this life is called the blood because 〈◊〉 contained or carried in the blood Gen. 9.4 Further it is 〈◊〉 observable that the Hebrewes call the Body seperated from 〈◊〉 soule or a dead corps Nephesh Numb 5.2 c. 9.10 c. 19.11 Hag. 2.14 Though the life be quite gone out departed from the carkasse or body of a dead man yet that dead body is called life or soule to note that it shall live againe and that the soule shall returne unto it The mistery of the Resurrection from death was implied in the name of the dead Wee find also that the Heathens called a dead body a soule possibly from some glimpse of the resurection We lay up a soule in the grave saith the Poet. Animamque sepulchro condimus But how is this worke put into Satans hand The saving of his life What is Satan become a saviour what salvation can we expect from him whose name is Apollyon and Abaddon Rev. 9.11 both which signifie a destroyer Shall we send to the Wolfe to save the Sheepe or to the Vulture to save the Dove Destruction is the delight of Satan and it is his way as he hath no hope to be saved himselfe eternally so no will to save others temporally Observe then That here to save life notes only a sparing from death not a delivering from destruction but a forbearing to destroy Satan saved his life negatively that is he did not take it away he can not save positively or restore that which was ready to perish he doth not save as a deliverer but as a murtherer who would kill his brother but cannot He saves not for want of will but for want of power when he is forced to spare his nature is to devoure This devouring Lyon hunts for the pretious life even when God saith Save his life It may be questioned here Why Satan for that is implyed desired so to destroy the life of Job God would never have limited and chained him up but that Satan had a mind to suck his blood or afflict him unto death These two reasons may be given why Satan would have his life The one might be this Because it was a thing doubtfull with him though he bragged much of it whether he should attaine his end or no to make Job curse God when therefore he saw he could not overcome his spirituall life it would have bin some revenge to him to destroy his naturall life As some wicked ones his agents when by all their threats or flatteries they cannot make a 〈◊〉 sin which is to destroy his spirituall life their revenge breakes 〈◊〉 against his naturall life to destroy that This is the method of persecution first to attempt the death of the soule by drawing or terrifying unto sin and if they faile of that then death is inflicted on the body Or againe in the second place he being doubtfull in himselfe though he made no doubt in words whether his plot would be successefull to make Job curse God he I say doubting this designe might not draw him to sin resolved to take away his life that so Job might never have told tales of his victory or have reported his conquest to the world At least by his death he might obscure the businesse and bury it with some slander saying that Job died with discontent and griefe that he blasphemed God when he died that he wished for death and could not hold out any longer Much like that device of some Jesuits who have blowne it abroad that our most zealous opposers of Romish errours whom they could never move either by writing or disputing while they lived have yet recanted all when they dyed Wherefore least Satan should have drawen a curtain over the glory of Jobs victory by aspersing him after his death the Lord saith Save his life Job shall survive his troubles that matters may come to light and a true report be made and left upon record both of thy implacable malice and enmity and of his invincible patience and sincerity And this may lead us yet further to consider why God was so carefull of that precious part his life For some may say Had it not been glory to God and honour to Job like that of Martyrdome if he had died under the hand of Satan holding fast his own integrity blessing God even unto death I grant this but yet God knew that the saving of his life would be more advantagious both to himselfe and his Job for those ends wherefore he saith Save his life destroy him not First thus God intended to make Job a Monument of mercy as well as a Monument of suffering he intended to set him up to all the world as one in whom they might behold the goodnesse of God in raising up mixt with his wisdome in casting down that men might learn hope from Job as well as patience from Job Therefore saith God Save his life I have somewhat else to do with him I will raise him up again and in him an everlasting Monument both of his patience in suffering and of my own power in restoring Indeed if he had died in the conflict and left his bones in the field he had been a wonderfull example of constancy but he had not been such an example of mercy if his life had not been saved There may be this in it too Save his life saith God I will have him preserved in this combate his courage and carriage in it is my delight God loveth to see his people holding out tugging and continuing in such assaults and temptations If any thing in the world gives delight to God this is the thing that delighteth him The Heathen thought this the sport of their gods Seneca in his Book of Providence speaking of Cato and other gallant Romane spirits saith the gods delighted to look upon them in their conflicts with fortune To see them wrastle with some great calamity with some great danger was such a spectacle as would draw off Jupiter from his greatest businesse It is a most certain truth that the most true God doth love and delight to see his children wrastling with some great calamitie to see a poor man man who is but flesh and bloud wrastling with principalities and powers with the devill and powers of darknesse this is a sight that God himself as we may so speak rejoyceth in When Abraham had finished that great combate about sacrificing his sonne he calleth the place Jehovah-jireh the Lord will see or the Lord doth see the Lord doth behold as if that had been a sight which God himselfe came down to look upon As when some great man or strange shew passeth by we goe out to see it so God cometh down upon mount Moriah to see a sight And what was it To see Abraham in that great temptation assaulted and overcomming Here was a spectacle for the great Jehovah and therefore he cals the place Jehovah-jireh the Lord hath seen I doubt not but this place
upon the earth must needs lye out of the common course And what their condition is is such a secret as we cannot understand but by enjoying it Againe from that particular expression in that he saith I should have slept We may observe That as death it is the rest of the whole man so death it is the sleepe of the body So you find it often in the Scripture Our friend Lazarus sleepeth saith Christ when he was dead Joh. 11. And the Apostle 1 Thes 4.13 I would not have you ignorant concerning those which sleepe that is concerning those who are dead Lighten mine eyes saith David lâ—st I sleepe the sleepe of death or as the Hebrew Lest I sleepe death Psal 13.3 And hence the grave is called a bed Isa 57.2 The righteous are taken away c. they shall enter in to peace they shall rest in their beds When a righteous man dies or is taken away he is but gone to bed Therefore we call those places where the dead are laid up and buried dormitories or sleeping places Both the Greek and Latine words meete in the same signification Some of the Ancients were of opinion that this sleepe tooke hold of and seaz'd upon all man namely upon his soule as well as upon his body Asserting that the soule is in a sleepe or slumber that is that the soule from the time of its disunion from the body untill the resurrection lyes still without any motion or operation I giant that many operations of the soule doe cease when it parteth from the body There are some acts of the soule which are organicall and there are other acts that are inorganicall or immateriall The organicall acts that is whatsoever the soule acts by the members of the body those acts I say must needs cease but the soule can act of it selfe without the assistance of the body as we may collect by many experiments while our bodies and soules are joyned together How often doe we find our soules at worke when our bodies lie still and doe nothing when sleepe binds up all our sences and shuts up the windowes of the body so close that we can neither heare nor see yet then the soule frames to it selfe and beholds a thousand various shapes and heares all sorts of sounds and voices then the soule sees and the soule heares the soule deviseth and the soule discourseth the soule greeves and the soule rejoyceth the soule hopes and the soule feares the soule electeth and the soule refuseth All this the soule doth in dreames and visions of the night when deepe sleepe falls upon man So also in extasies and ravishments the body is as it were laid by as uselesse and uninstrumentall to the soule I knew a man in Christ about fourteene yeares agoe so the Apostle Paul saith whether in the body I cannot tell or out of the body I cannot tell God knoweth 2 Cor. 12.2 As if he had said I was lost as to my body I could not tell what I was I did not feele my selfe yet he had mighty operations in his soule his spirit wrought strangely and then tooke in such revelations of God and from God as his bodily organs could never fashion into words or represent by speech He heard unspeakeable words which it is not lawfull or possible for man to utter The soule hath an eare to heare such words as the body cannot find a tongue to expresse So the Apostle John in his divine ravishments I was in the Spirit upon the Lords day As for his body that was as to that businesse laid by and suspended as uselesse in that day and his spirit called up to that angelicall worke the receiving of visions and revelations from on high And among other things which John saw he saw under the Altar the soules of them that had beene slaine for the word of God and for the testimony which they held These soules were not asleepe though their bodies were for they cried with a loud voice saying How long O Lord Holy and true doest thou not judge and avenge our blood c. Rev. 6.9 10. From all these texts and experiences we may conclude that the soule wakes while the body sleepes that sleepe of death And the death of the body is called a sleepe First Because as sleepe so death brings the body to rest as was observed in the former point Secondly Naturall sleepe is not perpetuall we sleepe and wake againe so though the body lye in the grave yet death is but a sleepe the man shall awake and rise againe Thirdly As a body asleepe can easily be awaked and called up by the power of man so the body when it is dead can with infinitely more ease be raised by the power of God It is but a call from Heaven and we awaken out of the dust God can beyound all comparison more easily awaken us from that dead sleepe of death then we can awaken one another from the lightest slumber There are two questions which I shall propound and endeavour to resolve upon the whole matter of this context First We find Job complaining because things were not otherwise ordered about him he is troubled because he was borne or because he was not cast away in the birth for then it had been better with him he had beene asleepe and quiet he was troubled things were with him as they were Hence it may be questioned Whether it be lawfull for us to wish or to desire that had not come to passe which we see come to passe And are we not bound to rest satisfied with the present and fore-past dispensations of God and so be content with the things that are or with things as they are For this I say in generall such wishes or desires are not sinfull It is not absolutely sinfull to wish that not to be which is Nay some things which are ought to be wished they had not bin and it is a sin not to wish they had not been As those things that are displeasing to God provocations to the eyes of his glory things that are dishonourable to God we ought to wish that such things had never been God himselfe wisheth in that manner Psal 81.13 O that my people had hearkned unto me and Israel had walked in my wayes They did not walke in his wayes he wisheth they had he desireth they had been better more holy and more obedient then they were To wish that a thing had not been out of a tendernesse that God should be offended by sin is not only lawfull but very commendable But to wish things otherwise then they are as murmuring against and misliking Gods administration or out of a tendernesse because we suffer is not only sinfull but abominable When our wills rise up against the will of God when we cannot be contented to be what God will have us to be and to suffer what God would have us suffer when we who should learne to be content in every
that God takes us out of the wombe a great support to faith in greatest troubles p. 391. Vntimely birth what and why so called p. 423. Bitter day is a day of trouble p. 360. Bitternesse of soule notes the deepest sorrow p. 442. Blasphemy what pa. 218. The Holiest persons subject to the most blasphemous temptations p. 286. Blessing three wayes 1. Man blesses man 2. Man blesseth God 3. God blesses man what p. 117. All successe from the blessing of God p. 119 120. God delights to blesse those who are laborious ib. The blessing of God is effectuall p. 121. To blesse God what 213. The best outward blessing may be turned into a crosse p. 273. Bodies of the Saints abused and tortured here on earth p. 255. Booke of Job who supposed the pen-man p. 5. The subject principall p. 6. Collaterall p. 7.8 The parts and divisions of it p. 8 9 c. The scope and uses of it p. 10 11 c. C CAlling Every man ought to have a calling p. 120. Cattell the riches of the Patriarchs and why p. 38 c. Chemarims Idolatrous Priests why so called p. 360. Chrildren are blessings p. 34. A greater blessing then riches ib. The more children the more blessing ib. 35. Best to have most sons ib. To have daughters and sons the compleate blessing ib. Many Children no hindrance either of piety or equity p. 36. Love and concord among children is the fathers speciall blessing p. 48. Lawfull delight is to be permitted our children p. 54. Children at full age not out of their parents care p. 55. Childrens soules chiefely to be cared for ib. Parents ought to pray in speciall for every child p. 65. Jobs losse of his children his greatest losse shewed in 5. considerations p. 167 168. Christ His presence makes any place or condition comfortable p 431. That the heart of a beleever is never at rest but in Christ p. 475 476. Cloud what it is and what it signifies in Scripture p· 358. Conception of children the worke and blessing of God p. 389. Counsellours Their power to hurt or doe good among Kings and Princes p. 411. Creatures the best creatures left to themselves will undoe themselves p. 83. Cursing What is meant by cursing God in the heart p. 70 71 c. Cursing hath three things in it p. 131. What to curse God to his face p. 133 218. What it is to curse a thing or person p. 327. A curse containes all evill as blessing all good p. 328. Man is but the minister of any curse p. 330. In what sense the irrationall creatures are capeable of a curse p. 331. D DArkenesse Divers sorts p. 347. A darke day is a sad day p. 348. It staines the beauty of the creature p. 357. Day What it is to regard a day p. 350. Death Suddaine death no argument of Gods disfavour p. 173. Death may surprize us eating therefore be holy in eating p. 173 174. Death shakes us out of all our worldly cloathing p. 200. Death It is sinfull absolutely to wish our own death though we are in paines more painefull then death p. 284. Satan perswades that death is an end of all troubles p. 285. He would make men willing to die when they are most unfit to die p. 285. Death is the totall rest of the godly only p. 400. The outward rest of all p. 403 Death In death we have a 4. fold rest p. 403. Death is the sleepe of the body p. 404. Why so called p. 405. Their opinion refuted who say the soule sleepes when the body dies p. 404 405. No power or policy can prevent death p. 417 436. In death all are equall ib. In what sense we may desire death p. 447. Many afflictions to our feeling are worse then death p. 450. Death finds some before they looke for it others looke for death and cannot find it p. 451. Not to die is a punishment to some in this life and it will be an everlasting punishment to all the damned p. 451. Degrees in grace God hath servants of al sizes p. 103. We ought not to set up our rest in a low or lower degree of grace p. 118. Desire It is not alwayes a mercy to have our desires granted p. 137 138. It is an affliction to nature to be debar'd of what it desires though the thing desired be destructive to nature p. 452. True desires produce endeavours ib. Proportionable to the strength of desire is the strength of endeavour ib. Desires obtained fill with joy p. 455. And with joy proportionable to those desires p. 456. Devills not in fullnesse of torment yet p. 89 90. Diseases Satan can smite the body with diseases if God permit him p. 266. No disease can weare out the markes by which Christ knowes us p. 314. Division and disunion a great curse p. 362. E ENd We should resolve upon our end before we undertake any action p. 310. A wise man proposes sutable ends i. e. Man may propose his end but he cannot reach it p. 307. Eschewing evill more then the not committing of evill p. 28 29. A godly man doth not only forbeare but eschew sin all sin and all the occasions of sin p. 33. Evill of sinne Why sin called evill p. 28. Satan would perswade us to ease our selves of troublesome evills by committing sinfull evills p. 284. Affliction in what sense called evill p. 291. Evill of punishment or affliction considered as coming from God may be borne with more quietnesse p. 292. Because we receive all good from God it is equall that we should patiently beare evill p. 294. Exposition of Scripture very usefull p. 1 2. Exposition of Scripture to the heart the sole priviledge of Christ p. 2. Exposition of Scripture by our lives most excellent p. 2 3. Eye How the sight of the eye wounds the heart either with sin or sorrow p. 393. Also that the sight of the eye affects the heart with joy p. 394. F FAce of God what p. 142. Favour of God makes our worst outward troubles comfortable p. 350. The blessing of the creature depends wholy on the favour and respect which God shewes it p. 351. Feare of God taken two wayes both described p. 27. Moral honesty without the feare of God commends us not to God p. 31. Feare containes every grace p. 32. Feare keepes the life cleane p. 32. What it is to feare God for nought p. 105 c. Whether it be lawfull in times of comfore to feare troubles p. 466. Divers sorts of feare p. 467 c. To feare a feare what it imports p. 466. Holy wisedome bids us feare so as to prepare for evill in our best dayes p. 469. The more we thus feare the lesse we shall feele troubles p. 471. Feasting is lawfull p. 49. Seven rules given about feasting p. 50 c. Feastings anciently in the night p. 364 Fire of God why so called p. 160. Foole and wicked the same p. 287. Low thoughts of God and
those to doe it to whom he giveth his power strength and wisdom There is no meere creature could be strength and security enough for us against our great malicious and mighty enemies therefore God himselfe either is or makes the hedge There is no strength in man but Satan can over-match it Satan can over power all the strength and out-wit all the wisdome that is in the creature Flesh and blood are no match for a spirit And we wrestle not against flesh and bloud but against Principalities and Powers and spirituall wickednesse in high places Ephes 6.12 But if God makes an hedge about us it is not in the power of all the enemies in the world whether men or devils to make a gappe in it they are sure that are under the protection of God They that dwell in the secret place of the most high they shall abide safe under the shadow of the Almighty Ps 91.1 Fifthly You see here how farre the hedge goeth an hedge not onely about his person and houshold but about all that he hath Take the meanest thing that Job hath God protects it and hedgeth it about Then we may note this That God hath an especiall care and doth exceedingly price even the meanest thing that belongs to one of his servant God would not bestow an hedge about it if he did not prize it A man will not hedge or wall that about which he doth not value God highly values the meanest thing that belongs to one of his servants The Psalmist saith Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints But not only is the bloud the life of the Saints precious in the sight of God but every member every haire of their head is precious God numbers these Not only are their children precious but every thing that 's called theirs their servants their houshold their cattell their Oxen their Asses whatsoever they have is all precious in the sight of God Lastly Observe That Satan hath a deadly spight not onely against the persons of the godly but against every thing that belongs unto a godly man Satan would not only hurt and annoy them in their persons but in every thing that 's theirs If God if we may so speake with reverence should leave but a dogge that belongs unto one of his servants unguarded Satan would doe it a mischiefe Satan would be doing at the least thing rather then not doe mischiefe If he cannot destroy our soules he would be at the very haire of our heads therefore Christ to comfort the Disciples in the time of trouble assures them that the very haires of their heads were numbred As if he should say God will have an account of every haire the enemies cannot pull off a haire but God will call them to a reckoning for it And it notes too that the enemies will take hold of any thing that belongs to the people of God if they cannot get all they will get a haire if they can why else is it exprest that the very haires of their heads are numbred Those words at once intimate Gods care of all and Satans malice against all It followeth Hast thou not made an hedge about him c. Thou hast blessed the worke of his hands and his substance is increased in the Land Thou hast blessed The root Barac which from the word here used doth signifie to bow the knee as well as to blesse because men used to how the knee in blessing God or man Blessings are carryed three wayes First From man to man one man blesseth another There were Propheticall or extraordinary blessings as Isaack blessed Jacob and Jacob blessed his sonnes upon his death-bed and there is a popular or ordinary blessing to wish well to another is to blesse another every time we pray for our friends we blesse our friends So man from man Secondly Man blesseth God and then man blesseth God when he praiseth God when he takes notice of and returnes thankes for the blessings received from God Blesse the Lord O my soule c. Psal 103.2 and forget not all that is forget not any of his benefits Thankfully to remember benefits is to blesse the Lord. The Cup in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is called the Cup of Blessing 1 Cor. 10.16 because therein we commemorate the death of Christ and render thanks to the Name of the Lord for the unspeakeable benefits conveighed to us by his blood Thirdly as here in the Text God blesseth man Now God blesseth man when he causeth that to prosper which man undertakes Mans blessing unto man it is only a wish an optative blessing but Gods blessing unto man is an operative blessing as Aquinas expresseth it Dei benedicere est benefacere when God wisheth us good he doth us good So then the sense is Thou hast blessed that is thou hast caused him to prosper and thrive in what he undertakes as we shall see in the object of the blessing Thou hast blessed the worke of his hands The worke of his hands We are not to understand it strictly for manuall or hand labours as if Job were a man imployed in ordinary manual services in the labour of his hands but according to an ordinary use of speech amongst the Hebrewes and likewise amongst other Nations by the worke of the hands is understood any kind of labour any kind of businesse whatsoever As it is said of Christ Isa 53.10 that the pleasure of the Lord did prosper in his hands Now the worke that Christ had to doe was not a handy worke yet it did prosper in his hands that is he managing and going about it it did prosper and tooke successe It was effectuall for the redemption and salvation of his people This was prospering of the worke in his hands In this sense the worke of the head may be called the worke of the hands the worke of the tongue the worke of the hands any worke any businesse that a man doth may be called the worke of his hands So then Thou hast blessed the worke of his hands that is thou hast blessed every thing that Job goeth about as a Magistrate as a Minister or as a Master of a Family in any of in all his relations thou hast caused his endeavours to prosper In the 28th of Deuteronomie an universall blessing is thus promised vers 6. Blessed thou shalt be when thou commest in and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out betweene those two are contained all the labours and undertakings of that people by their going forth is meant the beginning of their labours and by their comming in is meant the end and conclusion of their labours so that beginning and ending when they set their hands to a businesse and when they tooke their hands from a businesse they should be blessed that is they should have a through blessing upon all their labours So here Thou hast blessed the worke of his hands that is every thing he putteth
