the God of glory speaking to us Some will excuse themselves they are ignorant they have never been taught to know God But did such never hear it thunder that â—eacheth much of God so much as will make them inexcusable who obey him noâ— who tremble not at his Power and Majesty Thunder calls for and more it commands our fear of our reverence and submission unto Goâ— eâ—â—â—cially when God together with this voice sends his arrowâ— bolâ—s o bullets to do great things against his enemies as he did against Pharaoh Ezod 9.23 and against the Philistines 1 Sam. 7.10 Yea the Lord threatened to distress Jerusalem with Thunder and with Earth-quake and with great noise Isa 29.6 Now if Thunder be the Voice of God or the noise of his Voice then take these brief Inferences from it First Let us see what a powerful and mighty God we have When it thunders every believing soul may â—ay This is the Voâ—ce of my Father what cannot he do for me that can speak thus Secondly If God hath such a dreadful Voice if he thunder with his Voice we should learn to secure aim and fence â—ur selves against the dread and danger of Thundeâ— by the actings of Faith in him and of Repentance and godly Sorrow for our sinnings against him Some of the Heathens have given pittiful counsel what to do in time of thunder Seneca was a wiâ—e man Adversus tonitrua coelorum minas subterraneae damus dei defussi in altum specus remedia sunt Sen. lib. 6. Natur. quest cap. 4. yet he directs to poor shifts in such extreamities The remedies saith he against Thunder and the Batteries of the heavens are under-ground houses caves or holes of the earth to hide our selves in These were the best helps he could advise his Roman Gallants to when God uttered his mighty voice in Thunder But Christians know better how to hide themselves even in the goodness of God against those terrible appearances of his Power Thirdly If God speak with such a Voice as this in the Air take heed of slighting his Voice whensoever he speaks in the Church as Athiests and Epicures do He who speaks so loud in Thunder can thunder upon us at any time The Word preached if not obeyed will at last come upon all those who obey it not with as great a terror as Thunder Fourthly Let us not be amazed and frighted at Thunder as Heathens or Unbelievers Fifthly Let us not think lightly of it as if it either came by chance or meerly from natural causes Sixthly Let us fear the God of Thunder not fear Thunder as a God Some have superstitiously thought Thunder was a God and adored it so 't is reported of the Lithuanians anciently Lithuani fulmon deum esse puâ—abant propterea illud adorabant Cromeruâ— l. 15. Hist Pol. and possibly some of them do so to this day Secondly In that Elihu calls so earnestly for attention to this voice Hear attentively the noise of his Voice Learn Those things which are most easie to be heard possibly may not at all be understood Who doth not hear when it thunders but how few are there who attend or understand the Thunder or hear Thunder attentively God speaks to us not only with a stiâ—â— voice few hearing or attending him but though he thunders few attend him yea those wo ks of providence which speak lowder than Thunder and shine cleâ—rer â—â—an the Lightning yet are neither heard noâ— seen As When his hand is lifted up some will not see Isa 26.11 So when his Voice is liâ—ted up when 't is lifted up not only like a trumpet but like thunder when he speaks most audibly yea most terribly some will not hear and he is not heard by many much less diligenâ—ly attended to how loudly how terribly soever he speaketh The Lord often thunders by the voice of this Word what are his teâ—rible threats but loud thunder-claps yet few hear or though they hear yet they attend not Not to hear the voice of God in his Word is as if you did not attend to the voice of Thunder Every word of God though spoken with a still voice hath a greater force in it than Thunder from the Clouds As the terrible works of God are signified by Thunder Rev. 10.3 4. So the terrible words of God his threatning words against impenitent sinners are resembled to Thunder And therefore such as the Lord fitted among his own Apostles for that dispensation are called in Scripture Sons of Thunder Mark 3.17 And they who dispence the Word with a strong voice and fiery zeal are truly so called to this day and may be said both to Thunder in their Exhortation and to Lighten in their Conversation And indeed the Word of God truly and faithfully dispensed by any is like Thunder For First As Thunder so the Word spoken is the Voice of God and a more excellent and distinct Voice than Thunder that only shewing in general that God is or that he is great and powerful this shewing us distinctly who and what God is and what he requireth of us Secondly Thunder throwes down and dissipates high things So doth the Word of God 2 Cor. 10.5 Thirdly Thunder is irresistable by any power of man it will make its way through all opposition so is and doth the Word of God Fourthly Thunder pierceth very subtilly it reacheth the bones quite through the flesh the Word of God doth more it divideth soul and spirit and the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heaâ—t Heb. 4.12 Fifthly Thunder breaketh the hardest things which resist it but not soft things so the Word of God breaks the stout but binds up the contrite spirit it resists the proud but giveth grace to the humble Jam. 4.6 Now if the Word of God be in all these respects like Thunder Let us not only hear but attend or as the text saith hear attentively the sound of his voice If any ask when do we both hear and attend with the inward and outward ear the Thunder of God or his voice both in his works and in his word I answer First When we are stirred up to high and holy thoughts of God We are never rightly affected with the Word of God till our hearts are wrought up to and deeply at least truly affected with the God of the Word Secondly When our hearts are raised up in thankfulness for any discoveries of God in his goodness and mercy to us who can so easily destroy us by his power He that trembles at this voice of God and hath no sense nor tast of his goodness nor is moved to praise and serve him trembles only like a bruit beast Thirdly When we learn to depend and hang upon him for all as he that can do all things graciously for us as well as speak so terribly to us then we hear diligently the noise of his voice axd the sound that goeth out of his
ones in the Text crying in all these respects the burden was so heavy upon them that it made them cry out for the very weight of it and they cryed and called for some charitable or tender heart to come and ease them of it and deliver them from it Elihu doth not rest in speaking this once but repeats it again By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry They cry out by reason of the arme of the mighty These words poynt us expresly to the cause of their cry or out-cry it was the arme of the mighty which may be taken either properly or figuratively Properly the Arme is a well known and most usefull member of the body And because there is a great deal of strength and power in the arme therefore by a figure the arme signifieth strength might or power and to say they cry out by reason of the arme of the mighty is as much as to say they cry out by reason of the power of the mighty Severissimum dei supplicium immissione aut descensione Brachii significatur The arme is frequently in Scripture put for power the powerful wrath of â—od is called the arme of God The Prophet Isa 30.30 speaks of the lighting down of his arme When the Lord lets his arme fall oâ— light down upon a man a family or a Nation in wrath it crusheth either or all of them to pieces And as the powerful wrath so the powerful grace of God is called his arme Isa 53.1 Who hath believed our report to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed That is his mighty power working by and manifesting it self in Christ and in the ministery of the Gospel for the conviction conversion and salvation of sinners Thus also the arme of man is the power of man Dan. 11.6 She shall not retain the power of the arme neither shall he stand nor his arme That is his power shall fall or both he and she Bernire and Antiochus Theus shall fall and be powerless Psal 37.16 The arme of the wicked that is their power shall be broken but the Lord upholdeth the righteous They cry out by reason of the arme Of the mighty The same word which in the first part of the verse is translated multitude is here translated The mighty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But what was the mightiness of these men There is a four-fold mightiness First there is mightiness of body that is natural might and 't is properly the might of the arme Secondly there is a mightiness in valour and in Armes Thus souldiers and warriers are mighty men they who having courage in their hearts have also weapons in their hands and swords by their sides are the mighty Such a one was Gideon to whom the Angel said Judg. 6.12 The Lord is with thee thou mighty man of valour Thirdly there is a mightiness of Authority And thus the Magistrate is a mighty man suppose he be weak in body yet he is mighty in power and can do great things Fourthly there is a mightiness of wealth and riches Thus Boaz is called a mighty man of wealth Ruth 2.1 Riches have so much might in them that in the Hebrew one word serves to signifie both might and riches We may understand the mighty man here in any or all these four senses The oppressed cry out by reason of the arme of the mighty They who have much bodily strength often oppress the weaker and so do the mighty in Armes and so do the mighty in Authority and so the mighty in riches have often done making the poor and the oppressed cry They cry out by reason of the arme of the mighty From the former part of the verse Observe Oppression is a common sin Not only was Babylon stained with it but Jerusalem That 's an amazing passage Jer. 6.6 Thus hath the Lord of hosts said hew ye down trees and cast a Mount against Jerusalem This is the City to be visited she is wholly oppression in the midst of her Not only was Jerusalem a City but The City a City above all Cities to be visited by an oppressing enemy and whâ— even because she not only had oppressors in her but was oppression O how oppressive was that City which was oppression and that not only in some parts of her but wholly and that not in her skirts and suburbs but in the midst of her The Lord to shew that the Jewes were superlatively rebellious or most rebellious against him calleth them in the abstract rebellion as the Margin hath it Ezek. 2.7 and to shew how superlatively oppressive they were one against another He calls Jerusalem oppression Here in the Text we have a multitude of oppressions surely then there were a multitude of oppressors To heare of a multitude of sins of all sorts is very sad but when there is multitude of one sort and that one of the worst sort and such a sin as cannot go alone but draws after it a heap of almost all sorts of sin what a multitude of sins are there It cannot be denied but that oppression is a very common epidemical sin if we take and consider it in the full latitude of it For there is a two-fold oppression First there is a secret oppression To deceive defraud or go beyond another in the Apostles sense is to oppress him And thus 't is said Hos 12.7 He is a Merchant the balances of deceit are in his hand he loveth to oppress He doth not oppress by violence with a sword in his hand but by craft with balances in his hand he oppresseth while he over-reacheth in dealing and trading This sort of oppression runs up and down every where and though this kind of oppression make not a great cry yet it is a great sin a crying sin There is also a secret oppression under colour of Law many turn the very Rules of Justice into rods of oppression And this is by so much the worse by how much it hath the better cover Secondly there is an open oppression the Nimrods of the world the mighty Hunters taâ—e and vex and trouble all they can and would make all tremble before them or run from them as the Hare and Hart from their merry but merciless pursuers Now if both secret and open oppressions are so commonly practised oppression may justly beare the title of a common sin Secondly Note Oppression is a very crying sin That cannot but be a crying sin which makes so many cry Oppression then is a crying sin First as to the nature of it Secondly as to the effect of it Oppression cryeth and it makes those cry who are oppressed Solomon saith Eccles 7.7 Oppression maketh a wise man mad That which puts a man even out of his wits or besides the right use of his reason will put him much to the use of his tongue causing him to complain cry out and clamour But who are they that are most given to and deepest
without fruit to us and therefore he openeth the ear to discipline and sheweth us the meaning of such a cross or sickness of such a loss or affliction He openeth their ear to dâ—scipline Hence note First It is a special power of God which helps us to understand his mind either in his Word or in his Works We neither understand the dealings nor sayings of God if left to our selves the heart of man is shut his ear is deaf the ear of his heart that 's the ear here intended till God say as in the Gospel to the bodily ear Ephatha Be thou opened Pro. 20.12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye the Lord is the maker of them both That 's a great truth First of the sensitive ear and eye 't is the Lord who hath made the one to hear and the other to see as he told Moses Exod. 4.11 and as 't is said Psal 94.19 Secondly 't is as true if understood of the intellectual eye and ear the hearing ear and seeing eye that is the ear that heareth obediently and practically that ear is of Gods forming and making such an ear did God create Acts 16.14 where it is said A certain woman named Lydia a seller of purple of the City of Thyatira which worshipped God heard us whose heart the Lord opened that she attended to the things that were spoken by Paul Further what was the season of opening the ear It was a day of affliction when they were bound in fetters and holden in cords of affliction Hence learn God useth afflictions as medicines or means to restore spiritual hearing Man is often cured of his spiritual deafness both as to the voyce of the word and workes of God by sickness A good man in health Fles prospera donum est dei consolantis res odversa est donum dei admonentis quod igiturpateris un de plangis medicina est non paena castigatio non damnatio August in Psal 102. Qui juhentis verba non audiunt ferientis verberibus admonentur ut ad bona aeterna paenae trahant quos praemia non invitant Greg l. 26. Moral c. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et dicit peace prosperity may have his ears so stopped that the Lord sees it needful to send some sharp correction to get out the ear-wax and unlock them Prosperity saith one of the Ancients is the gift of God comforting us adversity is the gift of God admonishing us why then dost thou complain that thou sufferest thy suffering is a medicament not a punishment 't is for thy bettering not for thy undoing 'T is a favour to feel God striking when we have not heard him speaking and he therefore strikes that we may attend what he speaks When words do not prevaile to open the ear fetters and cords shall That 's the second designe of God when he brings the righteous into streights Then he openeth their ear to discipline The third is given in the close of this verse And commandeth that they return from iniquity Here 's the issue of the former two The shewing them their transgressions the opening their ear are that they may return from iniquity and here is a command that they must And commandeth that they return c. The Hebrew text may be rendred He speaketh or saith that they return from iniquity and this speaking may be expounded two wayes First by perswading He speaks perswadingly The Lords afflictions are perswasions his stroaks are entreaties he beseecheth us by ouâ— sorrows and sicknesses and weaknesses and pains that we would return from our iniquity Secondly we take speaking or saying in the highest straine He speaks by commanding he speaks authoâ—itatively Thus we render He commandeth The command of God is twofold First formal or express when God gives the rule in so many words Secondly vertual The command of God I conceive is here to be understood in this latter sense When the Lord afflicteth the righteous he vertually commands or sends out his Edict that they return from their iniquity The word return implyes them formerly following some iniquity gone far from the Lord This returning is repenting all the Scripture over I need say no more of that As by sin we turn from God so by repentance we return from iniquity and as the Lord at all times commands the righteous by his word so they even force him sometimes to command them by his rod which is called discipline in the former part of the verse because sinners feel paine and find matter to learn all at once He commandeth that they return from iniquity The word rendred iniquity signifies a vain empty thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habet significationem nihili Ab operibus suis malis quae similia sunt vanitate nihilo Chald a thing of nought so the Chaldee paraphraseth it here He commands that they return from their evil works which are like to vanity and a thing of nought What is sin but a kind of nothing we look for great matters from sin but it is a vanity it is like an Idol nothing in the world that is it is not such a thing as it doth import or as it promiseth or as the opinion of men make it to be Iniquity is no such thing as it pretendeth or as is pretended The Lord commandeth that they return from iniquity that is from doing that which will profit them nothing at all or no more than a vaine thing a thing of nothing can And yet though iniquity be nothing good or profitable yet 't is all things evil and hurtfull nor had any thing ever hurt us or been evil to us had it not been for iniquity He commandeth that they return from iniquity Hence Note First Affliction hath a voyce God speaks loudly to us by affliction He speaks to us as loud in his works as he doth in his word he trumpets to us he thunders to us in his works God speaks aloud but sweetly to us in his works of mercy he speaks aloud but terribly to us in his works of judgement Secondly Seeing as was touched in opening the words this command is not to be taken for a standing Law for so God alwayes commands men to return from iniquity but the command here is a renewed act or a special dispensation there is as it were a fresh command issued when a man is under the afflicting hand of God Hence Note God reinforceth or reneweth his command to return from sin as often as he reneweth our afflictions That we return from iniquity is a standing an everlasting Law but when we are in affliction then there is as it were a fresh Edition of the command 't is as I may say new printed and proclaimed the fetters print this command upon our heels and the cords upon our hands that we return from iniquity Thirdly Note Iniquity is a vaine thing it is a nothing Shall we not then return from it one would think a little perswasion
shewed how himself was affected with a gracious fear and trembling labours to affect others also with the same fear in the next verse Vers 2. Hear attentively the noise of his voice and the sound that goeth out of his mouth We have here a doubling of the word in an unusual way That Hebraisme is ordinarily read Plus est inquit Rab. David quam audiendo audite nam infinitum postpâ—â—titur ego nihil aut pâ—rum refâ—rre puto hoc an illo mâ—do effâ—râ—s Drus hearing hear but in this place 't is hear in hearing which one of the Jewish Doctors saith hath a greater emphasis than the ordinary Hebraisme hearing hear Others find nothing of such a difference in those differing Heb aismes however both call for greatest heed in hearing what is spoken when 't is either said hear in hearing or hearing hear we should as our translation gives the sense fully Hear attentively There is a two-fold hearing First A hearing with the ear of the body there needs little stirring up of that ear to attend the voice of thunder here spoken of that speaks so loud that men cannot if they would not but hear that commands audience and attention that boreth the ear and makes its own way The deafest adders can hardly stop their eares so as not to hear the voyce of that not muttering charmer but but rouzâ—ng speaker Thunder Secondly There is a hearing with the ear of the mind a spiritual hearing such as the Prophet spake of Hab. 3.2 O Lord Non solum auditum excitat sed intelligentiam postulat I have heard thy speech c. that is I have heard it fully clearly understandingly affectionately obedientially Elihu is here stirring up not so much the outward sence as the affections with all the powers of the inner man to attend and take notice of that which was then to be heard what was that Hear attentively The noise of his voice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Commotio perturbatio animi prae metu vel prae ira Audite audiendo cum tremore voâ—em ejus Merc. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Omnem sonitum articulatum aut inarticulatum significat in genere 〈◊〉 umque strepitum The word here rendred noise signifies both an angry noise and an awful fear Ps 4.4 such a noise as causes fear or such a fear as is caused by a dreadful noise Hence some read the words Hear his voyce with trembling we say hear the noise of his voice According to the former interpretation the noise of his voice is the noise of thunder that if any thing makes a noise a dreadful noise as was toucht before a noise like the roaâ—ing of a Lion Hear the noise Of his voice The word voice is taken in general for any sound articulate or inarticulate Ezek. 1.24 and it may very well signifie thunder because thunder in several scriptures is called absolutely A voice the voice of God and whole volyes of Thunder are called voices of God Exod. 9.28 Pharaoh entreated Moses that he would entreat the Lord that there might be no more mighty thundrings we put in the margin voyces of God It is said Exod. 20.18 the people saw the Thundrings the Hebrew is voices the meaning is they heard the Thundâ—ings as if they had been so many voices or they heard as it were voyces when it thundered Thus 't is said Rev. 4.5 Out of the Throne proceeded lightnings and thundrings and voices Again Chap. 10.3 seven thunders uttered their voyces Hear attentively the noise of his voice that is the noise of of his Thunder speaking aloud and aloft in the air And the sound that goeth out of his mouth The word imports secret silent meditation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sermo meditaetus proprie meditatio Sermonem etiam significat ore prolatum as also an audible sound of voice or words spoken and it may be applyed particulâ—rly to that more gentle quiet or whispering sound of thunder of which I shall have occasion to speak further at the 4th verse Some Thunders speak very loud others give a kind of gentle sound Philosophy tells us that this difference in thunder ariseth from the different constitution of the clouds in which it is bred and through which it breaks The greater may more properly be expressed by the words in the first part of this verse The noise of his voice and the lesser by these in the latter part Tonitruorum unum genus est cujus fit grave muâ—mur aliud genus est acre quod crepitum magis dixerim quam sonum aliud frangor est subitus vehemens quo edito concidunt homines c. Sen. l. 6. Nat. q. c. 27. The sound that goeth out of his mouth Now Whether it be the noise of his voice or a whispering soft sound both or either must be attended Hear attentively the sound That goeth out of his mouth Thunder is said to go out of the mouth of God as words go out of the mouth of man and as men especially the minds of honest men are known by the words which go out of their mouths so God maketh himself known to the world or makes the world both know him and fear him in his power and greatness by the noise and sound of thunder Elihu chargeth Job to attend diligently this noise this sound and he calleth it the noise of Gods voice the sound that goeth out of his mouth Hence observe First God speaks to man in Thunder or Thunder is the voice of God to man And so 't is often called in Scâ—ipture the 29th Psalme almost throughout is a proof of it Thunder being there seven times called The Voice of the Lord. The very Heathens had that apprehension of Thunder Poetae Joâ—em tonantâ—m tonitrâ—â—â—m â—ocâ—m Jovis vocare solent calling it the Voice of the Gods Jupiter was siâ—named Thundring Jove Hâ—re we have Jehovah the true God the living God sending out his Voice in Thunder That Voice spoken of by David Psal 68.33 is usually interpreted of Tâ—under Lo he doth send ouâ— his Voice and that a mighty Voice Thunder may be called thâ— Voice of God in a double respect First Because it is a great and mighty voice and then those words of God have only the force of an Epithete Quod magnum eâ—t diviâ—â—m esse dicitur 〈…〉 As the Cedars of God the Rivers of God are great Cedars and Rivers so a grâ—at Voice is called the Voice of God God is great and therefore great things are ascribed to him Secondly Thunder is called the Voice of God because God formes and puts it forth by his power as a man doth his voice God may be said to utter his Voice when he sends out the Thunder And as Thunder is put forth by or speaks from God so it puts forth or speaks much of God it speaks and puts forth much of the Power and Mâ—jesty of God When it thunders we should think we hear God
