to many a poor soule and it comes thus sometimes to the whole Church of God When Jacob was in a stormy condition because of his brother Esau then the Lord came to him Gen. 32. but how came he to him one would have thought that Jacob being in such a condition the Lord who came to comfort him would have taken him by the hand and embraced him or walkt aside with him and told him I am come to help thee and deliver thee be of good cheer let not thy heart be troubled at the approach of thy bloody brother for I am with thee One would have thought I say the Lord should have treated him in some such manner but what saith the text v. 24 there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day Poor Jacob was tugging and swetting all night as if he would sweat his heart out here was a strange kind of greeting 't is not said the man saluted him or spake a kind word to him much less complemented with him he only wrestled with him and when he had toyled a geat while he put his thigh out of joyâ—t which was very course usage and only said Let me goe which was very course language yet the Lord came at that time with a full purpose to bless him deliver him out of the hand of Esau Then be not afraid of storms for the Lord hath sunshine in his heart when there 's nothing but a storm in his face The Lord may come to you in poverty and sickness he may chasten you with pain upon your bed Perpetuum deo est vulnerare quos vult sanare percellere quos vult consulari ostendere se maximum cum vult optimum demonstrare and the multitude of your bones with strong pains till you say as Hezekiah in his sickness Isa 38.13 I reckoned till morning that as a Lion so will he break all my bones and yet intend so much mercy that you shll say as David Ps 35.10 All my bones shall say Lord who is like unto thee which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him yea the poor and needy from him that spoileth him The Lord hath gracious purposes towards his people in saddest appearances Then the Lord answered Job out of the Whilrl-wind and said What said he His saying was as stormy as his appearing Vers 2. Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge This Verse and ths next are a Preface to what God had further to say unto his afflicted servant Job The former verse was the Historians Preface these two are the Lords Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge We have here First A check lighting somewhere Who is this Secondly We have the matter for which this person is checkt and that is for darkening counsel Thirdly We have that by which he is charged to have darkned counsel and that is By words without knowledge and his ignorance or want of knowledge is implied as discovered in speaking or rather complaining so much concerning his own sufferings and the severity of Gods dealings with him whereby he had at once cast a cloud upon the Justice and reflected upon the goodness and mercy of God Who 's is this The words may be taken First as a bare enquiry after he man Who is this what man is this as Saul spake of David after the victory which he had got over Goliah Whose son is this youth 1 Sam. 17.55 but that I conceive is too flat and lean a sense in this place as if the Lord did only make enquiry after the man Therefore Secondly These words Who is this carry in them a rebuke who is it that hath done this As if God pointing at Job had said is it you I could not have believed that my servant Job would have so much forgotten himself or have been so bold with me as to reflect upon my just though severe proceedings by his weak reasonings which faith only can make him understand aright Such Questions in Scripture often carry a rebuke in them yea Thirdly more then a rebuke they carry a slight or contempt of the person about whom the question is put As when men presume as some blasphemously have done to say Who is the Lord What is the Almighty that we should serve him they speak contemptuously and slightingly of God So when God speaks thus to man who is this he may be said to speak slightingly of man Again as when man speaking of himself saith as Psal 8.4 What is man that thou art mindful of him he slights or vilifies himself so when the Lord saith who is this or who is the other it carryeth the same sense Interrogations are quick sharp speeches and usually those speeches are quick and sharp which begin with an Interrogation and doubtless this Interrogation hath a double sharpness or two stings in it First Of rebuke or reprehension Forma ipsa interrogationis qua nullum exprimitur proprium nomen solet ad contemptum pertinere exprobrationem Secondly Of a slight or diminution Job though indeed a man of an excellent spirit had been too bold with God and therefore no wonder if God spake though he contemned him not contemningly to him Who is this Yet here it is questioned who the person was whether Job or no that is aimed at or intended in this rebuking or contemning Question There are two opinions about it and the matter is carried on both sides as one expresseth it by no inconsiderable Arguments First Some conceive Elihu was the person concerned in this Question Who is this and they give several reasons for it I shall only mention two First because he was the man that spake last we had him speaking six Chapters quite through while Job spake not a word and therefore say they it seems most probable that when God came to speak he would undertake him that spake last Who is this Secondly Because Elihu had not carryed the matter so clearly and fully with Job as he should but had failed though not as Jobs three friends had done before and that therefore as the Lord reproved and taxed them by name in the 42d Chapter so here Elihu is taxed more covertly for obsâ—uring his Counsel Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge These are the two chief Arguments which fasten the
our thoughts to the praise of God to sing and shout his praises Did the Stars take them properly and did the Sons of God the Angels rejoyce when the work first began and is not the work to be rejoyced in now 't is finished Though sin hath sullied the work yet the glory of God is still transparent in it the power goodness and wisdom of God are gloriously seen in the things that are made Rom. 1.20 not onely were they seen but they are â—een to this day The creatures are still a glass wherein we may â—â—hold the invisible things of God even his eternal Power and God-head so that they who glorifie him not in and for those works will be found and left without excuse They are a book a volume consisting of as many leaves and lines as there are distinct sorts of creatures wherein we may read the great God plainly described to us and if so let us remember our fault this day Is it not our sin and shame that we are so little in admiring God for this work which set all the Angels in heaven a singing a shouting a wondring There are several things in the Works of Creation which well considered will soon provoke us to singing and to shouting First The multitude of Creatures Secondly The various kinds of Creatures Thirdly The beauty and excellency that is in the Creatures Fourthly The profit and the usefulness of the Creatures These laid together should draw out our praises and cause us to exalt the power wisdom and goodness of God manifested in and by his Creatures Lastly Consider what was iâ— that caused the Angels to â—hout for jâ—y when they saw this woâ—k of God begun Surely it was the appearance or manifestation of God shining brightly in the Work of Creation Hence Observe The discoveries of the power wisdom and goodness of God should stir up and engage every man and cannot but effectually stir up and engage those who are wise and good to rejoyce in God Somewhat of God is stamped or there are certain lines of his transcendent perfections drawn upon every Creature here a line of wisdom and there a line of power here a line of goodness and there a line of mercy the sight of these should cause us to shout for joy especially that this God the Creator of the ends of the Earth is our God for ever and ever and will be our guide even unto death How many lines have we of God in the World which we have not read much less studied and commented upon In how many things is God visible and yet we see him not nor acknowledge him as we ought Take onely these two things by way of inference from the whole First To be of a praising of a rejoycing spirit iâ—â—o be of an excellent spirit of an angelical spirit Let us imitate â—he Angels in praising God The Angels are called the Sons of God because they imitate him let us imitate the Angels in praising God so shall we approve our selves the Sons of God too Secondly Consider The Angels rejoyced at the laying of the foundations of the Earth The Earth was made for man Heaven was the Angels habitation they were well provided for if there had never been an Earth they had been provided for yet they shouted for joy when God laid the foundations of the Earth for the use of man and beast Hence take this Inference It shews a good spirit to rejoyce at the good of others or to be pleased with that which is beneficial to others though it be no benefit to us This argues an excellent spirit an angelical spirit Some if they are well housed and provided for care not whether others are housed and provided for or no nor can they rejoyce at the good of others but as their own good is concern'd In glory we shall be like to the Angels our very bodies shall be like to the Angels living without food without sleep without marriage in Heaven we shall neither marry nor be given in marriage but shall be like the Angels O let us strive to be like the Angels in our minds now as we hope to have our bodies like the Angels hereafter even clothed as the Schoolmen call them with angelical endowments Unless our spirits are like the Angels here unless we have hearts like the hearts of Angels in this World we shall never have bodies like them hereafter or in the World to come JOB Chap. 38. Vers 8 9 10 11. 