vel retardabit aliquis fulmen vel fulgur cum deus emittere petit Scult Neque differt illa cum audienda est vox ejus Jun i. e. fulgetra tonitruum praenuncia exhibet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non differt i. e. praemittit Jun Some understand the raine and showers which usually follow upon or after a great thunder and we commonly call them thunder showers Others understand the Lightning and the Thunder as if he had said When Gods purpose is declared that there shall be lightning and thunder he will not stay them or take them by the heele as the word properly signifieth whence Jacob had his name because when Esau was coming into the world Jacob took him by the heele as if he would have stayed or stopped his birth at least have got into the world before him and therefore Esau said Gen. 27.36 Is he nâ—t rightly called Jacob for he hath supplanted me these two times Which some render according to the letter of the Text My brother may well be called an Heeler for he hath heeled me these two times In this sense the Lord will not stay the birth and breaking forth of these terrible twins Thunder and Lightning Lastly learned Junius referrs them to the Lightnings only rendring He doth not defer them when his voyce is to be heard which he thus expounds He sends lightning before foretelling thunder will follow But I conceive the former exposition more cleare which refers this not staying or he will not stay both to thunder and lightning in consort or together Hence note When once God speaks the word and is resolved upon the doing of a thing there is no stopping of him nor will he stay his work He will not take thunder and lightning by the heele when he hath bid them go We have a parallel sense to this câ—ncerning the thunder and lightning of divine Judgements Zeph. 2.1 2. Gather your selves together O gather your selves together before the decree bring forth As if he had said If once the decree bring forth if once God declare that wrath shall come there is no recalling of it He will not stay it when his voyce is heard for then Isa 43.13 The Lord will work and nâ—ne shall let him he will not stop it himself and none else can Thunder and lightning shall come whosoever stand in their way must down And as none can lett God by power so none shall lett him by prayer if once he be resolved ahd hath sent forth his decree therefore do not provoke the Lord to give out the word for then your case is desperate There 's no opposing the work of God or God in his working He will not stay them when his voyce is heard Vers 5. God thundreth marveilously with his voyce great things doth he that we cannot comprehend Consider how often this word is repeated He roareth with his voice He thundereth with the voice of his excellency and here He thundereth marveilously This may teach us First which hath been noted before that the works of God in nature are to be heeded Secondly that we are very backward to heed them Thirdly this is so often ascribed to God least we should think that thunder is only a work of nature God thundereth marveilously Tonat mirabilia Hebr Numerus pluralis indicat ingentem admirationem stuporem mortalium ad vocem tonitrui Pined The words may be read God thundereth marvels 't is in the plural number We render well God thundereth marveilously but there is a greater Emphasis taking it in the plural number God thundereth marvels Consider thunder and lightning in a proper or in a metaphorical sense there are many marvels or wonders in them Naturalists observe many marvels in natural thunder and lightnings these sometimes melt the sword without hurt to the scabbard dissolve the mettal not consuming the purse break the bones and not the flesh these spoyl the Wine without staving or breaking the cask kill or stifle the child in the womb and not the mother God thunders marveilously in these things Again how many marveilous Judgments hath God wrought by thunder how often hath he destroyed the enemies of his people and the blasphemers of his great Name by thunder and lightning from Heaven Anastatius the Emperour an Eutichian persecutor of the Orthodox Christians was slaine by thunder The History of the Church speaks of a Christian Legion or Brigade of Christians in the Army of Aurelius the Emperour who earnestly prayed the whole Army being in a great strait that God would appear for their help and the defeating of the enemy whereupon the Loâ—d sent raine for their reliefe as also thunder and lightning by which the enemy was discomfited and destroyed whereupon that Legion was called The thundering Legion When Julian the Apostate meerly to despite the prophesie of Christ Mat. 24. who had said of the Temple at Jerusalem there should not be left one stone upon another Julian I say in despite of this prophesie yea to despite it gave command for the building of the Temple at Jerusalem and upon his command there was a great quantity of materialls brought together for that purpose but the Lord seeing the pride of this enemy sent a marveilous thunder with an Earthquake which not only amazed the workmen but scattered those materials put a stop to the work Now as there