we read of the Chambers of the South The Septuagint â—ender He bringeth the Wind or Whirlwind out of his Cellar Cellars or Store-houâ—es being secret places and removed out of sight for the keeping of Goods and VVares that are laid up there and it is elegantly expressed that VVinds come out of Store-houses as if God did lay them up till he hath â—ccasion to draw them forth and use them Some render it by a general word Out of a secret place cometh the Whirl wind VVe say best Out of the South First because it is expresly opposed to the North in the Text Secondly because Southern VVinds are the strongâ—st and most vehement VVinds as the Noâ—thern are the coldest For though we find by experience that strong VVinds blow from all Quarters of Heaven yet usually the South brings forth the strongest VVinds and therefore in Scripture a sudden and violent VVind is called a VVhirl-wind out of the South VVhen the Prophet would describe an unavoydable coming of Judgment he saith Isa 21.1 As Whirlwinds in the South pass through so it cometh c. And again Zech. 9.14 The Lord God shall blow the Trumpet and shall go with Whirlwinds of the South Both places expressing it according to what was most usually and commonly known great VVinds coming out of the South Redeamus tua benignitate ab exâ—lio et câ—ptivâ—tate ea celeritate qua turbo et procesâ—a erumpunt ab australi plaga Bold That place Psal 126.4 is rendred by â—ome not as we Turn again our Captivity O Lord as the Streams in the South but Turn again our Captivity as Storms or Whirlwinds in the South The Church prayed that God would make some sudden change of things like that made by Southern Storms and VVhirlwinds Yet we are not to understand it as if all Southern VVinds were VVhirlwinds or tempestuous favourable refreshing VVinds come from thence sometimes as may be collected from the 17th verse of this Chapter and from Canticles â—he 4th verse the 16th and as is expressed Acts 27.13 The South-Wind blew softly So that Elihu speaks of what is often and usually done not of what is alwayes done when he saith Out of the South cometh The Whirlwind That 's wind with an addition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Whirlwind is more than an ordinary wind Wind is one of those Meteors which God the Author of Nature hath provided for the use of man It is called by one of the Ancients the agitation or flux of the Air. Much might be spoken about the natuâ—al causes and matter of winds but I shall not insist upon that A VVhirlwind is a tempestuous wind Turbo a Graecis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Plinio vortex vocatur Ventus est Aeris fluxus seu agitatio Damasc l. 2. de Orthod fide c. 8. the G eeks have a special word for it and so have the Latines both importing violence or that which troubles and turns all upside down and throweth every thing out of its place Such a boysterous â—hing is the VVhirlwind 't is a tossing tumbling breaking disturbing wind this VVhirlwind Cometh out of the South It cometh A like or the same expressiâ—n is applyed to the Sun Psal 19.3 He hath set a Tabernacle for the Sun which is as a Bridegroom coming out of his Chamber and rejoyceth as a strong man to run a Race As the Sun cometh every morning out of his Chamber by Gods appoyntment so doth the VVhirlwind at special times appointed by God 'T is fitly said such fierce and unâ—uly winds come forth for they are as it were kept fast in prison till God takes off their Bonds and opens their Prison-dore and then out they come furiously and boysterously to do the work God hath commanded and designed them to Out of the South cometh the Whirlwind VVhen Elihu saith The VVhiâ—lwind the great VVind cometh out of the Soâ—â—h he doth not express yet inâ—imates who it is that brings the VVâ—iâ—lwind out of the South The VVhi lwind cometh but it doth noâ— come before it is sent The sco e oâ— Elihu all along is to shew the mighty power of God in ordering and disposing the Meteors and among them these mighty winds Hence Noâ—e Winds come at Gods appoyntment He is the Auâ—hoâ— of them he is the disposer oâ— them he rules their most unruly motions The Hâ—athen Poets â—eign d a god of the winds whom they called Aeolus whâ— was Pictur'd or Staâ—ued puffing the winds out of hi mouth But 't is Jehovah who hath the winds in his power the winds and the Whirlwind Neither the Heathen god Aeolus nor the god of this World the Devil nor the Devils of this World VVitches and Conjurers have any power of their own over the least breath of wind either to raise or lay it Agur describing the Excellency of God both in himself and in his working saith among other things Prov. â—0 4 He gathereth the Wind in his Fist implying thaâ— God hâ—th the â—inds in his hand even as a man carryeth a thing in his hand or holdeth it in his Fist keeping it there or letting iâ— out at pleasure oâ— as he listeth Psal 135.7 He bringeth tâ—e Wind out of his Treasure We read the same in the P ophet Jer. 10.13 Jeâ— 5.1 16. These Treasures out of which God bâ—ings the winâ— â—ome call the Secrets of Nature or secreâ— natural Cauâ—es but I conceive 't is an allusion to the Customes of men who lay up things useful in private places that they may have them at hand when occasion calls Christ teacheth us in imitation oâ— them to get and keep by us such Treasuries of saving Truth Math. 13.52 To be sure God hath the winds ready he hath a sâ—o e and stock of them which upon any occasion he can b ing forth God makes a twofold use of the winds or there are two general purposes for which he b ings them out of his Treasures First for good Secondly for hurt to the VVoâ—ld First in Mercy Secondly in Judgment Fiâ—st God bâ—ings them foâ—th out of his Tâ—eâ—â—ures in a way of Mercy and for good to Mâ—nkind And there is a sixfold good or good use for which God bâ—ingâ— the winds out of his Treasure Venti Aquilonares dicuntur scoâ—ae coeli quòd reddunt aerem mundum Vatabl First to cleanse and â—uâ—ge â—he Aiâ— theâ—efore by some the winds are called The Brooms of Heaven VVhen the Aiâ— is corrupt and foul God sweepeth it by these Brooms And we find when Judgment is threatned a negative is put upon the wind as to this use Jer 4.11 A dry wind of the High Places of the Wilderness toward the Daughter of my people not to fan or to cleanse c. Implying that one merciful use of the windâ— is to fan and to cleanse the Air as Co n is fanned and cleansed Secondly God brings the winds out of his treasure to temper the Air. VVh n the Ai iâ— cooled by a gentle B iâ—ze
the Rain-bow for this is as the waters of Noah for as I have sworn the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth which was signified by the Rain bow so have I sworn that I will be no more wrath with thee nor rebuke thee For the mountains shall depart and the hills shall be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my peace be removed any more saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee Then follows O thou afflicted and tossed with tempest and not comforted behold I will lay thy stones with faâ—r colours and thy foundations with saphiers and I will make thy windows of agats and thy gates of carbuncles As if he had said though I â—â—â—e hid my face yet I wil return for this is as the waters of Noah that is I have as certainly resolved in my self that this unnatural flood shall not drown thee as I once promised and am so resolved still that the natural flood shall never drown the world again and mark how he expresseth it as I have sworne When we read the history in Genesis it is not said that the Lord swore but the Lord to shew that his word is as good as his oath tells us that what he spake to Noah was as if he had sworn it especially seeing he gave such a sign for the performance of it I might shew from other Scriptures that God is sometimes represented swearing when yet we read of no oath formally given It is said Exod. 32.13 God sware to Abraham and his Seed to which the Apostle refers Heb. 6.13 17. God confirmed it by an oath yet if we look those scriptures Gen. 12.2 3. Ch. 15.7 Ch. 17.7 we find only the Lord said c. The Lords saying is as good that is as sure as his swearing and shall as certainly be performed For a conclusion of this matter let it be remembred that the Lord by causing the light of his Cloud to shine at first gave and still gives a sign or a seal to strengthen faith Signs and seals are appendices to the Covenant or great Charter of all our mercies Signs and seales are visible words God speaks by them to the eye I will set my Bow in the Cloud God saith the Bow shall be a sign he also hath made Water a sign in the holy Sacrament of Baptisme and he hath made Bread and Wine signes in the holy Sacrament of the Supper God hath been pleased from the beginning so far to condescend to mans weakness as to give him not only his Word or Promise but Signes to confirm it And therefore did the Lord give a sign because as himself hath both an all-sufficient power and full purpose to performe his promise so he would have the faith of all that are under the Covenant well assured of his faithfulness in performing it Thus we see the spiritual usefulness of this interpretation taking the light of his Cloud for that illustrious sign the Rain-bow set by God in the Cloud and most fitly called the light shining in his Cloud which he doth not cause to shine ordinarily or every day as the Sun doth but at special times testifying his eminent favour to some and his care over all mankind Knowest thou when he caused the light of his Cloud to shine Elihu proceeds further with Job upon interrogatories Vers 16. Dost thou know the ballancing of the Clouds the wonderful work of him that is perfect in knowledge Here 's another question The general scope of all these questions was handled before I shall now only poynt at that which this question specially aymes at Mr. Broughton reads Dost thou know the poysing of the thick vapours This is a wonderful woâ—k of God The Clouds are huge ponderous bodies who is able to guess how much a Cloud weighs Librationes nubis appellat eleganter meo quidem judicio cum in aere appensae velut librantur a Domino Merc. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vertitur libramenta a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ponderavit ad trutinam direâ—it mutata ט in ש yet God ballanceth the Clouds he as it were puts them into scales and knows what they weigh he so orders them that one part doth not over-power the other but both hang with an even poise in the air this is a wonderful work of God Dost thou know how God doth this or how he makes the Clouds bigger or lesser how he placeth them higher or lower according to the service and use to which he hath appoynted them Can any man do this Can any man fully understand how such vast bodies as the Clouds should be poised or ballanced how they hover over our heads and are kept from falling upon us We must have recourse to the wisdome and pâ—wer of God for this Dost thou know the ballancing of the Clouds Hence we may infer First If man knoweth not the ballancing of the Clouds then much less can he ballance them And Secondly Note 'T is by a divine power that the Clouds are upheld and ballanced All heavy things tens downward what then but God keeps the Clouds up which are so heavy 'T is a wonder that we have not Seas of waters rather than showers poured upon us from the Clouds They that travaile far at Sea see the Rain coming down by spouts or like a flood in some places and certainly the Clouds would come down every where like a stood if God did not hold them up From which particular instance Elihu would have us take up this general truth that All things are kept in an even ballance by the wisdome and power of God The things of the world if God did not ballance them how would they tumble and fall awry yea run to ruine were there not a ballancing operation in the arm of God over all the affairs and businessess of men what a hudle and confusion would all be in We read in Scripture of foure things which God is said to weigh or to ballance they are all very considerable First It is said God weigheth the waters Job 28.25 which may be understood not only of the waters above in the Clouds but of the waters also in the Sea he knows to a dram to a grain how much all the waters weigh Secondly Which are also vast things It is said Isa 40.12 He weigheth the mountains in scales the hills in a ballance And as both these are true taken litterally so they are true also if you take them mystically or metaphorically St John was shewed the judgment of the great whore in a vision who sitteth upon many waters Rev. 17.1 Who are meant by waters is explained there v. 15. even Peoples and Multitudes Nations and Tongues The people of the world are compared to waters and well they may foâ— their instability Vnstable they are as water Gen. 49.4 and for their aptness to swell and rise up into floods Now the Lord weigheth these mysticall Waters Multitudes and Nations he knows
in the dark about these matters and Cannot order our speech by reason of darkness The word here rendred to order may have a double allusion First To a Military Secondly To a Judiciary ordering It is an allusion to the Military ordering of an Army or Camp because words in speech ought to be put into good order to be duely ranked and drawn out as souldiers to battel They alâ—o that have to do in Causes and Courts oâ— Justice ought to order their words aright they must not speak at random or what comes next but they must weigh the plea they make and put eveâ—y thing in its due place Thus saith Elihu here We cannot order oâ—â— speech we cannoâ— tell how to â—â—aw up our reasons we are over-matcht in this business we know not how to plead before God in thy case nor what defence to maâ—â— for thee thou pretendest to be able to contend with him but we are not we cannot order our speech Why not By reason of darkness It is darkness that usually hinders the putting of things in order Darkness in the Air doth so much more darkness of the Understanding There must be light of one kind or other for the ordering of every matter Where darkness is there must needs be confusion and therefore Elihu gives a very good account why they could not order their speech when he saith We cannot do it by reason of darkness What daâ—kness there is a twofold da kness First There is darkness proper or natural Once there was darkness because light waâ— noâ— come or created of that Moses speaks Gen. 1.3 4. Darkness was upon the face of the deep Now there is darkness eve y night caused by the departure of light or the going down of the Sun as also sometimes by the Eclipse of the Sun Matth. 27.45 There was darkness over all the land when Christ was crucified It was not this kind of darkness that hindred Elihu from ordering his speech for a man may order his speech though he have neiâ—her Sun-light nor Candle-light a man needs no other light but that of Reason and Understanding to order his speech by Secondly Darkness in Scripture is taken improperly and metaphorically and so we are to understand it here We cannot order our speech by reason of darkness And this darkness which I call improper or metaphoâ—ical is of several kinds First Trouble and sorrow in Scâ—iptuâ—e language are called darkness Psal 18.28 Thou O Lord wâ—lt lighten my darkness that is thou wilt bring me ouâ— of a sorrowâ—ul into a joyful state Joel 2.2 It is a day of darknes what is that a day of trouble and affliction Hence the state of the damned in Hell is called darkness yea utter darkness Math. 22.13 because it is a state of sorrow even of everlasting sorrows This daâ—kness of sorrow and trouble will hinder a man very much fâ—om oâ—dering his speech He that is compassed about wiâ—h especially if discomposed by sorrow is unfit to speak before men of understanding yet I conceive this was not the daâ—kness here meanâ— Secondly Darkness in Scripture notes the state of a natural man as unregenerate and without faith Ye were sometimes darkness saith the Apostle Eph. 5.8 that is ye were sometimes unconverted or in a state of nature which is called darkness not only there but often elsewhere 1 Thess 5.4 Brethren ye are not in darkness that is ye are not in a sinful condition grace hath shined unto you yea it hath shined into you or as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 4.6 it hath shined in your hearts to give you the light of the knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ he it was who came on purpose into the woâ—ld as to give life to them that were dead so to give light to them that sit in darkness Luk. 79. 'T is a truth also that this kind of darkness doth exceedingly hinder a man in speaking especially when some things are to bâ— spoken He that is in the darkness of a natural condition will be to seek as we say or knoweth not how to order his speech befoâ—e God in any spiritual matter Yet neitheâ— is this â—ere meant for Elihu was not a man in this kind of darkness he wâ—s doubtless a godly man a man that had much acqâ—aintance with and in the things of God Therefore it waâ— not because of this darkness that he could not order his speech before God Thirdly Darkness is put for the deserted estate of a godly man Isaiah 50.10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voice of his servant he that doth so is suâ—ely a godly man or in the state of grace who is there of this sort among you that walketh in darkness and hath no light God having with-drawn the light of his countenance from him Now 't is a very great truth and sadly experienced by some that this kind of darkness doth exceedingly hinder a man from ordering his speech before God A poor soul thâ—t is walking in the daâ—kness of a spiritual troubled deserted state that is bewildred with fear and doubt about the savour of God to him and his acceptance with him knoweth not what to do or say before God he knoweth not how to order his speech in prayer or discourse This darkness hindereth us mightily in ordering our speech befoâ—e God Yet I conclude that neither is this the daâ—kness here understood which is a darkness following upon the present going down or setting of the Sun of Righteousness upon the soul who was himself once thus grievously benighted when nayled to the Cross he cryed out my God my God why hast thâ—u forsaken me Fourthly Darkness taken for that remaining ignorance or impeâ—fection of knowledge which abides even in the best in the holyest of men after their conversion while on this side Heaven Thi ignorance is daâ—kness 1 Cor. 13.9 and this is that darkneâ—s wâ—ich Elihu here intends when he saith we cannot order our speech by reasâ—n of darkness As if he had said Though I and they with me aâ—e not altogether rude nor ignorant of God and his wayes though we have received through grace a competency of divine light to guide us through this world yet we are sensible of so much dimness and darkness that we cannot order our speech before God nor direct our selves what to say for thee as thou hast handled the matter Further The darkness that as Elihu saith hindeâ—eth man in oâ—dering his speech before God may be taken not only for the darkness of the man or of the person speaking as hath been shewed already but also for the darkness of the matter or of the things about which he is called or occasioned to speak As there is a darkness of the Subject so a darkness of the object which David thus expresseth Psal 49 4. I will utter dark sayings upon the harp And again Psal 78.2 I will open my mouth in a parable I will utter dark
thing to God he is above and beyond all the gifts and givings of the creature There is a three-fold ground of it why nothing can be given to God either to oblige him or to add any thing to him First All is due to him what-ever we do is a debt to him we cannot make the payment of a debt a gift Be as holy and as righteous as you will as exact in your walkings as you can it is all of debt and therefore not a gift Luke 17.10 When you have done all when you have run your whole Course of obedience both as to first and second Table duties say you are unprofitable servants we have done no more than was our duty to do There is no gift where all is due Secondly What-ever we do in a way of Righteousness is not a gift nor an advanâ—age to God for it was all first given us by God Nihil aceressit ei nostra justitia quae tota gratuitum est illius donum we and all that we have came first from him whatsoever we have we have had it of God It is said in that place before noted Acts 17.25 He is not worshipped of mens hands as if he needed any thing why for he giveth to all men life and breath and all things he gives all things and therefore he needs nothing nor can any thing properly be said to be given to him Scitum est illud sapientis Hebraei da illi de suâ— quia tu omnia tua illius sunt Tua ex tuis offerrimus tibi domine Drus Et lamsi qâ—od debemuâ— reddere deo cupiamus tamen de suo reddimus Salvi de Ecclâ— Cathol who giveth all things We have that remarkable Scripture 1 Chron. 29.10 where David praiseth the Lord for the offering and gift which he himself and his people had brought towards the building of the Temple And he desired that his offerings might be accepted of the Lord not so much as they were given by his hand as because they and the heart to give them were received from the hand of God Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the Congregation and said Blessed be thou Lord God of Israel our Father for ever and ever for all that is in Heaven and in Earth is thine thine is the Kingdome O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all And now therefore O God we thank thee and praise thy glorious Name But who am I and what is my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort for all things come of thee and of thy own have we given thee And again at the 16th verse All this store cometh of thee and all is thine own We cannot be said properly to give another that which is his own already whatever God receives of us came from himself And as whatsoever we give comes from God so every action or duty which we performe to God comes from God he bestows the power to do upon us before we can do any thing and therefore it cannot be any addition unto him There are two graces which we exercise very pleasing to God first Faith secondly Charity yet neither of these contribute any thing to God Faith is so far from giving God any thing that its whole work lyeth in receiving And though charity be a giving grace yet it gives to man only not to God So then what doth God receive of man surely nothing but his own David enquires Psal 116.12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his benefits Maâ—k that word return the Hebrew Text may be thus rendred What shall I make to return to the Lord of all his rendrings or contributions unto me As if he had said Lord I have received abundance from thee thou hast payd or recompenced me fully for all my paines and I am looking over it all and considering what of it I shall return to thee it is all thine own and now Lord what shall I return of it back again to thee What he received was returned if not in kind yet in effect and the retu n of that was but his duty it could not be his desert Christ indeed meâ—ited and satisfied because he gâ—ve of his own and as God-man wrought all righteousness for us in his own strength Thirdly The Lord receives nothing at our hands for he is full already We can put no more into a full vessel if there be any empty space you may put somewhat more into a Vessel but when it is as full as it can hold what can you put into it Who can make the Ocean fuller which hath in it the fullness of all waters All that we can give to God is not so much an encrease to him as a drop of the Bucket is to the whole Ocean Who can make the Sun b ighter all we do to or for God is not so much as a Candle to the Sun What can he receive who hath all things in himself God is infinitely full therefore there is no giving to him nor receiving by him at our hands That word which is one of the Titles of God holds forth as much he is Elshaddi that is A God every way full every way sufficient he is all-sufficient for us and he is Self-sufficient Est quidem pictas illis grata non autem utilis Plato in Euthyphra Manifestam est quod nulla re Deus nec amicis egebit Arist lib. 7. Eth. c. 12. Some of the Heathens had such notions and glimmeâ—ing apprehensions of Goâ— Plato saith The exercise of Godlinesse or of Worship is acceptable to God but is not at all profitable to God It is manifest saith Aristotle that God needs no friends nor any thing to help him The Sacrifices of the Jews were great and royal Offerings they brought their Sheep and Oxen and Bullocks and Goats in abundance yet the Lord would have them know he had no need of them Psal 50.8 I will not reprove thee for thy Sacrifices and burnt offerings to have been continually before me I will take no Bullock out of thy house nor he-Goat out of thy Folds for every Beast of the Forrest is mine and the Cattel upon a thousand Hills I know all the Fowls of the Mountains and the wild Beasts of the Field are mine If I were an hungry I would not tell thee for the world is mine and the fulnesse thereof Some conceive that Elihu aimes especially at those gifâ—s If thou bringest or givest many sacrifices what receiveth he at thy hand The Loâ—d doth not call for sacrifices because he is hungry that is hath need of them The Lord Zeph. 2.11 threatens the gods of the Heathen that he would starve or famish them that is he would destroy the means of their Worship But who can famish the Lord whose the world is and the fulness of it Now if God receives nothing at our hands by way of supply or addition then First No Creature is
and done us good all our dayes In which sense the word is used 1 Sam. 12.6 And Samuel said unto the people it is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron We put in the Margin made Moses c. it is this word Eloah nomen singulare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 participium plurale Factores mei sic usu obtinuit de deo loquuntur promiâ—cue modo singulariter modo pluralitur Sensus autem ubique singularis est Ideo nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elohim quando de vero deo dicitur interpretes reddunt semper deus ubi ratio habetur sensuâ— non terminationis Drus vid Merc Vbi est deus qui fecerunt me Heb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he made them gâ—eat and put them in those high places of Government and Trust The Lord is he that maketh men in this sense We say commonly of a man that is advanced to some great place He is a made man and on the contrary of a man that is thrown down He is an undone man God giveth us a being and a bodily fabrick he protects us in our being he advanceth us to a wel-being in all we may call him and call upon him as our Maker And when men would unmake us that is oppress and undo us then we should say in faith Where is God our maker who once gave us life and hath since lifted us up from the gates of death and put us into a good condition Many are crying out upon and possibly some railing and raging at men but who saith in the sense opened Where is God my maker There is one thing further considerable in the Grammar of the Text. The Hebrew is plural or a plural with a singular as Gen. 1.1 In the beginning God created The word Elohim rendred God is plural The word Bara created singular Thus here Where is God my makers Mr Broughton translates Where is the puissant my makers I might spend much time in shewing the consent of several Scriptures in that poynt Joshua said to the people who promised and engaged to serve the Lord ye cannot serve the Lord. Why could they not the reason follows For he is an Holy God Josh 24.19 The Hebrew strictly is God holyes he Thus the Prophet expresseth it Isa 54.5 Thy makers is thy husband Solomons admonition runs in the same plural stile Eccl. 12.1 Remember now thy Creators in the dayes of thy youth Deus sanctus est Ad verbum Dii sancti ipse Mont But though the Scripâ—ure speaks of God sometimes in the singular sometimes in the plural number yet the sense is alwayes singular The true God being but One and the onemost one and therefore the plural word Elohim is alwayes rendred in the singular number God where menâ—ion is made of the true God they having regard to the true meaning or Divinity of the Text not to the Grammar or termination of the word There are usually two reasons given by learned translaters and interpreters why the true God who is but one in essence and being is so often expressed in the Hebreâ— text plurally First to insinuate or intimate unto us that Great and glorious mystery of the Blessed Trinity of persons in the God-head I say to intimate it we cannot make a full or convincing proof from it against any Antitrinitarian Adversary because though the word Elohim notes a plurality yet we cannot by any force of the word determine that plurality precisely to a Trinity that must be done by other Scriptures of which we have an abundant store to stop the mouth of all gainsayers Secondly they tell us This plural word is used to set forth the honour of God according to the usage of Kings and Soveraigne Princes called Gods who speak of themselves though single persons in a plural stile We and Vs But I conceive neither is this cogent though both this and the former may be piously improved So much for the opening of these words No man saith Where is God my maker Hence observe First Many cry and complain in affliction but look not to God in affliction Deut. 32.18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindfull and hast forgotten God that formed thee Which as it is often verified in times of peace plenty and prosperity so not seldome in times of trouble pressure and affliction Yea there are some who cry and complain in affliction yet turn away from God in affliction Hos 7.14 They have not cryed unto me with their heart when they howled upon their beds they assemble themselves for corne and wine and they rebell against me These are so far from seeking God indeed or saying Where is our maker with their heart that they rebell against him while they would be relieved and fed by him How frequently even at this day do some men storme and fret and rage little minding God in their afflictions though formally or vocally calling on him 'T is easie to complain but hard to pray in a day of trouble The Jewes are reproved for their regardlesness of God while they made great preparations in a time of danger and war or of a feared siege Isa 22.8 c. Thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forrest ye have seen also the breaches of the City of David that they are many c. And the houses have ye broken down to fortifie the wall Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool c. Here were politick warlike preparations yea God was little thought upon in all this as it followeth v. 11. But ye have not looked unto the maker thereof neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago 'T is thus with the most of men when outward misery comes upon them what crying what working is there yet little returning to God little turning into their own hearts Secondly Note When men oppress and vex us it is best to have our recourse to God and apply to him That counsel Look to me and be saved Isa 45.22 is true of temporal as well as of eternal salvation God is our best friend at all times even in the best times and it is best to look to him in the worst times David could say Psal 73.28 when flesh and strength and heart when all fayled him It is good for me to draw near to God Let our condition be what it will but especially if we are in a bad condition it is good yea best to go to him who hath our times that is all the changes of our condition in his hand to him in whose hand the arme of the mighty is and in whose hand alone there is might to help and deliver us from the arme of the mighty Is it not best to look to him in affliction who can either support us in or bring us out of our affliction as pleaseth him He that made us can protect and save us therefore in every pinching strait in