he had many weakenesses upon him yet he preached the Gospell And then it followes in the next verse My temptation which was in my flesh you despised not observe he calleth his bodily infirmity a temptation The afflictions of the body are great temptations to the soule It is very considerable to this purpose what the Apostle James saith when he speaks of the severall conditions of the Saints and their duties in them Chap. 5. v. 13 14. Is any man afflicted let him pray he speakes that in generall Is any man merry let him sing Psalmes Is any man sick Is he pained by sicknesse in his body What shall he doe then He doth not say Is any man sick let him pray but Is any man sick let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him As if he should say A sick man is very unfit to pray himselfe though for himselfe he hath need to call others to pray with him and for him he hath enough to doe to wrastle with his pain and conflict with that affliction In other afflictions let him pray but if he be sick let him send for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him A diseased body unfits the mind for holy duties The prayer of sick Hezekiah is called chattering like a Crane or Swallow so did I chatter Isa 38. it was rather chattering then praying such a disquietnesse and uncomposednesse was upon his spirit thorough or by the infirmity of his flesh Paine is a piercing shaft in Satans quiver of temptations Though the spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmity yet oftentimes a wound in the body wounds the soule and the diseases of the flesh make the spirit sick A wounded spirit no man can beare and a wound in the body is a burden too heavy for many men And if it be so Then the pain and the weaknesse of the body is no advantage to repentance and returning unto God How pittifully are they mistaken who put off repentance till their bodies be in paine till they are sick and weake they doe it upon this ground because when they are in paine they thinke they shall repent with more ease Observe if Satan thinks to have such an advantage upon a holy man as to make him blaspheme when he is in paine doest thou thinke paine will be an advantage to thy repentance It is said that at the powring out of the fourth Viall Rev. 16.9 when God did smite the inhabitants of the earth and scorched them with great heat that they blasphemed the Name of God they did that which Satan presumed Job would doe and they repented not to give him glory It is a woefull thing to put off repentance to a pained body paine in its own nature fits us rather to blaspheme and turne from God then to returne to him Never thinke to have helpe for the cure of your soules by the diseases of your bodies usually we find that either sick persons repent not or theirs is but a sickly repentance At the most paine can but restraine your lusts it can never heale them The actings of some sins are quickned by diseases At the most a disease can but abate the acts of sin it can never destroy the life of it Death it selfe cannot kill sin The sins of wicked men live when they are dead the grave cannot consume them no nor the fire of Hell wast their strength the sins of unbeleevers shall remaine not only in their guilt but in their power to all eternity So much of Satans motion But put forth thy hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face Verse 6. And the Lord said unto Satan Behold he is in thy hand but save his life Here we have the Lords grant unto that motion of Satan He is in thy hand but save his life Thou mayest doe with his bone and his flesh what thou wilt He is in thine hand We have opened what it is to have a thing put into the hand in the former Chapter where the same expression is used therefore I shall passe those words here Note only this that the Lord saith here He is in thy hand to prevent Satans cavill as if he had said Thou movest me to touch his bone and his flesh well lest thou shouldest say that I have dealt too gently with him and have smitten him with favour I will put the rod or staffe into thine hand doe thou with 〈◊〉 bone and his flesh what thou canst spare him not We know the Lord is able to strike stronger stroakes and give deeper wounds infinitely then Satan can if he pleaseth yet the love of God to his children stops his hand and breakes the blow He corrects in judgement and debates in measure Isa 27.8 when he strikes his children he strikes them as children gently Thus 2 Sam. 7.14 speaking of Davids family If he commit iniquity saith God I will chasten him with the rod of men the word there used is Enosh which signifies a weake man I will chasten him with the rod of a weake man of one that hath but a weake arme or hand the hand of a sickly fraile man A weake a sickly man cannot strike very hard Thus saith God I will chasten thy children if they commit iniquity they shall rather see my care then feele my power in their corrections Now I say lest Satan should pretend partiality God puts Job into Satans hand and gives him liberty to lay on as hard as his hand acted with utmost malice could smite him thou hast liberty to smite him into the very valley of the shadow of death to bring him so neere death that he may looke into the graves mouth but no further Save his life Here is Satans chaine the limitation or restraint of his power When God puts any of his servants into Satans hand he keepes Satan in his owne hand And as all the Elect are in Gods hand to keepe them from taking hurt so the Devill is in Gods hand to keep him from doing hurt to his Elect. Save his life The word Nephesh here used signifieth properly the soule and the soule is in Scripture often put for the life because the soule is the spring the fountaine of life life is derived or diffused into the body from or by the soule and as soone as the soule is parted from the body life departs Hence both this Hebrew word and the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have their names from breathing or respiring For life goes out when breath goes out when we cease breathing we cease living Our life is but a blast a breath the Lord formed man out of the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrills the breath of life and he became a living soule Gen. 2.7 This is that vitall spirit by which all quick things move therefore Beasts Birds Fish and creeping things are called living soules Gen. 1.20 24. And
especially not those who beleeve For in the person of such the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 5.2 We know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternall in the Heavens All that rich worldlings and ungodly great ones can say when they die is We know when the earthly house of this Tabernacle shall be dissolved we have a building of man a stately Tombe made with hands and with all the skill of the cunning artificer We have seene it done already or we have taken order in our wills to have it done The beleever erects his pillar in Heaven and his whole life is a preparation for his house which is above And often he settles the businesse so that he can say I know that when this house of my body is taken downe I have a building c. And he can say I know with farre greater assurance then any worldly man who hath sealed it in his will that thus and thus his body shall be entombed It is a sad thing to take care for a rotting carkasse and forget an immortall soule Job having thus paraleld or compared himselfe in death with Kings Counsellours and Princes notwithstanding all their pompous funeralls and curious Tombes passeth as it were in the next verse to the other extreame Verse 16. Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not beene as infants which never saw light As if he had said if any thinke that I have strained too high in making my selfe equall in death with Kings c. yet surely I should have beene as those that never knew themselves to be in this world or as those that the world never knew to be that is As an hidden untimely birth or as infants which never saw light An hidden untimely birth The word Nephel in the Hebrew for an untimely birth comes from Naphal which signifieth to fall downe or to fall off as untimely fruite falls off from a Tree which falling off before it is ripe is unprofitable and uselesse When the mother miscarries her fruit is like the fruit of a tree shaken off and falling downe before it be ripe or in the blooming And the same word is used in the Hebrew to signifie a Giant There were Nephilim Giants in the earth in those dayes Gen. 6.4 and the reason why they are so called is as some apprehend because they were Apostates such as fell off from God from true worship and Religion Or because they did fall upon men as that phrase is applied to cruell men they did fall upon the poore So the word is used chap. 1. ver 15. of this Booke The Sabeans fell upon Jobs Oxen c They who fall from God by impiety will quickly fall upon men by cruelty Or because the dread and terrour of them made men to fall downe for feare before them It is very observable that the same word should signifie an infant of lesse then a span long and a Giant it may be of more then six cubits and a span 1 Sam. 17.4 and both upon equall reason and with equall significancy Further we may take notice that the Hebrewes expresse any dead body or carkasse by the same word the dead body of the oldest man is called Mappeleth from the same roote and reason too in part from which they denominate an untimely birth that never lived a day When the old man dies he falls as well as the newly conceived embryon The one falls off as a blossome from the tree the other as the fruitfully ripe which if you pull it not off must fall off The Greeke word for a dead body and the Latine have the same reason of their derivation namely from falling So saith Job I had been as one of these untimely births that fall to the earth before their time The Apostle Paul saith concerning himselfe 1 Cor. 15.8 I was as one borne out of due time I was an untimely birth Some of the naturalists say that word signifies such abortions as are after the seventh and before or at the fortieth day after conception Others that it signifies those who are borne the eighth moneth which usually as they are untimely so they die Now Paul calleth himselfe an untimely birth to suite the humble thoughts which he had of himselfe with an humble expression of himselfe which reason he seemes to give in the next words ver 9. For I am the least of the Apostles that am not meete to be called an Apostle c. Even as an untimely birth is not fit to be called a birth or because children that are so borne are very imperfect they are lesser and weaker then those of full growth So saith he I am as a poore abortive as a child borne out of due time I am the least of the Apostles and I am lesse then the least of all Saints Ephes 3.8 I am not come to that stature and growth of a timely birth Secondly He calleth himselfe an untimely birth or one borne out of due time probably for this reason because of the suddennesse or violence of his conversion For you know every abortion or untimely birth comes from some suddaine danger into which the mother falleth some straine or violence causeth abortion Paul in this sense was an untimely birth his conversion was a wonderfull violent conversion Christ came upon him of a suddaine whereas the other Apostles were a great while a forming a shaping a fitting to an Apostleship but Paul was as it were in a moment conceived and borne brought forth and perfected an Apostle and so from the suddennesse and violence of his new-birth he may call himselfe an unimely birth But to passe on from that to the words of Job As an hidden untimely birth I had not been Here are two things distinct about this birth First It is called an untimely birth Secondly a hidden birth An untimely birth is called a hidden birth because it is hid from the eyes of others Abortives are unpleasing and undesireable spectacles therefore they are covered and laid by there is no remembrance of their forme or likenesse therefore Salomon speaking of an untimely birth Eccles 6.4 thus describes it He commeth in with vanity and departeth in darkenesse and his name shall be covered with darkenesse As a hidden untimely birth I had not beene An untimely birth is said not to have been A not being is taken two wayes First Strictly for that which never had any life at all and so some interpret this for there are abortions or untimely births before quickning or before there is any life Secondly Not to be is not to subsist or not to live When that which hath lived dies it is said not to be The Prophet brings in Rachel weeping for her children and would not be comforted because they were not Jer. 31.15 that is because they were dead Josephs bretheren pleading before unknowne Joseph tell him thy servants are
bitter in soule We may frame his argument thus out of his words as they are here couched There is no reason or if there be shew me a reason why his life should be prolonged who liveth miserably and would die willingly But I am the man who live miserably and I would die willingly wherefore then where is the reason or shew me a reason why my life is prolonged That is the force of his argument The maine Proposition of the argument is contained in the 20 21 22 23. verses namely that there is no reason why a man that liveth miserably should be denied to die wherefore is light given to a man that is in misery He endeavours to prove the Assumption at the 24th verse where he shewes that he lived in great misery which he doth amplifie in the two last verses of the Chapter This may serve for the summe and scope or intendment of this last Section To the words themselves Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery Wherefore There is a wherefore in Scripture first of doubting and secondly there is a wherefore of mourning and thirdly a wherefore of complaining In this wherefore in this question we may include all three Job doubteth and Job mourneth and Job complaineth Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery Wherefore is light Light Some take light here for knowledge Wherefore hath a miserable man so much knowledge to see himselfe and to know himselfe miserable It is some abatement to the sense of misery not to know that we are miserable Wherefore is light given If I did not understand the sadnesse of my condition it would be lesse to me There is a truth in that and it is the thing that will so much torment and vex the damned to all eternity that while they are in the darknesse of hellish misery they shall have so much light in Hell I meane the light of knowledge concerning their own condition whreby they shall fully and clearely discerne their unhappinesse If they were ignorant and did not know how miserable they were their estate were farre lesse miserable On earth the light of the knowledge of Gods will encreases the sin of men in Hell the light of the knowledge of their own woe will be an encrease of their punishment As Christ saith to the Jewes Joh. 9.41 If ye were blind ye should have no sin but now ye say we see therefore your sin remaineth So we may say of those who are seperated from Christ for ever if ye were blind ye should have no sorrow but now because in that estate of utter darknesse ye shall have both eyes and light to see your misery therefore your sorrow shall remaine When a wicked man goes to the generation of his fathers where he shall never see light sc of comfort Psal 49.19 even then he shall have light enough and more then he would have to see his sorrow And in Hell he shall be as much pained with and hate the light of his own condition as upon earth he hated and was pained with the light of divine revelation Joh. 3.20 c. So that the damned shall for ever cry out Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery Yet I take not this to be the sense here Wherefore is light by light here understand naturall light and then it is no more but this Why doe mine eyes yet behold the Sunne Wherefore doth the light shine upon me whenas I am under the clouds and in the darknesse of this condition Or by light we may understand life and so the sense is Wherefore is life continued which is expressed in the next clause to him that is in misery To be in misery is more then to be miserable As to be in the flesh notes a meere carnall man and to be in the spirit notes a very spirituall man so to be in misery notes a very miserable man The Hebrew word properly signifies labour At the tenth verse it was translated sorrow And it notes any toilesome melestation which either we our selves endure Psal 25.18 or cause others by guile or mischiefe done them to endure Hence it is translated guile Psal 55.11 and mischiefe Psal 94.20 because by these one man troubles and vexes another to the making of him miserable And life to the bitter in soule Life is the union of soule and body when life departeth soule and body take leave and part the Philosopher defines life to be the bond or colligation of soule and body together Now saith Job why is this life why is this bond continued to a man whose soule is in bitternesse while my life was pleasant it was pleasant to live while my soule was sweet it was sweet to have it knit to my body but now my soule is in bitternesse or I am bitter in soule and what sweetnesse or pleasure can I find in my body To be bitter in soule notes deep intrinsicall or inward sorrow the greatest sorrow makes the soule bitter As in Scripture when we find Soule added respecting the evill of an estate or the good of an estate evill and good are meant in the highest degree As when Christ saith Mat. 26.38 My soule is exceeding heavy or exceeding sorrowfull even unto death that is I am in the lowest deepes of sorrow Sorrow unto death is sorrow within one step or degree of death My soule is sorrowfull there can be no sorrow but in the soule the body take it as a distinct from the soule is not capable of sorrow sorrow is a passion or an affection of the soule an affection of the mind and therefore all sorrow is seated in the mind yet when our Lord Christ saith My soule is exceeding sorrowfull It is farre more then to have said there is sorrow or exceeding much sorrow in my soule So here this phrase To him that is bitter in soule or whose soule is bitter Notes the most bitter and grievous sorrow When the Psalmist would set forth the great sorrow of Joseph in prison Psal 105.18 One translation saith that the iron entred into his soule and the Hebrew word for word is this his soule came into iron We know the soule is so pure and spirituall that iron cannot enter it We know that only the body can be bound with chaines The soule could quickly slip from the most watchfull keeper and breake out from the strongest irons were it not to keepe company with the body Whereas then it is said his soule came into irons it is only to shew that Joseph was under very sore affliction even the sorest affliction of the body As on the other side when Mary said My soule doth magnifie the Lord my spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour We know nothing properly can magnifie the Lord or rejoyce but the spirit or the soule yet when she saith my spirit doth rejoyce this notes a deepe pure internall spirituall joy with which she was ravish'd at that time And as
they who rejoyce in soule would even willingly be rid of their bodies they are above the body So they who are bitter in soule are desirous to be ridde of their bodies the body is a burden when the soule is bitter This bitternesse of soule caused those bitter complaints before and now this vehement expostulation Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery Wherefore We are apt to thinke there is no reason for that for which we can see no reason Job was in a darke condition and could not see the reason and therefore almost concludes there was none When we are posed we thinke all the world is posed too If we cannot interpret and expound the dealings of God we thinke none can nay in such cases some are ready to thinke at least to speake as if they thought that God himselfe can scarce give a good account of them This wherefore goes through the earth and reaches Heaven Tell me O my friends shew me O my God Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery Why Job there may be many reasons many answers given to this wherefore a man should be in light though he be in misery and why his life should be continued though his soule be in bitternesse What if God should appeare and tell thee It shall be thus and the reason of it is because I will have it so Is not that therefore answer enough to any mans wherefore The will of God is reason enough for man and ought to be the most satisfying reason If God say I will have life remaine in a man that is bitter in soule that man should say Lord it is reason I should because it is thy pleasure though it be to my own trouble Yet it is but seldome that God makes his will his reason and answers by his bare preâ—â—gative He hath often given weighty reasons to this quaerie First The life of nature is continued that the life of grace may be encreased Again Such live in sufferings That they may learne obedience by the things which they suffer God teaches us by his workes as well as by his word his dealings speake to us And It is as great an act of holinesse to submit our selves to the will of God in his workes as it is to the will of God in his word Another reason of this wherefore may be this God sets up some as patternes to posterity he therefore gives the light of life to some that are in misery to shew that it is no new nor strange thing for his Saints to be darkenesse And what if God doth it to magnifie the strength of his own power in supporting and the sweetnesse of his mercy when he delivers such bitter soules Further observe first That The best things in this world may come to be burthens to us See here a man weary of light and life light one of the most excellent creatures that God made the most excellent next to life yea life the best the most excellent thing in nature both these become burthensome How gladly would Job have bin rid of light how gladly rid of his life Consider then how burthensome other things which at the best are burdens may be unto you If you heare a soule complaining of light and life and why are these given me when I am in misery Then what comfort thinke you will honour give you or what comfort will riches give you or what comfort will beauty give you in such a condition as makes you weary of light and life What comfort will sin give you what ease will your lusts give you in such a condition as makes you weary of light and life I never heard of any of the Saints that were troubled at any time with their grace or weary of the favour of God I never heard any of them say why is grace given to one that is in misery or the light of Gods countenance to the bitter in soule I never heard any say wherefore is faith given to a man that is in misery or hope and patience to the bitter in soule grace was never a burden to any man under greatest burdens or unsavoury to the bitterest soule when you are weary of all other things in the world these will be your supports Therefore labour after those things which you shall never be weary of even after those things which will be more pleasant to us then ever light was when light shall be to others more troublesome then ever darknesse was to any let us labour after those things which will be more sweet to us then ever life was when life shall be to others â—ore bitter then ever death was to any Secondly observe It is a trouble to possesse good things when we cannot injoy them Would you know how Job spake here as one weary of light and life It was not under the notion of light and life as if he had been weary of these in themselves but it was because he could not enjoy these Solomon assures us Prov. 25.20 that As hee that taketh away a garment in cold weather and as vineger upon Nitre so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart Musick to one that is in sorrow doubles his sorrow why because he cannot enjoy the musick a heavy heart can worse intend musick then a heavy eare only those things which we can injoy in the use of them please in the possessing of them Of all temporalls the possession and enjoyment may be separated but for spiritualls the very possession of them is joy therefore enjoyment their presence is a pleasure and therefore their presence shall ever please We may distinguish between their use and their comfort but we can never seperate them One thing further When Job saith Wherefore is light given and life given The meaning of it is wherefore is light continued and wherefore is life continued for he speakes of himselfe and others that had light and were alive and yet he saith wherefore is light given c. From this we may learne That Every act of continuance of good things to us is a new act or deed of gift to us Mercy is given every moment it is enjoyed not only is a new mercy and a renewed mercy a new gift but continued mercy is a gift and a new gift life is a new gift every houre of time we live on the earth and glory will be a new gift every minute of eternity we shall live in Heaven Which long for death and it cometh not and dig for it more then for hid treasures This 21. verse doth further explicate who are the bitter in soule even such as long for death when a soule from naturall principles finds a sweetnesse in death that soule is in bitternesse Our affliction and our misery is indeed worme-wood and gall as the Church complaines Lam. 2.19 when death is as honey and long'd for as the honey-combe There is bitternesse in the death of the body and yet some are so
