Hosea reproves the like Strangers saith he have devoured his strength and he knoweth it not yea gray haires are here and there upon him and he knoweth it not ca. 7.9 That is he is in an afflicted in a declining condition and yet he layeth it not to heart A man may out of the greatnesse of his spirit but not out of the carelesnesse of his spirit say as Luther once did when things went very ill If the world will goe thus let it goe thus Otherwise it is a most unbecomming temper to be stricken of God and not to tremble at least to take it to heart When God afflicteth us then we should afflict our selves and be humbled when Gods hand is upon us our hands in this sence should be upon our selves We must beare our crosse upon our backs we must not make a fire of it to warme our hands Indeed the Apostle exhorts to rejoyce in tribulation and it is an excellent thing to rejoyce in tribulation but we must not sleight much lesse make a sport of tribulation Rejoycing ariseth from a holy satisfaction that the soule hath in the dealings of God with us But sleighting ariseth from an unholy contempt or at the best from a stupid insensiblenesse of Gods dealings with us The former hath in it the height of wickednesse and the latter hath not the least degree of goodnesse It is no vertue to beare what we doe not feele Secondly observe That in times of affliction we may expresse our sorrowes by outward gestures by sorrowfull gestures Iob was not only sorrowfull but he acts sorrow he puts himselfe into mourning postures he rents his garments he shav's his head downe he falleth upon the ground It is no hypocrisie to appeare what we are it is hypocrisie to appeare what we are not We use to say he mourneth truly that mourneth without a garment but if a man mourne in truth a mourning garment is comely To mourn in our cloathes and laugh in our sleeves is both sinfull and base Now Iob mourned indeed the shaving his head and renting his garment was but to keepe an outward correspondence with what he was within Therefore take heed of censuring those who in great sorrowes use sorrowfull gestures striking upon their breasts tearing their haire or the like Only let all take heed of excessive and immoderate mourning mourne not like Rachell who would receive no comfort mourne not like the Heathen who had no hope To be above passions will be our happinesse in Heaven to rectifie passions is much of our happinesse on earth To be without naturall affections is to fall below a man to steere and mannage them is one of the heights of a Christian Thirdly We shewed that this renting of his garments might have reference to his Repentance whence note That when God afflicteth us with sufferings we ought to afflict our selves to humble our soules for sinne Smarting times are good repenting times and worldly sorrow should get the company of godly sorrow It is not safe to be alone with worldly sorrow that workes death but if we mingle a few teares for sinne and our unkindnesse to Christ with those teares then they will refresh us We get by losses in our outward estate when they lead us to looke to the losses and repaire the breaches of our spirituall estates no question but Iob at this time fell a searching of his heart and a trying of his wayes renewing his repentance and assuring of his peace with God When afflictions cause us to returne thus into our owne breasts they have then a sweet influence a blessed operation upon us Lastly Observe That thoughts of blasphemy against God should be cast off and rejected with the highest indignation Iob rent his garments when Satan solicites Iob to rent the name of God with reproach and cursings Thoughts dishonouring God must needs be vexing to every good heart Nothing touches a godly man like that which touches God When the glory of his God is engaged and concern'd he cannot contain So much for those two acts he rent his garments and he shaved his head The two other acts are 1. He falleth upon the ground 2. He worshippeth The Originall words doe both signifie a bowing to the ground He fell upon the ground and bowed so some translate it you shall see the reason by and by He fell upon the ground and worshipped that is He fell upon the ground to worship To fall upon the ground is a gesture of worship and not only is it a posture of worship when the worshipper mournes but it is likewise a posture of worship when the worshipper rejoyceth Great joy as well as great sorrow transports a man in his next actions It is said Mat. 2.10 11. that the wise men when they found Christ rejoyced with exceeding great joy and presently they fell downe and worshipped him Neither is this posture peculiar to worship in times or upon occasions of extraordinary joy and sorrow unlesse in the degree of it for the ordinary invitation was O come let us worship and bow downe let us kneele before the Lord our maker Psa 95.6 I said in the degree for to fall downe is more then to bow down Falling down in worship proceeds not only from sorrow but from joy when the heart is filled with joy then we fall downe and worship And it is probably observed that the ancient Prophets and holy men the servants of God were called Nephalim from Naphal which is the Originall word of the Text Cadentes or Prostrantes that is prostrates or fallers because in their worship they usually fell downe upon the earth to humble themselves before God And because adoration was so commonly made by falling to the ground by bowing the head by bowing the knee by bowing the whole body therefore the same Originall word which the Hebrewes use for worshipping doth properly signifie to bow downe the body And that phrase to bow the body as it is often joyned with worshipping so sometime to bow the body put alone doth signifie to worship 2 King 5.18 When I bow my selfe in the house of Rimmon scil When I worship c. So likewise the Greeke word to worship hath the same sense in it for that word signifies as a learned Writer observes upon it to bow after the manner of doggs that crouch at the feet of their Masters for favour or for feare So in worship the people of God crouch downe and abase themselves at Gods feet as not worthy in themselves to eat the crumbes under his Table Yet we are not to looke upon this as if it were the only true and acceptable worship-gesture for we shall find in Scripture that there were other worship-gestures with which God was well pleased Some have worship'd God standing some sitting some walking all these are worship-postures For standing we find it 1 King 8.22 at the Dedication of the Temple Solomon stood before the Altar of the Lord and made
and mysteriousnesse of the matter While a man speakes in a strange language wee heare a sound but know not the words and while a man speakes in our owne language though we know the words yet we may not understand the meaning and then hee that speakes is to us in that reference so the Apostle calls him a Barbarian While the leaves of the booke are opened and read to such or by such the sense is shut up and sealed When the Apostle Philip heard the Ethiopian Eunuch reade the Prophet Isaiah as he traveld in his Chariot hee said to him understandest thou what thou readest The Eunuch answered How should I unlesse some man would guide mee He understood the language but the meaning was under a vaile The very same may we say to many who reade the Scriptures understand you what you reade And they may answer as the Eunuch did How can we except we had some man to guide us Yea and alas for all the guiding of man they may answer How can we except we have the Spirit of God to guide us He hath his Pulpit in heaven who teacheth hearts the heart of Scripture Paul we know was a learned Pharisee and much verst in the Law and yet he saith of himselfe before his conversion that hee was without the Law but when Christ came to him then the Commandment came to him I was once alive without the Law but when the Commandment came that is when Christ came and his Spirit came in or after my conversion and expounded the Commandment to my heart then the Commandment came sc to my heart in the power of it and I understood to purpose what the Law was So that the teachings of the Spirit the teachings of God himselfe are chiefly to be looked after and prayed for that we may know the mind of the Spirit the will of God in Scripture But he hath set up this ordinance the ordinance of interpretation to doe it by both that the Scripture might be translated out of the Originall into the common language of every Nation which the Apostle calls interpreting in that place before cited and also that the originall sense of the Scripture might be translated into the minde and understanding of every man which is the worke we aime at and now have in hand Before I begin that give me leave to beseech you in the Name of Christ to take care for the carrying on of this worke a degree further I mean to translate the sense of Scripture into your lives and to expound the word of God by your workes Interpret it by your feet and teach it by your fingers as Solomon speakes to another sense that is let your working and your walkings be Scripture explications It is indeed a very great honour unto this Citie that you take care for a Commentarie on the Scripture in writing but if you will be carefull and diligent to make a Commentarie upon the Scripture by living or to make your lives the Commentarie of Scripture this will make your Citie glorious indeed It is the Apostles testimonie of his Corinthians Yee saith he are our Epistle for as much as yee are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministred by us written not with inke but with the Spirit of the living God not in tables of stone but in fleshie tables of the heart Give us we beseech you the same occasion of glorying on your behalfe that we may say You are our Expositions for as much as you are manifestly declared in your practise to be the exposition of the mind of Christ ministred unto you by us A walking a breathing Commentarie goeth infinitely beyond the written or spoken Commentarie And as the Apostle makes his conclusion before noted I had rather speake five words with my understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue So I say I had rather know five words of Scripture by my own practise and experience than ten thousand words of Scripture yea than the whole Scripture by the bare Exposition of another And therefore let the word of Christ by these verball Explications dwell richly in your understandings in all wisedome And by a practicall application let it be held forth plentifully in your lives in all holinesse Adde Commentarie to Commentarie and Exposition to Exposition adde the Comment of works to this Comment of words and an Exposition by your lives to this Exposition by our labours Surely if you do not these Exercises will be costly indeed and will come to a deep account against you before the Lord. If you are lifted up to heaven by the opening of the Scripture which is either a carrying of you up to heaven or a bringing of heaven downe to you and then walke groveling upon the earth how sore will the judgement be But it is to me an argument and an evidence from heaven that God hath put it into your hearts to be more glorious in the practise of holinesse because he hath put it into your hearts to desire more the knowledge of holinesse To draw in my speech nearer to the businesse Having a booke full of very various matter before me give mee leave to premise some things in the generall and some thing more particulars by way of Preface concerning the booke before wee come to the handling of the text First for the generall That which God speakes concerning the whole worke of Creation We may speake concerning the whole booke of Scripture It is very good Solomon observes that wheresoever the wisdom of God spake it spake of excellent things And David to quicken our endeavours and excite our diligence to the study of the word preferreth it in worth above thousands of gold and silver and in sweetnesse above the honey and the honey combe And when he ceaseth to compare hee beginneth to admire Wonderfull are thy Testimonies And well may that bee called Wonderfull which proceedeth from the God of Wonders All Scripture is given by divine inspiration or by inspiration from God and I need not stay to shew you the excellencie of any part when I have but pointed at such an originall of the whole As therefore the whole Scripture whether wee respect the majestie of the Author the height or puritie of the matter the depth or perspicuitie of the stile the dignitie or variety of occurrences whether we consider the Art of compiling or the strength of arguing disdaines the very mention of comparison with any other humane Author whatsoever so are comparisons in it selfe as Booke with Booke Chapter with Chapter dangerous There is not in this great volume of holy counsell any one Book or Chapter Verse or Section of greater power or authoritie than other Moses and Samuel the writings of Amos the Shepherd and of Isaiah a Descendant of the blood Royall the writings of the Prophets and Evangelists the Epistles of Paul and this historie of Iob must be received to use the words
and the word for low is Bene-Adam sonnes of Adam If we should translate the Text directly according to the letter the words must runne sonnes of men and sonnes of men for sonnes of Adam and sonnes of Ish are both translated sonnes of men Yet when they are set together in a way of opposition the one signifieth low and the other high and so our Translators render it according to the sense not sonnes of men and sons of men but low and high Junius translates to this sence though in more words as well they who are borne of meane men as they who are borne of the honourable A like instance we have Isa 2.9 The meane man boweth down and the great man humbleth himselfe The meane man that is the sonne of Adam and the great man the sonne of Ish the great man in regard of his excellency is by such a circumlocution described to be more then a man not onely the sonne of man but the sonne of an honourable and great man So I finde the word divers times used to signifie the excellency and greatnesse of the person Then further it signifieth not onely a man that is great but it signifieth a man in authority There was a man that is an excellent man a man of worth There was a man that is a man in authority It signifies a Magistrate and so in divers places of Scripture Man is put for a Magistrate especially when it is exprest as here by Ish Gen. 43.11 Carry a present to the man scil to the Governour of the Countrey Jer 5.1 Goe thorough Jerusalem and search and see if you can finde a man What were men so scarce in Jerusalem at that time Was there such a dearth of men that a man could not be found Surely no. Jerusalem had throngs of men in every street The meaning then is explained in the words following if there be any that executeth iudgement that is if there be a Magistrate a publike man that 's the man I meane So in Numb 27.16 We find the word to signifie a Magistrate Let the Lord the God of the spirits of all flesh set a man over the Congregation A man that is a Magistrate for there that 's â—he businesse if you reade the Text you will find it a man in auâ—â—â—rity a man fit to rule And that is it which is meant in Act. â— 31 concerning Christ God saith he hath appointed a day â—â—rein he will iudge the world by that man whom he hath ordaiâ—ed It noteth Christ the man in power in authority because all â—ower in Heaven and in Earth is committed to him So you know â—was usuall among the Romans to call their Magistrates by the â—ame of The men as the Triumviri the Septemviri the Decemâ—iri to call them sometime the three-men sometime the seven â—en sometime the ten-men Those who were the speciall men in â—uthority that were men in place and eminency they carried away the Name of men as it were from all men as if they were the only men So that we have these two things to take notice of when it is said here that Iob was a man you must carry it further then the word is ordinarily taken Hee was a great man he was a man in authority a Magistrate Some carry the Magistracy so high as to set him on a Throne affirming that he was a King a point very much contended for by divers Expositors but that he was a Magistrate in Authority a Chiefe in his Countrey is cleare by that which is exprest of him in Chapt. 29. where he speakes of his deciding mens rights and executions of Justice In the Land of Uz. I will not trouble you with any Geographicall discourse In a word we may consider 3. things about Vz. 1. Why it was called so 2. Where it was seated 3. What manner of people they were that dwelt in Vz. 1. For the Name let it be taken from Vz the Name of a Man And there were three called by that Name in Scripture Gen. 10.23 Gen. 22.21 Gen. 36.28 from either of these Iobs Countrey might derive its name but from which of these would be â— thinke a nice debate yet it is rather ascribed to Vz or Huz the eldest Sonne of Nahor Gen. 22.21 2. For the place where it was seated it is cleare that it was upâ—on the borders of the Sabeans and of the Caldeans and of thâ— Arabians those Easterne people Some affirme that the lot 〈◊〉 the halfe Tribe of Manasses on the other side Iordan which waâ— set forth for them when the people of Israel came into Canaan was the very place where Job lived and that was called Vz. Its cleare that it was neare those parts above mentioned First froâ— Lament 4 2â— There the Prophet Ieremie speaking of Vz saiâ— Rejoyce and be glad O daughter of Edom that dwellest in 〈◊〉 Land of Uz. And Ier. 25.20 he speakes againe of the Lanâ— Uz All the mingled people and all the Kings of the Land of 〈◊〉 they shall drinke of the Cup he mentions the Cup also in tâ—â— place Lam. 4. Rejoyce and be glad O daughter of Edom 〈◊〉 dwellest in the Land of Uz the Cup also shall passe thorough 〈◊〉 thee Secondly Vz border'd upon those Countreyes for thâ— people made out their Parties invaded slew and tooke 〈◊〉 Jobs Estate Cattell and servants therefore the place in all proâ—â—â—bility lay neere these Countries For the Condition and manners of the people It is generally received that they were a people prophane in their lives and superstitious at least in their worship Edumeans and Edomites the descendants of Esau heare ill all the Scripture over Among these Iob lived among these Iob govern'd there he exercis'd those pretious graces and practis'd those excellent duties both of holinesse toward God and of Justice toward men It was in the midst of a sinfull and perverse nation in the Land of Vz. Then Observe First God hath his servants in all places in the worst places There was never any ayre so bad but that a servant of God might breath in it Here God had a choice peece even in the Land of Vz a place of prophanenesse Here was Bethel in Bethaven a House of God in a Land of wickednesse Lot dwelt in Sodome Ioseph in Egypt David in Mesech and in Kedar There were Saints in Caesars wicked Neroes houshold Babylon holds many of Gods people yet let them not make such places their refuge much lesse their election But remember the call Come out of her my people Secondly We may observe from hence this being spoken of Iob to set him forth in the excellency of his spirituall condition that he lived in the Land of Vz. That It is a great honour and a high commendation to be good and do good amongst those that are evill You shall be recorded for it This was one reason why the place is named that the honour of Iob might be lifted up that he was good not
by the example and incouragement but against the example of others he was a leading man himselfe though he lived among those that were scoffers and wicked yet Iob was holy As they say concerning the affection of love it is most unnaturall â—or a man to hate those that love him It is civill for men to love â—â—ose that love them but this is truly Christian for a man to love â—â—ose that hate him and doe him wrong So in regard of living and â—â—nversing as of loving and affecting we may say it is a most â—icked thing to be naught among those that are good that aggraâ—ateth a mans sinnefulnesse to be unholy while he converseth with those that are holy It is a good thing to be good with the good to take example by them but it is a most excellent thing a glorious thing to be good among those that are starke naught to worship God aright among Idolaters to feare God among those that have no feare of God before their eyes to be perfect among hypocrites to be upright among those that are unjust to eschew evill among those that are altogether wrapt about with evill This was the honour and commendation of Iob. For a man to be as Lot in Sodome never touched with Sodomes wickednesse to keepe himselfe pure and sincere and without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation to shine as a light in the midst of darknesse this brings honour both to God and man Thirdly From the place where Iob lived we may observe That Grace will preserve it selfe in the midst of the greatest opposition It s such a fire as no water can wholy quench or put out True Grace will keepe it selfe sound and cleane among those who are leaprous and uncleane it is such a thing as overcomes and masters all the evill that is about it God hath put such a mighty power into grace that if it once possesse the heart in truth though there be but a little of it though there be but as much as a graine of mustard-seed not all the wickednesse in the world no nor all the devils in Hell can dispossesse it As all the water in the salt Sea cannot make the fish salt but still the fish retaines its freshnesse so all the wickednesse and filthinesse that is in the world cannot destroy cannot defile true grace that will beare up its head and hold up it selfe for ever And this man was perfect and upright one that feared God and eschewed evill Perfect Not that he had a legall perfection such a perfection as the Papists now contend for and assert possibly attaineable yea actually attained by many in this life For what is man that he should be cleane And Iob himselfe professeth Chap. 9.20 If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse hâ— acknowledgeth Chap. 7.20 I have sinned The perfection thereâ—fore here spoken of is not an absolute a legall perfection For the clearing of the word we may consider there is a twofold perfection ascrib'd to the Saints in this life A perfection oâ— Justification A perfection of Sanctification The first of these in a strict sense is a compleate perfection The Saints are compleate in Christ they are perfectly justified there is not any sinne left uncovered not any guilt left unwashed in the blood of Christ not the least spot but is taken away His gargarment is large enough to cover all our nakednesse and deformities In this respect they may be called perfect they are perfectly justified By one offering Christ hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Then there is a perfection of holinesse or of sanctification and that is called so either in regard of the beginnings of or in regard of desires after and aimes at perfection The Saints even in this life have a perfect beginning of holinesse because they are begun to be sanctified in every part they are sanctified throughout in soule and body and spirit as the Apostle distinguisheth 1 Thes 5.23 though every part be not throughout sanctified yet they are sanctified in every part throughout and this is a perfection When the worke of sanctification is begun in all parts it is a perfect worke beginning They are likewise perfect in regard of their desires and intendments Perfect holinesse is the aime of the Saints on earth it is the reward of the Saints in Heaven The thing which they drive at here is perfection therefore they themselves are called perfect As God accepts of the will for the deed so he expresseth the deed by the will he interpreteth him to be a perfect man who would be perfect and calls that person perfect who desires to have all his imperfections cured That is a second understanding how Iob was perfect A third way is this He was perfect comparatively comparing him with those who were either openly wicked or but openly holy he was a perfect man he was a man without spot compared with those that were either all over spotted with filthinesse or only painted with godlinesse Or thus We may say the perfection here spoken of is the perfection of sincerity Iob was sincere he was sound at the heart He did not act a part or personate Religion but was a religious person He was not guilded but gold So the word is interpreted Some render it Iob was a simple man not as simple is put for weake and foolish but as simple is put for plaine hearted one that is not as the Apostle Iames phraseth it a double minded man Iob was a simple minded man or a single minded man one that had not a heart and a heart he was not a compound speaking one thing and meaning another he meant what he spake and he would speake his mind It is the same word that is used in Iacobs character Gen. 25.27 Esau was a cunning hunter a man of the field and Jacob was Ish Tam a plaine man So that to be a perfect man is to be a plaine man one whose heart you may know by his tongue and reade the mans spirit in his actions Some are such juglers that you can see little of their spirits in their lives you can learne but little of their minds by their words Iacob was a plaine man and so was Iob some translate it a sound man It is the same expression that is given of Noah He was Tamim in his generation or he was sound upright hearted or perfect with God Gen. 6.9 And it is that which God speakes to Abraham Gen. 17.2 Walke before me and be thou Tamim be thou perfect or sound or upright or plaine in thy walking before me In the 28. of Exodus v. 30. We reade of the Vrim and the Thummim on the Breast-plate of the High-priest Thummim comes from this roote and signified the integrity of heart and life required in the High-priest as Vrim did the light and clearenesse of his knowledge And upright The former word which was
you to take an Antidote to take a Preservative to seeke all the meanes you can to heale your soules and to make your peace with God And if Iob prayed thus when he only suspected his sons had sinned what shall we say of those Parents who are little troubled when they see and know their sons have sinned It is safest to repent even of those sinnes we only feare we have committed for then we shall be sure to repent of those we have committed A scrupulous conscience grieves for what it suspects a feared conscience is not grieved for what it is certaine either it selfe or others have done amisse Lastly Where had Iobs sonnes beene that he is thus suspitious Had they beene in any suspected place No it was only in their owne houses Had they beene about any unlawfull thing No it was only at a friendly meeting feasting of brothers and sisters together Yet Iob is affraid least his sonnes had sinned Hence observe That We may quickly offend and breake the Law while we are about things in their own nature lawfull especially in feasting It is an easie matter to sinne while the thing you are about is not sinnefull nay while the thing you are about is holy We may suspect our selves that we have sinned when we have beene praying much more then when we have beene feasting We may suspect our selves that we have sinned when we have beene hearing the word speaking the word just cause then much more we have to suspect our selves when we have beene trading buying or selling and working abroad in the world Lawfull things are oftentimes the occasion of unlawfull All the sinnes of the old world are described thus they eate they dranke they bought they sold they planted c. There is not one of these an act evill in it selfe yet they sinned away their peace and sinned away their soules in dealing about these things Therefore as you must be afraid of all things in their owne nature unlawfull so be jealous of your selves in things that are lawfull It followes And cursed God in their hearts Interpreters are much divided about the sence of these words First Some observe that the Hebrew word Barach doth signifie not only to blesse but to bow the knee So it is used 2 Chron. 6.13 Solomon at the dedicating of the Temple had made a brasen scaffold and upon it he stood and kneeled downe upon his knees before all the Congregation The word there kneeled downe upon his knees in the Originall is the same here used But Then further the word Elohim is used in Scripture not only for the true God for God himselfe but it is applied sometimes to Angels and sometimes to Idols to Devill gods to false gods Exod. 18.11 Now I know that the Lord is greater then all gods sc then all the Idols that the Egyptians did trust upon They observe further that the Hebrew Leb in their hearts Bilebabbam doth signifie not only the heart but the middle or center of a thing As when it is said in the Scripture they went downe into the middest of the Sea the word is they went downe into the heart of the Sea and in the middest of the earth it is the heart of the earth And so when it is said that Absolom was hanging in the middest of the Oake the Originall word is he was left hanging in the heart of the Oake From all all these acceptions of the single termes the sense is made up thus It may be my sonnes have sinned c. that is It may be my sonnes have sinned bowing downe to the false gods that are in the middest of them I confesse Feasting and false-worship sensuality and Idolatry goe often together Exod. 32.6 When the Golden Calfe was made they sate downe to eate c. And Moses foretells Deut. 31.20 When they shall have eaten and filled themselves and waxen fat then will they turne unto other gods Yet I cannot admit this of Jobs children surely he who had bestowed so much care in their institution and had them still under his eye could not suspect them of degenerating so soone into such palpable Idolatry Secondly Others take the word Barach in the Originall in its proper sense It may be my sonnes have sinned and blessed God and they expound and open it thus It may be my sonnes have sinned and instead of being humbled and seeking to God for the pardon of their sinnes they have rejoyced and blessed God Just as if a Theefe that hath sped well and hath got a good prey should thanke God that he hath prospered so well in his wickednesse So here as if Job should say my sonnes have done ill in their feastings and they are so farre from being humbled that they have blessed God in their hearts they have bin lifted up they have given God thanks for the plenty of creatures but have not repented for their abuse of the creatures So we may interpret it by that place Zach. 11.4 where there is such an expression the Lord speaking to Christ saith Feede the flock of the slaughter whose possessours stay them and hold themselves not guilty They that should have beene the feeders of the flock instead of feeding them have destroyed them yea they doe this and hold themselves not guilty and they that sell them say blessed be the Lord for I am rich They grew rich by selling soules as many since have lived by the same trade starving the people to feed themselves the just character of an idle Idoll shepheard and then they said Blessed be God we are growne very rich and have got much goods though we have done little good This is a second interpretation and a cleare one only me thinks it layes too high a staine of wickednesse on Jobs sonnes It is one of the greatest wickednesses for a man to blesse himselfe in his sinnes but for a man to blesse God in his sinnes is farre worse Thirdly Others interpret Benedicere by Valedicere blessing by departing Thus It may be my sonnes have sinned and departed from God in their hearts and they bring some Texts of Scripture wherein the word Barach signifies to depart or to take leave and goe away as Gen. 47.10 Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from before Pharaoh he blessed him and departed So it is said likewise of Joab 2 Sam. 14.22 when he had obtained what he desired he fell to the ground on his face and bowed himselfe and thanked or blessed the King and went out Now they would interpret this Blessed God in their hearts to the same sense It may be my sonnes have sinned and blessed God in their hearts that is have departed from God in their hearts Indeed every sinne is a departure from God as the Apostle speakes Take heed least there be in any of you an evill heart of unbeliefe to depart from the living God Sinne is a turning away from God yet every sinne is not nay few sins
regarding and not putting upon the heart by not regarding Then here hast thou put Job upon thy heart that is hast thou seriously weighed and considered Job As if God had said I am sure in thy travels and wandrings about the world thou couldest not choose but take notice of Job he is my jewell my darling a speciall man among all the sonnes of men He is such a spectacle as may justly draw all eyes and hearts after him when thou walkedst didst thou not make a stand at Jobs doore I cannot but looke upon him my selfe and consider him therefore surely thou hast considered him The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his heart is upon them too A wicked man hath not the eye of God a godly man hath his heart and shall have it to all eternity The summe is This Question teacheth us That amongst all the men that dwell on the face of the earth Job was the most considerable Hast thou not considered my servant Job It is as if one should say to a man come from this City into the Countrey were you at Court or have you seen the King Because he is the most eminent and considerable person So God here speakes to Satan upon his account of walking about the earth hast thou taken notice of Job A godly man is the most considerable man in the world But then you must put your heart upon him not your eye onely for then as it was said of Christ Isa 53.3 you may perhaps see no beauty in him his inside is the most considerable thing in the world As a wicked man is the most unconsiderable not worthy the looking unto though he be never so great as Elisha said to the King of Israel Surely as the Lord of hostes liveth before whom I stand were it not that I regard the presence of Jehosaphat the King of Judah I would not looke toward thee nor see thee thou art not a man saith he that deserveth so much as to be looked upon A godly man is therefore described to be one in whose eyes a vile person a wicked man is despised But secondly in reference to Satan Some reade these words not by way of question but by way of affirmation thus thou hast considered my servant Job Thou hast been abroad in the world surely then thou hast taken notice of my servant Job thou hast considered him that is of all men in the world thou hast set thy selfe about Job to tempt him and to try him when thou camest to Jobs house there thou madest an assault there thou tryest the uttermost of thy strength to overcome him thou consideredst him what to do against him how to overthrow him tel me hast thou not found him a tuffe peece Didest thou ever meet with such an one in the world before To consider a thing is to try all wayes how to gaine it or how to compasse such a thing as Samuell said to Saul when he was seeking his fathers Asses As for thine Asses that were lost set not thy mind on them that is doe not trouble thy selfe doe not beat thy braines to consider which way to goe to find them or where it is most probable to get them So here thou hast set thy mind or considered my servant Job that is thou hast beat thy braines and set all thy wits on worke what course to take with greatest advantage to destroy my servant Job Take the words in that sense and they yeeld us this Instruction That Satans main temptations his strongest batteries are planted against the most eminent godly persons When Satan sees a man that is eminent in grace against him he makes his hottest and subtilest assaults he sets his heart upon such a man yea and vexeth his heart too about him Satan is most busie at holy duties one said he saw in a vision ten devils at a Sermon and but one at the market and about holy persons As for others he doth not trouble himselfe about them for they as the Apostle shewes are led captive by the devill at his will if he doe but whistle as it were they easily follow him and come after him presently so that he needs not set his heart or vex himselfe about them But when he commeth to a Job he sets all his wits and all his strength a worke bends all his thoughts to consider what course to take to assault such a strong hold of grace If he can get such a man downe then there is triumph indeed he sings victoria Then if we may so speake there is joy in hell as there is joy indeed in heaven at the conversion of a sinner So there is a kind of joy in hell when one sinnes that is converted If any thing can make the devils merry it is this to give a godly man the foyle though they see he is past their reach to destroy him yet if they can but blemish or disgrace him if they can but trouble and disquiet him this is their delight Hence it is that Generall Satan with his legions of darknesse those infernall spirits encampe about such persons with deadly hatred As when an Army meets with a strong Castle or City they sit downe and there consider what course to take for the besiedging and gaining of it Hast thou considered my servant Job The title which God gives Job is very observable My servant Job A Servant you know is one that is not at his owne dispose but at the call and becke of another so the Centurion describes a servant For saith he I am a man under authority and I have servants and I say to this man goe and he goeth and to another come and he commeth Servants are at the word of another they are not sui juris in their own power therfore Aristotle calleth Servants living tools or living instruments breathing instruments because they are at the will of another to be used and imployed at the discretion of their Master Here God calleth Job his servant And he calleth him so First by way of distinction or difference my servant that is mine not his owne many are their owne servants they serve themselves as the Apostle saith They serve not the Lord Jesus but their owne bellies they serve their owne lusts divers lusts and pleasures Job is not such an one he is my servant Many are Satans servants as if God should have said to Satan here Satan thou hast gone about the world and thou hast found a great family of thine owne thou hast found many servants in all places but hast thou considered my servant There is one I am sure that oweth thee no service and by his good will will doe thee none hast thou not found my servant Some are the servants of men but Job is my servant not a servant of men to subject himselfe to their lusts either for hope or feare He is not as the Apostle speakes the servant of men
