Exposition of Job 4-7

THE five first verses of this Chapter, contain the fourth Argument, by which Eliphaz goes on to convince Job of sinful hypocrisy. And the conviction is made two ways, from a twofold comparison. First, He compares Job to the Saints, and finds him unlike to them: Secondly, He compares Job to the wicked, and finds him like to them; if so, then Job must needs be a hypocrite, who had carried it fair all the while in the world, for a great professor, and yet when he comes to the trial, was unlike all the Saints, and most like the wicked of the world. The first Argument may be thus framed.

He is not a just or a holy man, who in his affliction is altogether unlike holy and just men.

But Job, thou in thy affliction art altogether unlike holy and just men.

Therefore thou art not a holy or a just man.

The proposition is implied: The Minor or the Assumption, is in the first verse, Call now, if there be any that will answer thee, and to which of the Saints wilt thou turn? As if he should say, Inquire as much as thou wilt, thou shalt find none among the Saints like thyself; they, who have been somewhat like thee (of whom thou shalt find but few) in the troubles which thou hast borne, even those thou wilt find altogether unlike thee, in bearing those troubles. Scarce any of the godly ever suffered such things as thou hast done, but none of the godly ever did such things in their sufferings.

As he argues him in the first verse of hypocrisy, by his unlikeness to the Saints; so in the next words, he argues him of hypocrisy, by his likeness to the wicked: His first argument for this, lies in the second verse, and in the three following verses there lies a second argument to confirm the same point; He attempts to prove Job like a fool or a wicked man, two ways.

• 1. In his manner of suffering.
• 2. In the matter of his suffering.

First (saith he) thou art like a fool, or like a foolish man, like the worst of men, in the manner of thy carriage under sufferings; The argument may be framed thus.

He that behaveth himself like a fool, or like a wicked man while he is in trouble, is a man either openly wicked, or grossly hypocritical.

But Job, thou behavest thyself, like a foolish or a wicked man in thy troubles.

Therefore thou art wicked, &c.

The Assumption, or Minor Proposition, is in the second verse, Wrath killeth the foolish, and envy slayeth the silly one. As if he should say, Thou pinest, ragest and vexest thyself under they sufferings, after the rate of foolish and silly ones, that is, sinful and wicked ones.

Secondly, He would prove Job, to be a hypocrite, because his sufferings for the matter of them, were like the judgments which God uses to pour forth upon wicked und ungodly men; and that argument may be thus framed.

Wicked men flourish a while, and then sudden destruction cometh upon them, they and their children, and their whole estates are swallowed up in a moment.

But Job, thou having flourished a little while, wast suddenly surprised and swallowed up by judgments, thou, thy estate, thy children, all devoured and consumed.

Therefore thou art a wicked man, a very hypocrite; God hath dealt with thee as he uses to deal with his enemies, and therefore thou art not his friend.

This is the Logic of the context, or the reasons couched in them, whereby Eliphaz would convince Job of sin; By this, a general light is let into the whole Context.

Now, we will consider the words, and open their sense distinctly.

Interpreters vary much about the meaning of these words.

First, Some of the Jewish Writers, look upon these words, as proceeding from hight and pride of spirit in Eliphaz, as if he disdained to talk with Job any longer about the business; as if he looking upon Job as no match for him, in point of argument, bids him look out an Angel or a Saint to grapple with him in these disputes, and see if he could find any one of those, who would undertake for him as an Advocate, or be his Second, forasmuch as himself was so unable to defend his cause, or justify what he had done; Call now if there be any that will answer thee, that is, answer for thee, or to which of the Saints wilt thou turn for help, to patronize or plead thy cause? But I shall pass that.

Secondly, Others of the Jewish writers make the sense out thus, as if Eliphaz had said with Paul in the point of the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11. 24.) That which I have delivered unto you, I have received of the Lord, so, that which I delivered unto thee in my former argument, I received from the Lord in a vision, it was revealed unto me from Heaven: now, do thou try whether thou canst learn anything from Heaven, or from the Saints upon the earth (who are instructed to and for the Kingdom of Heaven) which may answer my arguments, or confute the reasons which I have broughc against thee. I had a vision from Heaven, now call thou to Heaven, and see if thou canst have any answer from thence; Turn also to the Saints, to any Saint upon the earth, and see what they will answer thee, I believe thou wilt not find one amongst them all, differing in judgment from me, or from that Oracle, with which I have now acquainted thee. They will all agree with me in these great principles, about the providence, power and justice of God, about the sufferings sinfulness and weakness of man. That's a second sense.

Thirdly, Others take the words as an Irony, as a derision, or scorn put upon Job by Eliphaz; As if Eliphaz had mocked him thus; Thou hast handled the matter well, thou hast carried thyself so, in the days of thy peace and prosperity, that now when thou art in trouble, thou mayest call long enough, and cry till thy throat aches and thy spirits be spent, and yet have none to answer thee, none to speak a word to thee, or to do thee any good; though thou cry to all the Saints, and send to all thy friends round about thee, yet in this day none will hear or regard thee: Thou wilt find thyself forsaken of all, no man will give thee any assistance, or take any care of thy condition. Just, as Elijah brake forth in holy scorn against the Prophets of Baal (1 King. 18. 27.) when they were crying out to their Idol for help, and a sign by fire, Cry aloud (saith he) cry aloud; he bad them cry aloud, yet he knew the Idol was deaf and dumb, and could neither hear their cry, nor give them answer; So Eliphaz seems to speak to Job, Cry aloud now, to this, to that Saint, with whom thou art acquainted here on earth, or cry to Heaven, cry to God himself; call this way, call that, if any will answer thee, either God above, or Saint below, thou shalt not find here or there any to assist, any to relieve thee. And so he seems to allude to that just retaliation of God, who usually turns his ear from their cry in a day of trouble who have turned their ears from his counsels, in the days of comfort; As (Prov 1.) Wisdom threatens, They shall call, but I will not answer, they shall cry, but I will not hear. Why? because they have refused instruction, and have not chosen the fear of the Lord.

In the fourth place, Most of the Popish writers, busy themselves much to ground invocation of Saints, & the intercession of Saints for us, upon this text: As if Eliphaz had directed Job to cry to the Saints departed; Call now if there be any that will answer, and to which of the Saints wilt thou turn? what Saint wilt thou choose for thy patron or helper in this sad condition? So they teach and practice, having appointed a particular Saint in the Calendar of the year, to the help of every particular affliction in their lives, and to these they turn themselves in every distress: They have a Saint for the sea, and a Saint for the land, a Saint for the fire, and a Saint for the water, a Saint for each disease of the body, and for each disaster in the family: To some of these they suppose Job was advised to have recourse, for succor and comfort in his troubles. And yet they are divided in opinion, & give a double sense about it. First, As if Eliphaz had thus bespoken him; If thou doest not give credit unto me, nor believe what I have spoken was revealed from God, then call thou thyself upon God, and try whether he will not give thee some answer, and resolve thy doubt: Or if by reason of thine own unworthynesse, thou canst not obtain an immediate answer at the hand of God, then turn thee to some of the Sainrs, that by their mediation thou mayest receive light from God, to assure thee about my vision, whether it were sent from Heaven or no. Secondly, Others interpret it more largely, as if Eliphas perceiving Job to be brought to some light and acknowledgement of his sins, and now to thirst after the pardon of them: he in these words, exhorts him to call upon, and cry unto God for pardon, if perhaps he himself would vouchsafe to answer; But in case shame did so cover his face, and guilt so stop his mouth, that he could not speak unto God immediately, then he adviseth him to pray in aide, from some of the Saints departed, who might manage this suit, and intercede for him at the throne of grace. The grossness of this interpretation is such, as carries a self-refutation with it, and therefore I shall not need to stay long, about the refuting of it. Neither will I stay to argue against that groundless, useless Doctrine in general, The invocation of Saints departed, Which finds no letter of command or direction, no letter of promise or acceptation, no letter of example or practice, for our imitation, in the whole Book of God. But is a reproach to the Saints, & a dishonor to God, whose Name and incommunicable Title is, The God hearing prayers, and therefore to him shall the desires of all flesh come, and if all to him, then who to Saints or Angels? Only He can be the object of our prayer who is the object of our faith, Rom. 10. How shall they call on him, on whom they have not believed? To whom we pray, upon him we must believe Saints departed, are not to be believed upon, how then shall they be called on?

But, to leave the question, I shall only touch two things, to show how wide they are in this exposition.

First, The confessed Doctrine of Popery tells us, that, before Christ's coming in the flesh, and his resurrection from the grave, all the Saints departed were in Limbus, a place which they have framed and built up in their own fancies, as the common receptacle of all those, who died in the faith of Christ, before Christ died; Therefore, they tell us (to eke out the story) That as Christ went down into Hell, the place of the damned, to strike terror into the Devils, so he went into this Limbus, thence to deliver the fathers from that prison▪ and carry them up with himself into glory. Now this being their Tenet, how senseless is it, for them, to ground their opinion, of invocation of Saints, upon any Scripture of the Old Testament? and therefore it is so, to ground it upon this.

Secondly, if we consider these words we may as well seek for fire in the bottom of the Sea, as for the invocation of Saints in this Text, for here is no such thing spoken of; and if anything sounds that way, it is rather to condemn praying to Saints, then any confirmation of it: for call now if there be any that will answer thee, carries this sense rather; call now, for there is none to answer thee, and to which of the Saints wilt thou turn? that is, none among all the Saints (if thou turnest to them) can give thee any help: As Mercer a moderate Papist gives the meaning of this Scripture; against the current of their interpreters.

And this will appear more fully, in opening the Gramaticall sense of a word or two, which also will give the clear meaning of the whole passage. Eliphaz (as was hinted in drawing out his arguments) calls upon Job to call to remembrance former times, to search the records of antiquity, and see whether he could find an example of any one among all the Saints, who either had such troubles as his, or in his troubles spake and behaved himself as he had done; he bids him name one, if he could.

Call now] or, Call I pray thee. What we translate, now, is sometime a particle of insulting, but most usually of persuading or entreating. We render it as an Adverb of time, but it rather imports a request. So Gen. 12. 13. Abraham entreates Sarah, Say I pray thee, thou art my sister. The word (Kara) which we translate, call, signifies first to cry aloud by way of preaching or proclamation, Isa. 58. 1. Cry aloud, lift up thy voice like a trumpet. Secondly, by way of prayer or invocation, as Psal. 50. 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble. but it rather signifies, and that more properly, to call by way of appellation, or by way of nomination, As Ruth 1. 20. Call me not Naomi, but call me Marah. So here, Call now that is, look over the names, or call over the names of all the Saints, as we use to say, when many should meet together, and we would know whether they are all met: or as Stewards when they pay many hired servants their wages, take the Bill and call over their Names, and so pay them one by one; Mat. 20. 8. In the evening, the Lord of the vineyard saith unto his Steward; call the laborers, that is, call them by their several names, and give them their hire. Thus we may understand the phrase in this place, read the catalogue of the Saints, call everyone by his name, and put the question to them, ask them whether ever they had such afflictions as thou hast? or ask them whether they behaved themselves under their afflictions as thou hast done? I believe thou wilt find none to answer thee. To this sense Mr. Broughton translates, Call now if there be any that will defend thee, that is, be thy patron or advocate, in word, or in the example of their lives.

If there be any that will answer thee.] For, ehe word which we render answer, signifies not only, answering unto a question, but an answering to a condition, or a correspondency in practice. There is an answering by likeness of works, as well as by fitness of words. A real answer, and a verbal answer. Take it so, and then, Call now to the Saints, call them all by their names, intends only thus much, see if there be any that are like thee, or suit either thy spirit or thy condition, if there be any to whom thou mayest parallel thyself, either in the matter or manner of thy sufferings. Thou art more like a Heathen, who knows not God, then any of the Saints, in these complainings. And seeing, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, these words speak thy heart abounding in sin, but empty of grace. Face answers face in the water. But neither thy face nor heart, will answer either heart or face of any of the Saints, in these waters of affliction. We find this word signifying similitude or comparison, or the equivalence of one thing to another, in that instance, Eccles. 10 19. Money answers all things; the meaning of it is, that money in a proportion or value suites paralels and fits all things: There is nothing in the world, but you may suite it with a proportion of money, money will answer it; money answers or is like all things, by an equivalency, though not in a formality.

The Septuagint read it, To which of the Angels wilt thou look? And the learned Mercer adheres to that translation, as thinking that by Saints are meant Angels, though he be so far from laying any bottom in the words for the Popish opinion of the mediation of Angels, that he expressly condemns it; but he gives the sense thus, as if Eliphaz had reproved Job of pride, for contesting with God, when as if he did turn himself to Angels, he should find himself far below, and much overmatcht by them: What? thou dust and ashes, more righteous and just than God? Though he charged his Angels with folly, yet even they are too wise and holy for thee to deal with. If thou wert put into the balance with Angels, how light wouldst thou be? then, how much lighter then vanity art thou, being weighed with God? But the Hebrew is better translated Saints. The word signifies a thing or person, separated or set apart from common, and dedicated to a special especially, a holy use. Holiness (in the general nature of it) is nothing else but a separation from common, and dedication to a divine service, such are the Saints; persons separated from the world, and set apart unto God; The Church in general (which is a company of Saints) is taken out of, and severed from the world: The Church is a fountain sealed, and a Garden enclosed; so also, every particular Saint is a person severed and enclosed from the common throng and multitude of the world: Come out from among them, and be ye separate saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you, 2 Cor. 6. 17.

Turn thee, it is both a witty and judicious conceit that Eliphaz in these words alludes to painters or Picture-drawers, who when they are drawing the Picture of a Man, or of any other thing, frequently turn their eyes upon the proto-type, upon that which they are to draw by: when a man sits (as they speak) to have his picture taken, the Artist turns his eye often upon him; so here, to which of the Saints wilt thou turn thee to see thy picture, or to see any one like thee? where wilt thou look now, and by looking observe a Saint of thy complexion, a holy man like thyself? If the pictures of all the Saints were lost, none of them could be found in, or coppied out from thee. The word which we translate turn, doth not signify simply to look about or turn the eye, but to turn the eye about with much intention or curiosity of observation, to make a discovery, and find out somewhat. Sometime it signifies to look in compassion, Psal. 25. 16 Turn thee unto me (saith David) and have mercy upon me, for I am very low: To look in compassion, notes a strictness of observation, to find out what charity or mercy should supply: such a look or view of his estate David desired, that God would turn his eye upon him: to what end? that he might consider and find out all his necessities, and in mercy succor him.

So then, To which of the Saints wilt thou turn? sounds thus much, upon what Saint wilt thou fix thine eye, to find thy own likeness, a representation of the sufferings thou bearest or of thy bearing these sufferings? Take the sum and sense of the whole verse thus; Call over the roll or catalogue of all the Saints; which either ever were, or at this day are upon the face of the earth, See, if there be any whose condition or actions will answer in proportion unto thine; turn thine eye upon all the holy ones, see if thou canst observe any like thyself, in the matter or manner of thy afflictions, in the dealings of God with thee, or in thy complainings against God. Job, thou standest alone for all the Saints, go to the fools of the earth, and to the profaner Infidels, among them thou mayest haply meet thy pattern, and among their records read the story of thy own impatience and miscarriage: For (as it follows) wrath billeth the foolish, and envy slayeth the silly one.