may be said not to understand when he doth not behave himself understandingly or according to the Lawes and Rules of reason Men of the best understanding and greatest honour are like the beasts that perish as to â—heir frailty that is they dye which may be the meaning of the Psalmist at the 12t h verse where he saith Man being in honour abideth not he is like the beasts that perish But all men that are in honour and understand not their duâ—y or do not what they understand are like the beasts that perish as to their inability that is they live as if they had nothing but what beasts have sense and appetite to govern their lives by He that doth not practise according to knowledge what he knows is like and worse than a beast that hath no knowledge For when a beast doth any thing absurdly he doth like a beast but when man doth any thing absurdly he degenerates or falleth from his own forme he doth not like a man and therefore is worse than a beast And that 's it I conceive which the Apostle Jude aimes at in the 10th verse of his Epistle where rebuking a very vile generation of men Revilers who speak evil of those things which they know not he presently adds But what they know naturally as brute-beasts in thâ—se things they corrupt themselves When he saith What they know naturally as brute-beasts his meaning is what they know in common with beasts that is by sense and appetite which are common to man and beast as reason and understanding are common to Man and Angelâ— Now saith the Apostle what they know naturally as brute beasts in those things they corrupt themselves which brute beasts do not For these words as brute beasts are to be taken in construction and interpretation with the former part of the sentence What they know naturally not with the latter they corrupt themselves Their knowledge indeed is no better than the knowledge of brute beasts natural but in corrupting themselves they are unlike to and do worse than brute beasts who run not to such excesses yet there is nothing more common in Scripture than to say that men act the beast when they sin and put off those manners which become and are worthy of an ingenuous and rational man For as man is partaker both of a spiritual and sensitive nature so he takes his denomination from that part to which in his disposition and conversation he most inclines Hence he is sometimes called God or an Angel of God and sometimes he is compared to the most hurtful of beasts a Lyon sometimes to the worst of beasts to a Fox to a Wolfe to a Dog to a Swine to a generation of Vipers to what not which may put a mark of dishonour and reproach upon him Fifthly Note It 's a great shame reproof and reproach to man when he acts unanswerably to the teachings of God It is better to be a beast in or by nature than to be a beast and continue so in qualities and conditions O what a reproach is it that they who have a far better nature than beasts should lead no better lives than a beast yea possibly much worse The Psalmist crys shame upon such Psal 32.9 Be ye not as the Horse or as the Mule which have no understanding whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle lest they come near unto thee The Horse and Mule are unruly creatures if left to their own rule they have no understanding how to mannage and order themselves they must be mannaged and order'd by bit and bridle in the hand of a skilful rider else they do more hurt than good service to those that come near them Now saith the Lord to man Be not you like the untaught or unmannag'd Horse and Mule as ye are better taught so ye should have better manners We say of some men they are better fed than taught and we may say of many men they are better taught than manner'd they mend not their manners though daily taught yea urged to mend them For this neglect the Lord reproves the sluggard Pro. 6.6 Go to the Ant thou sluggard consider her wayes and be wise thou doest not answer natural much less Scriptural light thou doest not learn by any teachings one of the least of my creatures may teach thee more than thou hast yet learned of all the teachers which I have sent thee The little Ant that dwels upon a Mole-hil that creeps upon the ground may teach thee better manners and make thee wiser Art thou not ashamed to need such a teacher having had so many teachers That 's also the sense of those rebukes which the Prophet powres out with a strong contestation upon the people of Israel calling Heaven and Earth to witness against them Isa 1.2 Hear O Heavens and give ear O Earth I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me But how doth the Lord convict them of rebellion and by whom even by the teachableness and tracâ—ableness of the dullest brutes The Ox knoweth his owner and the Ass his Masters crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider As if he had said The Ox and the Ass out-do you the Ox knoweth his owner that feeds him and the very Ass knows the crib where he is fed These beasts take notice of regard and submit to their Master and Benefactor but Israel doth neither observe nor submit to me who have tenderly nursed and plentifully nourished them who have as the Lord spake by his Prophet Hos 11.4 been to them as one that taketh the yoke off their jawes and layeth them meat the fat and the sweet the finest of the wheat and honey out of the Rock to feed upon and which is more than this who have not only fed them better but taught them better than the Ox or Ass O ye Heavens be astonished at this Further as in this Scripture the Loâ—d contested with and reproved his people by the beasts of the earth so he doth it in another by the fowls of the air Jer. 8.6 7. I saith the Lord hearkned and heard but they spake not aright c. every one turned to his course his sinful course or his course in sin as the Horse rusheth into the battle that is fiercely fearlesly presumptuously at once slighting at least forgetting both their own danger and my command As the Lord thus rebukes the head-strong obstinacy and wilfulness of that people by their likeness to the Horse so in the next verse he reproves their blindness and blockishness by their unlikeness to the Sto k c. Yea the Stork in the Heaven knoweth her appoynted time and the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallow observe the time of their coming but my people know not the Judgements of the Lord. Then followeth v. 8. How do ye say we are wise and the Law of the Lord is with us Lo certainly in vaine made he it the
impenitents among his own people by the Prophet Isa 1.15 Though you make many prayers I will not hear for your hands are full of blood Ye are full of bloody sins and ye have not humbled your selves nor cleansed your hearts and hands by the blood of the Covenant to this day and being in that case you may cry and pray till your hearts ake and your tongues ake too yet no prevailing with God no grant no hearing Another Prophet tells them as sad newes from the Lord Jer. 11.11 Behold I will bring evil upon them which they shall not be able to escape or go forth of and though they shall cry unto me I will not hearken to them Though the Lord threatned I will bring such evil upon them that they shall not escape they might say well but when the evil hath taken hold of us we hope God will hear us and deliver us No saith God when the evil hath overtaken and arrested you yet your prayers shall not overtake me Though you cry yet I will not hearken unto you That 's a dreadful Scripture of the same import Psal 18.41 They cryed but there was none to save them even unto the Lord but he answered them not They cryed being in great distresse and they cryed to the Lord he brings in that lest any should say they cryed indeed but possibly 't was to false gods to idols possibly they knockt at a wrong doore and so were not heard No they cryed to the Lord to the Lord by name they were right as to the object of prayer but their hearts were not right they were not right subjects of prayer That once blind man saw this truth when answering the Pharisees about the person by whose power he received his sight he told them plainly Joh. 9.31 We know that God heareth not sinners that is Such as love and live in sin such as go on impenitently in their sins By this answer he closely but strongly confuted that blasphemous opinion and censure of the Pharisees who reputed and reported the Lord Jesus Christ who came into the world to save sinners as one of the vilest sinners in the world and upon that account got him crucified at last As if the man had said Were he that cured me of my blindness such a sinner as you reckon him to be he could never have obtained power from God to cure me of my blindness for we know God heareth not sinners When men sin and pray as it were by turns their prayers are turned into sin and therefore will not be returned in mercy God sometimes hears sinners in wrath and judgement and he sometimes will rot hear Saints as to the grant of the thing in hand prayed for in love and mercy but he never denies praying Saints in wrath nor doth he ever hear a sinner such a one as is here intended in mercy when he prayeth Now as when the Disciples heard Christs answer to the Pharisees question about Divorce they presently said Math. 19.10 If the case of the man be so with his wife it is not good to marry so some hearing this doctrine that God heareth not proud sinners when they cry or pray may possibly say if the case of the proud be thus with God it is not good for them to pray at all To such I answer this doctrine is not urged to make proud or impenitent sinners to leave praying but to leave their pride 't is urged to make them humble under their oppressions and afflictions not to make them prophane They who as they are cannot get by prayer certainly they cannot get by casting off prayer What answer can they have who cry not at all to God when some may cry and get no answer as Elihu here speaks There they cry but none giveth answer because of the pride of wicked men This sense or interpretation most insisted upon in this 12th verse will appear more full and faire in opening the 13th Ad dicti superioris confirmationem Epiphonemaris vice subjicit in which Elihu brings down what he said here into a strong and peremptory conclusion or the next verse renders another reason why God would not relieve those oppressed ones It was not only for the pride of their spirits v. 12. but also for the emptiness and heartlesness of their prayers or because the prayers of proud and evil men are heartless or empty Vers 13. Surely God will not hear vanity neither will the Almighty regard it They cry but God will not hear why will he not hear what hinders He tells us both why and what Surely God will not hear vanity What is vanity What saith vanity hath vanity a tongue can vanity speak the Text saith God will not hear vanity 'T is frequent in Scripture to ascribe a tongue and a voyce to sin of any kind though some sins are more vocall and speak louder than others yet all speak But when he saith Surely or without all Question the Lord will not hear vanity by vanity we are to understand vaine men praying or vanity is put for the prayers and crys of those persons who are as vaine as vanity it self The word rendred vanity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 temeritas falsitas mendacium dicitur de re salsa vana levi mutili signifieth a lie as also rashness temerity God will neither hear rash-headed nor false-hearted prayers he will not hear vaine prayers or the prayers of vaine men The Abstract is often put for the Concrete in Scripture Psal 107.42 All iniquity shall stop her mouth When the Lord brings about that mighty work the bringing down of the mighty sets the poor on high those that are at once poor and humble the Lord will set on high then Iniquity that is wicked men men of iniquity shall stop their mouths or have their mouths stopt they shall not have a word to say as gaine-saying that righteous and glorious work of God So here God will not hear vanity that is vaine men or men that pray vainly all that which men speak or act is vaine or vanity if it be not good if it be not answerable to the will and ends of God yea whatsoever prayer doth not proceed from faith and flow from a pure heart is vanity 't is but straw and stubble dross and dung God will not hear vanity Neither will the Almighty regard it He that will not hear will much less regard vanity The sense is gradual regarding is more than hearing we may put both together he will not hear with regard nor regard what he hears from such The strong God who hath all power in his hand the power of Authority or the power of a Judge will not hear vanity The All-mighty The All-sufficient who hath all power of efficiency in his hand the nourisher and preserver the punisher and correcter of all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intendit oculos visum intentis fiaeis oculis intuitus est solicitè
do right But as sure as God knows every mans righâ— so certainly he will do him right Abraham pleaded thus with God Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right Gen. 18.25 Certainly he will do right he cannot but do right Judgement is before him The Scripture is express He will reward every man and award to every man according to his works Every man shall have as he is for as the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 4.6 He shall bring to light the hidden things of darknesse and make manifest the counsels of the heart and then shall every man have praise of God that is every man shall have it who is fit for it every man shall have praise who is as we say praise-worthy how much soever he hath been dispraised slurr'd in his credit unworthily dealt with and accused in this world God will not hold or detain the truth of men in unrighteousnesse though men hold both the truth of God and the truth of men the truth of their Causes in unrighteousnesse Judgement is before the Lord. Fuâ—ther That Particle which we render yet gives us this Note God is never a whit the lesse Righteous because it doth not appear to us that he is so Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him yet Judgement is before him The wayes of God are often secret but none of them are unjust Judgement is before him even then when we think iâ— is farthest off from him Therefore if we will give God the glory of governâ—ng the world and of ordering all our personal conditions we must not measure him by the things we see or which appear for we cannot see the measure of his Judgement by what appears that which appears to us is not his Judgement something else is his judgement and he in the close will make his judgement clear to all men he will make it appear that judgment is his though what his judgement is doth not appear The mis-apprehensions or mis-constructions of men do not at all retard or stop the righteousnesse of God as the Apostle speaks in another case Rom. 3.3 Shall the unbelief of man make the Faith of God that is the Faithfulnesse of God of none effect God forbid God will be Faithful and True though all the world be Unbelievers and Lyars Now as the unbelief of man cannot make the Faithfulnesse of God of none effect so our not believing that Judgement proceeds or our saying it is delayed does not at all take off God from righteousnesse in doing Judgement he is doing Judgement righteously whatever apprehensions men have of his doings Judgement is before him Therefore trust thou in him Elihu according to the first reading of the former words exhorts Job to Repentance Judge thy self and here he exhorts him to Faith Trust thou in him Judgement is before him therefore trust thou in him or wait and hope in him for seeing God is a Just and Righteous Judge he will not neglect or slight the Cause of any of his People therefore they have all the reason in the world to trust in him and wait upon him It is unbelief which makes haste Faith is content to wait and tarry The Original word hath several significations First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Notat 1. Dolere 2. Parturire 3. Manere Perseverare 4. Sperare Forte per metaphoram quia animus sperans futurâ—m gaudium cum dolore parturit Coc. More general to grieve or be in pain and trouble Secondly In special to bring forth or the pain of a woman in travel to bring forth there is much pain in that travel Thus some translate here Wait for him as a woman in travel waits for deliverance Thirdly As it signifies to have pain and to have that pain in bringing forth children so to attend to wait to stay quietly and expect Rest in the Lord saith David Psal 37.7 and wait patiently for him We may give the reason of this signification from that allusion The woman though she be in pain yet she patiently bears it because she hath hope a man shall be born into the world John 16.21 A woman in that pain hath not only patience but comfort under it because she hopes a child shall shortly be born who will recompence all her sorrows in bearing and bringing him forth into the world That 's the force of this word Trust in him Thou art in pain in trouble in travel for the present yet thou shalt have a blessed deliverance thou shalt certainly find that it is not in vain to trust upon God Thus Elihu aâ—viseth Job to such a patience as a woman in travel with child hath who bears her pains comfortably being refreshed and supported with an assurance and fore-sense of that joy which she shall have being once delivered Trust thou in him I have in some other places of this Book met with this Point of trusting in God Job said in the 13th Chapter of this Book vers 15. Though he slay me yet will I trust in him And therefore I shall not stay to open that general duty or the exercise of that Grace which here Elihu exhorts Job to Trusting in or waiting upon God Only from the Connexion Note First It is our duty to wait and trust upon God And 't is such a duty as will keep us close to all other duties a mind staid on God is a mind fit to move about any good work whatsoever which God calleth us unto Secondly Put all together Thou sayest thou shalt not see him thou art doubtful whether ever things will mend yet Judgement is before him therefore trust Hence Note When things are not clear to us when we have no light about what God is doing or what he will do yet it is our duty to trust and wait upon God We must wait upon God and trust in him though we do not see him yea though we cannot see him for Judgement is before him That of the Prophet Isa 50.10 is a clear proof of this duty and some expound this Scripture specially respecting outward dark providences as others of inward darkness or darkness of spirit Who is among you that feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voyce of his servants that walketh in darkness and hath no light as Job saith here I shall not see him What shall a poor benighted soul do in that case The answer or advice followeth Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God How dark soever our condition is yet it is our duty to trust upon God and if once we are enabled to give God the glory due to his name in confessing that Judgement is before him we shall readily trust upon him to order all things for us though all things seem out of order even to amazement though we see heaven and earth as it were confounded yet we shall readily trust upon him because we believe that even then Judgement is before him How soon can he turn our
darkness into light who in the first Creation when all lay together in a confused heap and darkness over all bâ—ought forth light and set all in order The Lord can command light out of darkness good out of evil order out of confusion and he can do all this easily and at an instant therefore whatever the appearances of things are let not us judge according to appearance but hope and wait and stick to what God hath promised Though providences appear cross to promises and prophesies yet they never frustrate either Let us also be sure to stick to the commandements of God for we may rest assured God will stick to his promises To keep Commandements is our work to keep promises is Gods work though we fayle much in our work God will not fayle at all in his work To believe this is the highest and truest work of faith But if we are faithful in our work the keeping of Commandements we have a further evidence that God will be faithful in his work the keeping or fulfilling of promises a great part the most spiritual part of Gods fulfilling promises being his enabling of us to keep Commandements and then we shall be able to say not only in faith but from experience that Judgement is before him And untill we come to this conclusion of faith in dark times when we cannot see him the soul never sits down in rest Nothing fixes the soul but trust in God we are unquiet yea we boyle with unquietness and toss as the angry Sea with the windes till we trust fully upon God upon his wisdome and power upon his goodness and faithfulness and can say let him do as seems good in his eyes we know he is and will be good to Israel even to such as are of a clean heart When we can once stay our minds on God we are quiet but when we must bring God to our mind and must have God go our pace or come at our time and work in our way none of which he will do what a do soever we make to have it so O how restless and troubled are we even like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest And O how much of this restless trouble discovers it self in the minds of many that I say not the most of men and all because they cannot trust God when they do not see him or because when they do not see him which was Jobs fayling they say they shall not see him If matters come not to pass according to their platforme and model or hit not the dates and dayes the times and seasons which they have fixt in their unscriptural Kalender or by a mistake of the Scripture Kalendar they are ready to say they shall not see him their hopes are as the giving up of the ghost that is they give all for lost and past recovery Many trust God as they do some men no farther than they see him they are the worst and coursest sort of men whom we trust no otherwise How dishonourable then how infinitely below God is such a trust Elihu would have Job and so should we trust God though he could not see him and said he should not Thou hast said thou shalt not see him yet trust in him Lastly From the illative particle therefore that is because Judgement is before him trust thou in him Note hence The consideration of the Righteousness and Justice of God is a mighty argument to provoke us to trust him and wait upon him Trust is not every bodyes due some as we speak proverbially are to be trusted no farther than a man can throw a Milstone that is they are not to be trusted at all Trust I say is not every bodyes due but to trust God is every bodyes duty yea and interest too for he is cloathed as much with righteousness and justice as he is with strength and power Will you not trust an honest man will you not trust a wise man We can come to a height of confidence in man sometimes if we think him a man of judgement and wisdome of honesty and faithfulness we can trust all we have in such a mans hand how much more should we say to God seeing Judgement is before him therefore will we trust in him We have an eminent Scripture urging this duty upon this ground Isa 30.18 The Lord is a God of Judgement Judgement is there taken in the same notion as here in the Text he is a wise and a just God the Lord is a God of judgement what followeth Blessed are they that wait for him There can be nothing said more urging more encouraging to wait and trust on God to do us right then this He is a God of Judgement a righteous God Judgement is before him Thus far of the good counsel which Elihu gave Job in this his dark and deserted state and counsel it was worthy to be embraced with both armes and with an open breast and that Job had need of it he shews in the next words while he tells Job and us it was not so with him yet as appeared by the sad hand of God upon him and his own distemper under it JOB Chap. 35. Vers 15 16. 15. But now because it is not so he hath visited in his anger yet he knoweth it not in great extremity 16. Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain he multiplieth words without knowledge IN the close of the former verse Elihu called upon and exhorted Job to a patient reliance and trust on God Judgement is before him therefore trust thou in him here in the 15th verse he shews that the reason why God visited him so sorely and yet continued his visitation upon him was because he did not as he ought patiently trust in and rely upon him There are several readings of this verse but I shall only mention one besides our own and having stayed a little about that go on to the explication of the Text as it lyes in order before us Some render thus But know now his anger hath visited thee but a little Hebr Nunc autem cito quod paululum te visitavit ira ipsius neque inquisivit multum admodum Merc Scito perexiguum esse quo te deus iratus plectit nisi levitèr in te inqui ere mâ—luisset Bez nothing neither hath he made any great inquisition The sense of the verse according to this rendring riseth thus As if Elihu had said God hath dealt with thee O Job far better than thou hast dealt with him or then thou hast cause to expect he hath not laid his hand so heavy upon thee as thy iniquity hath deserved and yet thou complainest much of his severity whereas indeed he hath not strictly inquired into the multitude of thy sins which if he had done he would certainly have brought upon thee a greater multitude of afflictions he would have afflicted thee much more Thou art too well used to complain thus That 's the summe of this rendring which