such a man as there was no King after him for trusting in God and Josiah was such a man as there was no King before him for desire care and zeale in reforming the Church of God Josiah's reformation was the most perfect reformation that was made by all the Kings of Judah and so in that particular in regard of his great zeale for God there was no King before him like him How shall we understand this then concerning Job I answer in two Conclusions First When it is said there was none like to Job we are to understand it in reference to that generation Doubtlesse God had as great ones in grace as Job both before and afterward Noah and Abraham before him were eminent ones and afterward Moses and Joshua and David and Samuel But take Job in the time and the age wherein he lived so there was none like unto him in equality we may understand it so For Job is conceived to be in the darker times betweene Abraham and Moses about the time that the people of Israel were in captivity in Egypt so that in reference to that time Job lived in he was the only man the chiefe man the greatest for grace in that age As it is said of Noah he was a just man and perfect in his generations he was the justest man of all that age the most righteous of all that generation so was Job in his Secondly We may understand it not only concerning some particular grace wherein he was most eminent although it be a truth that he had one grace for which he was cryed up in Scripture more then for others to wit Patience Have you not heard of the patience of Job But we may take it for the whole latitude of Jobs holinesse and graces and there was not at that time such a man upon the earth as Job And so God himselfe seemeth to expound it he doth not confine this to some one point but saith Hast thou not considered my servant Job that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill God addeth this by way of exposition what he meaneth by a man to whom there was none like who had no match upon the earth In those words the whole summe of godlinesse is comprised whatsoever goes or may be conceived to goe toward the making up of a godly man falls under one of those foure members And God saith there is none like him take him in any or in all these I shall only give you two or three briefe observations from hence There is none like unto him in the earth Learn First That God hath servants of all statures and degrees All his servants come not to the like pitch to the like hight here is one that is beyond them all My servant Job not a man like him upon the earth Secondly Note this We ought not to set up our rest in low degrees of grace or content our selves to be like others in grace we should labour if it be possible to goe beyond all others in grace It did not satisfie Job that he had gotten to such a degree to such a frame and temper of heart to such a course of holinesse as his neighbours or bretheren that were good had attained unto but he laboured to goe beyond them all Not such a man upon the earth as Job It is an holy ambition to labour to exceed all other in grace and goodnesse We have a great many in the world that desire to be so rich as none should be like them to be so gay in their apparell as none should be like them so beautifull as none should be like them but where are they that desire and endeavour to have such a portion or stock of grace that none should be like them to be above others in holinesse as Job was True grace never rests in any degrees or measures of grace but labours to increase he that hath any grace would have more doe not thinke it enough when you are like others you ought to labour to be beyond others Then see the Character that God giveth of Job A perfect and upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill These have beene already opened in the first verse and these are but a report of the History before going therefore I shall not need to stay upon his place onely take these two Observations from it The first is this God hath a perfect Character of every soule He knoweth fully and clearely what the temper of your hearts and spirits are just as the history and relation of Job was such is Gods testimony of him to a tittle Secondly this God will give to every man a testimony according to his utmost worth God will not conceale any of your graces or obscure your goodnesse he will make it knowne to the world to the full what you are When God commeth to give testimony he giveth it so as his Saints can never loose by it Oftentimes man gives a testimony short of his Brothers goodnes and draweth a curtaine before another mans worth but God will draw the curtaine quite backe and unvaile every soule to the whole world You shall see and heare a testimony from God before men and Angels concerning your selves to the uttermost what you are in all godly and gracious perfections Job was an excellent man a man commended indeed who was commended of God as the Apostle concludes it not he that commendeth himselfe is approved but he whom God commendeth It is good for us to have our Letters Testimoniall from God to have our Letters Commendatory from Heaven It is not what a man saith in his own heart what he flattereth himselfe It is not what your neighbours or others flatter you and say of you but what God saith of you what testimony he giveth of you He is not approved that commendeth himselfe or that other men commend only but he whom the Lord commendeth And if God speake well of us no matter though all the world be silent or slander JOB 1.9 10 11. Then Satan answered the Lord and said doth Job feare God for naught Hast not thou made an hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side Thou hast blessed the worke of his hands and his substance is increased in the Land But put forth thy hand now and touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face IN the former verse Job receiveth testimony from God himselfe in this though Satan cannot deny it yet he calumniates and misinterprets what he cannot contradict Satan grants indeed that Job feares God but the latter words embase the former and fasten insincerity upon all his services Doth Job feare God for nought Feare is worth nothing unlesse in this sense it be for nought I have already shewed you what it is to feare God I shall now cleare the other terme and shew how much evill Satan charges
Job with when he questions doth Job feare God for nought Satan accuseth with a question doth Job feare God for nought The question may be resolved into this Accusation Job doth not feare God for nought The word which we translate for nought hath a threefold sense from the Hebrew First Some render it in vain Doth Job feare God frustra in vaine We are then said to doe a thing in vaine when we cannot attaine the end which we propose in doing of it The Egyptians helpe in vaine that is they cannot procure that salvation and deliverance which was desired or intended and so the sense here may be doth Job feare God in vaine No he doth not he hath his end he looked for riches that he intended in taking up the service of God and that he hath attained Secondly It is interpreted by without cause Doth Job feare God without cause so the word is translated Psal 35.7 where David complaining of his enemies saith without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit which without cause they have digged for my soule As if he should say I never gave them any cause why they should lay snares for me I never wronged or hurt any of them According to this sense when Satan saith doth Job feare God for nought namely without cause it is as if he had said The Lord hath given Job reason enough he hath given him cause enough to doe what he doth Job seeth reason in his Flocks and in his Heards in his many Children and in his great Houshold in his Substance and in his Honour he seeth reason in all these why he should feare God and be a very obedient servant having so bountifull a Master Doth Job feare God without cause Or thirdly The word is translated by Gratis as we expresse it to doe a thing gratis that is to doe a thing without any reward without any price or without pay I shall instance Scriptures wherein the word is rendred in that sense Gen. 29.15 Laban saith to Jacob when he was come to him to serve him Thou art my kinsman shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought that is shouldest thou serve me gratis or without wages as he explaines his meaning in the next words tell me what shall thy wages be So that to doe a thing for nought is to doe a thing without wages without price And so there is the same interpretation of the word Exod. 21.11 where Moses speaking of the Maid that was taken into the family and was not married saith If he doe not these three unto her then she shall goe out free without money she shall pay nothing she shall goe out gratis or for nought So here we may take in this sense to fill up the forme doth Job serve God gratis doth he serve God without price or without pay Surely no thou hast given him sufficient hyre wages sufficient for all his service Job doth not serve thee gratis out of good will and affection to thee but he serveth thee for hire because thou payest him so plentifully So the generall sense of the words Doth Job feare God for nought is as if Satan had bespoken the Lord in such words as these Lord thou doest enquire of me whether I had considered thy servant Job I confesse I have and I must needs acknowledge that he is a man very diligent and zealous in thy worship and service neither doe I wonder that he is so seeing thou hast out-bid all his labours and indeavours by heapes of benefits There is no question but thou mayest have servants enough upon such termes at such rates as these no marvaile if Job be willing to doe whatsoever thou commandest whenas thou bestowest upon Job whatsoever he desireth Thou seemest as it were to neglect all other men and only to intend the safety and prosperity of thy darling Job Is it any great matter that he who hath received a flocke of seven thousand Sheepe from thee should offer a few 7. or 10. to thee in sacrifice Is it any great matter that he should give some of his fleeces to cloath the poore who hath received from thee so many thousands to cloath and enrich himselfe Is it a strange thing that he should feede a few that hath 500 yoake of Oxen Is not Job well hired to worke for thee doth he feare God for nought who hath recived all these Yet a little more distinctly for the opening of this expression I shall give you Satans sense in three notable falsities or lyes which he twists up together in this one speech Doth Job feare God for nought First That riches will make any man serve God that it is no great matter to be holy when we have abundance a man that prospers in the world cannot choose but be good This Satan implyes in these words and this is an extreame lye for as there is no affliction so there is no outward blessing can change the heart or bring it about unto God They did not serve the Lord in the abundance of all things Deut. 28.47 Abundance doth not draw the heart unto God Yet Satan would inferre that it doth This might well be retorted upon Satan himselfe Satan why diddestnot thou serve God then thou diddest once receive more outward blessings from God then ever Iob did the blessednesse of an Angell yet that glorious Angelicall estate wherein thou wast created could not keepe thee in the compasse of obedience thou diddest rebell in the abundance of all blessings and diddest leave thy habitation Satan thou shouldest not have served God for nought Why then didst not thou serve him thine owne Apostacy refutes thy errour in making so little of Jobs obedience because he had received so much Secondly There is this in it Doeth Job feare God for nought Satan intimates that God could have no servants for love none unlesse he did pay them extreamely That God is such a Master and his worke such as none would meddle with vnlesse allured by benefits As if Satan should say you have indeed one eminent servant but you should not have had him unlesse you had beene at double cost with him Here is another lye Satan windeth up closely in this speech For the truth is Gods servants follow him for himselfe the very excellencies of God and sweetnesse of his wayes are the argument and the wages by which his people are chiefely moved and hired to his service God indeed makes many promises to those that serve him but he never makes any bargaines with them His obey him freely Satan makes bargaines to hire men to his service as he did with Christ Mat. 4.9 All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship mee God makes many large and gracious promises but he never makes any such bargaine and agreement with men for their obedience Then there is a third sense full of falsehood which Satan casteth upon Iob Doeth Job feare God for nought that is Iob hath
extreame lye that was in the Minor in the Assumption namely that the profession and holinesse of Job was grounded onely upon outward things he I say perceiving that seekes to confirme what he had affirm'd by this motion If you doubt saith he whether it be so or no with Job let that come to the tryall touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face The strength of the reason that lyes in the motion may be thus conceived That profession is grounded upon outward things which a man layes downe when outward things are removed and taken away but if those outward things be removed and taken away from Iob he will quicly lay downe his profession yea he will take up blasphemy he will curse thee to thy face therefore the profession of Iob is grounded upon outward things This now is the logick or the reason upon which Satan bottomes and inferres this motion that so he may bring Iob upon a further tryall Put forth thine hand now The Hebrew is send forth thy hand To put foorth the hand signifies sometimes to help and sometimes to hurt So in Ps 144.7 send forth thine hand and deliver me There is a sending forth the hand in a way of mercy And so Act. 4.30 there Peter prayeth that Christ would stretch forth his hand to heale So that stretching forth or sending forth or putting forth the hand for the words are all used in common to the same sense signifie to doe a thing for our good and preservation But usually this putting forth or stretching forth of the hand notes some affliction some punishment A man that standeth with his hand stretched out is in a posture to strike And so God himselfe is often described by having his hand stretched forth when he is about to punish as in the Prophecy of Isaiah divers times Chap. 5.25 Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people and he hath stretched forth his hand against them and hath smitten them and Chap. 9. three times vers 12. For all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still and so at the 17th verse and at the 21. verse His anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still that is the Lord is still smiting and afflicting them In the 6th of Esther verse 2. Two men were found in the Chronicle who sought to lay or put forth their hands on the King Ahasuerus scil they would have slaine him Then the meaning of Satan here is stretch foorth thine hand let him feele the weight of thine hand in smitings and sore afflictions Thy hand The hand of God in Scripture signifies First the purpose of God as that Act. 4.28 They have done whatsoever thy hand and thy counsell determined before to be done that is whatsoever according to thy purpose thou didst determine 2. The hand of God signifies the Spirit of God in the mighty actings and workings of it so a Spirit of prophecy is called the hand of God Ezek. 1.3 The hand of the Lord was there upon me And Ezek. 37.1 The hand of the Lord was upon me that is the Spirit of the Lord a mighty power of prophecy was upon me So likewise a spirit of strength that is upon a man is called the hand of God 1 King 18. ult The hand of the Lord was upon Elijah and he girt up his loynes and ran before Ahab Here the hand of the Lord is put for the power of the Lord put forth thy hand that is put forth thy power and so the hand of the Lord is used often Isa 59.1 The hand of the Lord is not shortened that is the power of the Lord is not abated The Lord hath a long hand and his hand is alwayes of the same length so stretch forth thine hand now that is doe thou put forth thy mighty power This hand of the Lords power to cleare that a little further is taken 3 wayes in Scripture First For his protecting power There is a protecting hand as Joh. 10.28 No man is able to plucke them out of my Fathers hand saith Christ God hath his sheepe in his hand and he will protect and safeguard them so that none shall be able to plucke them away This hand God put forth before for Job Againe It is put for his correcting-power as Psal 32.4 His hand was heavy upon me that is the afflicting hand of God was heavy upon me Let us fall into the hand of God David chose that 2 Sam. 24.14 that is into the afflicting hand of God rather than into the hands of men It is put thirdly for a revenging hand for a wrathfull hand by which he doth destroy and breake in peeces those who are his enemies Heb. 10.31 It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the living God David desireth to fall into the hands of God sell into his correcting hand because he knew there was mercy but it is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of God when he commeth in wrath to take vengeance of those who contemptuously despise his mercy as there it is expressed Now here when Satan saith Put forth thy hand that is thine hand of power Satan intendeth not that God should put forth the hand of his power to protect nor barely to correct He desireth more then barely a correcting or chastising hand upon Job he would have his revenging hand his breaking his destroying hand as we shall see afterward Further Thy hand that is Gods owne hand as if he did desire that God himselfe would take Job into his own hand to chasten and punish him The hand of God his correcting or chastising hand sometimes is an immediate and sometimes a mediate hand Sometimes it is immediate when God by himself doth chasten or punish or afflict when no second cause doth appeare or interveene So it may seem Satan here meanes when he saith put forth thine hand that is doe it thine owne selfe let no other have the handling of Job but thy selfe God doth send such immediate afflictions a man is afflicted in his body in his estate and many other wayes and he cannot find any thing in the creature whence it should come it is an immediate stroke of God he cannot see how or which way or at what doore this evill came in upon him therefore it is called a creating of evill Isa 45.7 I make peace and create evill Now creation is out of nothing there is nothing out of which it is wrought So many times God bringeth evill upon a people or person when there is no appearance of second causes no matter out of which it is made but it comes as a creature formed by the only hand of God Sometimes likewise it is called Gods hands when it is the hand of a creature it is Gods hand in a creatures hand Gods hand when it is the hand of wicked men Gods hand when it is Satans hand So that
place is translated Psal 17.14 Deliver my soule from the wicked which is thy Sword you see a wicked man is Gods Sword and from men which are thy hand So that thy hand may be understood of an instrument Satan himselfe is Gods hand to punish in that sense as wicked men here are said to be Gods hand from the men that are thy hand though there be other readings of that place some reade it deliver me from men by thy hand and others Deliver mee from men of thy hand but our translation may very well carry the sense of the Originall in it from men which are thy hand as Nebuchadnezzar that wicked King is called Gods servant Jer. 43.10 I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar my servant God speakes of him as his servant or as his hand in the thing So then Put forth thine hand it may be understood I say either immediately or mediately doe it by thy selfe or doe it by Instruments strike him thy selfe or give me Commission or give others Commission to strike There is one thing further in this expression Put forth thine hand now Now. Some reade it put forth thine hand a little and some reade it I pray thee put forth thy hand The Originall word is translated to all these senses we translate it referring to the present importunity and instancy of Satan put forth thine hand now let not this businesse sleepe let it not be deferred a minute a moment let commission goe out speedily to afflict Job And touch all that he hath To touch notes sometimes a heavy and a sore affliction and sometime a light and a small affliction In the Scripture we find it both wayes used Sometimes I say to touch doth signifie the greatest and the sorest affliction or punishment that can be and so Job doth expresse all the afflictions that fell upon him at the last only by touching Job 19.21 Have pitty upon me have pitty upon me O yee my friends for the hand of God hath touched me Whereas Job at that time lay under the sorest and heaviest affliction that could be all his estate was gone and his body was full of diseases and his soule was full of horrour and all this he doth expresse by this the hand of the Lord hath touched me So Psalm 73.14 To be touched signifies the greatest affliction All the day long saith David have I been plagued That which we translate plagued is the same Originall word which we translate touch in the Text All the day long have I beene touched that is I have beene touched with the sorest plagues heavy afflictions have beene laid continually upon me So that to touch signifieth sometimes the greatest or the sorest stroakes of trouble Sometimes againe we shall find it signifies only a light affliction as Gen. 26. in two places of that Chapter at the 11th verse Abimelech charged all his people saying he that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death that is he that doth them the least hurt or wrong So at the 19th verse in that agreement betweene Abimelech and Isaac they conclude thus That thou wilt do us no hurt as we have not touched thee and as we have done unto thee nothing but good So that to touch notes the least ill or hurt that can be wee have not touched thee that is we have done nothing to thee but good Any thing on this side doing of good to them had bin touching of them We find the like expression in Ps 105.15 where the Psalmist speaking of Gods extraordinary care of his people He suffered no man to do them wrong he rebuked Kings for their sakes saying touch not mine annointed and doe my Prophets no harme Touch not mine annointed people that is the meaning of that place though in many other places we know Princes are called the annointed of God yet here it is meant of the people of God in generall they are Gods annoynted as the context clearely carries it for they have all received Unction from God an Unction of grace an Unction of the spirit and an Unction of Priviledge Touch not mine annoynted that is doe them not the least hurt And the sense that these words may beare Put forth thy hand now and touch all that he hath might be carried as if Satan here intended only a touch in the latter sense Give him but the least stroake lay but the lightest affliction upon him doe but touch him you are so confident of your servant Job that he is such a man do but give him the least touch and you shall see how he will discover himself So some expound it He doth not say wound him smite him breake him to peeces but touch him only Neither saith he touch him but his And if thou give him but a touch with the top of thy little finger thou shalt presently find the rottennes of his heart In that sense the word imports an extenuation of Jobs sincerity or heightning of Jobs hypocrisie as if he had been so rotten in his profession that the least touch would overthrow him and make him discover himselfe to be starke nought Like the Apples growing about Sodome which have faire out-sides but if you touch them they moulder away into dust and ashes Though the words have this sense in them and Satan carries it cunningly expressing himselfe in such ambiguous termes yet certainly Satan had a further intendment whatsoever his language may beare he had an intention that Job should be touched in the former sense namely that he should have a touch to the quicke as we say that he should have the sorest and deepest wound that his estate was capable of he would have him whippt not with cords but with Scorpions he would have the little finger of God heavier upon him than his loynes upon others Destroy him undoe him by your touching He speakes by the figure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is when we go lesse in our expressions then in our intentions when our words are lower then our spirits and that is proper for Satan who is the great deceiver the great jugler in word and deed to desire that Job should only be touched when he meant he should be utterly undone and ruined Touch all that he hath that is all his estate all his possessions his children his family his cattell whatsoever belongeth unto Job let all feele an undoing stroake from thy hand Before I come to that which he undertakes upon the affliction I shall observe two or three things from the words thus farre opened Put forth NOW thine hand We may note from that The extreame importunity of Satan to doe mischiefe He would not give God a minuts not a moments respite to consider this thing but doe it now presently let him presently be afflicted he makes haste to destroy he makes haste to shed bloud their feet are swift to shed bloud as the Psalmist speakes So Satan his feet are swift to
shed bloud when Satan would have God to afflict us doe it presently saith he when Satan would have us sinne against God doe it presently saith he now sinne now provoke God doe not stay till the next day but when we are called to give up our selves to God then to morrow will serve the turne and next yeare will serve to repent yea when you are old 't is time enough to repent when he tempteh to doe any mischiefe any sinne then now now sin but 't is time enough to doe good hereafter to morrow will serve for that Put forth now thine hand and touch all that he hath It is a truth which Satan here speakes concerning the hand of God That if God doe but touch the highest and greatest estate in the world it will fall to peeces quickly There is a truth in it take it in the easiest sense that can be if God doe but lightly touch the estate of a man it will soone fall in peeces God is not put to any stresse to afflict and punish as Psal 81.14 I should soone have subdued their enemies and have turned my hand against their adversaries God expresseth the utter over-throw of the enemies of his people but by the turning of a hand if God doe but turne his hand they are all gone presently soone subdued If he doe but touch the might the pompe the greatnesse the riches and the power of all those in the world that are opposers of his Church presently they fall to the ground A touch from the hand of God will end our warres If he touch the Mountaines they smoake as it is in the Psalme and consume to ashes they that are the mighty and great ones of the world the Mountaines by one touch of his hand fall as it were to nothing So if God doe but touch our estates they moulder away no creature can uphold them Then againe observe here the cunning imposture of Satan that puts such sore such heavy afflictions into such light and easie expressions he cloatheth his malice his utmost malice here in very faire words doe but touch him saith this enimie but you see what Satans touches are touch all that he hath Why Satan would nothing have made a tryall but only a touching of all For Job to have lost somewhat had been a tryall a touch for Job to have lost halfe his flockes of Sheepe or his Oxen had been a tryall and no very light one neither for Job to have lost a sonne to have found one of his children suddenly strucke dead had been an affliction and a heavy one too such a touch as that might well have touched the fathers heart Would it not serve Satan that a sonne should die or that some of his cattell should be destroyed but he must have all touched all that he hath The malice of Satan is unsatiable there is nothing will serve him unlesse he may devoure all This touch of Satan which he desireth might be laid upon Job is like the touch that many have given to those who have come into their hands amongst us they would but touch them but they would touch them in all when they put forth their hands as they pretended in wayes of justice in their Courts they would touch men in all touch them in their liberties by imprisonment and touch them in their estates by extreame vast fines and touch them in their names by disgrace touch them in their bodies by whipping and cutting and touch them in their relations by keeping all friends from sight of them No moderation no bounds but touch them in all that they had And O exactnesse of Justice when God came to touch that power he gave them a touch just after the rate and proportion of their owne touches for when those Courts and persons came to have their power and actions scanned it was not moderating or regulating or restraining or abating or limiting their power that satisfied they must quite downe and be taken away God gave them a touch just as they touched others before So that a man may say certainly there is a God that judgeth the earth These are the touches of Satan and the touches of mercilesse men are as like his as themselves are they thinke there is nothing done unlesse men be undone they never give over touching till they come to ruining Touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face Some render it thus Touch all that he hath if hee curse thee not to thy face So it is word for word out of the Originall nisi unlesse or Si non touch all that he hath and see if he doe not curse thee to thy face We give the sense of it in a direct affirmation touch all that he hath and he will c. Others put the force of an imprecation to it Touch all that he hath and see if he doe not curse thee to thy face that is as if he had said let me never be beleeved and never be trusted Indeed Satan is so farre disgraced and damned already that he hath nothing to loose he cannot damne himselfe further he cannot wish any thing to himselfe worse than he already is but yet here is a kind of execration or imprecation upon himselfe in it Doe this and if he doe not curse thee to thy face let me never be accounted of or as many use to say let me never be trusted or as some wretched hellish ones Let me be damned if such or such a thing be not There is such an emphasis in that manner of speaking used in the Text. But we translate it by a direct affirmation and that is a good sense too touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face that 's certaine so saith Satan he will doe it it is as sure as done already Curse thee It is the same word which is used before ver 5. It may be my children have cursed God The word signifies properly to blesse It was shewed that probably in that place it might be translated Curse but in this Text there is a necessity of translating it so seeing a cleare sence cannot be made out taking the word properly In cursing another these three things concurre First an ill opinion or conceit of that person 2. Hatred or malice against him 3. A desire that some evill may befall him This Satan meanes when he undertakes that Job being afflicted will curse God So then to curse God is to blaspheme God in our thoughts and words to think or speake unworthily of God and the wayes of God see if he curse thee not to thy face that is see if his heart be not imbittered against thee see if his tongue be not sharpened to wound thy honour to reproach thy goodnesse to accuse thy providence As it is said of those Isa 8.21 They shall be hungry and hard bestead And what then They shall fret themselves and curse their King and their God and looke
upward that is they shall speake basely of their King and of their God in whom they have trusted and whom they have followed he speakes of those wretches that did seeke to false gods or worship the true God falsely they shall curse their King and their God It is the very same that here Satan promiseth himselfe and undertakes with God that Job will doe Doe but make him hungry saith he and hard bestead and he will fret himself and curse thee It was very ordinary among the Heathen to doe so when their gods did not please them then they would curse their gods The Poets bring them in often raging against their gods as he speakes of the mother that found her sonne dead she calls the gods and the starres cruell she flies in the face of heaven presently who would serve such gods as these are that thus slay my son c. Satan interprets Job to be a man of the same temper Aquinas takes the word properly Touch all that he hath and he will blesse thee to thy face And endeavours to make out the sense thus touch all that he hath and thou shalt see he hath blessed thee to thy face he reades it in the Preterperfect tense that is if thou afflict him thou shalt find that all his former Religion was nothing but meere out-side formality that he served thee only from the teeth outward served thee to thy face he blessed thee pray'd unto thee and honour'd thee only to thy face He had no regard to thy worship in his heart he did not worship thee ex animo because he loved thee or delighted in thee but gave thee an outward complemental blessing because thou didst blesse him outwardly As the Apostle directs servants Eph. 6.6 Not with eye service as men pleasers Satan makes Job an eye-servant to God or as if like those of whom Christ complaineth Math. 15. in the words of the Prophet He had drawne nigh to God with his lipps while his heart was farre from him The heart of Job hath beene farre enough from thee he only blessed thee with his lips and to thy face Indeed this interpretation hath a faire face but touch it by a serious examination and it will be found without a heart The construction of Gramar is quite against it and for us to change the Text and make it to speake in the Preterperfect tense of a thing past whereas the words are in the future tense of an act to be done for the time to come is too much boldnesse with Scripture Therefore though that opinion hath a plausible sense in it yet I shall lay it by and take the ordinary translation that he indeed intended this that Job would breake forth into blasphemous revilings of God if God did but try him with an affliction And when he saith that Job would doe it to his face the meaning of it is that he would doe it openly he will curse thee openly he will curse thee boldly he will not goe behind the doore to tell tales of thee but he will speake of it before all the world that thou art a cruell God an unjust God and a hard master he will tell such tales of thee even to thy very face We have a like speech Gal. 2.11 When Peter was come to Antioch I withstood him to the face saith Paul that is openly I did not goe behind his backe to tell Peter his owne but I told him it to his face plainly openly before them all as it is explained vers 14. I said to Peter before them all that were then present Jerome because he would not have Peter receive such an open repoofe judging it would be a disparagement to Peter to be rebuked by Paul gives a quite contrary sense of those words of Paul I withstood him to his face that is saith he I did speake somewhat roughly to him before them but there was no such thing in my heart I did it but to his face very slightly least I should offend the Jewes whose Apostle Peter was and I did it to his face a little that I might satisfie the Gentiles who were scandalized by Peters walking otherwise in my heart I had no quarrell with Peter he and I agreed well enough As if Paul had made but a shadow fight ad faciendum populum to delude the people But we must not be thus wise I withstood him to his face is not opposed to withstanding him cordially but to a withstanding of him secretly or behind his backe So here he will curse thee to thy face that is he will curse thee as the Greeke Scholiast hath it openly and impudently himselfe indeed was afraid least his sonnes had cursed God in their hearts but for all his nicenesse and seeming feare of his childrens sinning in secret he will curse thee with impudence he will not only curse thee in his heart but the curse will breake out at his lipps Out of the abundance of his heart his mouth will speake blasphemie against God He will curse thee to thy face We may give some exemplifications what it is to curse God to blaspheme God thus to his face You may reade what it is Mal. 3.14 Your words have beene stout against me saith the Lord you have spoken to my very face why what had they spoken to the Lord What have we spoken say they so much against thee Ye have said It is vaine to serve God and what profit is it that we have kept his Ordinance and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts c. This is to curse God to his face when the wayes of God are blasphemed and the worship of God reported as unprofitable when men say it is in vaine to serve God when they cast aspersions and bring up an evill name upon any holy duty this is to blaspheme God They did only speake against the service of God and they thought they had not blasphemed God in it Wherein have we spoken against thee yes saith God you have spoken against me in that you have spoken against and discredited my wayes So if Job had said the wayes of God are unprofitable and I see now it is in vaine to serve God and to feare him this had beene blasphemy and cursing of God to his face David was neare upon the very brinke of this blasphemie Psal 73.13 when he said I have cleansed my heart in vaine and washed my hands in innocency because saith he I am plagued every morning the judgements and afflictions that were upon him began to make him breake out thus But he presently be fooles himselfe for such speeches and by that repaires God in his honour Secondly To quarrell and be angry with the Providence of God as if he were not wise or just or good in his dispensations either to particular persons or to the Church This I say likewise is a cursing a reproaching of God Thirdly To curse the servants and people of God is to