this O death how sweet art thou to a man that is bitter in his soule It often falls out that to die is but a short affliction but affliction many times is a long and a continued death a frequent death as the Apostle speakes of his afflictions in deaths often 2 Cor. 11.23 That there is a bitternesse in death the speech of Agag implies 1 Sam. 15. Surely the bitternesse of death is past Yet while a man as lamenting Jeremie complaines Lam. 3.19 Remembers his afflictions and his misery the wormewood and the gall that is his afflictions and misery more bitter then gall and wormewood his sense overcomes his judgement to conclude that there is a pleasantnesse in that bitter thing which wee call death Secondly observe That As death finds many before they looke for it so some looke for death and cannot find it How many are there whom death surprizes before they are aware and seizeth upon them when they thinke not of it when-as others are expecting and longing and gaping and gasping after death and they cannot meete with it it cometh not Indeed it is a great deale better for a man to expect death when it cometh not then to have death come upon him when he expects it not Some are calling for death crying out for death before they know how to die before they know how to live yea before they know why they lived It were well for such if they might loose their longing and long for death long enough before it cometh for upon the matter poore soules they long for Hell while they long for death and while they are hastning from that life and misery which will quickly have an end they are plunging into that death and misery which will never end Thirdly observe As death is a punishment to most so not to die is a punishment to some Job speakes of it as of an affliction upon such they long for death and it cometh not Death is an affliction to all it is a punishment to all unbeleevers a punishment with a sting And as all wicked men are punished with death so some of them are punished with this that they for the present cannot die Rev. 9.6 In those dayes men shall seeke death and shall not finde it and shall desire to die and death shall flee from them It is laid as their punishment that they should live and as an affliction beyond all their afflictions that then they could not die They are in a sad condition who can have no remedy or cure of their troubles but death but how sad is their condition who cannot obtaine that remedy It is like the punishment of the damned in Hell they shall long for death but it will not come and they shall ever seeke for death but shall never find it No wicked man did ever part so unwillingly with his soule when he died as he will unwillingly meet with it when he riseth againe And as the first death doth part soule and body unwillingly so the second death keepeth soule and body together unwillingly They have a tast of this misery in this life whose soules are truly said to be imprisoned in their bodies And O how desirous are they to dig down these mud-walls and make an escape but cannot Fourthly observe It is an affliction to nature to be debarred of any thing it desireth how destructive soever it be unto it It is in one sense a naturall desire to long for death and yet death is the destruction of nature A man under distempers of body in a disease a Fever c. is often troubled and grieved because he cannot have those things which will hurt him He longs for such meates and drinkes as given him would kill him and yet a deniall angers him The hope of death deferred will make the heart sick and when the desire death desired comes it is as a tree of life Griefe ariseth from the unsatisfaction of our desires and therefore though the thing had which we desire will undoe us yet the not having it doth afflict us Which long for death and it cometh not and they dig for it more then for hid treasures Take somewhat from this latter branch and they dig for it more then for hid treasure Assoone as ever Job had exprest their longing desire after death you see presently he tells us that they dig for death From this observe That where desires are true they presently produce endeavours He that longs for a thing will labour for it they are digging presently Prov. 18.1 Through desire a man having separated himselfe intermedleth with all wisedome If it be death a man desireth he will be endeavouring after it There are some velleities listlesse wishings and wouldings which produce no endeavours but true desires are ever active naturall desires are seconded with naturall endeavours and so spirituall desires with spirituall endeavours If a man desire death he will dig for it surely then he that desires Christ and longs for eternall life will be digging for the enjoyment of them Observe further That proportionably to the strength of our desires is the strength and earnestnesse of our endeavours As reall desire causeth reall indeavour so strong desires cause strong endeavours It was not a bare desire but an earnest longing as was cleared in opening the words And it is not a bare labour but hard labour digging is strong labour A meere naturall man whose desires after sin are strong and vehement acts sin with equall vehemency The holy Ghost saith he doth evill as he can that is to utmost his canning or ability He drawes iniquity with cords of vanity and sin as it were with cart-ropes He doth evill saith another Scripture Mich. 7.3 with both hands greedily To doe a thing with both hands notes the greatest endeavour As when the Pharisees are said not to touch the burdens which they laid on others with their little finger it notes their refusall of the least endeavour Math. 23.4 So a spirituall heart having his desires turned heaven-ward he diggs for heavenly treasure every day and gives diligence to make his calling and election sure They who have strong desires after Christ labour strongly after Christ So they are exprest Pro. 2.4 where Solomon speakes of wisedome which is Christ and all that is Christs If thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures Such is the search and endeavour that ought to be after Christ and such it will be if there be true and great desires after Christ Thirdly In that he saith they dig for it as for hid treasure We may observe That the best things are hardest to come by If you will have treasures you must digge for them you may have pibble stones flints above ground but treasures lie deepe And in proportion the better every thing is the more digging it requireth And the best things ought to be most digg'd for They that will have the great blessing must
Iobs calamity Iobs trouble from that to the 7th verse of the 42. Chapter 3. Iobs restitution or restoring from thence to the end Take the Book in this division and it seemes to hold forth to us such a representation of Iob as is given us in the three first Chapters of Genesis concerning man In those 3. first Chapters we have man set forth 1. In the excellency and dignity of his Creation being Lord and Soveraigne of all adorn'd with that integrity and purity of nature which God had planted in and stamped upon him at his creation And in the beginning of this Book we have Iob like a man in innocencie shining in all his dignitie compass'd about with blessings of all sorts blessings of the body blessings of the soule blessings of this life and of that which is to come 2. There we find the Devill plotting the ruine of man and we find his plot taking for a while and in a great measure prevailing So here in this Booke we have the Devill begging Iobs ruine and having obtained leave so farre as concerned his outward estate and body quickly puts it in execution 3. There we have Adam by Gods free mercy and promise restored to a better estate in Christ through the grace of Redemption then he had before in himselfe by the goodnesse of Creation So here we have Iob through the mercy power and faithfulnesse of God restored to all he had and more we see him repaired and set up againe after his breaking not only with a new stock but a greater his estate being doubled and his very losses proving beneficiall to him This may suffice for the division or parts of the Booke which I conceive may shed some light into the whole Now for the third thing which I proposed which was the use or scope or intendment of this Book For that is a speciall thing we are to carry before us in our eye in the reading of Scripture It is possible for one to understand the subject and to know the parts and yet not to be attentive to find out or distinctly to find out what the mind of God is or whereat he specially drives and aimeth Therefore it will be very profitable to us likewise to consider what the tendency and intendment or as I may so speake the Uses of this Booke are First It aimes at our Instruction and that in divers things First Which much concernes every Christian to learne it instructeth us how to handle a Crosse How to behave our selves when we are in a conflict whether outward or inward What the Postures of the Spirituall Warre are and with what patience we ought to beare the hand of God and his dealings with us This I say is set forth by the Scripture in other places to be the maine and one of the principall ends or intendments or Uses of this Booke This the Apostle Iames speakes of You have heard of the patience of Job As if he should say doe you not know why the Book of Iob was written Why God in his providence did bring such a thing to passe concerning Iob It was that all men should take notice of his patience and might learne the wisedome of suffering that noble art of induring Iob was full of many other excellent graces and indeed he had all the graces of the Spirit of God in him But the Patience of Job was the principall grace As it is with naturall men they have every sinne in them but there are some sinnes which are the Master sinnes or some one sinne it may be doth denominate a wicked man sometimes he is a proud man sometimes he is covetous sometimes he is a deceiver sometimes he is an oppressor sometimes he is uncleane sometimes he hath a profane spirit and so the like some one great Master lust doth give the denomination to the man he hath all other sinnes in him and they are all raigning in him but one as it were raigneth above the rest and sits uppermost in his heart So it is with the Saints of God and here with Iob every Saint and servant of God hath all grace in him every grace in some degree or other for all the limbs and liniaments of the new man are formed together in the soule of those that are in Christ But there is some speciall grace which doth give as it were the denomination to a servant of God As that which gave the denomination to Abraham was faith and that which gave the denomination to Moses was meeknesse and so this which giveth the denomination to Iob is Patience and so the denomination too of this whole History as if that were the great lesson that were to be taken out the lesson of suffering and of patience So that what the Apostle makes to be the Use of all Scripture whatsoever things saith he were written afore-time were written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope That I say which the Apostle there makes to be the end and scope of the whole Scripture doth seeme to be in speciall the principall and chiefe end of writing this Book of Iob. 2. Another Instruction which we are to take from the whole Book is this God would have us learne that afflictions come not by chance that they are all ordered by providence in the matter in the manner and the measure both for the kinds and for the degrees they are all ordered even the very least by the wisedome by the hand and providence of God 3. Another thing which we are to learne generally from this Book is this The Soveraignety of God that he hath power over us over our estates and over our bodies and over our families and over our spirits that he may use us as he pleaseth and we must be quiet under his hand when he commeth and will take all from us all our comforts we must give all glory to him This Book is written for this especially to teach us the Soveraignty of God and the submission of the creature 4. It teacheth us That God doth sometimes afflict his children out of prerogative that-though there be no sinne in them which he makes the occasion of afflicting them such was Iobs case yet for exercise of his graces in them for triall of their graces or to set them up for patternes to the world God may and doth afflict them Though no man be without sinne yet the afflictions of many are not for their sinnes 5. There is this generall Instruction which God would have us learne out of this Book namely that the best gotten and the best founded estate in outward things is uncertaine that there is no trusting to any creature-comforts God would unbottome us quite from the creature by holding forth this History of Iob unto us 6. God would also shew forth this for our learning viz. The strength the unmoveablenesse of faith how unconquerable it is what a kind of omnipotency there is in
man saith he that hath his quiver full of them that hath many such arrowes such are children of the youth verse 4. There are some rich and covetous men that are in this point beyond others rich in folly You shall heare them pride themselves that they have no children or but few this they conceive sets them off in the opinion of the world for the richer men whereas one child is more riches then all the things that are in the world And we know it is an ordinary thing though indeed it is a very sinfull thing to say 't is true such an one is a rich man he hath a faire estate but he hath a great charge a great many children as if that did take-off from his riches or make him lesse happy as if he were the poorer because he hath a larger share of that ancient first blessing upon man Be fruitfull and multiply and replenish the Earth 4. Note this To have many sons to have most sons amongst our children is the greater outward blessing Iob is described here in the most exact method of outward blessings he had sonnes and his sonnes out-number his daughters he had 7. sonnes and but three daughters And the reason why most sonnes among children are the greater blessing is cleare because sonnes beare up the name and are a greater support unto the family 5. To have many sonnes and daughters too is yet a compleater blessing For by daughters the family is increast and other families are joyned and knit and united to that family And to have sons and daughters both is the perfection of that naturall blessing because man was so made at the first he was made male and female As it is with the soule and the body though the soule be more excellent than the body yet the soule alone is not so perfect as when soule and body are together because though the body be not so strong in constitution and noble in condition as the soule yet body and soule in creation were joyned together therefore their greatest perfection consists in their union So likewise it is in a family though sonnes in nature are more perfect yet because it was the first institution of a family male and female therefore the fullnes and compleatnesse of the blessing is in the union of both Iob had many sons and daughters likewise this made the blessing more compleat And then lastly observe this Children many children in the family are in themselves no impediments either of piety towards God or iustice toward man As soone as ever Iob was described in all his perfections it is added he had so many sonnes and so many daughters though he had so many children to looke to and provide for yet he omitted neither duty toward God nor duty toward man There are many who thinke it some excuse if not excuse enough for their neglect for their sleighting holy duties or sleightnesse in the holy duties of hearing praying and the like oh they have a great many children and they must rise early and they must worke late they can spare no time or but little for the publike or private or secret worship of God specially for any thing that is extraordinary so that these cares steale away not onely those times that might be bestowed in an extraordinary manner upon their soules but even the ordinary times are stolen away by them also Further some thinke themselves by this in part excused for their injustice toward men they have a great family and if they deale somewhat hardly and sticke as close as they can in all businesses they may be borne with for they have a great many children and they must looke to provide for them they else were worse then Infidels and hence they take liberty to doe what honest Infidels were asham'd of Iob you see was upright though he had so many sonnes and so many daughters to provide for It is ill with those whose gaine for their children is any losse to their souls but woe when any to gaine for their children loose their souls doing like those in Na. 2.12 The Lyon did teare in peeces enough for his whelpes and strangled for his lionesses and filled his holes with prey and his dens with rapine By the Lyon there is meant those oppressours that lived in Nineveh and by their whelpes are meant their children and by Lionesses their wives they had wives and children and they must have meanes and estates for them Iob as I may say had whelpes and a lionesse wife and children yet he doth not teare for them Nay though hee had so many to provide for yet hee rather giveth out to others What hungry belly was not filled with his meat And what naked backe was not cloathed with his wooll He did not say I have children to feed and to cloath and therefore you can have nothing You see though he had many children and a great charge yet how compleate he was in his duty to God and in his duty to man he failed not either in the duties of worship and holinesse nor in the duties of justice and uprightnesse JOB 1.3 4 5. His substance also was seven thousand Sheepe and three thousand Camels and five hundred Yoke of Oxen and five hundred shee Asses and a very great houshold so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East And his Sonnes went and feasted in their houses every one his day and sent and called for their three Sisters to eat and to drinke with them And it was so when the dayes of their feasting were gone about that Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all c. THE Holy Ghost having shewed us the qualities of Jobs person in the first verse the Olive-plants round about his Table being the first outward blessing in the second Now proceeds â—o shew also his outward estate his stock of Cattell His substance was seven thousand Sheepe c. Concerning the outward Estate of Job we may note in this â—hird verse 1. The severall kinds of his stocke Sheepe Camels Oxen and Asses 2. The severall numbers of each of these kinds Seven thouâ—â—nd Sheep three thousand Camels c. It is said His substance was seven thousand Sheepe c. We 〈◊〉 our language call the estate of a man his substance and a rich â—an we call him a substantiall man though indeed riches are but â—ternall and accidentall yet they are called the substance of a man 〈◊〉 cause they make him subsist and stand by himselfe he needs not the â—op and helpe of others The word here in the Hebrew which we translate substance is indifferent to signifie any possession but especially it signifies possession or substance by Cattell Therefore in those times wherein the estates of the great men of the earth were most in Cattell this expression was chiefly used The Septuagint renders it And
indeed provokes God many times to blast an outward estate It is a common fault that when we see those whom we conceive godly faling in outward things wee are taken up onely in finding out answers how to acquit the justice of God in his promises What shall we say to such a promise Seeke first the kingdom of God and his righteousnes and all these things shal be added unto you We trouble our selves often to satisfie the point in reference to the justice of God and the truth of his promise We seldome suspect whether or how they have performed the condition of the promise We should rather doubt that they have not evangellically performed the condition then trouble our selves so much with seeking how to satisfie the justice of God in answering the ingagement and promise on his part For without all question they that doe seeke according to the tenour of that condition God will administer all things unto them Or secondly we should say thus rather that they who are so much exercised in wayes of communion with God have surely gain'd a great spirituall estate And that now God brings them to the proofe of it by losses in their temporall estates These or the like interpretations we ought to make if we see them going backward in outward things who have beene very forward in spirituall things And so much concerning Iobs outward estate in regard of his riches both what they were in the kind and in the number In the next place his outward happinesse is described by the unity and concord of his children Verse 4. And his sonnes went and feasted in their houses every one his day and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drinke with them This verse sets forth the third part of Iobs happinesse in respect of his outward estate He had children and many children in the second verse Here in the fourth we find all these children sonnes and daughters agreeing and feasting one with another We may note from the words foure things concerning this Feasting 1. Their alacrity and chearefullnesse which most doe observe out of that expression they went and feasted which phrase in the Hebrew signifies the doing of a thing with chearfulnes and readinesse 2. Their unanimity It is not said that some two or three of his sons feasted but his sons indefinitely all his sons and not onely his sons but his daughters the three sisters were called too So that they were all of one mind they all met together in love though they were ten in number they were but one in heart the same in spirit 3. The place where they feasted it was in their houses they did not goe to suspected places but in their owne private houses and families where it was most convenient and where they might celebrate those meetings with most security both for their bodies and for their soules 4. The frequency of that feasting it was not onely once but every one his day They did meet at every one of their houses upon a speciall and a set day Every one his day some make the sence thus they feasted in their houses one every day as if it had been a continuall feast with them they feasted all the weeke long and they would seeme to allow it by the moderation used in their feasting out the words every one his day note a course a certaine time wherein they did feast not a continued feasting Some conceive it was upon their birth-dayes whether that be so or no there is nothing appeares from the Text only it is said They feasted every one his day And they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drinke with them In that we may observe 3. things 1. The humanity of the brethren they would not banquet alone and leave out their sisters but they sent and called them 2. The modesty of the Sisters that they would not come but upon speciall invitation they were not forward of themselves but they were sent and called for 3. The end of this invitation it was to eat and to drinke with them As under the notions of bread and water or bread and wine all necessaries for food are comprised so under the actions of eating and drinking the whole businesse of feasting is contained Luk. 12.19 Isa 22.15 Eccl. 2.24 There is nothing further in the words that we need stay longer in opening or clearing of them We shall onely give you some few notes out of them His sons went and feasted in their houses every one his day This is set forth as the third part of Jobs outward happines Then note we first That The love and mutuall agreement of children is one of the greatest blessings to a parent The love of children is the fathers blessing and it is a great blesâ—sing How many fathers have their hearts rent and divided by thâ— rents and divisions that are amongst their children It doth blaâ— and wither all the comfort the Parent hath to see that there is no agreement of love no correspondency of affection amongst those that come all from the same bowels from the same loynes Thâ— is a blessing which was not common in the world no not in thosâ— times Adam had not this blessing Adam when he had only two sonnes they could not agree but one murthereth the otheâ— Abraham enjoyed not this blessing when he had but 2 sons oneâ— mocking the other Ishmael is mocking Isaac Isaac fail'd of thâ— blessing he had but two sonnes and one threatned to murther thâ— other The dayes of mourning for my father are at hand then wilâ— slay my brother Jacob. This was not Iacobs blessing he had 〈◊〉 sons there was one of them Joseph the common Butt of aâ— his brethrens envy they did all spight him the Archers did shoâ— at him and grieved him sorely and hated him They could not aâ— agree there were divisions among them It is no ordinary bleâ—â—sing then You see David a holy man yet what divisions weâ— there among his children one murdereth another Absolom cause Amnon to bee murthered Adonijah riseth up against Solomon he cannot beare it that his brother should have the Crowne Yâ— see then that it is a blessing and it is an extraordinary blessing Therfore take notice of it you that have an agreeing family children that live together in love and unity looke upon it as a speciall blessing from God Secondly We may observe That It is a very comely thing for brethren and sisters to live together in unity In Jobs children we have that of Psalm 133. fullfilled Behold he calls all to looke upon it how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity Such a sight may draw all eyes after it Jobs children were many in number in heart but one in love the same And as there is nothing more troublesome so nothing more uncomely and unnaturall than rents and divisions in a family Thirdly we may