which he expected from Job Doubtlesse more of all these should have appeared in him and they should have appeared more in that time of affliction There are two things which God looketh for and aims at in the time of our affliction first the mortifying of corruptions that they woâ—k no more at least no more so strongly as they have done secondly The stirring up and acting of our Graces that they may be more woâ—king and work more strongly than ever they have done Where the Lord sees not these effects of affliction that our sins grow lesse and our graces more that we complain lesse and trust or believe more we are like to be afflicted more and he will discover his anger more Because it is not so he hath visited in his anger And thence Note Thirdly Distrust or impatience under the afflâ—cting hand of God or our not trusting God in our worst condition patiently is a very provoking sin We provoke the Lord to visit us in his anger when we do not trust in his mercy Our not trusting God must needs provoke him to anger for when we do not trust him we question him distrust or unbelief questions all that God is and all that God hath promised it questions his Truth and his Faithfulnesse his Power his Mercy and his Goodnesse all these which are the glory of God and in all which the sons of men ought to glorifie him these are all questioned and darkned when we put not forth acts of trust and reliance upon God in times of greatest affliction and extremity Is it not then a provoking sin I say not to with-draw trust from God and give it to an arm of flesh but not to put out fresh and full acts of trust upon God let our affliction or extremity be what it will The Children of Israel were in great extremity at the Red Sea a mighty Army pursuing them at the heels to destroy them and mighty waters being before them ready to swallow them up in these straits whilest they should have done their utmost to get and assure God to be their Friend the Psalmist tells us They provoked him Psal 106 7. But wherein lay their provocation that Scripture saith They remembred not the multitude of his mercies The former mercies of the Lord did not strengthen their trust in present troubles that was one provocation And as former mercies did not strengthen their trust so the present trouble drew out their distrust as another Scripture assures reporting their behaviour in it Exod. 14.11 And they said to Moses Because there were no Graves in Egypt hast thou taken us away to dye in the Wildernesse Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt What were these fearful fore-casts these amazing bodements of an unavoidable as they apprehended ruine but the overflowings of unbelief or distrust in God and this was another provocation Former mercies are forgotten yea eaten up by unbelief as the seaven lean Kine in Pharaohs dream eat up the fat ones and present difficulties are aggravated by unbelief as if all the power of God could not remove and overcome them And will not the Lord think you visit in anger for such a sin as this Again As Elihu doth not say barely he hath visited but he hath visited in his anger or his anger hath visited so consider who was it that was thus visited in anger It was Job a Godly man a man perfect and upright Hence note Fourthly God visits or afflicts even his own people his elect and choicest servants with fatherly anger when they displease and provoke him We find the Scripture speaking expresly of the anger of God towards the best of his servants even towards a Moses as himself made confession Deuter. 1.37 when they displease him Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes saying thou also shalt not go in thither Moses was a most meek man the meekest man upon the face of the earth nor was he an inferior in any other grace yet the Lord was angry wi h him and angry with him upon that special occasion his unbeliefe Numb 20.12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron because ye believe me not to sanctifie me in the eyes of the children of Israel therefore c. We read of the Lords anger breaking out against Aaron for another sin Numb 12.9 The anger of the Lord was kindled against them that is against Aaron and Miriam because they had spoken against Moses vers 1.8 Aaron was the High Priest and as he was high in office so eminent in grace and doubtless Miriam was a very gracious woman yet the Lord was not only angry with them but exceeding angry his anger waxed hot against them and kindled when they forgot their duty to Moses and remembred not their distance with reverence Solomon in his prayer at the Dedication of the Temple speaks of the people of God collectively If they sin against thee and thou be angry with them The Lord is not only angry with the world but angry with his Church not only angry with Babylon but with Jerusalem And as Solomon spake that of the whole Nation of the Jewes supposing they might fall under the Lords anger all together as a body so he did experience it sadly in his own person 1 Kings 9.11 And the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel which had appeared unto him twâ—ce Wise Solomon departed from God through an evil heart of unbelief and vanity after the Lord had come and appeared to him more than once in grace and savour and the bitter effects or fruits of that departure appeared to him shortly after the Lord saith that Scripture was angry with Solomon and the sequel of his History tells us there went out very hot displeasure against him As these Scriptures are a proof of the Lords anger kindling against his people when they sin so we find the Church represented praising the Lord for quenching the fire of his angeâ— Isa 12.1 And in that day thou shalt say O Lord I will praise thee though thou wast angry with me thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me When we turn from God his anger is turned against us and when we turn to God his anger is turned away from us When the Lord is angry what can comfort us but the turning away of his anger And by the very act of turning away his anger he comforts us though all the world be angry with us But some may say How doth the Lord who is said to love his people with an everlasting love visit them in anger To clear that we may distinguish of anger First There is correcting anger Secondly there is consuming or destroying anger Destroying anger is inconsistent with eveâ—lasting love but not correcting anger correcting anger may be very grievous therefore the Prophet deprecates it Jer. 10.24 Correct me O Lord in Judgement not in thy anger The
by another word in the Original Gen. 17.1 I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect or upright or sincere as our Margin reads it The same title is again repeated by Isaac when he dispatcht his son Jacob with a blessing to Padan-Aram to avoyd the fury of his brother Esau Gen. 28.3 Thus also spake the blessed Virgin Luke 1.49 He that is mighty hath done to me great things and holy is his Name The holy Scriptures every where exalt the name of God by this glorious Attribute The mighty God even the Lord hath spoken Psal 50.1 And he seems even to delight in this title The mighty God of Jacob. Jacob was mighty with God in prayer as a Prince he had power with God and prevailed and God loved and loves to put forth his might for Jacob his Church and people in answer of their prayers But I shall not stay in general upon this title only opening it a little shall make some inferences from it God is mighty in a two-fold notion First In authority or in command he commands in chief God is Soveraigne and Supreame the Legislative power is in his hand he gives Lawes and he gives the Law to all the world Psal 62.11 Once hath he spoken and I heard it twice that power Soveraignity Law-giving power belongs to God He is so mighty in this governing power that he doth not only give Lawes to rule Nations but he disposeth of all the Rulers in Nations Daniel Chap. 2.21 Chap. 4.17 And again Psal 22.28 The Kingdome is the Lords and he is the Governour among the Nations Secondly Besides this power of Authority which the Lord exerciseth paramount over all the world he hath also another power or might he hath the might of Strength as well as the might of Authority Some have a great a mighty Authority but they have little or no might to make good that Authority they cannot effect or carry on what they commâ—nd how much right soever they have to command yea how just and right soever that is which they command they have Authoritive might yet want Executive might they cannot bring about nor issue what they determine But when Elihu asserts Behold God is mighty we are to take it under both notions he is mighty as he hath the whole Legislative power in his hand and he is mighty as having also the whole Executive power in his hand The sons of men are jealous about these two Powers and labour to keep them in distinct hands that they who have the Legislative power may not have the Executive power also as fearing what they would do were they vested with both But God beyond all dispute hath both powers in himself and it is impossible they should be taken from him or devolved upon any others otherwise than himself pleaseth or permitteth behold and wonder God is mighty and O how mighty is God! in the union of these two powers and to set forth yet further the wonder of his might I shall give you seaven brief propositions or assertions concerning the might of God as it is twisted and made up of these two mights or powers First He is so mighty both in strength and power that all the might which is in the creature all the Legislative might and all the Executive might all the Authority and all the ability which is in any man is from him and by him that 's it which is said Pro. 8.15 By me Kings reigne and Princes decree Justice they have both their Authority and their power to execute that Authority from me every kind and degree of might whatsoever it is is but a derivation a rivolet from the Might and Power of God that 's the fountaine the spring of all Secondly Behold the mightiness of God as in giving so in taking away power whether the power of authority or of strength from the sons of men He taketh away might from the mighty Sometimes such power such authority such command is put into the hands of others that they who put it there know not how to get it out again but are mastered and over power'd with the very power which they trust others with but such is the might of God that whatever might of authority or strength he hath trusted or cloathed any of the Princes or Powers of this world with he can presently take it out of their hands again Psal 75.7 God is the Judge he putteth down one and setteth up another and it is as easie with him to put down as it is to set up as he can make the weak strong so he can presently make the strong weak this is the glory of the might of God he can take away power as well as give it Thirdly Behold God is mighty for he can do whatsoever pleaseth him Certainly he is Almighty that can do so He whose power runs paralel with his will he who can act as far as he desires how mighty is he none of the mighty ones of this world can do this Oh what work would some men make in the world if they could do as much as they desire if their power should alwayes extend as far as or be commensurate with their Will yet thus it is with God The Scriptures of truth are clear in it Psal 115.3 where when some prophane wretches had scoffed and jeered the people of God wiâ—h where is your God they presently answer Our God is in heaven and he hath done whatsoever pleaseth him It is not what this man pleaseth or what that man pleaseth or what this sort or gange of men please but what the Lord pleaseth that is done and that he doth well how ill soever men do it both in heaven and in earth The Lord will not do all that he can for he could by his power reduce this world to its first principles a Chaos or into a nothing as it was before that but he can do whatsoever he will all things are possible to God yea all things are easie nothing hard or difficult to God And we may very well put a behold of admiration upon his might and such is the might of God who can do whatsoever he willeth Fourthly The Lord is so mighty that he can do all without the help of any Some men are very mighty but it is with other mens hands with other mens strength let them alone let them stand by themselves do but desert and leave them and what can they do just nothing But such is the mightiness of God the Almightiness of God that if all second causes if all persons powers and Nations should leave him in that which he intends should be done he can do it himself without them The Prophet setting forth the victory of Christ over his enemies represents him speaking thus Isa 63.3 I have trodden the wine-press alone and of the people there was none with me Which though many interpret of his passive conquest by suffering as a Priest yet most of his
active conquest as a King which he usually atchieveth by himself alone without any appearance of help from man And though Deborah in her Song Judg. 5. pronounceth a curse upon those that came not out to help the Lord against the Mighty yet it was not because the mighty God needed their help or service but because they did owe it him in duty should have given it him For that the Lord wants no help is further clear from the Prophet Isa 59.16 He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no Intercessor none so much as to speak a word therefore his arme wrought salvation and his righteousness it sustained him Not only no arme was put forth to help but no tongue so much as move or intercede for help to do it yet his own arme did it Thus the Prophet Isa 44.24 He stretcheth forth the Heavens alone and laid the Foundations of the Earth by himself Now as it was with the Lord in the work of Creation he had no helper no assistant he did it alone by himself so it is as true as to all works of providence Let all men forsake him as the Apostle Paul complained they did him 2 Tim. 4.16 and no man stand by him yet the Lord what his purpose and counsel is can bring to pass alone O behold this might he can do all things without the help of any and not only so but Fifthly God is so mighty that he can bring all things to pass or do what he pleaseth though all creatures should be displeased though all men and Angels though all second causes stand up to hinder and to stop him The Lord can work his will against every will against all contradictions and oppositions Thus the Prophet extols the power of God Isa 14.27 The Lord of Hosts hath purposed and who shall dâ—sanul it His hand is stretched out and who shall turn it back Where we have first the purpose of God none can disanull that Secondly the execution of that purpose He stretcheth out his hand to do such or such a thing who shall turn it back Let all men and Devils joyn forces and counsels let them strive to do it they shall not be able to do it We have a like confession Dan. 4.35 He doth according to his will in the Armies of Heaven and among the Inhabitants of the Earth and none can stay his hand or say to him what dost thou Such is the mightiness of God that he can work not only when the creature doth not help him or when they apostatize from and desert him or his interest but though they set their hearts and heads their hands and their all against him they cannot stay him nor hinder his work I saith the Lord Isa 43.13 will work and who shall let it Sixthly Behold how mighty the Lord is he is so mighty that he can do all these things and never trouble himself in doing of them he can do all things and not be weary We see the mightiest among men the Powers of this world how they are toyled and moyled how they are worn out how they sweat and labour and are ready to faint and tire in bâ—inging some poor business some petty project about or to its issue But the greatest designes which the Lord hath in his heart to do he can do them without any wearisomness or trouble at all Isa 40.28 Dost not thou know that the Lord is not weary neither doth he faint and when the Prophet saith the Lord is not weary neither doth he faint the meaning is not this the Lord is somewhat weary only he doth not faint but the meaning is this he hath not the least wearisomness upon him no more than a man hath in turning his hand not only are all things possible to God or such as he can do if he put forth the utmost of his power and strength if he make as we say much adoe if he lay himself out to the full not only are things thus possible to God which yet argueth wonderfull might but behold the Lord is so mighty that there is nothing difficult unto him Not only can he possibly do great things but he can easily do them he can do them without the least trouble to himself There is nothing hard to him who can do every thing Mighty men have done great things but they will tell you they could hardly do them they were forced to turn every stone to straine every veine of their hearts to do them whereas the mighty God can do his work with as much ease as desire to have it done Seaventhly Behold God is mighty so mighty that he can do any thing but that which will argue that he is not almighty The Scripture speaks of something which the Lord cannot doe Tit. 1.2 In hope of eternal life which God who cannot lye hath promised And again the Apostle saith of God not only making promise but oath to Abraham Heb. 6.18 That by two Immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lye the heirs of promise might have strong consolation Once more 2 Tim. 2.13 If we believe not yet he abideth faithfull he cannot deny himself We have these and such like negative Propositions concerning God telling us what he cannot do Now the only reason why it is said the Mighty God cannot do these things is because the doing of them would argue him not to be Almighty To lye is to be weak to deny himself would affirme his impotency therefore he cannot do these things the Lord is so mighty so strong that it is impossible for him to do any thing which should declare any weakness or impotency in him Thus I have given you seaven assertions concerning the might of God all which may very well call for a behold of admiration and astonishment at the mightiness of God Take a few Inferences from this grand Assertion First For Comfort Secondly For Terror Behold the Lord is Mighty Almighty this speaks comfort to the people of God First Surely then he can do whatsoever he hath promised to do and if so then look through the promises and see whether God hath not promised to do good things for his people in generall and for every believer in particular Behold the Lord is mighty these are not vaine words he can fill up and fulfill all his promises As he hath made promises so he can create performances Abraham was fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to performe Rom. 4.21 Secondly If the Lord be mighty in all those notions foreshewed then certainly he can do whatsoever we desire him to do according to his will As God hath not out-promised his power so we cannot out-pray the power nor out-ask the arme of God we may quickly out-pray the power of man and ask what he cannot do he may say I cannot do this for you it is not in my power but here is our comfort if what we pray and
time and means and manner as in all his outward Administrations so in ministring or giving out this right the Lord waits to be gracious till we are ready for his grace and he waits in the same sence to be righteous till the poor are ready for their right they shall not stay for it when once they are ready for it and it would be a wrong to them to have their right before they are ready for it Lastly There is a day spoken of wherein the Lord will do all his poor right in the view of all the world Acts 17.31 He hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the World in Righteousnesse by that man whom he hath ordained The day approacheth wherein the Lord will judge the world in righteousness Right is prepared designed for them The time till right shall be done to all as is desired or to the utmost of their desires maketh hast He that shall come will come and will not tarry Behold saith he I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according as his works shall be Rev. 22.12 And if the Lord come with a reward in his hand for those who have done well he will undoubtedly come with right in his hand to give all those who have suffered wrongfully JOB Chap. 36. Vers 7. He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous but with Kings are they on the throne yea he doth establish them for ever and they are exalted THis verse contains a further confirmation of Gods righteous and gracious dealing with the righteous and gracious poor yea with all that are righteous and gracious The words may be taken either in a stricter or in a larger sense First Strictly as an Exposition of the latter part of the former verse He giveth right to the poor that is He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous We may put both together He is so set to give right to the righteous poor he takes such care of them that he cannot take his eye off from them Secondly In a larger and more general sense as a Conclusion upon the whole matter that God will not desert any righteous person whether poor or rich high or low God will take notice of piety and godliness wheresoever he finds it He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 minuit diminuit ademit substraxit The word which we translate withdraweth and is here used negatively He withdraweth not signifies strictly in the Noune any kind of abatement or diminution and in the Verb to diminish or abate or take short in any kind that which was before When Pharaoh Exod. 5.8 gave out a fresh Charge for burdening or indeed oppressing the Children of Israel in their bondage the Order ran in this stile The tale of bricks which they did make heretofore you shall lay upon them you shall not diminish or withdraw any you shall not abate them a brick And Moses shewing how sacred a thing the Word of God is Deut. 9.2 gives a double check or prohibition to all medlers with it First to medlers by way of addition Ye shall not add unto the Word Secondly by way of abateâ—ent or abstraction Ye shall not diminish or withdraw from it it is this word As if the Lord had said Every tittle of my word shall stand by it self and every Iota be establisht be sure that ye put nothing to it that you withdraw nothing from it Further this word which we translate withdraw is rendred also to clip as the hayr of the head or beard is clipt Jer. 48.37 It is indeed high treason against the King of Heaven to clip his coyn his word which bears the royal stamp and superscription of his truth and holiness Thus here he withdraweth not that is the Lord doth not abate lessen diminish or take off his eyes from the righteous his eyes are fixed on them for good alwayes and they are alwayes fixed in the same strength and vertue He withdraweth not His eyes God is a Spirit without parts and passions yet often in Scripture parts and passions are ascribed to him in allusion to man here eyes He withdraweth not his eyes that is his sight Oculos domini esso super aliquem nisi aliquid additur semper in bonum sumitur peculiarem ejus favorem et curam importat Bold or his providence And we may take notice that in Scripture where this expression is used without any further addition it is alwayes taken in a good sense When we read either of Gods keeping his eyes upon his people or of his not withdrawing his eyes from his people it alwayes respects their priviledge benefit and comfort He withdraweth not his eyes From the righteous He doth not say from this or that righteous man but from the righteous implying the whole kind or generation of the righteous The indefinite is universal we may render it thus he withdraweth not his eyes from any that are righteous The righteous here may be taken in a two-fold notion First for the righteous as to their state or who are in a state of righteousness Man wanting a righteousness of his own hath the righteousness of another assigned and imputed to him Justified persons through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ are righteous persons as hath been shewed heretofore Secondly We may take righteous here with respect to the righteousness of their wayes and actions They who do righteousness are righteous saith the Apostle John To a righteous state there belongs a righteous way a righteous walk righteous acting not that the righteous do not sin but they would not nor do they sin at all as the unrighteous It is a high blemish or staine to the Gospel when any that pretend to a righteous state or to righteousness by Jesus Christ are not righteous as to their wayes and course as to their walkings and workings whether towards God or man 'T is true in a strict legal sense none are righteous no not one but in a Gospel sense all justified and fanctified persons are righteous and they are called so not only positively as to what themselves are but comparatively as to what the men of the world are who live in a state or walk in a course of sin and unrighteousness The Lord withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous But some may here object or question Is this true only of the righteous Doth the Lord at any time withdraw his eyes from the unrighteous truly that would be very good newes to many unrighteous persons they would be glad that they and their way might be hid from God or that God would not look upon them I answer This Scripture is not to be so understood as if God did behold the righteous and not the wicked for Prov. 15.3 The eyes of the Lord are every where beholding the evil and the good whether things done or persons doing them The Lord doth not withdraw his eyes from
the most unrighteous persons nor from any of their acts or wayes of unrighteousness And when it is said here The Lord withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous it is meant of a peculiar eye which the Lord hath upon the righteous he beholds both the righteous and the unrighteous yet he doth not behold the unrighteous as he beholds the righteous which I shall clear further by giving in a five-fold discovery what that eye of the Lord is which is upon the righteous foure of which are distinct and totally differing from that eye with which he beholdeth unrighteous men and from every one of them I shall give you an observation for our further profiting by this general assertion that the Lord withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous There is a five-fold eye of God spoken of in Scripture First There is a discerning eye that eye by which be unerringly knoweth what every man is and what every man doth Hence note The Lord taketh exact and full notice of he clearly discerns the righteous in every condition This is true also of the unrighteous therefore David puts it universally Psal 11.4 His eyes behold his eye-lids try the children of men that is his sight discovers and discerns what they are of what sort soever they are We may see many men yet not discover what they are they may have a faire outside to our view whilest within they are foule and full of rottenness they may appear in Sheeps cloathing yet inwardly be ravening Wolves But the Lords eye is a trying eye he doth not only know who men are but he knows what they are Such is the importance of that Scripture Heb. 4.13 All things are naked and manifest to his eyes with whom we have to do that is the Lord doth so behold things and persons that he hath a clear understanding of them And though the Lords eye be thus upon all men yet this is specially affirmed of righteous men Psal 33.18 Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him and hope in his mercy Again Psal 34.15 His eye is over the righteous Both texts teach us that God considers not only what they do but as I may say how they do whether it be peace with them or whether it be trouble with them whether it be joy with them or whether it be sorrow with them the Lords eye is over them to discern not only whether and how they go but how things go with them Secondly The Lord hath a directing or a counselling eye Hence Note The Lord with his eye favourably guides directs and counsels righteous men This eye of the Lord as it denotes favour is peculiar to the righteous We have that expresly Psal 32.8 I will instruct thee and teach thee how I will guide thee with mine eye We put in the Margen I will counsel thee that is thee a Godly man a David spoken of v. 6 7. mine eye shall give thee counsel Men can give direction by the eye and they that are acquainted with them understand what they mean when they look this way or that way thus or so Solomon saith A naughty person winketh with his eyes he speaketh with his feet he teacheth with his fingers Pro. 6.12 13. that is all the postures and gestures of his body shew what he is stark naught and silently teach others to be naught The holy God also teacheth by his feet and fingers his goings and doings his workes and wayes teach us the work which we should do and the way wherein we should go he hath a providential eye the looks of providence give counsel to those who know how to look upon them and interpret them The Lord hath a providential eye upon the righteous not only to foresee their dangers but to direct their course he sheweth them their way and their work by this eye he tells them what pleaseth him and what displeaseth him by this eye this eye the Lord doth not withdraw from the righteous He will guide the feet of his Saints 1 Sam. 2.9 'T is possible for a righteous man sometime to be without counsel he may neither know what counsel to give himself nor what to take from others as Jehoshaphat said in his streight 2 Chron. 20.12 He knoweth not what to do yet as Jehoshaphat said then his eyes are towards the Lord and the Lords eyes are towards him When he is thus counselless there is a counselling a directing eye of God upon him though he at that present know not his way yea be out of his way yet he is not out of Gods eye and that will in due time shew him his way or bring him into his way again though God suffer him to go out of the way yet the eye of God is upon him even when he is out of his way and that eye will reduce and bring him back to his right way There is a directing a counselling eye of God Thirdly The Scripture speaks of a pitying and a compassionating eye of God It is ordinary with us to hear those that are in distress cry out to those who pass by cast an eye upon us look upon us and that is as much as to say pity us have compassion upon us this eye of pity the Lord doth not withdraw from the righteous Hence note The righteous are under the compassionating the pitying eye of God When the people of Israel were in Egypt the Lord said to Moses Exod. 3.7 I have surely seen the affliction of my people and what kind of sight was that what eye of God was it which was upon them the words following and the whole series of Gods dealings also clear it that it was an eye of compassion I have surely seen or seeing I have seen the affliction of my people that are in Egypt c. and I am come down to deliver them We read in that notable place Gen. 16.14 when Hagar was in a very sad and distressed condition being cast out of Abrahams family God had compassion on her and shewed her a Well where she might have water for her self and child and the text saith She called the name of the Well Beer-la-hai-roi that is the Well of him that liveth and seeth me As if she had said God hath seen me in my afflicted condition and he hath also had compassion on me That 's another great priviledge the righteous are under this pitying and compassionating eye of God and from thence follows The fourth eye of God his providing eye his caring eye Hence note The Lord doth so eye the righteous in their straits and afflictions with compassion that he also provides to deliver them out of their affliction out of their straits There is a providing eye of God continually beholding his people Of this providing eye Abraham spake Gen. 22.14 when he was put upon that hard task the sacrificing of his own son his Isaac the Lord had compassion on him and provided another sacrifice and therefore he called