course betweene both slanting with mighty violence through the ayre Thus Philosophers teach This wind is said to have bin a great wind great in quantity much wind a large wind great also in quality a vehement boisterous angry wind Further This wind is described by the coast or quarter from which it breathed From the wildernesse Or as the Hebrew is from beyond the wildernesse from the other side of the wildernesse this wind came Windes are differenced by the quarters or points of the Heavens out of which they blow This wind is described by the place from whence it came from the Coast out of which it was raised it was from beyond the wildernesse There were many wildernesses Here wildernesse is set downe indefinitely There was the wildernesse of Maon and the wildernesse of Ziph and many other wildernesses spoken of in Scripture What wildernesse was this It is conceived that this was either the wildernesse of Idumea or Edom spoken of 2 King 3.8 or else it was Arabia the Desart which is by way of eminency called The wildernesse It came from the wildernesse that is it came over that part which is called Arabia desorta or Arabia the wild When it is said this wind came from the wildernesse the coast is cleared but the cause and stirrer up of this wind is concealed A wind came from the wildernesse but how this wind was raised and this storme was blowne up there is no mention We must charge it on him who was the contriver and directer of all this mischiefe Satan Prince of the ayre raised up this mighty winde Windes are said sometimes to come from God As Exod. 10.13 The Lord brought an East-winde upon the Land of Egypt that it was covered with Locusts one of the plagues of Egypt And verse 19. The Lord turned a mighty West-wind which tooke away the Locusts And Numb 11.31 There went forth a wind from the Lord and brought Quailes from the Sea Jonah 1.4 The Lord sent out a great wind into the Sea The Heathens who devided the World among sundry gods gave the winds to Aeolus whom they supposed to have them all shut up and lock't close in his lodge till he gave them command to fly abroad It is an argument of a divine power to rule the winds Who is this say those Sea-men Math. 8.27 that even the winds and the Sea obey him As God only causeth the Sunne to shine and the raine to fall so the winds to blow The wind is originally in the hand of God He gathers the wind in his fists saith Agur of God and sendeth it which way he pleaseth But the winds were put for that present into the hand of Satan and he had leave to raise a storme for this speciall purpose So then there came a great wind from beyond the wildernesse that is Satan stirred up a mighty wind in those parts and quarters which came And smote the foure corners of the house and it fell upon the Young men and they are dead Here we see what was the worke of this wind As it is described by the region from whence the wind came so by the effects which it wrought being come It smote the foure corners of the house The Hebrew word is the same used verse 11. Touch all that he hath According to Satans sence this wind touched the foure corners of the house The corners of the house are the strength of the house and the foure corners are all the strength Christ is called the corner stone because he is the strength and binding of the Church he holds all together This wind smote the foure corners at once It may seeme very strange that one wind a wind described to come out of one quarter a Southerne wind as this is conceived to have bin comming from the wildernesse that this one wind should strike all the foure parts of the house together must it not be a wind from the foure quarters of Heaven which strikes the foure corners of a house I answer This was an extraordinary wind there was a wonder carryed on the wings of this wind therefore you have an Ecce of admiration a Behold set in the beginning of this relation This wind did not worke according to the ordinary rate of winds Or we may say It was a whirle-wind that tempestuous whirle-wind which Philosophers call Typhon Such a wind as whirles about in a circle and so it might fetch-in or assault all the parts and corners of the house with one blast Further We must take notice that Satan was in this wind He acted and wrought mightily with it for the sure and suddaine effecting of this dreadfull overthrow the Devill spirited this wind The wind though for the quicknesse and power of it called a spirit is a dull and weake thing compared to a spirit There came a great wind from the wildernesse and smote the foure corners of the house and it fell upon the Young-men and they are dead But what became of his three Daughters did they escape They are not named but they also were involved It is usuall in Scripture under one Sexe the superiour Sexe to comprise both All Jobs children perished under the ruines of that falling house Hence Observe First That Satan being left at his owne dispose can raise and enrage stormes and tempests It is said Psal 148.8 That stormie winds and tempests fulfill the will of God The windes goe often on Gods errand but as often as the Lord gives leave these stormie windes and tempests fulfill Satans will Not his alone much lesse against the will of God Satan cannot raise so much wind by his owne power as will wave a feather but when God saith goe doe such and such things then the winds likewise fulfill his will And then he can raise wind enough to move Mountaines and raze the foundations of the proudest and strongest buildings It is reported that some wicked wretches trade with witches for windes they buy winds of the Devill A most abhominable merchandize and the Lord doth answer them justly to let them have what they pay for windes of the Devill as he speakes in the Prophet I also will chuse their delusions when men will be deluded and go down to hell for help God will chuse their delusions saying in his wrath you that think the devill can give you a wind the devill shall give you a wind A wind by which you shall sayl at once to the port of your hope and to the pit of desperation A vvind vvhich unles you repent vvill carry you into that lake vvherin there is no vvater a lake burning for ever And the breath of the Lord like a streame of brimstone kindling it Secondly observe here from the effect of this winde That a violent and sudden death it is no argument of Gods anger or disfavour Here all Jobs children were destroyed suddenly and violently yet it was not in wrath towards the children but for a tryall
Thou hast made me the head of the Heathen a people vvhom I have not knowne shall serve me As soone as they heare of me they shall obey me the strangers shall submit themselves unto me That of the Apostle will more illustrate this sence who speaking of the great benefit of prophecying in a knowne tongue concludes his Discourse thus If all prophecy and there come in one that beleeveth not or one unlearned he is convinced of all he is judged of all And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest and so falling downe on his face he vvill WORSHIP God and report that God is in you of a truth The worship then is not given to the Church but to God who in such ordinances or other acts of his power and goodnesse is evidently revealed as present in the Church So much for the actions or gestures of Iob what he did He rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell downe upon the ground and worshipped Now we come to his words to that which Iob spake in the two last verses Verse 21. Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither Verse 22. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh blessed be the name of the Lord. Words are or ought to be the Interpreters of the heart and the Comment of our actions This speech of Iob doth indeed interpret his heart and expound the meaning of his former actions This speech I say of Iob is the true Comment of his owne actions for some seeing Iob renting his garments and shaving his head and casting himselfe downe upon the ground they might not know the meaning of all this they could not reade his heart in these strange behaviours they might not understand what his intentions were probably they might judge that he was enraged and madde that he was distracted or drunke with sorrow that he was either desperate or impatient at the report of those losses Therfore now to confute all such surmizes he speaks forth the words of truth and sobernes And by that which he saith sets so fair and true a glosse upon his actions as might then render them not only rationall and ingenuous but holy and gracious in the eyes of all men as they were before in the eyes of God who knew his heart Satan was now like the servants of Benhadad before Ahab watching for words he had done his businesse and now he was trying how it would worke what the event and issue would be he harken'd when some irreverent speech should come from the mouth of Iob he looked presently that he should blaspheme God he could not but smile surely when he saw him renting his garments and shaving his head and falling downe on the ground O now it workes I shall heare him blaspheme and curse God presently He that is thus distempered in the carriage of the other members of his body will not surely be able long to rule that unruly peace his tongue One undutifull or dishonourable word cast upon God would have beene musicke to Satans eare and joy to his heart He would have catch'd it up as nimbly as the men before spoken of did brother Benhadad from the mouth of Ahab But how blanke look'd Satan how was he cloathed with shame at the fall of those words from Iob Naked came I out of c. What David spake concerning the words of his enemies Psal 55.21 Their words were smoother then butter but warre was in their heart they were sweeter then honey and softer then oyle yet were they drawne swords vve may speake of these words of Iob considered in reference to Satan and in reference unto God These words of Iob in reference unto God were as sweet as hony as smooth as butter For this breath had nothing in it but meeknes and patience humility and holinesse in all which God delights but in reference unto Satan they were as drawne Swords as poyson'd arrowes Satan was hardly ever so smitten before as he was by these words of Iob. There is no word in this sentence but gave Satan the lye and refuted all his slander And in the close Iob gives him the deepest stabbe of all It was a dagger at the very heart of the devill when he heard him say Blessed be the name of the Lord. No words could be utter'd upon the longest study more crosse to Satans expectation or more answerable to the former testimony of God and therefore the Lord crownes all both his actions and his speeches with a new testimony In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly So much of Jobs words in generall I shall now examine them distinctly in the parts Some conceive that Job at that time spake out his mind more largely but that the Holy Ghost in the penning of this Story did gather and summe up the strength of all his speech into these two conclusions Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh blessed be the Name of the Lord. We will consider the words a little first in the Grammaticall sense of them and then we will consider the reason of them For here they are used logically as a strong and mighty argument both for the supporting of his owne spirit under those afflictions and for the justifying and acquitting God in so afflicting him Naked came I out of my Mothers wombe c. Naked There is a two-fold nakednesse there is an internall nakednesse and there is an externall nakednesse There is a nakednesse of the soule as well as of the body The nakednesse of the soule is when it is devested of all it 's gracious ornaments and endowments When Job saith Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither it referreth especially to the nakednesse of the body for though it be a truth that Job came naked into the world in regard of his soule yet he knew he should not goe naked out of the world in regard of his soule Seeing then he referreth nakednesse to his going out of the world as well as to his comming in therefore it cannot be here meant of an inward nakednesse his soule came naked in but he knew his soule should go out cloathed Neither can it be meant of a then present spirituall nakednesse for Job was never so richly and gorgeously attired in his soule never appeared in such glorious ornaments of grace as when he was stript of all worldly comforts Therfore the nakednesse here is bodily nakednesse that which Moses speaks of Gen. 2.25 describing our first Parents They were both naked saith he the man and his wife and they were not ashamed Yet that nakednesse and this which Job speakes of though they were both bodily and externall were very different and unlike for that nakednesse of Creation needed no covering nakednesse was then an ornament Man was richly attired when he had no garments The nakednesse of creation
afflictions then our afflictions are blessings unto us We have so much blessing in our affliction as we can blesse God for our affliction There is a mighty power in this speech I blesse God it changeth evill into good here is an heavenly Alchimy as we may so speake whatsoever affliction you touch with blessing God you turne that affliction to a blessing if you have an Iron-yoake of affliction upon you doe but touch it with blessing God it turneth it into gold When you have a heavy crosse upon you ready to weigh you downe doe but touch the crosse with this word from the heart and it makes it as a crowne of glory upon your heads Thus I say you may turne every evill into good every affliction into a comfort and a blessing if you can but touch it with blessing the Name of God We will come to the Conclusion In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly This testimony the Lord giveth concerning Job both in reference to what he did and to what he spake In all this In renting his mantle in shaving his head in falling to the ground in worshipping in saying Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither The Lord hath given the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not neither charged God foolishly God himself puts all the actions and all the speeches of Job into the ballance and finds not any lightnes in them he bringeth all that he had done and all that he had said to the Touch-stone and findes them pure mettall The Holy Ghost the great and infallible moderatour of this cause and question betweene Job and Satan determines That in all this Job sinned not neither did he charge God foolishly But it will be objected Is there any man that sinneth not Or is there any man that sinneth not in every thing How then are we to understand what the Holy Ghost pronounceth In all this Job sinned not Is any man so holy or can his heart be kept in so holy a frame as to doe and speake so much without any touch of sinne without any spot of defilement Jobs question Cap. 9. affirmes that no man can doe any one act purely pure Who can bring a cleane thing out of that which is uncleane Now Job himselfe in his nature was uncleane he had uncleannesse in him how then was a cleane thing brought out from Job Whence had he such a priviledge above his brethren as not to sin in doing and suffering so many things There are some Popish Commentators who would build the Tower of perfection upon this and other the like Scriptures scil That a man may in this life be freed from all sinne For the refuting this sence and clearing of the text I will give you the resolution in a distinction or two First if we consider sinfull actions they are of two sorts There are actions sinfull in the matter when the very thing done is a sin as to steale to lye to be drunke to commit adultery and the like the very thing done is a sinne materially There are other actions that are sinfull in the formality or manner of doing so a good worke in the matter may be sinfull in the manner of doing We doe not assert that all the workes of regenerate persons are sinnes as if they were sinfull actions or that all that they doe is sinfull in the matter for that were a reproach to the Spirit of Christ that were to reproach the grace of Christ by which they being regenerated act and doe these things But we positively affirme that to the workes of regenerate persons to their best workes some defilement cleaves so that though the action be not sinfull yet there is some sinne in the action There is a great deale of difference betweene a sinfull action and sinne in an action We have that difference expressely Exod. 28.38 Where the High-Priest is said to beare the iniquity of the holy things holy things yet iniquity in them holy things in the matter of them yet iniquity in the manner of performing them Now when it is said here In all this Job sinned not we are to understand it first thus Here were no acts sinfull in the matter of them such as Satan did promise unto himselfe and did undertake with God that Job would speake and breake out into Satan was confident that Iob would blaspheme and curse God to his face this was an act of an high nature sinfull in the very matter of it an act abominable In all this Job sinned not such a sinne he was not transported by passion or impatiency to reproach and curse the living God Secondly in Scripture language we are said not to sinne when we doe not commit such and such sinnes as is cleare in that instance about David of whom this transcendent testimony is given 1 King 15.5 That he turned not aside from any thing the Lord commanded him all the dayes of his life save onely in the matter of Uriah the Hittite a high expression of his holinesse What then Shall we thinke that David never sinned at all but in that matter No the meaning of it is that David never fell grossely or foully but that time In comparison of that act all the rest of the life of David went for so holy as if he had lived without any sinne at all In this sense the Apostle Iohn giveth the command not to sinne 1 Joh. 2.1 I write unto you little children that you sinne not it is a possible precept in an evangelicall sense that is that you sinne not as wicked men doe who can doe nothing else but sinne In this sense Job sinned not he carried himselfe like a holy person like an obedient child of God like one born of God as the Apostle speaks whose character and priviledge it is that he cannot sin Such have the blessing of impotency in the unregenerate part so that they cannot sin strongly though as yet they have not that blessed ability in their regenerate part not to sinne at all The Septuagint addes to this clause He sinned not before the Lord or against the Lord. The Vulgar addes those words with his lips Neither of them mend the sence of the Hebrew Text and the latter makes it worse For it is a higher and clearer testimony to say In all this Job sinned not then to say In all this Job sinned not with his lipps for he might sin in thought c. though it be most true which the Apostle James speakes Chap. 3.7 If any man offend not in word the same is a perfect man Or charged God foolishly The translations are somewhat different the Septuagint thus He did not cast any folly upon God others He did not offer any thing unsavourly of God Another He did not accuse or complaine of God The word in the Originall is He did not give we translate he did not charge
The word which wee translate adverbially foolishly is a Noune in the Originall yet it is fully enough to the sense Hee charged not God foolishly or hee charged not God with folly so it is rather in the Originall That word which is here translated folly signifieth in the generall any thing that is indebite dispositum any thing that is unduely disposed any thing in disorder And wee finde it in Scripture referred divers wayes First It is put for unsavoury meat without salt or sawce as Job 6.6 Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt The word unsavoury there is the same with this here rendered folly or foolishly Secondly It is used for morter that hath not a due temper or mixture in it as Ezek. 13.14 I will breake downe the wall that yee have dawbed with untempered morter morter that is not well tempered is unfit for use Thirdly It is put for any rude undigested or indiscreet speech as La. 2.14 Thy Prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee They have seen foolish and unsavoury things for thee Hence the word is used to expres madnes because madnes is the height of folly being without any seasoning without any temper a thing that hath no taste of wisdom or goodnes in it Jer. 23.13 I have seen folly in the Prophets of Samaria that is they are unsavoury their speeches are untempered morter they are foolish and vaine So then he did not charge God with folly or charge God foolishly hath this sense Job did not speake any thing rashly or unbecomming the Majesty of God or charge him in the least to have dealt unwisely or unjustly with him As if the Lord had said Satan thou diddest expect that Job should now at this time have charged me home and have laid load upon me with complainings for dealing thus with him thou expectest that he should have broken out into the dialect of hell it selfe such words as these Why what have I done against God that he should deale thus with me Is this the wages that I shall receive for the worke and service I have done him Will he discourage and dishearten others from comming on to his service by my sad example Is it justice in God that I who have lived so innocently should be thus extreamely afflicted Could the Lord finde out no swearers no drunkards no adulterers in the world to let Satan loose upon but he must needs turne him loose upon me Had he no other Butt in the world to shoot the arrowes of his indignation at but at an innocent breast Is this a just God who uses his servants thus Or if he be omniscient and omnipotent why then did he not protect me from Satans rage Why did he not defend me from the violence of those evill men Such kind of speeches or to this effect Satan expected Job would have uttered rashly against the Lord but he is deceived Job hath no such thought much lesse did hee speake such words either against the justice or wisedome or power of God hee charges no folly upon God the only wise God but gives him glory saying Blessed be his Name whatsoever hee doth with me or mine Learne from hence first what blasphemy is or what it is to curse God To curse God is to charge God with folly or with doing things foolishly and rashly For these expressions expound one another Satan said Job would curse God the Holy Ghost saith Job hath not charged God foolishly therefore that is a definition of Gods owne making plainly declaring what it is to curse God Yet every speech or act unbecomming the Majesty wisdome and power of God doth not presently denominate a man a blasphemer There may be blasphemy in what is spoken and yet the person speaking not a blasphemer Job himselfe spake many things afterward unadvisedly in the heat of dispute but he blasphemed not Blasphemy or cursing of God properly taken is ever joyned with an intent to cast reproach upon God As every one is not a lyar that telleth what is not true but he that telleth an untruth knowing it to be an untruth with an intent to deceive and wrong others So he that thinkes or speakes a thing unbecomming God with an intent to reproach or slander God and his wayes this is blaspheming indeed Secondly observe Impatience under and murmuring at the crosse which God laies upon us is a charging of God with folly Murmuring against God questions the wisdome of God Complaints have a charge in them We taxe what is done while we submit not to what is done When we lie under Gods hand quietly and silently then we speak the praise of God then our carriage ascribes all wisdome honour and glory unto him Thirdly In that it is here said by way of excellency concerning Job that in all this Job sinned not referring it to his behaviour under these afflictions as if the Holy Ghost had said it is matter of admiration that in this in all this Job should not sinne Note from hence That it is an high act one of the highest acts of grace to be composed in thought and word under great afflictions In all this Job sinned not as if he had said it had not been much for Iob not to sin in other things but in this affliction in this distresse being so put to it being thus tryed in all this not to sinne is Grace almost to a miracle Lastly Note this What is well done by us shall be sure to receive a faire testimony from God When Iob had carried himselfe discreetly and spoken discreetly the Lord hides not this in darknesse hee shuts it not up in silence but proclaimes the innocency and uprightnesse of his carriage in this present passage of his life as he had done before concerning the whole course of his life and conversation that he was perfect and upright The Apostle publisheth Glory and honour and peace to every man that worketh good Rom. 2.10 They that carry themselves well either in suffering or in working for God shall have glory and honour and peace from God No man needs blow a trumpet in his owne praise when he hath done well as the Pharisees did Math. 6. What we doe well the Lord himselfe will report to all the world In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly And so wee have done with this third part of the Chapter and with this whole Chapter which containes as you have heard those three generals the description of Iobs prosperous estate The description of his tryals and afflictions and the description of his carriage under those afflictions Now when he is come off from this assault without wound without any touch of sinne Satan perceiving himselfe defeated and frustrated in this attempt will not yet give it over he is restlesse he will attempt him once more We shall finde him in the next Chapter at the Assembly againe renewing his motion for a second assault that hee may have leave
the Lord did leave him thus in the hands of Satan to be afflicted To winde it up If we looke upon Satan then it was without that cause he pretended it was without any direct charge it was a meer suspition Iob had never wronged him But if we respect God it is not without cause God doth all things for weighty reasons And if we respect Iob God possibly yea easily might have found a sin in him any sin in it self considered would do it as the cause of his affliction And he had other actuall reasons in reference both to the being and improvement of his graces why he left him thus in the hands of Satan Hence we may learne First in that God saith Thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause That pure or rather impure malice stirreth Satan against the people of God Though he alwayes pretends somewhat in them yet the cause is in himselfe God now discovers he doth nothing but out of very malice pure malice against his servants Satan hath two names in Scripture noting his two speciall workes Temptation and accusation He sollicits good men to doe evill against God Hence he hath his name the Tempter He sollicites God to conceive evill of good men and hence he hath his name the Slanderer or Accuser Secondly we may note That God doth afflict his people sometimes without respect unto their sinnes Thou diddest move me against him without cause It was not in regard of his hypocrisie or of any thing thou diddest charge him with why I did afflict him and lay my hand upon him Though all men have alwayes sinne enough to be the meritorious cause yet oftentimes sinne is not the moving cause of their afflictions When the Disciples put that question to Christ concerning the blind man Joh. 9.2 Master who did sinne this man or his parents that he was borne blind Iesus answered neither hath this man sinned nor his parents not as if either of them were without sinne but to shew that they had not sinned as to this purpose sc their sinne was not the cause of this blindnesse and therefore in the next words he assignes the cause But sc he was borne blind that the workes of God should be made manifest Afflictions are alwayes from sinne but not alwayes for sinne Neither are they at all for sinne upon beleevers by way of the least satisfaction to the justice of God that chastisement Christ hath so fully borne Isa 53. that no beleevers finger shall ever ake in that sense But they are often afflicted for sinne by way of purgation or prevention Thirdly we may note this likewise That God will at the last give testimony for the clearing of the innocency of his servants against all Satans malicious accusations God himselfe gives testimony here a second time concerning Iob Thou didst move me against him without cause thou diddest move me to it but it is cleare and I give my sentence there was no such cause as thou didst suggest against him why I should destroy him When the Lord had thus called Satan to account concerning Iob whether he had considered him both in his radicall graces and in this additionall grace the holding fast of his integrity Then Satan comes forth to answer this also Hast thou saith God considered my servant Job that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill And still he holdeth fast his integrity although thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause Yes saith Satan in the 4th verse And Satan answered the Lord and said Skin for skin yea all that a man hath will he give for his life But put forth thine hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face Here is Satans answer with his motion upon it By his answer he labours to blot and obscure the glory which Job had gained in the former battell and by his motion he labours to bring him about unto a second tryall As by his answer in the former Chapter a little to compare him with himselfe Satan slandered Jobs actions so by his answer here he slanders Jobs sufferings There it was for something that Job served God and here that which Job had suffered is nothing It is Satans trade and he hath many children of the same occupation to slander and to slight whatsoever the servants of God either doe or suffer Before he slandered Jobs active obedience now hee slanders his passive obedience What is this saith hee tush Skin for skin yea all that a man hath will he give for his life It is a slight tryall that he hath past yet what great matter is it if he hold fast his integrity who would not who could not hold-fast for any thing that hath been done to him yet Let us try him againe For the clearing of this we will examine the words Skin for skin yea all that a man hath will he give for his life We see here that malice is steeped in wit Satan answereth by a Proverbe Skin for skin c. A proverbiall quick sharp speech the generall sense of which and Satans intendments are very cleare The generall sense of this proverbiall speech is this That life is the most precious treasure that a man will part with any thing upon these tearmes The saving of his life That all a man suffers comes not very neare him while that is out of danger Such is the generall sense and Satans intendment in speaking this is as cleare namely that as Iob before had served God for his wealth so now he doth serve him for his breath that as before Iob kept close to God that hee might enrich him so now Iob keepes close to God lest he should destroy him He seemeth to hold fast his integrity so you tell me but it is onely that he may hold fast his life He served you before for wealth and now he serves you for breath His feare of loosing that makes him humble himselfe and give many thankes Search him to the bottome and you will find him still a mercenary servant holding his integrity that hee may hold in with thee and live This is the generall drift of Satan But to give the speciall meaning of his words doth somewhat trouble Interpreters Skin for skin and all that a man hath will hee give for his life First Skin for skin Some interpret it thus A man will venture the skin of one member to save the skin of another which being cut-off or wounded his life is more in danger As for instance if a blow come at a mans head he will hold up his hand or his naked arme he will venture the skin of his hand to save his head And the reason is because his life is more in danger if he be wounded in his head then in his hand Here is skin for skin he gives the skin of a member which is further off
from the seat of life to save the skin of that member which is so neare the seat of life Secondly by skin in the former place some understand all the outward estate that Iob had It was usuall in those times to expresse all riches by the word Skin and the reason of it was this because as was observed before their substance was cattell and so from the skin of their cattell they did denominate their estates Or as others because their mony was made of skins and so they did expresse their wealth and riches under the word skin Answerable to which custome the Latin word for houshold-stuffe or household goods is derived from that word which properly signifies a skin because either they were wont to wrap up their goods in skins or because they did put a great value upon skins and so their whole outward personall estate was comprehended under that notion Hence that common Proverbe amongst the Ancients Thou spendest out of another mans skinne To be liberall out of another mans estate was called a being lavish upon another mans skinne And then skin in the second place doth signifie the man himselfe or the person of a man the thing containing or that which covereth being put for the whole by a Synecdoche the skin for the whole man And it is usuall in good Authours to put the skin for the whole man as to looke to the skin is to looke to the whole body Take it thus that skin in the first place is all outward things and skin in the second is taken for the skin that covereth the body and so the sense runs thus Skin for skin c. that is a man will give all his outward estate to save the flesh upon his backe that is to save his life As if Satan had said this act of Iob which is so cryed up and made a matter so considerable being examined will be found as ordinary as the High-way It being common to a Proverbe for a man to part with all that hee may preserve himself There is a third exposition much labour'd by a learned Interpreter who by skin in the first place understands not generally all his estate but more especially his apparrell his cloathing which at the first were made of skins and were used long after for cloathings by Princes and great men in divers Countries from which the sense of the Proverbe is thus given skin for skin c. A man will part with his cloathes cast them off willingly easily that he may save the skin of his body save his life And so he expounds it by that act of Iob in the former Chapter vers 20 where it is said that Job rent his mantle and cast it off as if Satan had alluded unto that and said no marvell if Iob humbled himselfe to the dust and renting his garment cast that away when he heard all was taken from him Iob parted with the skin his garment that he might move thee to compassion and so save his other skin the garment which cloathes his flesh which he feared thou wouldest rent by wounding and so let out his trembling soule his beloved life A fourth gives this interpretation of the words Skin for skin c. The Originall Preposition which we translate for is often in Scripture likewise translated upon as in 2 Kingâ— 5 The widdow went from Elisha and shut the doore upon her and upon her sonne So in other places then the sence is made out thus Skin upon skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life that is if a man had never so many skins if it could be supposed he had an hundred skins one upon another he would let all be taken oft to save his life That place is expounded as a paralell Iob. 1.16 where it is said That of Christs fullnesse we receive grace for grace that is grace upon grace or abundance of grace all the grace we have this grace and that grace faith and love and patience and humility every grace all grace you receive from Christ Thus some illustrate these two places one by another So Satan saith of Iob here Skin for skin that is skin upon skin a man will give all his skins suppose he had many he would part with all or take skin for never so much of his outward estate he will let all goe to save his life There is yet another interpretation given of this Skin for skin ye all that a man hath wil he give for his life take the words comparatively we translate it yea all he hath That copulative particle in the Hebrew is rendered sometime and sometime yea sometime so according to which last exception the sense standeth thus as a man will give skin for skin so a man will part with all he hath for his life We finde some Scriptures wherein this particle is taken in the very same sense To give you instance Prov. 25.3 there the Hebrew reades it thus The heavens for height the earth for depth and the heart of Kings is unsearchable Now this is cleare that the sense is comparative and it is thus to be given as the Heaven is unsearchable for height and the earth for depth so the heart of the King is unsearchable So verse 25. of the same Chapter it is thus read out of the Originall word for word Cold water to a thirsty soule and good newes from a farre country now we translate it according to the sense and make it a comparison thus As cold water to a thirsty soule so is good newes from a farre country Thus also we may interpret this place and it carries a good sense Skin for skin and all c. As a man would give skin for skin one outward thing for another for they take skin in both places for outward things for the goods of this life as a man would give or barter away one commodity for another So a man will give all outward things for his life life is more valuable to all outward things than any one particular thing is to another It is ordinary to a Proverbe among men in danger to say spare my life and take my goods How willingly doth the Mariner in a storme unlade his Ship and cast all his rich wares over-board that he may preserve that precious jewell his life As a godly man will give life upon life a thousand lives if he had them rather then loose his soule So a natural man will give skin upon skin gold upon gold treasure upon treasure that he may save his life Let life lie at the stake and a man will give all things he hath in the world for it and thinke he hath a good bargaine Here are 5. expositions you see offered The two latter to me seeme the most cleare howsoever every one of them hath a faire sense in it and so we are agreed upon the generall which is onely to set forth the excellency and preciousnesse