How like a fool and silly one art thou▪ who hast thus almost vext thyself to death at thy own troubles, and pinest with envy at the prosperity of others. Such seems to be the connection and dependence of the second verse with, and upon the first, which I shall presently descend to open, when I have added an observation or two from the former already opened.

It was good advice which Eliphaz gave Job in that condition, namely, to take view of the Saints, and to compare himself with them: Thence observe;

It is profitable for us to look to the example of the Saints, either those departed, or those alive, and by them to examine, both what we do, and how we suffer.

God hath given us, not only his word for a rule, but he hath given us examples as a rule, to walk by. He hath given us his own example, that, we looking unto him, should be holy as he is holy in all manner of conversation; be ye holy as I am holy: God, who is The holy one, is the Highest pattern of holiness. And he hath given us his Son, who is the express image of his person, and the brightness of his glory, to be our example. The life of Christ is a fair copy indeed, a copy without any blot, or uneven letter in it; For, He also is The Holy one. Christ is not only The principle of holiness, but also The pattern of holiness to his people; they that say they abide in him, must walk even as he walked; His works, (excepting those which were miraculous and works of mediation between God and us) are our rule, as well as his word, Heb. 12. 2. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, &c. words of near importance with those in the text, to which of the Saints wilt thou turn thee? Look to Jesus; when you are in sufferings and have a race of patience to run, let your eye always be upon Christ, and draw the lines of your carriage, both in your spirits and outward actions, according to what you see in Him, Look to Him: And ver. 3. Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners.

Which the Apostle Peter (1 Pet. 2. 21.) gives us in plain terms, For even hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving an example that we should follow his steps: We must follow his steps both in the matter and in the manner of our sufferings; therefore Christ saith; Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, Mat. 11. 29. Christ calls it his yoke (it is a yoke of affliction as well as a yoke of instruction) And he calls it his yoke, not only because, he, as a Lord lays it upon the necks of others, but because, he, as a servant bore that yoke himself; therefore he saith, Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, that is, not only take my yoke upon you for the matter, but learn of me for the manner, how to bear that yoke. Besides these grand leading, unerring examples of God and Christ, the examples of the Saints are also commended to our imitation, both in doing and in suffering. Whatsoever things were written (and examples were written) aforetime, were written for our instruction. Why hath the Holy Ghost set so many pens a work, to write the lives of the Saints? why hath he kept a record of them in his own book, but for direction to his people in after-times. The Lord hath not registered any one act of the Saints, but is useful for us. The acts of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, David, are full of practical Divinity. The sufferings and troubles of these and many others, are full (if I may so speak) of pathical Divinity: As the Apostle James his counsel doth more then intimate (James 5. 10.) Take my brethren the Prophets who have spoken in the Name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction and of patience; Hence those ancient Saints and believers (Heb. 12. 1.) are called a cloud of witnesses; A cloud, because there is a directive or a leading virtue in them; As there was a cloud that went before the children of Israel in the day to lead them, so this cloud of witnesses, leads us up and down the wilderness of our sorrows, and in the dark night of our sufferings. Turn you to the Saints, to that cloud of witnesses, eye them, and see what becomes you in sad times; They have suffered joyfully the spoiling of their goods, suffer you likewise, if you come into the hands of spoilers. They lived by faith in the midst of a thousand deaths, live you likewise by faith in death, when ever you come into the hand of that king of terrors. And when at any time your own hearts or the ways of others are out of course, check and chide them for and from those disorders, by sending them to the practice of the Saints. Look to the Saints, from which of the Saints have you learned to be proud and high minded? from which of the Saints have you learned to be earthly and covetous? from which of the Saints have you learned to seek and set up yourselves, or to be impatient under the hand of God? That man hath reason to suspect he hath done ill, who doth that, which a good man never did, or ever repented the doing of it. Observe further;

When God forsakes a man, all the Saints on earth forsake him too. Eliphaz looks upon Job, as a man forsaken of God, and then he bids him get help if he could among the Saints. He that opposes God, shall be opposed by all who are God's. There is the same mind in the servants of Christ, which is in Christ their Master. They love where and whom he loves, they hate whom he hates, they are ashamed of those, of whom Christ is ashamed; If God reject a man, the Saints will not undertake or answer for him. So much of the first Argument, ranking Job with the wicked, because (as Eliphaz thought) he could not find any in the rank of Saints like himself.

The second Argument rises to a like conviction, because, (in the same man's opinion) he might easily see himself so like the wicked.

For wrath kills the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.

Here are two sinful passions, wrath and envy, and here are two sorts of sinful persons, The foolish man, and The silly one producing two sad effects, (which yet in effect are but one,) The one kills, and the other slays, both are deadly and destructive, wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one. There are several sins and lusts which accompany, as the several ages and deg • ees, so the several tempers of men. Rashness and intemperance, hurry and inflame young men; ambition blows up riper years, and covetousness often tyranizeth over old age: Wrath takes hold of fools, and envy seizeth the silly one. These worms strike the root of such men, and make them wither. As there is a special worm killing special trees, and consuming their fruits; so there are special lusts, which like worms, eat out, and destroy the life of man; wrath killeth the foolish man.

The foolish man.] He is A fool, who hath not wisdom to direct himself; but The fool, is he, who will not follow the counsel and direction of the wise. The word signifies, not so much a fool, who hath no knowledge; as a fool, who makes no use of the knowledge, which he hath: such a one is a foolish man indeed. Or it notes a man hasty, bold, inconsiderate, rushing on hand over head, without fear or wit. A man, who either is master but of little knowledge, or that which he hath (be it little or much) masters him. It agrees fully in sense, and is the same to a letter in found, with our English word Evil; Such the Prophet (Zech. 11. 15.) describes: Take (saith he) the instruments of a foolish shepherd, he doth not mean, the instruments of a rude and merely ignorant shepherd, a man that hath no knowledge or learning, but of a rash and imprudent shepherd, or of a lazy and idle shepherd, who, though hath knowledge, yet knows not how (or hath no heart) to improve his knowledge for the good of his flock. The Prophet Ezekiel gives us the character of such, Chap. 34. 4. The diseased have ye not strengthened, nor have ye healed that which was sick, nor bound up that which was broken, &c. but (will ye know what work they made?) with fury and with cruelty have ye ruled them; ye have been moved with fury, not with pity, and acted by passion, not by reason, much less by grace. So in this place, the foolish man, whom envy slays, is not a mere ignorant, one that hath no brains, but one hare-brayn'd and uncompos'd Eliphaz hints at Job secretly in this word, whom he knew reported for a man of great knowledge and learning, according to the learning of those times, yet he numbers him with sooles, because, he conceived him wrathful, rash, intemperate, not having any true government of himself. Anger resteth in the bosom of fools, Eccles. 7. 9. A fool is not able to judge of the nature of things or times, or occasions, and therefore he is angry with everything that hits not his nature or his humor. He will be angry with the Sun, if it shine hotter then he would have it, and with the winds, if they blow harder then he would have them, and with the clouds, if they rain longer then serves his turn. They that are emptiest of understanding, are fullest of will, and usually so full of will, that we call them will-full. Hence, unless everything be ready to serve their wills, they are ready to die by the hand or judgment of their passions.

Wrath kills this foolish man.] Wrath may be taken here two woyes, either for the wrath of God, or for the wrath of man. In the former sense, the meaning is, That the wrath of God kills foolish men; Which is an undoubted truth, but I rather adhere to the latter, which gives the meaning thus, That the wrath of a foolish man, kills himself; his own wrath, is as a knife at his throat, and as a sword in his own bowels: The word which we translate wrath, signifies indignation, anger, teastinesse or touchinesse: Properly wrath is anger inveterate; anger is a short fury, and wrath is a long anger; when a man is set upon it, when his spirit is steeped and soakit in anger, then 'tis wrath. Esau raked up the burning coals of his anger in the ashes, till his Fathers Funeral, The time of mourning for my father will shortly come, then will I slay my brother. But our word rather notes, a servant heat and distemper of spirit presently breaking forth, or an extreme vexation fretting and disquieting us within: As Psal. 112. 10. The wicked shall see it and be grieved, (that is, he shall have secret indignation in himself to see matters go so) He shall gnash with his teeth and melt away. Gnashing of the teeth is caused by vexing of the heart; And therefore it follows, he melts away; which notes (melting is from heat) an extreme heat within. The sense is very suitable to this of Eliphaz, wrath slayeth the foolish, or wrath makes him melt away, it melts his grease with chafing, as we say, of a man furiously vext; Hence that deplorable condition of the damned, who are cast out of the presence of God forever, is described by weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth; which imports not only pain, but extreme vexing at, or in themselves. Those fools shall be slain forever with their own wrath, as well as with the wrath of God.

Wrath killeth, &c.] But how doth wrath kill a foolish man? his wrath sometimes draws his sword and kills others: but is his wrath as a sword to kill himself? Many like Simeon and Levi, in their anger have slain a man; but that the anger of a man should slay himself, may seem strange? The passion of wrath is such an engine, as recoyles upon him that uses or discharges it. As the desire of the slothful killeth him, Prov. 21. 25. so, the wrath of a foolish man kills him: that place enlightens this; how comes desire to stay the slothful? thus; A man slothful in action is full of desires and quick in his affections after many good things: he would fain have them, he longs for them: but the man is so extreme lazy, that he will not stir hand or foot to get the things which he desires, and so he pines away with wishing and woulding, and dies with grief, because desire is not satisfied. So, in like manner, wrath is said to slay a man; first, because it thrusts him headlong upon such things, as are his death; he runs willfully upon his own death, sometimes by the dangerousness of the action, whence casual sudden death surprises him; sometime by the unlawfulness of the action, which brings him to a legal or judiciary death. Secondly, his wrath is said to kill him, because his wrath is so vexations to him, that it makes his life a continual death to him, and at last so wearieth him out, and wastes his spirits, that he dies for very grief: and so at once commits a three-fold murder; First he murders him intentionally, against whom he is wroth: Secondly, he, really, murders his own body; and thirdly, he, meritoriously, murders his soul forever, except the Lord be more merciful, then he hath been wrathful, and the death of Christ heal those wounds, by which he would have procured the death of others, and hath (as much as in him lies) procured his own.

And envy slayeth the silly one.] These two expressions meet near upon a sense. Envy is the trouble which a man conceives in himself, at the good which another receives. This disease gets in at the eyes and ears, or is occasioned by seeing or hearing of our neighbors blessings. In the 1 Joh. 2. All the lusts in the world are reduced to three heads, The lust of the eyes: the lust of the flesh; and the pride of life; Envy is the chiefest lust of the eyes, and it is properly called the lust of the eye: because a man seldom envieth another, until he sees, some good, he hath above himself. This passion is a murderer also, it begins at the eyes, but it rots down into the bones.

Envy slayeth the silly one.] There is not much difference between the nature of these two, the foolish man, and the silly one: But the Original words by which they are expressed are very different. The root signifies to persuade, to entice, or allure: And it is taken sometime in a good sense (as in Gen. 9. 27.) where the Holy Ghost speaks with admirable elegancy, God will persuade the perswadable; we translate it, God will persuade Japheth. Japheth had his name from being persuaded or perswadable, God shall entice or persuade Japheth: which was a prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles, who are descendants from Japheth, as the Jews are from Shem. So, that word is applied to God's drawing, or, alluring men by the sweet promises and winning enticements of the Gospel. God doth (let it be taken in holy reverence) tole men on by promises, and deceive them graciously into the Gospel. (Hos. 2. 14.) I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness. And because by persuasions men are often deceived and seduced to evil, therefore the word signifies also to deceive and beguile, as well as to persuade; and in the passive to be beguiled and deceived; Hence, the word in the text is derived, which we translate a simple one, or a man that will easily be persuaded & led by another, a sequatious or easy man, whom you may carry with a mouth full of good words, and fair promises, whether you will. Yet, we find this word (Psal 116. 6.) used in a good sense, for a man without sinful guile and craft, a simple, honest, plain-hearted man, The Lord preserveth the simple. But here and often else-where it is taken in an ill sense, for a man without sense and reason, without heart and spirit, a man that cannot in any competency judge of things, or make out his way, but is merely led, and lives upon the opinion and judgment of another: To such wisdom crieth without and uttereth her voice in the streets, how long ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity, Prov. 1. 20, 22. This silly one envy slayeth; He is out of his wits already, and a little matter will put him out of his life: Envy slayeth him, that is, a simple man looking upon the prosperity and blessings of God upon his neighbor, will needs afflict himself: he looks upon himself, as having lost all, if that man gain: he falls, if his brother stands, and can with more ease die miserably, then see another live happily. In this sense it is, That envy kills the silly one.

Now the reason why Eliphaz speaks of these two, the foolish and the simple one, and characters them, as dying by the hand of these two lusts, wrath and envy is, because he conceived all Jobs troubled, and (as he thought) muddy complaints in the third Chapter, arose from these two impure and filthy springs, wrath and envy, from proud wrath, and impotent envy; he looked upon him, as angry and displeased, yea as enraged, because God had dealt so ill with him; and he supposed he saw him pale and wan, eaten up and pined with envy, because others were so well, because his friends enjoyed health & lived in prosperity round about him. As if he had said, Thou art wroth at thy own poverty, sickness and sores, and thou art envious at our plenty, health and ease. And may not folly and simplicity, challenge that man for Theirs, whose spirit thus resents, either his own evils, or his neighbors good? Observe hence,

First, Every wicked man, is a foolish, a silly man; Sin is pure folly, In the Proverbs all along, wickedness is the Interpretation of foolishness. It is folly to take brass Counters for gold, and to be pleased with Bugles more then with Diamonds. When an heir is impleaded for an Ideot, the Judge commands an apple, or a counter, with a piece of gold to be set before him, to try which he will take; if he takes the apple or the counter, and leaves the gold, he is then cast for a fool, and unable to manage his estate, for he knows not the value of things, or how to make a true election. Wicked men are thus foolish and more, for when bugles and diamonds, counters and gold are before them, they leave the diamonds and the gold, and please themselves with those toys and babbles; when (which is infinitely more sottish) Heaven and hell, life and death are set before them, they choose hell rather then Heaven, and death rather then life; they take the mean, transitory, trifling things of the world, before the favor of God, the pardon of sin, a part in Jesus Christ, and an inheritance among the Saints in light All the wisdom of wicked men, is wisdom in their own conceits. And Solomon assures us, that there is more hope of a fool then of such, that is, of those, who are sensible of their own failings, and are willing (as the Apostle directs) to become fools that they may be wise, 1 Cor. 3. 18. Opinion in it self is weak, but self-opinion is very strong; even the strongest of those strong-holds, and the highest of those high Towers, which the spiritual war, by those weapons which are mighty through God, is to oppose and cast down: which, till they are cast down, these fools are impregnable, and will not be led captive unto Christ.