the name of that place Jehovah Jireh the Lord will see or provide that is as the Lord hath seen and provided for me so he will see and provide for all his in their greatest exigents and extremities What Abraham said all the seed of Abraham may say in the day of their distress Jehovah Jireh the Lord will see and provide And as the Lord hath a seeing and a providing eye for his in times of distress so at all times Moses said of the Land of Israel Deut. 11.12 It is a Land of hills and of vallies a Land which the Lord thy God careth for The eyes of the Lord thy God are alwayes upon it from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year The eyes of the Lord are upon the land that is upon the people of the land or upon the land for the peoples sake who dwell in it What to do the text answers to care for it that is to provide all things for their good to give raine in season and the fruits of the earth not only for the support but comfort of his people We read of the same eye promised to the people of Israel in the Land of their captivity Jer. 29.6 I will set mine eyes upon them for good and I will bring them again into this Land I will not only give them a look or a glance but fix or set mine eyes upon them for good that is to do them good It is a proverbial saying amongst us The Masters eye fattens the Horse The Masters eye is a caring a providing eye he will take care that the Horse shall be well fed Certainly Gods eye is a sattening eye they shall be fat and flourish from whom God will not withdraw his providing eye at least they shall have necessaries or food convenient both for soul and body Fifthly The Scripture speaks of a delighting eye or of an eye of complacency and thus also the Lords eye is upon the righteous he beholdeth them with high content he is as I may say taken with them Isa 66.1 To him will I look that is poor Among all objects none so pleasant or pleasing to God as the poor What poor doth he mean surely the righteous poor or the poor in spirit as was shewed upon the former verse let such a one be whom he will to him will I look mine eye is greatly pleased to behold such a one The word used by Elihu in this Text doth further clear it while he saith He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous How pleasant is any object to our eyes from which we cannot withdraw or take them off but must be continually feeding them upon it Some cannot take off their eyes from unlawfull wanton objects because they are so delighted in them they have as the Apostle Peter speaks eyes full of adultery and such can never glut their eyes with adulterous objects Now certainly the Lord is exceedingly taken with the beauty the spiritual beauty of a righteous person with the comliness the spirituâ—ll comliness of those that are godly when the Text saith He withdraweth not his eyes from them but carries them as it were alwayes in his eye Among the Latines to carry one in our eye is an expression of singular high content delight and pleasure taken in such a person We may say of all the righteous the Lord carrieth them in his eye and therefore he is highly pleased and delighted with them In oculù oliquem gestare est eum vehementer amplecti diligere Thus you have this five-fold eye which the Lord doth not withdraw from the righteous and in that the text saith he doth not withdraw or abate or diminish his eye from them but looks fully upon them it gives us this fixth note The inspection of God upon his compassion towards his care of his delight in the righteous is perpetual Though God doth afflict yet he never ceaseth to love or care for his people Elihu was much upon that industriously to remove the scandal of the crosse which 't is like then did and still doth offend many and causeth them to stumble when they see the righteous afflicted therefore he would assure us that God never withdraweth his eye from them but his care of and pity to Non solum Satagentem attentamque curam denotat haec phrasis sed perseverantem continuam minimeque deflectentem Bold yea pleasure in them is everlasting That eye of his which carries all this in it is never shut towards them The Lord saith of the Church Isa 49.16 Thy walls are continually before me As the walls of Sion so the walls of every righteous person in Zion or of every true Sionist are continually before the Lord he withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep Psal 121.4 he that neither slumbers nor sleeps needs not withdraw his eyes from us and he that hath a tender regard to us will not The Prophet Isa 27.3 speaking of the Church under the Allegory of a Vineyard brings in the Lord giving this assurance I will water it every moment I will keep it night and day He that waters a Vineyard every moment never withdraws his eyes from it now by watering is meant the supply of whatsoever good the Vineyard or Church of God stood in need of to be so supplyed is to be well watered The providence of God as to our spirituall and temporall estate watcheth over us continually to water us But some may question here Doth not the Lord withdraw his eyes from the righteous are his eyes continually upon them what then is â—â— meaning of that Scripture Psal 44.23 and of several others of like importance Awake Lord why sleepest thou That was at once the voyce of the Church and her complaint surely the Lords eyes were withdrawn from the Church when he was asleep I answer The Lord sleeps with respect to his Church as the Church sleeps with respect to the Lord Cant. 5.2 I sleep saith the Spouse but my heart waketh Indeed the Lord doth act sometimes so towards the righteous or lets things go so with the righteous as if he were asleep as if he took no notice of them yet still his heart waketh towards them So that his sleeping doth not imply an intermission of his care but only a suspension of the effects of his care For while the Lord lets things go so as if he were asleep he then wakes and watches as much over the righteous over his Church and people as at any other time when they have the highest actings of his providence for their outward peace and preservation And if that other sort of Scriptures should be objected against his perpetual watching over the righteous or that he never withdraws his eyes which say he hideth his face and turns himself away from them I answer Those Scriptures are all of them to be understood according to the former interpretation the
men in great trouble in fetters and cords of affliction Well saith Elihu suppose it be so suppose you find many righteous men in such a low condition yet God withdraweth not his eyes from them no not then yea he is doing them good by all the evils that they suffer So then if this relative they referre to righteous men in either capacity either to such as were before exalted and are now affl cted or to such righteous men as were never so exalted yea as are depressed and cast into an afflicted condition yet God withdâ—awe h not his eyes from them but still continues his care of them and tenderness towards them If they be bound in fetters and holden by the cords of affliction Here are two hard words bound and holden bound as captives bound as prisoners bound in fetters yea and holden in cords holden or caught as a poor bird in a net or snare or as a wild beast in a toyle bound in fetters and holden in cords These fetters and cords may be understood two wayes First Literally and properly it is possible for a righteous man to be bound in fetters and holden in cords plainly so called Joseph was cast into prison and the Iron entred into his soul and his feet were hurt in the Stocks in material Stocks Secondly We may expound these fetters and cords figuratively or metaphorically and so any trouble or streight is as a fetter and as a cord Thus to be bound in fetters and holden in cords is but an expression signifying any afflicted condition Fetters and cords are Emblems of slavery captivity The P ophet foreshewing the willing contribution of divers strange Nations towards the help of the Jewes in their return from the Babylonish captivity as also beyond that their subjection to Christ and the power of the Gospel gives it under this shadow Isa 45.14 Thus saith the Lord the labour of Egypt and merchand se of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans men of stature shall come over unto thee and they shall be thine that is they shall yeild themselves to thee as thy subjects and more they shall come after thee in chaines they shall come over that is they shall follow thee as captives do a conquering enemy in chaines In what chaines the meaning is not that they fhall come with chainâ—â— of Iron upon their bodies but even the stoutest greatest richest of them shall humbly submit they shall come even as prisoners with their chaines about them supplicating and intreating thy favour We read in the holy History of the Kings that the servants of Benhadad came with ropes about their necks to Ahab Vinâ—ula sunt servitutis Symbola they came with material ropes about their necks in tâ—ken of their abasement and readiness to submit unto what sentence soever the King of Israel should lay upon them To come with â—opes and chains is in Scripture Language to come in deepest humiliation and to be bound in chaines and fetters is to be in greatest affliction That 's the sense of the Prophet Isa 28.22 Now therefore be ye not mockers there were some that derided him threatning judgement in the name of the Lord take heed of that lest your bands be made strong that is lest God bring you into such great afflictions that you shall find and feel your selves as it were in bands or as Elihu expresseth it in the Text bound in fetters and holden in the cords of affliction So then this notes in general any state of trouble or sorrow of misery or calamity that befalls us here below Psal 107.10 They that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death being bound in affliction and iron that is as fast bound in affliction as if they were bound in iron Thus here Holden in cords of affliction Some translate cords of poverty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eunibus pâ—upertatu Vulg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dicitur qui quid premit constringit quare appellalatione Funis comprehenditur pignus quo obligatur homo â—â— dolor praefertim parturieâ— lâ—m the same word signifying both affliction poverty because poverty is so great an affliction Here 's the case this is the condition into which Elihu supposeth righteous men may fall They may be bound in fetters and holden in cords of affliction Taking the words as they refer to righteous men in general observe The best of men may fall into the worst outward condition They may be in a condition of captivity they may be in reall fetters and cords or they may be in a state of affliction as bad to them as fetters and cords I have heretofore more than once spoken of the afflictions of the righteous in the opening of this Book therefoâ—e I shall not stay upon it here Only take notice that the righteous may come into fetters c. not only for tryall of their graces but for the punishment of their iniquities they possibly have not kept close to the bands of duty and therefore God brings them into the bands of calamity As wicked men say in the pride and stoutness of their hearts Psal 2.3 Come let us break their bands and cast their cords from us that is those bands of duty and cords of obedience which the Gospel layeth upon them So in a degree good men righteous men may throw off the cords of obedience and the bands of duty through the violence of corruption and temptation walking loosely vainly for a season they may break the bands of the Gospel Covenant and the cords of the Commandement and when they do so God will not spare them but will throw them even into the bands of trouble and into the cords of affliction they shall know the fetters and bands of affliction threatned in the Law when they have not carefully kept to the rule of the Law Secondly Taking the righteous in that special capacity for such as were once exalted and in high place or as 't is said in the former verse With Kings on the Throne and finding them here in fetters and bands Note The worldly state of good of righteous men as well as others is subject to change For though that text saith He establisheth them yet it is not to be understood that God doth so establish righteous men in their places that they can never be put out of them or so exalt them that they shall never be pulled down that text sheweth what God can do he can exalt them so that they shall not be removed for ever and he often exalts them so but he doth not so alwayes for the outward estates of good men may have as great changes as the outward estate of wicked men have they may come from thrones to prisons and from chaines of gold to fetters of Iron There have been many such changes as to the things of the world even to those that are not of the world And as Heathen Princes and Kings have often found such changes so also did
might serve the turn to hasten our return from a nothing and shall not a command do it when I say a nothing remember as was shewed sin is no such thing as you look upon it to be where are the profits that you have reaped by sin where are the contents and pleasures that you have taken by sin the profit the pleasure and content of sin are nothing there is no advantage to be had by sin Sin is something in the ill effects of it if you would have paine and dishonour and reproach you may have enough of it in sin and you will find sin a something in that sense but sin is a nothing that is no such thing as you expect and look for and therefore be perswaded to return from it Lastly From the whole text take notice of the purpose of God what he hath in his heart when he afflicteth his people the righteous for their iniquities and faylings for their faults and uneven walkings The scope of God in all this is not their hurt but good it is not to destroy them for their sin but to destroy their sin it is not to withdraw himself from them but to draw them nearer to himself all the hurt that the Lord intends us by any affliction is but to get out our dross and to fetch out our filth to bring us off from those things that will undo and ruine us for ever And how great an argument of the goodness of God is it that he designeth the evils which we suffer in these dying bodies to heal the evils and help on the good of our immortal souls that 's all the hurt that the Lord means us And the Lords heart is so much in this design the return of those he afflicts from their iniquity that he seems confident of it that when any are in affliction surely they will return Hosea 5.15 In their affliction they will seek me early surely they will And therefore the Prophet speaks of the Lord as defeated and disappointed of his purpose when he seeth such as he hath afflicted continuing in their sin Isa 9.13 The people turneth not unto him that smiteth them neither do they seek the Lord of Hosts As if he had said 'T is a wonder that being smitten they have not returned what a strange what a cross-grain'd people are these What doth the Lord smite you that you should run farther from him and follow your iniquity closer or hold it faster you may be ashamed that you turn not unto him that speaks to you but when you are smitten will you not return from iniquity remember the Lord therefore suffers you to be bound in fetters that you may be loosed from your sins he therefore suffers you to be holden in the cords of affliction that you might let go your transgressions Take heed you be not found disappointing him of his purpose How well it will be with those who do not disappoint him and how ill 't is like to be with such as do will appear further and fully in the two next verses JOB Chap. 36. Vers 11 12. 11. If they obey and serve him they shall spend their dayes in prosperity and their years in pleasures 12. But if they obey not they shall perish by the sword and they shall die without knowledge IN the former Context we heard what the blessed designes of God are upon the righteous when they are bound in fetters and holden in the cords of affliction namely to convince them of their sin to fit them for the receiving of Instruction and to bring them clear off from iniquity In these two verses Elihu proceedeth to shew what the issue of those afflictions will be in a double respect or case First In case the afflicted come up to and answer the forementioned designes of God that is if they take knowledge of their sin if their ears be opened to Instruction if they return from iniquity what then he tells us v. 11. If they obey and serve him they shall spend their dayes in prosperity and their years in pleasures that shall be the issue the blessed issue of all the afflictions with which they were exercised Secondly He shews us how those afflictions will issue in case the afflicted come not up to those designes of God in case they are not brought to a knowledge of sin nor receive instruction nor return from iniquity what then he tells us that v. 12. if they obey not this will be the consequent of their obstinacy they shall perish by the sword and they shall die without knowledge We have a parallel Scripture to this almost in terms Isa 19.20 If ye hear and obey ye shall eat the good of the Land but if ye refuse and rebell ye shall be devoured with the sword This text not only carries the sense but almost the words by which Elihu expresseth both the Lords pleasure and displeasure in this place to Job Vers 11. If they obey or hear That is take out the lesson taught them if they do that which the affliction teacheth them or which God teacheth by their affliction by their cords and fetters then c. The same word is frequently in Scripture used for obeying and hearing Psal 81.8 11 13. Psal 95.7 To what purpose is our hearing the will of God without obedience to it When young Samuel said at the Lord's call Speak for thy servant heareth 1 Sam. 3.10 his meaning was Lord I am ready to do what thou speakest We hear no more than we obey and therefore obeying and hearing may well be exprest by the same word The text is plain I shall only give this Note and pass on It is our duty to hear and obey when-ever God calls or speakes either in his word or in his works That which this text holds out specially is the voice of God in his works what God speakes by Fetters what he speakes by Cords If ever we hear and obey the voice of the Lord it should be when he teacheth us as Gideon taught the men of Succoth Judg. 8.16 with thornes and briars of the wilderness O let us take care of hearing and obeying this voice For First God is the Lord and therefore to be obeyed Secondly God is a Soveraign Lord and therefore much more to be obeyed Thirdly As all the Commands so all the Chastisements of God are just and righteous therefore they are most of all to be obeyed Fourthly To obey the Commands of God whether taught us in his Word or by his Rod is good yea best for us therefore we should obey for our own good If they obey And serve him or worship him The word which here we render to serve 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Religio at numinis cultus est servitus quaedam is very often in Scripture rendred to worship and sometimes worshipping is expounded by serving Mat. 4.10 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve that also is the mind of the
make our lives comfortable to us I answer Secondly This promise or promises of a like nature were fitted to the time wherein Elihu spake he spake of the times long before Christs appearing in the flesh when the Lord did as it were lead on his people very much by promises of temporal and outward prosperity of which the Scripture is more sparing in the new Testament where we are come to the fulness of Christ and the riches of the grace of God to us in him of which there is but liâ—tle comparatively spoken in the old Testament And therefore under that darker dispensation of spirituals the Lord saw it good to encourage that people to obedience by a multitude of very particular outward promises as we may read Deut. 28. He would bless their basket and their store the fruit of the field c. These promises were suted to the state of that under-age people who were led on and enticed by visible and sensible blessings as we do children with toyes and Gaudees and indeed all visible enjoyments are but such in comparison of spirituals Believers under the Gospel being come to a higher state to fuller attainments the promises made to them run not much in that channel yet it cannot be denied that the Gospel also holds out promises for temporals as well as the Law and this latter dispensation of the Covenant as well as the former hath provided sufficiently for our outward comforts Thirdly For answer let us consider the drift of the Spirit of God in this promise of pleasure Job had often complained of his own sorrowfull condition and concluded himself a man of sorrow for all the remainder of his dayes though his faith was strong for the resurrection of his body after death yet he had little if any faith at all that he should be raised out of that miserable estate wherein he was in this life He also had spoken somewhat rashly and amiss concerning the dealings of God with his servants in general as if nothing but trouble and sorrow did attend them and that the wicked went away with all the sweet and good of this world Now Elihu to take him off from these sad and almost despairing thoughtâ— as to the return of his own comforts and to rectifie his judgement in the general poynt as to the dealings of God with others he assureth Job that if righteous men being bound in fetters c. hear and obey God will break those bonds and cut the cords of their affliction and they shall spend the remainder of their dayes in prosperity and the rest of their years in pleasures So that Elihu in holding out this promise to Job would rather clear his judgement from an error concerning the lastingness or continuance of his pains and sorrows than heat his affections in the expectation of joyes and pleasures in this world Fourthly I answer Though the people of God have nor alwayes dayes of such outward prosperity nor years of such sensitive pleasures yet they have that which is better and if they have no pleasures they do not want them The Apostle could say Phil. 4.11 I have learned in what state scever I am therewith to be content What is pleasure if content be not We may have outward pleasures yet no content but he that hath content within cannot miss of pleasure A man may have riches but no contentment but he that hath contentment is very rich 1 Tim. 6.6 Godliness with contentment is great gaine and great gaine is prosperity this great gaine this heart-pleasure or soul-rest contentment is the assured portion of those who obey and serve the Lord what-ever their outward portion be in this world And he may be said to spend his dayes in good and his years in pleasure who hath these pure gaines of gracious contentment resting the soul in God in all conditions The life of man that is the comfort of his life doth not consist in the abundance of that which he possesseth Luke 12.15 or in sense-pleasures but in that sweet composure and sedateness of his soul resting by faith in the promises of God or rather in the God of the promises and so sucking sweetness from them Lastly As though a servant of God should be exercised with sorrows all the dayes of his life yet he cannot be said to spend his dayes in sorrow because he meets with many refreshing intervalls and shines of favour from the face of God in the midst of those clouds so he may be said to spend his dayes in pleasure because at least when his dayes here are spent he consummates his dayes which is one signification of the word by an entrance into everlasting pleasures So much for the answer of these questions concerning this promise They shall spend their dayes in prosperity and their years in pleasure From the promise it self Note Fiâ—st Obedience to God is profitable to man God hath no profit by our Obedience but we have God doth not call us to serve him in his work as we call servants to do our work to get his living by us or better himself no the Lord calls us to serve him and obey him for our own good They consult their own good best who do most good I may say these three things of those who do good and what is serving God but doing of good or what is doing good but serving God First they shall receive true good Secondly they shall for ever hold the best good the chief good they shall not only spend their dayes and years in good but when their dayes and years are spent they shall have good and a greater good than any they had in spending the dayes and years of this life they shall have good in death they shall come to a fuller enjoyment of God the chief Good when they have left and let fall the possession of all earthly goods Thirdly they that do good shall find all things working together for their good if they have a loss they shall receive good by it if they bear a Cross that shall bear good Outward troubles cannot disturb much less pollute our spiritual good for All things work together for good to them that love God who are the called according to his purpose Rom. 8.28 Surely then the service of God is a gainful service a profitable service though the work may be hard and the way painful yet the wages will be sweet and the end pleasant The contemplation of this put David upon putting that question Psal 34.12 13. What man is he that desireth life and loveth many dayes that he may see good that is that he may enjoy good keep thy tongue from evil and thy mouth that it speak no guile depart from evil and do good The Psalmist makes Proclamation What man is he that would have good let him do good let him obey and serve God and he shall have good Again Consider the Promise in relation to the Persons described vers 8 9 10. They