make use of our friends to doe us hurt by He tempteth not only by himself but by creatures And not only by creatures that are at a distance from us but by those who are neerest in relation and by those most He can make a servant a child a wife instrumentall for our ruine In this sense we may apply that caveat of the Prophet Jer. 9.4 Take ye heed every one of his neighbour and trust ye not in any brother That also of Micah Trust ye not in a friend put ye not confidence in a guide keep the doores of thy mouth from her that lyeth in thy bosome Yea take heed of thy owne bosome Satan drawes a party from our selves against our selves Thirdly observe Satan is very subtile to make choise of such instruments as may do his work most effectually Of all those that were about Job he could not have picked out any to have carried on his plot so powerfully and with such probability of successe First in regard of her neernesse she had opportunitie to come unto him and freedome to improve that importunity Saul knew what hee did when he married his daughter to David I will give him her said Saul that she may be a snare to him 1 Sam. 18.21 Politick marriages are usually made for temptation not for comfort snares are tyed fastest with a false lovers knot Secondly the motion or perswasions of a wife whether to good or evil are very taking upon a husbands heart We see it in the first wife that ever was she by perswasions overcame Adam unto sin she was the devils agent for the undoing of her husband and the world Ahab was very wicked but he had a tempter in his bosome But there was none like unto Ahab who did sell himselfe to work wickednesse whom Jezebel his wife stirred up Unparalell'd wickednesse is ascribed to the provocations of a wife When a Prince hath given up his affections and his conscience into the hands of a malicious wanton woman he will quickly sell himselfe to such wickednesse as will be his owne trouble and entitle him like king Ahab the troublers of a kingdome Thirdly Satan knew that a wound is deeper by how much the hand is neerer that strikes it Afflictions presse us most when they are from our friends What thou my son said Caesar in the Senate What thou my wife Is thy hand upon me in my own house might Job say The Prophet brings in one questioning What are these wounds And Christ answering Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends Zech. 13.6 The height of enmity is thus exprest A mans enemies shall be the men of his own house Micah 7.6 This caused David to complaine so bitterly Psal 55.12 It was not an enemie that had done this but it was thou my friend and my equall and my companion The friend wounded more then the sword So might Job complaine It was not an enemy it was not a Sabean or a cruell Caldean that spake this but it was thou my equall my friend my companion and which is more then all these My wife my second selfe I grant that in one sense the wounds of a friend are precious Precious are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitfull Precious are the wounds of a friend when a friend doth wound with holy reproofe but when a friend wounds by sinfull counsell or solicitations unto sinne those are pernicious wounds If that which is light in us be turned into darknesse as Christ speakes how great is that darknesse So if that which should be our comfort be turned into our sorrow how great is our sorrow Therefore we see why Satan spared the wife that she might be an instrument and a most effectuall instrument either to prevaile upon him or to vex him in case she did not prevaile Doubtlesse Job did not feele so much smart when Satan smote both flesh and bone as now when his flesh and bone smote him Thus we see the cruelty of Satans mercy He spared Jobs tongue and he spared Jobs wife he spared his tongue that Job might have a member free for an instrument of sin in cursing God and he spared Jobs wife that himselfe might have an instrument to bid him sin Curse God and die This was her counsell And his wife said unto him Doest thou still retain thine integritie Curse God and die Her words consist of two parts 1. A sharpe and a scornfull exprobration 2. A wicked and sinfull direction Her scornfull exprobration in these words Doest thou still retain thine integritie Her sinfull direction in those words Curse God and die Doest thou still retain thine integritie Words quick and short It is probable we have here only the compendium or briefe of that discourse which passed between Job and his wife We have only the poison and the Antidote as a learned Expositor hints it upon this place The Septuagint have taken the boldnesse if they be not falsified to set down his wives speech at large and joyn it in with the body of the Text thus A long time being spent his wife said unto him How long wilt thou hold out saying Behold I wait yet a little while expecting the hope of my Salvation For consider thy remembrance is blotted out from the earth even thy sons and thy daughters the pains and travell of my womb whom I have brought forth in vaine Thou thy self sittest here in the rottennesse of worms abiding all night in the open ayre I poore hand-maid wander from place to place from house to house looking when the sun will set that I may take a little repose from the paines and sorrowes which now oppresse me but utter thou some word against the Lord and die The Greek Authors comment upon these words as upon the text it selfe But I shall wave them wholly Neither shall I stay here in the Explication of the words according to our reading out of the Hebrew because we have handled them at the third verse of this Chapter In the testimony which God giveth concerning Job where he speakes thus to Satan Hast thou considered my servant Job how that he is a perfect man c. and that he still holdeth fast his integritie God spake it to the praise of Job still he holdeth fast his integritie his wife speaks it to his reproach and upbraideth him with it Doest thou still retain thine integritie The words spoken by both are the same but the sense and intent of the speakers is quite different God speakes them in honour to Job his wife speakes them in contempt of Job and therefore she formes them into a question a cutting kinde of speech Doest thou still retaine thine integritie As if she should say What art thou so senselesse and so stupid so mad and sottish to go on in this course still what hast thou got by it where are thy earnings what is the advantage of holinesse or what
is the profit of integritie that thou holdest and huggest it so fast Doest thou still retaine thine integritie This I conceive is the summe of the question it is an upbraiding a reproaching question and from that we may observe First That those things which commend us most to God usually render us most contemptible before the world Doest thou still retain thine integritie She slighteth him and scorneth him for this whereas God highly commends him speakes it to his praise That which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of the Lord. And that which the Lord esteemes highly man abominates Secondly this It is the endeavour of Satan and his instruments to perswade that the profession of holinesse is vain and unprofitable Satan hath taught wicked ones and they like forward Schollars say it without book say it openly It is a vain thing to serve the Lord Satan would faine infuse this cursed principle into the hearts of Gods own people and make them beleeve their faith is also vain Doest thou still retain thine integritie Come take a little counsell at the last work like a wise man wilt thou hold a thing thou canst get nothing by Take it on my word thou canst not thrive this way thou canst make nothing of it what dost thou meane to go on madding in such a course as this Thou shalt never get bread by it to put in thy head no nor water to wash thy hands All thou gettest by it will be a knock a rod upon thy back a dishonour upon thy name And wilt thou still be so strait-lac'd and hold fast thy integritie Thirdly observe further from Satans intendment in putting such words as these into the mouth of Iobs wife That his great designe is to take advantage from outward troubles and ill successes to discourage the hearts and weaken the hands of Gods people in holy duties That was his project quite to discourage Iob and from the ill successe he had in the service of God to get him put off his Livery and give over his service It is the course that the world instructed by Satan as here Iobs wife was still holdeth with the people of God Their language is Why are you so precise why so not c Doe you not observe you get nothing by your prayers nothing by your fasting nothing by your holinesse All that you have got you may put in your eyes and see never the worse Shew us some of your gaines what have you got where are your deliverances where are your victories where is your Salvation you have prayed till you are almost undone you have fasted till all is almost lost things are worse then they were will you still goe on in these duties of fasting and praying of humbling and seeking of waiting and beleeving This is the language of Satan this the divinity of Hell And I shall answer it in one word It is far better to die praying then to conquer blaspheming Such doctrine may stop up a hypocrites mouth and weaken his heart from duty But it will more open the mouths enlarge the hearts of those who are sincere Will the hypocrite alwayes call upon God will he delight himselfe in the Almighty saith Job No he delights in God no longer then God gives him worldly delights nor calls upon God any longer then sensible blessings are sent in unto him If God stayes his hand he stopps in duty he quickly takes out Satans lesson and will no longer hold his integrity But Grace shewes us wages in the worke A godly man hath his fruit in holinesse and therefore though he receives no outward fruit he still holds fast his integrity But what would Jobs wife advise him to doe in case he should let goe the holinesse of his life That followes in the next words having endeavoured to take him off from one course she directs him to another Curse God and dye Here is the second part of her counsell cursed counsell indeed Curse God and dye It is the same Originall word which we have opened before and met with two or three times already In the proper signification it noteth blessing and so the word is by many expositors rendred in this place Blesse God and dye Mr. Broughton translates it so in one entire sentence Doest thou still retaine thine integrity blessing God and dying We must therefore examine both sides that we may find out more fully the sense of these words Some take the words in a good sense and some take them in an ill sense Some take the words in a good sense Blesse God and dye And others who translate Blesse God and dye doe yet expound it to an ill sense First Some make a good construction out of these words of Jobs wife affirming that she gave her husband wholesome advice and so they render the words Blesse God and dye to this sense What doest thou still stand upon termes with God wilt thou not humble thy selfe shouldest thou not rather Blesse God that is pray unto God humble thy selfe and seeke his face so to blesse signifies to pray to make supplication Thou seest in what a dolefull condition thou art therefore blesse God make thy humble prayer before God and die that is desire him to take thee out of this miserable world to release thee of thy paine begge that he would cut the thred of thy life which to appearance is the only remedy of all thy troubles death will be thy best friend Thou mayest die with more ease then live as thou doest Thy life is a continuall death it were better for thee to die once then to die daily Mr. Beza is very strong in this opinion excusing yea acquitting Jobs wife in making this motion to her husband He grants indeed that she being deceived and over-wrought by Satan did work strongly for him yet denies that either the counsell in it selfe or in her intendment was evill He layes the whole matter thus That she observing her husbands silence under the hand of God in these great afflictions suspected that he stood too much upon his own integrity that he was too well opinionated and conceited of his own worth or that this proceeded from fearednesse of conscience and insensiblenesse of Gods dealing and his own condition and therefore she adviseth him to consider that surely God was very angry with him to consider that God had brought all this evill upon him to humble him and should he now defend his owne innocencie should he either be silent and not acknowledge his sin or stand upon termes with God in defence and justification of himselfe Doest thou persevere in those high thoughts of thy selfe will not all this bring thy stomack down what will not thy uncircumcised heart be humbled Doest thou still retaine thine integrity doest thou still leane upon that broken reed thy owne integrity Blesse God that is confesse thy sins and acknowledge thy transgressions Indeed confessing of sin is a blessing of God
it is a giving of glory to God and our giving glory to God is our blessing of God Josh 7.19 Give glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confession unto him Thus blesse God that is confesse thy sin and so prepare thy selfe to die in a holy manner seeing thou art past hope of life addresse thy selfe piously for death Thus he and all upon these grounds First because he could not be perswaded that a wife the Governesse of such a holy family as Jobs was a wife the companion of such a holy man as Job was should be so full of the Devill so wicked to speake the Devils words with the Devils heart And secondly because Satan himself could not be so sencelesse as to beleeve or hope that such desperate counsell could ever take upon Jobs heart And therefore he conceives that she advised him only as any one would a dying friend or a malefactor condemned and ready to be carried to execution yet persisting in his sin or unlamenting the wickednesse which procur'd that sentence Her errour saith he was only this that she judged him wicked because he was thus smitten and that he trusted upon his integrity because he held it fast whereas indeed Job looked for no good but out of the hand of Free-grace and accounted his very Integrity but dung to the righteousnesse and redemption of the promised Messiah But with humble respect to so reverend an Authour there are two reasons strong against this Exposition in my apprehension which I shall propose and submit to the readers judgement The first is this It had been quite against Satans designe that Jobs wife should give her husband good counsell For it had been so farre from being an addition to Jobs affliction that it had been a great abatement of it to heare his wife speake so holily and administring such wholesome counsell in the substance of it though mistaken in the application of it to him And surely a heart so composed as Jobs was under all these pressures would have shaped out such an answer as this My deare wife I thanke thee for thy care and counsell thou hast a holy jealousie over me that I am not in such a posture of spirit as becomes a dying man Though there be an errour in thy advise as applied to me yet I take it as an errour of love and thy reproofe though misplaced is very acceptable and pretious unto me But which makes my second reason He reproves her for it and tells her plainely Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh Whereas if that had been the meaning of her words she spake as one of the wise women like a wise woman indeed It is an act of wisedome and of love both to suspect ill of another when that suspition leads us only to advise him for his good It is an excellent thing when jealousies are improved into faithfull counsels Surely then Job had never numbred her with the foolish women if that speech of hers had imported only an humble preparation for his approaching death In the second place Some who translate the words Blesse God and die doe yet expound them as very sinfull counsell though the words sound faire yet the sense is made very foule These understand them as an Ironie as if his wife scoffing and jeering her husband had said Doest thou still retaine thine integrity blesse God and die thou shalt have enough of thine integrity take thy fill of blessing of God thou art all for blessing God and holding fast thy integrity goe on if thou wilt and blesse God still and see what thou shalt get by it thou shalt have no other reward but a wound thou shalt receive no wages of this Master but death blesse God and die repeate that speech now which you used under the first affliction Repeate againe that beloved maxime with which you seeme to be so much delighted The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord you shall see it will not fright death away or be any security from the graveâ— you thought when you spoke those words first that they would have prevented a second trouble and that God who saw you take the former stroake so kindly at his hands would not strike you againe But you see good words are no defence against blowes And if thou shouldest be so foolish to flye for refuge to the same submissive language experience would quickly teach thee that as before it could not protect thee from this soare disease so now it would be no protection from the arrest of death Blesse God and die Some strengthen this sense from the forme of speaking here used which is imperative Blesse God and die She bids him doe it I doe it and spare not Such expressions import a mixture of scorne as Lam. 4.21 Rejoyce and be glad O daughter of Edom Here is a grant if not a command a seeming direction if not an injunction to rejoyce and be glad what is given as the occcasion of this joy The Cup also shall passe thorough unto thee What cup A cup of blood a cup of trembling And is this to be rejoyced in Surely in such joy the heart must be heavy and the acting of such mirth is sorrow yet he bids her rejoyce as if he had said be as merry as you can yet the cup shall passe thorough unto thee thou shalt not escape So Eccles 11.9 Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thine heart cheere thee and walke in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes doe so but know that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement Thus here Blesse God and die Goe on I pray take thy fill of blessing God blesse him as much and as long as thou wilt yet I see the image of death in thy face die thou shalt Mr. Broughton seemes to encline to such a meaning in his translation doest thou still hold thine integrity blessing God and dying As if she had said wilt thou be such a foole to goe on blessing God and dying blessing God while he is killing thee which was indeed Jobs wisedome and his resolution a little after Though he kill me yet will I trust in him So farre of those who translate the text blesse God and die with that two-fold exposition upon it I shall now consider what sense we are to make out of these words as we translate them and as they are indeed most generally translated Curse God and die This reading of the text seemes most answerable to Satans designe which being to provoke Job to curse God it was most proper to sute his wives spirit with such thoughts and to put his own words into her mouth Curse God and die This thred is of the same spinning with the former and carries Satans plot home upon his own principles She speakes this adversaries mind as fully as he could himselfe when she bids her
husband Curse God and die But could Job die when he listed that she biddeth him curse God and die What meanes this language Some interpret her meaning to be this die by thy owne hand destroy thy selfe as sons of Belial use to say goe hang thy selfe murther thy selfe make an end of thy selfe As God by these plagues is thy Judge so be thou to end the matter thy owne executioner Or as others Curse God that so he may be provoked to take thee out of the world quickly Or curse God and die ease thy heart somewhat and give it vent by breaking out against God in blasphemies take this revenge upon him and then let him doe his worst curse God though thou die for it Lastly curse God That so the Magistrate taking notice of it thou mayest be cut off by the Sword of Justice We know blasphemers were sentenc'd to death without mercy by the Law of Moses and it is not improbable that the light of nature might carry those Nations to as high and severe a revenge against that highest sin We know Socrates was adjudged to death by the Athenians as their naturall divinity taught them for an injurious or dishonourable speech concerning their gods I conceive her counsell curse God and dye had some of these intendements in it The best of them is bad enough and so bad that it renders this Objection against them all It is objected That surely any of these carry too high a straine of wickednesse for Jobs wife surely she could not imagine much lesse have the boldnesse to offer such advice to her husband I answer first in generall A good man may have a very bad wife A husband cannot infuse holinesse or make his wife good Marriage doth not change the heart Marriage with Christ doth but not marriage with a Christian or the holiest man that ever lived Therefore that reason is not cogent Secondly this speech and a holy person are not altogether inconsistent possibly Jobs wife was a good woman though actually she spake thus wickedly Divers of the Jewish doctours have an opinion that it was not Jobs wife that spake but the devill in her likenesse I shall leave that among their other dreames It is conjectured by others though it were not the devil that spake personating his wife yet that it was the devill speaking in or by the person of his wife as he spake in or by the serpent Gen. 3. Or as persons really possest of the devill who speake Satans words and do Satans works not their own Some I say carry it thus that she was for that time not only acted but actually possest by the devill and so spake the devils language One of the Ancients is expresse to this purpose These are the devils words not the womans words which another illustrates by that in the third of Genesis where it is said The serpent said unto the woman but it was the devill that spake unto the woman by the serpent so here it is said His wife spake unto him but the truth is it was the devill spake unto him in and by his wife And if so put the language into the worst exposition given or give a worse if truth will beare it and it will be no wrong to such an Orator I beleeve we cannot expound the words to a higher sense or straine of wickednesse then Satan could speake But we need not make Satan himselfe the speaker and yet cleare the matter too though we neither say as the Jewish doctours that it was the devill personally taking the shape of Jobs wife or as those Christian Fathers that the devill did actually possesse her yet we may say and so salve the difficulty that she was mightily over-powred and acted by the temptation of Satan to be an instrument of temptation in this grosse manner against her husband Though she were not acted as the Serpent was in whom Satan spake to Eve yet we may well say she was acted as Eve by whom Satan spake to Adam Eve spake the devils minde being prevailed upon by his temptation to perswade her husband to eat against the command of God and Jobs wife overcome by a like temptation attempts the perswasion of her husband to curse God For as it is possible for one that is good to fall into the grossest and most blasphemous temptation himself so it is possible for one that is good to be made an instrument of such temptations unto others We may see an instance neere if not fully reaching this assertion in the Apostle Peter who hearing Christ fore-telling his sufferings takes him aside and began to rebuke him saying Be it farre from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee Mat. 16.22 23. Peter acted Satans part in this against his Master though unwittingly yet so wittily so to the life that he got his name by it Christ said to Peter get thee behind me Satan It was Peters tongue but Satan tun'd it Isaac said of his sonne Jacob in Esaus dresse The hands are the hands of Esau but the voice is the voice of Jacob Christ perceived here Satans counsell in Peters words he saw the wicked spirit through the cloathing of Peters flesh and therefore rebukes the Organ under the title of the chiefe agent Get thee behind me Satan Now as Peter though a holy man and full of good intentions to his Master yet spake the Devils mind and language so fully that the Devill himselfe as to that purpose could scarce have mended it So likewise Jobs wife might be a godly woman in the maine though abused and misled by Satan she thus excited her husband in the grossest construction those words can beare to curse God and die There is somewhat in the Text which may give us a hint of this that though she spake this yet Job esteemed her a good woman For observe Jobs answer to this advice What doth he say He doth not say Thou wicked woman thou abhominable wretch why doest thou give me such counsell All that he saith is this Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh Observe it he doth not call her foolish or wicked woman but thou speakest as one of the foolish women As if he should say How now wife what words are these that I heare from thee thou dost not speake now like thy selfe I use to heare other language from thee thou and I have had other kind of conference and I have received other kind of counsell from thee then this Whence is it that thou art so unlike thy selfe where are thy words season'd with salt which have so often ministred grace unto the hearers thou art degenerated in manners and corrupted in thy speech thou speakest now as one of the foolish women Intimating that she used to speake wisely and discreetely or as Solomon describes the vertuous woman Pro. 31·26 that heretofore she opened her mouth with wisedome and now she spake only as a foolish or wicked woman He doth not
say she was one one act is enough to assimilate but it is not enough to denominate Thus much may serve to evince that though we take the words in that worst sense yet it doth not necessarily inferre that Jobs wife was a wicked an ungodly woman which is the objection against that Exposition From the words translated Curse God and die and thus expounded we may observe First That Satan is restlesse and unwearied in this designe to bring the people of God to thinke ill and speake ill of God It is that he laboured for in the carrying on of this whole businesse concerning Job and every stone is turned every way tryed to accomplish this proposed end Secondly In that he perswadeth Job by his wife when he was in this wofull condition to curse God and die Observe That Satan would perswade us to ease our selves of troublesome evills by falling into sinfull evils Job was grievously diseased you see the medicine and the cure that Satan prescribeth Goe sinne saith he curse God and die whereas one of the least evills of sin is worse then all the evills of suffering that can befall us All sorrowes are more elegible then one sin It hath been rightly taught us from Antiquitie that the lowest degree of a lye because sin is not to be made or admitted if that medium could be assured so noble an end for the saving of a world What a father and teacher of lyes then is Satan who directs many a poore soule to save it selfe from or helpe it selfe out of a small affliction by adventuring upon some great transgression Thirdly Curse God and die It is sinfull to wish our own deaths though we are under paines more painefull then death It is sinfull to desire death absolutely we may desire it with submission to the will of God To live is an act of nature but to be willing to live because God wills it is an act of grace And as it is our holinesse to doe the will of God while we live so it is our holinesse to be content to live while we suffer according to his will On the other hand to die is an act of nature but to die because God wills it is an act of grace Christ is said to be obedient unto death because he died in contemplation of Gods decree and in conformity to his good pleasure To die thus is the duty of a Christian and the crowne of all his obedience Satan would have us live as we will and die when we will he tempts us as much to die when we list as to live how we list Satan puts Job upon it peremptorily curse God and die desire or procure thy own death To wish dâ—â—th that we may enjoy Christ it is a holy wish but yet we must not wish that neither absolutely The Apostle Paul Phil. 1.23 desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ yet you see how he qualifies and debates it To wish for death that we may be freed from sinne is a holy wish but yet wee must not wish that absolutely neither we must referre our selves to the pleasure of God how long he will let us conflict with our corruptions and with our lusts with this body of death and sin which we beare about us But to wish for death because our lives are full of trouble is an unholy wish God may yea and hath as much use of our lives in our troubles as in our comforts We may doe much businesse for God in a sick-bed We may doe God as much worke when we are bound hand and foote in a prison as when we are at liberty passive obedience brings as much glory to God as active doth therefore we must not wish for death especially not with an absolute wish because we are under troublesome evils And if it be sinfull to wish for death how wicked is it to procure or hasten death to pull down our house of clay with our own hands because we are under troublesome evills Fourthly Observe further Satan would perswade that death is an end at least an ease of outward troubles Wouldest thou have an end of thy troubles and of thy sorrowes Curse God and die here is the remedy We say indeed of some remedies that they are worse then the disease but I am sure this is Death to ungodly ones it is so farre from being an end or an ease of their troubles that it is to them as Christ speakes in another case the beginning of sorrowes the entrance to eternall death and the very suburbs of Hell Yet how many doth Satan perswade when they are in Jobs case in great extremities that death will be the cure of all their troubles Fifthly Observe That Satan would make men willing to die when they are most unfit to die You see what preparation Satan directs Job unto he biddeth him curse God and die Would not Job thinke you have bin in a fit posture in a fit frame for death when he had bin cursing God Repent and die pray and die humble thy selfe and die beleeve and die take fast hold of Christ who is our life our way to life and die are the counsels and voice of the holy Ghost but Satans language is curse God and die sin and die be impenitent and die blaspheme and die And it is an experienced truth that oftentimes they seeme most willing to die who are most unfit most unready for death you shall see some men venturing yea casting away their lives without feare or wit the whole visible businesse of whose lives hath been nothing else but a working out of their own damnation without feare or trembling They as it were give diligence all their dayes to make Hell and reprobation sure and yet goe out of the world as if they were sure of Heaven This is Satans preparation curse God and dye Lastly Note this That the holiest person is lyable to the most blasphemous temptation One would have wondred that Satan should ever have ventured to suggest such a grosse thing as this to so holy a man as Job But Satan where he hath been often foyled growes impudent and will then suggest such things not because he hopes to prevaile but because he resolves to vex such as he cannot overcome He troubles as much and as many as he can So much of the counsell which Jobs wife gave him reproving him as foolish and over-credulous in holding fast that unprofitable thing his integrity and advising him to be worse then mad or out-ragious in cursing God and dying Let us now consider Jobs holy and wise reply in the tenth Verse But he said unto her Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh what shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evill These words containe Jobs reply wherein two things are considerable First A reproofe Secondly A refutation First He rejects her counsell with a sharpe and wholesome reprehension and then he refuteth her counsell by strong
and solid reason The reprehension in these words Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh The reason of his reprehension in those which follow What shall we receive good at the hand of God and not evill To begin with the reprehension Thou speakest as one of the foolish women In the Hebrew Woman is not exprest it is only a Feminine as one of the foolish ones we translate it foolish woman That word commeth from Nabal which signifieth properly a thing fallen off like a dried leafe or blasted withered fruit without life without strength without sap and moysture exhausted and kill'd thorough excesse either of cold or heat and so by a Metaphor it noteth any one without the sap or juyce of wisedome goodnesse and honesty such a person we call a saplesse person Or it signifieth one that is vile and base and low one that hath a base withered low fallen spirit a spirit fallen below all noble or holy resolutions Nabal is such a foole as hath his judgement and understanding faded and corrupted in regard of any holy principles though he may be wise in regard of naturall principles Such the Prophet describes they are wise to doe evill but to do good they have no knowledge Jer. â— 22 Hence the Latin word Nebulo which signifies a Knave is by good Etymologists derived from the Hebrew Nabal because such are dull-heads in goodnesse and witty only in wickednesse Such was he 1 Sam. 25.25 Nabal is his name and folly is with him That proper name is the same with the Appellative here that 's the Masculine this the Feminine Thou speakest like a Nabalesse We find the word often used elsewhere to signifie wicked worthlesse and vile persons Psal 14.1 The foole hath said c. Deut. 32.6 21. at the 6th verse O foolish people and unwise doe ye thus requite the Lord And ver 21. They have provoked me to anger by those that are no gods and I will provoke them to jealousie by them which are not a people and move them to anger with a foolish nation by them which are not a people by a foolish nation A foolish people deserve not the name of a people Looke upon this word in the abstract folly is wickednesse and to worke folly is in the language of the Scripture as much as to worke wickednesse to worke the greatest wickednesse Hence it is sometimes translated villany Ier. 29.22 23. The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab whom the King of Babylon rosted in the fire because they have committed villany in Israel And throughout the Booke of Proverbs the foole and an ungodly man a wise-man and a godly man are Synonomaes words signifying the same thing Thus Job reproves his wife thou speakest as one of the foolish women like one of those who have no wisedome no goodnesse not any sense or sap of goodnesse in them But who were these foolish women at whom he aimes in this comparison that is not cleare some conceive he intends the women of Idumea Thou speakest as one of these heathen women these Idumeans I have heard indeed such language from them when things have gone amisse with them I have heard them cursing their Idols cursing their gods I have heard them raile at fate fall out and wrangle with fortune Thou speakest like one of them Thou takest thy patterne in this from the custome of the Heathen who use their gods coursely when they thinke they have but course usage from their gods If their gods be angry they will be angry with and revile their gods Thou speakest after the rate of these foolish women Thou diddest never heare such doctrine in my family or among those who feare and love the true and ever-living God Job you see is now somewhat warme in his speech Job had indured much and all his sufferings hitherto had not stirr'd any passion in him but that of sorrow as we saw in the latter end of the former Chapter Not an angry posture not an angry expression all along but now that God and the wayes of God are concerned Job can hold no longer this speech of his wife cast dishonour upon both and now passion begins to stir hee cannot forbeare her though his wife Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh Observe That Passion becometh us in the cause of God Our Lord Christ teaching his Disciples the true meaning of the Law tells them Mat. 5.22 He that is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement but he that is not angry when there is cause especially when there is such a cause as this he likewise is in danger of the Judgement Secondly Job is not only angry with her but he reproves her Thou speakest as one of the foolish women It is lawfull sometimes to expresse holy anger and passion by sharpe reproofes Christ who was meeknesse and humility it selfe yet when he hath to deale with Pharisees he can call them a generation of vipers painted Sepulchers blind guides an adulterous generation children of the Devill Anger can hardly be silent and that anger is admirable which speakes and sinnes not He that knowes not how to be angry knowes not how to love And he that knowes not how to reprove with love knowes not how to be angry You may discerne love in Job mingling with and moderating his reproof Job rebukes his wife but it is with the spirit of meeknesse First He doth not speake positively or down-right Thou art a foole but comparatively Thou speakest as one of the foolish women use to speake That seemes one mitigation or allay of this reproofe yet I confesse such speaking by way of similitude hath often in it the force and intent of a direct assertion Another thing observeable for the meeknesse of Job is this He doth not fall out with the whole Sex and say ye women are foolish and ignorant and impatient But thou speakest as one of the foolish women He doth not charge the whole Sex he knew there were wise women as well as foolish such Solomon describes Pro. 31.26 She openeth her mouth with wisedome and we know Abigail the wife was wise and her husband was Naball a foole Iob doth not lay it upon women in generall he falleth not out with all because he knew there were some foolish ones and because he saw his wife in that act imitating those foolish ones There is a third thing mitigating the sharpnesse of the reproof Iob doth not fall out with or disgust the ordinance of God because his wife spake thus he saith not who would marry to be yoak't with such a one as you It is enough to make one forsweare marriage to have or heare of such a wife better be in any condition then in a married condition How often doe husbands discover this folly if their wives displease them presently the ordinance of God displeaseth them who would be married It is very sad when mans