Secondly, observe, That to vex and to be angerie at the troubles that fall upon us, or at the hand which sends them, is a high point of folly and of ignorance. Wrath and discontent slay the foolish, such are at once, twice slain, slain with the wrath of God, and with their own.

To die thus, is to die like a fool indeed. For first, this wrath of man springs from his ignorance of God: Man would not be angry at what the Lord doth, if he knew he were the Lord, and may do what himself pleases. The ground of anger is a supposition of wrong.

Secondly, This wrath of man springs from ignorance of himself. He cannot be angry with any cross, who rightly knows himself.

First to be a creature.

This notion of ourselves teaches us that lesson of humility, to be subject to the will of our Creator. The law of our creation calls us to all passive obedience, as well as unto active, as much and as quietly to suffer, as to do the will of God. But especially, if a man did fully know himself to be a sinful creature, he would not be angry; yea, he would lay a charge upon his mouth, not to utter a word, and a charge upon his heart not to utter a thought against what the Lord doth with him. I will bear the Indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, saith the Church, Micah 7. 9. As if she had said the remembrance of my sin takes away all pleading, much more all quarrelling, in how angry a posture soever the Lord sets himself to afflict me: And therefore my spirit is resolved, that because my flesh hath sinned, my flesh shall bear the indignation of the Lord. He that knows what it is to sin, knows that all sufferings l • sse then hell, are l • sse then sin. If a man were convinced of this, that, what he bears is less then his sin deserves, he would bear it, with thanks, not with complaints. Yea he would say, that, as he hath deserved all these and more then all these strokes, so he hath need of them. The bundle of folly in his heart calls for a bundle of rods upon his back and he sees want of correction might have been his undoing. Therefore to be angry with affliction, argues a man ignorant of himself as a creature, much more as a sinful creature. Once more the foolishness of such wrath appears to the eye of nature and common reason, because this wrath brings no ease or remedy at all to those wounds, but rather makes them more painful, if not remediless. It is an argument of folly to do a thing, whereby we cannot help ourselves, but it is folly and madness to do that which hurts, which makes our wound fester and our disease grow desperate. Did any man ever ease himself by fretting or raging under the cross? How many have made their cross more heavy upon them, by raging at it? A man's own wrath, is heavier to him then his cross. A stone is heavy, and sand weighty, but a fools wrath is heavier then them both, Prov. 27. 3. A fools wrath is very heavy to others, but it is heaviest to himself. The text is express for it, which may be a third observation.

To be angry and discontent at God's judgments is more destructive to us, then the judgments themselves.

The wrath and judgments of God afflict only, but your own wrath destroys; wrath slays the foolish. Probably God came only to correct you, but wrath kills you. The wrath of man is a passion but it is very active upon man, and eats up the spirit which nurses and brings it forth: Frowardness and anger are at once our sin and our torment. He that is angry when God strikes, strikes himself, whereas humble submission to the blow, turns it into a kiss or an embrace, and they that sit down quietly and believingly under any evil, bear it at present with more ease, and in the end, find it in the inventory of their goods. So David, It is good for me that I have been afflicted. Fourthly note,

That to envy another man's good or prosperity is an argument of the worst simplicity.

Envy slayeth the silly one.] Envy is a common theme, I will not stay upon it; but shall only give you two reasons to demonstrate the silly simplicity of an envious person.

1. The good of another is not thy hurt, thou hast not the less, because another hath more. Leah's fruitfulness was no cause of Rachel's barrenness. Thy portion is not impaired by thy brothers increase; thou hast thy share, and he hath but his; how silly a thing then is it to envy him, that hath much, when as, his having much is not the cause why thou hast little. Again, this troubling thyself that others have more, will not get thee anymore; envy never brought in earnings or increase.

2. A man of wisdom will make all the good of another his good. Take away envy, and that which is mine, is thine, and if I take away envy, that which is thine, is mine. To have a heart to bless God for his blessings upon another, is it self a great blessing, and gives thee likewise a part in those blessings. Thus we may enjoy all the joys and comforts, the favors and deliverances, the health and peace, the riches and plenty, the gifts, yea and the very graces of all those, in whose graces and gifts, plenty and riches, peace and health, &c. We can really and cordially rejoice. Whereas an envious man ever stands in his own light, and cannot rejoice in his own mercies, for grieving at his Brothers.

So far of the second part of the argument, whereby Eliphaz would convince Job of wickedness, his likeness to the wicked in bearing of, or rather fretting against his troubles.

TWo parts of the fourth argument were cleared in the two former verses. In these three Eliphaz argues further, to the same effect. His argument is grounded upon his own experience, which had shown many examples of foolish men, like Job (as he supposed) both in his rising and in his falling, in his good days and in his evil. I have seen the foolish taking root, and suddenly I cursed his habitation, &c. The argument may be thus framed.

Foolish men flourish a while and then come to certain and sudden destruction, they and their children and their estates are all crushed and swallowed up.

But thou didst flourish a while, and grow up like some goodly tree, yet sudden destruction came upon thy children and upon thy estate, the robbers have consumed and swallowed all up.

Therefore thou art foolish, &c. I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation; I have seen thee taking root, and I observe thy habitation cursed; Thy outward condition is so parallel with theirs, that I know not how to distinguish thee, from them, in thy inward and spiritual condition.

Eliphaz urgeth experience. He urged experience in the fourth Chapter, v. 8. Even as I have seen they that plow iniquity and sow wickedness, reap the same, &c. He urgeth experience here again, and this superadded experience seems to answer an objection which might be made against that former experience: For some might say, many wicked men plow iniquity enough, and sow wickedness abundantly, yet they reap comforts and the contentments of this world: they have what their hearts desire, a full harvest of riches, pleasures and honors.

It is true (saith Eliphaz) I grant it, I have observed the like also I have seen the foolish taking root; yea, but I can answer quickly and remove this objection: it doth not at all weaken my former assertion, grounded upon that experience, for as I have seen him take root, so, suddenly I cursed his habitation, his children are far from safety, &c. He flourisheth, but he withers quickly, he takes root, but he is soon pulled up by the roots.

I have seen] Experience is the mistress of truth. Truth is called the daughter of time, because experience bringeth forth many truths; and the word of God is made visible in the works of God. I have seen (saith he) This truth hath run into my eye. In experiences the promises of God stand forth, and in experiences, the threatenings of God stand forth, and show themselves: all the experiences that we have in the world, are only so many exemplifications of the truths contained in the promises or threatenings of the word.

The foolish] I shall not stay to open that term, for we met with it in the former verse, wrath slayeth the foolish one. Only in a word, this foolish man is one, who acts without counsel, and whose will is too hard for his understanding. He hath no reason for what he doth, but because he hath a mind to do it. A foolish man is a wicked man, and here the foolish man is a wicked man at ease, a wicked man in his fullness and abundance of outward comforts: A fool is ever worst, when he is at ease. And as he more abounds in comforts, so, he abounds more in sin. All mercies are to him but fuel for his folly, and meat and drink for his madness. That rich man who pleased himself so in his worldly successes is called a fool, Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be taken from thee, and then whose shall all these things be which thou possessest? (Luke 12. 20) All wicked men are foolish, and wicked rich men have ever the greatest stock of folly. And they are therefore more foolish then others, because they think themselves wiser then all. If a man can get riches, if his root be well settled in the earth, and his branches spread fairly out, he accounteth himself very wise, and so do many others account him too. A thriving sinner is a foolish and an unprosperous man, but he that plots how to thrive by sin, is the most foolish man in the world, and therefore in all his prosperity most unprosperous. As the foolish take root, so, that by which they take root is often times their folly.

Taking root] Wicked men under the outward curse are compared to trees not taking root, Isa. 40. 24. He bringeth the Princes to nothing, yea they shall not be planted, yea they shall not be sown, yea their stock shall not take root in the earth; And Psalm 129. 6. Let them be as the grass upon the house (having no earth to take root in) which withereth afore it groweth up, whereof the mower filleth not his hand, nor he that bindeth up the sheaves his bosom. Wicked men prospering, are compared to a tree well rooted. I have seen the foolish taking root; that is, confirmed and settled in their outward prosperity. A root is to the tree as a foundation is to the house, the establishment of it; when a tree is well rooted, it takes in the moisture of the earth freely, then the body or trunk grows big, the branches spread forth, the leaves are green, and it abounds with fruit. So that with the welrooting, we must take in all that concerns the flourishing of a tree. Hence, other Scriptures express the men of the world by trees, not only secretly taking root in the earth, but putting themselves forth and appearing in their visible beauty and verdure. (Ps. 37. 35.) David produceth his experience, I have seen the wicked in great power (how? taking root, yea) spreading himself like a green bay-tree. They are described by their boughs, branches and leaves. And in Isa. 2. 11. The day of the Lord, shall be upon the Cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, not only upon the Cedars of Lebanon that are deeply rooted, but upon the Cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all the Oaks of Bashan; In the 14. of Hosea v. 5. The prosperous estate of the Church (under the dew and influence of heavenly blessings) is held forth to us under the notion of a tree taking root. I will be as the dew to Israel, he shall grow as the Lily, and cast his roots as Lebanon (that is as the trees in Lebanon) his branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the Olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.

In the fourth of Daniel, the state, glory and magnificence of the kingdoms of this world are shadowed by a tree: Nebuchadnezzar in a vision hath a tree presented before him, he knew not what to make of it, and therefore calls for the Wise-men to expound the vision, which he thus relates, ver. 4. I saw and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, the height thereof was great, and the tree grew and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the ends of the earth, and the leaves thereof were fair. When Daniel comes to interpret it, (ver. 22.) he says to the King, Thou art this tree, &c. Nebuchadnezzar in all his worldly pomp, is set forth by a goodly tree. In the 53. of Isa. v. 2. Where the birth of Christ is prophesied, it is said, That, he shall grow up before him, as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground. As a very flourishing estate, whether in spirituals or temporals, is expressed by a tree planted by the water side: So a mean, low estate is signified by a tree in a dry ground. Our Lord Jesus, in regard of any outward glory, was like a tree in a dry ground, as the words following expound it, He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. His kingdom was not like the kingdom of those great Monarchs, strong, and high, and beautiful with any created luster. Hence observe,

First, That wicked men may flourish in great outward prosperity. I have seen the foolish taking root. The Prophet Jeremiah in the twelfth of his Prophecy (a Scripture touched before, Chap. 4. v. 7. to this purpose) being somewhat scandalized at the prosperity of treacherous dealers, describes them thus, ver. 2. Thou hast planted them, yea they have taken root, they grow, yea they bring forth fruit. Here are four degrees; first they are planted, there is many a tree planted that takes not root, but (saith he) thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: There are some trees which are both planted and have taken root, yet they do not grow, especially not to any height or greatness, though they live, yet they do not thrive; These are planted, and they take root and they grow; but there are many trees planted, rooted and growing, which yet are fruitless; these have all, they are planted, they take root, they grow and they bring forth fruit; And who are these? Surely the worst of men, as the very next words evidence, God is near in their mouths, but he is far from their reins; God is near in the mouth of such, that is, they may speak of him sometimes, but he is far from their reins, there is nothing of God in their hearts; and surely they that have nothing of God in their hearts, have nothing of goodness in their hearts, or in their lives.

This present glory and prosperity of wicked men, lifts up the glory of God's patience. How is the glory of the patience of God exalted, in letting them have ease, who are a burden unto himself? in letting them prosper, who are (as God can be pained) a pain unto himself? in suffering them to flourish who vex his people, in suffering them to laugh, who make his people mourn.

Further, He gives them leave to take root and flourish (whom he could blast and root up every moment) that all may see what is in their hearts. If God did not permit them to take root, yea and sometimes to grow up and flourish, we should never see what fruit they would bring forth: we should never see those grapes of gall, those bitter clusters; if these vines of Sodom, and fields of Gomorrah, were not watered with the dew, and warmed with the Sun of some outward prosperity.

Lastly, The prosperity of wicked men, is a great trial of good men; The flourishing of the ungodly is as strong an exercise of their graces, as their own witherings. Observe secondly,

That wicked men may not only flourish and grow, but they may flourish and grow a great while. I ground it upon this, the text faith, that they take root, I have seen the foolish taking root, and the word notes a dcep rooting. In the Parable of the sower (Matth. 13. 21.) it is said, that the seed which fell into stony ground withered, because it had no root, noting, that the cause of a sudden decay or withering in any plant, is the want of rooting; whereas a tree well rooted, will endure many a blast, and stand out a storm. Some wicked men stand out many storms, like old Oaks, like trees deeply rooted, they stand many a blast, yea many a blow; spectators are ready to say, such and such storms will certainly overthrow them, and yet still they stand: but though they stand so long, that all wonder, yet they shall fall, that many may rejoice; and take up this proverb against them (as of old against the King of Babylon) How hath the oppressor ceased? The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the scepter of the Rulers: He who smote the people in wrath, with a continued stroke, he that ruled in the Nation with anger is persecuted, and none hindereth. Therefore many shall break forth into singing, yea the Fir trees shall rejoice at him, and the Cedars of Lebanon, saying, since thou art laid down no feller is come up amongst us, Isa. 14.

Thirdly observe,

Outward good things are not good in themselves. The foolish take root. The worst of men may enjoy the best of outward comforts. Outward things are unto us, as we are. If the man be good, then they are good. And though the Preacher tells us, Eccles. 9. That all things come alike unto all, yet all things are not alike unto all. There is a great difference between the flourishing of a wise man, and the flourishing of a fool; all his flourishing and fastening in the earth is no good to him, because himself is not good: Spiritual good things are so good, that though they find us not good, yet they will make us good: we cannot have them indeed, and be unlike them. But worldly good things find some really good, and make them worse; others who had but a show of goodness, they are occasions of making stark naught; Rooting in the earth, never helped any to grow heaven-wards: Many deeply rooted in the earth, have grown down, and gone down to the depths of Hell.

Fourthly observe, as a consequence from the former; That the enjoyment of outward good things, is no evidence, can be made no argument that a man is good. I have seen the foolish taking root. And yet how many stick upon this evidence; blessing themselves because they are outwardly blessed. Yea, though they meet with a discovery of their sins, and sinful bosoms in the word, though they find those sins threatened, yea cursed with a grievous curse in the word, yet they bless themselves and say, we are rich and flourish, we have a good estate and credit, we take root and stand, but they forget that all this may be the portion of a fool. I have seen the foolish man taking root.

The word here used, to curse, springs indifferently from two roots, which yet meet and are one, in signification: Namely, to strike through or to pierce, as a man is struck through with a staff or sword, or stabd with a dagger; Thus Hab. 3. 14. Thou didst strike through with his Staves the head of the villages. And Isa. 36. 6. The piercing of a reed into the hand of him that leans upon it, is expressed by this word. So then it carries a metaphorical allusion to the effect of a curse, the curse of God always, and the curse of man upon due grounds, is as a sword or a dagger, piercing a man thorough and thorough, through both soul and body. I have cursed his habitation, that is, I have smitten his habitation quite through with a curse.