were bound in Fetters and holden in Cords of affliction Now saith Elihu here they shall spend their dayes in prosperity and their years in pleasures Hence Note There is no condition so low and forlorn but the Lord is able to bring us out of it and into the enjoyments of fullest comforts He can change our Iron Fetters and Cords into Rings of Gold and Bracelets he can translate our dayes of trouble and our years of pain into dayes of prospeâ—ity and years of pleasure it was so with Job in the issue and he was the man that Elihu here intended Job was long bound in fetters and holden in the cords of affliction yet as Elihu told him he should so he did afterwa ds spend his dayes in prosperity and his years in pleasure the Lord doubled his Cattel to him his friends fil'd his Coffers and his Cabinets Every man gave him a peace of money and every one an Ear-ring of Gold his children also were the same foâ— number his daughters the fairest in the Land himself also lived in the fulness of this outward Prosperity till he was full of dayes and he fed upon the delicious fruits of this Promise all his after-dayes Manasseh having run a course of unparallel'd wickedness was at last taken by the Captains of the host of the King of Assyria among the Thorns and they bound him with fetters and carryed him to Babylon 2 Chron. 33.11 yet when in his affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers he was entreated of him and brought again to Jerusalem where he spent his dayes in prosperity and his years in pleasure If we turn to the Lord in affliction the Lord is ready to turn away our affliction or as the Church prayed in the half turn of her affliction Psal 126.4 to turn our captivity as the streams in the South that is to make both a most admirable and a most comfortable turn of our condition Streams in the hot Southern Countries are rare the Rain of those Lands usually is dust Streams in the South are also very welcome How glad are they of a cooling Showre from a Cloud who daily feel and are fainted with the scorching Beams of the Sun Such a turn shall they have saith Elihu who being holden in the cords of affliction turn from iniquity obey and serve the Lord. Thirdly From the matter of the Promise Note A comfortable passage through this life is a very great mercy as well as the hope of happiness for ever in the other life 'T is prosperity and pleasure in this world though nor meer worldly prosperity and pleasure which is here pâ—oâ—ised and we are not to slight any thing that comes by promise yea we should highly esteem those things which considered in themselves are little worth as they come to us through the Promise We may quickly over-rate and over-reckon outward things in themselves and we ever do so if we rate or reckon them any better than vanity but as they are promised and bestowed in a way of savour from God and as they are a part of the purchase of Christ and handed to us by him so are even outward things to believers thus they are very valuable Upon these terms to live and spend our dayes in good and our years in honest lawful pleasures is a great mercy From the whole take two Corolaries First How blasphemous then is their Opinion who say it is a vain thing to serve the Lord or that there is no profit in calling upon him which blasphemy was resuted Chap. 21.14 Secondly Would we have a good end of or out-gate from our afflictions then let us hear and obey Thus much of the first case what the issue of their afflictions shall be who obey The Second issue upon the contrary case followeth in the 12th verse Vers 12. But if they obey not they shall perish by the Sword and dye without knowledge Here contraries are set one over against another for their fuller illustration If they obey not that is if those righteous men spoken of before vers 7. obey not What it is not to obey is clear by what I said was to obey in opening the former verse I shall only take notice that in this latter part it is not said If they obey not and serve him not but only if they obey not and I conceive Elihu saith no more or proceeds no further because they who deny obedience will certainly deny service therefore he stops at that If they obey not They who are good in their state may often fail in doing that which is good for of those this Text yet speaks and is generally interpreted The Hypocrite in heart is spoken of in the next verse but here Elihu is speaking of the righteous and because he is so therefore by this disobedience cannot be meant an obstinate rebellion but a sloth or carelesness in attending to the Call of God for the amendment of some evil in their lives If they obey not Hence Note The calls and commands of God are not alwayes obeyed no not by good men not by the righteous The call and command of God is not at all obeyed by the wicked and it is not alwayes obeyed by the righteous The righteous sometimes hear the word but do not answer it and sometimes they feel the rod and do not attend it they cry out of the smart of the rod and of the sores which the lashes of the rod have made upon them they weep over or because of their sores yet they do not presently give glory to God by obeying him and leaving their sinnes I mean as to that special point of duty in which God would have them obey him and as to those special sins which God by that affliction calls upon them to leave Many good men do not presently understand the purpose of God in this or that affliction and while it is so with them they must needs fail in answerableness to it I know every godly man hath a general bent to obey God and serve him It is not with the godly in their afflictions as with the wicked under theirs of whom the Prophet speaks Isa 9.13 They did not turn to him that smote them yet even such Scriptures are in a degree applicable to many of the people of God they do not alwayes turn to him that smiteth them when they are exercised with variety of calamities they mind not the Lord as they ought And hence it is I say that though the righteous have a general bent to obedience yet they sometimes come short of that obedience which a special affliction or correction calleth them to yea they may be so short in answering it that the Lord may proceed to lay heavier and greater afflictions upon them even to the taking of them out of the world as it followeth in this verse If they obey not They shall perish by the sword Before they were bound in
affliction they throw away their prayers Prayer will forsake them who forsake God while they pray Such as want Faith will not have a heart to pray in their wants If holy Duties cause us not to leave our sins sinning will at last cause us to throw off our holy Duties Will or doth the hypocrite pray alwayes was Jobs denying question at the 27th Chapter of this Book They who do not love prayer cannot hold out in prayer They who do not find a sweetness in drawing near to God in good Times will soon withdraw from him in evil Times Thirdly They cry not when he binds them Note Hypocrites when they have most need of prayer are least in the use of it When more need of Prayer than in time of affliction yet the hypocrite bound in affliction is bound in spirit from supplication Fourthly They are said not to cry though in some sense as hath been shewed they do cry when God bindeth them Hence Note That holy Duty which is not rightly and holily done is reckoned by God as not done at all What almost is more common among hypocrites yea among some prophane ones than to pâ—ay and desire others to pray for them in time of affliction Pharaoh will needs have Moses pray for him and when Ahab was threatned with a binding he humbled himself yet this goes for nothing and gets nothing at most but what Ahab got a reprieve from some present or temporal punishment Fifthly Those words are brought in as an aggravation of the sinfulness of the hypocrite he doth not cry when God binds him he prayeth not when God afflicts him Hence Note It is an heightning of our sin to neglect prayer in time of affliction It is a sin to neglect prayer at any time but their sin is exceeding sinful who neglect it then who cry not to God when God binds them Is it not extreamly evil that they should not pray at all or but little when they should be all and alwayes in prayer Affliction doth as it were naturally draw us yea forcibly drive us to God In their affliction they will seek me early Hos 5.14 As if the Lord had said If ever they will seek me surely they will seek me then and then they will seek me early that is earnestly and with all their hearts Therefore how unnaturally sinfull are they who in their affliction will not seek God! The Prophet saith Isa 26.16 Lord in trouble have they visited thee they powred out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them Yet the hypocrite will not pray when chastened How sinful it is not to pray when God binds us appears upon many accounts First To neglect prayer in time of affliction is very sinful because then we have most occasion for it Secondly In time of affliction God especially calls us to prayer he commands us at all times but chiefly then Is any among you afflicted is that any mans case let him pray Jam. 5.14 What should an afflicted man do else What is he so much engag'd to do by his own necessity what so much by the will of God as to pâ—ay Affliction which takes us off from many other woâ—ks sets us upon and about this Thirdly Prayer in time of affliction is under most promises to be heard Now not to pray not to cry to God when we have so many promises to assure us of hearing encreaseth our sin in the neglect of prayer Though I do not say the hypocrites prayer is under these promises of hearing yet it shall be reckoned as a sin that he haâ—h not prayed in affliction because there are so many promises of hearing prayer in affliction The Lord is very gracious to those thaâ— cry in affliction and the hypocrite hath often heard that he will be so how wretchedly sinâ—ul is he then against God as well as regardless of his own good it God hear not of him or from him in his affliction Psal 102.17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute and not despise their prayer that is graciously accept and answer it Again Psal 69.33 The Lord heareth the poor and despiseth not his Prisoners that is any who are bound in affliction For I suppose that Text is not to be restrained to those only who are shut up in prisons but takes in all those that are bound in any trouble In which sense the word is used Lam. 3.34 The Lord doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men to crush under his feet all the Prisoners of the earth The Hebrew is All the bound of the earth by whom he means as chiefly the Jewes gone into Captivity who were more properly bound so any detained under any calamity whatsoever to all or any of them that Scripture is applyable The Lord doth not willingly afflâ—ct Seeing then there are so many promises made to those that cry in affliction this will be urged upon the hypocrite as an heightning of his naglect that he hath not cryed when God bound him Thus we see the second part of these hypocrites misery by what they do not They cry not when he bindeth them The third thing by which the woful misery of hypocrites in heart is set forth is by what they suffer Vers 14. They dye in youth and their life is among the unclean They dye in Youth The Hebrew is their Soul dyeth The Soul strictly taken is immortal and dyeth not yet 't is often said in Scâ—ipture the Soul dyeth the Soul being taken either First for the Life or Secondly for the Person To say their Soul dyeth in youth is no more than to say as we translate they dye in youth The word rendred Youth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sâ—gnifies in the Root of it to shake and trouble or to make some great concussion hence some render the Text In tempestate Vulg In excussione Rab. Sal. q. d. Excussione et vt afflictionum in quibus sunt peribunt They dye in a Tempest or in a Storm One of the Jewish Doctors gives it thus They shall dye with a stroaker shaking that is they shall perish by the force and violence of that affliction which hath arrested and taken hold of them But I conceive our reading is clear They dye in Youth because Youth is the most stirring time of our life or that time of life wherein we use the most violent motions without and are subject to the most violent passions within therefore the Hebrew expresseth both by one word Now when we say They dye in Youth the meaning is they dye in the prime in the best in the most flourishing time of their life in the spring of their dayes But is it true that all hypocrites in heart dye in youth Do not many who discover themselves to be but hypocrites dye in old age I answer Such-like Scriptures do not intend an universality as to every individual but only shew that 't is so for the most part or often so Hypocrites in heart men
will-esteem thee for this Certainly no. We may take in both senses of the word Will he esteem thy riches or Nobleness Hence note First Greatness without goodness is of little or no esteem with God Note Secondly God will not be taken off by any outward respect whatsoever from bringing vengeance upon evil men God will not be stopt in his course of Justice wiâ—h riches or great titles with honour or nobleness The riches of one man cannot ransome another Psal 49.7 8 9. They that trust in their wealth and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches none of them can by any means redeem his brother nor give to God a ransome for him Nor can any mans riches ransome himself Pro. 10.2 Treasures of wickedness that is treasures gotten wickedly profit nothing Nor will the treasures of the wicked though well gotten profit them Pro. 11.4 Riches availe not in the day of wrath Zeph. 1.7 Their gold and silver shall not profit them in the day of my wrath If you present your selves before God with titles of honour and bags of gold neither the one nor the other will do it he will not regard thy riches nor nobleness When Ishmael came treacherously upon those Jewes ten of them said Slay us not Jer. 4.8 for we have great treasures in the field of Wheat and of Barly and Oile and of Wine so he forbare and slew them not among their brethren But this will not do in the day of the Lords anger Will he esteem thy riches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 clamavit Septuaginta id in mente habuissâ— videntur nam vertunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 opulentus dives Isa 32.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—or scurec significat opes cap. 30.24 cap. 34.20 Non estimabit clamorem tuum nihil ducit quantum vis clames non ea movebitur sed pro diâ—itiis malo Merc Some translate thus Will he regard thy crying or clamor As if Elihu had said Cry as much as thou wilt the Lord will not regard it This goes higher Many possibly will not be taken off from the process of Justice by greatness or riches who yet by our humble supplication and cry may be taken off But will the Lord regard thy cry or as the Septuagint read it Will he have regard to thy prayer Wicked men that have rejected the Lords commands will yet hope or rather presume the Lord will hear their cry and therefore they will be at their prayers in times of trouble when the wrath of God breaks out this is their last resort and refuge They who never made the Lord their choyce in good times will yet make him their refuge in evil times or in dayes of trouble they think surely to be sheltered and saved and spared when they pray but this will not do neither Will he esteem thy prayers The Hebrew Text at least allows if not clearly holds out this reading and it can be no hurt to take in as much profitable sense as the words without undue straining may hold out to us So then when the Lords wrath appears neither riches nor honour nor prayers nor teares can give sinners any relief The cryes and prayers of the wicked are no more regarded by God than their riches or greatness Then they shall call upon me saith Wisdome Pro. 1.28 that is When their feare cometh as desolation and their destruction cometh as a Whirlewind when distress and anguish cometh upon them v. 27. when 't is thus with them then they shall call upon me but I will not answer that is I will not esteem their cry That 's a very remarkable Scripture Psal 18.41 where David speaking of his enemies how the Lord had given him their necks and a power to destroy them that hated him presently adds They cryed but there was none to save them but it may be they cryed where they should not for help no saith the Text they cryed even to the Lord but he answered them not then did I beat them as small as the dust before the wind c. The Lord having declared how resolv'd he was to proceed in a way of wrath against the Jewish Nation adds Jer. 14.12 When they fast I will not hear their cry That people had been very obstinate and rebellious they had withstood the call of God by the Prophet yet when they saw wrath appearing and approaching then they betook themselves to fasting and prayer but saith the Lord it shall not advantage them though they fast and in their fasting cry yet I will not regard them nor be entreated I know they will be praying to me but I will take no notice of them See how dreadfull a thing it is to refuse the offers and tenders of grace to go on in a way of sin for then no ransome will do it riches and honours yea prayers and cryes and teares shall not be regarded Will he esteem thy riches No not gold This is to be joyned according to our translation with the former words and it suits fully with our translation of these words Gold being the best of worldly riches and having the greatest power with and command over men yet saith Elihu Will he esteem thy riches no not Gold He mentions that because I say it is the choicest part of riches the worst sort of gold is of higher esteem and worth than any other mettal Gold beaâ—es the greatest price among metals and hath the greatest prevalency among men but none with God The word rendred Gold signifies defending but gold is no defence against God Will he esteem thy riches no not Gold The note is the same in substance with the former The Lord regards not men for their riches no not for the best of riches Not only will he not esteem your Copper and Brasse and Iron and Tynn but not your Gold 1 Pet. 1.18 Gold doth much with men but nothing with God I shall not stay upon this clause it being only an hightning of the same thing before asserted But There are two other readings of the latter part of this verse upon which I shall stay a little First thus Will he esteem thy riches no not in affliction The word which we render as one signifying the best gold Ne quideâ—â— in angustia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ego nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verto in augustia alii reddum in sâ—gnificatione auri in qua râ—paritur cap. 22.24 sed ibi scribitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in accentu distinguente pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pisc refined gold other interpreters render as two words which signifie to be perplexed or in streights Will he esteem thy riches no though thou art in the greatest streights and knowest not what to do Hence Note The Lord will not regard rich wicked men when they are in streights The Lord who esteems not the wicked rich at any time will lest esteem them in an evil time The Lord who hath an esteem of and a regard
that thou magnifie his works I shall not stay upon that other reading Remember that thou art ignorant of his work The same word which we translate Memento quod ignores opus ejus Vulg. Hieronimus confundit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quanquam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potius errare quam ignorare significat Drus to magnifie with the variation of a point signifieth to erre hence that translation There is a profitable sense in it for indeed the best knowledge which we have of the work of God may be called ignorance and we said to be ignorant of that work which we are most knowing in Yet because this is straining of the Text I pass it by and keep to our own rendring Remember that thou magnifie His work What work Here is no work specified therefore I answer First All the workes of God are here included Magnify his work What-ever is a work of God what-ever hath the stamp and inscription of God upon it see that thou magnifie it Secondly and more specially We may undeâ—stand this work of God to be the work of Creation Hujus mundi opificium intelligo Bold the goodly structure and fabrick of this visible world and indeed that 's a work so great and magnificent that it ought to be continually remembred and magnified Thirdly Others restrain it more narrowly to that part of the work of God which is eminent in the heavenly meteors and wonderful changes in the air together with the motions and influences of the stars of which we shall find Elihu discoursing at large like a divine Philosopher in the next Chapter There are strange works of God in these lower heavens where those meteors are born and brought forth Remember to magnifie those works Fourthly I rather conceive though such works of God are afterward spoken of that Elihu intends the work of Providence in both the appearances of it as it is a white or black work as it is for good or for evil as it is in judgment or in mercy A modern Interpreter pitcheth upon the former and upon one particular of the former as if Elihu had directly led Jobs thoughts back to the Deluge that work of God in bringing the Flood upon the old woâ—ld and if we can but go back and honour God for his past works of Providence we shall magnifie him for his present As if Elihu had said Thou complainest that thou art overflowed with a deluge of afflictions but doest thou remember how God destroyed the whole world at once in the universal flood But though I think that may be taken in among other works yet to restraine it to that is a great deal too narrow for this Text. Therefore under this work of God we may comprehend any great work of God which is upon record or which we have heard of wherein he hath shewed his power wisdome and justice Remember his work The work of providence Those works of providence which are afflictive have a great place in this Text because the person spoken to was one in an afflicted condition And I conceive Elihu directs Job not so much to magnifie God for the day of prosperity and Sun-shine which he once had as for the day of adversity and darkness which then covered him Remember that thou magnifie his work Which men behold Which the sons of Enosh behold saith Mr Broughton But the word Sons is not in the Text there 't is only men or weak men The word which we translate to behold 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath a double signification and that hath caused a double translation It signifieth first to sing secondly De quo cecinerunt viri Quod laudaruni justi viri Chald to see or behold It is translated by several in the former sense Remember that thou magnifie his work whereof men have sang The Chaldee Paraphrase saith For which just men have given praise in Psalmes and songs Beholding fully a good thing and praising it or praising God for it go together as Mr Broughtons glosse expresseth it out of Ramban Gracious and holy men do not only speak but sing the wonderful works of God And that praises were in song or verse both the Scriptures and many ancient Authors testifie God works and men sing the praises of God for his works as Moses David and Deborah did And we find all the Saints Rev. 15.3 singing praises to the Lord for the great work which he will do in bringing forth Judgement to perfection upon Babylon Thus it is a truth the work of God is to be sung and set forth in meeter or in verse We take the other translation Which men behold which with respect to that which followeth v 25. where both expressions refer to the eye is I conceive most proper Magnifie the work of God which men behold As if Elihu had said O Job I advise thee to leave off searching into the secrets of God and set thy self to consider and magnifie those works of God which are plain and lye open to every mans eye The word rendred Behold may note both a transient and an intense or fixt beholding to look wishly as we say to look fastning the eye solicitously yea it imports not only to behold with the eye of the body but with the eye of the mind Some Interpreters put an Emphasis upon the word men Quae viderunt non hominos sed viri praestantes ut sit nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sic alibi in loco ubi non sunt viri virum te praesta Drus as noting excellent men vertuous men men of vertue in their qualities and of excellency in theiâ— abilities such are men indeed worthy men worthy the name of man as it hath been said of old Where there are no men do thou play the man act and speak like a man Some men have nothing but the outside of a man This is a good notion For good men holy men men of divine excellency are most quick-sighted and quick-sented First espying the appearances of God in any of his providences and then making a due improvement of them Therefoâ—e saith Elihu magnifie his work which men that is holy and good men behold and take notice of David speaking of the woâ—ks of God in that notable place Psal 92.6 saith A brutish man knoweth not neither doth a fool understand this that is such a one as he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non tam exâ—ellentes quam miâ—â—â— et pleiâ—â—â—s vâ—â— omnes â—â—mmo homines significat cannot behold the work of God And therefore it is more than a cri icisme to restraine the word men to men of this sort yet it must be granted that the word signifies not only excellent men but any sort of men whether wise or foolish rich or poor and the weake sort of men more specially than the stronger and more noble in any kind And to take the word in that universality as compassing and