reason For Job said it may be my sons have sinned Let us examine the reason a little It may be my sons have sinned What is it come to an it may be with Job that his sons have sinned What sons had Job Surely they were more than men that the Father is but at a Question whether his sonnes have sinned or no Solomon after an If concerning sin resolves it into a conclusion 1 King 8.46 If saith he they sinne against thee here he makes a supposition but you see he goes not one step from it before he makes a direct assertion for saith he there is no man that sinneth not and yet Job puts it with anuncorrected If or it may be my sons have sinned For the opening of this Without all question Job was fully and thoroughly studied in that point of the universall corruption of man his disputings as we shall see afterwards in this booke sufficiently evince it What is man saith he that he should be perfect 〈◊〉 he that is borne of a woman that he should be cleane Here by sinning then we are to understand something more than ordinary sinning To sin sometime is put for common and daily infirmities such as doe inseparably and inevitably cleave unto us such as considering the state and condition wherin we are having corrupt flesh and bloud about us we cannot be freed from As a man who in the morning washeth his hands and goes abroad about his businesse and affaires in the world though he doth not puddle in the mire or take among dung-hils yet when he returnes home againe to dinner or at night if he wash he finds that he hath contracted some uncleannesse and that his hands are foule we cannot converse in an uncleane and dirty world with our bodies but some uncleannesse will fasten upon them So it is with the soule the soules of the best of the purest of the holiest though they do not rake in the dung-hill and wallow in the mire of sin basely and filthily yet they doe from day to day yea from moment to moment contract some filth and uncleannesse And in this sense it is that there is no man that liveth and sinneth not Every man hath a Fountaine of Vncleannesse in him and there will be ever some sinne some filthinesse bubbling and boyling up if not flowing forth Secondly To sin is put for some speciall act of sin that which in Scripture is called a Fall If any man be overtaken with a fault you that are spirituall restore him And in this sense the Apostle John saith which is a cleare answer to this doubt and doth open the terme I write unto you little children that you sinne not He did not write to them an impossible thing he writ to them about that which in a Gospell sense they might attain unto There are 3 degrees of sinning 1. There is one kind of sinning which is called a daily infirmitie which the Saints of God the best in this life are not freed from 2. There is another kind of sinning which is to sinne wilfully and with pure delight and thus he that is borne of God cannot sinne 3. There is another kind of sinning which is called falling into sinne or the falls of the Saints and sometimes we know they have fallen into great and scandalous sins In this sense it is that the Apostle saith Little children I write to you that you sinne not That is though you have daily infirmities yet take heed of scandalous sinnings So here in the Text where it is said It may be my sonnes have sinned It is not meant either in the first or second sense it is not meant as if he thought his sons were without infirmities nor is it meant that he did suspect them of those sins which are indeed incompatible with the state of grace sins of perfect wilfulnesse and of malice or the like but it is of those sins in the middle sort It may be my sons have sinned that is have sinned so as to provoke God and scandalize men in this their feasting in their meeting together We may note from that first He that liveth without grosse sinnes in a Gospell sense liveth without sin To be without great and grosse sinne is our holinesse upon earth to be without any sinne is the holinesse of Heaven He that liveth without fault sine querela as it is said of Zachary and Elizabeth that they lived blamelesly in Gospell account is said to live without any sin at all Another point we may collect from this It may be my sonnes have sinned Certainly then Jobs sonnes were godly If Job be at a question whether they have sinned they were godly without question When a man lives so that he leaves onely a suspition that he hath sinned we may be at a conclusion that he is sanctified For other persons can do nothing else but sin even in holy actions much more in civill or naturall Again It may be my sonnes have sinned it was a suspition in Job concerning his children Hence observe It is no breach of charity to suspect ill of others while we intend their good Indeed upon an It may be upon a peradventure to accuse and charge another is very uncharitable but upon a peradventure or an It may be such a one my child or my friend or my brother hath sinned to be put to pray for him this is very charitable A good heart turnes it's suspitions of others sinnings and failings into prayers and intercessions that they may be pardon'd not into accusations and slanders that they may be defam'd The use which Job made here of his suspition of his sonnes sinning was to turne it into prayer and supplication for the pardon of their sinne One thing further from this It may be my sonnes have sinned Job knew of no evill that his sons had committed he had no report that we reade of that his sons had behaved themselves unseemely in their meetings and feastings he onely doubteth he only is jealous and afraid that they had yet at this time he prayeth and sacrificeth and laboureth a reconcilement for them Note from hence A suspitiâ—n that we our selves or others have sinned against God is ground enough for us to seeke a reconcilement for our selves or others with God If you that are tender Parents have but a suspition if there be but all it may be that your child hath the Plague or taken the infection will it not be ground enough for you to goe presently and give your child a good medicine If any one of you have but a suspition that either your selves or your friends have taken poyson though you be not certaine of it will it not be ground enough for you to take or to give an Antidote presently Sinne is as a plague it is as a poyson therefore while you have but a suspition either of your selves or of others that you have sinned or failed thus or thus here is ground enough for
and disposing the affliction of Job 2. The subordinate efficient cause and that was Satan he was an efficient but under God Satan found out other instruments and tooles to doe it by but he was an efficient subordinate unto God And the Text discovers him three wayes 1. By his diligence in tempting ver 7. 2. By his malice in slandering ver 9 10 11. 3. By his cruelty in solliciting the overthrow and affliction of Job ver 11. Secondly We have the materiall cause of Jobs affliction or in what matter he was afflicted and that is laid downe first positively in those words All that he hath is in thy power that is his outward estate that was the matter wherein he was afflicted Then it is laid downe negatively in those words Only upon himselfe put not forth thy hand God doth set him out how farre the affliction shall go in the things that he hath thou shalt afflict him but thou shalt not meddle with his person with his body or with his soule Thirdly The finall cause of Jobs affliction and that is the practicall and experimentall determination decision or stating of a great question that was betweene God and Satan concerning Jobs sincerity God tells Satan that Job was a good and a just man Satan he denies it and saith that Job was an hypocrite Now the determination of this question was the generall finall cause of Jobs affliction When on the one side God affirmes it and on the other side Satan denies how shall it be tryed Who shall be the Moderatour and Vmpire between them Satan will not believe God and God had no reason to believe Satan How then should this be made out It is as if Satan had said Here is your yea and my nay this question will never be ended or decided betweene us unlesse you will admit some course to have Job soundly afflicted This will quickly discover what metall the man is made of therefore let him come to the tryall saith Satan Let him saith God behold all that he hath is in thy power doe thy worst to him onely upon his person put not forth thy hand So that I say the generall finall cause of Jobs affliction is the determination of the question the decision of the dispute betweene God and Satan whether Job was a sincere and holy man or no. And all this to give you the summe of those 6. verses a little further is here set forth and described unto us after the manner of men by an Anthropopathie which is when God expresses himselfe in his actions and dispensations with and toward the world as if he were a man So God doth here he presents himselfe in this businesse after the manner of some great King sitting upon his Throne having his servants attending him and taking an account of them what they had done or giving Instructions and Commissions to them what they shall doe This I say God doth here after the manner of men for otherwise we are not to conceive that God doth make certaine dayes of Session with his creatures wherin he doth call the good and bad Angels together about the affaires of the world we must not have such grosse conceits of God for he needs receive no information from them neither doth he give them or Satan any formall Commission neither is Satan admitted into the presence of God to come so neare God at any time neither is God moved at all by the slanders of Satan or by his accusations to deliver up his servants and children into his hands for a moment But onely the Scripture speakes thus to teach us how God carries himselfe in the affaires of the world even as if he sate upon his throne and call'd every creature before him and gave each a direction what and when and where to worke how farre and which way to move in every action So that these 6. verses following which containe the causes of Jobs affliction are as we may so speake the Scheme or draught of providence that may be the title of them If a man would delineat providence he might doe it thus suppose God upon his throne with Angels good and bad yea all creatures about him and he directing sending ordering every one as a Prince doth his Subjects or as a Master his servants doe you this and doe you that c. so all is ordered according to his Dictate Thus all things in Heaven and Earth are disposed of by the unerring wisdome and limited by the Almighty power of God Such a representation as this we reade in 1 King 22.19 Where Micaiah said to Ahab Heare thou the word of the Lord I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne and all the Hoast of Heaven standing by him And so he goeth on to shew how a spirit came and offered himselfe to be a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahabs Prophets This is only a shadow of providence there was no such thing really acted God did not conveene or call together a Synod of spirits to advise with de Arduis Regni about hard or doubtfull cases nor are wicked spirits admitted into his presence onely by this we are instructed and assured that God doth as exactly order all things in Heaven and earth as if he stood questioning or interrogating good Angels men and devills concerning those matters Having thus given some light about these six verses in generall I shall open the particulars Now there was a day The Jewish Rabbins trouble themselves much to find out what day this was They say it was the first day of the yeare Others that it was the Sabbath day But I account it a disadvantage to a cleare truth when it is proved by an obscure text The Sabbath hath proofe enough before the law though this be spared The holy Ghost hath told us only that there was a day or certain time When the sonnes of God In Gen. 6.2 The posterity of Seth who were the visible Church at that time are called the sons of God The unanimous consent of all Expositors I have met with is that here the sonnes of God are the good Angels so also they are called Cap. 38.7 of this booke Some it may be will object against this Exposition that of the Apostle in Heb. 1.5 To which of the Angels said he at any time thou art my sonne How then doe you interpret here that the sons of God are the Angels when as the Apostle hath exprest to which of the Angels c. I answer that the Angells are not the sonnes of God as the Apostle there expresseth they are not the sonnes of God by eternall Generation but they are the sonnes of God by temporall Creation for so he speakes there To which of the Angels said he thou art my sonne this day have I begotten thee They are not the begotten sonnes of God but they are the created sonnes of God And the Angels are called the sons of God in 3 respects First Because of their
three-fold hedge made about Job and they are all exprest here in this Text. Here was a hedge first about his Person that was the inmost hedge or the inmost wall in these words Hast thou not made an hedge about him That is an hedge about the very person of Job an hedge about his body least any sicknesse diseases or dangers should invade it and an hedge about his soule least snares and temptations should take hold of or prevaile against that thou hast made an hedge about him so that I cannot come at the person of Job to hurt him Againe Besides this inmost wall and the nearest about his person there is a second wall or hedge and that is exprest to be about his Family Hast thou not made an hedge about him and about his house By house we are not to understand the materiall house of stone or timber the edifice in which Job dwelt but by the house we are to understand the houshold Job and his family as oftentimes in Scripture the house is put for the family This day saith Christ to Zacheus is salvation come to thy house and it is said of the Jaylor that he beleeved and all his house that is all his household so here thou hast made an hedge about him and about his house that is about his Family about his children especially hence the Hebrew word for a child for a sonne doth signifie an house because children build up the house or keep up the name of their Fathers So that the house hedg'd about is the children the family and the followers and servants of Job as if Satan should say thou hast made an hedge not only about his person but about all that belong unto him about his children and servants I may not meddle with them neither There is the second hedge Lastly There is a third hedge or wall Hast thou not made an hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath That is about his goods about his cattell and about his lands so farre as ever any thing of Jobs doth extend so farre the hedge goeth if Job have but the least thing abroad God doth make an hedge about it he hath not the meanest thing belonging unto him but is under guard and protection That is the meaning of it There is yet another thing to be observed in the words to make it more full Hast thou not made an hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side It is not only said thou hast made an hedge about him but thou hast made an hedge about him on every side which is a pleonasme or redundancy of speech It was a signe of Gods care of Job when he made an hedge about him but to say he made an hedge about him on every side here is exprest an extraordinary care that God had not left the least gappe for Satan or for any annoyance to come in unto Job There is not the least breach the least hole thou hast hedged him round about on every side whereby the wonderfull safety of Job his family and estate is set out under the protection of God That for the opening of those words First We may observe from the manner of this speech Hast thou not made an hedge about him Satan speakes very angerly Questions as they ever expresse quicknesse of spirit so they many times expresse much passion and trouble of spirit Here. Satan in questioning speakes as if he were vext Hast thou not made an hedge about him Hence note That the protection which God gives to his people and servants is the vexation of Satan and of all his Instruments It troubleth them extreamely that God doth so guard and hedge up his people that they cannot come at them No man can endure to see that defended which he wisheth were destroyed Then againe if we consider the matter of Satans speech it is a truth and a most comfortable truth a truth full of consolation to the people of God Hast thou not made an hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side We may note hence That Satan the father of lyes sometimes speakes truth for his owne advantage For as it is said concerning Judas about his care for the poore when he would have had the oyntment sold and given to the poore This he said saith the Text not that he cared for the poore but because he was a theefe and had the bagge and bare what was put therein So we may say here Satan sets forth the care of God over his people in most exact termes And why doth he doe this Not that he cares to speake well of God or to advance God in the eyes of his people by telling his people and servants how watchfull he is over them but he doth this only for his owne advantage that hereby he may lessen the service and blemish the obedience of Job because he received so much care and love from God As it is many times with ungodly men they will doe good not that they care to doe good but only for some bie-end So Satan will sometimes speake that which is true not that he regards the truth or that he would speake a word of truth for he hath nothing but lyes in his heart there is a lye in his heart when there is truth in his mouth He never speakes truth but to deceive and doe hurt by it Thirdly Wee may observe this which lyeth plaine in the words That the people and servants of God dwell in the middest of enemies in the middest of dangers Why else need there be an hedge a wall about them What need there be a guard about them unlesse there were dangers about them There are none in the world so envyed and spighted so aimed at and persecuted as the people and servants of God you may see it by the wall that is made about them God will not bestow cost and care in preserving and guarding where there is no danger of invading If you should come to a City and see it mightily fortified and see men make wall after wall about it and bulwarke after bulwarke you will presently conjecture that City stands in great danger and is in the middest of enemies So when we reade that God was faine to make wall after wall to make hedge after hedge about the person the family the estate of Job it sheweth that the devill had an ill eye upon Job and upon all that was Jobs Satan and his instruments had it not bin for this hedge would quickly have fallen upon him No godly man should live a quiet moment did not the Lord stretch forth his hand to save and protect him Fourthly We may observe That God himselfe doth undertake the guarding and protecting of his people Thou hast made an hedge about him and about all that he hath God himselfe either doth it immediately or he doth put
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
benefit profit and honour But often to put or to give into the hand is for evill to doe what you will with persons or things to punish or to afflict them Judg. 6.1 God delivered the Israelites into the hand of Midian that is he left them to the power of the Midianites to tyrannize over and vexe them And verse 7. God delivered Midian into the hand of Israel that is hee gave Israel power over them to destroy or afflict them So here he gave all into the hand of Satan that is he gave Satan leave to dispose of Jobs estate as he pleased As if God had said to Satan Thou hast leave to doe what thou wilt with Jobs outward estate spoile it plunder it destroy it consume it fire it thou hast free leave all that he hath is in thy hand We shall note a point or two from that You see as soone as ever Satan had made his motion God presently answereth all that he hath is in thy hand It is not alwayes an argument of Gods goodwill and love to have our motions granted Many are heard and answered out of anger not out of love The children of Israel required meat for their lusts and God gave it them he did not withhold from them their desire they were not shortned of their lusts they had it presently many times his owne servants call and call againe move and move againe and obtaine no grant For this thing I besought the Lord thrice saith Paul yet Paul could not have what he sought Satan did but move once and presently all that Job had was in his hand But further that which is chiefely here to be observed is That untill God gives commission Satan hath no power over the estates or persons of Gods people or over any thing that belongs unto them Neither our persons nor our estates are subject to the will either of men or Devills Christ must say All that he hath is in thy hand before Satan can touch a shoe-latchet As Christ said Joh. 19.11 unto Pilat when he spake so stoutly knowest thou not that I have power to crucifie thee and power to release thee He thought that he had all power in his hand but Christ tells him Thou couldest have no power at all against me unlesse it were given thee from above If the Devills could not goe into the swine much lesse can they meddle with a man made after Gods Image till God gives them leave Every soule that hath interest in Christ may suck comfort and consolation in the saddest in the sorrowfullest day from the breast of this truth If Satan and wicked men cannot move till Christ saith goe nor wound till Christ saith strike nor spoile nor kill till Christ saith their estates their lives are in your power surely Christ will not speake a word to their hurt whom he loâ—â— nor will he ever suffer his enemies to doe a reall dammage to his friends Besides it may fill the soule with unspeakeable joy to remember that while a man is suffering the will of Christ is a doing Thirdly Satan doth very wickedly according to his nature in moving that Job may be afflicted He moveth in malice and in spight God knew what his heart and intent was and yet grants it We may note from hence That which Satan and evill men desire sinnefully the Lord grants holily The will of God and the will of Satan joyned both in the same thing yet they were as different as light and darkenesse their ends were as different as their natures Though it were the same thing they both willed yet there was an infinite distance betweene them in willing it The will of Satan was sinfull but the power given Satan was just Why Because his will was from himselfe but his power was from the will of God Satan had no power to doe mischiefe but what God gave him but his will to doe mischiefe was from himselfe Therefore we find that the same spirit is said to be an evill spirit and to be a spirit from the Lord and yet the Lord doth not partake at all in the evill of the spirit as 1 Sam. 16.14 The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evill spirit from the Lord troubled him An evill spirit from the Lord how was it an evill spirit if it were from the Lord can the Lord send forth any evill from himselfe who is only good In that he was evill that was from his own will but that he had power to trouble Saul that was from the Lord So here Satans will and intent were most wicked these were from himselfe his power to afflict Job was from God and that was good Satan willeth Job should be afflicted for his destruction God willeth it only for his tryall and probation Satan desireth it that God may be blasphemed but God willeth it that himselfe might be glorified Satan willeth it that so others in his example might be scandalized and disheartned from entring into the service of God seeing how ill he sped But God willeth it that others might be strengthned and incouraged to enter into his service beholding a man under such heavy pressures and yet not speaking ill of God or of his wayes Satan willeth it hoping thereby Job would discover his hypocrisie but God willeth it knowing that he would therein discover his integrity So then though the same thing was willed yet there was a vast disproportion in their ends and intentions and though the power by which Satan did afflict Job was from God yet the evill intent with which he afflicted him was from himselfe Thus we see how God without any staine or touch of evill grants this which Satan did most wickedly desire It followeth Onely upon himselfe thou shalt not put forth thy hand God gives a commission but it is with a limitation there is a restriction in it Onely upon himselfe c. that is not upon his person not his body thou shalt not afflict that with diseases not his soule thou shalt not afflict that with temptations Hence note That God himselfe sets bounds to the afflictions of his people he limits out how farre every affliction shall goe and how farre every instrument shall prevaile as he doth with the Sea Hitherto saith he thou shalt come and no further here thou shalt stop thy proud waves so he saith to all the afflictions of single persons or whole Nations hither you shall come and no further Onely upon himselfe thou shalt not put forth thine hand This limitation respects First The degree or measure thus farre you shall afflict that is in such a degree to such a height and no higher Secondly It respects the time thus farre that is thus long so many yeares or so many dayes you shall have power and no longer God leaves not either the measure or the time the degree or the continuance of any affliction in the hand of Satan or his adherents Wee reade Rev. 6.10 That