8. Or who shut up the Sea with doors when it brake forth as if it had issued out of the womb 9. When I made the Cloud the garment thereof and thick darkness a swadling band for it 10. And brake up for it my decreed place and set bars and doors 11. And said Hitherto shalt thou come but no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed THe Lord having questioned Job about the Fabrick of the Earth and shewed the triumph and acclamations of Angels at it in the former Context He next leads him to the waters or carrieth him to the Sea there to consider his Works of wonder As Moses in the beginning of Genesis having summarily and in general spoken of the Creation of Heaven and Earth descendeth to particulars so here we have the Lord passing from one part of the Creation to another from the Creation of the Earth to that other great part of the Creation the Waters or the Sea Vers 8. Who shut up the Sea with doors c. In these words we have First The Creation of the Sea Secondly Its Constitution both set forth by most elegant Metaphors The Creation or Production of the Sea is shadowed by allusion to an Infant breaking forth out of the womb Vers 8. The Constitution or settlement of the Sea is carried on in suitable Metaphors to the end of the eleventh Verse Vers 8. Or who hath shut up the Sea with doors when it brake forth c. We have here First The Birth or Nativity of the Sea Secondly What God did with the Sea when it was born and issued out of the womb Then God shut it in with doors and prepared garments and swadling bands for it then he restrained the rage force and fury of it and held it as his prisoner or captive in bonds As soon as an Infant is born it is bound up and swadled and as soon as the Sea as I may say was born or come into the World God took order with it and to keep it in order he provided doors to shut it in and garments to bind it up with What the Scripture speaks of Gods coercing the Sea may be reduced to two heads First To that restraint which he laid upon the Sea presently upon its Creation some say the first others the third day of the Creation according to that Gen. 1.9 God said Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together into one place and let the dry land appear and it was so Thus the
satisfied And this may be a great reproof upon the insatiableness of many men they in this are much worse than the desolate and wast ground that may be satisfied that will crave no more But whereas Solomon saith there are four things that say not it is enough Prov. 30.15 16. Of all things the desires of man are most unsatiable and say not it is enough It was a great word which Esau spake I have enough my brother Gen. 33.9 and I fear he hath but a few brethren in that saying Among the four things which in Solomons ob ervation say not it is enough the earth is one in the place last mentioned But mark It is the earth that is not filled with water For where God is pleased to fill the earth with water then as this Text in Job speaks it is satisfied He causeth it to rain on the wilderness to satisfie the desolate and wast ground Further This may also comfort us in all our wants For doubtless the Lord who takes care to satisfie the senseless ground will satisfie his believing people early with his mercy Psal 90.14 when they cry to him yea he will satisfie them not onely with good in this life but with long life will he satisfie them and shew them his salvation Psal 91.16 He will abundantly blesse Sions provision What is that The Word and Ordinances chiefly and satisfie her poor with bread with the bread of life especially Lastly God sends rain to satisfie the desolate and wast ground Hence Note God hath rain enough for all places He can spare it for waste ground and wildernesses And therefore if he supplieth not our pastures corn-fields and gardens with rain it is not because he cannot send it or hath not enough to send but it is to punish us for sin God doth not withhold rain from any place because he is sparing of his treasures is more for laying them up than giving them out but because he is provoked by the unthankfulness of man for or by his abuse of his former bounties The Lord forbids the clouds to drop down the rain upon inhabited places and bids them convey it to waste wildernesses when inhabited places have not honoured him for it nor brought forth fruits of righteousness answerable to the fruits of the earth by the blessing of rain Thus also Christ will take the kingdome that is the kingdome of the Gospel the rain of holy doctrine from an unthankful and unfruitful people and give it to a Nation that will bring forth the fruits of it as he threatned the Jewes Matth. 21.43 and afterwards fulfilled that threatning upon them Acts 13.46 Lo we turn to the Gentiles Ye having refused and abused the offers of Christ made to you by us we will now go with our rain to the wast and desolate ground or to the wilderness that is to the Gentiles and they will receive it and be thankful The scarcity of Gospel mercy which God brings upon any place Sic sterilitas agrorum divitiae fertilitas est deserti is a punishment of their barrenness under Gospel means And have not we cause to fear at this day that forasmuch as we are so like that earth spoken of Heb. 6.8 which drinketh in the rain yet instead of fruit meet for his use by whom it is dressed beareth briars and thorns have not we cause I say to fear that we are nigh to some curse and burning or that the Lord will carry away the rain to Heathens who as yet are a desolate and waste ground 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eâ—itum germinis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proprie herba renera Exitum herbae vocat herbam primúm è terra prodeuntem Drus To cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth The natural effect of rain is growth or to cause the bud of the â—ender herb to bring forth If God denies water to manured and well husbanded lands they wither and even desolate desarts and waste grounds flourish when God waters them then the bud of the tender herb springs forth Hence Note Natural causes produce proper natural effects When God sends rain on desolate places they bud and spring forth When the rain falls the herb flourishes where the Sun shines the grasse grows And surely thus it is in spirituals spiritual causes bring forth spiritual effects if the Lord sends the rain of the word upon desolate souls the soul receiving it will bud and the tender herb will bring forth Moses Deut. 32.1 2. compared his Doctrine to the small rain upon the tender herb and to the showres upon the grasse How green are the herbs after rain and the grasse after showres Herbs and grasse bear witness to the bounty and goodness of God in giving sweet showres of rain Natural rain is seen in their looks and so should spiritual in our lives And if where the rain of the word falleth they that receive it do not bud and blossome and bring forth fruit the desolate wilderness will rise up in judgement against them the waste grounds will condemn them They will say Lord you sent rain upon us and lo here are our buds and our blossomes yea here 's the fruit which we have brought forth Will not this shame our barrenness Hath the Lord divided the Water-course of the Gospel and caused it to rain on us from day to day and shall not we shew our buds and blossomes of holiness our fruits of faith and repentance that he may come into his garden and eat of his pleasant fruits How dreadful Shall the waste wildernesses and desolate grounds bring forth when the rain fâ—lls upon them and shall not the Church It is not bare professing but fruit-bearing which honours God John 15.8 It is uncomely if so much as a leaf of profession withers Psal 1.3 But how green soever the leaves of our profession are yea though they should retain their greenness under the hottest and most scorching Sun of Persecution yet what would it advantage us if our leaves are not accompanied with good fruits Now If any should ask What mean you by good fruits Or what fruits are good I shall close the point in hand with an Answer to these Questions These good fruits considered in reference to their efficient cause are called fruits of the spirit Gal. 5.22 and in reference to the matter of them they are called fruits of righteousness Phil. 1.11 but in reference to the beginning or occasion of them they are called fruits meet for repentance Matth. 3.8 In general all that is good fruit which is conformable to the Word of God whether it be the conformity of our natures to it in conversion or the conformity of our wayes to it in our daily conversation More particularly these good fruits are of two sorts First Inward fruits or those which we bring forth within that is in our hearts these are secrets and only known to God Secondly Outward fruits which we bring forth in