upon the rock unshaken unmoved He that is held up by everlasting armes shall stand fast for ever In all this Job sinned not The words referre to what was past For Job afterward did faile and sinned with his lips through vehemency of paine and heate of disputation he spake some things rashly though nothing blasphemously So he confesses Chap. 42.13 I have uttered things that I understood not But in all this so farre as Job had gone he had not sinned with his lips As Samuel after many victories and deliverances sets up a stone or a pillar with this inscription Eben-Ezer The stone of helpe saying Hitherto hath the Lord helped us 1 Sam. 7.12 So here the holy Ghost doth as it were erect a pillar raise a monument of Jobs compleate and glorious victories over Satan Thus engraven Hitherto In all this Job hath not sinned Yet you may remember that such speeches concerning the Saints are to be understood in a qualified sense not in an absolute sense For who can bring a cleane thing out of that which is uncleane Perfection out of imperfection Not to sin is here our duty and should be our endeavour it shall be our reward in Heaven On earth we are said not to sin when we desire not to sin as hath bin more at large shewed upon those words of the last verse of the former Chapter In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly There reade the point handled more distinctly For the opening of these words note only this that when it is said In all this Job sinned not There is more to be understood then is exprest for Job did not only not sin but he overcame and triumphed gloriously over Satan he did excellently and he spake excellently in all this So then these words carry the sense not only of a bare acqittall but of a high approbation In all this Job sinned not with his lips With his lips Some of the Jewes inferre from hence that he sinned in his heart because it is said he did not sin in words they conceit there was some irregularity in his thoughts Surely if his heart had been disorder'd his tongue would have been disorder'd too for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh therefore it is rather an argument that his heart was free from sin because his tongue was In all this Job sinned not with his lips That is he did not murmure or repine or blaspheme these are the sins of the lips Observe first Not to sinne is the highest and truest the most honourable and lasting victory of all This victory God himselfe applauds the holy Ghost will cry you up for strength and valour when you come off from a temptation untouch't you shall be recorded for it among Christs worthies In all this Job sinned not And secondly To governe the tongue under great and sore afflictions is a high act of grace It is spoken as matter of wonder In all this Job sinned not with his lips Moses you know was a meeke man yet he was so put to it that he spake unadvisedly with his lips He opened his lips so unadvisedly that God shut him out of the temporall Canaan for it rash words cost him deare David was a very holy man and very carefull over his tongue Psal 39.1 I said I will take heed to my wayes that I sinne not with my tongue I will keepe my mouth with a bridle And knowing though as the Apostle James teacheth us we put bits into the Horses mouthes that they may obey us we can turne about their whole body Jam. 3.3 that no bridle of his putting could keepe his mouth he puts this worke into the hand of God praying with all earnestnesse Set a watch O Lord before my mouth keepe the doore of my lips Notwithstanding all this we find him sinning with his lips more then once Psal 73.13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vaine and washed my hands in innocency And againe Psal 116.11 I said in my hast all men are lyars Job had the preheminence in this he sinned not with his lips no not when he was afflicted and smitten with bitter words He that offendeth not in words saith the Apostle James is a perfect man he is a perfect man indeed who can rule his tongue and so keepe the doore of his lips as that he offends not either by silence or by speech The lips doe offend both wayes negatively as well as positively by speaking and by not speaking Sometimes silence is a loud sinne not speaking is to some on some occasions a crying sin Job sinned not with his lips either by being silent when he should speake or by speaking wherein and when he should be silent And so much concerning this second consequent of Jobs affliction His wives sinfull counsell with his prudent and gracious answer sharpely yet moderately rebuking strongly yet lovingly convincing her folly In and by both faithfully indeavouring at once to discover and cure her errour The third consequent of his affliction now followes namely the visit of his friends described in the three last verses of this Chapter which leads us into the body of the Booke with all the debates disputes and arguments held and maintained with much acutenesse of wit and strength of reasoning between him and these three his friends and visitants JOB 2.11 12 13. Now when Jobs three friends heard of all this evill that was come upon him they came every one from his owne place Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuite and Zophar the Naamathite for they had made an appointment together to come to mourne with him and to comfort him And when they lift up their eyes afarre off and knew him not they lifted up their voice and wept and they rent every one his mantle and sprinkled dust upon their heads towards Heaven So they sate downe with him upon the ground seven dayes and seven nights and none spake a word unto him for they saw that his griefe was very great THese three verses containe the third generall consequent of Jobs second affliction In the division of the Chapter we called it his friends visit In which visit we may here observe First The number of the visitants They were three Now when Jobs three friends Secondly We have here the names of these visitants Eliphas the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite Thirdly We have the occasion of their visit And that was the report of all the evill that was come upon Job Now when Jobs three friends heard of all this evill that was come upon him then they came Fourthly We have the ground of this visit It was a mutuall agreement or a compact made betweene them so saith the text For they had made an appointment together to come Fifthly We have the end or the intendment of their coming what they aimed at in visiting Job And the end is exprest in the Text to be two-fold 1. To communicate with him in his
sorrowes 2. To communicate unto him their comforts First To mourne with him And secondly To comfort him The former of these two ends viz. their mourning with him we have largely set downe in the two latter verses they put that end into act presently as soone as they came they fell a mourning with him And we may observe 5. distinct acts of Jobs friends solemnly condoling or mourning with him The first act is this They wept And to shew that it was no ordinary weeping the Text saith They lift up their voice and wept The second act of their mourning was their renting of their Mantles And they rent every one his Mantle The third act was the sprinckling of dust upon their heads and the sprinckling of dust toward Heaven which was another aggravating circumstance of their sorrow The fourth act was their sitting downe with him upon the ground seven dayes and seven nights The fifth act of their mourning with him was their silence And none spake a word unto him The Cause or the reason of this solemnity in their mourning the reason of these 5. Acts but especially of the last of their silence is given us in the latter words of the verse For they saw that his griefe was very great therefore it must have great sorrow and great silence to waite the fittest season for the administring of counsell and consolation Thus for the parts and resolution of the words contained in these 3. verses I shall come to the opening of the particulars And when Jobs three friends The word which we translate friends springs from a root which signifieth to feed a mans selfe or others or to eate together as Sheepe eate together and so from the same word a Pastor or a feeder of Sheepe is derived Psal 21.1 The Lord is my Shepheard and feeder And by a Metaphor it is translated for a friend because friends doe usually feed together eate and converse together So David describes a friend Psal 49.9 My familiar friend that did eate of my bread Jobs visitants are thus exprest his friends or familiars The word sometimes notes only a friend at large or any neighbour So in the Law Exod. 20 16. Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy neighbour or it is the same word against thy friend there it is taken in a large sense for a neighbour that is for any besides thy selfe to whom offices of love are due as Christ expounds it Luk. 10.30 But usually it is put strictly for a speciall friend as in Deut. 13.6 when he speakes of inticers to Idolatry If thy friend saith he who is as thine owne soule there is the same word and he shewes by a circumlocution whom he meanes by such a friend namely such a one who is as thine own soule one that lieth in thy bosome and is as neere and deare to thee as thy selfe I suppose here in this place Jobs three friends were not friends at large but intimate and speciall friends or as we use to say bosome friends And therefore when it is said Jobs three friends we are not to understand it as if Job had but three as if these were all the friends Iob had but amongst all his friends these carried away the name these were the chiefe and choice Jobs three friends As it is said concerning Davids Worthies 2 Sam. 23 David had many Worthies but there was a first three a chiefe three among them all So here Iob doubtlesse had many friends a large catalogue of friends but in these you have the toppe of his friends the chiefe hree the first three These three speciall friends came to visit Iob to mourne with him and to comfort him The occasion of this visit presents it selfe next When these three friends heard of all this evill that was come upon Job When they heard of it The troubles of Iob were noysed all the Country over yea into strange Countries Two things are swiftly carried about upon the wings of fame and poasted about by reports First The sinnes Secondly The afflictions of godly men If they fall into any sin it will be heard of all a Country it may be all a Kingdome over It shall be told in Gath and publish'd in the streets of Askelon Againe if they fall into any great affliction every one descants upon it and many will passe deepe censures It becomes matter of wonder that men eminent in godlinesse great professors such as have held forth the name and upheld the truth of Christ that they I say should fall into great afflictions is reported discours'd admir'd all a Country over There is nothing that is more talked of then the trouble that befalleth godly men When the three friends of Job heard of all this evill that was come upon him When this report about Iob came to them they came to Iob. They came saith the Text every one from his owne place The word Place is often used in Scripture to signifie a Country a City or a Region Now here it is conceived that the place from whence they came was not only the place where they dwelt but the place where they governed It is frequently asserted by the Iewish Doctors with whom the Septuagint agree and most of the Jesuits are in it to that these three friends of Iob were Kings either Reges or Reguli such as had the governement of those Countries where they lived Beza rejects this as a Fable and telleth us that this opinion hath no footing or foundation in Scripture but is grounded only upon that usuall boldnesse of the Iewish Doctors But whether they were Kings or subjects whether they came from their private dwellings or from the places of their dominion needs not trouble us This is cleare that they were great men eminent persons in their Country and the disputes which follow testifie that they were men of very great wisedome and understanding according to all the learning of those times These three friends of Job are here set forth by name by a double name By the name first of their persons Secondly by the name of their Country or of their Family For that 's a question whether the additionall name be derived from the Country where they dwelt or from the Family out of which they were extracted Eliphaz the Temanite he is the first We reade Gen. 36.11 that Esau begat Eliphaz that Eliphaz was the eldest sonne of Esau and Eliphaz begat Teman This Teman descending from Esau is supposed to be the Father or the Ancestor of this Eliphaz from whom he is called Eliphaz the Temanite and so Temanite is a note of the Family from whence Eliphaz descended It is usuall likewise in Scripture to give such additionall names from the Countries or places and so Eliphaz the Temanite may be from Teman of which we reade often in Scripture Teman signifies the South It was a Southerne Country Further Teman was a place wherein it is observed that the Schooles
upon themselves or upon their Land Further the sprinckling of dust upon the head was a memento of mortality They put dust to dust that man might remember himselfe to be but dust And they sate with him upon the ground seven dayes and seven nights Here is the third ceremoniall act of their sorrow In the 20th verse of the former Chapter it is said Job fell upon the ground these sate upon the ground As falling so sitting upon the ground is the posture of a mourner of a mourner greatly humbling himselfe under the hand of God and the sense of his own or other mens afflictions When God layes us low he can lay us lower and therefore it is best for us to lay our selves as low as we can so doth he who sits upon the ground if his heart sit downe with him too It is possible for the body to lye groveling upon the earth when the spirit is nestling among the starres not in faith as the Saints doe but in pride as Lucifer did Isa 14.13 However he either is or appeares to be humbled to the lowest and emptied to the full of worldly comforts who with Jobs friends sits downe upon the ground especially if he sit long there as Jobs friends did seven dayes and seven nights The time seemes almost incredible How could they hold out to sit so long or how could Job a sick and diseased man For it is said They sate downe with him seven dayes c. I answer We need not interpret it for seven continued dayes and nights without any intermission it is frequent in Scripture to put a part especially a greater part for the whole that which is often done is said to be alwayes done as Luk. 24.53 The Disciples were continually in the Temple praising and blessing God And Luk. 2.37 It is said That Anna the Prophetesse departed not from the Temple but served God night and day Not that she was there without any intermission but the greatest part of night and day or at the usuall time both of night and day Paul testifies before the Church of Ephesus that by the space of three yeares he ceased not to warne every one night and day with his teares Act. 20.31 Did he therefore actually preach three yeares night and day without intermission That had been a long Sermon indeed Then his meaning is but this that in those three yeares he watched and made use of all possible opportunities both by night and by day to preach the Gospell So we may understand it here they sate downe seven dayes and seven nights that is a great part of seven dayes and seven nights or all the time of those seven dayes and seven nights which were fitting for such a visit Origen will have it seven nights and seven dayes without intermission In maintenance of which assertion he saith they were preserved by miracle without sleep and without meate all that time But here is plaine truth without a miracld Secondly Whereas it is said seven dayes and seven nights we may note further that the number seven as other numbers may be understood indefinitely a certaine time being put for an uncertaine as Jer. 15.9 The Prophet saith She that hath borne seven that is many children languisheth And Eccles 2.7 Give a portion to seven that is to many Thus we may interpret it here they sate downe seven dayes and seven nights that is many dayes and many nights as it is expre'st of Nehemiah chap. 1.4 That when he heard of the calamity of Jerusalem he mourned many dayes Thirdly We may take it strictly for seven precise dayes and nights and then it referres to the ceremony of mourning for the dead it was a custome to mourne seven dayes for the dead Jobs friends looked upon him as a dead man and so they mourned for him according to the manner of mourning for the dead Joseph made a mourning for his father Jacob seven dayes Gen. 50.10 We have the like time of mourning mentioned 1 Sam. 31.13 The time of mourning varied both in times and places The Egyptians mourned for Jacob threescore and ten dayes Gen. 50.3 The Israelites mourned for Moses thirty dayes Deut. 34.8 which custome of mourning thirty dayes for the dead continued long after among the Jewes For Josephus reports that when the Jewes thought he had been killed they mourned thirty dayes for him So that we may take it here precisely for seven dayes and seven nights and referre it to the custome of mourning for the dead or in cases of extreame sorrow among that people It followeth And none spake a word unto him This is the fourth ceremony of their mourning their silence In great mournings silence makes up the solemnity So Lam. 2.10 These are joyned together The Elders of the daughters of Zion sit upon the ground there is the former ceremony and keepe silence Now whereas it is said they kept silence we need not understand it so strictly as if for seven dayes and seven nights they never spake a word It is usuall likewise in all languages and very frequent in Scripture that what is but seldome done or done but a little is said not to be done at all as in Acts 27.33 Paul saith of those that were in the Ship that for fourteene dayes they had fasted having taken nothing a thing beyond the strength of man take it strictly to fast foureteene dayes taking nothing But it is usuall to say that is not done at all which is but a little done They tooke nothing to eate that is they tooke very sparingly they did eate only so much as would according to our language keepe life and soule together In Isa 20.3 it is said that Isaiah walked naked and barefoote for three yeares Now it cannot be conceived that the Prophet walked as we say starke naked for three yeares together He is said to walke naked because he had not such or so much cloathing as formerly and usually he had worne So here they spake not a word to him that is they did not speake much they spake very little to him Or secondly thus Restrictively to the matter they spake not a word by way of dispute or argument which was the businesse they fell upon afterward either to convince him or reprove him The reason of this fourth ceremoniall act of mourning their silence is added in the last words of the Chapter For they saw that his griefe was very great The word here used for griefe though it had bin alone without any epithite to heighten the sense notes a very intensive a deepe and great sorrow And it is put sometimes for griefe and sorrow arising from the paine of the body and sometimes for griefe and sorrow of mind Now here I conceive it may carry both senses they saw that the griefe and paine of his body was very great his body was in a wofull plight and they saw that his spirit was much perplext too his mind was troubled But if this
it or I did fully heare it I saw it with mine eyes that is I am sure I saw it So the Scripture saith We are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.20 A thing cannot be bought but with a price there must be some price or other either money or money-worth somewhat answering the intrinsick value of every thing that is bought but to shew that we are bought with a full price that Christ did not compound our debt with his Father but paid the uttermost farthing it is said we are bought with a price So the Prophet Malachie tells the sacrilegious Jewes Ye are cursed with a curse c. 3.9 A man cannot be cursed but with a curse but to shew the greatnesse of the curse he saith ye are cursed with a curse So here Job opened his mouth and spake or opened his mouth and cursed that is he cursed his day greatly even with a bitter and grievous curse He cursed it as we say to purpose Thus to shew the excellency of Christs doctrine that his was A Sermon of Sermons And he the Messenger the Interpreter the One of a Thousand yea the One of All the Thousands that ever shewed to man his uprightnesse the Gospell saith Mat. 5.1 When hee saw a great multitude he opened his mouth and spake Hence In the third place To open the mouth and speake is to speake upon mature deliberation to speake considerately prudently punctually to speake elegantly to speake orderly to speake the words of truth and sobernesse A foole is said to speake with an open mouth but a wise man openeth his mouth and speakes A wise godly man hath his tongue at his command but a fooles tongue commands him His tongue runs faster then his wit as we say A fooles mouth as Solomon tells us Prov. 15.2 powreth out foolishnesse Their mouthes are alwayes open and therefore they cannot be said to open their mouthes A foole hath not a doore to his mouth therefore also he cannot be said to open his mouth much lesse hath he a lock and a key a bolt or a barre to his mouth but a wise man hath a doore to his mouth yea his mouth is lockt with wisdomes key and that unlocks it I will open my mouth saith the Psalmist Psal 78.2 in a Parable Parables are the speeches of wise men yea they are the extracts and spirits of wisedome The Hebrew word signifies to rule or have authority because such speeches come upon us with authority and subdue our reason by the weight of theirs Now when he is about to speake Parables he saith I will open my mouth When wisedome calls for audience and obedience Prov 8.6 she saith Heare for I will speake of excellent things and the opening of my lips shall be right things David invokes God to open his mouth when he would shew forth that excellent thing the praise of God Psal 51.15 God opens not the mouth of a foole neither doth a foole open his mouth and speake but his speech opens his mouth But did Job open his mouth in this sense wisely and discreetly did he well to be so angry with his day spake he wisely in cursing his day I answer Though there was much passion in this speech yet Job spake out of much deliberation he considered what to speake before he spake A man may speake with much passion and yet speake out of much deliberation and so did Job here in that long silence he was learning what to speake And as there was much heate of passion so there was much light of wisedome in what he spake Fourthly To open the mouth and speake is to speake boldly and confidently to speake with freedome and liberty of speech as the Greeke word signifies to speake all a mans mind without feate or favour of any man Prov. 31.8 9. Open thy mouth for the dumbe open thy mouth judge righteously c. that is be bold for those that are poore and dare not appeare themselves speake thou aloud for the dumbe and freely for those that cannot plead their own cause or make-out their owne innocence The Apostle begs of the Ephesians Chap. 6.19 that they would pray that utterance might be given him that he might open his mouth boldly to make knowne the mistery of the Gospell and neither feare the faces of men nor conceale the truth of God You see then by the opening of this expression there was more then bare speaking meant when Job opened his mouth and spake When a wise and a holy man opens his mouth you may looke for more then words even the treasures of wisdome and of knowledge Let us now examine what treasure we can make of those words which Job spake when he opened his mouth He opened his mouth and cursed his day But is there any treasure in a curse except that which the Apostle speakes of as the fruit of Gods abused patience Rom. 2.5 A treasure of wrath Or did Job deliberate for a curse was he moulding and fashioning so deform'd an issue as this in his thoughts so long Yes faith the Text he opened his mouth and cursed his day The word here used to Curse is not the word which we have met with so often in the two former Chapters where Satan undertooke that Job would curse his God That word in its native sense signifies to blesse But here when Iob curseth his day a word is used which hath neither name nor shadow of a blessing And it is derived from a roote which signifieth a thing that is light moveable or unsetled And so by a Metaphor it signifies any thing or person which we dispise contemne and slight or the act of despising and cursing and the reason of it is because those things which we despise contemne or curse we looke upon as light things triviall or vaine or hurtfull On the contrary the word in the Hebrew for honour and glory comes from a roote which signifieth heavy or ponderous because that which we honour and respect we looke upon it as a thing that hath weight and substance in it And the Apostle calls that most glorious estate of the Saints in Heaven a weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 The opposite word which we have in the Text is frequently translated to despise or contemne and likewise to curse and blaspheme and doth properly signifie such a cursing as arises from the contempt or light esteeme which we have of a thing or person So we have the word clearely used Levit. 20.9 Every one that curseth his father or his mother Now observe cursing of the father or mother it is directly opposed to the 5th Commandement which saith Thou shalt honour thy Father and thy mother thou shalt looke upon thy father and thy mother as upon persons of weight and honour whom thou art bound to reverence and esteeme so that to curse the father or mother is to account them vile and contemptible The same word expresses that villanous act of Shimei 2
birth-day that he made a feast unto all his servants And Mat. 14.6 we reade that when Herods birth-day was kept the daughter of Herodias danced before them It is generally conceived that Job did solemnize his birth-day and so many interpreters take those feasts spoken of in the first Chapter to have been the birth-day feasts of Jobs Children Origen in his fragments upon Matthew affirmes that the Scripture gives no testimony of any one good man celebrating his birth-day The truth is while we reflect upon our birth-sin we have little cause to rejoyce in our birth-day The new-borne infant seemes to forbid this solemnity and by his teares weepes and speakes downe this joy The birth-day of nature should be mourned over every day much more upon the day of our birth The birth-day of Grace is our joy and our glory and is worthy to be rejoyced in not only in this day of grace but in that of glory and so it shall Eternity which is the day of glory is one continued triumph for our birth-day in grace Notwithstanding this I see no cogent reason why a godly man may not celebrate and rejoyce in his naturall birth-day so he rejoyce in God who tooke him out of his mothers wombe and hath preserved him ever since he was borne So then we taking Jobs day for his birth-day he saying let that day perish meanes let it be no more solemnized let there be no more joy no feasts upon that day Or fourthly Let that day perish may be thus understood let not that be reckoned upon let it be lost let it not be counted in the Calender of the yeare A day whereof no use is made is called in Scripture a lost day a fallen or perished day In the sixt of Numbers the number of dayes is prescribed for the separation of the Nazarites thus and thus it shall be and so many dayes Now if the Nazarite had cantinued many dayes according to the Law of his separation yet if he were polluted with a dead body before the full number was accomplisht then he must begin againe for saith Moses the dayes that were before shall be lost because his separation was defiled ver 12. In the Hebrew it is all the other dayes shall fall he must not reckon upon those So here Job saith let the day perish that is let it not be numbred or reckon'd let it be as a day lost or fallen So then the summe of all is this let the joy and solemnity of my birth-day be laid aside let it never be celebrated more in the returne of the yeare I could wish that day had never beene but seeing that is impossible it having been already yet let it be as if it had never been let it be put out of all accounts let it be taken off from all records and not only not remembred with mirth and feasting but not be remembred at all And the night wherein it was said a man child is conceived So we translate The elegancy of the Hebrew speakes thus The night which said a man-child is conceived as if the night had been the messenger and had brought word of his conception Some render the Hebrew word Hara which we translate conceived Borne applying both parts of the verse to his birth Let the day perish wherein I was borne and the night in which it was said a man-child is brought forth And the Originall word will beare it being used as learned Mercer observes for production as well as conception So 1 Chron. 4.17 And she bare Miriam and Shammai c. She bare is the word in this text of Job We may take it either way the sense is cleare according to our translation that Job sends this curse beyond his birth-day even to the night wherein he was conceived Or if we referre it no further back then to his birth It is as if he had said whether I were borne by night or by day let the time of my birth be accursed if it were upon the day time let that day perish wherein I was borne Was I borne in the night let that night perish wherein it was said a man-child is brought forth This distribution notes a resolvednesse to curse it and least he should misse the time of the day he curses both the divisions of time in every day As Benhadad in his charge for the taking of of those young-men that came out of Samaria to shew how fully he was resolved to have them taken saith Whether they be come out for peace take them alive or whether they be come out for warre take them alive 1 King 20.18 as if he had said I 'le have them taken whatsoever comes on 't or for whatsoever they come they shall not escape Or as Herod who that he might be sure to slay Christ in his infancy commands all infants to be slaine So Job that the curse might not misse the time of his birth-day curses all the time of that day the day and the night For though a man be borne in the night yet that is not called his birth-night but his birth-day And to be borne is to come into the light though the birth-time be the darkest of the night Hence the Heathen called their Juno whose helpe they invoked in time of womens travell Deam lucinam the goddesse bringing into light So much for the opening of this curse both in the generall and in the parts of it respecting the object day and night In the next words hee cuts out or proportions a speciall curse as the portion of each part The day hath a share and the night hath a share each by it selfe Before I open this box of curses any further I shall observe somewhat from the discovery thus farre made And first I must answer a doubt arising upon the whole matter for it may be questioned upon this you have already heard though we carry on his complaint no further How Job can be set up with so much admiration for a mirrour of patience who makes such bitter complainings and breakes out into such distemper'd passion cursing his day May he not rather be an example of impatience an unimitable patterne of an unquiet and uncomposed spirit Are these the words of patience and sobriety Is this the language of submission and humility Cursed be my day He seemeth to be so farre from patience that he wants prudence so farre from grace that he wants reason it selfe and good nature his speeches report him mad or distracted breaking the bounds of modesty and moderation striking that which had not hurt him and striking that which he could not hurt his birth-day In this Job appeares much like that proud Emperour Zerxes of whom the Historian reports that when the raging Hellespont broke downe the bridge that he had made over it he in a rage caused some hundreds of stripes to be inflicted as a punishment on those waters and caused a paire of shackles to be cast upon those waves