And that this was a greater affliction then any of or then all the former is so cleare that I shall not need to stay long in the confirming of it only to quicken the point a little take notice of the greatnesse of it in 5 respects First It appeareth without controversie to be the greatest of all because it was upon his children a mans children are more then all that he hath in the world a mans children are himselfe every child is the father multiplyed A sonne is the fathers bowells and therefore when Paul wrote to Philemon concerning Onesimus whom saith he I have begotten in my bonds sc to the faith of Christ Receive him who is mine owne bowels A spirituall sonne is the very bowells of a Minister he doth but allude to a naturall sonne a sonne is the very bowels of the father this affliction reached unto the very bowels of Job himselfe Satan had no leave to afflict the body of Job and yet you see he afflicts him in his very bowels Secondly The greatnesse of it is seene in this his children were all taken away To loose all our children is a grievous as to loose an only child Now that is made a cause of the highest sorrows Zach. 12.10 They shall mourne for him as one that mourneth for an only sonne that is they shall mourne most bitterly Now as the measure of mercies may be taken by the comforts which they produce so we may take the measure of an affliction by the sorrow which it produceth And that is the greatest affliction which causeth the greatest sorrow Thirdly It was a further greatning of the affliction that they were all taken away suddenly Had death sent them summons by its usuall messenger sicknesse but a day before to prepare themselves it had much sweetned the bitternesse of this cup but to heare they were dead before he knew they were sick yea when he thought they were merry and rejoycing how sad was this Fourthly That they died a violent death by a mighty wind casting the house downe upon them Had they dyed in their beds though suddenly it had bin some ease to the Fathers heart violent death hath an impression of wrath upon it And men can hardly judge well of those who fall by such judgements Suspition will arise if censure passe not from better men then Barbarians if they see a viper on the hand of a Paul Act. 28. It is more then probable from our Saviours question that those eighteene upon whom the Tower in Siloe fell and slew them were commonly supposed greater sinners or sinners above all men that dwelt in Hierusalem Luk. 18.4 Fifthly They were all taken away when they were feasting and this did exceedingly aggravate the affliction upon Job that his children were all destroied feasting for you know what the thoughts of Job were concerning his children at their feasting after they had done he offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all for he said it may be my sonnes have sinned and cursed God in their hearts Now at this time when Satan knew that Job was most solicitous lest his children should sinne at that time doth he destroy them that so their father might be afflicted with the thought that his children died unreconciled to God that they died with sinne upon them unrepented of That they died a double death death at once seasing upon both soule and body This then was a further degree of Satans malice to wound vexe and grieve the spirit of Job unto the utmost How sadly and pissionatly did David lament Absoloms death Some conceive this was the head of the Arrow that pierced him because he feared his sonne died in a sinfull condition he was suddenly taken away in his rebellion unreconciled either to God or man Such a thought might fall upon Jobs heart my children are suddenly dead and dead feasting it may be they forgot God it is possible they sinned in feasting and cursed God in their hearts Alas my children died before they could so much as thinke of death I feare they are gone rejoycing to Hell where they shall weepe for evermore Doubtlesse Satan did or might fasten such a temptation upon his heart who was so tender of his childrens soules and so fearfull of their sinning in feasting So then it is cleare from all these particular considerations that this was the greatest affliction Be prepared then not onely to receive another affliction but to receive a greater affliction and have thoughts of receiving the greatest affliction at the last Satan will come with his strongest assaults when thou art weakest At the time of death when he seeth he can doe no more but that he must then doe it or never doe it then thou shalt be sure to have the strongest temptations It should therefore stirre up the people of God still to looke for more and more strength to beare afflictions and tentations and to beg from Christ the greatest strength at last because they may justly feare the greatest temptations at last If as Satan doth greaten his temptations Christ doth greaten his assistance we shall be able to beare them and be more then conquerours over them So much of this fourth charge in the generall I shall now open the words more particularly for those in the 18th verse I shall not need to say any thing of them they have been handled before at the 13th verse which runnes thus And there was a day when his sonnes and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their Eldest brothers house The 19th verse describes the manner of this tryall And behold there came a great wind from the wildernesse c. And behold Ecce or behold in Scripture ever notes more then ordinary matter following 1. Great things call for attention 2. That which is sudden and unexpected calls us to behold it 3. Rare things things seldome seen invite all to see and wonder at them Here is matter of admiration What God threatens in the Law he seemes to fulfill upon Job I will make their plagues wonderfull There is no Ecce prefixed to any of the former three affiictions but this as being the most strange and terrible comes in with an Ecce And behold There came a great wind It was a wind and a great wind that came The wind is elegantly said to come as the Sunne out of his chamber and rejoycing as a strong man to runne a race Psal 19.5 Hence the word which the Latines use for the wind is derived from a word that signifies to come Because the wind comes with force and violence The wind in the nature of it is an exhalation arising from the earth drawne upwards by the power of the Sunne and other Heavenly bodies but meeting and conflicting a while with the cold of the middle region of the ayre is beaten backe againe And being so light that naturally it cannot descend and so resisted that it cannot peaceably ascend it takes a
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
superiour as sometimes in courtesie he vvill bowes downe or vvorships his inferiour As it is noted concerning Abraham that vvhen he came before the men of the Country of Heth he bowed himselfe Now Abraham vvas the Superiour he vvas a Prince and a Great-man yet comming before the men of the Country he bowed himselfe and it is the same vvord So then this civill vvorship may lawfully be given unto men But as for divine vvorship that is proper and peculiar unto God that glory he vvill not give to graven Images man or Angell and therfore we must not Hence vve find that vvhen Cornelius and John did act their civill vvorship a little too farre they vvere presently taken oft for they should intrench upon the divine vvorship Civill vvorship vvhen it is excessive and goeth too farre is sinfull As in Act. 10.25 Luke relates that as soone as Peter came in Cornelius met him and fell at his feet and worshipped him the vvorship vvas to Peter for vve are not to thinke that Cornelius vvas so grossely ignorant as to take Peter for a god and to give him divine vvorship but the meaning of it is that he fell downe at his feet and gave him an honour and respect beyond vvhat he ought to have done he vvas excessive in it therefore Peter takes him off Stand up saith he I my selfe also am a man I am a man as thou art though an Apostle give me such respect as becommeth a Minister of Christ take heed that you give me no more than belongeth to a man So the Angell Revel 22.8 When John falleth downe at his feet and worshippeth he takes him up See thou doe it not saith he for I am thy fellow servant This is too much for man worship God as it is in the end of the verse such worship belongeth properly and peculiarly unto God So much for the opening of these two latter actions of Job in reference unto God We shall now give you some Observations He fell downe upon the ground and worshipped You see how Job divides himselfe and his affections in this time of his affliction part he bestowed upon his children and servants and losses they shall have his sorrow and teares He rent his mantle and shaved his head but they shall not have all God shall have the better part his love his feare his trust his body to bow to him and his soule to worship him Learne from hence That a godly man will not let nature worke alone he mixes and tempers acts of grace with acts of nature We must not sorrow as those that are without hope saith the Apostle qualifie sorrow with hope these mixt do well A man must not sorrow for outward things as though we had nothing els to do but to sorrow he must remember he hath a God to worship and honour Job bestowes somewhat upon his children but more upon his God while his body fell to the earth his heart was raised up to Heaven He fell downe and worshipped Secondly observe That afflictions send the people of God home unto God afflictions draw a godly man nearer unto God Then Job fell downe and worshipped Afflictions are a great advantage to the servants of God for when the world frownes most then they beg most for the smiles of God when the world is strange to them and will not looke on them then they get more familiarity and closer communion with God they seeke his face Wicked men in their afflictions in their sorrowes are either quite drowned in and overwhelmed with them so that there is nothing but sorrow as we say all a mort or else they goe out to helpe and relieve themselves with worldly refreshments trouble drives them to sinne it may be as low as Hell to seeke reliefe The more poore they are the more wicked they are such are not poore as Job though they are as poore as Job Jobs poverty sent him to God rich in mercy He fell down and worshipped Thirdly learne That the people of God turne all their afflictions into prayers or into praises When God is striking then Iob is praying when God is afflicting then Iob fals to worshipping Grace makes every condition worke glory to God as God makes every condition worke good to them who have grace Fourthly Job falleth downe and worshippeth observe here That it becommeth us to worship God in an humble manner Though God as we shewed before may be worshipped in another posture yet we should rather choose that posture which is most humble and may lay our bodies as low as our soules if it may be There were some lately amongst us who cry'd aloud as great Patrons for humble postures in worship and all were censured for a stiffe necke and an Elephants knee who refused to bow with them or to bow their way I may well adde their way for Gods way of bowing was neither question'd nor refused all their humility in bowing went but one way they must bow towards the East and towards the Altar at least if not to it Some of their stomackes I beleeve would have digested that before this time especially being a little help'd with a distinction Lastly We may here observe That divine worship it is Gods peculiar Papists have worship for creatures and they have a distinction for it but no Scripture for it They tell us of Latria which is they say worship proper only to God and their Dulia which is for Saints and then their Huper-dulia which is for the Virgin Mary and for the signe of the Crosse Thus they make vain distinctions which God and the Scripture make not Vain distinctions are good enough to maintaine vaine superstitions They that invent a worship must invent a doctrine to maintaine it by Some perhaps may stumble at that Text Rev. 3.9 where this promise is made to the Church of Philadelphia Behold I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan which say they are Iewes and are not but doe lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee May not worship then be given to a creature Ans This worship may be taken for civill worship namely for that submission which the enemies of the Church shall be forced by the power of Christ to make unto her as was promised by the Prophet Isa 60.14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the sâ—tes of thy feet Ans 2. If this be divine worship then worshipping at the feet of the Church notes worshipping in the Church not worshipping of the Church The worship is not terminated in the Church but in Christ who dwels and rules in the Church who is both Head and husband of the Church These enemies being convinc'd of the presence of Christ in his Church shall worship him This David prophecies of Christ speaking in his owne person Psalm 18.43 44.
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
the soule is more worth then a thousand lives What will it advantage a man to gaine the world and loose his soule Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soule The truth is a man should not gaine much to get the whole world and loose his life that losse is a losse irreparable irrecompensible from the creature Nature teacheth us to prize our lives above the world and grace teacheth us to value our soules above our lives Therefore how unnaturall are they that preferre a little profit before their lives but O how ungracious are they who preferre a little profit before their soules Some will sinne as we say for six-pence selling their owne soules as those false Prophets did the soules of their people for hand-fulls of barley and for peeces of bread Ezek. 13.19 And whereas a man should give all for his life they will give their soules for a thing of nought Know therefore the worth of your soules Jesus Christ thought soules worth his life and therefore dyed to save soules How much then doe our soules transcend our owne lives And if Christ laid downe his life to ransome soules doe you rather lay downe a thousand lives if you had them then indanger your soules either by acting sinne or by submitting unto errour In that case let estate goe let liberty goe let life let all goe for life hath not so much preheminence over all as the soule hath over life Fourthly If your lives are worth so much then what is the Gospell worth If a man would give all for his life what should he give for his Religion to maintaine and uphold that in the purity and power of it Life is a precious thing a thing of great value but when the Gospell comes in competition then life is a poore commodity and our breath but a perishing vapour Such was the judgement of that great Apostle Act. 20.24 when the Holy Ghost had witnessed in every City that bonds and afflictions did abide him in preaching the Gospell he thus resolves But none of these things move me neither count I my life deare unto my selfe so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministery which I have received to testifie the Gospell of the grace of God His life came to a low rate in his esteeme how cheape was life when the Gospell was spoken of I count not my life deare saith Paul as all other outward things are meane and low compared with life so life it selfe is a meane a low thing in comparison of the Gospell This life is but the life of the body but the Gospell is the life of the soule Many men live but no soule lives on this side or without the Gospell Now if you will offer much to save your lives will not you offer much more to save the Gospell In and about this we may make the best improvement of Satans argument Skin for skin and all that a man hath should he give for the Gospell for Gospell ordinances for Gospell priviledges for Gospell light Where or for what will you venture and bid high if not for the precious Gospell Lastly If life be worth all then hereby we may take measure of the love and bounty of Christ to poore sinners who not onely spent himselfe in all to his life but spent life and all that they might not perish the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ was exceeding great towards us That though he was rich yet for our sakes he became poore 2 Cor. 8.9 That though he was in the forme of God and thought it no robbery to be equall with God yet he made himselfe of no reputation Phil. 2.6 7. But how superabundant was his grace towards us that though he was the Prince of life Act. 3.15 Yet became obedient unto death even the death of the crosse Phil. 2.8 that we might live If a man loves his life so that he will give skin for skin and all that he hath to redeeme it then O how did Christ love his Church who gave not only his riches and his reputation but his life also for it's redemption JOB 2.5 6 7 8. But put forth thine hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face And the Lord said unto Satan Behold he is in thine hand but save his life So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boyles from the sole of his foote unto his crowne And he tooke him a pot-sheard to scrape himselfe withall and he sate downe among the ashes IN this fifth verse Satan goeth on and makes a motion unto God as we observed his method in the former Chapter but put forth thine hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face This is Satans motion In the sixth verse we have a grant of this motion bound up yet with a limitation as it was in the former Chapter For the motion But put forth thine hand now and touch c. What it importeth to put forth the hand that was opened in the former Chapter vers 11. where we have the same expression therefore we shall not stay upon it here Consider now only that which is differing a new object upon which the hand must be put forth and which Satan desireth might now be touched It is the laying of his hand not upon his Cattell or upon his estate or upon his children but upon his flesh and his bone Touch his bone and his flesh that is afflict his body The bone and the flesh are the two chiefe parts the materiall parts of the body of them the whole Fabrique doth consist the bone it is as the timber in this house and the flesh it is as the lime and morter filling of it up Touch this saith Satan And in that he saith touch his bone and his flesh he intends and requires a deepe and a sore affliction upon his body for if he had said only thus Touch his flesh that had beene an affliction upon his body For we know often in Scripture the flesh is put for the whole body and sometimes for the whole man therefore Satan is not satisfied with an expression generall but he putteth it in direct and expresse termes Touch his flesh and his bone that is touch him so as that the paine and the distemper may sinke into his very bones into his very Marrow touch him thus and then you shall see what he will doe The Bone it selfe is a part without feeling yet to touch the bone imports the greatest paine that can be felt Touch his bone and his flesh and then saith he He will curse thee to thy face What it is to curse to the face hath bin opened already in the former Chapter at the eleventh verse and I must referre you thither for the sence of this phrase only in a word take it thus Hee will curse thee to thy face is as if