Some read, I abhorred or I abhominated his habitation. I was so far from envying this flourishing, spreading tree, or from being in love with his goodly seat and brave habitation, that I loathed and could not abide it. The cottage of an honest man was more delightful to me, then the tents or palaces of wickedness.

But the word bears rather to curse; which is first to wish evil unto another: And secondly to fore-tell, to pronounce or denounce evil against another. Often in the Psalms, David's curses upon his enemies, are predictions from the Spirit of God, not maledictions or ill wishes from his own spirit; Good men know not how to wish evil; their cursings are Prophecies not prayers: they fore-tell or fore-see evils, but they desire them not. I have not desired the woeful day, Lord thou knowest, said that Prophet, who had denounced many woeful days, Jer. 17. 16.

In Scripture, many are said to do that which they declare to be, or fore-tell that it shall be. As (to give an instance or two) Levite. 13. in the case of the Leper, the text saith, that when the Priest makes up his judgment concerning the Leper (having found the tokens of Leprosy upon him) he shall defile him (ver. 3. and ver. 8.) or make him unclean, so the Original gives it; which we translate, The Priest shall pronounce him unclean. In that sense the Ministers of the Gospel (whose business is to cleanse) defile many; yea, one way to cleanse men, is thus to defile and pronounce them Lepers. So Isa. 6. 8. the Lord sends the Prophet against that people, and saith to him, Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Now, the Prophet did not act this himself, he did not deafen their ears, or blind their eyes, but only fore-told or denounced that this, judgment should fall upon them; because they had so long stopped their ears, at last their ears should be stopped and made heavy enough; and because they had so long winked and shut their eyes, at last they should be blind, and their eyes shut fast enough; How fast are those eyes and ears locked up, which are thus double locked. Once more, Jer. 1. 10. The Lord gives the Prophet a strange commission, See (saith he) I have this day set thee over the Nations and over Kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, and to build and to plant. One would think this commission, more fitting for a Caesar or an Alexander, for great Commanders attended with numerous Armies, than for an unarmed Prophet; what could he do? could he root out Kingdoms, and destroy Nations? Yes, by denouncing the destroying judgments and consuming wrath of God, due unto them for their rebellions and provocations: Thus a poor weak Prophet can overturn a whole Kingdom, and root up the strongest Nations. And the truth is, that, never was any Nation or Kingdom rooted up by the sword, but it was first rooted up by the word; first God hewed them to pieces, and slew them by his Prophets, and then let in Armies of cruel enemies to do it.

So here in the text, I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation; The clear meaning is, I foretold a curse, I knew what would shortly become of his habitation It was not anger against his person, or envy at his estate, that moved me to curse him; but it was an eye of faith, which shown me him marked with a curse in the just threatenings of God: I saw a curse hanging over his family and dwelling, over his riches and honors: And though he then flourished, that, yet he should quickly wither and be destroyed root and branch. The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked, Prov. 3. 33. Man doth but see it there, the Lord sent it there.

The word is considerable which we traslate Habitation. It signifies a quiet, a settled, a peaceable, a beautiful habitation: And so carries an aggravation of the judgment upon this foolish man; his judgment is the worse upon him, because he thought himself so well, so well seated, so well settled, so secured and accommodated that he should never be removed: They are most troubled with removings, who thought themselves settled; troubles afflict them deepest, who supposed themselves beyond trouble. When David thought God had made his mountain so strong, that it could not be moved, how was he troubled, as soon as God hid his face? Ps. 30. 6, 7. And if they are so troubled with shakings, who look upon their estates as settled by the favor of God, how will they be troubled to meet with totterings and shakings, much more with ruinings and destructions, whose estates at best, are bottomed only upon their policies, often upon their sins? We may observe from hence;

First, The estate of some wicked men, is out of the prayers of God's people. When they go by their dwellings, they cannot say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you, we bless you in the name of the Lord, Psal. 129. 8. It is a great mercy to stand under the influences of prayer, and for a man to have his estate, land, dwellings watered with showers of blessings and hearty good wishes from the mouths of Saints. Their blessings or their cursings, are next to the blessings and cursings of Christ, nay, they are his; It is an argument that Christ hath blessed or cursed a man, when the spirits of his people generally are carried to either. It is one of the saddest presages in the world, for a man to be cast out of the prayers of the Saints, or to be cast by their prayers; that is, when their prayers are against him, and he presented naked to the displeasure of Christ: It shows that the sin of a man is a sin unto death, when the faithful cease praying for him, 1 Joh. 5. 16. What can it prognosticate then but approaching ruin and destruction, when they bend the strength of prayer against him? There was never any habitation of wickedness, so firmly founded or strongly fortified, but that Great and Holy Ordinance hath or may shake, and batter it to the dust. The fair Towers and walls of Babylon, the seat and state of Antichrist, have long been under this curse; All the Saints, whose eyes God hath unscaled and brought out from Egyptian darkness, have seen That foolish man taking root, and have cursed his habitation. Secondly observe;

A wicked man in prosperity is under the curse of God. He is often under the curse of man, but ever under the curse of God. Esau have I hated (saith God, Rom. 9. 13.) yet even at that time the fatness of the earth was his dwelling, and of the dew of Heaven from above, Gen. 27. 39. While the meat was in the mouths of the murmuring Israelites, the wrath of God was upon them. They did at once eat their lust and their death, wrath was mingled with their meat; and while he gave them their request, he sent leanness into their souls, (Psal. 106. 15.) This is the most dreadful curse of all, To have a fate estate, a well fed body, with a lean starven soul.

Thirdly, Observe a vast difference between godly and wicked men, between the foolish and the wise. When a godly man withers in his outward estate, and is plucked up by the roots, yet God loves him; when a godly man is poor, God loves him, when he is sick, God loves him, when he is in prison, God loves him, when he is in disgrace, God loves him, and when the world hates him most, then God usually shows, that he loves him most; The world cannot cast a godly man into any condition, but he meets with the love of God in it; his estate may vary and vary, change and change a thousand times, but the love of God towards him is unchangeable. On the other side, we see in the text, when a wicked man takes root, and the branches of his outward estate bear fruit abundantly, God curseth him; when he is at ease, God is angry with him. That place is very observable (Zech. 1. 15.) I am very sore displeased with the Heathen, that are at ease; the Heathen were at ease, yet God was extremely displeased with them. When a wicked man is in health God curseth him, when he is rich God curseth him, when all men honor admire and flatter him, God abhorreth, hates and detests him; he can be in no condition, but he is sure to meet with the curse of God. As a foolish man, a wicked m • n, gives God many things, but he never gives God his love, or his affection; A wicked man may give God prayers, but he doth not give him his love; he may give him praises, but he never gives him any love; he may give God his purse, but he gives not his love or his heart; whether such a fool praiseth God, or prayeth to God, or giveth unto God, he hateth God. So likewise, whatsoever God gives to a wicked man he hates him, whatsoever he bestows on him he curseth him: This should awake men rooted in the earth, to consider whether they are under the influences of God's eternal love, as well as under the influence of temporal blessings: This is the ground of David's conclusion, Psal. 37. 16. A little that the righteous hath, is better than the ricehes of many wicked: the reason is this, because many ungodly ones, swimming in a full sea of riches, have not so much as one drop of the love of God, nor one beam or ray of the light of his countenance shining upon them: but a godly man, if he have but a small estate, he hath much love mixed with it, if he have but a little purse, he hath a large portion of the favor of God in it, and this makes it so out-worth and out-value a wicked man's estate, this puts the price and stamps an excellency upon his little. The love of God doth so far exceed the fatness of the earth, in the esteem of Saints, that they in rating their estates, reckon not upon earthly things at all, they see nothing to value themselves by, but their interests in the love of God. As when God gives his people their portion, he looks upon outward things, as mere additionalls, or as an overplus given in by way of vantage. All other things shall be added (Mat. 6. 33.) when a man casts in a handful of wheat after the bushel is full, or gives a fingers breadth after the due measure of the clothe; So it is in the case of all temporals bestowed upon the Saints: Then fourthly note;

Outward good things, are no argument of the favor of God.

As we shown before, that, they are no evidences of the goodness of a person, so neither are they any evidences of the grace and favor of God unto a person. A man cannot find an evidence of God's love in his purse, in his land, in his honor, in his credit: Yea a man may flourish in better things then these I speak of, and yet have no evidences of God's love to him; A man may flourish in knowledge, be deeply rooted in learning, may have extraordinary branches of parts, and wonderful fruits of gifts, yet notwithstanding all this while, his habitation and his person too under a curse. And therefore, be sure that you look for your evidences of the love of God in the right box, do not look for evidences of the love of God in your chests, or in your purses, but look into your hearts, and see what Christ hath done there, look into your lives, and see what light shines there from the Spirit of Christ; Look whether grace flows from the Spirit of Christ, and is rooted in your spirits. If grace be rooted in thee there, if it spring up and bring forth fruit in the life, this is an evidence indeed. They that are thus rooted, God never curseth, Grace and holiness were never under any curse.

Observe one thing further, As these words hold forth the judgment or opinion of a godly man, concerning the wicked in prosperity. I have seen the foolish taking root, and presently I cursed his habitation.

A godly man sees the wicked of the world to be miserable in their best and most flourishing condition.

When thousands stand about the great ones of the earth, admiring, applauding, making little gods of them, envying their happiness, and thinking none happy but they, or such as they are; then a godly man pities them, mourns over them, sees them, and all such as they are, miserable; He looks through all their outward glory and beauty, riches and honors, and sees them cursed through all, hated of God through all; He sees nakedness through their clothing, emptiness and want through all their plenty and abundance: neither is this unhappiness confined to their own persons, but derived to all, to whom they derive life, or stand related. So it follows;

These words contain a further effect of this curse. I cursed his habitation, and what then? was it an ineffectual curse? was it but wind and words, returning and doing nothing? or did it spend all its strength upon this foolish man in his own person? No, His children are far from safety, they are crushed in the gate, &c. One of the Rabbins conceives that these words and the verse following, are the form wherein the curse was pronounced upon the habitation of the foolish man; As if Eliphaz had said, I cursed his habitation thus, Let his children be far from safety, and let them be crushed in the gate, neither let there be any to deliver; as for his harvest, let the hungry eat it up, and let the robbers swallow up their substance. And we find such a form, Psal. 109. David pronounces the curse upon those wicked enemies, in language very suitable to this (ver. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.) Set thou a wicked man over him, and let Satan (an adversary) stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow; let his children be continually vagabonds and beg, let them seek their bread also out of desolate places, let the extortioner cath all that he hath; and let the stranger spoil his labor.

But we may rather take it, as the matter, then as the form of a curse. I cursed his habitation, and the curse brake forth upon his children, and upon his estate, upon the branches, and the fruit of that goodly tree: much like that in the vision, Dan. 4. 13, 14. I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold a watcher, and a holy One, came down from Heaven, He cried aloud and said thus; Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit, &c. This Allegory may be rendered in the plain words of Eliphaz, I cursed his habitation, his children are far from safety. The Master of the Family is the tree, His children are either fruit or branches, His leaves are riches and honor, the beauty and pleasantness of his habitation.

Some things in the letter of the text are to be opened, but I shall first observe one thing in the general, from the connection of this fourth verse with the third, I suddenly cursed his habitation (verse 3.) Then follows, his children are far from safety. Observe from it; That

Creatures cannot stand before the curse of God. How strongly soever they are rooted, the blast of the breath of God's displeasure, will either blow them down, or wither them standing. The curse comes powerfully, suddenly and secretly, it is often an invisible stroke. When we see neither axe nor spade at the root, nor strome at rhe top, yet down it comes, or stands without leaf or fruit. When Christ in the Gospel cursed the fruitless fig-tree, his Disciples passing by that way, wondered saying, how quickly is this fig-tree whithered? it was but only a word from Christ, Never bear fruit more, and the fig-tree which had no fruit, lost its life. Some are such tall Cedars, such mighty Oaks, that men conclude there is no stirring of them, no Axe can fell them, or blast loosen them; yet a word from the Lord will turn them up side down: or if he do but say to them, never fruit grow upon your actions or out of your counsels, presently they wither. The curse causeless shall not come, but when there is a cause, and God speaks the word, the curse will come; Neither power nor policies, neither threatenings or entreaties can hinder or block it up. It is said of the water of jealousy in the book of Numbers, that when the woman drank that water, if there were cause of her husbands suspicion, presently her belly swelled, and her thighs did rot, the effect was inevitable. So, if God bid judgment take hold of a man, family or Nation, it will obey. A word made the world, and a word is able to destroy it. There is no armor of proof against the shot or stroke of a curse.

Suddenly I cursed his habitation, and the next news is, His children are far from safety; If God speak the word, it is done as soon as spoken; as that mysterious Letter said of the Gun-powder plot, As soon as the paper is burnt, the thing is done. Surely God can cause his judgments to pass upon his implacable enemies, such horrid conspirators against Churches and Commonwealths, truth and peace, with as much speed, as a paper burns; with a blaze and a blast they are consumed. That in the general from the connection of these two verses: As soon as he was cursed, his children and his estate, all that he had went to wrack, and ruin. I shall now open the words distinctly.

His children are far from safety,] Some read, Were far from safety, (and so the whole passage in the time past) because he speaks of a particular example, which he himself had observe • in those days, as is clear v. 2.

Having shown the curse upon the eoot, he now shows the withering of the brauches.

Some of the Rabbins understand, by Children; the Followers or Imitators of wicked men, such as assisted them, or such as were like them. These are moral children; but take it rather in the letter, for natural children, such as were borne to them, or adopted by them, these come under their fathers unhappiness. They are far from safety.

The Hebrew word is commonly rendered, salvation. His children are far from salvation. But then we must understand it for temporal salvation, which our translation expresses clearly by safety. His children are far from safety. It is possible that the children of a wicked man, may be near unto eternal salvation; Though godly parents have a promise for their seed, yet grace doth not run in a blood, neither is the love of God tied or entayl'd upon any linage of men. Election sometimes crosses the line, and steps into the family of a reprobate father. Therefore, it is not said, His children are far from salvation, in a strict, but in a large sense. We find the word salvation, frequently used for safety (2 Kings 13. 17.) when Elisha bad Joash the King of Israel shot the arrow, he called it, the arrow of the Lord's salvation, which we render, the arrow of the Lord's deliverance. So Moses bespeaks the trembling Israelites a • the red Sea, Stand still and behold the salvation of the Lord, that is, behold what safety the Lord will give you from all these dangers, what deliverance from the hand of Pharaoh. The Prophet represents the Jews thus bemoaning their outward judgments. We roar all like Bears, and mourn sore like Doves, we look for judgment, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far off, Isa. 59. 11.