praise him whether men do or no. All thy works shall praise thee saith David Psal 145.10 What then should they do for whom they are wrought The latter part of the verse shew what they will do who know what God hath wrought for them Thy Saints saith he shall bless thee They who have as most have low thoughâ—s can never give high pâ—aises of the works of God Thirdly In that this counsel and exhortion is given to Job in that this spur is as it were put to his sides Remember that thou magnifie Note The best men need monitours and remembrancers to quicken them about their duty of magnifying the works of God The Lord though he needeth not yet will have us to be his remembrancers to do our works for us if we would have our works done the Lord would have us by prayer to mind him of our own and of all his peoples condition Isa 62.6 Ye that are the Lords remembrancers so we put in the Margine and in the Text ye that make mention of the Lord c. The Lord will have us to be his remembrancers And though he is ever mindful of his Covenant yet he liketh it well to be put in mind of it But O what need have we of a remembrancer to put us in mind of the work of God and to magnifie his work We need a dayly remembrancer to put us in mind of what we should do how much more of what God hath done We need to be minded of that which 't is a wonder how we can forget our latter end or how frayle we are how much more do we need to be minded of those duties which fit us for our latter end and lead us to those enjoyments which never end Fâ—urthly Observe Such is the sinfulness of mans heart and his sluggishness that he hardly remembers to magnifie God for those works which he cannot but see Elihu urgeth Job and with him all men to remember that they magnifie even that work of his which men behold and which every man may see How slack are they in or to that great duty of magnifying God who when they see or may see if they will his mighty works yet mind not the magnifying of him Fifthly Observe Some works of providence are so plain that every man that doth not wilfully shut his eyes may behold them He is altogether stupid and blockish that seeth not what all may see Hence the Psalmist having said O Lord how great are thy works concludeth such among brutes and fools Psal 92.6 The brutish man knoweth not neither doth a fool understand this It was the saying of Plato an Heathen That man is worthy his eyes should be pulled out of his head who doth not lift them up on high that he may admire the wisdome of the Creatour in the wonderfull â—abrick of the world I may adde and in the works of providence Are they not such that as the Prophet speaks He that runs may read them Sixthly Consider why doth Elihu thus charge it upon Job surely to humble him for his sin in that he did not magnifie God for his works Hence Note It is a great aggravation of our neglect of praising God for his works or of our not magnifying the works of God seeing his works are obvious to every man even to the weaker and ruder sort of men If the very blind may see them how sinfully blind are they who see them not The works of God should be sought out Psal 111.2 4. If they lie in corners yet they are to be sought out and they are sought out of them that have pleasure therein If God should hide his work under ground if God should put his Candle under a bushel as Christ saith men do not Mat. 5. yet 't is our duty to seek it out and set it upon a Candlestick that all may behold it and praise him for it Now if the most hidden works of God must be sought out that they may be magnified surely then when the works of God stand forth and offer themselves to our view and we cannot tell which way to draw our eyes from them how great a sin is it not to behold them not to give him the glory of them Seventhly Observe To magnifie the works of God is mans duty yea it is a most necessary and indispensible duty This is the poynt chiefly intended by Elihu in his present discourse with Job This containeth the sum and substance of the whole Text. To magnifie the work of God is so necessary so indispensible a duty that A remember is put upon it lest at any time it should slip from us The Lord knowing how great how weighty how comfortable how profitable a duty it is to keep the Rest day prefixeth this word Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy Exod. 20.8 I might give instance from several other Scriptures importing those duties which have a memento put upon them to be of great necessity and that the Lord will not bear with us if we lay them by or neglect the constant performance of them To forget any duty is very sinfull how much more those which we are specially warned to remember that we do them David was not satisfied in doing the duty of the text alone but must associate others with him in it Ps 34.3 O let us magnifie the Lord together that 's a blessed consort the consort of the blessed for ever The whole work and reward too of Saints in heaven is and eternally will be to magnify God and they have the beginnings of that work and reward who are sincerely magnifying his work here on earth God hath magnified his word in all things above his name Psal 138.2 and the reason is because his workes answer or are the fulfilling of his word to the praise of his glorious name Now if God hath magnified his word by his workes then we must magnifie his workes or him in his workes For wherein doth God magnifie his word but in his works He hath magnified his work by bringing his word forth in his works Surely then if God hath magnified his word by bringing it forth in his works then 't is our duty to magnifie the works of God which are the product effect and answer of his word But some may say how is that done I would give answer to this question in five things First Then we magnifie the work of God when we magnifie God for his work we cannot magnifie the mercy of God but by magnifying the God of our mercys We cannot magnifie his work while we neglect himself we magnifie God in his work first when we ascribe the whole efficiency of what we see done in the world to him and say This is the singer of God Or when we say according to this or that time What hath God wrought Numb 23.23 To magnifie the work of God is to give the whole of it to God 'T is the hand of God upon a work that sets
of the aire spreading themselves all the Heavens over v. 29. Thirdly He tells us of the sudden changes and successions of rain and faire weather of a cloudy and serene sky v. 30. Fourthly He sets forth the different purposes of God in dispensing the rain which are sometimes for judgement someâ—imes for mercy v. 31 32. Fifthly He intimates the Prognosticks of it or what are the signes and foreâ—unners or foretellers of it v. 33. The two verses under-hand hold out the first poynt the formation and generation of the rain Vers 27. He maketh small the drops of water That is God as it were coynes and mints out the water into drops of rain As a mighty masse of gold or silver is minted out into small pieces so a huge body of water is minted out into small drops that 's the sum of these words according to our rendring The Hebrew word rendred He maketh small hath a two-fold signification and that hath caused a three-fold translation of these words First It signifieth to take away oâ— to withdraw according to this signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ademit substraxit a two-fold power of God is held forth about the drops of water First Substraxit deâ—u stillas aquâ—rum scâ— ex mari fluminiâ—us â—â— loc is humidis quae fundunt pluviam ad nubeni ejus Haustus vapor ex aqua cogitur in nubem quae dainde sundit pluviam Merl Qui ausert stillas pluviae Vulg. The power of God in drawing the water up from the Earth to make rain for that in Nature as we shall see afterwards is the cause of â—ain God draws up the water from the Earth which he sends down upon the Earth he draws up the vapours and the vapours become a Cloud and the Cloud is dissolved into rain Secondly The word may very well expresse according to other texts of Sc ipture the putting forth of the power of God in stopping staying keeping back and with-holding rain from the eaâ—â—h when â—od hath drawn water from the earth he can hold it frâ—m the eaâ—â—h as long as he pleaseth The Chaldee Pa aphrase saith He forbids the drops to water the earth or he sends forth a proh bition to the clouds that they give no water The vulgar Latine speaks to the same sence who takes away drops of rain that is from the earth Mr. Broughton renders he withdraws dropping of water In this sence I find the word rendred expresly Numb 9.7 where certain persons are brought in by Moses thus complaining Wherefore are we kept back that we may not offer an offering to the Lord with the children of Israel It is a case there were some it seems suspended from bringing their offerings to the Lord and they demand a reason of it to give which Moses saith stand still and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you But I quote that scripture only for the force of the word wherefore are we kept back or with held which was for some uncleanness Thus you have the first signification of the word and a double translation upon it both very pertinent to the nature of the rain and the Lords dealing with man in it which is the subject Elihu is insisting upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mâ—nuit diminuis Secondly The original word signifies to diminish or lessen or make a thing small so 't is rendred Exod. 5.8 when the children of Israel complained that they were oppressed in making brick This commandement came from Pharaoh The tale of bricks which they did make heretofore you shall lay upon them you shall not diminish ought of it It is this word Again Deut. 4.2 Ye shall not add to the word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it Man must not make the word of God smaller or greater than it is 'T is high presumption to use either subtraction from or addition to the word of God Thus also the word is used in the case of second or double marriages Exod. 21.10 If he take him another wife her food that is the food of the first wife her raiment and her duty of marriage shall he not diminish Our translators take up this sense of the word as noting the diminishing of a thing in the quantity of it He maketh small the drops of water or he makes the water fall in small drops whereas if the water were left to it self it would poure down like a sea or like a flood to sweep all away This is the work of God and though it be a common yet it is a wonderful work He maketh small the drops of rain A drop is a small thing and therefore the Prophet when he would shew what a small thing or indeed what a nothing man is yea all the nations of the earth are to God saith Isa 40.15 The nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the ballance Behold he taketh up the Isles as a very little thing The Spirit of God piâ—cheth upon this comparison when he would set forth that great distance between God and man Man is but a drop to God But are not all drops small why then doth he say He maketh small the drops The reason is because though all drops are smâ—ll yet some drops are smaller than others and we read of great drops in the Gospel History of Christs agony in the Garden which was an immediate suffering in his soul from the hand of his Father pressing him with that weight of wrath which was due for our sins Luke 22.44 He sweat as it were great drops of blood As God made Christ sweat great drops of blood for our sins so he makes the Clouds to sweat small drops of water for our comfort He maketh small The drops of rain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Guttavit guttatim fluxit The Verb of this Substantive is used Joel 3.18 In those dayes it shall come to pass that the mountaines shall drop down new wine by which we are to understand the plentiful effusion of the Spiâ—it promised in the latter dayes David describing the Lords glorious march thorow the wilderness saith Psal 68.8 9. The earth shâ—ok the heavens also dropped at the presence of the Lord thou O God didst send a plentiful rain whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance when it was weary Which Scripture principally intends the spiriâ—ual rain which drops down upon believers and refresheth their wearied souls And therefore by a Metaphor this phrase to drop signifies to prophesie or preach the word of God because that like rain falls silently Sâ—binde Praeceptuci auriâ—ulis hoc instillare memento Horat. Lib. 1. lip 8. and as it were in drops upon the hearers it falls in at the ear and soaks down to the heart it soaks quite thorow as Moses spake Deut. 32.2 My dâ—ctrine shall drop as the rain and my speech shall destil as the dew And as the word is used
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
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
unawares nor by the unceâ—tain changes of the Air but according to his direction and unchangeable purpose It is turned about by his Counsel The creatures do not govern themselves nor are they Masters of their own motions The way of man is not in himself surely then the way of the Cloud is not in it self Clouds take their course according to the order and command which they receive from God Again The Clouds are thus turned about by the Counsel of God that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them Hence note Clouds are sent about work there 's somwhat to be done by every Cloud God will not have a Vapour arise nor a Cloud stir for nothing he commands them to be doing And if God send Clouds abroad to work much more doth he send man forth into the world to do work appoints him what work to do The first Man was no sooner made and set up in a state of created perfection but he was presently set to work he must be doing Gen. 2.15 And the Lord God took the man or Adam and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress and to till it From the Angels in Heaven to the worms that creep upon the earth there 's no creature but hath somwhat to do yea not only the living and rational creatures but as here in the Text the very inanimate creatures the senseless creatures the Clouds have somwhat to do God sends them forth upon his business Every creature hath a service hath somwhat to do And therefore it will be ill with those whom God finds idle or doing nothing or nothing to any good purpose That servant had been doing to whom Christ in the Paâ—able is represented thus speaking at the last day Well done good and faithful Servant Thirdly observe The Clouds are faithful and ready Servants they do whatsoever the Lord commands them They are Gods Messengers and they will do any or every Eâ—rand which he sends them about and trusts them with 'T is the duty and commendation of a Servant to do whatsoever he is commanded A mans servant must do all his Masters just and lawful commands he must not take up this or that command to do it and pass by the rest The Rule is plain Col. 3.22 Servants obey your Masters in all things Much more must a Servant of God obey him in all things Acts 13.22 I have found David a man after mine own heart he shall fulfill all my Will David was a trusty servant he was not like Saul who did the Lords work to halves The Clouds are trusty Servants they do whatsoever God commands them and we may distribute the commands which God gives the Clouds into two Ranks First The command of God to the Clouds is somtimes for the hurt oâ— punishment of man God threatens and he executes vengeance by the Clouds Ezek. 13.13 Winds conveigh the Clouds and the Clouds pour down overflowing showrs in the anger of God and great hail-stones in his fury to consume and ruine all before them Secondly Clouds execute the command of God in a way of favour as they execute his threatnings so they fulfil his promises Hos 2.21 22. Both these commands to the Clouds are expresly mentioned in the next verse I only touch them here Now forasmuch as the Clouds are here described under the notion of the prest and faithful Servants of God doing whatsoever he commands take these Inferences from it First If Clouds do whatsoever God commands them then surely Christians ought to do whatsoever Christ commands them Shall the Clouds of God out do the children of God in obedience We find that admonition often urged in the Scripture of the New Testament especially in the 13th of Mathew and in the 1st 2d and 3d Chapters of the Revelation He that hath ears to hear let him hear But behold a wonder they that have no ears hear The Clouds have no ears and yet they hear and more than hear they do the commands of God What shall we say when Clouds hear and obey and men do neither Let us learn Duty from the Clouds We are sent to the School of Nature in holy Scripture almost throughout Elihu seems to say Go to the Clouds O ye that are either slothful or disobedient consider their work and be wise they are continually doing whatsoever the Lord commands them Secondly If the Clouds do whatsoever God commands them then here 's matter of comfort to all who do what God commands them surely God will not command the Clouds to do them any hurt who are doing his commands If you can say that you do the commands of God you may rest assured God will never give the Clouds a command to do you hurt I do not say but an affliction may drop out of the Clouds upon a man that is doing the commands of God or the Clouds may have a command to drop affliction upon him that is doing the commands of God but the Clouds drop no hurt upon any that do the commands of God And therefore seeing the Clouds even those Clouds that carry Storms and Tempests Thunder and Lightning Snow Hail and Rain the great Rain of his strength seing I say these Clouds that are the Treasuries and Magazines of such terrible things are at the command of God let not his faithful people fear for when the Winds are Stormy when the Clouds are black and carry as we think nothing but wrath and death in them God will take care of â—hem and charge his Clouds to do them no harm Clouds whatsoever they are doing are doing Gods commands and doubtless he will not give them any commands for their hurt who keep and do his commands And as 't is matter of comfort to the faithful Servants of God that he commandeth the Clouds in the Air so that he also commands those Clouds which are raised in the hearts of men or that sit and appear in their faces and foreheads We often see Clouds gather in the Brows of displeased mortals As some are clouded with sorrow so others are clouded with anger and wrath Those black Clouds in the faces of men are as dreadful as the blackest Clouds in the Air yet the Lord who commands the Clouds in the Air commands the Clouds of anger and choler of wrath and indignation rising out of the hearts and appearing in the faces of men and can blow them over or blot them out whensoever he pleaseth Thirdly If the Lord by his commands orders the Clouds and the Clouds are ready to execute his commands then let us have high thoughts of the power of God and of his commands If men refuse the commands of God if the stout and hard hearts of men will not stoop to them the Clouds of Heaven yea the clods of the earth will Whatsoever God commands he will have it done not one title not one Iota as Christ spake of the Law shall fall short or fail or be unfulfilled If such and such will
〈◊〉 plius Piâ—c The word which we render and is here used as a Vâ—â—b to spread bâ—aâ—eth an allusiâ—n to Metals which aâ—e beaten on by an hammer inâ—o plates The Nowne signifies the Fiâ—mamâ—nâ— Gen. 1. becauâ—e it is an expansiâ—n or thing spread out I 〈◊〉 the Veâ—b is applyed to the work of God upon the Earth Psal 136.6 where the Psalmist puts this among the praises of â—od oâ— the things for which God is to be prâ—ieâ— To him who stâ—eâ—cheâ— out the eaâ—th The stâ—eâ—ching or spreading out of th◠〈◊〉 is the work of God as well as the spreading out oâ— the Hâ—â—â—â—n The earth iâ— a solid opâ—â—ous and globous body yet it is said 〈◊〉 strâ—tched out bâ—cause as there is a â—â—undness in the Earth so a mighty extenâ— and vastness To him that stretched out the earth ab ve the waters to him give thanks But though the Earth be alâ—o stretched out yet more properly of which Elihu here spâ—aks the Sky Hast thou with him spread out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Coelum vel nubes vel aerem signifiâ—â—â— unde aliqui conjunctim de omnibus accipiant Scult Coeli siâ— dicti a tenuitate substantiae et ל valet articulum accusati vicasus Pisc Apud Hebraeos idem significant Shamaiim Schehbkim ita apud Latinos coelum Aether interdum aer mediae regionis ubi sunt nubes hoc nomine significatur Merc The Sky The word renâ—red Sky is put somtimes for the Air somtimes for the Clouds as also for the Heavens above boâ—h the Clouds and Air. Several of the leaâ—ned expound it here of the Aiâ— that is of all below the Moon others of the Heavens which aâ—e above Hast thou with him spread out the Sky or the Heaveâ— This spreading forth of the Sky may have a thâ—ee-fold reference Fiâ—st To the eternal Councel of God bâ—â—â—e â—ime As if he had said Wast thou with God when he decreed or purposed to spread out the Heavens Secondly To the wo k 〈◊〉 God in the bâ—ginning of time Wast thou with God when he did â—ctuâ—lly spâ—ead out the Sky or Firmament in the second dayes work of Câ—â—â—tion Gen. 1.6 Thirdly â—hich some insist much uâ—â—n to the daily or frequently renewed woâ—k of God in oâ—de ing and alteâ—ing the face and moâ—ion of the Heavens Aâ— if he hâ—d â—aiâ— Hâ—st thou with him when the Sky seeming to be wrapped up in dâ—rkâ—ess and rent with thunder and storms hast thou then with him scattered the darkness and cleared up the air making all strong or whole again Thus he is supposed speaking of a thing often done even after every storme not of spreading the Sky at first The Vulgar Latine renders it ironically in the second sense Tu forfitan cum illo fabricatus es coelos Vulg Thou perhaps didst joyn with him in making the Heavens As if Elihu had said 'T is like or belike thou wast with him when he made the Heavens Thou surely wast the Giant or Mighty man who assisted at the spreading out of that vast Canopie Didst thou poor worm contribute thy help or lend thy hand to God in the creation of the World are we beholding to thee that the Heavens which we behold compasse in all things with their embraces you speak of your self at such a rate as if you had been a partner or coadjutor with God in the Creation and had with him spread out the Heavens Thus the words are a strong Negation Thou hadst nothing to do with God when he spread out the Heavens in the work of Creation why then art thou so busie with God about the works of his Providence and particularly about his dealing with thy self The sum of Elihu's argument in this matter may be thus conceived If God call not man in other things as a Counsellor or Judge of his actions nor can be required of any man to do so nor may any man presume to speak against his ordering the Heavens and Meteors which yet concern the great good or hurt of thousands then it must needs be a very unequall thing that any one man should expect of God a reason of his particular dealing with him but patiently submit unto it not at all questioning either his justice or his goodness how greatly and grievously soever he is afflicted First Taking the Heavens either stâ—ictly or as many do synecdochecally a part being put for the whole work of Creation Note God made the world He spâ—ead the Heavens and stretched out the Earth Heaven and Earth aâ—e the woâ—k of his hands Secondly God had no partner in his work Hast thou with him spread out the Sky The Scripture is much in exalting the honour of God as the sole Agent and Efficient in setting up the frame of the Woâ—ld Isa 44.24 Thus saith the Lord I am the Lord that maketh all things that stretcheth forth the Heavens alone that spreadeth abroad the Earth by my self The Pâ—oâ—het brinâ—s in God speaking thus to comâ—â—â—t his ancient people when they saw none to help them What cannot God do alone who stretcheth out the Heavens alone Cannot he bring back the Church of the Jews out of Babylon alone who stretcheth out the Heavens alone cannot he raise up Cyrus for his Shepherd and move him to make Proclamation for their return when there was none to move him about it He frustrateth the tokens of the liars and maketh Diviners mad Those lying Diviners said the Jews were fast enough for coming out but God frustrated their tokens and made thâ—m mad at their disappoyntments Now as this may exceedingly comfort and encourage the people of God all the world over in their greatest straits that God made the world and spread ouâ— the Sky alone so it doth exceedingly advance the power and gloâ—y of God If a man have but a great Carpet or Coverlet to unâ—old he must call in the help of two or three to spread iâ— and hold it up one man cannot do it alone But God spread out the Hâ—aven that mighty Canopie of the Heavens alone And his spreading of it was the making of it The mighty God by one act gave the Sky both its being and its forme And all this he did without either Counsellor or Coadjutor No man ever did any very great thing in the world but it was either by the help of other mens heads in contriving or by the help of their hands in effecting To be a sole-Agent of Great things is the sole-priviledge of the Great God And surely if the Lord God had no assistant in the great work of Creation he needs no assistance in his greatest works of Providence He who made the world without help can do what he pleaseth in the world without help Our help saith the Psalmist 124.8 is in the name of the Lord who made Heaven and Earth but the Maker of Heaven and of Earth fetcheth all his help from his own Name Elihu having magnified the power of Gâ—d in spreading out
out how good how merciful God is or the utmost extent of his goodness and mercy which Zophar in the place before cited calleth a finding of him out to perfection I may give you a five-fold Negative to shew wherein God cannot be found out First We cannot find him out as to the infiniteness of his Eâ—sence and Being that 's beyond the line of a created Understanding Secondly We cannot find him out as to the excellency of his Attributes or the manner of his being who can tell how wise God is how holy how just how powerful how good We may easily find his divine perfections all the world over we may find them in every leaf of the book of the Scripture yea in every leaf of the book of the Creature but we cannot find them out any where to perfection Thirdly We cannot find out the depth of his Counsels God hath some Arcana secrets which he hath reserved in his own power as Christ told his disciples in the first of the Acts vers 6. when they would needs be prying into that secret of his councel the time of restoring the kingdom to Israel There are many councels of God lockt up in his own boâ—om which we cannot find out nor must we be bold and curious in searching into them Fourthly The Lord cannot be found out no not in his works of Pâ—ovidence which are acted outwardly or by which he brings forth his councels to act Psal 77.19 His foot-steps are not known not only are not any of his secret councels known but some oâ— his very foot-steps his treadings his goings are not fully known God goeth so that we cannot find where he gâ—eth he leaves no track as we say behind him Rom. 11.33 How unsearchable aâ—e his Judgments not only his councels but how unsearchable are his Judgments and his ways past finding out That 's the very expression of the text There are many providences of God which we find and feel which we see and cannot but see yet we cannot find them out that is we are not able to give a direct answer why God doth this or that nor how this or that was done Consider that Scripture 2 Chron. 31.20 21. where we have a most singular character of Hezekiah and of his government Thus did Hezâ—kiah throughout all Judah and wrought that which was gâ—od and right and truth before the Lord his God and in every wâ—rk that he began in the service of the house of God he did it with all his heart and prospered So the 31th chapter concludes yet the 32d begins thus After these things and the establishment thereof Sennacherib King of Assiria came and entred into Judah and encamped against the fenced Cities One would have thought Hezekiah being thus zealous for the Reformation of the Church of God in Judah and Jerusalem and having done all that concerned it with a perfect heart that surely such a Prince should have lived in peace and prospered all his dayes yet presently his Kingdome was invaded by a potent enemy Sennacherib comes against him and fills him and all his people with fear of utter subversion This was a secret of providence very hard to find out a depth which who can fathome That when a good King with his Counsel had been indeavouring a true Reformation and that with a perfect heart he should presently see war at his gates Solomon saith Pro. 16.7 When a mans ways please the Lord he makes his enemies to be at peace with him Yet it was no sooner said of King Hezekiah that his wayes pleased the Lord but the very next paragraph of his Chronicle reports an enemy making war upon him Fifthly Take this also We cannot find out God in the dispensations of his Free Grace in the Gospel â—here are such mazes such mysteries of love and goodness and kindneâ—s in Jesus Ch ist as though it be our duty to be searching after them and in them all our dayes though we ought to be continually digging in those golden Mines to find out the treasures hidden there yet we can never find them out Therefore the Apostle Ephes 3.8 calls them The unsearchable riches of Christ not unsearchable because it is unlawful to search after them but unsearchable because when we have searched to the utmost we cannot find them out as he speaks in the close of that chapter that we may be able to comprehend with all Saints the height and depth and length and breadth and to know the love of Christ that passeth knowledge Under all these considerations and many many more God is past finding out Whence take three brief Inferences First Do not search too far that is beyond what is written into the counsels of God no nor into the works of God For though as it is said Psal 111.2 the works of God are great sought out by all them that have pleasure therein yet they that have the greatest pleasure in them cannot in all points find them out It is our duty to search the works of God but to think we can find out the bottom of his works would be our sin Secondly If the Almighty cannot be found out no not in his works of providence then Take heed of censuring or finding fault with his works Shall we censure what we cannot know and find fault with that which we cannot find He that censures what another doth should first have the full compass of what he doth and be able to look quite thorow it which the most eagle-eyed soul in the world cannot as to what God doth in this world And therefore though you see no reason for what is don do not complain for there may be a reason for the doing of it which you do not see and the reason is often such and lyes so deep that you cannot see it And know this is reason enough why you should forbear censuring what is done because God doth iâ— though you can give no oâ—her reason why it is done Thirdly If God be past finding out in his works and much more in himself then be not so much as discontented with his works You are not yet come to the bottom you have not seen the last man born as we say you know not what God will make of it till he hath done all therefore take heed of murmuring and discontent Zech. 2.13 Be silent O all flesh before the Lord for he is risen out of his holy habitation Though his rising be visible yet we cannot see all the concernments and intendments of his rising therefore be silâ—nt altogether from fear and discontents and though not from all enqâ—i ies about it yet from a presumption of finding out all by enquiâ—ies For As touching the Almighty we cannot find him out That 's the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is excellent in power Tâ—at's the second Mr. Broughton reads He is huge of strength The word rendâ—ed excellent properly signifies to encrease There is no encrease of the strength of