Satan had said thus Though Job did blesse thee when he had a full estate and though he did blesse thee when thou diddest empty him of his estate and tooke all his goods from him yet if thou doe but touch his body and afflict his bones he will breake forth into cursed language both concerning thy person and concerning thy service I will only minde you further of that which is here secretly couched in this expression Touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face here is a secret imprecation involved he tacitly subjects himselfe to the curse of God if Job curse not God As if Satan should have said If he doe not curse thee to thy face then doe so and so to me or thinke thus and thus of me If you would have the meaning of Satan from the language of his children you may take the plaine English of it thus Touch but his bone and his flesh and damne me if he doe not curse thee send me to Hell presently Satan indeed kept this cursed imprecation close wrapt up in that forme of speaking But now his children speake it out If you will have Satans heart from the mouthes of the sonnes of Belial a cursed and cursing generation among us the plaine English of it is this God damne me send me to Hell presently if he curse thee not Satan we see was more modest then these sonnes of impudence and perdition who openly imprecate upon and devote themselves unto the wrath of God almost every word these doe not only imitate but exceed the copy which Satan sets them here by bold blasphemie and horrid execrations And he will curse thee to thy face We may from hence observe First Satan had tryed in vaine to make Job curse God Now he attempts a second time Note That When Satan cannot prevaile against us by one meanes he doth not despaire of prevailing by another He gives not his cause over for lost because he cannot carry it at first he will try and try againe As it was with Balak Numb 23. when he sent for Balaam to curse the people and saw the businesse did not prosper or succeed according to his malice Balaam could not curse them he brought him to another place Come saith he I pray thee I will bring thee to another place peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence though you could not doe it in one place you may in another So Satan if he cannot worke his will one way he will try a second or a third Satans unweariednesse in a bad cause when it succeeded not reproves those who are so soone weary of a good one if it succeed not Many are ready to give up if one meanes will not doe it they cast off hope and say the cause is desperate If one or two or three or many meanes we use faile we ought to try still never despaire of the end while the worke is good and the meanes are faire In the morning sow thy seed saith the Preacher and in the evening with-hold not thy hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper this or that I may adde with-hold not thy hand in the evening though thou seest the morning seed doth not prosper this may have a blessing though that had not Secondly observe Satan tryeth another way and he tryeth a way more probable and efficacious for his ends then the former when a weaker will not doe it he provides stronger meanes As God in punishing or chastening sinners when a lesser judgement will not humble them he sends a greater God cometh not only with another but with sorer judgements If he will not yet for all this hearken unto me then I will punish you seven times more for your sinnes So Satan when by one temptation he cannot over-come prepares not only another but a stronger he assaults them more and more he not only musters new Forces but more compleate to foile the soule This should teach us when we cannot subdue a corruption in our own hearts by one meanes then to seeke a better And when by one prayer we cannot obtaine a blessing then to pray againe and to pray better to pray with more life with more faith with more humility then mix more fire with prayer more zeale and fervency of spirit mix more water with prayer As Iacob Hose 12. wept and made supplication above all mix more of Christ in prayer goe out in his Name and strength When Balacks first messengers could not obtaine Balaam to come with them Balack was not discourag'd or put off but saith the Text Balack sent yet againe Princes more and more Honourable Numb 22.15 Let not us be discouraged if our first prayers which are our messengers to God are not answered But let us send more and more honourable more strong cryes more spirituall desires which may take upon the heart of God Why should Satan doe more against us then we will doe for our selves Thirdly Note for our owne caution That we must not only expect continued or renewed afflictions and assaults from Satan but we must expect greater and greater afflictions and assaults from Satan He hath some assaults that are but as Foote-men he will bring out his Horse-men at the next bout And if having runne with Foote-men they have wearied thee how wilt thou contend with Horses Jer. 12.5 Be ready then not only to run with the Foote but to contend with Horses prepare your selves for other for more violent charges then you ever felt Satan will if he can lay a closer siege to thy soule then ever he hath done As that one evill spirit returned into the person out of whom he was gone Luk. 11.24 with seven Devils worse then himselfe so he often returnes with seven temptations worser stronger then before Fourthly observe what Satan picks out to be the matter of this second and stronger temptation it is to pinch Job in his flesh to pinch his body Note from hence That the paine of the body is very powerfull to disquiet and trouble the mind Satan is very confident to trouble and vex the mind of Job by casting darts and diseases into his body Physitians have a rule That the manners of the mind follow the temper of the body and it is a more certaine rule That the mind is much carried according to the distemper of the body when the body is distempered the mind is seldome at rest the body and soule are such neere neighbours that they cannot but sympathize in each others sufferings Some interpret that place of the Apostle Gal. 4.13 14. concerning the weakenesse and sicknesse of his body You know saith he how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the Gospell We may safely joyne it with those other troubles afflictions and reproaches which he endured and were so great a disadvantage to his acceptance in the world So the meaning is that though his body was infirme though
also of Jobs triall might have born the same name As the Lord will be seen in the mount of our afflictions to provide for us so he will see us in the mount of our afflictions to please himself The Psalmist describeth God looking down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand that did seek God Psal 53.2 Surely then if any do seek God much more if they suffer from him or for him in a holy manner he will look downe from Heaven to see them Thirdly I will note that as another ground why God would have his life spared because he had much use of him when he was in that condition full of sores and scabs A godly man is never in such an estate but God hath some use of his life Therefore saith God Save his life though he be full of sores or rather from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot one continued sore though he be a most lamentable creature and cannot wag hand or foot in any service of man yet spare his life for he may thus stand me in great stead and do me more service then many thousands who as we speake are sound winde and limbe and have not one blemish upon the whole body A godly person is ever usefull to God though he cannot stirre a limbe yet his life may be usefull to God whereas a wicked man though strong and healthy though furnisht with outward comforts and accommodations is altogether unserviceable he will not doe God a stroake of worke though he have received great pay and wages afore-hand A godly man will serve God in and by his poverty in and by his sicknesse when diseased when distressed when nothing is to be seen upon him but scabs and boiles Grace will work through all the defects and decayes of nature And when the life of nature can scarce move one member of the outward man upon the earth the life of grace moves all the members of the inward man toward Heaven Though the outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day 2 Cor. 4.16 Lastly God saved his life as a punishment and vexation upon Satan The Talmudists are vouched to affirme that it was not so grievous to Job to be afflicted in his body as it was to Satan when God restrained him from destroying his life As if a man should be permitted to crack the glasse but he must not spill the wine That his life must be kept whole in him was Satans wound It is a torture to malice not to do the utmost mischiefe So much for the clearing of these words Behold he is in thine hand but save his life From the Lords grant observe first That God doth oftentimes give up the bodies of his faithfull servants to be abused and tormented by Satan and his instruments He is in thine hand thou maiest do with him what thou wilt on this side death Touch his flesh and his bone or touch his flesh to the bone strike as hard wound as deep as thou canst It is said Revel 2.10 that Satan should cast some of them that is of the servants of God into prison God gave up their bodies to irons and fetters to the stocks and shackles He permits those bodies which are Temples of the holy Ghost to be thrust into dungeons and the chambers of death Therefore doe not thinke it strange to see the bodies of the children of God put into cruell and bloudy hands though they are vessels of honour and Temples of the holy Ghost yet God may give up those bodies to be defiled and polluted with the outrages of the most abominable wretches consider what the Apostle speakes of the Jewish Martyrs Heb. 11. How were their bodies abused and mangled They were stoned they were sawn asunder they were slaine with the sword they wandered about in sheep skins and goat skins being destitute afflicted tormented of whom the world was not worthy Their bodies had not a house to dwell in nor garments to put on in whose soules God himselfe dwelt and had put upon them the garment of Salvation Who is able to expresse yea to conceive what strange inventions of crueltie have been brought into the world to vex and torment the bodies of the Saints The stories of the Primitive times are full but the fathers of the Romish inquisition have exceeded them all Satan here invents a strange disease as an engine to torture Jobs body in that he mixt the rack and the wheel the sword and the saw the fiery gridiron and the boyling oil The pain of a thousand deaths was heightn'd in that malignant distemper Secondly he is in thine hand but save his life saith God The matter wherein Satan is limited is life then note That life and death are in the hand of God It is truth that all we have is in the hand of God but God keeps our life in his hand last of all and he hath that in his hand in a speciall manner So David expresses it Thou holdest my soul in life though the soul continue life may not continue there is the soul when there is not life life is that which is the union of soul and body Thou holdest my soul in life that is thou holdest soul and body together So Daniel describes God to Belshazzar Dan. 5.23 The God in whose hand thy breath is and whose are all thy wayes hast thou not glorified The breath of Princes is in the hand of God and the same hand holds the breath of the meanest subject This may be matter of comfort to us in such times as these are times of danger and times of death when the hand of man is lifted up to take thy life remember thy life is held in the hand of God And as God said here to Satan Afflict the body of Job but save his life so God saith still to bloudy wretches who are as the limbs of Satan The bodies of such and such are in your hands the estates of such and such are in your hands but save their lives The life of a man is never at the mercy of a creature though it be a common speech of men when they have a man under them Now I have you at my mercy though some brag as Laban did to Jacob It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt yet God often checks them as he did Laban from so much as speaking hurt Gen. 31.29 but the God of your father spake unto me yester-night saying Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad Creatures though full of love cannot speak good and though full of malice they cannot speak bad if God forbid then much lesse can they do us hurt and least of all hurt our lives if God with-hold David triumphs in his interest in such a God Psal 68.20 Our God is the God of salvation that is of deliverance of outward deliverance for that is
especially there meant and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death or the goings out from death that is God hath all wayes that lead out from death in his own keeping he keepeth the key of the door that lets us out from death when a man is in the valley of the shadow of death where shall he issue out where shall he have a passage No where saith man he shall not escape but God keepeth all the passages when men think they have shut us up in the jawes of death he can open them and deliver us To him belong the issues from death It is an allusion to one that keepeth a passage or a door And God is a faithfull keeper and a friendly keeper who will open the door for the escape of his people when they cry unto him It is exprest so in Psal 141.7 Our bones are scattered at the graves mouth as when one cutteth or cleaveth wood upon the earth that is we are even ready to die to be put into the grave What then But mine eyes are upon thee O God the Lord in thee is my trust leave not my soul destitute Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me Let the wicked fall into their own nets whilest I withall escape that is make me a way to escape As if he should say Thou hast the key of the gate by which we may issue out from death Lord I look that thou shouldest now open it for me Let it comfort us that God hath our lives and the issues from death in his own hand When Satan thought he had Job fast enough lockt up in the valley of the shadow of death God kept him safe he opened a door and let him out Thirdly note that as God hath life in his hand in a speciall manner so he takes speciall care of the lives of his people Save his life saith God I will look to that Psal 116.15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints Precious is their death not that death it self is precious a privation hath no preciousnesse in it but their life is precious therefore he will have a great price for their death God puts off the life of a Saint at a deare rate Woe unto those who violently and unjustly take away that which is so precious in the esteeme of God at one time or other he will make them pay dear for such Jewels Fourthly observe It is mercy to have our lives though we lose all things else You see here God saith concerning Job Save his life I have given thee his estate thou hast spoiled that now I will leave his body in thine hand wound that afflict that but save his life Here was mercy Therefore it was a speciall promise and priviledge made and granted to some in times of great publike sufferings and common calamities as to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian Jer. 39.18 and to Baruch the Scribe Jer. 45.5 that their lives should be given to them for a prey as if God had said It is no ordinary favour in times of common danger to have your lives for a prey you complain for this losse and that losse and you have cause too but think withall that you have your lives And why is it said that they should have their lives for a prey A prey you know properly is that which we take out of the hand of an enemie that which was in his possession the lives of these persons were said to be given to them for a prey in those perillous times because God by his care and providence did as it were fetch back their lives from the hand of the enemie their lives in naturall reason were in their enemies hands but God undertakes to fetch them back and recover them out of their hands and so they were promised to have their lives for a prey Thus God giveth to many of his people their lives for a prey and they are to blesse God in this behalfe whatsoever afflictions and troubles are upon them that yet they have their lives Lastly we may hence raise our meditations to consider the wonderfull love of God to us in Christ when God sent Christ into the world to save sinners he put him into the hands of Satan and his instruments yet he doth not say as here to Satan Save his life Afflict him as thou wilt persecute him in his cradle despise him slander him revile him accuse him crowne his head with thornes scourge him buffet him spit in his face c. but save his life No this bound is not set to the malice of Satan or the rage of men God gives them leave to take life and all Concerning his servant Job God saith to Satan Spare his life but when he sendeth his Son he gives no order to have him spared but gives his cruell enemies full scope How wonderfull is the love of God who for our sakes was so expensive of his Sons life when as he thus spared the life of a servant If Satan had been chained up from taking the life of Christ he had been at liberty to triumph over our lives to all eternity We had all died if God had said to Satan concerning Christ Save his life Thus we see the Commission of Satan against Job and the limitation of it Satan was not tyed up so short as he was in the former Chapter and yet still he is tyed There he might meddle with Jobs estate but not with his body here he may meddle with his body but not with his life Though God lengthen Satans chain yet he never lets Satan loose though he be at more liberty then before yet he is in custody there is a But of restriction upon him still It is our comfort that though Satan as Philosophers speake of liquids water and the like cannot keep himself in his own bounds yet he is easily kept in bounds by the word and power of God Verse 7. So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boiles from the sole of the feet unto his crowne Verse 8. And he took him a potsheard to scrape himselfe withall and he sate down among the ashes So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. He is presently upon execution as soon as he hath his commission We have explained these words in the former Chapter See then what he doth He smote Job with sore boiles from the sole of his feet unto his crown He smote Job saith the Text. In the former afflictions Satan had instruments to work by He stirred up the Caldeans and Sabeans he moved the fire and the winde into a conspiracie against Job Here he that he might be sure it should be done fully doth it himselfe He smote Job When the devil smiteth he smiteth thorowly he smiteth home When Angels strike they strike to purpose It is said Act. 12. that an Angel of the Lord smote Herod and he was eaten of wormes and
gave up the Ghost Spirits have mighty power He smote Job why he did not demand to smite Job he did but desire to have him Toucht you heard before somewhat of that Satan moves that his flesh and his bone might be only touched now his motion being granted it is said he smote him There are two things in this smiting First It notes suddennesse He did not afflict him by a disease that grew upon him by degrees as you know boiles and sores ordinarily are long a gathering breeding in and breaking out of the flesh but he was all over full of these boiles in an instant Secondly smiting intimates the vehemencie of it a killing stroake a deaths wound the Hebrew word signifieth to strike to death So here was a sudden stroake and a vehement stroake It must needs at once wound both his mind and body on a sudden in a moment to be filled with sores and covered with a scab he saw no cause he had no prognosticks which might induce a suspition that his body was in such a distemper and so it looked the more like an immediate stroake from an offended God Every word hath its weight and emphasis to adde weight and anguish to this affliction It may here be questioned how Satan can be said to smite And the same doubt ariseth about this action of good Angels one of which as executioner of Gods wrath smote of the Assyrians in one night an hundred and fourscore and five thousand Isai 37.36 and another smote Herod Act. 12. I answer how angels smite is a secret that we cannot expresse nor fully apprehend For this and the like expressions of smiting are sured to the nature of the patient not of the Agent man being a materiall substance is susceptive or capable of smiting or of a stroake But an angel being an immateriall substance cannot smite properly and he is therefore only said to smite a man because we cannot signifie an effect or impression upon a body but by such a word We know that in the plague or other diseases when they are immediately inflicted by Angels man receives a stroake and therefore is said to be smitten But how the Angel gives that stroake or smites is not knowne Man may feel himself smitten by an Angel but how the Angel smites he cannot understand This word is fitted to the recipient not to the efficient cause of the disease or plague or death He smote him with boiles The Hebrew word signifieth an ulcer a burning or an inflaming ulcer an ulcer that cometh from extreme heat or is extreme hot Satan did as it were kindle a fire in the bowels of Job inflamed his bloud and heated the humours of his body from whence these boiles these ulcers these sores did arise The Grammarians expresse it sometime more generally A filthy scab sometime more particularly An ulcer a boile sometime a leprocie it is indeed any foule disease breaking out upon the body The same word is used Exod. 9.10 where it is said that God smote the Egyptians and the Magicians with boiles It was one of the plagues of Egypt that was inflicted upon Job We need say no more of it then that to shew that it was a grievous plague a most painfull sore for it is added in that place of Exodus that the Magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boiles Againe it is not onely a smiting and smiting with a boile but there is an Epethite added he smote him with sore boiles with an evil boile among evils some are worse these were the worst kinde of boiles There are many sorts of boiles some are not so bad as others though all are bad enough Now lest any should thinke Jobs boyles were not the most painefull and malignant a word is joyned to expresse it to the height In the kind they were boyles and intensivè or in the degree they were the worst and most tormenting boyles Further in the fourth place we know it is painfull for a man to have one boyle especially an angry burning one a boyle of the worst sort but it is subjoyned he was smitten with boyles from the sole of his feete unto his crowne To be all over boyles and to be all over-run with the most painfull kind of boyles what a vehement paine must this be From the sole of his feete unto his crown there is the extent of this stroake Intensivè it was the worst kind of boyle And Extensivè it was all over his body no part free From the sole of his feete unto his crowne It is usuall in Scripture thus to signifie the whole body As Deut. 28.35 The Lord shall smite thee in the knees and in the leggs with a sore botch that cannot be healed from the sole of the foote to the top of the head or to the crowne And Isa 1.6 when the Prophet would expresse what a generall blow the body politique had received from the hand of God by his judgements so it is there to be understood he saith there were wounds and bruises and putrifying sores from the sole of the foote even unto the head That is the whole body politick the whole State had at one time or other or all at one time received wounds and blowes and stroakes from the hand of God The extreames comprehend all the parts That which extends from one extreame or utmost part to another is extended through all from East to West is all the world over and from head to foote is all the body over So then Satan smote him from the sole of his foote to his crowne is He smote his whole body All paines and distempers were gathered into this one malady and all the parts of his body were smitten as if they had bin but one member only his tongue was untoucht as is commonly observed That it might be free to blaspheme God who had thus polluted the beauty and comelinesse of his body who had thus imbittered the comforts of his soule Job being thus smitten would surely looke out for helpe Though it be exceeding sinfull with Asa diseased in his feete to seeke to the Physitians and not to the Lord yet it is our duty to seeke to the Lord and the Physitian To trust in meanes is to neglect God to neglect meanes is to tempt God Doubtlesse holy and wise Job walkt in a path betweene these two He neither trusted nor neglected meanes but used them yet alasse it was with Job as it is said in the Prophet concerning Ephraim and Judah That when Ephraim saw his sicknesse and Judah saw his wound Then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to King Jareb Yet could he not heale you nor cure you of your wound Though Job as they in their civill sicknesse seeing his sicknesse his wound had sent to this and that Physitian Their answer would have been we cannot heale you nor cure you of your wound His disease was of the nature of those which
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