lifts up her self that is her head 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 juxta tompus neck and wings on high that she may run the swifter she scorneth c. And this she doth when beset by those who would take her then she lifteth up her self on high that is as high as she can though as was said very high she cannot and then she casts back stones upon her persecuters Aelian l. 14. c. 20. Plin. l. 10. c. 1. And hence some conceive these words give answer to a secret or un-expressed objection For it might be said If the Ostrich which is of so heavy a body be likewise of so dull a wit having no wisdom nor understanding surely then she may be easily taken and destroyed Not so neither for God hath provided her a help against this time of danger and therefore though she be of a heavy body and have little understanding in other things yet she understands how to shift for her self she raiseth up her self as high as she can and fluttering with her wings which she holds up like sails to the wind she drives on amain though she keepeth still upon her feet Sublatis alis ut navigii velis cursu pernicissiono venaâ—ores deludit or riseth very little at any time above the ground and is therefore said to fly running or to run flying or in a sort to sail in the air very lightly touching the earth is yet she is somewhat lifted up and being thus lifted up She scorneth the Horse and his Rider As much as to say she can out-run them all and so cares not a straw for them let them do their worst she scorns them not because able to resist them or as if she thought her self stronger than they but because by help of her wings though on her feet she is swifter than they So that in plain course they can never overtake her and therefore not take her only by some slights and stratagems she is intangled and taken she may be over-reacht but she cannot be over-run And so swift is her course that is hath long since grown into a Proverb among the Arabians who thus signifie a man of great expedition in business He hath ridden upon the wings of the Ostrich What time she lifteth up her self on high she scorneth the Horse and his Rider Hence Note First Dangers put all creatures to their utmost shifts The Ostrich being heavy bodied hath no great mind to run and being short or weak-winged hath little power to fly yet when she must she runs to purpose she will not lose her life to spare her labour Great dangers make us do great thing Fear adds wings to our feet and makes a heavy body mount and fly rather than go The Ostrich in that case lifteth up her self on high Note Secondly Nature teacheth us to seek our safety above or on high Though the Ostrich cannot sore aloft in the air as the Eagle yet she lifts up her self as high as she can above the earth Some seek for safety by creeping into the ground and running into the holes of the earth Isa 2.19 Rev. 6.16 But the best way for our safety when we are pursued is by lifting up our selves on high and that to God to get into his power and mercy and goodness that 's our way and that 's our wisdom when we are hunted and pursued by our enemies I saith David Psal 121.1 will lift up mine eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help that is to God ver 2. When the Ostrich is thus lifted up she scorneth the Horse and his Rider Hence Note They who think they are out of danger despise danger The Ostrich looks upon her self as out of danger when she is on high and therefore scorns the Horse and his Rider Danger is not to be laughed at when we are under or within the reach of it but we may laugh at it when we are out of the fear of it Job 5.22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh Why because through the goodness of God thou shalt be provided against them and prepared for them A believer scorns the Horse and his Rider his swiftest and most eager pursuers because he can lift up himself on high or as the Prophet speaks Isa 33.16 He dwels on high his place of defence is the munition of rocks bread shall be given him his waters shall be sure he is safe from danger and out of gun-shot This makes him laugh at danger at trouble and the sword God who sitteth in heaven laughs at his enemies and hath them in dirision Psal 2.4 why because he knows they who oppose him can do nothing to annoy him they cannot ruin his kingdom nor hurt his servants how much soever they molest them he sits on high he is above all his enemies And as God lifted up in himself so a godly man lifted up on high in God upon the wings of faith and love scorns the Horse and his Rider For as the Apostle was Rom. 8.38 39. so he is perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor priâ—cipalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate him from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord that is they shall not be able to separate him either from that love that Christ bears to him nor draw him off from that love which he bears to Christ When once his soul is drawn up to a due height in believing he scorns all dangers and in all these things is more than a conqueror A man that is a conqueror much more he that is more than a conqueror may scorn all dangers and conquer them who think they have more than conquered him From this whole verse take these brief inferences First That which will not serve all turns may yet serve many turns We might chink the wings of the Ostrich were given her to no purpose because he cannot fly aloft nor make a lofty slight Pennae struthionis currentem sâ—lum adjuvani volatilem non reddunt yet they help her for another purpose they help her much in running though little or nothing in flying Secondly That which is very beautiful may not be very useful The Ostrich hath more beautiful wings than the Eagle yet makes little use of them We may in appearance be fit to do that which we cannot do Thirdly God doth not usually give all to one He bestows one thing upon this creatures and that upon another The Ostrich hath goodly feathers yet bad wings the Eagle hath no goodly feathers yet good wings One man excess in this gift another in that scarce any one hath all 1 Cor. 12.8 9 10. All have not the same gift and none have all gifts that all may be kept in dependance upon God and be humble one towards another seeing they must be beholding one to another All men cannot do all things And though all
God having many Idol gods nor did he own them as his people and therefore the Apostle did not nor could he in truth say of the Gentiles They changed their glory c. But thus he saith They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things The Gentiles did not change the incorruptible God their glory into an image but they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image c. And in that respect the idolatry of the Jews a people knowing the true God yea and glorying in him was worse than the idolatry of the Gentiles who knew him not nor ever gloried in him nor accounted him their glory But to the point in hand As that is Gods glory which manifests his glory So in general any thing which maketh man shine forth commendably or honourably to others or gives him a preheminence above many others as neer relation to God specially doth may be called his glory Whatsoever is best in us or to us is our glory The soul of man is his glory because it is his best part The body is a poor thing to the soul the body is but a shell the soul is the kernel the body is but the sheath as the Chaldee calls it Deut. 7.15 the soul is the sword though usually we take more pains for the body than for the soul as if we prized it more When Jacob said Gen. 49.6 O my soul come thou not into their secret unto their assembly mine honour be not thou united he meant some say the same thing by his soul and by his honour or glory because the soul is the most glorious and honourable part in man and that which men should be most careful of Thus likewise the tongue of man is called his glory Psal 57.8 Awake my glory that is my tongue The tongue being that organ or instrument whereby the wisdom and prudence of man is held forth and he made glorious in the world 't is therefore called his glory The tongue of man is also called his glory because with that he giveth glory to God by praising him and confessing his name together with his truth unto salvation And as glory is the best of man so of any other creature 1 Cor. 15.61 There is one glory of the Sun and another of the Moon and another glory of the Stars for one Star differs from another Star in glory that is there is one excellency uâ—e or operation in this Star and another in that Or One Star differs from another Star in glory that is their light influences effects differ some being more others less operative upon sublunary bodies When the Lord said to Job Array thy self with glory his meaning is shew thy best and he means the same when he adds Array thy self with beauty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beauty is the natural ornament of the body of the face or countenance especially These two words glory and beauty are often joyned together in Scripture Psal 21.5 Psal 45.3 where we render them honour and majesty We may thus distinguish between them taking the one for that which appears outwardly in vestures and gestures in actions and works and the other as importing that revâ—â—ence veneration which is given to such Verba originalia fero sunt synonima as appear in that splendor and dignity or which their splendor and dignity stirs up in others But we need not stand to distinguish them the words being often used promiscuously And here the Lord is pleased to imploy many words to the same purpose to shew what great state he had need be in that contends with him As if he had said O Job although thou didst not sit upon a dunghil or wert not bound to thy bed by the cords of thy affliction but didst sit upon a Kingly throne shining in robes of royalty couldst thou in all