To be far from safety, is a phrase importing extreme danger; As when a man is said to be far from light, he is in extreme darkness; and when a man is said to be far from health, he is in extreme sickness; and when a man is said to be far from riches, he is in extreme poverty: So here, His children are far from safety, that is, they are in extreme danger and peril, they walk (as it were) in the regions of trouble, in the valley of the shadow of death continually. That phrase is used also, respecting the spiritual estate of unbelievers, They are far off from God, far off from the Covenant, Isa. 57. 19. Ephes. 12. 13. that is, they have no benefit by the Covenant, no interest in, no favor at all or mercy from the Lord. To be far off from mercy is to be near wrath, and to be far from safety is to dwell upon the borders of danger.

In the forth Chapter Eliphaz describes man, as crushed before the moth, to show how suddenly, how easily man is destroyed. This man's children are crushed in the gate, as a man would crush a fly or a moth between his fingers.

That notes two things.

First the publikenesse of their destruction, they shall be destroyed in the sight of all men; for the gate was a public place (Pro- 31. 31.) her works praise her in the gates, that is, she is publicly known by her good works. To do a thing in the gate is opposed to the doing of a thing secretly. To suffer in the gate is to suffer publicly.

Secondly, to be crushed in the gate, is to be crushed or cast in judgment; for The gate was the place of old, where justice was administered and judgment given; and for a man to be crushed in the gate, is as much as for a man to be overthrown in his sure, when he hath any controversy or trial before a Judge, whether for his estate or for his life. So this phrase, They are crushed in the gate, implies that all businesses shall go against them, if they have any controversy in law, or if they be charged with any crime they shall certainly be condemned.

I need not stay to prove that judgment was given in the gate; only take a few texts. First, in this book (Chap. 29. 7.). Job describes his own prosperity thus, When I went out to the gate, that is, to sit in judgment; And Chap. 31. v. 21. the word is used in the like sense; So Gen. 23. 17. Chap. 34. 20. Ruth 4. 1. Isa. 29. 11. Those words of the curse, Psal. 109. 7. when he is judged, let him be condemned, are the full Exposition of this, They are crushed in the gate.

And the reason given by one of the Ancients, why justice was usually administered in the gate, is the accommodation and convenience both of strangers and Citizens: For strangers, who lived far off in the country, that they might have justice, before they entered into the city, whose pomp and throngs of people might possibly occasion either some terror or diversion in the minds of poor country-men. And then likewise, that the Inhabitants of the City, might not be either charged or tired with long journeys into the country; To which we may add, that judgment was therefore administered in the gate, because gates are places through which all pass in and out, and therefore the declaring of judgment there, was the making of it more public, that all might take notice of what passed, in such and such cases, as the sentence and resolution of the Judges.

This is the third degree of evil falling upon the foolish man's children. Though a man be brought to and cast in judgment, yet he may have a friend to help and deliver him; but these shall have no help, none to speak a good word for them, none to mediate either for reprieve or pardon. Some give the sense thus, His children shall neither find a Judge to give a favorable sentence, nor an Advocate to plead for them, and make the best of their cause; This also answers another part of the curse, Psa. 109. 12. Let there be none to extend mercy to him, neither let there be any to favor his fatherless children; None shall be found either able or willing to rescue or pluck them out of the hand of danger.

Hence observe, first,

That a wicked man and his children are often wrapped up in the same destruction.

I cursed his habitation and his children are far from safety, they are crushed in the gate. A godly man is a defense for his children; It is a great blessing to be born of holy parents, and it is a curse to be borne of oppressing wicked parents. As, the blessing of God descends from the father, upon the children; so, the curse of God many times descends from the father, upon the children, and they inherit their judgments, as well as their lands. Though the justice and goodness of God, will make that Proverb cease in all the families of the world forever, which was once taken up by the Jews, Ezek. 18. 2. The Fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge. The Naturalists observe, and experience teacheth, that when a man eats very sour grapes (and so makes a sour face) another standing by is affected with a sympathy, and his teeth are set an edge or pained with the very sight or grating of another's teeth, though himself taste not the grape. The present Jews thought themselves but bare lookers on upon their fathers sin, and yet they suffered. But the Lord found the sour grapes in their mouths also, or them risen up in their fathers stead, an increase of sinful men to fill up the fierce wrath of the Lord against them. Now (I say) though the Lord will make that proverb cease, in their sense: For no child is punished merely in contemplation of his fathers sin. Yet when a son is wicked, the wickedness of a father, whether immediate or further off, may come in remembrance against him, and at once aggravate his sin, and increase his sorrow. Secondly, note this from it,

Whom God will destroy, no creature shall be found able to deliver out of his hands.

God can take away the help, and stop up the pity of all creatures, None shall deliver them. And though themselves should endeavor to escape, they shall not escape (Amos 9. 1.) They that fly shall not fly away, and they that escape shall not be delivered, that is, by endeavoring to escape, they shall not be delivered, they shall attempt it in vain. If God will not deliver, none can, If a Lot be taken prisoner He bids Abraham arm and rescue him. If a Paul be in the mouth of a Lyon, the Lord will deliver him. It needs not trouble us, who is our enemy, if God will be our deliverer: nor can it avail what friends so ever we have, if God saith, ye shall not be delivered; A wicked man (when the Lord appears against him) either hath none to deliver him, or none shall. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they keep not thy statutes, Ps. 119. 155. From the children, judgment proceeds to the estate of this wicked man.

By his Harvest, we are to understand not only the return of that which he hath sown, as corn and other fruits of the earth; but all the goods or provisions, which he hath gathered or laid up for his support and accommodation. A man's harvest is the improvement of his whole estate. And this man's harvest is all he hath gotten, by right or wrong, by industry or by injury, by sweat or by deceit, by secret practices or open violences. To eat up a harvest, is as much as to devour a house, with which Christ charges the hungry Scribes and Pharisees (Math. 23. 14.) who made Beggars as fast as they made Prayers, Ye devour widows houses and under pretence make long prayers.

The greatness of his affliction is set forth by the loss of those things, which cost much pains to get. A harvest is not had with idleness. The earth must be broken, plowed and sowed before we reap. The law of Nations (I am sure of this Nation) is very tender in this point, providing, that they who till and sow the Land, shall also enjoy the crop. But this wicked man shall not reap what he sowed. The labor shall be his, and the benefit another man's. The hungry shall come and eat up his harvest. Whence observe in general.

It is a great evil when we cannot enjoy the thing we labor for.

What greater disappointment to the husband-man; then to deprive him of his harvest. Poets have sung this in mournful verse. And we find this threatened in the law, as the very sting of those evils, which should come upon a disobedient people, Deut. 28. 33. The fruit of thy land and all thy labors, shall a Nation which thou knowest not, eat up; All thy labors, that is, The fruits for which thou hast labored, shall be eaten up by strangers. And (Levite. 26. 16.) Ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. The slothful man resteth not that which he took in hunting, so we translate, Prov. 12. 26. But it seems not so proper to the sense of this proverb. A slothful man is not usually a hunter, That sport requires an active spirit. And usually men that are slow at work, are quick at meat, and will not loose their venison for the roasting. Therefore more properly (I conceive with others) to the original, and fully to the point in hand, it may be translated thus, Deceit or the deceitful man shall not roast his hunting, or▪ that which he hath taken in hunting. That is, he shall not take pleasure in that, which he hath got by extreme pains (as all hunters do) or by craft and stealth, as some hunters do. Somewhat comes between his mouth and his morsel, his cup and lip, either he cannot get his meat to his table, or he rises hungry from it. Therefore Solomon puts a great blessing in this, when a man enjoyeth his labor, Eccles. 2. 10. My heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion of all my labor, namely, the fruit and benefit which God gave me by my labor; I enjoyed it, and this was my portion. Again (Eccles. 3. 13.) And also that every man should eat and drink, and ••• oy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God; He puts the Emphasis upon this, when a man hath taken pains to lay in provisions for a comfortable subsistence, that then he may sit down quietly and enjoy it, It is the gift of God. Therefore on the other hand, not to eat and drink, and enjoy the good of our labors, but to have all violently snatched from our mouths. It is the judgment of God. This judgment the Prophet also threatens (Isa. 1. 6.) Your land strangers shall devour it, in your presence; when you are looking on, strangers shall devour it, Thou preparest a Table before me in the presence of my enemies, saith David, Psal. 23 5. As it is one of the greatest outward mercies, to eat at a Table, prepared in the presence of an enemy, so, it is one of the greatest afflictions, to have an enemy eat up what is prepared for our Table, in our presence, (Mic. 6. 15.) Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap, thou shalt tread the Olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil, and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine. Observe how he puts in their labor to aggravate their sorrow. If they had not sown, it had not been so troublesome, not to reap, if they had not trod the Olives, it had not been so grievous to have had no oil; but this was their calamity, they sowed, but reaped not, they trod the Olives, but had no oil to anoint themselves. The misery of that rich man (Lu • . 12.) is thus described, when he had made larger barns, and got in his harvest, when he had made provision for many years, then the Question is, Whose shall all these things be that thou hast provided? The rich man was not unprovided of an answer to the Query long before. Whose shall they be? Mine own I warrant you. I am not such a fool to take pains for others. Little did he think his grave was a making while he was making his barns: Or, that all his providence and care should redound to strangers. How will it cut the heart to see all those things taken away, in and about which, a man hath laid out his whole strength, and laid up his whole heart. This Job imprecates as the extremity of all outward evils, in case he were an hypocrite, and dealt falsely with God (Chap. 31. 8) If any blot hath cleaved to my hands, that is, if this blot of insincerity (Job did not think himself to be without all blot of sin, but, if such a blot as I am charged with) cleave to my hands, then let me sow, and let another eat. This judgment which Eliphaz hints at in another person, as already fallen on Job for his hypocrisy, Job, in his own person calls for, if he were an hypocrite. Let me sow and let another eat, yea let my offspring be rooted out.

Whose harvest the hungry eateth up. The hungry.

There is some difference in opinion, who are to be understood by the hungry. Some take this hungry one for the Devil; He is a hungry one indeed: but his hunger is not after our riches but after our souls, 'tis them he goes about like (a hungry) roaring Lyon, seeking to devour. (2 Pet. 5. 8.) It is a truth also, that Satan goes about as a hungry one to devour our estates, so he did Jobs, His harvest that hungry one did eat up, but, it was not because he desired Jobs harvest, but because he gaped for Job Himself. He thought if God would but give him leave to rob Job of his riches, Job would quickly let his soul lapse into his hands. A soul is the dainty morsel, which That hungry spirit waits for. The most delicate things in the world are meat too gross for a spirit, though an unclean one.

Others, by the hungry one, understand the Heir of this rich worldling; His heir whom he had kept low, and bare and short, as long as he lived, now, when he is dead and gone, comes hungry to the estate, and quickly consumes it; he eats it out, drinks it up and lavisheth it away. It is often seen that the heirs of great, rich men come very hungry to their inheritances, and as quickly swallow them down. They have been kept so short, that like empty and sharp set stomachs they waste all, when they come where they may have their fill. That estate which is got by the oppression, and kept by the base covetousness of parents, is usually spent out in riot and luxury. A hungry heir devours the harvest.

Thirdly, The hungry, may be taken for those poor oppressed ones, whose estates those Nimrods of the world had unjustly and cruelly ravished from them. They, whom wicked men make hungry and lean by their exactions and cruel dealings, come at last (though unbidden and unwelcome guests) to eat the bread from their Tables. And these poor Hungry-ones are conceived by some to be Wisedomes children, the people of God, whom those wicked fools had stripped of their estates, and would have eaten them too like bread, Psal. 14. So the Septuagint renders it, The just or the godly shall eat up or devour the harvest of this rich worldling. Put both these together, and this may be the sense, The hungry eateth up his harvest, that is, the godly poor, whom this man had unjustly oppressed, and even put to starving, God, by his just judgment shall send in, to take free Quarter, to eat their fill of his harvest, and never reckon with their host.

From that sense take this note,

That God doth sometimes give the riches of wicked men to poor godly men, whom they have oppressed.

Job himself, Chap. 27. v. 16. gives us this truth in express terms, where speaking of a wicked man, he saith, Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay, he may prepare it (let him prepare it, let him scrape it together as fast as he can) but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver, that is, those just and innocent persons whom he had wronged, shall by a divine retaliation enter upon his estate. The wicked grind the faces of the poor, to make themselves bread, but at last the poor shall make bread of their corn and griest.

We may see the tract and foot-steps of this judgment in our days; How many sons of violence, who have made many persons, yea, families hungry, naked and desolate, are now made desolate and naked? God hath so wrought, and answered us by terrible things in righteousness, that Oppressed Innocents have been put into the houses, and have fed upon the fatness of Unrighteous Oppressors. Must we not say, verily there is a God that judgeth the earth, when we see this vengeance? And for the rest, may we not say as those searchers of Canaan, (Caleb and Joshua) made their report, when the rest complained of impossibilities, Numb. 14. 9. Let us not fear them, for they are bread for us, that is, we shall easily get in amongst them, and live upon their estates: Let us not fear those giantly sons of Anak, who have fleec'd the poor of God's flock, and knaw'd their bones, for (by the power and justice of God) they are bread for us; they have made hungry ones enow to eat up their own harvest.

Fourthly, We may take the hungry, yet more largely; for any that are low and poor, whom God stirs up and sends in judgment as his teeth, to consume and eat up, to devour and destroy the portion of such fat ones. Every spoiler is a hungry one; spoilers devour as if they had never eaten in their lives, they sweep all away: The word which we translate to eat up, signifies the most fierce kind of eating: when a man eats, as if he could never have enough. And therefore it is applied to the eating of fire, which we know is the most hungry thing in the world; nothing will satisfy the appetite of that hungry element, the more it eats, the more hungry and devouring it is. Hence that adjunct of fire (Isa. 29. 6.) A flame of a devouring fire, or, the flame (it is the word of the text) of an eating fire; a fire whose stomach is able to digest all the material creatures in the world. So (Job 1.) it is said, that the fire of God, or a great fire did eat up the sheep, the fire came hungry and consumed them; such is the force of the word here used; and secondly, it is applied in Scripture, to the eating of the sword; which (alas!) we know is very hungry too, My sword shall devour flesh, Deut. 32. 42. Thirdly, it is applied to savage beasts (Gen. 37. 33.) when Jacob bewaileth the loss of his son Joseph, he saith, an evil beast hath devoured him. Fourthly, the cruelty of persecutors (in whom wild beasts, and sword and fire are all met, if not swallowed up.) The cruelty, I say, of persecutors is expressed by this word, They eat up my people like bread, Psal. 14. 4. Wild beasts, and sword, and fire, and above all the persecuting spirits of men, are the most hungry and speedy devourers, such a devouring shall consume the harvest of these foolish men, The hungry shall eat it up: Here we may observe, That

They who consume others shall at last be consumed themselves.