their polishing was of Saphire But see the change Their visage is blacker then a coale they are not knowne in the streetes Famine had eaten up not only their flesh but their forme misery had altered their very complexion and visage they who shined before like Rubies and Saphires for colour and comelinesse were now darke as a coale or dusky like ashes they were not knowne to be the same men and women It is said of Christ in his affliction Isa 52.14 That his visage was so marred more then any man and his forme more then the sonnes of men Great afflictions change the very forme and utterly blast the beauty of the body Sinne doth so change the soule and disfigure the mind it so deformes the spirit and defaces the image at first stampt upon it that God saith I know you not you are not like the men that Imade But this is the comfort of a Job of a godly man that when his face is most deformed his soule is most beautified and though a disease may disfigure him so that his neerest friends know him not yet God knowes him still No sicknesse can weare out the markes by which Christ knowes thee When thy face is blacker then a coale he sees the face of thy soule shining like the face of an Angell A person or a people are then in a wofull condition indeed when God shall say to them as he did to those hipocriticall professors Mat. 7.23 Depart from me I know ye not We may be in such a wofull condition that our friends and acquaintance coming to visit us cannot know us yet for the maine well enough blessed enough at that time beautifull in the eye welcome into the presence of a glorious God They knew him not What then Then they lifted up their voice and wept This is the first act of their mourning And we may observe five acts of mourning here specified whereof one is a naturall act and the other foure are ceremoniall The naturall act was this of weeping They lifted up their voice and wept The ceremoniall acts were these First They rent every one his mantle Secondly They sprinckled dust upon their heads towards Heaven Thirdly They sate downe with him on the ground seven dayes and seven nights The fourth ceremoniall act was their silence And none spake a word unto him for they saw that his griefe was great First They lifted up their voice and wept The word is Baca and from that the place Judg. 2.5 is called Bochin where the people are said to lift up their voice and weepe when the Angell reproved them In Psal 84.6 We reade of the valley of Baca which some translate the valley of weeping or the valley of teares Others from Baca a Mulberry-tree the valley of Mulberry-trees which being a dry place the travellers to Jerusalem at the solemne feasts did so digge for water that they made all as one well Further It is said they did not only weepe but they lifted up their voice and wept We may note two things in that phrase First the vehemency of their sorrow as when a man doth lift up his voice and speake he speakes vehemently Isa 58.3 Lift up thy voice like a trumpet that is speake with a loud and strong voice So here They lifted up their voice and wept that is they wept vehemently they wept exceedingly Secondly To lift up the voice and weepe notes the easing of the mind in sorrow for it is an ease to the mind burden'd and oppress'd with sorrow to lift up the voice and weepe to cry out in sorrow le ts the strength of the sorrow out We say that sorrow which is included strangles and stifles the spirit sorrow kept in is like fire kept in more augmented As David speakes Psal 39. concerning himselfe While I kept silence even from good my sorrow was stirred my heart was hot within me while I was musing the fire burned His sorrow was increast when he had not a vent for it Silent mournings are the sorest mournings lifting up the voice vents the sorrow The holy Ghost expresses great sorrow by that of a woman in travaile crying out To cry out notes I grant great paine and yet crying out is a lestening or mitigation of paine It is observed that the Midwife seeing a travelling woman hold in and conceale her paines will bid her cry out Some lift up their voice and weepe when they are not in paine when they mourne not at all There are Crocodiles teares teares and voices too of dissimulation Ismael had teares in his eyes and revenge in his heart Jer. 41. Others are in paine and mourne when they lift not up their voice nor weepe Like one that hath a deadly wound they bleed inwardly But when there is the highest flood of sorrow in the heart weeping will make an ebbe and you may let much of those waters which are ready to drowne the spirit out at those sluces of the eyes That is the first act the naturall act They lifted up their eyes and saw such a spectacle as made them lift up their voice and weepe There are 4 ceremoniall acts First They rent every man his mantle We have spoken of that when we opened the 20th verse of the former Chapter together with the grounds of rending cloathes sorrow indignation c. I shall referre you thither for further information in this point The second ceremoniall act of their sorrow was The sprinckling dust upon their heads toward Heaven In the 20th verse of the former Chapter Job shaved his head Here is another ceremony They sprinckled dust upon their heads And which is yet more considerable They sprinckled dust toward Heaven There were two wayes of sprinckling dust There was first a taking the dust and sprinckling it upon the head barely And then there was another way of taking the dust and throwing it up in the aire and so letting it fall upon the head This act was significative It typed that all things were full of sorrowfull confusion the earth and the aire were mingled the Heavens also were cloudy and darkened therefore they cast dust toward Heaven For as by a stormy wind and tempest the dust is raised which thickens the aire and obscures the Heavens so by that act of casting or sprinckling dust in the aire stormy tempestuous and troublesome times were signified In the Acts chap. 22.23 those wretched Jewes to whom Paul preached being vexed and enraged cryed out and casting off their cloathes threw dust into the aire Their action had this voice in it This man hath or will if let alone fill all the world with trouble and disturbe the peace of Nations This they expresse together with their own rage by throwing dust into the aire It was a judgement which God threatned his people with that he would make the raine of their land dust Deut. 28.24 And when men make it raine dust by sprinckling it towards Heaven it shewed great trouble or judgement
to teach them subjection was not this madnesse what cared the waters for stripes or why should Zerxes take revenge upon the waters And was not Iob as mad what cared his day for the curse or why should Iob take revenge upon his day But as the Prophet saith Hab. 3.8 Was the Lord displeased against the rivers was his wrath against the sea Should the Lord set his anger against irrationall creatures Doubtlesse he doth not Therefore enquire further into the matter So did Iob fall out with his day was he angry with his day This is yet further to be enquired into and answered There are some who on the one hand prosecute the impatience of Iob with much impatience and are over passionate against Iobs passion Most of the Iewish writers tax him at the least as bordering upon blasphemy if not blaspheming Nay they censure him as one taking heed to and much depending upon Astrologicall observations as if mans fate or fortune were guided by the constellations of Heaven by the sight and aspect of the Planets in the day of his nativity as if Iob had observed some malignant conjunction of the Starres upon that day As if like the superstitious Heathen he divided dayes into lucky and unlucky good dayes and bad dayes as if he had denied the providence of God at least the particular providence of God in guiding individuall persons or passages of our lives here below There are others who carry the matter as farre on the other hand altogether excusing and which is more commending yea applauding Iob in this act of cursing his day they make this curse an argument of his holinesse and these expostulations as a part of his patience contending first that these did only expresse which he ought the suffering of his sensitive part as a man and so were opposite to stoicall Apathy not to christian patience to a stone not to a man Secondly That he spake all this not only according to the law of sense but with exact judgement and according to the law of soundest reason And which is farre more that he spake all this not out of impotent anger against his day but out of perfect love unto his God That he spake this curse not in his owne but in the behalfe of God pleading for the providence of God againct the surmises of men For say some he feared least his friends seeing him whom they ever tooke for a godly man thus afflicted should accuse the providence of God As if he had said I would I had never been borne or it had been better for me not to have been borne rather then I should be an occasion for any to take up hard thoughts against God or that his Name through my sufferings should suffer So that the love of God not wearinesse under or unwillingnesse to be under the crosse constrained him thus to speake And if he was besides himselfe as the Apostles word is It was to God 2 Cor. 5.13 I doe not say but that Iob loved God and loved him exceedingly all this while but whether we should so farre acquit Iob I much doubt especially seeing Iob himselfe saith Chap. 42. I have spoken and I will speake no more If Iob had spoken so much from the love of God and to the honour of God in this curse having spoken once he ought to have spoken againe and againe And had it been so surely Job might have spared his repentance as to this point and needed not have said Now I abhorre my selfe and repent in dust and ashes If Iob had spoken all this according to exact reason and the exactnesse of holinesse he had no reason to repent especially to repent in dust and ashes for what he had thus spoken No man needs abhorre himselfe for that wherein he both intentionally and actually honours God We must therefore state it in the middle way that Job is neither rigidly to be taxed of blasphemie or prophanenesse nor totally to be excused especially not flatteringly commended for this high complaint I conceive it must be granted that Job discovered much frailty and infirmity some passion and distemper in this complaint and curse yet notwithstanding we must assert him for a patient man yea for a mirrour of patience and there are five things considerable for the clearing and proofe of this assertion As first consider the greatnesse of his suffering his wound was very deepe and deadly his burden was very heavy only not intollerable The sufferings of Christ being exceeding great caused him to complaine that his soule was exceeding sorrowfull even unto death Mat. 27.38 Yet in this complaint there was not the least imaginable touch of impatience When he hung upon the crosse he cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me verse 46. yet in this cry no impatience To cry out for every light touch argues indeed a vaine and an impatient spirit But he that sometimes fetches a groane under a weight of sorrow is yet untoucht either in his wisedome or in his patience In such a case to cry out is a discovery of humane frailty but not of sinfull frailty grace doth not take away sence it heightens nature but it doth not abolish it Consider how much Job endured and then you will find little impatience though he complained much Secondly Consider the multiplicity of his troubles They were great and many many little afflictions meeting together make a great one how great then is that which is composed of many great ones Many pebble stones will make a heavy burden how then is he burdened who hath if such a thing may be supposed many mil-stones upon his back Jobs afflictions came upon him as an Army and encompast him round about He had many particular afflictions any one of which might make a very patient man complaine then Job who bare them all was not impatient though he complained Thirdly Consider the long continuance of these great and many troubles they continued long upon him some say they continued divers yeares upon him We use to say a light burden is heavy if the journey be long a man may beare any thing for a brunt or for a spurt but to have a sad load continued upon the shoulders all the day pinches soare Jobs load lay upon him day and night day after day yea moneth after moneth chap. 7.3 I am made saith he to possesse moneths of vanity yea as some have calculated them his troubles continued yeare after yeare for seven yeare Though a man make some yea great complainings under many great long lasting afflictions an easie apologie may acquit him of impatience Fourthly Consider this that his complainings and acts of impatience were but a few but his submissions and acts of meeknesse under the hand of God were very many Now we know that one or a few acts though evill doe not denominate a person especially when they are ballanced by many acts of good in the same person and about the same thing How
the ghost The Hebrew is but one word which costs us five in English I give up the ghost the word signifieth that last act of those who are in the agonie of death In the Greeke and Latine that act is exprest by one word Luk. 23.46 Where it is said that Christ gave up the ghost The word is conceived to note a willing cheerefull resignation of our selves in death a dying without much reluctance or resistance a being active in death rather then passive we call it well a giving up the ghost Some apply it only to the death of the godly as Gen. 25.8 of Abraham c. whose lives are not violently snatcht from them but willingly surrendred When a godly man dyes a violent death he doth not dye violently Whereas a wicked man dies violently when he dies naturally and though sometimes being weary of his life or despairing of reliefe he drives out his ghost yet in a strict sense he never gives up the ghost It is said to the wicked rich man in the Gospell Luk. 12.20 Thou foole this night shall thy soule be required of thee demanded indeed but O how unwillingly doth the rich man pay this naturall debt who is so able to pay all civill debts Yet it must be confest that we find the word often used promiscuously applied as well to the death of the wicked as of the godly To Ismael Gen. 25.8 as well as Abraham to Annanias and Saphira Acts 5.10 Yea it is applied to the death of any or all living things Gen. 7.21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth both of fowle and of cattell and of beasts and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth and every man Then againe If I had not so much favour to die assoone as ever I came from the wombe or to die in the very birth yet Why did the knees prevent me or the breasts that I should sucke Here are two steps aggravating the cause of his curse against his day If I had not been borne dead saith Job or died naturally assoone as I was borne yet why was I not left to perish I should have died quickly if they had let me alone though I were born alive into the world that is the meaning of those words Why did the knees prevent me why was there any care taken of me why did the Midwife and the Assistant women take me upon their knees why did they wash me swathe me and bind me up If they had not been so kind it had been a kindnesse unto me if they had spared their labour they had done me a favour If they had omitted their care how many cares had I escaped Why did the knees prevent me or which is a further step and the fift step by which this speech ascends why the brests that I should suck As if he had said If they would needs be so favourable as to take me up upon the knee to wash me to binde me up and cloath me yet why was the brest presented to me why was I layed to the brest If they had kept me from sucking the brest I should have suckt but little breath I had died quickly So that in these words there are five gradations by which Job aggravateth the cause of this curse against his day First Because he was conceived Secondly Because the doore was opened for him to be borne Thirdly Because being borne he did not presently give up the ghost or die assoone as he came into the world Fourthly Because there was so much care taken for him as to take him upon the knee and bind him up Fifthly Because there was a brest provided and papps for him to sucke If any of these latter acts had been neglected Job had died and so escaped all these ensuing troubles of his life sorrow had been hidden from his eyes And it is observed especially in these latter acts of this gradation that Job alludes to the custome of those times wherein unnaturall women left their children upon the cold earth naked and helplesse assoone as they were borne or casting them out expose them to misery or the casuall nursery of nature lent them by beasts more mercifull then those beastly mothers who would not afford them knees to prevent nor brests to give them suck As in that place Ezek. 16.4 5. the wofull condition of such an infant is exprest to shadow out the sinfully polluted and woefuly helplesse estate of that people and of all people by nature till the Lord prevents them by the knees of free grace and suckles them with the brests of his consolation Thy father was an Amorite and thy mother an Hittite of a barbarous people and what then In the day thou wast borne thy navell was not cut neither wast thou washed in water thou wast not salted at all nor swadled at all none eye pittied thee to doe any of these unto thee but thou wast cast out in the open field to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou wast borne Now this is a certaine rule that such parabolicall and allegoricall Scriptures are grounded upon known customes and things in use It is certaine there were some so unnaturall to their infants that they would bestow no care upon them when they were borne neither wash nor cleanse nor binde them up but cast them out as the Prophet speakes to the loathing of their persons The Heathen Romanes had a speciall goddesse or deity whose name imported her care and office that children when they were borne should be taken up from the earth and set upon the knee And for the preventing of this unnaturall cruelty very frequent as it seemes amongst them the Thebanes made an expresse law that infants should not be neglected or cast out when they were borne though the parents thought they would be a burden to them by reason of the charge or no delight to them by reason of their deformity Now saith Job I could wish I had had such a father or such a mother or such friends who forgetting naturall affection would have cast me out when I came first into the world Why did the knees prevent me From hence also we may observe first That an infant assoone as he liveth hath in him the seeds of death So Job speakes of himselfe Why died I not from the wombe why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of my mothers belly Or why was I not stifled in the wombe why was ever that doore opened to let me into the world I could have died as soone as I lived Not only is man acting sin but nature infected with sin the subject of and subjected to the power of death So the Apostle teacheth us Rom. 5.14 Death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression And who were those Even little infants they had life yet death reigned over them they were under the
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
troubles turne a Pallace into a desolate place so riches and plenty power and peace meeting together in Kings and great men turne desolate places into Pallaces Kings and Counsellours are of such wealth and power that they can alter the most desolate and ruinous places into delicate edifices and stately dwellings Or lastly Which doth best suite with the subject of Jobs discourse or curse in this Chapter He speaking so much of death by the desolate places we may understand Tombes and Sepulchers places of buriall which Kings and Counsellours build to or for themselves And so taken the sence may be given thus as if Job had said if I had died I should have lien in the grave with as much ease and quiet as those great Princes and Kings of the earth who build themselves stately monuments to lie in It would have been as well with me as with any of them though interr'd under stately tombes We know it was an ordinary thing for Kings and great men especially in ancient times to prepare for themselves costly monuments while they lived as houses for their bodies being dead Which grew to such excessive charge among the Romanes that they were forced to make a Law to restraine it The Egyptians bestowed more care and cost in building their tombes then their houses Even Abraham Gen. 23.16 bought him a burying place before he built himselfe a house though while he lived he dwelt in a moveable tent yet he would be as sure as he could of a certaine grave And good Joseph of Arimathea had made himselfe a sepulcher in a rock Math. 27.60 And it is said of Absolom 2 Sam. 18.18 That in his life time he had taken and reared up a pillar that is he had artificially raised a great pile of goodly stones in the Kings dale For he said I have no sonne to keepe my name in remembrance And he called the pillar after his own name Now as this pillar was to keepe his name so he intended it likewise to keepe his body when he should die For it being related in the verse before how as soone as he was slaine they made no more adoe with him but cast him into a great pit in the wood and layed a very great heape of stones upon him The holy Ghost to shew us the vanity of man in preparing for a dead body while he neglects an immortall soule and how God disappoints the vaine conceits of men in supposing to perpetuate their own name and greatnesse The holy Ghost I say to shew this presently subjoynes in the sacred story Now Absolom in his life time c. As if he had said Doe ye observe how this ambitious Prince was buried even tumbled into a pit with a rude heape of stones cast upon him This man had prepared himselfe another kind of monument even a sumptuous pillar c. So that under or by that pillar he had archt a curious vault for himselfe to be buried in called Absaloms place namely his burying place And the word which we have here for desolate places is in Scripture clearely applied to the grave or a place of buriall We have it in Ezek. 26.20 where the Prophet foreshewing the destruction of Tyre speakes from the Lord thus When I shall bring thee downe with them that descend into the pit and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth in places desolate of old There are three words in that verse and they are all Synonima's words of the same signification First The pit Secondly The low parts of the earth Thirdly The desolate places and all these are but severall expressions for the grave or for a place to bury in It is no more but this When I shall bring thee downe even with those that lie buried in the grave So that the word which we translate desolate places being also in other places used for the grave or a place of buriall we may very well expound it so here that desolate places are the graves or sepulchers of Kings and Princes and Counsellours of the earth which we may doe especially because Job treats in this place about death and the state of the dead Now Tombes and Monuments may be called desolate places in two respects First Because when the body is layed in there all company and all friends leave it you shall have a mighty traine following their friend to the grave but there they leave him Kings and Counsellours have stately Funerals but when their subjects or friends favourites or flatterers have brought them to the tombe and opened the doore of the grave they goe no further they will not goe in with them and dwell with their bodies in the dust of death as much as they honour'd or ador'd them when they lived so that they are in desolate places Secondly Graves may be called desolate places because Tombes and Sepulchres were in desolate places they were made in some high Mountaine or caved Valley in some place remote from the company and habitations of the living for in former times they did not bury in Cities or in Townes but in places where few came till they were carried and therefore properly called desolate places It is observed that among the Romans the first Emperour that was buried in Rome was Traian And the law of the twelve Tables did prohibit both the buriall and the burning of the dead within the City So then it is cleare that anciently Tombes and Monuments were erected in desolate places and that great cost was bestowed in building and beautifying of them both which favour and illustrate the exposition given It followes in the Text Or with Princes that had gold who fill their houses with treasure The word Sar a Prince in the Hebrew as in most other languages signifies the chiefe the head the first Some Criticks conceive that our English word Sir comes from it it is very neere in sound and so is the French word Mounsier to this Originall for a Prince or Chiefe Job describeth Princes thus they are such as had gold noting both what the study and indeavours of Princes are namely to lay up gold and likewise what is requisite for them Gold is of great use in a high estate Treasures are necessary for Princes Princes that had gold Therefore Solomon that wise Prince saith of himselfe Eccles 2.8 And he putteth it among his Princely workes I gathered me also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of Kings When the Wise-men came to Christ the first thing they offered him was gold and they did wisely for he was a Prince gold being the chiefe and as it were the prince of Mettals is a very proper offering for Princes And howsoever wisedome and goodnesse justice and clemency are farre more necessary requisites in Princes then gold yet there is such a necessary conjunction of these two that we find him in the Prophet Isa 3.7 refusing the governement because he was poore Be thou our Ruler say