was borne let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed Cursed be the man who brought tydings to my father saying a man-child is borne unto thee He doth not only curse his birth-day but the messenger of his birth And he curses both with a word of deeper detestation then Job imployed to ease or empty his troubled spirit by Jobs word signified but his disesteeme and himselfe regardlesse of his day but Jeremie imployes that very word through which God powred out his wrath and everlasting displeasure upon the serpent and the Devill Gen. 3.14 in each of these Jeremie went a straine of impatience beyond Job and yet holy Jeremie still The Lord saith the same Prophet Chap 8.14 hath put us to silence and given us waters of gall to drinke because we have sinned against the Lord. When we remember our own sinnes we have reason to be silent though the Lord feed us with waters of gall bitter waters And if we be silent and open not our mouthes because we have sinned he beares with our cry as we are pained He knowes whereof we are made and remembers that we are but dust A little thing troubles our flesh therefore it is no wonder if flesh and blood cry out in great troubles though they be subdued by grace unto the spirit And if God in this case beare with us we ought also to beare with one another and not be scandaliz'd or take offence when we see good men mourning and lamenting under the evills which they endure He that understands man will compassionate the sorrowes not question the sincerity of a complaining groaning brother Thirdly Job complaineth bitterly and he curseth but what doth he curse He curseth his day Observe from thence That Satan with his utmost power and policie with his strongest temptations and assaults can never fully attaine his ends upon the children of God What was it that the Devill undertooke for was it not to make Job curse his God and yet when he had done his worst and spent his malice upon him he could but make Job curse his day This was farre short of what Satan hoped Doubtlesse when the Devell heard the word cursed come out of Jobs mouth he then began to prick up his eares and triumph surely now the day is mine now he will curse his God but at the fall of that word cursed be the day Satans hope falls and downe goes he That word day was darkenesse to the Devill and as the shadow of death he failes of his end and is confounded he goes away ashamed and hath not a word more to say but leaves his friends to say the rest The gates of Hell shall never prevaile against those who are founded on free grace and the rock Jesus Christ Fourthly observe That God doth graciously forget and passe by the distempered speeches and bitter complainings of his servants under great afflictions Job spake this curse but when God comes to question with Job we doe not heare a word or title of this curse charg'd upon him God takes notice that hee had spoken of him the thing that is right Chap. 42.7 God commends him for what he had spoken well but Job doth not heare a word of what he had spoken ill When the iniquity of his speeches was sought for there was none and his failings they could not be found for God had pardoned them as the Prophet speakes of Israel and Judah Chap. 42.20 Our Lord Christ saith that of every idle word you shall give an account at the day of judgement and by your words you shall be justified and by your words you shall be condemned Math. 12.36 37. We had neede looke to our words God writeth what we speake and keepeth a booke of all we say You will say How then were Jobs distempered complainings forgotten and all taken for well spoken that he had spoken I answer First None of Jobs were idle words though there was errour in his words Secondly His right words were more then his erring words Thirdly His heart was upright when his tongue slipt Fourthly He repented of those slips and errours And lastly God forgiving blotted them out of his booke for ever Further in a sense we may say that God makes allowance to his people for such failings not an allowance of connivence and dispensation God doth not dispense with any to doe the least evill or expresse the least impatience in their speeches but he makes an allowance of favour and compassion considering their weakenesse and the strength of temptation he abates proportionably when in such a condition they speake impatiently though their actions and speeches want some graines of that weight which they ought to have yet weighing them in the scale of favour with his gracious allowance they go for currant and passe in account with God as good and full pay of that duty he expects from us and we owe unto his Majesty JOB 3.4 5 6 7 c. Let that day be darkenesse let not God regard it from above neither let the light shine upon it Let darkenesse and the shadow of death staine it let a cloud dwell upon it let the blacknesse of the day terrifie it As for that night let darkenesse seize upon it let it not be joyned unto the dayes of the yeere let it not come into the number of the moneths Loe let that night be solitary let no joyfull voice come therein WE have already given the Analysis and parts of this Chapter The subject of it is Jobs curse upon his day The first section of it in the nine first verses containes the matter and the method of that curse And he curseth his day First In generall ver 1. After this Job opened his mouth and curseth his day Secondly He curseth it in both the parts of it ver 3. Let the day perish in which I was borne and the night in which it was said there is a man-child conceived In these six verses which remaine appertaining to the first Section he affixes a particular curse to each part of his day taking a day for a naturall day and then dividing it into day and night he gives a speciall curse to each of these parts A curse upon the day and a curse upon the night The curse powred out upon the day lies in the fourth and fift verses of this Chapter Let that day be darknesse let not God regard it from above neither let the light shine upon it let darkenesse and the shadow of death staine it let a cloud dwell upon it let the blacknesse of the day terrifie it Here are six distinct branches of shis curse First Let the day be darkenesse Let the day Here we are to take day not for a naturall day but for the day as it is the continent of light the whole space of time from the rising to the setting of the Sun Now saith he Let the day be darkenesse Be darkenesse There is a great aggravation of misery in that as
Christ speakes Mat. 6.23 If the light that is in thee be darkenesse how great is that darkenesse While Job wisheth that his very day which is light should be darkenesse how great a darkenesse doth he wish unto it And if the day be darkenesse how darke must the night of that day be Then againe Let the day be darkenesse he doth not say let the day be mistie or cloudy or duskie or darke he doth not wish it like that day described Zech. 14.6 It shall come to passe in that day that the light shall not be cleare nor darke but he saith Let it be darkenesse Both in Scripture and common language Abstracts are emphatically significant and carry more then an ordinary sense in them When David saith Psal 27.1 The Lord is my light there is more in it then if he had only said the Lord doth enlighten me So to set forth the wofull condition of those who are unregenerate or in the state of nature the Apostle tells them Ephes 5.8 Ye were sometimes darkenesse not only in the darke but darkenesse So here to expresse how great a curse he wishes upon his day Job saith Let the day be darkenesse it selfe Now darkenesse may be taken two wayes Either Properly or Improperly Proper darkenesse is nothing else but a privation of light it is no positive creature it hath no cause in nature but is the consequent of the Sunnes absence When Job wishes let that day be darkenesse we may understand it of this darkenesse as if he had said whensoever that day commeth about in the recourse and revolution of the yeare let it be darkenesse or a very darke and gloomy day This had bin a great evill upon his day This kind of darkenesse was one of the 10 plagues with which God smote Egypt And yet there is darkenesse which is a greatet evill then this I meane darkenesse improperly taken and so frequently in Scripture any sorrowfull troublesome sad condition is express'd by darkenesse A condition of darkenesse is a sad condition a darke day is as much as a sad day So then Let that day be darkenesse that is let it for ever be accounted a sad and sorrowfull day Thus the Prophet Joel Chap. 2.2 calls a day of great trouble a day of darkenesse and gloominesse a day of clouds and of thicke darkenesse When Solomon Eccles 12.2 would shew by way of Antithesis the sad and evill condition of old age comparatively to youth he unfolds it by darkenesse remember now thy creatour in the dayes of thy youth make haste serve God betime But what needs such haste I tell thee why as times change so thy estate will change Evill dayes will come I therefore counsell thee to doe it while the evill dayes come not nor the yeares draw nigh when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them while the Sunne or the light or the Moone or the Starres be not darkened A day without pleasure is a day without the Sunne take away the joy of a day and you take away the light of a day Young-men have the Sunne and the Moone and the Starres all kind of light and comfortable influences upon them but these will be darkened and ecclipsed when old-age cometh that will put out or at least obscure your light your day will be gone and your night will have neither Moone nor Starre in it therefore worke while you have light that is while you have health and strength of body while you have freedome and activity of spirits fit for that great service remember that is know and serve your Creatour So in the Text we may take darkenesse improperly as darkenesse notes an uncomfortable estate and it is used in Scripture to note a two-fold uncomfortable estate First An estate of sinne Secondly An estate of misery This latter darkenesse is the daughter of the former The Prophet Isay Chap. 9.2 speakes of the people that sate in darkenesse which is repeated Mat. 4.16 that is in the darkenesse of ignorance of sin and guilt They had naturall light enough and they had civill light enough aboundance of outward comforts they had health and strength and riches and peace and plenty but they had not a Christ to take away their sins and cleanse their consciences and therefore they were a people that sate in darkenesse Jobs curse intends not this darkenesse of sin but that other improper darkenesse the darkenesse of sorrow the darkenesse of penall evill As if he had said let sorrow and sadnesse over-shadow let mourning and teares overwhelme let calamity and trouble for ever possesse the day upon which I was borne Let not God regard it from above Here is a second part of the curse and a more grievous curse then the former Let not God We may observe here the Name whereby God is expressed it is Eloah The learned Hebricians observe ten severall Names of God in Scripture three of which note his Being Jehovah Jah Ehejeh Three his Power El Eloah Elohim Three his Governement Adonai Shaddai Jehovah Tsebaoth One his Excellency or Super-excellency Gnelion The Name Eloah here used is derived from El which signifieth Mighty and so by that addition to the word there is an addition made to the sense Eloah is Most Mighty or Almighty This word in the singular number is very rare the Name Elohim which is the plurall is very frequent in holy Scripture Christ upon the crosse cryes out to God by this Name in the singular number Eloi Eloi my God my God as calling for the Almighty power of God to support and carry him through his sufferings David useth it in the 18th Psalm ver 31. Who is a God save the Lord. Who is Eloah save Jehovah that is who is a mighty strong God save the Lord Jehovah so the next words explaine it Who is a rocke save our God So Job being about to impleade and accuse his day calls to the mighty God as it were to judge this day to his everlasting neglect Let not God regard it from above Regard it from above The word signifies sometimes to inquire and search after or to take an account of a thing exactly and judiciously as they that are called to reckoning or to judgement are enquired after and so it hath relation to that Name of God Eloah a powerfull or mighty Judge Let not God regard it is let not God take any account of it or enquire after it let it passe as not worth the looking after Secondly The word signifies to have a care of a thing to have a thing or person in account as well as to call unto account to take care and be watchfull over another for good is our regarding of it In this sense the word is used Deut. 11.12 where Moses speaking concerning the Land of Canaan saith It is a Land which the Lord thy God careth for Careth for is the same word with this and this Text may well be expounded by that which followes as the
only begotten sonne that whosoever beleeveth on him should not perish here is the removing of evill but have everlasting life here is the bringing in of good And this is the better part of the blessing So on the other side to have all good light and life removed is the most bitter part of the curse Let darknesse and the shadow of death staine it Darknesse and the shadow of death These words are the fourth branch of the curse upon his day he repeates the former curse but with new additions He had said before let this day be darknesse now he saith let darknesse and the shadow of death staine it The shadow of death The word considered in the composition of it may be translated image of death And because the shadow of a body gives us the image of a body as in the shadow of a man you have the image and proportion of a man in the shadow of a Tree you have the image and representation of a Tree because I say the shadow gives the image of a body therefore the Hebrewes by a Metonymie call an image a shadow So that the shadow of death is such darknesse as is like death the very image of death He was not contented in generall to say let darkenesse staine it but if any would know what kind or degree of darknesse he intends these words expound his meaning to be the worst darknesse that can be Any darknesse is evill but darknesse and the shadow of death is the utmost of evils David put the worst of his case and the best of his faith when he said Psal 23.4 Though I walke in the valley of the shadow of death I will feare no evill that is in the greatest evill I will feare no evill The estate of those men who lived beyond the line of the Gospell and that is a very dolefull place to live in though a paradise for outward pleasure is thus described by the Prophet Isa 9.2 The people that walked in darknesse have seene a great light Jesus Christ they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them hath the light shined Againe The shadow of a thing in Scripture notes the power of a thing and to be under the shadow of a thing is to be under the power of a thing The bramble Judg. 9.15 said unto the trees if in truth yee anoint me King over you then come and put your trust in my shadow that is trust to that helpe which I am able to afford you So likewise to be under the shadow of the Almighty under the shadow of his wings is to be under the power of the Almighty for safety and protection Thus we may conceive it here to be under the shadow of death is to be so under the power or reach of death that death may take a man and seize upon him when it pleaseth Though I walke in the valley of the shadow of death that is though I be so neere death that it seemes to others death may catch me every moment though I be under so many apparances and probabilities of exreame danger that there appeares an impossibility in sence to escape death yet I will not feare Thirdly To be under the shadow of death is to be under the influences of death the influences of death are those feares and doubtings divisions and vexations of spirit those distractions and distempers of mind which fall upon man in times of imminent and unavoidable danger Let the shadow of death staine it that is let it be filled with those feares and cryes and confusions which usually accompany or prepare the way for death Fourthly Let darknesse and the shadow of death staine it that is such darknesse as dwells with death such darkenesse as fills the house of death the grave The grave is a darke house We use to say of that which we would have forgotten let it be buried in darknesse There is no worke in the grave and therefore there needs no light in the grave neither indeed can there be Lastly thus Darknesse and the shadow of death that is deadly darknesse thick stifling darknesse such as is in deepe pits and mines under the earth where vapours and noysome dampes doe many times strike men with death We may here take notice how Job heapes up words words very like in sound and all alike in sense or concurring to make up one sense Such amplifications in Scripture are vehement asseverations As Joh. 1.20 It is said of the Baptist He confessed and denied not but confessed I am not the Christ And those phrases Thou shalt dye and not live I shall not dye but live Thou shalt be below and not above So Job of his day Let it be darkenesse let not the light shine upon it let darknesse and the shadow of death staine it The word which we render staine signifies properly to redeeme a thing either by price or by power to redeeme a thing by paying for it or to redeeme a thing by rescuing of it Hence among the Jewes he that was to redeeme his deceased brothers land and marry the widdow was called Goel from this word as we may reade in the fourth of Ruth So the avenger of blood was called Goel Numb 35.12 because he likewise did redeeme the blood of his brother fetch it back againe as it were by a price in the execution of justice The learned Junius with some others translates according that sense of the Originall word O that darknesse and the shadow of death had redeemed that day or fetched back that day he referres it to the day past upon which he was borne and so takes it for an allusion to the first state of things we know at the first darknesse had dominion over all over all that Chaos or rude matter which God made at first Darknesse saith Moses was upon the face of the deepe Gen. 1.2 Then God gave a command to light saying let there be light ver 3. presently light went forth and rescued the creature from under the power of darknesse Now saith Job here Oh that darknesse and the shadow of death had redeemed that day or fetched againe that day out of the hands of light Oh that darknesse had recovered that which in the beginning was under its power that so my day being wrapt up in darknesse might be without forme and voide But the word is frequently translated and well here to pollute or to staine a thing as Mal. 1.7 Yee offer polluted bread upon mine altar and ye say wherein have we polluted thee And that of lamenting Jeremie They have polluted themselves with blood so that men could not touch their garments Lam. 4.14 So darknesse is said to staine or pollute the day as filthinesse or blood staines and pollutes discoulours and defiles the beauty of a garment Darknesse obscures and blindes the beauty of the most glorious creatures naturall darknesse doth it Suppose you should come into a roome furnished with
musick no not the voice of a mil-stone We have great cause to feare that the joyfull voice may suddainely be taken away not only from our nights but also from our dayes not only from our houses but also from our Temples For the voice of sin hath bin heard from both Darknesse hath begun to seize upon our light the seed of division is not only sowne but sprung up among us our troubles increase yea our joyfull voice is already changed into the sound of the trumpet and the Alarum of War into the neighings of Horses and the confused noise of bloody battels Isa 9.5 And which may afflict our hearts more we heare the mournefull voice of the Widdow crying out My Husband my Husband We heare the mournefull voice of the Orphan crying out my Father my Father Husband and Father slaine by the sword while they went out to helpe the Lord against the mighty It is time for us to sit solitary and alone to mourne every family apart and our wives apart Zach. 12.12 to lift up our voice in prayer night and day least the joyfull voice be utterly taken away and for ever silenced amongst us Least it be said of us as of Jerusalem Lam. 1.1 How doth the City sit solitary that was full of people How is she become as a widdow she that was great among the Nations and Princes among the Provinces how is she become tributary As that Heathen said of the time past I had perished if I had not perished So we may say of the time to come We shall mourne if we doe not mourne we shall be solitary if we sit not alone Our nights of sinfull joy in chambering and wontonnesse have bereft us and will bereave us more of refreshing joyes And instead of the voice of friend and brother you may heare only the voice of the enemy and avenger and that is no joyfull voice When Jacob was enformed of the approach of Esau his bloody brother he put all things in order and presently the Text saith Jacob was left alone Gen. 32.24 What deserted did his company run from him No it was an elected solitarinesse not a necessitated solitarinesse he desired to be alone and he staid alone that he might not be alone He staid alone that he might get God neerer in communion with him and his that his family might not be scattered from him and his house left desolate So if we would be voluntarily alone from the world to be with God wrastling out nights in prayer as Jacob did we might as he did prevent solitary nights and prevaile with God by the voice of prayer in the mediation of Jesus Christ and the powerfull cry of his blood to continue unto us the voice of joy JOB 3.8 9. Let them curse it that curse the day who are ready to raise up their mourning Let the Starres of the twi-light thereof be darke let it looke for light but have none neither let it see the dawning of the day IN the former verses Job himselfe curseth the night in this he inviteth others to curse it that his sorrow might appeare not only serious but solemne he calleth for those who made mourning their profession and to weepe for and with others their trade such as used to rise early and awaken their companions to come away and joyn in prepared and studied lamentation This I take to be the summe and sense of these words which yet in the letter are very full of difficulty and have divided interpreters exceedingly I shall briefely touch the most of those senses given and then more fully present you with what I apprehend as sutable to this Text and consonant unto truth First Take a briefe of the divers readings of this verse Let them curse it that curse the day who are ready to raise up their mourning So we in our Bibles The Vulgar and the Septuagint reade it thus Let them curse it that curse the day who are ready to raise up Leviathan Another renders the latter clause Who are ready to raise up the Dragon Theodot Mr. Broughtons translation runs thus May they curse it who doe curse the day who will hunt Leviathan Junius and Tremelius have a translation different from all these I would they had cursed thee that inlighten the day who are ready to stirre up Leviathan or the Whale That which all other Interpreters I have met with call cursing of the day they call inlightning the day You see there is much variety about the rendring of these words out of the Hebrew And there is as much diversity of opinion grounded thereupon First Some apprehend that Job in this verse alludes to the custome of a certaine people in Ethiopia called the Atlantes frequently mentioned in divers histories who living under the torrid Zone in an extreame hot climate used to curse the Sunne when it arose because it scorched them with vehement heate This made them in love with the night and hate the day And so the sense is made out thus Let them curse this night who use to curse the Sun-rising every day whose paine hightning and imbittering their spirits caused them to powre out the most bitter and revengefull execrations But I will lay this by though some set much store by it as a speciall treasure of invention For I much question not only whether this custome of cursing the day amongst that people was known unto Job but whether he ever heard of such a people being so remote and distant from him Secondly I shall a little open the meaning of that Translation given by Junius Let them curse it who inlighten the day who are ready to raise up Leviathan or the Whale By those who inlighten the day he saith the Starres are to be understood Let those curse thee who inlighten the day that is let the Starres curse thee And who are ready to raise up Leviathan that is let the windes be against thee let the winds curse thee or be a curse unto thee The reason he gives is because Starres are Illustratores Diei the inlightners of the day And to salve it we must not saith he take the day strictly for a day artificiall for then the Starres are of no use but for that part of the day naturall which is darke namely the night the Starres are the inlightners of the day namely of the darke part of the day the night And so Job calls here to the very Starres that they should oppose and trouble that night We reade in that notable history Jug 5.20 That the Starres in their courses did fight against Sisera such expressions there are making as it were the Heavens angry and the Starres to oppose the designes of men The host of Heaven is under the command of the Lord of Hosts when he calls them forth to the help of his people Thus he conceives Job inviting the Starres to take part with him in this quarrell against his night Let the Starres curse the day those
inlightners of the day Then he understands by them that stir up Leviathan the winds those words who stirre up Leviathan are saith he a pariphrasis or description of the winds The reason which he gives is because when great winds arise and blow strongly that mighty fish the Whale or Leviathan lying at the bottome of the sea by the motion of the waters is roused and stirred up and so mounts to the superficies or top of the water or appeares above it Thus the windes raise up Leviathan His sense from both is that Job sets the Starres and the windes against this night and bids them combine to make it troublesome and tempestuous This opinion for the reverence of the Authors name deserveth to be looked upon with respect but I should not neither doe I apprehend that to be the meaning of Job in this place Thirdly The difficulty is resolved by making these words an allusion to Fisher-men as if Job here did but describe the condition of those or shew what by accident doth befall those whose trade and art it is to catch Leviathan or the Whale These take the word Leviathan in the proper sense for that mighty fish described in the 41th of this Booke of Job Canst thou draw out Leviathan with an hooke or his tongue with a coard which thou lettesh downe c. Leviathan is derived from Lavah which signifieth joyned or coupled together whence to note it by the way the word Levi the name of the third son which Jacob had by Leah She called his name Levi For now saith she will my husband be joyned unto me because I have borne him three sons Gen. 29.34 The same reason is given why that dreadfull fish is called Leviathan His description cleares this Job 41.15 His scales are his pride shut up together as with a close seale one is so neere to another that no aire can come betweene them they are joyned one to another they sticke together that they cannot be sundred He hath his name Leviathan from the close joyning or compactednesse of the scales that cover or harnesse him like an impenetrable armour of proofe Now taking the word thus properly for the fish Leviathan Job is conceived to allude to the custome of those who hunt for the Whale who observing the night to be most advantagious for that worke are troubled at the approach of light and therefore the Fisher-men as soone as ever they saw day begin to breake cursed the day as an enemy to their successe in pursuing and killing the Whale That Fishing is a businesse of the night is evident from that speech of Peter to our Saviour Christ Luk. 5.5 Master we have fiâ—hed all night and have taken nothing According to which allusion the meaning of Job must be As if he had said I will not strive any longer for words to expresse my passion against this night let it be blasted with the curse of those who are most skillfull in the dialect or language of execrations even with such a curse as those sea-hunters the fishermen use to powre forth upon the day when it breakes too soone for their profit so that they are hindred in catching of Leviathan or the Whale There is a Proverbe amongst us If you sweare or curse you will catch no fish And it seemes these were wont to sweare and curse when they could not catch And hence it was a Proverbe in other Countries when they would set out an enormious swearer or one given to prophane cursing they said He sweareth or he curseth like a fisherman A generation of men whom that age had branded on the tongue whose mouthes were full of cursings and their ordinary discourse as much oathes as words But against this exposition experience is objected that the usuall time of fishing for the Whale is in the day not in the night If it be so then the ground of this opinion is quite overthrowne That some kind of fishing is a night-worke the words and practise of Peter before mentioned are proofe enough Whether Whale-fishing were exercised in the night I shall not much contend to prove seeing I approve but little of that interpretation which is bottom'd and built upon it Besides I find others who sticking to this translation the stirring of Leviathan doe yet wave and passe by this conceit of night-fishing And they say that the curse here is not to be referred to their rage against the light because it brings the day but to the day because it brought them no successe So that day is not opposed to night but a good or successefull day to a bad or successelesse day of fishing And then the sense is to this effect that Job calls for such a curse upon his day as prophane fishermen who attempt to catch the Whale usually spend upon that unhappy day wherein they loose their labour and after all their hazard and cost come home empty And when it is objected against this opinion Why doth Job mention Leviathan or the Whale if that be his meaning to allude unto the sinfull passion of disappointed fishermen for vaine men in that imployment are as apt to curse and be passionate when they misse of their intendments in labouring to catch any kind of fish To this answer may be given in two things First This businesse of fishing for the Whale is a businesse of great charge and greater danger and because greatest losses raise greatest passions and the higher our disappointments are the higher is our language therefore Job who intended here the highest and greatest curse wishes it paralel with that which the greatest cursers belch forth when as they pretend they have greatest occasion yea as they call reason reason to curse And who should these be but ignorant or idolatrous fishermen and they at such a pinch when they have lost the hope of their greatest gaine As if Job had said let as bigge a curse fall upon that night as ever fell from the mouthes of those prophane fishers not only when they have bin successelesse in fishing for a Herring or a Sprat but when after all their paines and cost they cannot take Leviathan Micahs mother cursed when the eleven hundred shekels of silver were stollen from her Judg. 17.1 2. To loose what we hope for vexes corrupt nature as much as the losse of what we have They who have not treasure in Heaven and to whom godlinesse is not more the earthly gaine cannot but be enraged when the hope of their gaine is gone upon the earth Secondly We may say he nameth the Leviathan by a Senechdoche one principall for all or for any the chiefest of a kind is put for all of a kind And then it is appliable to those sea-hunters whatsoever game they pursue I shall touch one way more of illustrating the opinion of those who take Leviathan in this Text for the Whale We may conceive it thus that Iob doth not here allude to fishing for the
woman thou knowest how to act the part and postures of a mourner to the life Goe to David and faine thy selfe to be a mourner and as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead And it is observed to this day in many places and as I have been informed frequently in Ireland that not only friends and neighbours are called to lament at the funerall of their friends and neighbours but many others no way related scarce ever known to the person deceased who come professedly to straine for teares and make lamentable out-cryes over the dead To such a custome or profession Job here alluding saith Let them curse it who curse the day If it be objected that this Text speakes of such as curse the day and not of such as mourne upon or bemoane the day That is easily removed because upon those dayes of mourning they were wont to mixe execrations with their lamentations and curses with their teares crying out oh the day alas for the day oh that ever such a day came In the 30th of Ezekiel v. 2. The Lord saith Sonne of man prophecy and say thus saith the Lord God howle ye woe worth the day These did curse the day and such were hired in that sense to curse the day As Balaam who loved the wages of unrighteousnesse was hired to curse the people of God Numb 22. So then the cursing here meant was a dolefull wish that the day had not beene or that such things had not hapned upon that day And so these words Let them curse it who curse the day who are ready to raise up their mourning are only a circumlocution describing those mercinary cursers or mourners As if Job had in more words said thus Let this night be cursed in as high a straine and mourned over with as enlarged sorrowes as the art and invention of those whose trade is cursing and who have teares at command ever did or can put forth when hired on purpose to mourne over the saddest spectacles and most calamitous events Now this being taken for a ground-worke that in those times and Countries men and women were hired to mourne and that an art of mourning was then profest the difficulties that are in the Text opposing this are further to be examined For here still it seemeth doubtfull how this word Leviathan can fall in with such an interpretation or be applied to those hired and professed mourners Towards the clearing of which I shall a little open three words The first is Gnatidim who are ready which signifies a prepared and meditated active readinesse as we find in two Texts of the Booke of Hester The copy of the writing for a commandement to be given in every Province was published unto all people that they should be ready against that day chap. 3.14 and againe chap. 8.13 So that in Job to be ready to raise up the mourning notes more then an immediate going about a thing As we say I am ready to doe a thing that is I will or must doe it presently For it notes also a studied readinesse or preparednesse to doe a thing The second word is Gnour to raise up which is properly to raise from sleepe as in that place Psal 44.23 Awake why sleepest thou O Lord Arise cast us not off for ever The third word is Leviathan which hath two other significations both appliable to this interpretation First Divers of the Rabbins translate it by the Hebrew word Ebel which signifies mourning or sorrow and with the pronoune affixed Their sorrow or their mourning And this is asserted by the learned Mercer for the plainest meaning of the word and so found in the writings of the Hebrew Doctors which also directly answers our translation who are ready to raise up their mourning Secondly The word Leviathan is derived according to the opinion of others from Lavah i. e. joyned or associated Hence Leviath i. e. society or fellowship to which the same pronoune being affixed the word Leviathan is made up and according to that extraction and composition is rendred socictatem suam their society or their company And the word in this derivation and construction of it falls in with the sense of the former interpretation who are ready to raise and stirre up their company namely to goe fourth and mourne or their company of mourners And the reason is two-fold why they are or may be said to raise up their company of mourners First Because those solemne mourners were usually a great many they were a company a Chorus or a Quire making a dolefull lamentation and so when they were to mourne they called together or raised up their company of mourners And the word raised is proper for a second reason because in such mournings it was custom'd to rise up very early or early to raise up one another As David speaking of musicall rejoycing Psal 108.2 saith Awake psaltery and harpe I my selfe will awake early The Hebrew is very emphaticall in that place word for word thus I my selfe will awaken the morning as if he should say the morning shall not awaken mee but I will awaken the morning the morning shall not find me sleeping but I will be up first and call up the morning So those mourners used to awake early in the morning or rather to awaken the morning and they had one woman whom they called Praefica the leader the first or the chiefe of the quire and company of mourners plangendi Magistra whose office it was to call up and bring on the rest It appeares in the Gospell of Matthew that the Jewes in those times used to call in musick to their mournings For when Christ came to the Rulers house whose daughter was dead the Text saith He saw the minstrels and the people making a noise Mat. 9.23 And Josephus relating the story of his owne supposed death shewes how all the City of Jerusalem continued a mourning for him thirty dayes And he adds directly to this point That many musicians were hired for reward to leade those songs or direct the solemnity of those lamentations This exposition upon the supposition of alluding to that custome in mourning and the allowance of those significations of the word Leviathan hath a cleare and a faire sense respecting the series of the Text Job having so farre powred out a curse upon and lamented his night he as it were calls for those to finish and conclude it who traded in such kind of curses and who were skill'd in lamentations There is an objection against this taken from the Grammaticall regimen or construction of the Originall The Hebrew word who are ready is of the Masculine gender and the Pronoune relating to it Leviathan their mourning is of the Feminine gender so that here seemes to be a fault in Grammar if we expound it thus their mourning or their company of mourners To this we may give a double answer First That such changes of one