Such as have raised themselves upon the ruins of others, shall raise others by their own ruin. God will send devourers to eat up the estate of those, who have devoured the estates of their brethren; especially, if they have devoured the estates of his own people. The Apostle, Gal. 6. 7. gives this general law, Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that sows oppression, or makes his seed-time, to be the reaping of his neighbors harvest, may find reapers, which he hired not, in his field at harvest. The Prophet Isaiah denounceth a woe against those, that join house to house by oppression, and what is the woe? their houses shall be made desolate; So Zeph. 3. 19. I will undo all that afflict there. And Jer. 30. 16. They that devour thee shall be devoured; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey; It is just with God (2 Thes. 1. 6.) to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you. The rich man who hoards up that for himself and for his children, which he hath pulled out of the bellies of others, shall have his meat devoured from his table, and pulled from between his teeth.

The hungry eat up his harvest, but where doth he find it? He takes it even out of the thorns.

There is some difficulty in that expression. Mr Broughton reads it, The hungry shall eat up his harvest which he had gotten thorough the thorns! And others thus, he shall fetch it out from among the arms or weapons. The Hebrew word which we translate thorns, gives occasion of these various readings, which some derive from Tsinnah, which signifies a shield, and so by a trope, it notes any kind of arms or weapons.

If we take the word in the first sense, for thorns, a three-fold interpretation may be given of this clause.

First as Mr Broughton reads it, which he had gotten thorough the thorns. This refers to the manner how a worldling obtains his estate; he hath a great harvest, and how came he by it? he got it thorough the thorns; that is, he got it thorough vexing, pricking cares, for so (Mat. 13.) in the Parable of the sower, when Christ expounds the meaning of the thorny ground, he shows, that the thorns are cares, the cares wherewith men are vexed in getting riches, or compassing the things of the world. Hence a man is said to get riches thorough the thorns, when he gets them thorough overmuch care and vexation of spirit.

Secondly, As the word signifies thorns: some conceive, that Eliphaz closely describes the persons who should take away his estate, as he did in the former branch; there he said, the hungry eat up his harvest; now he describeth another sort of men that shall eat it up, namely, Men of thorns, or Men coming out of the thorns; This rendering, is not easily made out of the Original, though, it hath learned a bettors, and therefore I am not confident of it; yet it may yield some advantage to our meditation upon the words. The meaning is this: Mean or contemptible men shall take it away: As in our language, when we would express a vulgar person, a man of low birth, we say, he was borne under a bush; or under a hedge, that is, he is a man of a low pedigree, none of the Gentry; and so it is, as if he should say, this great, rich, mighty man, who hath so much honor and riches about him, and thinks himself safe, shall see a man coming out of the thorns, some obscure person, and take all that he hath from him. This exposition may yield us a profitable observation, That

When God reckons with the greatest of wicked men, he can humble and pull them down by the meanest and poorest of men. A very shrub, a man that comes out of the thorns may pull down the tallest Cedar; It increases affliction, to be overcome by a weak, despised, inconsiderable enemy. It troubled Abimelech more to be slain by a woman, than to be slain; and therefore (upon the matter) he would have the pain to be twice killed, rather than the disgrace to be killed by a woman; for having received his deaths-wound by her hand, yet, he calls hastily to the young man his Armor-bearer, and said unto him; draw out thy sword now, and slay me, that men say not of me, a woman slew him, Judge. 10. 54. The Lord threatens it, both as a just retaliation for the sin, and an aggravation of the punishment of his people, I will move them to jealousy with those that are not a people, I will provoke them to anger with a foolish Nation, Deut. 32. 21. The Gentiles, as Paul expounds this place, Rom. 10. 19. and Peter, 1 Peter 2. 10.) whom the Jews slighted as a foolish people, as no people, came in and eat up the harvest of the Gospel, and were invested with greater privileges than they. This made the Jews mad with anger, as you may read in that famous record of it, Acts 22. ver. 21, 22. They could not bear it, that, Those men of the thorns, should partake of the fatness of the Olive. As Jotham spake in his Parable, (Judge. 9 15.) when the question was, which of the trees should be King, the olive or the vine, &c. at last it fell to the brambles lot, or to the thorn. That parable gives some light to this exposition: For those several sorts of trees shadowed out the several sorts of men, and the bramble shadowed out the meanest sort of men; a man of thorns, or a man coming out of the thorns. And he adds (which further answers this sense) Let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the Cedars of Labanon; which in plain English is, let there come power from a powerless man, who is but as a bryer, or as a thorn, and consume the greatest and the mightiest.

And it may support us (while we see so many great Cedars and strong Okes, with whom we have to do) that God can send a man out of the thorns to subdue their pride; and can cause a bramble to consume Cedars, when himself pleaseth, The Prophet Amos puts the question, By whom shall Jacob rise, for he is small? The only answer is, Jacob hath a great God, a God that can do great things: If we should question, by whom shall the wicked fall, for they are very great? I answer, haply, they shall fall by him, that is very small, A man out of the bushes, a man of thorns, some poor shrub, armed with the power of God, shall shake and overthrow them in the height of all their wickedness and worldly glory.

Thirdly, Take it according to our reading: He shall fetch it out of the thorns. Which some interpret, to be thorns growing naturally in or among the corn; according to that general curse upon the earth, Gen. 3. 18. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee. But rather (if not alone) these are thorns platted together industriously, and wrought into a hedge, to save corn fields or corn-stackes from spoil. So the meaning is, that when the hungry man comes with a commission from God, to eat the harvest of the foolish, he will have his estate whatever it costs him, or what danger soever he incurres for it. For, as a man is said to fetch a thing out of the fire, or out of the Lions mouth, when he gets it with much peril and hazard; so, what a man gets with much difficulty and labor, he is said to get it out of the thorns. And the reason is this, because, men were wont, when they had gathered in their harvest (take it especially about that, and in proportion about anything else) they were then wont (I say) to secure it with a thorn-hedge, or to lay bushes about their stacks, to keep off cattle or any other annoyances. We read among the Laws given by Moses, somewhat answerable to this practice, Exod. 22. 6. If fire break out and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or standing corn, or the field be consumed therewith, he that kindled the fire, shall make restitution. This Law intimates it for an ancient custom, to make fences of thorns about corn brought home or stackt up; And that fields while the corn was standing, were hedged about with thorns. To either of which, the allusion may be made by Eliphaz: So that, to fetch his harvest out of the thorns, is to fetch it through the fences made to secure his harvest, to fetch it, though it cost (as we speak proverbially) a scratched face, or scratched fingers. We say, hunger breaks through stones walls, certainly then these hungry ones, will break through a thorn hedge.

When the Lord would keep his Church from wandering in sinful paths, he resolves thus, Hos. 2. 6. I will hedge up her way with thorns: there are pleasures that she would go fetch, but as men fence their ground and pastures with thorns, so will I do with her, I will hedge up her way with thorns, she shall pay dear, she shall smart for her pleasures, ere she come at them. And therefore, as it shows the extreme intensivenesse and resolvedness of a man to sin; when a man will sin, though God hath hedged up his way with thorns, that is, when a man will break thorough many dangers, and run hazards to satisfy his lusts; so here in this place, the hungry man's taking it out of the thorns, notes a resolvedness and eagerness of spirit, to have the estate of this rich man, let him secure it by all the power and policies he can.

From this Exposition, we may observe first, the practice of worldly wise men; when they have gotten riches, they do not leave them loose and open to surprisal, they keep them among the thorns; they will secure their estates as much as they can. As they get riches with thorns, so they will keep riches with thorns, that is, they will bestow care to keep, as well as to get: A godly man takes great care to get more of Christ, more riches of grace, he improves all means, and makes this his business night and day; these spiritual cares are his thorns: and when he finds his stock of holy things increasing, his next care is to preserve his stock, to maintain communion with Christ, and to keep up his graces to their height; The care of a godly man, is as much to preserve grace and comforts from the power of that hungry one the Devil, as it was to fetch them in. And Satan is so hungry after our spiritual harvest, that, he would fetch it out of the thorns and fences of all our prayers and holy cares, were it not that Christ himself keeps it for us, His care over his people's spiritual welfare is such a thorn hedge, as the Devil can never break thorough; We are kept by the power of God as with a garrison, 1 Pet. 1. 5.

Such also, is the wisdom of that generation, about worldly things: they fence in, and fortify their riches, so that if any man will have them, he must have them through the thorns, or come upon the pikes.

Secondly, Though he lay up his estate within the thorns, yet, the hungry man will fetch it out. Note then,

That all the care of worldly men, all the thorn-hedges they make about their estates, shall never secure them from spoil and ruin. The hungry will press and venture through the thorns to take them.

Further, As the word signifies a Buckler (or any kind of arms, whether offensive or defensive) as the text is by some translated, He shall fetch it out of their Arms, or from among their weapons. And then, the sense may be thus conceived (which agrees fully with the former Observation)

Though, this wicked man in his high estate, should get many armed men together to defend it, yea though he should get an Army of men, with sword and buckler, with pike and shot to defend it, yet none of them shall be able. The wrath of God, by the man out of the thorns, the meanest instrument of his wrath, shall break through all And in allusion to this, the vulgar (more truly then as a translation) reads it,

The armed man shall take him away, that is, he shall carry him away prisoner, and spoil him of his harvest: Which, though it doth not comply with the letter of the Original, yet it implies the sense of it. For when Armed men come to take anything away, it intimates, that the thing was, or was supposed to be protected with arms. The Chaldee paraphrase saith the same: Soldiers with weapons and warlike instruments shall carry them away. This word is in other places rendered An Army, in the Chaldee. So Josh. 23. 15. That which we translate, They shall be thorns in your eyes: The Chaldee glosseth thus; They shall be an Army besieging or compassing you round about. And so much for the second branch of this verse. He taketh it even out of the thorns.

There is a third branch: And the robber swalloweth up their substance.

It is the same in substance with the former, and we may say here as Joseph about the dreams of Pharaoh, The dreams are the same, and they are doubled, only to note the certainty of the thing: The matter here is the same, only the words are doubled (as the Holy Ghost often doth) to note the certainty of this thing, that the foolish man's estate shall be consumed.

Yet, there is somewhat very considerable in the phrase here used, and therefore I shall open it a little; The robber swalloweth up his substance.

The robber.] Some translate, the thirsty shall drink or swallow up their substance; Mr. Broughton, the thirsty shall swill up their wealth; And it suites fairly with the former words, there the hungry shall eat up his harvest, and here, the thirsty shall swill up their wealth; so you have both the hungry and the thirsty to make riddance of all; neither his corn, nor his wine, his bread nor his drink, neither wet nor dry, shall escape, where both hungry and thirsty come to consume.

We render it, The robber swalloweth up their substance. The reason of this difference is from the Original word, which may have a double derivation: First from a root, signifying to thirst or to be thirsty: Secondly from a root which signifies the hair of the head, or the locks, or extraordinary ruffian-like long hair and locks. And the reason, why we translate Robber, is given from both: From the first, because robbers and spoilers are commonly Tosse pots and drunkards, men that love their liquor, a thirsty generation in that sense; and they always thirst for a prey, they thirst for the estates or lives of others: From the latter, because robbers, plunderers and spoilers, usually wore very long hair, either to disguise or make themselves the more terrible; So that a robber may be denominated, both from his unnaturally natural thirst after the pot, and from his uncivilly civil thirst after a purse, or from his long, shaggy, bushy hair: To this latter sense, one of the Rabbins translates, The hairy man, or the man with long hair, shall swallow up their estates; Hence some express him by a Latin word, which signifies a man all overgrown with hair; This Ruffian or Robber shall swallow up his substance.

Swallow up] The word notes an utter exhaustion, he shall exhaust his substance: As we say, when a spender or an unthrift is described, He hath exhausted his estate, he hath, as it were sucked it up, guzl'd or swallowed it down his throat; the radical word may import, drawing or sucking up with a pipe; properly it signifies, to fetch wind, or draw breath; and by a metaphor to swallow down, to sup or suck up; as also, with fervency and pleasure to desire, because vehement desires are often expressed by quick breathings, yea, to breath after a thing, is to desire it; or it notes a mind to swallow it up, either from the delight we have in it, or hatred of it. In which latter sense Daved applies it to his enemies (Psal. 56. 2.) Mine enemies would daily swallow me up. They breath after me, to devour me. So then the meaning is; This robber, this hairy spoyler or thirsty one, will be so dry that he will swallow all up, he will soop and drink up the foolish man's estate to the very bottom; he will draw it down to the very dregs or lees, and not leave a drop behind him.

In the first chapter we read Job described, A man of a very great substance, Job's subsistence in cattle was thus and thus: Here also it is said, The robber shall swallow up his subsistence; but the word in the Hehrew, is very different from that in the first chapter; there the word signifieth properly substance in cattle; but here it signifies, substance in any kind of wealth or riches whatsoever; And it notes three things.

First, and most properly, strength, either strength of body or of mind, namely, valor, activity and courage, also wisdom and industry to get or defend our substance; So Gen. 47. 6. Pharaoh tells Joseph, that if among his brethren, there were any men of activity, he should make them rulers over his cattle.

Secondly, It notes riches and wealth, or any worldly substance; because much activity, wisdom and strength, is usually employed in obtaining them; or because both wisdom and strength are requisite for the keeping and retaining of them, (Prov. 11. 16.) Strong men retain riches: as if he should say, though a man have abundance of riches, yet if he have not strength, he shall hardly hold them, they will be wrested out of his hands. Once more, Riches are thus expressed, because men, usually account their riches to be their strength, a man naturally puts confidence in his riches; Prov. 13. 15. The rich man's wealth is his strong City; Riches are call • d strength, from that corrupt opinion which the world hath of them, making them Idols, and trusting to them, as they should unto God alone. Though yet, there is a truth in it, that riches have much strength in them, a rich man, and a powerful man, are mutually put for each other.

Thirdly, The word signifies an Army of men, Psal. 33. 16. There is no King saved by the multitude of an host: We may take it either way, this hungry man, this robber, shall come and swallow up his substance, his riches, his strength, or he shall come and swallow up his very Army, by which he thought to defend his substance; All shall be lost, neither the estate, nor the means used to protect the estate, shall stand before this hungry, thirsty, hairy robber. In this description of a total desolation brought upon the estate and family of the foolish man, together with the character of the persons, who shall make him desolate, questionless Eliphaz would represent to Job, the desolation brought upon his estate and children, by those troops of hungry, hairy, thirsty robbers, the Chaldeans and the Sabaeans, who swallowed all his substance at one morsel, soopt up his estate at one draught. Whence observe;

It is a great point of wisdom, to show a man his condition, in another's, and to seem only relating the History of our foreign observations, when we mean the person to whom we speak; what is proposed as seen in others, works the heart to see it self; and doth at once mitigate the sharpness of the reproof, and open the spirit, to let it in. As we see in the instance of Nathan's Parable to David, 2 Sam. 12. Eliphaz said only, I have seen the foolish taking root, &c. He doth not lay it boisterously and directly upon Job; I saw thee taking root &c.

Thus we have opened the context of these five verses, wherein Eliphaz argues Job of wickedness and insincerity, because God had dealt with him, as he usually doth with the wicked and infincere, whose habitations are cursed, their children crushed, their substance swallowed up, by thirsty, and eaten up, by hungry robbers, who take it out from the very thorns of their own cares, in getting, or means in securing, what they have gotten.