are many marvels wrought by natural thunder and lightning so also by that which is spiritual Nor will it be unuseful for us to consider them upon occasion of what is said of natural thunder in this Scripture God thundereth marveilously in the dispensation of his Word or in his dealings with the souls of sinners to bring them home to himself and to turn them from their sins We may not excluding the proper sense profitably expound the whole 29th Psalm in this spiritual sense wherein the Lord under the Allegory of a terrible thunder-tempest seems to give a prophetical description of his mighty power in propagating the Gospel to the ends of the earth which goeth not out as an empty sound beating the aire but with wonderful efficacy convincing the world of sin and of their need of Christ to save them from their sins And to shew that this is the scope of the Psalm David begins it with a strong exhortation v. 1 2. Give unto the Lord O ye mighty give ye unto the Lord glory and strength Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness As if David had said O ye the mighty Princes and Potentates of the world who in most places and times have contemned God and his holy worship and being your selves either irreligious or engaged in a false religion have used your power against and hindered the progress of the Gospel and the advancement of true religion I advise and admonish you to lay down that spirit to embrace thâ— Gospel to love the power of godliness to propagate
Text If they obey and serve him Hence note The Lord expects our service and then especially when we suffer Religion and the Worship of God in the whole compass of it is nothing else but service a blessed service a free service a service infinitely more free than any thing the world calls freedom Exod. 4.23 Let my Son go that he may serve me that is worship me All the Sons of God are his Servants and they have most of the Son in them who have most of the Servant in them If any deny him service they deny their sonship or rather as the Apostle speaks of Non-sufferers in one kind or other Heb. 12.8 They are bastards not sons yea God expects whole and all service from us or that we should serve him with our all Deut. 10.12 Thou shalt serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart We must serve the Lord not only with the best we have but with all the best with the heart and all the heart We serve God no further than we obey him and we worship him no further than we serve him and that heartily To serve God as to love God is a very comprehensive word 't is the summe of all the duty of Man To serve God is to submit both to what he commands us and to what he layeth upon us To serve God is to submit to what he would have us do and to whatsoever he is pleased to do with us and so we serve him particularly under sufferings We should alwayes serve him actively and we are called sometimes to serve him passively All Believers are free and yet they must serve and they are made free on purpose to serve We are purchased by the blood of Christ that we might serve him Because we are bought with a price we must not be the servants of men saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.23 Whose servants then Surely the servants of God Servus tanquam in bello servatus We are conquered that we might serve The Latines say that a Servant is one that is saved in War taken and saved So it is with all the people of God they are taken in the holy war they are taken prisoners and so made servants to Jesus Christ Yet Believers are servants not only by conquest but compact and covenant every godly man hath as it were sealed Indentures with God he hath upon the matter put his ear to the Lords post to be boared thorow as you read Exod. 21.6 that he may be his servant for ever The Lord expects service But what is it to serve him First To serve him is to do his Will Secondly To serve him is to do his whole Will It is not the doing of this or that piece of the Will of God or this or that patch of the Will of God which renders us his servants but the doing his whole Will Thirdly To serve him is to do his Will only so saith the Scripture Him only shalt thou serve If it may be supposed that we could do the whole Will of God and yet do the will of any other or do our own will too in any thing contrary to his we were not his servants if we serve him not alone or if we serve him not only that is if in serving man we aim not chiefly at the serving of him or if all our services to men are not subservient or not in subordination to the service of God we serve him not at all Fourthly I may add this also To serve God is to do every thing under this contemplation that what we do is the Will of God 'T is very possible for a man to do that which is the Will of God and yet not to serve him in doing it which we never do till we do it because it is the Will of God His Will must be not only the Rule of what we do but the very Reason why we do it else our doings are not his servings They that do not attend this serve God but as a beast may serve him a beast may do that which is the Will of God the inanimate creatures serve him so We