those ornaments equal thy self to me in majesty and excellency in glory and beauty Deck thy self with majesty and excellency c. Hence note First God himself is full of Majesty of Excellency of Glory and of Beauty I put them all together in one Observation because the tendency of them all is one The Scripture often sets forth the Lord thus adorned thus decked Psal 93.1 The Lord reigneth he is cloathed with majesty he is cloathed with strength wherewith he hath girded himself Again Psal 69.6 Honour and majesty are before him strength beauty are in his sanctuary Psal 104.1 Bless the Lord O my soul O Lord my God thou art very great thou art cloathed with honour and majesty This cloathing this array which the Lord called Job to put on is properly his own and though God will not give his glory to another yet here he bids Job take his glory and shew himself in it to the utmost if he could Many have affected or invaded Gods glory but none could ever attain or reach it God calls man really to partake of glory with him but man cannot take his glory upon him and be man The humane nature of Christ could never have received nor born that glory but as united to and subsisting in the person of the Son of God according to that prayer of his John 17.5 More distinctly If God be thus cloathed Then First We should tremble before him Majesty is dreadful The majesty of Kings who in nature are but men is very dreadful how much more the majesty of God who is King of Kings the King immortal and reigns for ever We have this trembling three times repeated with respect to the majesty of God Isa 2.10 19 21. where the mightiest and greatest of the world called there high Mountains and strong Towers Oaks and Cedars are said to go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his Majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth And though the people of God have great cause to rejoyce at his majesty as 't is prophesied they shall Isa 24.14 They shall lift up their voices they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord nothing causeth the hearts of the righteous to rejoyce more than the majesty of God yet they ought to rejoyce and so they do with trembling Psal 2.11 or with a holy awe of God impressed upon their hearts for the majesty of God is a very dreadful tremendous awful majesty And the more we have truly tasted the goodness and mercy of God the more shall we tremble at his majesty yea the Lord will have his majesty not only taken notice of but trembled at and therefore he reproves those Isa 26.10 who would not behold his majesty The majesty of the Lord like himself cannot be seen or beheld in it self yet it sheweth it self many wayes though few behold it or tremble at it and the reason why they tremble not at it is because they do not
or rather as the Prophet there speaks will not behold it no not when it shines in the plainest demonstrations whether of wrath against wicked men or of love and mercy to the godly as clearly as the Sun at noon day Secondly As we should tremble at the majesty of the Lord so admire his excellency they that excel others especially they who excel all others in any kind are much admired The Lord is cloathed with excellency how then should we admire him and say Who is a God like unto thee This God is our God Thirdly Seeing the Lord is cloathed with glory we should glorifie him and that First in his essential glory Secondly in the glory of his acts and operations We should glorifie him for the greatness of his power especially for the greatness of his grace because the grace and mercy of God are his glory as the Apostle spake in that prayer Eph. 3.16 That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory that is of his grace and favour towards you to be strengthned with might by his Spirit in the inner man And as the grace and goodness of God is his glory so also is his holiness Exod. 15.11 Who is a God like unto thee glorious in holiness Let us glorifie God in and for all his glories in and for the glory of his power mercy grace and holiness Fourthly God is arrayed with beauty Beauty is a taking thing then how should our souls delight in the Lord We delight in things that are beautiful we love beauty how should this draw forth our love our affections to God! All the beauty of the world is but a blot 't is darkness and a stained thing in comparison of the Lords beauty the beauty of his holiness and therefore if we have a love to beauty let us love the Lord who is arrayed with beauty even with the perfection of beauty Lastly In general Seeing the Lord is deckt with majesty and excellency arrayed with glory and beauty let us continually ascribe all these to God What God is and hath shewed himself to be we should shew forth 1 Chron. 29.11 Thine O Lord saith David is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty for all that is in heaven and in earth is thine David ascribed all to God there as also Psal 145.10 All thy works praise thee O Lord and thy Saints shall bless thee they shall speak of the glory of thy Kingdom and talk of thy power to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts and the glorious majesty of his Kingdom thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations Thus Saints are to blazon the name of God and to make his praise glorious The Apostle Jude concludes his Epistle with this Doxology To the only wise God our Saviour that is Jesus Christ be glory and majesty and dominion and power now and ever Amen Further to remember the majesty and excellency of God may and should be First an incouragement to serve him Who would not serve a Prince who is decked with majesty and excellency who is arrayed with glory and beauty who would not serve such a King as this How ambitious are men to serve those who are deckt with worldly majesty and excellency shall not we have a holy ambition to serve the Lord who is thus decked and arrayed Secondly This may exceedingly hearten and embolden us against all the danger we may meet with in the Lords service If we encounter with hardships and hazards in Gods work let us remember he that is cloathed with majesty and excellency c. can protect us in his service and reward us for it we can lose nothing by him though we should lose all for him life and all Thirdly This should fill our souls with reverential thoughts of God continually Did we know the Lord in these divine discoveries of himself in his majesty and excellency in his glory and beauty how would our hearts be filled with high thoughts of him we would neither speak nor think of God but with a gracious awe upon our spirits Fourthly This should provoke us in all holy duties to do our best The Lord reproved the Jews Mal. 1.8 when they brought him a poor lean sacrifice Offer it now unto thy Governour will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person Shall we put off God who is full of majesty and excellency of glory and beauty with poor weak and sickly services such as our Governours men in high place power will not accept from our hands but turn back with disdain upon our hands The worship and service of God consists not in a bodily exercise nor in any outward beauty he is a spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and in truth that is in truth of heart and according to the truth of his word which the Apostle calls the simplicity that is in Christ 2 Cor. 11.3 The glory and beauty of God is spiritual and the beauty that he must be served with is above all the inward beauty of faith and love and holy fear in our hearts Fifthly If God be thus deckt with majesty c. This may assure us in praying to him and calling upon him that we shall not seek him in vain It is worth the while to attend such a God and pour out our hearts before him We may safely depend upon God for all seeing majesty and excellency are his The Lords prayer by which we are to form or unto which we should conform all our prayers concludes with this thine is the kingdom power and glory all is thine and therefore we have great encouragement to ask all of thee Men can give to those that ask them according to the extent of their power There is a confluence or comprehension of all power in the majesty excellency and glory of God and therefore he can give whatsoever we ask Now as that God is thus deckt and arrayed with majesty and excellency is implied in this Text so 't is also implied that he hath thus deckt himself while he saith to Job Deck thy self with majesty and excellency Hence observe Secondly The majesty and excellency the glory and beauty of God are all of and from himself He is the fountain as of his own being so of the majesty and excellency of the glory and beauty of his being he decks and arrays himself he is not decked by others Moralists say honour is not or resides not in him that is honoured but in him that honoureth yet here honour is seated in him that is honoured We honour God and give glory to him but we cannot add any honour to him all is originally in himself he is the beginning without beginning of his own majesty And as Gods majesty is his own so of his own putting on he borroweth nothing from the creature nor needs he any creature to deck him He is not what others will make