Gender for another are frequently observed in Scripture by the learned in the Originalls Secondly The relative word is conjectured to be put in the Feminine gender because women were most usually called forth to that worke of mourning And it is further observeable that where the Scripture speakes of those actions of mourning or rejoycing or loving which are workes of affection it useth to ascribe them to women rather then to men because they are quicker in affection and faile of affection then men and so more ready to act or expresse such joyes or sorrowes then men are For the close of this point I shall adde the apprehension of a learned Expositor who taking the words in this last sense as referring to those solemne mournings yet conceive that the word Leviathan must stand here in the letter not as if Job had any intendment to speake of the fish Leviathan or to allude to fishing for Leviathan but either because Heathens in those execrations did invoke or provoke Leviathan that is the Devill Or because in those solemne songs of lamentation Leviathan was a word much used or Leviathan was the first word of some of those lamenting songs For in execrations strange uncouth dreadfull words were purposely used the more to affect and astonish the hearers Now there is no word more dreadfull then Leviathan whether we take it for that sea-monster the Whale or for that Hell-monster the Devill And so the meaning is this Let them curse it who curse the day who are ready to raise up Leviathan that is Let those mourners who sing that most passionate song of mourning which begins with or is entitled Leviathan It is ordinary among us to call for a song or to call a song by the generall subject matter of it or by the first word of it And so many bookes of Scripture have their names in the Hebrew from the first word as the booke of Genesis is called Beresith or In the beginning And Exodus Veele semoth that is And these are the names because both begin with those words in the Hebrew So the song which was the forme of those Lamentations might be called Leviathan because saith this Authour it began with that word and he alledgeth a proverbiall tradition for it out of Mariana which he had received from a Jew that it was forbidden upon the Feast-day to raise up Leviathan That is they might not take up that execratory song which beginneth with Leviathan I only present this opinion because it suites with and illustrates the former notion of solemne mourning Thus I have with as much speed and clearnesse as I could given you the meaning of these words That which favours their sense most who keepe to the word Leviathan is that this booke speakes afterward of Leviathan to shew the power of the creator in that powerfull creature And I find the very same phrase of raysing or stirring up Leviathan used in that place chap. 41. ver 10. None is so fierce that dare stirre or raise him up The Hebrew word which there we translate stirre in this third chapter is translated raise Leviathan Yet I rather encline to the latter exposition respecting mourning both because it hath the authority of our English Bible to countenance it our Translators putting mourning in the Text and Leviathan in the margin As also because it carries a clearer correspondence and agreement both with Antecedents and consequents both with the matter and with the frame of Jobs complaint and curse in this chapter Taking the words in this sense that Job calls to have his night cursed in such a solemne manner as those hired mourners used to lament and bewaile the dayes of humane calamities we may observe First That hope of profit will turne some spirits into any posture Lamenting and mourning is an unpleasant worke but profit and reward sweetens and makes it pleasant Some men will be in any action so they may get by it they will mourne for hire and curse for hire So did Balaam Balaam was sent for to curse the people of God Numb 22. He made many delayes and seemingly conscientious scruples yet at last he goâ—s about the worke as black and bad as it was But what overcame him and answered all his doubts about the undertaking of such a worke The Text in Peter resolves us he loved the wages of unrighteousnesse He that loves wages will quickly love any work which brings in wages Upon the stage you might have any passion for your money Joy and sorrow love and hatred all acted and personated beyond the personall temper or occasions of the men meerely for reward And which is the highest argument of a mercenary spirit some act holinesse for hire and are godly for outward gaine Secondly In that Job calls others to mourne over and condole that night Observe That some troubles exceed our own sorrowes And we may want the eyes and tongues of others to expresse them by My heart saith Job is not large enough and I have not art enough to act much lesse to aggravate my own afflictions let them doe it whose profession and practise it is to curse the day Sometimes the mercies which we receive and the joy that the soule conceives is more then we can expresse or be thankfull enough for and then we send to others both private Christians and whole Congregations desiring them to help us to lend us their hearts and their tongues their affections and their voices in that Angelicall worke the praises of our God Let them blesse God who blesse the day who are vers'd in dayes and duties of thanks-giving who are ready to raise up their rejoycings David saith Come and heare all ye that feare God and I will declare what he hath done for my soule Psal 66.16 He had not told them what God had done for his soule but to gaine the help of their soules in praising God for what he had done Sometime also a Christian is so engaged in prayer for the obtaining of a mercy and finds his heart so much below his suite that he calls out to all those who have any holy skill in praying pray for me pray with me the businesse is too bigge for me alone How earnestly doth Paul begge prayers Now I beseech you bretheren for the Lord Jesus Christs sake and for the love of the Spirit that ye strive together with me in prayers to God for me that I may be delivered c. Rom. 15.30 As it is thus in praying and rejoycing so it may be in mourning and in sorrowing And troubles are very deepe when they exceed our own sorrowes as mercies are very great when they are beyond our own praises Wee in this Nation have cause to feare such troubles even such as may cause us to invite the hearts and spirits the bowels and compassions of all the Christians in the world to come and lament over us we may be forced to send not only for the Husbandman
of sleepe sleepe is a short death and death is a long sleepe Many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to everlasting contempt Dan. 12.2 Our friend Lazarus sleepeth saith Christ to his Disciples Jâ—h 11.11 but I goe that I may awake him out of sleepe In the 14th verse Jesus said unto them plainely Lazarus is dead Then had I beene at rest We usually say when a man goes to sleepe he goes to rest Yet rest is more then sleepe for sometimes a man sleepes when he doth not rest his very sleepe being troubled and he troubled in his sleepe But when rest is joyned with sleepe it is perfect sleepe The word here used signifies a very quiet setled and peaceable condition Hence Noah had his name And he called his name Noah saying this sonne shall comfort us concerning our worke and toile of our hands because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed Gen. 5.29 He was rest and comfort to the old world by preaching righteousnesse even the righteousnesse which is by faith which alone gives rest unto the soule and is able to refresh us in the midst of all those toyles and labours which that first curse brought upon the world both new and old Such rest and sweet repose had I found saith Job from all my toile in the house of death and bed of the grave Having thus foure words concurring in the same sense we may here not unprofitably take notice of that elegant multiplication of words in the holy Scriptures There store is no soare and variety is no superfluity yea there Tautologie is no superfluity It is the usuall rhetorick of the Holy Ghost to speake the same thing in divers words yea sometime in the same words We find such a congeries or heaping up of words used for the most part in some heate of passion or vehemency of spirit As first when God would expresse a great deale of anger and wrath against a people he speakes thus Isa 14.22 23. I will rise up against them saith the Lord of hostes and cut off from Babylon the name and remnant and sonne and nephew I will also make it a possession for the Bittern and pooles of water and I will sweepe it with the besome of destruction Here are a multitude of words and all tending to the same purpose setting forth the fiercenesse of Gods anger and the resolvednesse of his judgement for the ruining of Babylon The towring confused pride of the King of Babylon is presented to us in such a heape of words Isa 14.13 14. heare the pure language of pride from that Kings heart Thou hast said in thine heart I will ascend into Heaven I will exalt my throne above the Starres of God I will sit also upon the mount of the Congregation I will ascend above the heights of the clouds I will be like the most High The manifold apostacies and backslidings of Judah are described in many words by the Prophet Zephanie chap. 1.6 And them that are turned bank from the Lord and those that have not sought the Lord nor enquired for him Chap. 3.2 She obeyed not the voice she received not correction she trusted not in the Lord she drew not neere to her God When our Lord Christ would shew the extreame ignorance and darknesse of his Disciples in those great Articles of his sufferings death and resurrection having taken the twelve unto him and discoursed of those points he concludes Luk. 18.31 34. And they understood none of these things and this saying was hid from them neither knew they the things that were spoken As if Christ had said their ignorance in these mysteries was so great that they had not the least glimpse or glimmerings of light about them So here I should have lien still and been quiet I should have slept and been at rest and all to note the interrupted-quiet and tranquility of the grave As if he had said Had I died then not only had not these stormes been upon me nor these waves gone over me but the least breath of wind had never blowne upon me Hence we may observe First That in regard of all outward troubles death is the rest of man Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord for they rest from their labours And they who die out of the Lord rest from all that labour they have had in this world There is no worke nor device nor knowledge nor wisedome in the grave whither thou goest Eccles 9.10 This life is a day of working and death is a night of resting The Sunne ariseth man goeth forth to his labour untill the evening Psal 104.23 When the Sunne of our life ariseth we goe forth to our labour untill the evening of death This life is a continued motion death is a continued rest This life is but noise and tumult death is silence Our life is a stormy passage a tempestuous sea-voyage death bringeth us to the harbour There is a foure-fold rest which we obtaine in death First A rest from labour and travaile no working there Secondly There is a rest from trouble and oppression no warres no bloody battels there Thirdly There is a rest from passion no sorrow no griefe shall afflict us there In the grave there is a fourth rest better then all these a rest from sin a rest from the drudgerie of Satan a rest from the winnowings and buffetings of Satan a rest from the law of our members warring against the law of our minds When Saul went to the witch of Endor for advise with Samuel that Samuel or the Devill in the appearance of Samuel speakes as one disturb'd being raised from the grave Why saith he hast thou disquieted me to bring me up 1 Sam. 28.15 I was at rest why diddest thou call me up to a land of trouble It is the observation of an ancient Father and the resolution of an ancient Councell concerning Christs weeping over Lazarus Joh. 11. That not his death but his rising drew those teares When Christ came to the grave where Lazarus lay the Text saith that Jesus wept Why did Christ weepe saith Jerome in comforting a mother that had lost her daughter It is cleare that Christ wept over Lazarus that was dead but he did not weepe thy teares Christ did not weepe because Lazarus was dead but he wept rather because Lazarus was to be raised up againe he wept to thinke that his friend Lazarus should be brought back into so troublesome a world And it was the resolution of the third Toletane Councell that Christ did not weepe over Lazarus because he was dead but because he was to be raised up againe to feele the burdens and afflictions of this life that was their apprehension of it And it is a truth that whosoever lives the common life of nature lives in trouble But such is not the life of him who is raised from the dead The lives of such though here
they vers 6. and let this ruine be under thine hand that is be thou our Prince and take charge of us Not I saith he I will not be an healer for in mine house is neither bread nor cloathing make me not a Ruler of the people As if he had said I am but a poore man a man of a weake estate Princes must have treasure and great estates to beare up the dignity of their places As covetousnesse so poverty is very unbecoming in a Prince The Romane story tells us that when two great Consulls stood in competition for a great employment in the affaires of that Common-wealth One of the Senators being as'kt upon which of the two he would bestow his vote Answered upon neither And gives this reason One hath nothing and the other can never have enough One was so poore that he had nothing to support him and the other was so covetous that nothing would satisfie him Therefore as before Job joyned Counsellours with Kings so here he joyneth gold with Princes The next expedient for Princes to counsell and wisedome are gold and treasures We find indeed that God gives it in charge to the Kings of Israel concerning their gathering of treasures that they should not be excessive Deut 17.17 Neither shall he greatly multiply to himselfe silver and gold He doth not say your Prince or your King shall not multiply silver or gold but he shall not greatly multiply silver or gold that is he shall not set his heart upon them or thinke he never hath enough he shall not greatly doe it but let him be carefull to doe it proportionably to his occasions either of peace or warre Further It is added Who fill their houses with treasure The word which we here translate treasure is ordinarily translated silver The root from which it springs signifieth to desire and the reason is because treasure silver or gold are such desireable things or things upon which the desires of most men are set therefore the Hebrewes give silver a name proper to its own nature or rather to the nature of men whose desires are enflamed after it With this desireable thing Princes fill their houses What are these houses A house is a place wherein man liveth or inhabiteth while he liveth this is the ordinary acception of the word and so it may be taken here for the ordinary dwelling houses or Pallaces of Princes And then it is an heightning of the sense They had gold yea they had so much as they filled their houses with it Then againe That we may keepe in this clause to the exposition given in the last of the desolate places we may understand by the houses that these Princes filled with treasure the graves the Tombes wherein they were buried And it is the language of Scripture to call the grave a house mans house Two Texts I will give you for it one out of this booke Job 30.23 where Job speaking of the grave calleth it the house appointed for all living And Eccles 12.5 where Solomon calls it our long home Man dieth and goeth to his long home the word in the Originall is he goeth to the house of his age or to the house of age God is called the rock of ages because he is an everlasting strength Isa 26.4 The grave is called an house of age because it is a very lasting house an abiding house a house where man must abide till God sound him up by the voice of a Trumpet to the resurrection So then the grave is likewise called an house the house of all living because thither every one that is living is travailing man travailes to the grave as to his house And a long-home in opposition to our short home our uncertaine abode in those houses wherein we dwell upon the earth Princes saith Job that had gold and this is one use they make of it they fill their houses that is their graves or their tombes with this treasure In those times it seemes they did not only bestow great cost upon their Tombes and places of buriall but they put great store of treasure into the Tombes with them According to this interpretation the meaning of Job may be thus represented If I had died before and had been buried poorely and obscurely yet I should have done as well as Kings and Counsellours who with vast expence of treasure build stately Tombes for themselves yea as well as Princes that put their treasure into their Tombes with them That it was a custome to put in much treasure into Tombes is observed by Josephus in his 13th book of Antiquities and 15th chapter shewing how Hircanus opened Davids Sepulcher and tooke out three thousand Talents And in his 16th booke chap. 11. he notes that afterward Herod opened the Sepulchre of David and thought to have found a great deale of treasure there but found only some precious garments c. And the story is famous out of Herodotus concerning Semiramis That she having built a stately Tombe makes this inscription upon it Whatsoever King shall succeed here and wants money let him open this Tombe and he shall have enough to serve his turne Which Darius in after-ages being in streights for want of treasure attempting to doe in stead of money found only this reproofe written and laid up there Vnlesse thou hadst been extreamely covetous and greedy of filthy lucre thou wouldest not have opened the graves of the dead to seeke for money The Lord threatens by the Prophet Jeremie that the Chaldeans shall bring out the bones of the King of Judah and the bones of his Princes and the bones of the Priests and the bones of the Prophets c. out of their graves chap. 8.1 It is conceived that the reason why the Chaldeans digg'd up and raked in the graves of the Jewes was not so much from cruelty as from covetousnesse They having heard that the Jewes used to put rich ornaments upon the dead or riches into their graves with them Or this might be as a just punishment of that grredinesse after gaine so eminent in the Jewes that the Prophet in the very Chapter where this is threatned chargeth them thus ver 10. Every one from the least to the greatest is given to covetousnesse Thus it is cleare that there was a custome to put riches and treasure into the grave with the dead to which Job might allude in this place So much for the opening of the words from the sense given Observe first That neither power nor wisedome nor riches are any priviledge at all against the stroake of death Here are Kings men that have great power Counsellours men full of wisedome Princes that have riches so much gold that they can stuffe their graves with it yet these cannot defend themselves against death Death will not obey the authority of Kings nor doth it feare their frownes the subtilty or policy of Counsellours is not able to defeate it there is no eloquence no
I am sure with passions or the working of many passions together The word you see in the Hebrew hath a neere affinity in sound and sense with our English word raging and we translate it so Psal 2. Why doe the heathen rage It is the same word So here the wicked cease from raging or from troubling that is from that madnesse of rage in troubling the poore especially such as feare God Wicked men are not only sinfull but they are mad in their sin As Paul speakes of himselfe before his conversion I punished them oft in every Synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme and being exceedingly mad against them I persecuted them even unto strange Cities Acts 26.11 In Paul unconverted see the picture of a wicked mans spirit he could not cease from troubling but in death he shall And there the weary are at rest The weary Some by the weary understand those whom the wicked have wearied by troubling of them and that is a truth that in the grave the wearied those that wicked men have turmoiled and vexed are at rest so the sense is made out thus that in the grave they that trouble others and the troubled the poore persecuted and the proud persecutors are at rest But rather by the wearied we are to understand only the wicked themselvs There the wicked cease from troubling and there the weary be at rest that is there those wicked men who weary and tire out themselves with vexing and troubling of others are at rest they then cease from those vexatious undertakings which have consumed their spirits and worne out their bodies And the reason why I rather expound the weary to be the wicked though the other be a good sense is because Job afterward speakes of the rest of those that are wearied who are passive under the cruelties and plottings of those wicked ones There the wicked cease from troubling and there the weary be at rest Hence observe first That wicked men are troublers both of themselves and others There the wicked cease from troubling as if the wicked did nothing in the world but trouble the world As before Job had given the speciall character of great ones and Princes They get gold build Palaces and Sepulchers and fill them with treasure So when he speakes of wicked ones he saith There the wicked cease from troubling As intimating that while they live in the world they are a perpetuall trouble to the world The Prophet Isaiah is expresse chap 57.20 The wicked are as the troubled sea that cannot rest they can doe any thing better then be quiet they have not strength enough to sit still they cannot rest King Ahab had this apprehension of Elijah 1 King 18.17 when the kingdome of Israel was full of trouble for God did vex them with great adversity Art not thou he saith Ahab that troublest Israel No saith Elijah who could make up a better judgement then Ahab in that point I am not he that troubleth Israel but it is thou and thy fathers house Ahab had sold himselfe to worke wickednesse and so had stock enough to purchase trouble for Israel wicked ones are the troublers of all they are troublers of their own families troublers of the places and Cities where they live the troublers of a whole Kingdome troublers of the Churches of Christ and the troublers of their own soules they are borne to trouble both active and passive they love to trouble and they have what they love It is the character and the argument of an extreame wicked man to be a troubler Even as it is a great argument of great grace when you see one a comforter of others or busie to helpe others to doe good to others The tree is knowne by the fruites Secondly Taking the latter words of this verse There the weary be at rest for those wicked men who are wearied by troubling others we may observe That wicked men by troubling others doe as much weary and tire out themselves And though they find that in troubling others they weary themselves yet they will not give it over they will trouble still Job saith thus of a wicked man in the 15th of this booke ver 20. The wicked man travaileth with paine all his dayes not only doth he put others to paine but himselfe is in paine and they are frequently expressed in Scripture as wearying themselves sometimes as weary of themselves so Jer. 9.5 They weary themselves to commit iniquity And thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels Isa 47.13 Thou art wearied in the greatnesse of thy way Isa 57.10 and that was but a way of troubling the Church She wearieth her selfe with lies Ezek. 24.12 The sins which wicked men commit only in and against themselves weary them but they are most wearied when they are persecutors of others It is observed of Antiochus Epiphanes that famous troubler of the Church by him that hath written the Itinerary of the Saints that he did undertake more troublesome journeyes and went upon more hazardous designes meerely to trouble and vex and oppose the Church of the Jewes then ever any of his predecessors did about any other conquest or noble enterprise that he travail'd more miles to doe mischiefe then as the Authour doth compare their journeys any of the Saints did to doe good and therefore he concludes the story of him with this generall truth concerning persecutors All such wicked men goe with more trouble to eternall death then the Saints doe to eternall life they toyle themselves more and suffer more to worke out their own damnation then the godly doe in working out their salvation To be wicked in the height is the height of trouble Solomon saith that a good man is mercifull to his beast but a wicked man is unmercifull to himselfe he will tire himselfe more then a good man will tire his beast This is a certaine truth he that will follow sinne and serve his own lusts especially the lust of pride and oppression whosoever serveth those lusts serveth a hard master a master that will make him toile and sweat and weary himselfe while he lives and at the last pay him with death The worke of sin is bad enough but as to the sinner the wages of sinne is worse The last thing I shall note from it is this There the wicked cease from troubling There where is that At the grave when they come to die they make an end of their troubling not before Observe then Wicked men will never cease troubling untill they cease to live In the grave they cease troubling there they are at rest If they should live an eternity in this world they would trouble the world to eternity As a godly man never gives over doing good he will doe good as long as he lives though he fetches many a weary step so wicked men never give over doing evill untill they step into the grave And the reason of it is because it is their nature to doe
it to enjoy Christ who is life then to live To both these we may referre that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. We that are in this tabernacle groane being burthened they were burthened with sorrowes and burthened with sins while they were in the tabernacle of the body yet saith he it is not that wee would be uncloathed but cloathed upon he did not groane for the grave but for glory not that he might be uncloathed but cloathed with immortality not barely that he might die but that mortality might be swallowed up of life Under these notions we may desire death yet with this caution that for the time of it we referre our selves to the good pleasure of God For what the Apostle James speakes of the inordinate desires and absolute resolves of worldly men about gaining in that or t'other City is by allusion appliable to these spirituall greedy merchants after Heavenly glory chap. 4.13 Goe to now ye that say to day or to morrow we will goe into such a City and continue there a yeere and buy and sell and get gaine c. For that ye ought to say if the Lord will So I may say Goe to now ye that say to day or to morrow we would die for to die to us is gaine Phil. 1.21 and goe to that heavenly City that City having foundations whose builder and maker is God and continue there forever taking in and enriching our selves with that glory which Christ hath bought for that ye ought to say when the Lord will or now if the Lord will On such conditions as these and with this caution we may desire death yea long for death But to long for death only to be ridde of the troubles of this life to desire to lye downe to sleepe in the bed of the grave only to ease our flesh and rest our outward man is sinfull The Apostle saith Acts 20.24 I count not my life deare so I may finish my course with joy But we shall account our lives too cheape if we feare to finish our course with sorrow If we thinke that it is not worth the while to live unlesse we live in outward comforts we exceedingly undervalue our lives when a crosse in our lives makes us weary of our lives This was Jonahs infirmity when he had taken pet about the gourd Chap. 4. he would needs die and he concludeth the matter It is better for me to die then to live and all was because he could not have his will because he was troubled This also was Elijahs infirmity when he was persecuted by and fled for his life from Jezabel 1 King 19.4 He requested for himselfe that he might die and said It is enough now O Lord take away my life for I am not better then my fathers This is an infirmity at the best we ought rather to seeke to God that he would remove the evill from us then remove us from the evill for God hath a thousand doores to let us out of trouble though he doth not open the doore of the grave to let us in there and out of the world He can end our troubles and not end our lives Yet such a wish is much allayed yea in some cases lawfull if we keepe the former caution and say if the Lord will If we referre our selves to the will and good pleasure of God we may desire to be lay'd to rest by death that we may be rid of those paines and evills which we suffer in this life And yet I desire rather to raise the spirits of all above these troubles while they live then satisfie them how they may desire freedome from them by death When Solomon returned and considered all the oppressions that are done under the Sunne and beheld the teares of such as were oppressed and they had no comforter and on the side of their oppressors there was power but they had no comforter Then he praised the dead which are already dead more then the living which are yet alive Eccles 4.1 2. that is he pronounced the dead to be in a better condition then the living Yet know that Solomon in this place speakes the words of meere naturall reason not of divine reason For he speakes though with a divine Spirit yet in the person of a naturall man Naturall reason saith it is better to die then live under oppressions but divine reason saith there is more honour to be gained by living under oppressions then there is ease to be attained by dying from under them To beare a burden well is more desireable then to be delivered from a burden Especially if while we are bearing we can be doing doing good I meane and I meane it especially if we can doe publike good A Christian should be content yea he should rejoyce in suffering much evill upon himselfe while he can be doing any especially if he can doe much good to others A graciously publike spirit will triumph over personall troubles and labours so long as he sees himselfe a blessing or a helpe to the publike and though he longs to die for himselfe and to be with Christ which is better yet he is loath to die so long as he can say with blessed Paul Neverthelesse to abide in the flesh is more needfull for you or others Phil. 1.24 When a Heathen Emperour Caesar said he had lived long enough whether he respected Nature or Honour Tully the Orator answered him well But you have not lived long enough for the Common-wealth Much more may we say when we see able and godly men longing for death because they have lived long enough whether they respect common Nature or their own Honour But you have not yet lived long enough for the Church of God and for the common good of his people We should be willing to live so long as God or his people have a stroake of worke to be done which our abilities and opportunities fit us to doe In this sense A living Dogge is better then a dead Lion Eccles 9.4 That is it is better to live though we are the meanest working for God then die or be dead though we have bin the chiefest I inlarge this the rather because of the present troubles and the infirmity of our flesh which sometimes is ready to envy those who die because we live in sorrow and is not satisfied with this that our soules are here shelter'd from death and under the covert of Christ unlesse our bodies also may be sheltred in death and lye under the covert of the grave So much to that question Let us note something from the words themselves Which long for death and it cometh not and dig for it more then for hid treasures Observe first That Many afflictions to our sense are worse then death They long for death because they are in misery It is said and it is a truth O death how bitter art thou to a man that is at ease in his possessions And there is a truth also in
wrestle for it or the Crowne they must strive for it We must dig for heavenly hidden treasure before we have it And yet both the treasure and the strength to dig for it are freely given Fourthly observe That Those things which we esteeme most we labour to secure most It is said that they digg'd for treasures and that the treasures were hid I told you in opening the words there is a naturall hiding of treasure and an industrious hiding Take it in the last sense men that have treasures will labour to preserve them why because treasures are much esteemed and the things we esteeme most we preserve most In the Hebrew the word that signifies treasure signifies the hiding of treasure or hidden treasure Among all treasures spirituall treasures are most hidden they are so hidden that they are called mysteries or secrets The knowledge of Christ was a hidden treasure for some thousands of yeares the Apostle in his time calls it the mysterie which was kept secret since the world began Rom. 16.25 Againe he calls it the wisedome of God in a mystery even the hidden wisedome which God ordained before the world unto our glory which none of the Princes of this world knew 1 Cor. 2.8 9. And as spirituall knowledge so our spirituall life is called a hidden life your life is hidden with God in Christ Col. 3.3 And as our life so our spirituall comforts are hidden therefore called Hidden Manna Rev. 2.17 All our spirituall estate is treasure and it is all hidden treasure so hidden that the Saints dig deepe to find it and when they have found it they hide it as Christ shewes us Mat. 13.44 speaking of the Kingdome of God which he compares to a treasure hid in the field the which when a man hath found he hideth He hideth it not to obscure it from the light but to secure it from danger Mary hid those pretious sayings of Christ her Son and her Saviour in her heart Luk. 2.51 And David having found the Commandements of God which he prized above any treasure above thousands of gold and silver he hid them in his heart Thy word saith he have I hid in my heart that I might not sinne against thee Psalm 119.11 Verse 22. Which rejoyce exceedingly and are glad when they can find the grave Having said that they long for death and dig for it as for hidden treasure Now supposing that they find death he shewes how it affects them they rejoyce exceedingly and are glad when they can find the grave There is little or no obscurity in these words only consider the emphasis of this expression the word which we translate rejoyce or rejoyce exceedingly noteth such a rejoycing as breakes forth in some outward gesture as when a man doth leape for joy And Mr. Broughton translates it thus which joy till they skip againe noting an extraordinary joy and gladnesse when they can find the grave that is when they die Yet some joyne the sense of this verse with the former to carry on or lengthen out the similitude thus Which long for death and digge for it as for hid treasures And finding death they are affected as they who seeking for treasures find a grave For if in digging they did but hit upon a grave then they thought themselves sure of treasure and great riches because treasure and riches was used to be put into graves as was shewed in opening the fifteenth verse of this Chapter The sense is faire and comes up to the same point from either of these expositions Observe hence first That What at one time we feare most in that at another time we may exceedingly rejoyce Death is dreadfull and the grave is a place of darkenesse yet here is joy and rejoycing yea exceeding joy and rejoycing when they find the grave Secondly They rejoyce in it but why It was that which they had longed for that which they had long sought for if at another time they had bin shewed the grave or commanded into the grave they would have taken little pleasure in it The same thing inflicted or threatned by another is dreadfull to us which desired by our selves is pleasant and delightfull It pleaseth us to have our desire satisfied though the thing desired be never so unpleasant And to be eased of present evill makes a future evill appeare in the likenesse of a persent good For Joy is an affection of the mind arising from the apprehension of some present good even as hope springs from the apprehension of some good that is to come Further We may consider the issue of all these acts after they had longed for death and digged for death and found death presently upon the finding of it they rejoyce and rejoyce exceedingly Hence observe That which any one truely desireth and endeavoureth to find causeth him to rejoyce when he hath found it If you desire death and seek for the grave the finding of these will be to you as life and as a house of mirth How much more then shall we rejoyce having found good things the best things after earnest longing and digging for them When the wise Merchant had found the treasure hid in the field the next words enforme us of his joy Matth. 13.44 When the man after long seeking on the mountaines had found his lost Sheepe and the woman after lighting her candle and sweeping her house and diligent search had found the lost groat they both rejoyced and called in their neighbours and friends to rejoyce with them Luk. 15. It troubles a man to be found of that or him whom he hates or feares Hast thou found me O mine enemy saith Ahab to Eliah 1 King 21.20 And it cannot but delight us to find that or him whom we love and long for Have I found thee O my friend will such an one say And if a miserable man rejoyces exceedingly when desiring he finds death and a grave how will the soule leape for joy when we shall find him who is the longing and desire of all Nations Jesus Christ. How exceeding exceedingly will the soule rejoyce when we shall find what we have so much longed for not death but life and life not only in Christ but with Christ when we shall find not the house of the grave but a house of glory and glory in the height an exceeding excelling superexcellent weight of glory And by this effect we may make proofe of grace here If thou hast found Christ in ordinances in duties in meditation in prayer in the promises for here in these things the longing soule diggs after Christ joy will at one time or other fill thy heart yea thy heart will leape for joy thou wilt rejoyce in Spirit as Christ did in his Father Luk. 10.21 For this joy is a fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 and one of the first fruits And God seldome misses to give the soule a tast of this joy at the first or presently after conversion though afterwards clouds may