THus far Eliphaz hath spent his discourse, in reproof and conviction; And you have had out of the 4 Chapter, and the precedant part of this, four heads of reason, or arguments, by which Eliphaz labors to reprove Job, for, and convince him of, close sin, or of gross hypocrisy. Now Eliphaz turns himself to another style, and falls to counsel and exhortation, directing and advising Job what becomes him, what he ought to do, in his condition: His exhortation consists of two distinct branches.

The former whereof begins at this sixth, and is continued to the seventeenth verse of the Chapter. The sum of this exhortation is, That, for as much as he had found him so distempered in his speech and carriage, he now earnestly beseeches and intreats him, that he would seek unto God, beg favor, and believingly commit himself and his cause unto God.

The second branch of exhortation begins at the 17 verse, and is continued to the end of the Chapter. The Scope whereof is, That Job would humbly and patiently submit himself unto, and under, the correcting hand of God, quietly waiting the time of his deliverance.

The matter of the former exhortation lies in the words of the 8 verse, I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause.

He strengtheneth this exhortation by two arguments, whereof

The first is taken from the cause of his afflictions, and that either the efficient, or the meritorious cause of his afflictions, both which we find in the 6 and 7 verses.

The second argument by which he strengtheneth his first exhortation, is contained in the 9, 10, 11, and 12 verses following, and it is grounded upon the power, wisdom and goodness of God: As if he should say, Who would not seek unto God, who is of infinite power, able to deliver? Who would not seek unto a God, and commit his cause unto him, who is gracious, and pitiful, merciful and ready to deliver? Who would not seek unto a God, and commit his cause unto him, who is of infinite wisdom to find out ways and means for the contriving of deliverance, though man's condition (to the eye of sense or human reason) seem altogether desperate and remediless?

These three verses contain the first exhortation, together with the first argument; And we may form it thus, both respecting the efficient, and the meritorious cause of his afflictions.

First, respecting the efficient cause, the argument seems to lie thus.

He is to be sought unto in our afflictions, who is the principal efficient cause or sender of our afflictions.

But, God is the principal efficient cause and sender of our afflictions.

Therefore, he is to be sought unto, and, to him our cause is to be committed.

The Major or first Proposition, is not expressly in this text, but it is plainly supposed, and logically to be understood. The Minor or the Assumption, lies in the 6 and 7 verses, where he proves that God is the efficient cause or sender of afflictions; And his proof is grounded upon a denial, or a removal of all other efficient causes. As, if he should say, there must be some efficient cause of affliction, but no efficient cause can be assigned or named, except God: therefore God is the efficient cause, the sender and orderer of afflictions. That, no other efficient cause can be assigned, he proveth plainly in the sixth verse, thus; Affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground, yet, man is borne to trouble &c. As if he should say, our eyes teach us, we see plainly man is full of trouble; man is no sooner borne, but he is afflicted; these afflictions must have some efficient cause, some hand or other doth frame, form, and fashion them, they come not alone; and if they come not alone, then, we must find out this cause either in earth or in heaven: we must find it, either in the Creator or among the creatures, but from the earth, or from creatures, they come not. Affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground, that is, it rises not by or from the creatures in themselves, and alone considered; and if so, it must needs come from heaven, from the hand of God, who dwelleth above, and disposeth all things according to the pleasure of his own will. It is such a kind of speech, as often falls from us, when a thing is lost; we say, somebody must have it; Sure it is not gone into the gound, You or You must have it, for there were none else in the place. So, Eliphaz seems here to argue about the afflictions, which he saw upon Job: here are heavy afflictions upon thee, these afflictions must come some way upon thee, They come not out forth of the dust, neither do they spring out of the ground, they come not up alone; Either then they must come from God or man; and from man, they come not; they spring not out of the earth: therefore he leaves it as a clear inference, that God is the efficient cause or sender of affliction.

Again, if we consider this argument, as it strengtheneth the exhortation from the meritorious cause of his afflictions. It may be formed thus.

If the sin of man be from himself, and the sufferings of man be for his sin, then in his sufferings for sin, he ought to seek unto God, and to commit his cause unto him.

But, the sin of man is from himself, and the sufferings of man are for his sin.

Therefore, he ought in such a condition to seek unto God, and commit his cause unto him; For, remedy is nowhere else to be had. This second argument is grounded rather upon the exposition, then the letter of the text, as shall be further cleared in pursuance of the words.

Thus, you see, how the Minor or second Proposition is confirmed, both, as it respects the efficient cause, and the meritorious cause of man's affliction. The conclusion lies in the 8 verse, which Eliphaz pronounces in his own person, I would seek unto God, therefore seek thou unto God, he speaks it in his own person, thereby more freely to insinuate his counsel, and make way for his exhortation. As if he had said, Were I in thy case I would do so, therefore do thou so likewise, Seek unto God and commit thy cause unto him.

So much of this context and the Logic of it, as it contains an exhortation, with an argument to strengthen and back that exhortation. Now for the clearing of the words.

The Hebrew particle, which we translate Although, may be taken three ways, and so I find it rendered upon this place.

First (which is its most proper sense) it is taken causally, and then the text is read, For, affliction cometh not forth of the dust. So Mr. Broughton, for sorrow issueth not from the dust.

Secondly, It may be taken Adversatively, as we read it, Although affliction or sorrow comes not forth of the dust.

Thirdly, it may be taken Affirmatively, according to which acception the text is thus carried, Certainly, Affliction cometh not out of the dust, or Surely, affliction cometh not out of the dust.

Either of these ways, the sense is good, yet to me our translation by the Adversative Although, doth a little obscure the sense: And to say, Surely or certainly, affliction comes not forth of the dust, seems to carry it more clearly.

It is considerable, that the word by which affliction is here expressed, bears a double signification in Scripture, and I conceive it may also in this text: properly it signifies sin, iniquity, iniquity of all sorts, but especially, That sin of Idolatry; As (Hos. 4. 15.) when the house of God (Bethel,) was polluted with idolatry, the name is changed and it is called Bethaven, the house of an Idol, or the house of iniquity: or of that special iniquity, namely of idolatry; Sin alters the nature of man, no marvel then, if it alter the names of things, Hos. 10. 15. and often in the old testament we find this word added, to set out the worst of men, the workers of iniquity, Psal. 5. 5. &c. Iniquity comes not out of the dust, the soil where it grows, or the shop where it is wrought and formed is man's heart. Eliphaz would carry us to the well-head our sinful natures, or our birth-sin.

Secondly, the word signifies affliction or sorrow, calamity or misery, because sin is the cause of affliction, the mother of sorrow: And therefore by a Metonimie of the effect for the cause (which is frequent in Scripture) The same word notes both sin and sorrow; The mother and the daughter are called by the same name. We translate by the effect, Surely, affliction cometh not out of the dust; Many by the cause, Surely, iniquity comes not out of the dust. And for the full understanding of the text, we must take in both; where the effect only is mentioned, the cause is supposed, Affliction springs not out of the dust, because sin springs not out of the dust.

Now this form of speaking (Iniquity or affliction springs or cometh not forth of the dust) is proverbial: and no doubt was well known and often used in those times. When they would remove chance or fortune (as we say) or deny any event to be without a certain directive power, They spake in this language, This came not from the ground; thereupon the vulgar translates it so in terms, There is nothing in the world without cause, alluding (it is probable) to the Proverb. Hence a man obscurely borne, whose parents and original are unknown, is called A sonnne of the earth. Which imports, that no man can tell whence he is, or how descended. They whose original cannot be assigned, are usually assigned to the common original, or parent of us all, the earth; and as in regard of persons, so of things, when no man can tell how or which way they come, they are said to come out of the ground; We speak also (in the other extreme) affirmatively, Such a thing comes out of the clouds, that is (we know not, but) God knows how it comes. So then, here is a denial of chance or fortune; As if Eliphaz should say, reason may be found and assigned for these things, they come not out of the dust.

Further, for the clearing of this, The dust and the ground stand in a twofold opposition. First unto God, and secondly unto ourselves. First in opposition to God thus, Affliction springeth not from the ground, that is, it comes from the wisdom, power and disposition of God, as the efficient cause. Secondly, in opposition to ourselves, and then the sense may be thus conceived, that, the material and meritorious cause of our affliction, is not without us, it is not in the ground or in other creatures, but it is in ourselves. Every man in himself hath the ground which bears, the source or fountain which bubbles out his sorrows and his sufferings. Man hath no reason to accuse or charge heaven or earth, as the authors of his sorrow, he carries the reason about with him, The sinfulness or sink of his own polluted nature. And therefore (to allude to that of the Apostle in the point of Justification, Rom. 10. 6, 7.) Say not in thy heart, who shall ascend into heaven, that is to bring thy troubles down from above, or who shall decend into the deep, that is to bring up thy troubles from below, for the cause is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart, that is, The corruption of nature, which we preach.

The latter branch of this verse, Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground, is of the very same importance with the former, therefore I shall not need to stay upon it. The word which we translate Trouble signifies properly, toilsome labor, or any laborious toil accidental to man in this life, as a fruit of sin. This doth not spring out of the ground. It is an allusion to plants or herbs, which grow in the open field, without the work or care of man, and so are opposed to plants or herbs in a garden: As if he should say, thy troubles are not like those herbs, that grow wild, in the fields, without the labor and pains, the care or art of man. There is some hand or other, that both plants and waters them.

We may ground some observations as the text is read, Iniquity comes not forth of the dust. And then as it is read, Affliction comes not forth of the dust▪ And it is necessary to give it this latitude; the word equally bearing both senses. As it is read, Iniquity comes not, &c. We learn,

First, The material cause of sin is in ourselves.

We bring forth the fruit at our tongues or fingers ends, and the root is in our hearts. Our sins spring not out of the dust, but out of the dirt and filth of our own corruptions, Gen. 6. 5. Every thought of the imagination of man's heart it is evil, and only evil, and that continually; the Hebrew is, every figment or every creature in the heart of man, whatsoever a man moulds and fashions within himself, naturally, is evil▪ and nothing but evil, and it is always so. The natural births of man's heart have all one common face and feature; They are all of one common constitution. Evil all. Secondly, We may observe, That

The meritorious cause of man's suffering is from his sin.

Iniquity springeth not from the ground, neither doth trouble come out of the dust. As iniquity springs from ourselves, so we may resolve it, that misery springs from our sin. It is a truth, (as hath been touched upon the second Chapter) that, God, in many afflictions laid upon his dear children and servants, respects not their sin as the cause procuring and drawing on these afflictions. And very many are afflicted by the world, not for sins sake, but for righteousness sake. As Christ, so some Christians may say in their sphere, We have done many good works, for which of them do ye stone us? Yet this is as clear a truth, that, the sin of any man is in it self a sufficient meritorious cause of any, yea, of all afflictions. A creature cannot bear a greater punishment, then the least of his sins deserves. Man weaves a spiders webb of sin out of his own bowels, and then he is entangled in the same webb; the troubles which ensnare, and wrap about him, are twisted with his own fingers. Thirdly, observe,

Naturally every man seeks the reason of his sorrows and afflictions out of himself.

When man is afflicted, he is not willing to own himself, as the cause of his afflictions, or acknowledge that they spring from his sin; and, that may be the reason, why Eliphaz speaks thus to Job, as if he had said, thy thoughts are wandering abroad, thou little thinkest that thy afflictions were bred in thy own bosom: Thou art fastening the cause of then upon this, and toother thing; Thou art complaining of the day wherein thou wast borne▪ but thou shouldest rather complain of the sin wherein thou wast born; Th • birthday hath not hurt thee, but thy birth-sin. Thy birth-sin hath given conception to all the sorrows of thy life.

The Jews in the Prophet Isa's time were in great distress, and could get no deliverance. The ports and passages of mercy were all obstructed. Now, whether went their thoughts? And what did they look upon, as the reason of those abiding lingering evils? we may read their thoughts in the refutation of them; we may see what the disease of their hearts was, by the medicine which the Prophet applies unto them: he labors to purge them from that conceit, as if either want of power, or want of love in the Lord were the stop of their deliverance. The Lord's hand is not shortened that he cannot save, neither his ear heavy, that he cannot hear, Isa. 59. 1, 2. as if he had said, I know what your apprehensions are in these affliction, you think the reason is in God, that either he cannot, or he will not save you: You think the hand of God's power is shrunk up, or the ear of his mercy shut up, but, you reflect not upon yourselves, nor consider, that Your iniquities have separated between you and your God; Your sin does you hurt, and you touch not that with a little finger, but lay the weight of your charge upon God himself. So (Hos. 13. 9.) Thy destruction is from thyself, in me is thy help. God is forced to tell them so, that their destruction was from themselves, they would not believe it: they supposed it was from the cruelty or malice of the creature, from the wrath and rage of enemies, from some oversight or neglect of their friends; therefore the Lord speaks out in express terms, Thy destruction is from thyself. It springs not forth of the dust, neither is thy destruction from me; In me is thy help; in both the heart of man fails equally, we are ready to say, that the good we have comes from ourselves, that our help and comforts are from our own power and wisdom, and so offer sacrifice to our own nets, as if by them our portion were fat: but for evil and destruction we assign it wholly over, sometime to men, and so are angry; sometime to God, and so blaspheme. We naturally decline what reflects shame upon ourselves, or speaks us guilty.

From our translation, Although affliction, &c- Observe

First, Every affliction hath a cause.

The Proverb carries that sense, in every common understanding. Our afflictions have a cause, a certain cause, they come not by hap hazard, or by accident. Many things are casual, but nothing is without a cause. Many things are not fore seen by man, but all things are fore-ordained by God. The Prophet Amos (Ch. 3. 6.) sets forth this by an elegant similitude, Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? As if he should say, is a bird taken in a snare by chance, where none have prepared, set or industriously laid a snare or a gin to take him? The bird saw not the snare, but the snare was set for the Bird. Snaresfall not on the ground at adventure, they grow not out of the earth of themselves: but the fowler, by his art and industry, invents and frames them a purpose to catch the bird: Thus, the calamity and troubles in which men are caught and lime-twig'd, ensnared and shackled in the world, come not out of the ground, They are not acts of chance, but of providence: The wise and holy God sets such snares, to take and hold foolish, unruly men, like silly birds, gaping after the baits of worldly pleasures. Which meaning is clear from the scope and tendency of the whole Chapter; but the next question resolves it in the letter, Is there any evil in a City, and the Lord hath not done it? Those words are both the conclusion and explication of the former similitude. Secondly, observe

Affliction is not from the power of any creature. As it comes not by chance or without a cause, so not by the power of creatures, they are not the cause; dust and the ground, are opposed to Heaven or to a divine power: Creatures (in this sense) can neither do good, nor do evil. The world would be as full of trouble, as it is of sin, if sinful men could make trouble: It is not in the compass of a creature, no not of all the creatures in Heaven or earth, to form or to make out one affliction, without the concurrence, and allowance of God himself. Men alone, can neither make staves of comfort, nor rods of affliction.