his Spirit Every man saith Christ John 6.45 That hath heard learned of the father cometh unto me that is All that are taught of God believe on me And the more any learn of the father the more they come to abide the more closely with the Son Job understood more of God and the mind of God more in all those questions he put to him concerning the heavens the earth the Sea concerning the beasts of the earth and the fowls of the Air concerning Behemoth and Leviathan than ever he did before The more immediate and extraordinary revelations of God are alwayes accompanied with notable effects And though few profit in knowledge according to the measure of the mediate and ordinary Revelation yet probably the more revelation we have of that kind the more we profit Fifthly Job had these great discoveries after God had kept him long in affliction Hence note God doth usually reveal himself most to his people after great sufferings Hence some are of opinion that in these words Job pointed at his two states First that of his prosperity then he heard of God only by the hearing of the ear Secondly Of his adversity then his eye saw him that is he greatly profited in the knowledge of him There are two things which God usually bestows upon his people in the day of or soon after their affliction First more cordials and consolations He gives that strong drink to those that are ready to perish that wine unto those that be of heavy hearts He bids them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more as Solomons metaphors may well import Prov. 31.6 7. Secondly as the Lord gives more consolation in such a day so more illumination the head is bettered by it as well as the heart Many have got much inward light or knowledge both of God and of themselves of their mercies and of their duties by being or after they have been brought into much outward darkness Davids experience taught him this else he had never said Psal 119.71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes He had never learned either to know the Statutes of God better or to keep them better by his affliction if God had not been with him and revealed himself further to him in the day of his affliction Lastly Note When God manifests himself much to any man great impressions are left upon him As will appear further in opening the next verse Vers 6. Wherefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes This verse concludes that part of the Chapter which I call Jobs humiliation He made confession before of his own ignorance uttering things that he understood not things too wonderful for him which he knew not he confessed also the great goodness of God to him in that he had both heard of him by the hearing of the ear and also that his eye had seen him from all which he inferr'd this resolve of deepest self-abasement before God Wherefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes This word wherefore is diligently to be attended for 't is the hinge upon which the whole matter turneth This wherefore may have a double reference First To the sight which he had gained of his own folly weakness and vileness of which having made confession in the former words he adds wherefore that is for as much as I am thus convinced of mine own sinfulness I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes Secondly This wherefore may have reference to those higher clearer and fuller manifestations of God to him He had heard of God by the hearing of the ear there was much in that but now his eye had seen him he had a light or a discovery of the excellency and Majesty of God as much surpassing and exceeding what formerly he had as eye-sight doth the hearing of the ear Wherefore the light being come thus fully in upon him concerning the glory soveraignty goodness faithfulness and all-sufficiency of God he cryeth out I abhorr my self c. The Hebrew word signifieth the greatest disgust against himself a kind of reprobating himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat nauseare vel reprobaro cum fastidio abjicere abominare or as we speak a turning of his stomack at the thought and remembrance of what he had said and was Some render wherefore I reprehend or reprove my self but to abhor our selves is more than to reprehend or reprove our selves Others I reject I despise I slight my self I turn away from my self All these renderings shew to how little or low an account Job was now come in his own sight Our reading I abhor takes in all the rest and more The Lord useth this word negatively concerning his people Levit. 26.11 I will set my tabernacle amongst you and my soul shall not abhor you the meaning is my soul shall greatly delight in you And at the 15th verse of the same chapter affirmatively of them If you shall despise my statutes or if your soul abhor my judgments then c. despising is less than abhorring To abhor the judgments of God is to cast them not only out of our affections but out of our judgment too and to judge them unworthy or unfit to be owned and obeyed Again at the 30th verse of same chapter I will destroy your high places and cut down your images and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols and my soul shall abhor you that is I will manifest the utmost and highest of my displeasure against you Once more in the same chapter When they be in the land of their enemies I will not cast them away neither will I abhor them To abhor is to cast away and to look upon a person or a people as cast-aways Read also Deut. 7.26 Deut. 23.7 Psal 5.6 Psal 129.163 Prov. 24.24 Jerem. 14.21 Amos 5.10 chap. 6.8 Zech. 11.8 from all which texts we may collect the weight and great significancy of this word To abhor things or persons imports the deepest displicency or dislike towards either I saith Job abhor My self The word my self is here supplyed by our translators The Hebrew is only this wherefore I abhor leaving us to suppose what he did abhor Our translators make the suppliment thus I abhor my self that is whatsoever may be called my self self-wisdom self-righteousness self-strength self-ends and I would see the end of sinful-self Another translation saith I abhor those former things Illa priora q. d. non tantum illa prius à me cogitata dictaretracto sed etiam detestor Bez. that is whatsoever I formerly thought or spake amiss I do not only dislike them I do not only retract and recant them but I abhor them And if you would know what those former things were which here he renounceth and abhorreth you may take it in these seven words First I abhor that ever I cursed the day of my birth Secondly I abhor that
I wished so often for death that I wooed the grave and so haâ—tily called for my return to the dust in the day of my affliction Thirdly I abhor that ever I despaired of my restauration or that I gave up my self as a man utterly lost for this world Fourthly I abhor that I used so many complaints of the severity of the Lords dealings with me Fifthly I abhor that I was so bold as to desire to plead with God Sixthly I abhor that I was so much in setting out my own righteousness and innocency Seventhly I abhor that ever I spake any word which should in the least darken or reflect upon the goodness mercy faithfulness righteousness and soveraignity of God in his dispensations towards me These are the things which had unwarily passed him in the heat of disputation with his friends and these he now abhorreth Take it either way I abhor my self or these things it comes all to one for the truth is he did abhor himself for those things which he had spoken with so much imprudence and impatience while he was under the hand of God I abhor my self neither is that all And repent Job was not only affected to abhorrence but to repentance The word translated repent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Niphal significat consolari in Piel poenitere Drus signifies two contrary things in Scripture First To grieve which is proper to repentance sorrow and repentance ought to go together Secondly To comfort or to take comfort thus it is rendered Gen. 24.67 Isaac was comforted concerning the death of his mother 2 Sam. 13.39 David was comforted concerning Amnon Psal 77.2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord my sore ran in the night and ceased not my soul refused to be comforted It may seem strange that the same word which signifies sorrow and repentance should signifie also comfort and to be comforted but sorrow and comfort meet in true repentance godly sorrow doth not hinder much less quite exclude and shut out joy in God Repentance is ushered in by godly sorrow and grief of heart for sin and it concludes with comfort and joy of heart in God who pardoneth sinners and therefore the same word which signifies to repent may well signifie both to grieve and to take comfort Repentance is a change from a bad state to a good and a turning from the worst of evils sin to the chiefest good God himself and therefore must needs be followed if not accompanied with much sweetness and comfort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et consolationem accepi in pulvere cinere A Greek translator renders it expressly so in this place Wherefore I abhor my self and take comfort in dust and ashes and doubtless while Job was repenting in floods of sorrow his comforts came flowing in There is a laughter in the midst of which the heart is sorrowful and the end of that mirth is heaviness saith Solom Prov. 14.13 and there is a sorrow that 's a blessed sorrow in the midst of which the heart laughs and the end of which heaviness is mirth To repent in the general nature of it is to change both the mind and way and so take up new principles and new practices A man that truly repenteth is not the same man he was before he repented he can say I am not I. And as in true repentance there is a change from a bad to a good mind and from a perverse to a right and righteous way so in repentance there is a change from a troubled to a quiet mind and from a