come over us or at leasâ— our light of joy not be so cleare Further If a man long after any truth and digs it how exceeding joyfull will he be when he can find that truth When a Philosopher had found out the resolution of a question in the Mathematicks he was so ravisht with it that he ran about crying â— have found it I have found it Surely the finding of one Divine truth which is the mind of Christ should affect us more then the compleate knowledge of all that is knowable or can be known in the whole course of nature Every truth is beautifull but thâ— truths of God are beauty Thus we may try our desires in all theiâ— pursuits by this issue of them joy in finding the things which wâ— pursue Lastly observe That as he doth rejoyce so this joy answers to thâ— desire in the degree of it Proportionable to our desires and endeavours in seeking are our joyes and comforts when we have found There is not only a joy but a proportionable joy the desire was very great and the endeavour was very great and now the joy come up to both that is very great too not only doe they rejoyce buâ— they rejoyce exceedingly they rejoyce so as they skip for joy That is I am sure it ought to be more apparant in our regulaâ— desires after things good for us then in our irregular desires after things which are hurtfull to us If that exceeding desire after death will produce exceeding joy in death then exceeding desire afteâ— life and spirituall good things will work exceeding joy when wâ— have found them desire is that which widens the vessell to takâ— in abundance of joy large desires after any thing open the hearâ— and inlarge the faculties to take in abundance of joy when we havâ— found the thing which we desire JOB 3. Ver. 23 24 25 26. Verse 23. Why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in For my sighing cometh before I eate and my roarings are powred out like the waters For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me and that which I was afraid of is come unto me I was not in safety neither had I rest neither was I quiet yet trouble came AT the 20th verse of this Chapter Job begins to expostulate concerning the continuance of his life and he casts his complaint into an argument which was formed to his purpose thus There is no reason or if there be shew me a reason why his life is continued that liveth miserably and would die willingly But I am the man who live miserably and would die willingly therefore why is light or life continued unto me The former part of this argument is contained in the 20 21 22 23. verses In which Job demonstrates that there is no reason or at least if there be a reason it is such as he could not make out why that man should have his life continued who lives in misery and is willing to die Three of those verses we have already finished and there remaineth the 23. which is a part of the same reason to be yet opened In this 23th verse he as it were repeates his argument He had said before Why is light given to him that is in misery c. and so he doth illustrate it in the two verses following In this 23th verse he re-inforceth what he had said in other words Why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in He doubleth his call for a reason or proofe of this thing Why is light given Those words are not here expressely in the Hebrew but they are supplied by our Translatours and by Translatours in other Languages from the 20th verse to make up the sense The Originall runs thus To a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in But the question is implied as in the former and here to be prefixed Why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in Mr. Broughton readeth it without the question Why is light given thus The Wight or man whose way is hid over whom the puissant casteth a covering To a man whose way is hid Job speakes not here of a way in a proper sense the way wherein men travaile and passe in their journeyes from place to place but the way is a way in a Metaphor And so in Scripture the way of a man is taken First for the purpose or intention of a man Secondly for the course and conversation of a man and that either for the course wherein we walke toward others or for the course wherein others walke toward us When it is said here Why is light given to a man whose way is hid the way is either the course wherein Job walked respecting God or the course which God tooke respecting Job Why is light given to a man whose way is hid The way of a man in his walking before God is two-fold First Internall Secondly Externall There is an internall an inward way which the soule treads in converse with God a secret path a path which no eye hath seene And then there is the outward way of walking That speech of God to Abraham takes in both Walke before me and be perfect that is converse and carry thy selfe uprightly before me in thy affections and in thy actions Now when Job saith his way was hid he meanes neither of these for though the internall way whether it be the way of sinne or the way of obedience be a path so secret as that it is alwayes hid from the eyes of men yet Job knew well enough that God saw even that way and therefore he could not complaine that his most secret way was hid from God Yea in another place he comforts himselfe with this that God knew the secret wayes of his heart For when his friends accuse him and charge him with hypocrisie he supports himselfe with this My witnesse is above and my record is in Heaven there is one there that knoweth the way the secret way of my spirit with him to be sincerity though you charge the way of my spirit with hypocrisie The soule hath many wayes of communion with God which are altogether hidden from the eye of man man cannot see or discerne the private passages betweene God and the spirit either when the soule approves it selfe to God or rejoyceth and exults in God And as concerning this way this inward way as Job knew that it was not hid from God so I conceive it did not trouble him that this way was hid from man As there are in God certaine Arcana Consilij secret mysteries and hidden wayes of counsell which he will not communicate to holy men so there are in holy men Arcana pietatis some secrets some mysteries of godlinesse which they doe not communicate to the world and therefore the complaint doth not lye in either of these respects The Church
complained but she was check't for complaining that her way was hid from God Isa 40.27 Why sayest thou O Jacob and speakest O Israel My way is hid from the Lord and my judgement is passed over from my God Yet that place is not to be understood of a hiding from the eye of Gods inspection as if the Church had any suspition that the Lord did not know or did not see how matters went with them or in what condition they were but it is to be understood of the eye of Gods compassion There is a seeing eye or contemplating eye and a compassionating or succouring eye So the meaning of that complaint is only this Why sayest thou my way is hidden from the Lord that is why doest thou speake as if God did not regard thee in thy troubles as if God had no pitty nor compassion on thee no bowels toward thee why sayest thou my way is hid from the Lord In the third of Exodus when God comes to help the people of Israel he telleth Moses I have seene I have seene or I have surely seene namely with an eye compassionating their condition as the next words shew for I know their sorrowes Now when the Church complained that her way was hid from God her meaning was that God did not take notice so as to pitty and deliver her Excepting in that sense she could not conceive that her way was hidden from God neither is the way of the Church So hidden from God but as to our sense for the Lord pities his people when he corrects them and therefore Jacob is chidden for saying so Why sayest thou O Jacob my way is hidden from the Lord Therefore this Text is not to be understood of Jobs way in respect of God but of the hiding of Gods way or the hidden dealings of God toward Job My way is hid saith Job that I cannot understand nor interpret nor expound the meaning of Gods dealing with me I am not able to give an interpretation of it I know not what this thing meaneth My way is hid The way of Gods dealing with him was a hidden way in two respects First In regard of the cause of his affliction It was hidden from him why God had layed so sore and so heavy a burthen upon him and that is it which Elihu in the 34. of this booke ver 31 32. hints at where he telleth Job surely saith he it is meet to be said unto God that which I see not teach thou me He answers such a complaint as this I saith Job cannot see the reason why God doth afflict me Elihu tells him It is meet to be said unto God that which I see not teach thou me and if I have done iniquity I will doe so no more Lord if thou wilt shew me that my sin is the cause and what sin is the cause I doe here promise I will lay down my sin and through thy helpe doe so no more Or againe It was hidden in regard of the issue or event My way is hid that is I can see no passage out of this way I cannot tell when these troubles will end I see no helpe I have no glimpse of light breaking out to me in this way it is a darke a hidden way unto me This darkenesse troubles him as much as all his troubles And it is as if he had said I am so encompast with clouds that I walke in darkenesse and see no light My life is so entangled and wrapt up in troubles that I see no way of deliverance or escape And this exposition seemes most proper if we take in the latter part of the verse where he saith and whom God hath hedged in This explaines the hiding of his way to be the hedging of his way such an incompassing of him about with sorrowes that he could not make his way out In the first Chapter you may remember that Satan was much troubled that God had made a hedge about Job And now Job himselfe is much troubled that God had made a hedge about him I am the man saith he whom God hath hedged in That which before was the object of Satans envy is now become the object of Jobs complaint a hedge Sure then it was not the same hedge No that which Satan complained of and envied at was a hedge of mercy and a hedge of blessings a hedge of favour and of protection But this which Job complaineth of is a hedge of thorny troubles and of pricking sorrows The former was as we may speake a hedge of Roses and this was a hedge of Bryars That was a hedge so high and strong that no evill could come in to or breake through to annoy him And this was a hedge so high and strong that no good could come or be brought unto him So then take the sense thus Why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in that is why doth God continue my life when I am in such a condition as that I can neither discover the reason why I came into it nor am I able to discover any passage out of it And this is it which the Church complaines of Lament 3.7 He hath hedged me about that I cannot get out and verse 9. He hath enclosed my wayes with hewen stones God had built up a wall as it were by art with hewen stones he had set them so close together that there was no passing by no getting through Observe hence first That affliction is usually accompanied with much darkenesse Affliction is often called darknesse in Scripture And as it is darkenesse without so it often causeth darkenesse within An afflicted person hath such darkenesse upon his person that he cannot discerne many times either why God doth afflict him or when God will make an end of his afflictions That in the Prophet Isa 50.10 is true of outward afflictions as well as inward Who is there among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his servant that walketh in darkenesse Ther 's many an afflicted person walkes in a way hidden in a three-fold darknesse First The way is hid in the darkenesse of the cause for which he came into it Secondly The way is hid in the darkenesse of the event how to get out of it Thirdly The way is hid in the darkenesse of his present duty what to doe in it The way of affliction is often wrapt up and hidden in this threefold-darkenesse Further Seeing Job speakes of this as an addition to all his sorrowes and as the complement of them all that he was thus shut up and hedged in and that his way was thus darke in regard of the cause of it Observe That It increaseth an affliction greatly not to know the reason of an affliction or to have the way of Gods dealing hidden from our eyes It is a trouble not to see the reason of things The mind is exceedingly eased when the understanding hath light This
sorrowings are of the same continuance with my refreshings The phrase imports the un-intermittednesse as we may so speake of his sorrowes that he had no stop no breathing time which was not a sighing time no not for a meale time while he was eating with every bit of meate he had a morsell of sorrowes He might say as the Psalmist Psal 102.9 I have eaten ashes like bread and mingled my drinke with weeping when I drinke my teares flow into my cup When I take in a few drops of comfort I weepe out streames of sorrow Or my sighings come and returne so fast upon me that I have no time to eate my bread I am so plied and followed with these afflictions that I have no leisure to be comforted If at any time a man gets respite from his griefe it is when he eates how respitlesse then was Jobs griefe before whom sorrow and sighings sate as guests continually at his table My roarings are powred out like water As the former words shewed the continuance so this the extremity of Jobs sorrowes It is a great affliction that makes a man of spirit speake or complaine It is a greater affliction that makes a man of spirit weepe or mourne How great an affliction then is it which makes a man of spirit cry out and roare when a man of courage roares he is pained to purpose Job a man of spirit and courage doth not only sigh but roare Sighings are more secret sorrowes but roarings must be heard especially his roarings which were powred out like water Roaring is the Lyons voice and here is an allusion to the hungry Lyon roaring on his prey Or to the troubled waves of the sea which also are said to roare Excessive sorrow is often set forth by roaring Psal 22.1 Why art thou so farre from the voice of my roaring saith David typing the sorrowes of Christ I doe not only cry but I roare out unto thee Lord why doest thou not heare my strong cries cries like the roaring of the Lyon or the noyse of troubled waters So Psal 32.3 David to shew his extremity of paine and trouble while he kept in and did not confesse his sin speakes thus while I kept silence while I smothered my sin in secret I roared for the very disquietnesse of my soule silence in not confessing sin causes roaring under the guilt of sin Those are great burdens of sin and great burdens of sorrow that cause roaring My roarings are powred out like water This notes further yet the abundance and the strength of his sorrowes I am powred out like water I am as it were all melted into sorrowes is said of Christ in that Psalme of his passion Psa 22.14 I am powred out like water my heart in the middest of my bowels is like melted wax When the Prophet Ezekiel would shew how that people should be affected with the tidings of their afflictions he saith Every heart shall melt and all hands shall be feeble and every spirit shall faint and all knees shall be weake as water chap. 21.7 The Hebrew is all knees shall goe into water The sorrowes of repentance are exprest by the powring out of water to note both the abundance of them and the intensivenes of them in that known place 1 Sam. 7.6 They gathered together to Mizpeh and drew water and powred it out before the Lord that is they mourned abundantly and they mourned with all their strength How strong and abundant the sorrowes of Job were hath beene often shewed before and observations drawn down from them And therefore I shall need doe no more then cleare the words and give the sense It followeth For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me and that which I was afraid of is come unto me For the thing which I greatly feared The causall particle in the beginning doth not alway inferre a cause this verse is not a reason of what he spake before but this particle is often used in Scripture for affirmation or illustration and not as causall or by way of demonstration As Joh. 4.17 Christ tells the woman of Samaria Thâ—u speakest well I have no husband the Greeke is for I have no husband We translate it only by way of assertion So Mat. 7.23 Then will I professe unto them I never knew you the Greeke is then I will professe unto them for I never knew you we render it only as an asseveration So very frequent in the Hebrew the particle Chi which is here used hath in it only the force of an affirmation For the thing I greatly feared is come upon me that is certainely or assuredly the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me as if Job should make this as the conclusion and the summe of all his complainings this is it which now I must conclude that the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me and that which I was afraid of is come unto mee The thing which I greatly feared The Hebrew is I feared a feare and it is come upon me And so feare is in the Scripture frequently put for the thing feared by a Metanomy of the effect for the cause the abstract being put for the concrete As Prov. 1.26 I will mock when your feare cometh that is when the trouble which you feared shall come upon you As if Job should have said this evill is that which I have fore-seene and fore-thought I had such misgivings in my spirit long before this that such a black day might come upon me and I might be thus hedged in now I see my thoughts are come to passe and my conjectures prove true the thing which I feared and greatly feared is come upon me We translate well I greatly feared the Hebrew is I feared a feare Such expressions raise the sense As when we are said to be bought with a price it notes that there was a great price paid for our redemption To rejoyce with joy shewes the greatnesse of joy So here To feare a feare shewes that he was in a great feare as we translate I feared a feare I greatly feared Here it may be questioned whether these feares of Job were lawfull doth it become us to have such mis-givings of heart in respect of our outward condition The Apostle biddeth us be carefull in nothing Phil. 4 6. and was it a vertue or a grace was it commendable or so much as approveable in Job to be fearfull in all things Christ rebukes his Disciples because they were afraid in a storme and was it well in Job that he was fearfull in a Sun-shine when he had the fairest weather and prospered in all things Doth it become a godly man to be alwayes solicitous about his estate and doubting that troubles will come One would thinke there is trouble enough in troubles when they come a man should not trouble himselfe with them before they come Besides it is said Prov. 10.24 respecting wicked men that God will
often tutor'd his spirit with such questions as these and catechised his heart in them from day to day hence he saith The things I feared are come upon me To proceed I was not in safety neither had I rest nor was I quiet yet trouble came This is both an addition to and an exposition of the former verse These words explaine what he meant by saying I feared a feare even this I was not in safety neither had I rest c. I was not in safety No was not Job in safety in the dayes of his prosperity Is it not said that he had a hedge about him and such a hedge as the Devill could not breake thorough to hurt him and was not Job in safety then The Hebrew word from the roote Shalah doth also signifie I was not secure I was not in security or I did not sit safe in my own thoughts in my own opinion I did not live securely or without feare in my most flourishing dayes And from this root Christ is called Shiloh Gen. 49.10 The Scepter shall not depart from Judah till Shiloh come Christ is Shiloh that is he in whom all persons may securely trust you may sit downe in safety in Christ and rest your soules for ever he is Shiloh our preserver And the Hebrewes use that word to signifie that fleshie mantle in which the infant is wrapped in the mothers belly because the infant lieth there quietly and securely it is out of feare and hath no thought of any danger but lyeth securely out of barms way So that when Job saith I was not in safety he meanes I did not thinke my selfe safe or beyond the reach of danger I was not taken up in outward contentments I did not looke upon my possessions as perpetuities or upon my house as that which should endure for ever or my dwelling place to all generations Job was not like the great Monarch of Babylon Dan. 4.4 who said I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house it is the same word which is used in the Text I saith Nebuchadeezzar counted my selfe the greatest man in the world and I thought none could touch or molest me I was at rest and safe We have such a description made by the Prophet of a whole Nation as this King makes of his own person Jer. 49.31 Arise get ye up unto the wealthy Nation that dwelleth at ease or it is the same word to a Nation without either feare or care a secure Nation as it is explained by the words following which have neither gates nor barres which dwell alone If you come to a mans house that hath neither lock nor key nor doore nor barre you may well resolve that he dwelleth securely and is in safety And if you come to a City that hath neither gates nor barres you will say either this City hath no enemies or else it feares none A City without gates and barres is the embleme of security Jobs temper was directly opposed to this I was not in safety neither had I rest nor was I quiet These two latter expressions are of the same importance with the former both these words have been opened at the thirteenth verse of this Chapter both being there applied to rest and quietnesse in the grave There he said if he had died he had been at rest and quiet but all his life time he had no rest neither was he quiet But is this agreeable to the duty or character of a godly man to say he hath no rest he is not quiet Surely a godly man ought to be quiet when all the world is hudl'd together in confusion when the mountaines skip like lambes and the little hills like young sheepe then even then he ought to stand like mount Sion that cannot be moved And did it become Job or is it any part of his commendation that in the times of his peace he had no rest When the Prophet shewes the temper of wicked men he compares them to the troubled sea when it cannot rest Isa 57.20 It should seeme that Job was like a troubled sea for himselfe saith he could not rest I answer by distinguishing first of a two-fold rest There is a rest of contentation and a rest of confidence Job had not a rest of confidence he trusted not in his outward peace but he had the rest of contentation even in his outward troubles A wicked mans conscience is like a troubled sea when he enjoyes outward peace but Job enjoyed peace of conscience while his outward estate was like a troubled sea He was fully setled in his mind when he had no rest and was satisfied in spirit when he had not this quietnesse So that when he saith I had no rest neither was I quiet his meaning is only this I never placed my happinesse in these things I never built my hopes upon creatures I never trusted upon them nor expected much from them Or if you will more clearely apprehend the sense of this last verse you may reade it in that contrary practice of the rich man Luk. 12.19 His house was full but his heart was fuller of the creature and he made the creature both his rocke to build upon and his pillow to sleepe upon when his ground brought forth plentifully and he had built new barnes to lay up his fruits then he layes himselfe down to sleepe and that he might sleepe quickly and quietly he sings a requiem to his soule Soule thou hast much goods layed up for many yeares take thine ease eate drinke and be merry No face can be more unanswerable to a face Heaven and Hell light and darkenesse are not more unlike then these words of the rich man are unanswerable in likenesse to those words of Job That rich mans words are the affirmatives of all Jobs negatives and may be thus rendred in full sense I was and I resolved I should so continue in safety at rest and quiet Jobs estate was as full as his but his heart was emptied of all creature confidence and complacence I said he never thought my selfe the safer for these and therefore I said to my soule soule take not thy rest quiet not thy selfe in these This is his intent in saying I was not in safety neither had I rest nor was I quiet It followes Yet though it was thus with me trouble came though my heart was loose from the creature yet I lost all I had in the creature though I made not the world my comfort yet I found sorrow in the world I never expected much peace in it none at all from it yet trouble came such trouble came as might move and shake me to peeces Job you see when he had abundance of all outward things yet saith he was not in safety and at quiet hee did not rest in or upon them Hence observe A godly man never setteth up his rest in creatures Though he have never so much riches in possession yet he doth not make riches his portion
He lives by that caution Psal 62.10 If riches flow in or encrease yet set not thine heart upon them In the highest flood and spring-tide of worldly prosperity we should keepe our hearts within the channell When riches are encreased into a mountaine and to the eye of nature into a mountaine of rocks yet then doe not set thy heart upon them as upon a foundation so the Hebrew word imports to settle thy contentments All the creatures in Heaven and earth are not strong enough to beare the weight of a mans heart God only can doe that who is the rocke of ages or an everlasting strength Isa 26.3 all besides him is a foundation of sand and so a godly man takes them What nature lookes at as a foundation of rockes that grace sees to be a foundation of sand and therefore will not rest upon it neither indeed can it A godly man in his afflictions is as having nothing and yet possessing all things 2 Cor. 6.10 and in his aboundance he hath all things but possesseth nothing for he so possesses things as if he did not possesse them as the Apostles counsell is 1 Cor. 7.31 He marries as if he married not he weepes as if he wept not he rejoyces as if he rejoyced not he buyes as if he possessed not because the fashion of this world passeth away It was an excellent speech of Luther concerning worldly things I have protested that I will never be satisfied with the creature this is to be a Protestant indeed as well as in truth A godly man is an Epicure in Christ he would never play the Epicure but in Christ and in God In them and towards them he gives his affections their full swing and as a wicked man is said to enlarge his desires after the earth as Hell Hab. 2.5 so he enlarges his desires after Heaven as Heaven and complaines his desires are no larger In the thoughts of Christ he sits downe and would take his fill he saith I am safe in him I am quiet and at rest He saith to his soule soule doest thou see That Christ and doest thou take notice of those promises Thou hast goods layed up in him in them for many yeares yea for eternity soule take thine ease take it fully thou hast riches thou hast an estate that can never be spent soule eate drinke and be merry his blood is drinke indeed and his flesh is meate indeed joy in Christ is joy indeed unspeakeable joy here and fullnesse of joy hereafter In his presence there is fulnesse of joy and at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore Untill the soule pitches thus on Christ it is not in safety much lesse in rest or quiet As the needle in the compasse is in continuall motion till it points towards the North where as it is conceived there are rocks of Load-stone with which it sympathiseth So the soule is in continuall motion untill it points to Christ who we are sure is that living rock with whom all beleevers sympathise and the true Load-stone which attracts all beleevers to him A beleever like Noahs Dove finds no rest all the world over for the feete of his soule untill he returnes to this Arke of safety and salvation And therefore after all his flights and flutterings among the creatures he saith with the Psalmist returne unto thy rest thy Christ O my soule for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee Psal 116.7 Thou hast been abroad in the world and that like a narrow-hearted Master deales niggardly with thee If thou shouldest stay long either in the service of or dependance upon the world the world would starve thee Therefore returne unto thy rest in the Lord for the Lord hath dealt and will yet deale more bountifully with thee O my soule Lastly In that Job saith I was not in safety neither had I rest c. yet trouble came We may observe That the more our hearts are loosened from the creatures the more assurance we may have of enjoying the creatures It is as if Job had said I was not fastned to the world my heart was not engaged to any thing on this side Christ and this was the fairest the most probable way for the continuance of my outward comforts yet trouble came The redditive particle yet supposes somewhat in reason or probability at least that might have carried it another way As when the Prophet Amos reckoning up the judgements of God upon his people speakes to them thus in his Name chap. 4.6 8 9. I have sent you cleanenesse of teeth yet have you not returned unto me I have sent you the pestilence the sword yet have you not returned unto me The yet shewes there was great reason God should expect their returne or that he had done that which in all probability might have caused them to returne when he sent those judgements So here when Job saith I was not in safety c. yet trouble came The yet implies that there was somewhat even in that unquietnesse which gave him hopes of settlement in his outward comforts It seemes to carry such a sense in it as if he had in more words explained himselfe thus Had I dwelt securely and given my selfe up to the contentments of my flesh or trusted in an arme of flesh for safety I should not have wondred at my calamity or thought strange of my trouble But this is a riddle which I cannot yet expound that when my heart was no way set upon my estate my estate should fall That when I rested not in the creature I should meet with such troubles in the creature This is not the manner of God It is not usuall for God to doe thus in his dispensations toward his people and servants It is very rare that he takes their outward comforts from them when they are not taken with their comforts Hence it is as I apprehend that Job putteth it in with a yet trouble came This way of God with me is out of the ordinary course of providence I confesse Mercer a very learned commentator doth not favour this exposition of laying such a weight upon the particle yet and therefore renders the Originall Vau as a bare copulative I was not in safety c And trouble came Yet having the authority of our translation and the frequent use of the word to that sense in other places we may venture upon it yea I thinke it is no venture but a certaine advantage both to the Text and to our selves And I am certaine the position is true though the exposition should not prove so For the truth is troubles are never so neere as when we put them furthest off Nor is the world ever so unsure to us as when we make surest of it God often pulls their comforts from them whose hearts are glued to their comforts As it is said of those in the 1 Thes 5.3 when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction shall come upon
translated perfect in other Texts is rendered upright But when we have both the expressions together as here we must distinguish the sense It is not a tautologie Then the former being taken for inward soundnesse plainenesse and sincerity This latter to be upright may be taken for outward justice righteousnesse and equity respecting all his dealings in the world He was a perfect man that is he was plaine hearted and he was plaine dealing too which is the meaning of He was upright So the one referres to the integrity of his spirit the other to the honesty of his wayes His heart was plaine and his dealings were square This he expresseth fully in the 29. and 31. Chapters of this Booke which are as it were a Comment upon this word upright There you may reade what is meant by uprightnesse his fairenesse in all parts both of Commutative and Distributive Justice In those things that concerned Commutative Justice when Iob bought or sould traded or bargained promised or covenanted hee stood to all uprightly Take him as he was a Magistrate when Iob sate in Judgement or had any businesse brought before him he gave every one his due he did not spare or smite upon ends he did neither at any time justifie the wicked or condemne the godly but was upright in Judgement He was not byast by affection or interests he was not carried away by hopes or feares but kept the path of Justice in all his dispensations towards that people among whom he lived This is to be an upright man and so the Prophet tells us Isa 26.7 The way of the Iust is uprightnesse that is they are upright in their wayes and more uprightnesse in the abstract We have a like expression Prov. 29.27 Those that are upright in the way are an abomination to the wicked Uprightnesse doth referre to the way wherein a man goes in his outward dealings and dispensations towards men There is a two-fold uprightnesse of our wayes 1. Uprightnesse of words 2. Of works so upright walking is expounded and branched forth Psal 15.2 3. He that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousnesse and speaketh the truth in his heart He that back-biteth not with his tongue This is the second part of Iobs description He was perfect and upright Thirdly He was One that feared God Fearing God The feare of God is taken two wayes Either for that naturall and inward worship of God and so the feare of God is a holy filiall affection awing the whole man to obey the whole will of God That is feare as it is an affection Or the feare of God is put for the externall or instituted worship of God So that a man fearing God is as much as this A man worshipping God according to his owne will or according to his mind and direction Now when as Iob is said to be a man fearing God you must take it both these wayes He had that holy affection of feare with which we must worship God as we are taught Heb. 12.28 Let us have grace whereby wee may serve God with reverence and godly feare And serve the Lord with feare and rejoyce before him with trembling Psal 2. Feare is that affection with which we must worship and serve God And Iob likewise did performe that worship to God which he required this is called Feare and the exercise of it fearing God Fearing God is worshipping God As you may see clearely by two Texts of Scripture compared together In the fourth of Math. v. 10. Christ saith to the Devill It is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only thou shalt serve Compare this with Deut. 6.13 and there you shall have it thus exprest Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God That which in the one place is worship in the other is feare Againe Mat. 15.9 In vaine saith Christ doe they worship mee teaching for doctrine the commandements of men Now the Prophet Isaiah from whence that is taken Chapt. 29.14 expresseth it thus Forasmuch as their feare toward mee is taught by the precepts of men They worship me according to the precepts of men saith Christ Their feare is taught by the precepts of men saith the Prophet So that feare and worship are the same Fearing God doth include both the affection of a worshipper and the duty or act of worshipping The fourth part or line of Iobs character is his Eschewing evill Evill is here taken for the evill of sinne before sinne came into the world there was no evill in the world God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good But when sinne came which was the first and is the chiefest evill it brought in with it all other evills Sinne hath in it the whole nature of evill and all the degrees of evill and from it proceed all evill effects Hence is eminently called evill Sicknesse and death and Hell are called evill how much rather that but for which these evills had never bin how much rather that with which these compared may be called good Further evill is put here indefinitely He was one that eschewed evill not this or that evill but evill that is all evill this indefinite is universall And then further we are to take evill here as himselfe afterward expoâ—nds it in his practise not only for the acts of evill but all the occasions the appearances the provocations and incentives of or unto evill for whatsoever might leade him into evill for thus he instanceth in one particular I made a covenant with mine eyes why then should I thinke upon a maide Chap. 31.1 Eschewed In this word the prudence of Iob shines as bright as his holinesse who having received a great stock and treasure of grace now watches to preserve it and opposes whatsoever was destructive to the life or growth of the inner man That man shewes he hath both money and his wits about him who suspects and provides against Theeves Job eschewed evill There is much in that expression It is more to say a man doth eschew evill then to say a man doth not commit evill It had bin too bare an expression to say Iob did not commit evill but when it is said Job eschewed evill this shews that not only the hand and tongue of Iob did not medle with evill but that his heart was turned from evill For eschewing is a turning aside with reluctancy and abhorrency so the Hebrew Sar imports Iob did abhorre evill as well as not commit evill As there is a great deale of difference betweene these two the doing of good and a delight in doing good betweene being at peace and following of peace A man may doe good and not be a lover of good a lover of the Commandements of God a delighter in them he may be at peace and not be a lover and follower of peace So a man may be one that commits not such and such sinnes he may doe no hurt and yet in the meane time he may be one