hear of stormy winds and tempests fulfilling his Will Psal 148. All living yea liveless creatures do that which is his Will but they do not attend this that it is his Will which they do So that I say to do his Will not considering that it is his Will is to serve him no otherwise than beasts or than the winds or stormes serve him And to do his Will ayming at our own wills or ends is to serve him but as a hypocrite serves him A hypocrite doth not serve God in what he doth though he doth many things which are materially the Will of God because in all he minds his own will more than the Will of God Lastly We must serve God as Sons Mal. 3.17 A Son serveth no less than a Servant yea much more though not as a servant for he knoweth more of his Fathers mind than a meer servant doth Joh. 15.15 and he knoweth that he shall have also though not Wages at the end of every day yet the inheritance in the end Obadiah was the proper name of one good man and it is a name common to all good men they are as that word imports Servants of the Lord. It is a common Theam to urge men to serve God but it is a rare thing to be indeed a servant of God To serve God is the Summe and Marrow of all knowledge in divinity and the great end why we came into this World and for which we are here detained Nor is it an easie matter to come up to or attain the holy skill of serving such a Lord and Master as he There must be a doing of his Will and of his whole Will and of his Will only and that under this precise contemplation that it is his Will to denominate us his servants or to make a proof that we serve him Now whether God teacheth us by his Word or by his Rod which is the teaching of this context O how readily should we obey and serve him To serve him is not only the design of our being made free that is we were not onely made free to serve him but to serve him is our freedom as was touch't before yea to serve him is not onely to be free but to serve him is to reign and rule They that serve God to purpose reign over the lusts of the evil World without and over their own lusts within nor can any reign over the lusts of the world without or their own within but only they who serve him and only so far as they serve him Every gracious act of service to God is the subjugation or bringing under of some lust or other in man Now if any should say surely this is a very sad Life to be alwayes serving or to lead only the life of a servant I answer To serve God or the service of God is
Secondly We have an enforcement of this Inference by a cogent reason For he respecteth not any that are wise in heart Who these wise-hearted ones are whom God respecteth not will appear in the opening those words Men do therefore fear him The word rendred Men properly signifieth weak or feeble men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vir miser imbecillus as also men in affliction men under the afflicting hand or rod of God This strict acception of the word renders the opposition more cleare setting the lowest of humane frailty against the highest divine power Yet we need not stand strictly upon the Grammatical signification of the word but may take men in all their divisions and formes men be they high or low afflicted or in prosperity ought therefore to fear him Only it may seem most sutable in way of application to Job for Elihu to use this word in that restrained sence Afflicted feeble men do fear him As if he had said O Job thou art a weak man a man greatly afflicted thou hast been long under the rod and chastning hand of God therefore thou oughtest to fear him and not expostulate the matter with him as thou hast done Men do Therefore fear him This illative Therefore hath reference as was intimated to all that was said in the former verse yet we may take it specially in these two particulars Therefore men do fear him Why First Because he is so great so immense so incomprehensible so powerful so just because he hath such plenty of justice therefore men do fear him Secondly Therefore men do fear him Why Because though he be cloathed with power justice and judgement yet he will not afflict that is he will not afflict extreamly in any of thoâ—e four sences before given he moderates his power by compassion in his sharpest dispensations towards his people there is a great mixture of love mercy with his justice therefore men do fear him As if Elihu had thus bespoken Job Others fear God because they experience or find him kind and good to them even in afflictiâ—n how then cometh it to pass that thou hast from the beginning carried it as if God mixt no kindnes nor shewed any tenderness in his afflicting of thee why is it that thou hast cursed thy day that thou hast complained that ever thou wast born that thou hast so often wished for death Why hast thou said that thou art not only pressed but even oppressed that though thy cause be good yet thâ—u hast born the heaviest loads of evill Why dost thou strive with him These are no arguments of thy fear but of an impatient and fretful spirit if not of a kind of rage and fury against God himself These are no proofs that thou doest acknowledge his goodness in afflicting