painful to a pleasant and delightful way So then there is a two-fold change in repentance First A change of the mind from sin Secondly A change in the mind from sorrow Many are the griefs and gripes the troubles and perplexities with which the conscience of an awakened sinner is followeth till he hath unburdened himself by confession and repentance when once he hath truly done so how great is his peace how sweet are his consolations And therefore when the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 7.10 Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of his meaning is the repentance which it works is matter of great rejoycing or fills the soul of an humbled believing sinner with great joy I abhor my self saith Job and repent But how did Job repent his was no ordinary repentance therefore he adds I repent In dust and ashes That is either First Throwing my self upon the ground Jer. 6.26 Jer. 25.34 2 Sam. 12.16 or Secondly Sitting upon the ground in the dust as Job 2.8 Isa 58.5 Jonah 3.6 or Thirdly Casting dust upon my head Job 2.12 Dust cast upon the head was the embleme of an afflicted heart And to sit in the dust or to cast dust upon the head was anciently the ceremonial part of repentance Job doth not leave that out I repent saith he in dust and ashes Solitis ceremoniis poenitentiam agâ— and so some express it I repent with outward wonted ceremonies But I conceive we need not take it strictly to repent in dust and ashes being only a proverbial speech implying very great solemn and serious repentance There is another rendring of this latter part of the verse thus I repent as looking upon or accounting my self dust and ashes 't is an argument of much humility and humiliation to do so Abraham gave himself no higher a title before the Lord Gen. 18.27 I have begun to speak who am but dust and ashes If we take it thus I abhor my self and repent looking upon my self but as dust and ashes it is a good sence also and reacheth the purpose which Job was upon or which was upon Jobs spirit in that day and duty of repentance There is no difficulty in the words they yield many useful observations Wherefore I abhor my self First As the word wherefore refers to that signal discovery which Job had of God who did not only manifest himself to him by the hearing of the ear but by the seeing of the eye that is more fully than before Observe The clearer manifestations we have of God the greater and deeper are our humiliations Job saw more of the power more of the soveraignity more of the holiness of God in himself and more of his goodness to him Qui Deum vidit fieri non potest quin seso accuset contemnat despiciat non enim certiâ— noveris tuam impuritatem quam si divina puritas op osita fuerit Brent than he had done before and therefore he abhor'd himself That place is parallel to this Isa 6. where as soon as the Lord had declared himself in his holiness and glory the Prophet cried out ver 5. Wo is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts that is my bodily eyes have see the signs of his presence and
more than a bare rebuke here was a blow given and that a sore one The Lord deals gently with some sinners that none may despair and severely with others though his servants that none may presume Only let us remember that when the Lord at any time doth chasten and rebuke his servants for sin with great severity he doth not drive them away nor discourage them but would have them look to him for pardon and healing When he judgeth them as the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 11.32 he doth not condemn them or if we call it a condemnation yet he doth not condemn them with the world nor as he condemns the world God condemns the unbelieving world to destruction but he condemns his servants only for their humiliation The goodness of God appears much in these two things First In his flowness to anger his mercy doth even clog his justice and gives it leaden feet it comes slowly Secondly In his readiness to show mercy The Scripture saith he is slow to wrath and ready to forgive his goodness doth even adde wings to his mercy causing it to fly swiftly to the relief of sensible and humbled sinners or as one of the Ancients expresseth he sharpneth the sword of his justice with the oile of his mercy and so it becomes a healing as well as a wounding sword Secondly In that the Lord himself gave this direction Take unto you seven bullocks and seven rams c. Observe God against whom we sin sheweth us the way to get peace and the pardon of our sins When man sinned at first or when the first man fell into sin there he had lain for ever if the Lord had not shewed him a way out Had it been left to man to devise a way to recover himself when he was fallen his fall had been irrecoverable he had never found how to get at once his sin pardoned and the justice of God satisfied This was the Lords own invention and it was the most noble and excellent one that ever was in the world he shewed fallen man at first how to get up and here he gave direction to these fallen men what to do that they might The Lord who was their Judge was also their Counsellor Thirdly Consider the particular way of their peace-making it was by sacrifice Take unto you seven bullocks and seven rams c. Hence note Sacrifices for sin were appointed and commanded by God not devised by man Sacrifices have been from the beginning Cain and Abel brought their offerings unto the Lord Gen. 4.3 4. Noah also builded an altar unto the Lord and offered burnt-offerings on the altar Gen. 8.20 Abraham offered the ram for a burnt-offering Gen. 22.13 Now though the law for sacrifices was not formally given in those times yet it was really given All those elder sacrifices were of the Lords appointment and by his direction as well as those in and after the days of Moses There is no expiating of sin against God by the inventions of man Heathens offered sacrifices to their Idol-gods imitating the worship of the true God The Devil is Gods ape Typical sacrifices were of God for the taking away of the sin of man And so was the true sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ when he that is Christ said sacrifice and offering and burnt-offering and offering for sin thou wouldst not that is thou wouldst not have those legal sacrifices nor didst ever intend to have them as satisfactions to thy offended justice ultimately to rest in them then said he that is Christ Lo I come to do thy will O God Heb. 10.8 9. It was the will of God that Jesus Christ should be the expiatory sacrifice for the sin of man by the which will v. 10. We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all The sacrifice of Christ himself had not saved us if it had not been of Gods appointment nor could any sacrifice have so much as shadowed the way or means of our salvation if God had not appointed it Fourthly Consider the purpose for which the Lord commanded Eliphaz c. to offer their sacrifice it was to make an attonement for their sin Hence Observe Sin must have a sacrifice There was never any way in the world from first to last to help a sinner but by a sacrifice and who was the sacrifice Surely Jesus Christ was the sacrifice it was not the blood of bulls and goats of bullocks and rams that could take away sin as the Apostle argueth at large in the Epistle to the Hebrews these could never take away sin these only pointed at Jesus Christ who alone did it by bearing our sins and by being made a sacrifice for them To typifie or shew this we read in the law of Moses that the sin of the offender was laid upon the sacrifice and a sacrifice for sin was called sin by the Prophet long before Christ came Dan. 9.24 He shall make an end of sin that is when Christ shall come in the flesh he shall make an end of all sacrifices for sin and so the Apostle called it after Christ was come and had suffered in the flesh 2 Cor. 5.21 He made him to be sin that is a sacrifice for sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him The sacrifice was called sin because the sin of the person who brought it and in whose behalf it was offered was laid upon the sacrifice there was as it were a translation of the sin from the person to the sacrifice In which sence Luther is to be understood when he said Jesus Christ was the greatest sinner in the world not that he had any sin in his nature or any sin in his life but because he had the sins of all that are or shall be saved laid upon him as the Prophet spake Isa 53.6 The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all or as our Margin hath it He hath made the iniquity of us all to meet on him And there is no atonement for sin but by a sacrifice So the Lord ordained the offering up of a whole burnt-offering for the taking away of sin that sinners might see what they had deserved even to die and not only so but to be wholly burnt and consumed in the fire of his wrath Impenitent sinners shall be consumed in fire that shall never be extinguished nor ever extinguish them they shall abide in an ever-living death or in an ever-dying life They who rest not upon the sacrifice of Christ once offered must be a sacrifice themselves alwayes offered to the justice and wrath of God Here it may be questioned why the Lord commanded them to offer seven Bullocks and seven Rams what could the blood of seven do more than the blood of one I answer First This being a great sacrifice possibly the Lord commanded it thereby to intimate the greatness of their sin Two things chiefly shew the greatness of a