Rhetorick can perswade death to depart all the gold and riches in the world cannot bribe death or stay its hand I saith Job should have found Kings and Counsellours and rich men even all these in the grave and we should have rested together Riches availe not in the day of wrath Prov. 11.4 but righteousnesse delivereth from death Righteousnesse delivereth from death why shall not righteous men die Surely Job might have said with righteous men with holy men should I have rested with Abraham with Isaac and with Jacob these are in the grave death seaz'd on them as well as other Princes and Kings and Counsellours How then doth Solomon say that righteousnesse delivereth from death Death is there either to be understood of some dangerous judgement for saith he riches availe not in a day of wrath that is in a day of publike calamity but righteousnesse delivereth from death that is from those troubles and dangers God hath respect to a righteous person and hideth him from that death Or righteousnesse doth deliver from death that is from the evill of death from the sting of death from the bitternesse of death the bitternesse and evill of death is past to a righteous man But riches they availe not at all they cannot at all as not deliver from death so not mitigate the paine or pull out the sting or sweeten the bitternesse of death yea rather riches encrease all these That is a truth O death how bitter is thy remembrance to a man that is at ease in his possession Men may put their riches with them into the grave but riches cannot keepe them a moment out of the grave This thought How bitter Secondly When Job speakes of Kings and Counsellours and Princes these great men of the world he sheweth us what their study and businesse for the most part is in the world it is about worldly things They build desolate places they have gold they fill their houses with treasure These are their employments the current of their cares and endeavours runs out this way Hence observe That the thoughts of the greatest and wisest of the world are usually but for and about the world The poore receive the gospell and the rich receive the world As a godly man is described by his faith Abraham beleeved God By feare by uprightnesse by justice as Job in the first chapter of this Booke by meeknesse as Moses c. by the heavenlinesse of their spirits and conversations Our conversation is in Heaven Phil. 3.20 So worldly men are described by their proper studies Kings Counsellours and Princes build Pallaces gather riches heape up gold They buy they sell they build they plant they eate they drinke as the worldly world is pictur'd Luk. 17.27 28. In the 17th Psalme great men are called the men of the world as if they were for nothing but the world or all for the world as if all their provisions were laid in for this world so it followes who have their portion in this life ver 14. It is a sad thing to have received our portion It is said of the rich man Sonne remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things thou hast had thy portion In Psal 49.11 It is said concerning such men that their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever and their dwelling places to all generations and they call their lands after their own names Their inward thoughts are upon these things It is somewhat a strange kind of speaking to say their inward thoughts for there are no thoughts but inward thoughts are all wrought in the secret shop of the heart But there is an elegancy in it the Hebrew is their inwards their internalls Their inwards are how they may get themselves a name and riches not only are their thoughts about these things but the very inmost of their thoughts the most retired thoughts and recesses of the soule are about these things these lie neerest to their hearts As the story saith of Queen Mary when she died she had them open her and they should finde Calice at her heart It was a pitifull case that a rotten Towne should lie where Christ ought at the heart of such a Princesse The heart is the place where Christ and the thoughts of Heaven should lodge All below Heaven should be below our hearts But as a godly mans inward thoughts are for Heaven and the things of Heaven for grace and for holinesse he hath thoughts upon the world but if I may so speake they are his outward thoughts not his inward thoughts That which lies neerest his heart his inward thoughts are for Heaven So the inward thoughts of worldly men are for the world the Apostle might well say Not many wise nor many rich nor many noble are called the thoughts of wise Counsellours of potent Kings and rich Princes are legible in their actions Thirdly Having expounded these desolate places to be Tombes and these houses graves Observe That some take in their life time more care for their Sepulchers then they doe for their soules Here are great men what doe they They build desolate places they will be sure to have stately monuments And they had gold they will be sure to fill their graves with treasure they will be buried richly or they will have their riches buried with them But what care did these take for their poore soules in the meane time where they should lie Had they taken order what should become of their soules When all things are disposed of this choice peece for the most part is left undisposed of unprovided for Some will carefully provide for their children they will provide for their families they will provide for their dead bodies for their carcasses but for their immortall soules there is no provision made While their bodies are assured of a resting place they may say of and to their departing soules as that trembling Emperour bespake his O our poore fleeting wandring soules whether are you going where is the place of your rest As it is said of Absolom in the place before cited He in his life time had reared up a pillar a monument or a Tombe for himselfe in the Kings dale What a carefull Prince was this for his body But how carelesse was this Prince for his soule He will have a pillar to preserve his name and yet runs out in rebellion against his owne father to the destruction of his soule The great businesse of the Saints on earth is to get assurance of a place for their soules to lodge in when they die It troubles them not much what lodging their bodies have if they can put their spirits into the hand of Christ What though their bodies be cast upon a dung-hill or trodden upon like mire in the streetes by cruell men A Heathen said The losse of a Funerall or of a Sepulcher may easily be borne I am sure a Christian may That losse will never undoe any man
of spirituall priviledges and benefits so death takes away all distinctions in regard of civill priviledges In death there is neither small nor great neither male nor female neither bond nor free the greatest shall lie as low as the smallest and the highest as low as the meanest every one there shall be but as his neighbour and as his brother in the flesh There is but one distinction that will out-live death and death cannot take it away the distinction of holy and unholy cleane and uncleane beleever and an infidell these distinctions remaine after death and shall remaine for ever but rich and poore honourable and base high and low King and subject these distinctions shall be done away and forgotten as if they had never been no difference no distinction but that which God makes and that which grace makes can stand out against the power and stroake of death There the small and great are the same And the servant is free from his Master The servant There are two sorts of servants There are some who are voluntary servants and others who are servants by constraint There are some who might be free but they will not and there are others who would be free but they cannot Of the former sort we reade a Law Exod. 21.5 where the servant that loved his master and refused his freedome saying I will not goe out free must be brought before the Judges and have his eare bored thorow with an awle in token of his willingnesse to serve that Master for ever Others are servants by constraint as the people of Israel in Egypt who were made to serve with rigour Exod. 1.14 to serve whether they would or no which is servitude rather then service We may understand the Text of both The servant that is either he that doth voluntarily serve and willingly puts himselfe under the command of another or he which is under the command of another whether he will or no to both these death giveth freedome whether their Masters will or no The servant is free from his Master The word which we translate is free noteth that formall manumission or setting at liberty which is used in places or Corporations where freedomes are either purchased by money or deserved by appointed service And the word here translated Master is plurall Masters it is one of the Names of God Adonai which Name the Lord hath from government That very name is given to Masters of Families because they ought to governe and order the affaires and businesse of the family with wisedome and justice Every master of a family is a governour of the family he is as it were a King in his own family The servant is free from his Master Hence note first this Sinne brought in servility and the subjection of man to man I ground it thus because Iob speakes of service as of an estate of affliction as of an estate of trouble under which many groane and from which they can get no release till death breake the bands and sets them free In the state of innocency there was a dominion granted to man over the beasts but there was no dominion granted to man over man In the state of integrity relations should have continued but subjection should not have been found only that naturall subjection of children to Parents but as for civill subjection there had been no such thing in the world Before man forsooke the service of God he needed none to serve him service comes in by sinne and the increase of it by the increase of sinne As we see when Canaan was so vile as to forget the duty of a sonne he is set below or in the worst condition of a servant Gen. 9.5 Cursed be Canaan a servant of servants shall he be unto his bretheren that is the lowest and most abject servant As God of Gods is the greatest God and Lord of Lords is the Highest Lord so servant of servants is the lowest the basest servant So then as civill subjection came at first from sin so the increase of subjection which is to be a servant of servants came from the increase and progresse of sin Observe secondly A servant is not in his own dispose Though he be a voluntary servant yet he must serve the lawfull will of his master He may yea he ought in every ingenuous service to serve willingly but he is not at his own will to serve when or where or how he will Some have thought they have a freedome from service by the liberty of the Gospell or Gospel-priviledge and that is the reason why the Apostle 1 Tim. 6.1 gives that rule Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own Masters worthy of all honour c. He speakes of beleeving servants Some presumed they had such freedome by Christ that they might cast off subjection to men No saith the Apostle as many as are under the yoke that is while they continue servants they must submit to their condition yea though their Masters be unbeleevers as the next verse shewes And they that have beleeving Masters let them not despise them c. nothing takes away subjection but death for as he that is called in the Lord being a servant is the Lords free-man 1 Cor. 7.22 So he that is the Lords free-man being called to it is and ought to be mans servant The Centurion in the Gospell shewes the servants duty I say unto one goe and he goeth and to another come and he cometh and to my servant doe this and he doth it The servant is at his Masters beck not at his own dispose and nothing can free him but death so long as he continues under the yoke in that relation Hence observe thirdly That death concludes the subjection of man to man In the grave or there the servant is free from his Master there is no more service due to man when once death that king of terrours hath carried us into his dominions JOB 3. Ver. 20 21 22. Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery and life unto the bitter in soule Which long for death but it cometh not and dig for it more then for hid treasures Which rejoyce exceedingly and are glad when they can find the grave c. AT this 20th verse the third and last Section of the Chapter begins Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery and life to the bitter in soule In the former part of the Chapter Job wished that death had surprised him assoone as ever he set his foot into the world yea before he came into the world that he might have died in the very wombe Here Job begins to expostulate why he having made so long a journey and in his latter time so troublesome a journey in the world why I say he is not at his request cut off and taken away by the stroake of death Why is light given to him that is in misery and life to the
bitter in soule that they account the very bitternesse of death sweetnesse They say not as Agag 1 Sam. 15.32 Surely the bitternesse of death is past but O that the sweetnesse of death would come To be rid of sin makes us long for death spiritually to be rid of paine makes us desire death naturally therefore he saith the bitter in soule long for death The word which we translate by longing signifieth a very vehement desire as you know in our tongue to long for a thing is the highest and hottest acting of desire after a thing It signifieth properly to gape or to breathe Hence by a Trope it signifieth strong desire because they who desire a thing much are said to gape or breath after it just as an hungry man gapes after meate wheresoever he sees it and his mind runnes upon it when he cannot see it that is the force of the word Hence also the word is used in Scripture to note the strong actings of faith and vehement expectations of hope in God when the soule is raised up mightily to beleeve the word of promise then it longs after and opens its mouth wide as it were to receive the thing promised As in Isa 8.17 I will waite upon the Lord who hides his face from the house of Jacob and I will looke for him The Prophet Hosea applies the word to robbers and theeves who stand watching and longing for the traveller and looking at every turning chap. 6.9 As troopes of robbers waite for a man Yet further to cleare this we may take notice that in the Hebrew there are two words which come from this roote whereof the one signifieth the Palate of the mouth because the palate is the part affected with the tast of such meates as we long for Hence we say the mouth waters after such or such a pleasing dish The other word signifies a Fish-hooke and the reason is double either because those hookes are pleasantly baited which when the fish sees he longeth after it and greedily swallowes it downe Or because when the angler hath cast in the hooke he is in great expectation waiting and looking earnestly when the fish will be enticed and bite By all these uses of the Originall word we may collect the exceeding intensivenes of that desire which is here exprest by longing for death They long for death even as a hungry man longeth for any meate or as a woman with child longeth for some speciall meate as a fish longs for the baite or as an angler longeth till the fish bites or as a beleever which as it is the most spirituall so the most ardent desire of all desires to have any promise fulfilled upon which he hath pitch'd his faith and anchors at by hope Which long for death and it cometh not that is it cometh not so soon as they would have it for death will come at one time or other but death doth not come at their time or their pace It cometh not in the Hebrew it is only thus which long for death and it is not we supply it cometh not And dig for it more then for hid treasures To illustrate the greatnesse of this desire after death he adds a similitude of those who seeke for treasures if there be any naturall desire more strong then that of a woman with-child or a longing woman it is the desire of a covetous man the desire of gaine or treasure covetousnesse is the strongest appetite Observe but what a gradation there is in this expression to set forth the greatnesse of their desire after death they doe not only long for it but they dig for it digging you know is no ordinary labour it is an extraordinary worke a hard labour As longing is a strong desire so digging is strong labour hard labour And then it is no ordinary digging neither but digging for a treasure men will dig hard for treasure you see men will dig hard for a stone for iron for coales how then will they dig for a mine of gold or silver A man will dig the earth for a little money but when a man diggeth hoping to find money in the earth that will make him worke indeed now they dig after such a manner And beyond that he saith they dig for it as for hidden treasure that 's a further degree of their endeavour after it That which we translate hidden treasure is but one word in the Hebrew It signifies any hidden thing especially treasures because treasures use to be hid or close layed up And there is a two-fold hiding of treasures There is a naturall hiding and there is an industrious and artificiall hiding There is a naturall hiding so treasures are hid that lie in the bowels of the earth they are naturally hid Then treasures are hid by industry and by art when we are afraid we shall be spoiled of our treasures or that they shall be taken away then there is a hiding them and often a digging to hide them in the earth As now in these times of spoile and violence if a rich man heare that those spoilers are nigh he presently hides his treasure Now either as robbers digge and search for treasures industriously hid or as miners dig and search for treasures naturally hid so saith Job with such earnestnes doe these dig for death There is one thing here to be resolved by way of question before we come to the Observations Namely whether it be lawfull to wish for or to desire death Job here proposeth such as long for death Is it lawfull to desire death doth he speake here only de facto of a thing which some doe or of that which may be done I answer first That death in it selfe is no way desireable and it is not an object of desire We cannot desire that for it selfe which is an enemy or destructive unto us If any should desire death as death or under the notion of death they should desire that which is destructive that which is their enemy so the Apostle calls death 1 Cor. 15. The last enemy which shall be destroyed is death Death is an enemy therefore as death no man can desire it Indeed many have desired death but still we find somewhat else at the bottome of that desire But what bottome or ground makes the desire of death lawfull I answer First It is a holy desire of death if we desire death to be free from sin when the soule saith thus because I see only the end of living will be the end of sinning therefore I long for death that I may sin no longer Secondly It is lawfull to desire death that we may have more full communion with Christ the Lord of life I desire to be dissolved saith Paul but why not that he desired dissolution but that he might be with Christ Phil. 1.23 Christ is life and Christ is our life It is better to enjoy life then to live How much better then is
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
the workes of his providence argue the greatest folly p. 289. Sin the greatest folly p. 290. Friend unkindnesse from a friend troubles most p. 273 274. A friend who p. 301. It is an act of true friendship to mourne with and comfort our afflicted friends p. 305. G GArments Renting of garments in what cases used p. 179. Gaine will make some doe any thing p. 381. Ghost giving up the ghost what it imports p. 396. Giants and infants are expressed by a word coming from the same roote in the Hebrew p. 421. Gift what it is p. 203. Every outward as well as spirituall good thing is Gods gift p. 203 204. God gives no more then we get honestly p. 205. That God gives all destroyes 4 Monsters at once two in the rich two in the poore p. 205 206 c. That the Lord gives should make us willing to give to the Lord p. 207. A godly man the most considerable object in the world page 93 94. Such are most aimed at and assaulted by Satan p. 95. A godly man will not let nature worke alone p. 193. He acquits God in all his dealings with him p 202 A godly man can never be in so ill a condition but God hath use of his life p. 254. Godlinesse hath the promises of this life performed to it p. 45. Time spent in duties of godlinesse no hinderance to our calling p. 45. Gold and silver how proper and necessary for Princes p. 414 415. Good and evill how alike from the hand of God p. 292. Grace preserves it selfe pure among the impure p. 24. Grace the best blessing p. 29 c. where one grace is every grace is p. 30. Holy practise makes grace visible p. 52. It encreases by opposition p. 229 Grace and the favour of God are sweete to us when all other things are bitter and burdensome p. 444. Graves and Sepulchers called desolate places p. 412. Care and cost anciently bestowed in building of them p. 413. Why called desolate places p. 414. Grave called a house p. 416. Much treasure formerly put in graves p. 416 417. Some take more care for their graves and sepulchers then they doe for their soules p. 420. H HAnds worke of the hands may be applied to any businesse though a worke of the head p. 117 118. To put forth the Hand what it meanes p. 124. Hand of God what it signifies in Scripture p. 125. Either mediate or immediate p. 126. To put into the hand what it notes p. 137. Health a great blessing p. 266. Yet quickly blasted ibid. Heart must be especially looked to p. 74. Man can but guesse at the heart of another p. 75. The heart continually evill p. 76. Satan can but guesse at the heart p. 135. Hedge what it imports when God makes a hedge about a man p. 111 112. Job had a three-fold hedge p. 113. There is a hedge of affliction and a hedge of protection p. 460. Holinesse Holiest persons doe not alwayes keepe the same degree of holinesse p 342. Honesty what we get honestly we can loose patiently p. 205. Hope The want of that afflicts us most which we hope for most p. 385. A hopelesse condition is the worst condition p. 386 462. Honour God will honour them who honour him p. 225. What it is to honour God or man p. 327. Humiliation must encrease as afflictions either personall or publick doe encrease p. 268 c. I IGnorance How God is said to winke at times of ignorance p. 352 351. Impatience is a charging of God with folly p. 219. Infants weepe as soon as they are borne p. 393. They have the seed of death in them as soon as borne p. 398. Intentions It argues a malitious spirit when a mans actions are faire then to accuse his intentions p. 108. Integrity to hold integrity in evill times is not only good but admirable p. 229. The world would perswade that the holding of integrity and profession of holinesse are vaine p 276. Job when he lived p. 18. Joy Godly joy and sorrow mutually cause one another p. 305. What at one time is our feare at another time may be our joy p. 454. Justice in our dealings honours our profession of godlinesse p. 31. K KNowledge wicked men hate it and why p. 373. Knowledge of misery which we cannot be delivered from makes us more miserable p. 440. Keyes four keyes specially in the hand of God p. 390. L LEviathan why so called p 369. What it is to rayse up Leviathan ib p. 370 c. Two other significations of the word p. 378. The name of a song p. 380. Life Our life here is but a coming and a going p 201. Life is the most pretious treasure in nature p. 240. Not to be parted with for a trifle p. 241. The soule far more pretious then life p 243. So also is the Gospell ib. c. The love of Christ in parting with life for us p. 244. What life is in the naturall consideration of it p. 251 441. Life and death are in the hand of God p. 256. Mercy to have life though we loose all else p. 257. Likenesse of quality and of equality p. 100. All the Saints on earth like one another and like Christ in quality but unlike in equality ib. Light a great blessing the sorts of it p. 353. Light-haters who p. 373. Longing for a thing notes the strongest desire p. 447. M MAn the word man in Scripture signifies more then a reasonable creature or the nobler sex p. 20 c. 3 Hebrew words for Man their difference ib. Man taken 1. for any Eminent man 2. for a Magistrate p. 20 21. Mercies Some mercies received exceed our own praises as some troubles exceed our own mournings p. 381. In sad times small comforts passe for great mercies p. 384. Every step of our lives needes a step of mercy p. 399 445. Morning to doe a thing in the morning is to doe a thing diligently p. 59. Morning best praying-time p. 60. Mourne To mourne with those that are in affliction our duty p. 306. The report of others sufferings should cause us to mourne p. 307. Great troubles warrant solemne mournings p. 319. Mourning a profession p. 375 c. Mouth to open the mouth what p. 325. A foole doth not open his mouth and speake but his speech opens his mouth p. 326. N NAkednesse two-fold p. 197 c. Every man borne a naked helplesse creature p. 200. Name what it importeth when God knoweth a man by name p. 97 98. Name of God taken 4. wayes p. 212. What it is to blesse the Name of God p. 213. Nature Changes in the course of nature are full of terrour p. 360. Negative words in Scripture are not alwayes denialls p. 180. O OPpressors of three sorts p. 430. The words of oppressors are wounding words p. 432. They who will not heare the voice of the Preacher may justly be given up to heare the voice of the oppressor p. 433. P