thee and so fear him for by these thou dost rather charge and accuse him of harshnesse and severity Now though it may be said as it hath often in the opening this Book that Job spake such words partly in the heat of his passion partly through the greatnesse of his pain partly through the infirmity of his flesh as also being much moved and provoked by the grievous censures of his friends yet notwithstanding all this his words were such as neither could nor ought to be wholly excused so that Elihu might say Men do therefore fear him But O Job thou hast carried it as if thou didst not fear him thou hast not behaved thy self like other men under the same or a like afflicting hand of God For though Job is to be reckoned among men that feared God yea in the highest form of those that feared him yet he failed much in his affliction as to the expression of this holy fear Thus we have that two-fold reference in which Elihu saith Therefore do men fear him First Because of his great power Secondly Because of that great tendernesse which he useth in the exercise of his power Which yet Job did scarce acknowledge as appeared by his complainings and murmurings about the dealings of God Men do therefore fear him so we render Ideo timebunt eum homines Mont. Verbum futuri temporis solet denotari idquod debet quod expedit fieri quare timebunt idem erit quod timere debent timere jubentur yet 't is considerable that the Hebrew runs in the future time Men will therefore fear him that is men should therefore fear him or men therefore ought to fear him Words in the Hebrew of a future signification bear the importance of a present duty what good 't is said men will do is as if it had been said they do or ought to do And as to the duty here spoken of the fear of God we may make this conclusion All good men do fear God upon those accounts and all men should or ought to fear him The thing is to be done whether men do it or no. Where an expresse command is given every man concerned is bound to obey and where or who is the man that is not concern'd in this command fear the great and gracious God Men do therefore Fear him What it is to fear God was shewed largely at the 28th Chapter of this Book and the last Verse Deum vereri Deum timere Proprieveretur Deum pius timet superstitiosus Tamen hanc differentiam interpretes non observant nam passim timere usurpant pro vereri Drus therefore I shall not stay upon it hear Only remember the word signifieth a gracious a child-like fear not a servile flavish fear There are two words by which the fear of God is expressed in the Latine tongue which we may expresse thus to fear God or to be afraid of God Good men fear God but wicked men are afraid of God Now though the words are often used promiscuously and to fear is sometimes taken in the worser sometimes in the better sence yet here we are to take it in the best sence Therefore do men fear him that is they ought to stand in awe and not sin against him they should submit to not dispute his dealings The fear of God in the general notion of it is nothing else but Piety and Religion or the whole worship of God To say a man is godly or religious is all one as to say he is a man fearing God Now whereas usually a general rule is urged to lead in a general practise here a general practise is urged as leading to a general rule Men do therefore fear him Whence we may take this general Observation It is the duty of all men of every man to fear God Men one or other ought to have high and honourable thoughts of God they ought to have holy and reverentiall thoughts of God they ought to put far away from them all slightness and vanity of spirit when they think or speak of God they ought to put far from them all boldness and presumption when they have to do with God To put away all
the true knowledge of Jesus Christ and to encourage the faithfull dispencers and professors of it both by your favour and example worshiping the Lord in the beauty of holiness If any should ask Why is the Lord to be so worshipped why must he have such high honours from those that are high what doth he in the World which calls for such adoration David answers Meteorologically as well as Theologically he answers from the Clouds vers 3. The Voyce of the Lord is upon the Waters the God of glory thundreth the Lord is upon many Waters The voyce of the Lord is powerful the voyce of the Lord is full of Majesty As if he had said Although the Lord Jesus Christ will not set up an outward pompous political Kingdome such as that of Cyrus or Alexander c. yet by the Ministry of the Gospel he will erect a spiâ—itual Kingdome and gather to himself a Church that shall abide for ever out of all the Nations of the earth For the Gospel shall be carryed and preached to not only the people of Israel the Jewes but to the Gentiles all the world over that the minds of men may be awakened enlightned and moved with that unheard of Doctrine of Salvation by Christ which had been hid from Ages and Generations And though many shall be hardned against and oppose that glad-tydings yet because the God of glory thundereth that is because the voyce of the Lord is