me So the Lords servants have often had experience of his power and goodness in delivering them or as 't is here expressed concerning Job of turning their captivity take one instance for all Psal 34.4 6. I said David sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears This poor man cryed and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles The Lord who doth us good when we pray for others cannot but do it when we pray for our selves The Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends But some may ask will the Lord turn any mans captivity when he prayeth for his friends whose prayer and what prayer is it that obtains so high a favour I answer in general It is the prayer of a Job That is First The prayer of a faithful man or of one who is perfect and upright with God It is not the prayer of every man that prevails with God Jam. 5.16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man only availeth much Nor is it the prayer of a meer morally righteous man that availeth he must be an Evangelically righteous man that is a man estated by faith in the righteousness of Jesus Christ Secondly As 't is the prayer of the faithful so the prayer of faith as it is the prayer of one in a state of grace so of one acting his graces especially that grace of faith It is possible for a man that hath faith not to pray in faith and such a prayer obtaineth not Jam. 1.5 6 7. If any man saith that Apostle lack wisdom we may say whatsoever any man lacketh let him ask of God but let him ask in faith nothing wavering for let not that man the man that wavereth think that he shall receive any thing that is any good thing asked of the Lord. To ask without faith may bear the name but is not the thing called prayer and therefore such receive nothing when they ask Thirdly It is the prayer of a person repenting as well as believing Job was a penitent he repented in dust and ashes for the evil he had done before he obtained that good for his friends and for himself by prayer If my people saith the Lord 2 Chron. 7.14 Which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked wayes there 's compleat repentance then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their Land there is compleat mercy Some pretend at least to be much in believing yet are little if at all in repenting and humbling themselves under the mighty hand of God How can their prayers prevail for the turning away of their captivity who turn not from iniquity If I said David Psal 66.18 regard iniquity in my heart his meaning is if I put it not both out of my heart and hand by sound repentance God will not hear me that is he will not regard much less favourably answer my prayer It is a piece of impudeâ—câ— I am sure such a piece of confidence as God will reject and wherein no man shall prosper to expect good from God by prayers while our evils are retained or abide in our bosoms unrepented of God hath joyned faith and repentance together woe to those who put them asunder They who either repent without believing or believe without repenting indeed do neither they neither repent nor believe nor can they obtain any thing of God by prayer But the prayer of a faithful man made in faith and mixed with sound repentance will make great turns such a one may turn the whole world about by the engine of prayer But what is there in such a prayer that should make such turns and move the Lord to change his dispensations or our conditions I answer First Such prayer is the Lords own Ordinance or appointment and he will answer that When we meet God in his own way he cannot refuse us he seals to his own institutions by gracious answers Secondly As prayer is the Ordinance of God so he hath made promise to hear and turn the captivity of those that pray as was shewed before Promises are engagements to performance God will not be behind hand with man as to any engagement For as he is powerful and can so he is faithful and will do whatever he hath engaged himself to do by promise A word from the God of heaven is enough to settle our souls upon for ever seeing his word is settled for ever in heaven Psal 119.89 Half a promise or an half promise an it may be Zeph. 2.3 from God is better security than an absolute promise than an it shall be yea than an oath from any of the sons of men Thirdly Prayer honours God Our seeking to him in our wants and weaknesses in our fears and dangers are an argument that we suppose him able to help us that all our ruines may be under his hand Such a seeking to God is the honouring of God and therefore God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him and call upon him Our coming to God in all our wants shews that he is an inexhaustible fountain so thick a cloud thar we cannot weary him nor he spend all his waters how much soever he showers down or spends upon us He can distil mercies and drop down blessings everlastingly We often want vessels to receive but he never wants oyle to give It is the glory of Kings and Princes that so many come with petitions to them that they have many suiters at their gates may possibly burden them but undoubtedly it honours them doth it not signifie that he hath a purse to relieve their necessities or power to redress their wrongs and injuries O thou that hearest prayer is a title of honour given to God Psal 65.2 To thee shall all flesh come As God hath said Psal 50.15 they that call upon him shall glorified him for help received so they do glorifie him by calling upon him for help No marvel then if he turn a Jobs captivity when he prayeth Fourthly Prayer is the voice of the new creature The Lord loveth that voice 't is musick the best musick next to praise in his ear Let me hear thy voice Cant. 2.14 that is let me hear thee praying or thy prayer-voice let me see thy countenance for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely The Lord delighteth in prayer therefore the Lord will turn the captivity of a Job when he prayeth Fifthly Prayer is not only the voice of the new creature but it is the voice of the Spirit with the new creature The Spirit himself maketh intercession for us Rom. 8.26 'T is the holy Spirits work to form requests in our hearts to God As the Spirit it self witnesseth with our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8.16 so he prayeth in the spirits of Gods children The prayer of a believer hath the power of the holy
Spirit in it and therefore it must needs make great turns God turned the captivity of Job when he prayed Sixthly Jesus Christ presents such prayers the prayers of faith the prayers of repentance unto God his Father Christs intercession gives effect or gets answer to our supplications The Father hears the Son always John 11.42 and so he doth all them whose prayers are offered to him by the Son Revel 8.3 The angel came and stood at the altar having a golden censer and there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne The angel there spoken of is the angel or messenger of the Covenant prophesied of Mal. 3.1 that is Jesus Christ 't is he he alone who offers the incense of his own prayers with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne and being there represented doing so presently as it followeth ver 5. There were voices and thunders and lightenings signifying the wonderful effects of prayer till it should come after many turnings in the world or as I may say after a world of turnings to the Lords turning of Sions captivity as here of Jobs Seventhly Jesus Christ doth not only present the prayers of believers to God but also prayeth in them when saints pray he prayeth in them for he and they are mystically one And as Christ is in believers the hope of glory Col. 1.27 so he is in them the help of duty and so much their help that without him they can do nothing John 15.5 Now a believers prayer being in this sense Christs prayer it cannot but do great things Lastly As Jesus Christ presents the prayers of believers to the Father and prayeth in them or helps them to pray by the blessed and holy Spirit sent down according to his gracious promise into their hearts so he himself prayeth for them when they are not actually praying for themselves For saith the Apostle Heb. 7.25 He ever liveth to make intercession for them The best believers do not always make supplications for themselves but Christ is always making as well as he ever lives to make intercession for them The Apostle speaking of Christs intercession useth the word in the present tense or time which denoteth a continued act Rom. 8.34 Who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us The sacrifice of Christ though but once offered is an everlasting sacrifice and this other part of his priestly-office his intercession is everlasting as being often yea always or everlastingly offered The way or manner of Christs making everlasting intercession for us is a great secret it may suffice us to know and believe that he doth it Now it is chiefly from this everlasting intercession of Christ that both the persons of the elect partake of the benefits of his sacrifice and that their prayers are answered for the obtaining of any good as also for the removal of any evil as here Jobs was for the turning of his captivity Thus I have given a brief accompt of this inference that if prayer prevails to turn the captivity of others then much more our own Prayer hath had a great hand in all the good turns that ever the Lord made for his Church And when the Lord shall fully turn the captivity of Sion his Church he will pour out a mighty spirit of prayer upon all the sons of Sion The Prophet fore-shewed the return of the captivity of the Jews out of Babilon Jerem. 