The excellency of God in Judgment as well as in Power But what are we to understand by judgment in which Elihu saith God excells In answer to this Querie I shall first shew that Judgment is taken four ways in Scripture and then prove that God is excellent in Judgment with respect to every one of them First Judgment is an ability of judging A man of judgment and a wise man are the same When we say such a man is a man of Judgment or a judicious man we mean he is a prudent man he is able to discern things that differ he knows how to order state and determine doubtful things aright In this sence we are to understand it here the Lord is excellent in judgment that is in wisdome and prudence to set things right and to give every one his right he sees clearly how to mannage all his affayres and purposes by righteous meanes to right ends The prophet gives God the glory of this title expressely Isa 30.18 The Lord is a God of judgment Blessed are they that wait for him That is the Loâ—d is infinitely furnished with wisdom he knows exactly not only what ought to be done but how and when to do it therefore waite for him And 't is encouragement to waite when we have a person of judgment and understanding a discreet and prudent person to waite upon God is a God of judgment in this sence theref re blessed are they that waite for him Secondly Judgement in Scripture is taken for that moderation or due measure which is observed in any thing that is done This follows the former for unless a man have a Judgment or true understanding in the thing it self he can never hit a right measure of it Thus I conceive that Scripture is to be understood Math 23.23 where Christ denouncing or thundering out woes thick and threefold against the proud hypocritical Pharisees he tells them Ye pay tythe of Anise and Cummin and have omitted the weightier matters of the Law Judgment Mercy that iâ— either they did not give a right judgment according to Law or their legal Judgments were given with rigour not at all attemper'd mixt and moderated with mercy Of such the Apostle James speaketh Chap. 2.13 He shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy and mercy rejoyceth against Judgment In this sence the Lord is excellent in Judgment For as he hath wisdome and understanding to see what is just â—ight so in Judgment he remembers Mercy His patience is greaâ— before he gives Judgment and his moderation is great when he gives it He dealeth not with us according to our sins nor rewardeth us according to our iniquities Psal 103.10 that is his Judgments are not proportion'd to the greatness of our sins and iniquities For as it followeth at the 11th verse of that Psalme as high as the Heaveâ— is above the Earth so great is his mercy towards them that feare him Therefore the Prophet brings in the Chuâ—ch praying thus Jer. 10.24 O Lord Correct me I conceive it is not a direct prayer for Correction but a submission to it As if he had said I will not murmur nor rebell against thy Correction O Lord Correct me but with Judgment that is with due moderation It cannot be meant of Judgment as it notes the effect of divine displeasure but Correct me moderately or as another text hath iâ— in measure as thou usest to correct thy people This meaning is plain fâ—om the opposition in the next words Not in thine anger least thou bring me to nothing Anger transports men to do things undecently wiâ—hout modeâ—ation we quickly exceed our limits if carried out in passion and though that anger which the Scripture attributes often to God never transports him beyond the due bounds of his wisdome and justice yet when God is said to do a thing in anger it notes his going as it were to the utmost bounds of justice this caused the Church to pray O Lord if the cup may not pass from me if it cannot be but I must be corrected then I humbly and earnestly beg thou wouldst be pleased to correct me in Judgment not in anger least thou bring me to nothing What the Church prayed for here the Lord promised elsewhere Jer. 30.11 I will not make a full end of thee but I will correct thee in measure and will not leave thee altogether unpunished Thus God is excellent in Judgment He abates the severity of his proceedings and allayes the bitterness of the cup by some ingredients of mercy Thirdly Judgment in Scripture is put for the reformation of things when they are out of order In this sence it is used John 12.31 Now is the Judgment of this world Our late Annotators tell us that by Judgment is meant reformation As if Christ had said I am come to set all things in order that have been out of order and disjoynted in the Jewish Church and every where else Now is the Judgment of this world In this sence God is excellent in Judgment or he excells in this Judgment that is he is for reformation he will set all things right he will make crooked things strait he will make the rough places plain John the Baptist came before Christ in this work yet in this work Christ is before or exceeds John the Baptist The Lord Isa 4.4 will purge away the iniquity of the daughter of Zion with a spirit of Judgment and with a spirit of burning that is with a reforming and a refining Spirit And the Lord will send forth this Judgment unto victory Matth. 12.20 that is he will do it thorowly he will oveâ—come all the difficulties and put by all the obstacles which hinder the perfect reforma ion of things as well as â—f persons That 's the importance also of that great promise Isa 1.25 26. I saith the Lord will turn my hand upon thee or take thee in hand aâ—d purely purge away thy dross and take away all thy tinn thâ—t is all those corruptions which have crept in upon thee I will restâ—re thy Judges as at the first and thy Councellors as at the beginning Things and persons are usually best at first The new broom â—ay we sweept clean As time consumes all things here beloâ— so it coâ—rupts most things and therefore when the Loâ—d promiseth to restore them to a primitive purity he promiseth the purest restauration all which is summ'd up in the 27th verse Sion shall be redeemed with Judgment which is not only if at all intended of a redemption by Judgment on her enemies but by that reformation which â—od would work upon themselves in taking away their dross and tinn Restoring their Judges as at the first and their Councellers as at the beginning Such a Judgment is spoken of Isa 30 22. Ye shall defile also that is utterly disgrace and deface the Covering of thy graven Images of Silver and the Ornament of thy molten Images of Gold
thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth thou shalt say unto it get thee hence This is the Judgment of reformation which God hath and will further work among his people till Sion be built up in perfect beauty and Jerusalem become the praise of the whole earth Thus also God is excellent both in power and in Judgment Fourthly Judgment signifies those evills which God brings upon impenitent sinners that 's a very frequent notion of Judgment in Scripture and the Lord is excellent in this Judgment and that First Upon his own people when they provoke him and sin against him 1 Pet. 4.17 If Judgment begin at the house of God what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel There 's Judgment beginning at the house of God that is God will bring evill upon his own house the Church even sore troubles and persecutions The Lord will not spare them who have been slight with him forgetfull of him formal in profession or wanton and vaine in conversation This is a great part of the Lords excellency in Judgment he brings Judgment upon his own house The Lord saith the Prophet Isa 5.16 shall be exalted in Judgment and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness that is in bringing his righteous Judgments upon Israel his peculiar people We find that Gospel Prophet Isaiah often interweaving the wyre and whipcord of corporal bondage with the silk and scarlet thread of Sions dâ—liverances Secondly In Judgment towards his enemies Psal 149.9 He will execute on them the Judgment that is written and that is no inconsiderable nor easie Judgment The servants of God may smart sorely under these Judgments but the wicked and rebellious shall perish and sink under them How dreadfull is that profession or protestation which the Lord made by Moses Deut. 32.41 If I whet my glittering sword and my hand take hold of Judgment I will render vengeance to mine enemies and will reward them that hate me Some possibly may object Surely there is no such appearance of Gods excellency in Judgment upon the wicked of the woâ—ld the enemies of his name and wayes It grew to a Proverb Mal. 2.17 Ye say every one that doth evill is good in the sight of the Lord and he delighteth in them or where is the God of Judgment Evill men seem to be good in the eyes of the Loâ—d when they enjoy good and if it be so said some Where is the God of Judgment I answer First the Lord hath left testimony enough upon Record and written it in the blood of many thouâ—ands to justifie himself that he is excellent in Judgment by taking vengeance on the wicked Did he not excell in Judgment upon the sinning Angels 2 Pet. 2.8 Jude 6. was he not excellent in Judgment when he destroyed the whole world for sin when he burnt Sodom and Gomorrah with fire for sin How many instances might I give of this from Scripture God hath sufficiently declared himself excellent in this punitive Judgment I answer Secondly God indeed doâ—h not presently execute Jâ—dgment upon all the wicked we shoâ—ld rather be lead by sence than by faith if he should do so if he should smite sinners as soon as they provoke him yea if God should take that course he must even break the world to peices and destroy whole generations at once Thirdly God suffers sinners a while that his councels may be fulfilled for though the wicked obey not the command of God yet they fulfill the councel of God Acts 4.28 and they do it chiefly when he with-holdeth Judgment from them Fourthly Unless the Lord did a little give stop to the execution of Judgment in this kind it would neither appear how good nor how bad some men are Let some have but a little power in their hands and the world at will then you shall see whither they will go and what they will do And wâ—en bad men are suffered to go on unpunished and to be a punishment to others then it appears more fully how good some are and that in a twofold respect First because they refraine from evill though they see that they also possibly might do it impune and not suffer in this world Secondly because â—hey hold fast both theiâ— profession and practise of Godliness how much soever they suffer for it in this world from evill men Fifthly God is executing Judgments upon wicked men while he seems to spare them from judgment Pro. 1.32 The prosperity of fools slayeth them Sâ—me think a wicked mâ—n is mighâ—ily favoured when he is in prosperity no that prosperity is his destruction and destruction is Judgment in perfection The table of a wicked man is made his snare his full table faâ—tens his heart which is the sorest of all judgments To be unâ—ensible is worse than any punishment of sense to be hardned or heartned in doing evill is more penall than the suffering of any evill Now while wicked men escape the suffering of evill they grow resolved that is hardned and heartned in doing iâ— or to do it Take Solomons observation or experience in the caâ—e Eccles 8.11 Because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed upon themselves or others therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully sâ—t in them to do mischief So then there are many invisible judgmen s upon wicked men when we see no hand touch them nor judgment neer them God giveâ— them up to vile affections and to a reprâ—baâ—e mind Rom. 1.26 28. to their own counsels Psal 81.12 and to strong dâ—lusâ—oâ—â— by â—â—hers 2 Thes 2.11 Theâ—e heavy loads oâ— judgment may be on their hearts upon whose backs we see not sâ— much as a gaine weight of judgment Thus the Lord is excellâ—nt in judgment in all the notions of it I have inâ—â—anced fouâ—e Now lâ—st any should think that God at any time breaks the rule of justice in his zeale for this latter sort of judgment or while he is powring out vengeance upon the wicked therefore it follâ—ws in the next place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in plenty of Justice God executes great wrath upon sinners but there is gâ—eat Justice Justitiâ— est constâ—ns perpetua voluntas suum cuique tribuendi Justin plenty of Justice in it There is store â—nd abundance of justice and righteousness in his most rigorous juâ—gments A little justice is a most precious thing how precious then is plenty of jâ—stice Justice in it self is the giving of every one his due and where justice is in any man it constanâ—ly bends and enclines his heart to do so his especially with whom there is as in God plenty of justice And indeed what-ever God hath he haâ—h plenty of it He hath mercy and plenty of it he iâ— plenteous in mercy Psal 103.8 Aâ—d with him iâ— pleâ—teous redemption Pâ—al 130.7 There is also plenty of justice in him Some men have no Justice at all in them though their
naturally it is as impossible for God not to do justice as it is for him not to be A man may be unjust and yet be a man but God cannot be God and not do justly Seeing then it is his nature to do justice there must needs be plenty of justice with him And how severe soever the judgments of God are there is nothing but justice in them Justice Justice shalt thou follow was the command of God to the Judges of Israel by Moses that is as we translate that which is altogether just shalt thou follow Dâ—ut 16.20 As that promise of peace peace notes plenty of peace Isa 26.3 so this command of doing Justice Justice notes plenty of Justice Certainly then the Lord himself will do jâ—stice plentifully Justice Justice will he dâ— Take two Infeâ—encâ—s from this assertion First This tâ—uth is matter of comfort to and sweetly smiles upon the iâ—st that the Lord hath plenty of justice in him for then doubtless he will performe all his good words of p omiâ—e to them 'T is the part of a just man to perfoâ—me his word God is faithful to his word what-ever men are It hath been â—aid If you wâ—uld know what some men mean never to do then loâ—k to their promises Eorum quae appetebat ne qui quam prae se ferebat eorum quae dicebat ne quicquam facere colâ—bâ—t Suidas de Tiberio It was a very dishonorable Character which Suidas gave of the Romane Emperour Tiberius He never made shew of having what he desired or had a mind to nor ever minded to do what he had promised But God the great God is so tâ—ue and just to his word or promise that his people may take strong consolation from every word of promise Tit 1.2 In hâ—pe of eternal life which God that cannot lie hath promised No man could ever challenge God of any faylure in promise There are four things ascribed to God in Scripture which may assure us that he will be just in performing all his promises First He remembers them all Psal 111.5 Psal 115.12 Secondly He is unchangeable and in one mind Job 23.13 14. Thirdly He is the Almighty and ever furnisht with power to perform them Fourthly He is most faithfull and will not deny nor falsifie them Heb. 10.23 Secondly This truth hath a most dreadfull aspect and frownes terribly upon the ungodly and unjust That God hath plenty of Justice Justice enough to bestow among them all is enough to confound them all though they make a Covenant with death and with hell are at agreement yet their Covenant and agreement shall be dissolved Isa 28.15 16. The Scripture speaks Justice often to sinners specially to those unjust ones who weigh the violence of their hands Psal 58.1 2. that is who oppress with a kind of exactness who do not tumble it out palpably or in a lump but weigh it out now a little and then a little The Loâ—d knoweth how to deal with such cunning perverters of Justice and will at last make them acknowledge both that themselves had no justice in them and that himself hath plenty of it And who now laying these five considerations together will not acknâ—wledge that the Lord hath plenty of justice But the inference which Elihu makes from it in the close of the verse seems if nâ—t a kind of denial yet a great abatement of it for having said He is excellent in plenty of Justice the next words are He will not afflict This may seem at first hearing a strange connection will he not afflict how then hath he plenty of Justice Doth not God afflict who afflicts then have men the power of affliction in their hands or hath Satan the power of affliction in his hand Affliction cometh not forth of the dust neither doth trouble spring out of the ground said Eliphaz Chap. 5.6 Saith not the Scripture every where affliction comes down from heaven or that 't is of God did not Job say Chap. 1.21 The Lord hath taken that is afflicted me by taking away my all of this world and doth not God himself say Psal 89.30 31 32. If his children forget my Law I will punish their transgression with a rod and their iniquity with stripes How then saith Elihu God will not â—ffl ct I answer First In general Elihu speaks thus in answer to a doubt or to remove a feare arising upon the whole of what had been said of God For if God be such a God so excellent in power and in Judgment and in plenty of Justice then surely our case is very sad may some say who can abide to be neere or stand before such a God O saith Elihu feare not He will not affl ct More particularly I answer First Though God be excellent in Judgment and plenty of Justice yet it may be said he will not afflict because in some sense he hath not a will to afflict or he doth not afflict with his will that is he delights not to afflict he hath declared himself more ready to shew mercy than to execute judgment In one Prophet he saith Ex corde Heb ex animo libens Vatabl I have no pleasure in the death of him that dyeth Ezek. 18.32 and another Prophet saiâ—h of him He doth not willingly afflict nor grieve the children of men Lam. 3.33 This Pâ—ophet was there bemoaning the greatest affliction that ever befell the people of God yet saith he God doth not afflict willingly he doth not afflict with his heart as the word there is expâ—essed in the Margin when he afflicts it is as it were a work of his hand not of his heart yea a work that he would gladly rid his hands of What once that câ—uel Tyrant Nero said when he was to â—â—â—ne a Waâ—rant foâ— the Execuâ—ion of an offender O Quâ—m vellem nesâ—ire litâ—ras How glad should I be if I could not write my name This spake he possibly when his heart waâ— as full of blood as it could hold yet thus he spake to signifie a great unâ—illingness to afflict This is most true of the great God though he be a God of excellent power and judgement and plenty of justice yet he doth not afflict willingly he could be glad that he might never have an occasion to afflict that he might never be provoked â—o draw his sword no nor so much as to use his rod in this wo lâ— Secondly It may be said God will not afflict because he never afflicteth without a just cause his unlimited power never tempts him nor doth any passion transport him to a desire of taking undue revenge upon any he hath plenty of Justice and therefore cannot afflict but when he sees great reason for it Did not our sin call for our affliction were there not some great pâ—ovocation on our part or some profit to come to us by it we should never hear of nor feel his rod. The Apostle saith Heb. 12.9 10. We have
Lord hideth himself as to sense and present appearance but he never hideth himself as to the real continuance of his love and care towards his Church or People This Objection some made to one of the Ancients the Lord said they may seem to withdraw his eyes from the righteous because he suffers them to fall under the oppression of the unrighteous Famulos suos nunc m gis respicit nam jam praevidet quid eis miserecorditer recompenset Greg in loc No saith he The Lord beholds the righteous though they perish by the hand of the unrighteous yea when it is worst with them the Lords Eye is upon them for good both to see how they carry it or behave themselves in their Sufferings and likewise to provide a full reward and recompence for them after all their sufferings Before I pass from this part of the verse let me make these two Inferences First If the Lord never withdraweth his Eyes from the righteous then let the righteous know their own Priviledge and Mercy How happy are they upon whom the Eyes of the Lord abide alwayes for good The Lord cannot endure to have good men out of his Eye as Parents say of their darlings and Princes of their Favourites If we were assured that the Eye of a great 〈◊〉 who loveth us were alwayes upon us if he should promise to have an eye to us That 's an ordinary Promise among men I will have an Eye to you that is I will take care of you if we have I say but such a word from a man in Power we think we have got a great revenue such a great Lord will have an eye to us we have his word he will not take off his care from us How much then should we boast and rejoyce in spiriâ— that the Lord hath said I will alwayes have a care of you I will never withdraw mine eyes from you I will never leave you nor forsake you Heb. 13.5 As it will be the eternal happiness of Believers in Glory alwayes to behold or see God Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God they have some sight of him here in a Glass but they shall see him face to face that is they shall see him clearly as clearly as the creature is capable of seeing or enjoying him now I say as it is the happiness of the Saints in Heaven alwayes to behold God so it is the happiness of Saints here on earth that the Lord doth alwayes behold them that his eye is never withdrawn from them Consider therefore you that are in a righteous state whose acts and words and walkings are also righteous consider your Priviledge consider what it is to have the Lord Jesus alwayes setting his eye upon you to have the Lords directing and counselling eye alwayes upon you to have the Lords pitying and compassionating eye alwayes upon you to have the Lords providing and caring eye alwayes upon you to have the Lords delighting and well-pleased eye alwayes upon you to have the eyes of the Lord thus upon you and to have them alwayes upon you what can ye desire more Thus 't is promised 2 Chron. 16.9 The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect with him And whose hearts are perfect with him but the hearts of the righteous this is their priviledge Jesus Christ Zech. 3.9 is called The stone and saith the Text upon one stone shall be seven eyes There are two interpretations given of that Prophesie First thus upon one stone shall be seven eyes that is the eyes of all men shall be upon that stone upon Christ Seven is a perfect definite Number put for all numbers the eyes of all shall be upon the stone upon Christ although he be to the wicked or to them that believe not a stumbling stone and a rock of offence 1 Pet. 2.8 yet to them that believe he is a most precious stone and as they are alwayes beholding the beauty of that precious stone so Jesus Christ doth indeed invite all eyes to behold him Isa 65.1 Behold me behold me he would have us take off our eyes from all others and look steddily on him Let all eyes be upon the stone that 's a good interpretation There is a second which suits the present poynt I am upon fully Seven eyes shall be upon one stone that is the eyes of God shall be upon Jesus Christ This is a promise made unto him as Mediator when he came in the flesh or in our nature to do that great work for us Then saith the Prophet upon one stone shall be seven eyes which seven eyes note the perfect knowledge of God and so the perfect care that God would have of Chriâ—â— to bear him up through that woâ—k of our Redempâ—ion Vpon one stone shall be seven eyes I will take caâ—e of him I will p ovide for him and I will delight in him As Jesus Christ is all eye and Jesus Christ doth enlighten all eyes that is all that see are enlightened by Jesus Christ so the eyes of God the eyes of the Father were alwayes upon him in favour in love in care when he was here in this world about that great work of our salvation and he had abundunt experience of the eyes of his Father upon him Now mark it this was the great promise made to Christ the Stone that upon him should be seven eyes the eyes of the Lord should be alway and fully upon him And this is the priviledge of every one that hath part and interest in this stone Jesus Christ every righteous person hath seven eyes upon him the Lord God beholds him exactly perfectly and alwayes He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous A second inference is this If the Lord never withdraweth his eyes from the righteous Then let the righteous know their duty What 's that Never to withdraw their eyes from the Lord. There is a threefold eye which a righteous man should never withdraw from God First An eye of faith Secondly An eye of hope Thirdly An eye of dependance and that First for direction in all his wayes Secondly for protection in all his dangers I will lift up mine eyes saith David Psal 121.1 unto the hills from whence cometh my help And again Psal 123.1 2. Vnto thee lift I up mine eyes O thou that dwellest in the heavens Behold as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their Masters and as the eyes of a mayden unto the hand of her Mistress so our eyes waite upon the Lord our God untill he have mercy on us that is we never withdraw our eyes from him while we have need of his mercy and that is alwayes Walk before me that is with an eye of faith hope and dependance was the Lords charge to the father of the faithfull Gen. 17.1 I have set the Lord alwayes before me that is I