powerful and full of Majesty he accompanying the Ministry of the Gospel with power and terror like that of Thunder home to the Consciences of men for their conviction and conversion therefore it shall do great and glorious things subduing the greatest and stoutest sinners to the obedience of his Will This Thunder will cast down the strong holds of sin and every thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.4 5. This is it which the Prophet David intendeth according to this allegorical interpretation by the effects of Thunder elegantly expressed vers 5 6 7 8 9 The Voyce of the Lord breaketh the Cedars yea the Lord breaketh the Cedars of Lebanon that is proud and high-minded men who are in their own conceit as tall as Cedars these he will make to see that they are but shrubs these he will humble and break â—heir hearts by true repentance for the pride of their hearts and all the abominations of their lives Further vers 6. He maketh them also to skip like a Calf Lebanon and Syrion like a young Vnicorn that is the Lord by his thundering powerful voyce first will make them skip as frighted with fear and secondly as revived with joy Yet more vers 7. The Voyce of the Lord divideth the Flames of fire that is will send and divide to every one as they need 1 Cor. 12.11 the holy Spirit who is compared to and called Fire Mat. 3.11 and who came as with a Thunder-storm of a mighty rushing wind and with the appearance of cloven Tongues like as of fire and sate upon each one of the Apostles Acts 2.2 3. Nor did this Voyce of Thunder accompanied with divided flâ—mes of fire reach Jerusalem only for as it follows vers 8. The Vâ—yce of the Lord shaketh the Wilderness the Wilderness of Kadesh that is the Lord by the voyce of the Gospel shall go forth with power to those Gentiles who are like a wilderness barren oâ— goodness and unmanur'd in spirituals though they dwell in well-govern'd Cities and are well-furnished with Morals It shall go forth also to those Gentiles who inhabit wast wildernesses and are not so much as reduced to civility These wildernesses the thundering voice of the Lord hath shaken heretofore and doth shake at this day and will yet further shake that the fulness of the Gentiles may come in Many of these wildernesses hath the Lord turned into fruitful fields and pleasant lands by the voice of the Gospel sounding among them For in these wildernesses as it followeth vers 9. The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve that is they that were as wild as untaught and untamed as the hind or any beast in the forrest he brings to the sorrows of theiâ— new-birth to Repentance and Gospel-humiliation And in doing this He as the Psalmist goes on discovereth the forrests that is opens the hearts of men which are as thick set and full grown with vanity pride hypocrisie self-love and self-sufficiency as also with wantonness and sensuality as any forest is over-grown with thickets of trees and bushes which deny all passage through till cleared away by cutting down or burning up Such an opening such a discovery doth the Lord make in the forrests of mens hearts by the Sword and Fire that is by the Word and Spirit of the Gospel and when all this is done the forrest becomes a Temple and as that verse concludes In his temple doth every one speak of his glory And if the floods of ungodliness rise up against this people whom the thunder and lightning of the Gospel have subdued to Christ and framed into a holy Temple then the Psalmist assureth us vers 10. The Lord sitteth upon the flood that is 't is under his power he ruleth and over-ruleth it yea The Lord sitteth King for ever and v. 11. The Lord will give strength to his people the Lord will bless his people with peace Thus the Lord thundereth marveilously and these are glorious marvels which he thundereth he converts sinners The thunder of the Gospel frights them out of sin and the grace of it gives them peace Thus though I like not their way who are given to allegorize the Scriptures yet I doubt not but we may make a profitable use both of this and many other Scriptures by way of allegory This being an undeniable truth which is the ground of it That the Lord puts forth as it were the power of Thunder and Lightning in the preaching of his Word these two things are to be marked First That Thunder and Lightning are a kind of Word of God to us they tell us though confusedly yet plainly enough for the conviction and condemnation of gainsayers there is a God the greatest Princes of the world have taken notice of Thunder and Tempest that there is a God over all governing all nor needs there any more teaching than that to condemne Athiests and Mockers at Religion We say proverbially of some men who make a rude noise they are so loud that we cannot hear God Thunder for them yet know there 's no noise can so drown the voice of Gods Thunder in the Clouds but it will condemn all that hear it not so as to acknowledg God in it Secondly We should mark that as Thunder and Lightning are a kind of Voice or Word of God to us so the Word of God or the Voice of God speaking in his Word is a kind of Thunder and Lightning to us