29.10 After seventy years be accomplished at Babilon I will visit you and perform my good word towards you in causing you to return to this place for I know the thoughts that I think towards you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end But what should the frame of their hearts be at that day the 12th verse tells us And ye shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken These words may bear a two-fold sense First The sense of a command Then shall ye call upon me and then shall ye go and pray That is your duty in that day Secondly I conceive they may also bear the sense of a promise then shall your hearts be inlarged then I will pour out a spirit of prayer upon you And ye shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken We may conclude the approach of mercy when we discern the spirits of men up in and warm at this duty Many enquire about the time when the captivity of Sion shall fully end we may find an answer to that question best by the inlargement of our own hearts in prayer David speaking of that said Psal 102.17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute the meanest and lowest shrubs in grace as the word there used imports and not despise that is he will highly esteem and therefore answer their prayer How much more the prayer of the tall cedars in grace or of the strong wrestlers when they call upon him and cry unto him with all their might day and night The Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends Nor was it a bare turn As Job did not offer a lean sacrifice to God in prayer but the strength of his soul went out in it so the Lord in giving him an answer did not give him a lean or slight return but as it followeth Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before The Hebrew is The Lord added to Job to the double Some translate too barely The Lord made an accession or an addition but that doth not reach the sense intended For a little more than he had before had been an addition to what he had before but double is more than a little or the common notion of an addition the Lord gave him twice as much or double to that great estate which he had before This doubling of his estate may be taken two ways First Strictly as four is twice two and eight twice four See the wild conceits of the Jewish Rabbins about the doubling of Jobs estate in Mercer upon the place In that strict sence it may be taken here as to his personal estate but as to persons it will not hold the number of his children was the same as before If we compare this chapter with the first chapter ver 3. we find his estate doubled in strict sence Whereas Job had then seven thousand sheep now saith this chapter ver 12. he had fourteen thousand sheep and whereas before he had three thousand camels now he had six thousand camels and whereas before he had five hundred yoke of oxen now he had a thousand yoke of oxen and lastly whereas before he had five hundred she asses now he had a thousand she asses Here was double in the letter In duplum i. e. in plurimum Quam plurimum numerus finitus pro infinito
Metaphorical Whirlwind in those three senses opened But Thirdly with others I take the Whirlwind here in proper sense that is for such a Whiâ—lwind as is often heard and felt sounding blustering and making great disturbance in the ayre blowing up Trees by the roots and overthrowing Houses to the very foundation Ex nube obscura Rab. Levi. Ex Nimbo Bez. Ex procella venti turbine horrifico Eturbine i. e. e nube e qua erupit turbo seu ventus turbineus Pisc Di nube aliqua praeter naturae ordinem facta Grot. De ipsa caligine in qua sc videtur nobis Deus delitescere Vatabl. One of the Rabbins calls it a dark cloud several of the Moderns express it by a rainy or watry cloud out of which issued that dreadful Storm called a Whirlwind Doubtless some sudden extraordinary Wind exceeding the constant order and common course of Nature gathered the clouds at that time Thus God at once hid the glory of his Majesty and testified it much after the same manner as he did at the promulgation of the Law upon Mount Sinai when he answered Job out of the Whirlwind But it may be questioned why did God answer Job out of a Whirlwind First Such a way of answering was most proper to the dispensation of those Old Testament Times when the Covenant of Grace lay covered with Legal Shadows and was usually administred in a clothing or shew of terror especially as was said before at the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai Exod. 19. Deut. 4.12 when so terrible was the sight that Moses said I exceedingly fear and quake Heb. 12.21 And surely the Lord appeared and spake very dreadfully to some of the Prophets in those Elder Times especially to the Prophet Habakkuk who thus reports the consternation of his mind chap. 3.16 When I heard my belly trembled my lips quivered at the voice rottenness entred into my bones and I trembled in my self that I might rest in the day of trouble Now Gospel Times being more clear and calm Christ speaks more clearly and calmly as it was phophesied Isa 42.2 3. He shall not cry nor lift up his voice in the street Christ did not speak out of a Whirlwind A bruised reed he shall not break and the smoaking flax shall he not quench he shall bring forth Judgement unto Victory That is he shall with all tenderness condescend to the weakest souls and deal with them most sweetly gently and compassionately Secondly The Lord spake in a Whirlwind that he might shew the greater State and Majesty to awaken Job yet more or to make him more attentive as also to affect him yet more deeply with the apprehension of his Power and Glory and to leave a greater impression upon his spirit of his own vileness weakness and nothingness Job was yet too big in his own eyes the Lord would annihilate or make him nothing the Lord would beat him out of all conceit with himself out of an opinion of his own integrity and righteousness that he might see and confess there was no way but to lie at his foot abhorring himself and repenting in dust and ashes Such to this day is the pride and stupidness of mans flesh that he hardly attends the Word or Works of God unless awed by some extraordinary Ministration Thirdly We may conceive the Lord appeared and spake in this Whirlwind Aerumnoso homini conformem exhibens aspoctum Munst that he might therein suit his appearance to the state and condition of Job at that time or that he might as it were symbolize with Jobs troubled estate Job as I toucht before was in a Storm and now God declares himself in a storm and that is the reason which some give why the Lord appeared to Moses Exod. 3.2 in a burning bush it was say they that his apparition might answer their present condition The Children of Israel were then in the fire of affliction and entangled in the bush of cruel bondage they were scratcht and torn with briars and thorns and the Lord spake out of a burning bush to Moses as here to Job out of the Whirlwind Fourthly and lastly I conceive the reason why the Lord spake o him in a Storm or Whirlwind was to let him know that he was not well pleased with him but purposed to reprove and chide him De turbine indignationis indice Though Job was a precious servant of God yet God was not well pleased with many passages under his affliction and therefore he would not flatter but humble him For though Job spake from an honest heart and what he said was truth yet God did not like his manner of defence and pleading for himself He was not pleased to see him hold up the Bucklers so long when he should have laid them down rather and submitted David to shew how greatly the Lord was displeased with his enemies tells us what dreadful effects followed the hearing and granting of his prayer against them Psal 18.7 8 9 c. Then the Earth shook and trembled the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken because he was wroth there went a smoke out of his nostrils and fire out of his mouth devoured coals also were kindled by it he bowed the Heavens also and came down and darkness was under his feet c. Thus the Lord appeared in an Earthquake in smoke in fire and darknesse to make the proud opposers of his faithful Servant David know how much his anger was kindled against them Thus also when the Lord revealed himself to Elijah 1 Kings 19.11 it s said a great and strong wind rent the mountains and brake the rocks and after the wind an Earthquake and after the Earthquake a fire before the still voice was heard And why all this but to shew that the Lord was highly displeased with the doings of the Kings of Israel at that time and with that idolatrous generation therefore he appeared in such a dreadful manner while he purposed to conclude all in a still voice Though the Lord was not in the Wind in the Earthquake nor in the Fire yet these were fore-runners of his appearance and signified that the Lord would shake that people with a mighty Wind and Earthquake of Judgement yea even consume them with the fire of his wrathful jealousie for their superstitious following after Baal and deserting his appointed Worship When the lusts of wicked men grow fiery and stormy God will convince them with fire and stormes and if his own servants grow too bold with him he will make them sensible of it as here he did Job by speaking to them out of a Whirlwind though he be intended to speak to them at last as he did to Elijah in a still voice and to Job with favour and approbation Thus much for the opening of these words Then the Lord answered Job out of the Whirlwind and said Hence Observe First The great goodness of God who condescends or lets