Whence thirdly, A consectary from both may be, That Afflictions are from the Lord as from the efficient cause, the directer and orderer of them.

These evils are from a creating, not from a created strength. I (saith the Lord) form the light and create darkness, Isa. 45. 7. Natural darkness hath only a deficient cause, but penal darkness hath an efficient cause. Darkness is created. As in the first creation God said, let there be light, so in providence (which is a continued creation) he saith, let there be darkness. If afflictions come not forth of the earth, then they come from Heaven. That wicked King preached very good doctrine, when he said of an extreme devouring famine, This evil is from the Lord, though he failed utterly in the use or application, while he murmured out why should we wait on the Lord any longer? 2 King. 6. 33. For, the reason holds strong to the contrary, This evil is from the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord forever.

Yet man, or but man is borne to trouble: Some read, Man is borne to sin, that is, he is borne with a nature ready and prone to sin, because he is borne in sin, Psal. 51. 5. And so by consequent he is borne to trouble, which is caused by and is the fruit of sin. These two, sin and trouble, are so near in blood and kindred, that still one word includes them both; The former word which signifies sin, properly is translated affliction, and this word which signifies affliction, properly may be translated sin. When it is said, That Man is borne to trouble or sin; It notes two things.

1. A right to them, a right to sin, and a right to sorrow. That which a man is borne to, is duly his, it is his inheritance, or his birth-right; that is the common understanding of the phrase: As some men are borne to a great estate, to lands and honors, &c. so all men are borne to trouble and sin; They are ours by a line all right, derived from our next, yea first parents, so they descend to us as land descends.

2. It implies a readiness, or a fitness to commit sin, or to falls into trouble: When a man is said to be borne to a thing, it note him exceeding apt and forward to take it: He needs little teaching and instructing, little cultivating or manuring. As when a man makes verses readily, we say he was borne to Poetry; or when a man gets wealth easily, we say, he was borne to be rich. So in the present case; A man's understanding, will and affections, need no manaring or dressing to bring forth sin, or the fruit of it, sorrow. He is borne to sin.

The latter clause of the verse clears the sense fully, Manis borne unto trouble, or unto sin, as the sparks fly upward; The meaning is, as the sparks have a principle in themselves, by which they ascend, they need no directing; when a spark comes out from the fire, no man bids it fly upward, or shows it the way, it will fly upward alone, it knows no other way, but upward; so, it is a natural course for man, as soon as he is borne, to sin and work his own sorrow. This he can do, the first thing he doth, and before he can do anything, well, he can do this, but, too well; He needs no Tutor for these, sinning and sorrowing, are not his art, but his nature; though he should have neither rule nor example in the world, he would find out the mysteries of iniquity, and do enough quickly to make himself miserable.

The particle, As, is a copulative in the Hebrew. So divers render it in this Text, Man is borne to trouble, And the sparks fly upward; that is, man's trouble and sparks flying upward, are alike natural; we, as in divers other places, translate it by way of similitude; Man is borne unto trouble, as, the sparks fly upward; So Job 34. 3. The ear trieth words, and, the mouth tasteth meat; we translate the copalative by a comparative; The ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat. Again, Mark 9. 49. Everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt; The sense lies in the similitude, Everyone shall be salted with fire, as every sacrifice is salted with salt; It is an allusion to the old sacrifices, wherein salt was continually used; so here, Man is borne unto trouble, and the sparks, that is, as the sparks fly upward.

As the sparks] The Hebrew is, The sons of the cole; the sons or children of the cole, are sparks; blow a cole, and presently a spark is begotten and borne; therefore the Hebrew elegancy calls sparks, The sons or children of the cole. And it is observable, that by a metaphor this word signifies in the Hebrew, the Head of an Arrow heated with motion, as also, a bird flying in the air; and the reason is, because birds fly up in the air, they ascend naturally, they fly about and flutter like sparks of fire in the air. Hence the vulger and some others translate the words, Man is borne unto trouble, as the birds fly upward; The Septuagint, as the young Vultures fly upward, others, as the young ones of the Eagle fly upward: Ibn Ezra a learned Rabbin, makes use of that sense also, and gives the gloss thus, as it is natural and innate for birds to fly, so it is natural for man to suffer trouble. Hence observe, first,

Sorrow and sin, are the portion, and all the portion, that man hath by nature. He is borne to these.

They who are ascended to the greatest heights, and have got the greatest stock, either of spiritual or outward comforts, were borne to nothing, but a cup of sorrow, to the bread of affliction, and to the waters of adversity: And these we are instated in, yea possessed of, as soon as we are borne; we need not wait the death of our parents for this inheritance, they devide it all to every child, and yet keep it all, to themselves: all our real comforts are from our second birth, and have their pedigree from the blessing and love of God. Therefore he Apostle puts that general question, what hast thou, that thou hast not received? that is, what good hast thou? Thou hast all thy evil from thyself, but whatsoever good thou hast, was received from above; all our good is founded in free Grace. Secondly observe, That

All sins and sorrows are contained virtually, in the nature of man.

Though a man doth not formally commit or bring forth every sin, though a man doth not formally bear every affliction, or taste every cup of sorrow, yet virtually and radically a man hath every sin in him, or it is possible for any sin to be formed and shaped out of the nature of man: Radically also every man hath every affliction all sorrows in him; and the justice of God, may form the most dreadful shapt afflictions out of his sins: And as the spark lies closely in the fire, or the flint, till you smite or blow them up, so sin lies secretly in our hearts, till some temptation or occasion smites and brings it out.

Again we may observe, That

Man can sin without a teacher. You need not instruct him, or teach him to do evil, He doth that by a natural instinct, since his nature was corrupted. He sins as the sparks fly upwards, or as a bird flies in the air, whom no man directs, how to use her wings, Nature. is her rute. There needs much teaching against sin, and it is the business of all the Ordinances to bridle us from acting our corruptions: But man walks in the ways of wickedness, without guide or precept.

It was the ancient error of the Pelagians, that the sin of man came only by imitation: they denied that man had a stock of corruption in his nature, or that his nature was corrupted; but, seeing others sin, he sinned; an opinion which carries its condemnation in its own face, as well as in our hearts. And though similitudes are no proofs, yet, the reason of a similitude is: man's sinning is therefore compared to a sparks flying, to show how naturally he sins. A spark flies upward without any to lead it the way; and a bird would fly, though she should never see another bird fly: And if a man could live so, as never to see any one example of sin all his days, yet that man, out of his own heart, might bring forth every sin, every day. Example quickens and encourages the principles of sin within us, but we can sin without any extrinsic motion or provocation, without pattern or president from without. Lastly observe,

To sin, is no burden or labor to a natural man: For it is his nature. It is no pains to the spark, to fly upwards: what we do naturally, we do easily. Holy duties are no burdens to a godly man, because, through grace, he doth them naturally; he hath an inward principle, which dictates the law of holiness to him, though he should want outward teaching: He hath an unction from the holy Ghost, and knoweth all things, 1 Joh. 2. 20. Not that a godly man becomes like God, Omniscient, or knowing all, for at most we know, here, but in part: but he knows all things necessary, and so far as necessary: his new birth teaches him: He lives not merely upon the outward teaching, he hath both light & liberty in himself; and so hath a tendency to these things in his own spirit, as there is a tendency in fire to ascend.

We should wonder and rejoice, to see how grace conquers the course of sinful nature. The new man is born to mercy and holiness to grace and glory, as the sparks fly upward. Hence it is said, He that is born of God, cannot commit sin, for the seed of God remaineth in him. As, the spark cannot fly downward, because the heat of fire remains in it: The Apostle affirms it, of himself and his Fellow-laborers in the Gospel, we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth, 2 Cor: 13. 8. The possibilities and impossibilities of a regenerate man, are directly opposite to those of a natural man: The one cannot sin, the other cannot but sin: the one can do nothing against the truth the other can do nothing for the truth; gracious acts become as natural, as sinful, when nature is changed from sin to grace. What a blessed change is this, that man should do good as readily, as once he did evil; that, he who was borne free to iniquity, should be re-borne free to righteousness, as the spark; fly upward. A godly man is a heavenly spark: He hath a fire in his nature, which carries him upward forever.

Thus having opened these two verses, being the grounds of the following exhortation; let us now examine the matter of the exhortation it self, contained in the 8 ^th . verse.

Our Translation omits one word in the beginning of this sentence, which though it may be understood in our reading, yet the expression of it betters the sense. Surely, or truly I would seek, &c.

There are two opinions about the meaning of these words; Some conceive, that Eliphaz speaks in high contempt of Job: and I may give you their sense, by that proud schooling, which the Pharisee gave the poor Publican, Luke 18. As that Pharisee insulted over the publican, thus, I thank God, I am not such a one as thou art, &c. but I fast, and I pray, &c. So, they represent Eliphaz here insulting over Job, I thank God, I am not such an impatient person as thou art, no such rude curser of my day, or complainer of my trouble; I am not (I thank God) so distracted, and so distempered as thou art; and if I had been in thy case, I should have shown more wit, and grace too, then, to do, as thou hast done; I should never have been so vain and foolish, so forgetful of my own duty or the Lord's Sovereignty, as, to cry out against and accuse his providence and dealings with me, to lay about me like a mad man, as thou hast done; no, I would have songht unto God, and committed my cause unto him, this should have been my course, such and such the frame and temper of my spirit.

But I rather take these words in a good sense, implying much sweetness and meekness of spirit in Eliphaz. And so this verse is as an application of the Doctrine, contained in the former two; As if Eliphaz had said, Seeing matters stand thus in themselves and these are undoubted truths, that afflictions come from our selves, and that our sins are our own: and seeing thy case stands thus, that now thou art under great afflictions and troubles; I do assure thee my loving friend Job, were I in thy condition (I will give thee faithful counsel, and tell thee my heart, what I would do) I would no longer stay complaining against my day, cursing creatures, distempering my head, and disquieting my heart with these passions; but, I would even go and address myself unto God, I would apply myself to Heaven, I would seek for remedy there, earth affords it not. I have ever found this the way to ease my heart when burdened; to asswage my sorrows, when increased; to compose my spirit, when distracted; to strengthen my resolutions, when unsettled: I can give thee this rule with (A Probatum est) an assurance from mine own experience, in the use of it, and with clearness of conscience, that it is my purpose in such cases to use it ever.

I would seek unto God.] The word signifies a very diligent search; I would seek exactly and inquire laboriously unto God. It signifies to seek by asking questions or by interrogating: And it imports seeking with much wisdom and skill; a curious or a critical inquiry; So Eccles. 1. 13. I gave my heart (saith Solomon) to seek and search out by wisdom. And this seeking implies four things.

First, A supposition and a sense of our wants; no man seeks that which he hath already, or, but thinks he hath it. He that is full loathes a honey-comb.

Secondly, A strong desire to find that, which we want; it notes not a bare desire only, or woulding, but a kind of unquietness or restlessenesse till we find: such a desire took hold of David. Psal. 132. 4. I will not give rest to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eyelids, until I find out a place for the Lord, or, until I find the Lord.

Thirdly, A care to be directed about the means which may facilitate the finding or recovery of what we want, and thus earnestly desire. A seeking spirit, is a careful spirit, after light and counsel.

Fourthly, A diligent and faithful endeavor, in or about the use those means, to which counsel directs us. Through desire a man having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom, Prov. 18. 1. That is, he is very industrious in pursuing those advices, which wisdom shows him, or, which are shown him, as the ways of wisdom. A lazy spirit is unfit to seek.

I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause. In the former clause, the word for, God, is El, and in the latrer, Elohim, both names note the power of God. El, notes power or strength to act and execute; Elohim, power or authority to judge and determine. I would seek unto El, The strong God. I would commit my cause to Elohim, the Mighty God: As if he had said: Thou art in a weak and low condition, now therefore seek unto God, the strong God, the mighty God, who is able to deliver thee. Thou wantest the help of such a friend as he.

The Hebrew, word for word is thus rendered, Unto God would I put my words, or turn my speech. We reach the meaning fully, rendering. Unto God I would commit my cause, or put my case.

The term which we translate, cause, signifies any business or cause, but most properly a word; Explicite prayer is the turning of our thoughts into words, or the putting of our case to God, It is a speaking to, or a pleading with the Lord. The Septuagint is clear in this sense, I would deprecate the Lord, I would call upon the Lord, the governor of all things.

Both these significations of the word, are profitable for us, and congruous with the scope of the text, I would turn my speech and prayer, or I would commit my cause unto God.

The committing of our cause to God, notes a resignation of ourselves and of our condition into the hands of God: It is as much as to say, Let God do what he will, or determine what he pleaseth concerning me, I will not strive or contend about, question or dispute his decision or judgment of my cause: I will lay myself down at his feet, and tell him how she case stands with me; then, let him do with me, what seems good in his eyes: This is the committing of our cause, and condition unto God. And the Original word here used for God, doth very well suite and correspond with this sense; I will commit my cause unto God, unto Elohim, the great and impartial Judge of Heaven and earth; the God who loves Judgment, and the habitation of whose Throne is righteousness: The God who knows how to discern exactly between cause and cause, person and person, and will undoubtedly give a righteous sentence concerning every cause and person, that comes before him. Unto this Elohim would I commit my cause, and refer myself to his arbitration.

Observe first in the general; Eliphaz having reproved Job, turns himself to counsel and exhortation; From which we may learn, That

As it is our duty to reprove a fault in our brother, so it is our duty to advise and counsel him how to amend, or come out of that fault, for which we reprove him.

It is not enough to espy an error, but we must labor to rectify it; or, to tell another that he is out of the way, but we must endeavor to reduce him. Many can espy faults and failings in others, who either know not how, or care not to reform and help them out. Secondly observe, That.

It is a duty to exhort and excite our brethren to those duties, wherein we find them flack or negligent.

Eliphaz conceived, that Job was much behind in the duty of prayer and self-resignation unto God, and therefore he quickens him up to it. The Apostle calls us to this Christian inspection (Heb. 3. 13.) Exhort one another daily, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin; sin growing and getting strength, hardens the heart; it is best to oppose it betimes, and therefore he bids them do it at all times, exhort one another daily. Though the Apostle Peter (2 Pet. 1. 12.) was persuaded of the Saints establishment in the present truth, yet (saith he) I will not cease to put you always in remembrance of these things. It is a dangerous error (which some hold) that the Saints in this life may out grow counsel and exhortation; as if there were no need, to bid a godly man pray & seek unto God, no need to bid a godly man repent, or humble himself, or believe, he cannot but do these things (say they) these are connatural to him. They are indeed to the new man, within him: But let them withal remember, that the neglect of all these duties, is as connatural to the old man within him. While there are two men within us, we had need every man to look, not only to one, but to one another. It may go ill with the better part, the new man, if while he hath an enemy within to oppose him, he hath not a friend without to help him. On this ground (besides the command of Christ) the holiest man on earth, may be exhorted, to look to his holiness: none are in more danger then they, who think they are past danger And, as it is a certain argument, that a man was never good, if he desires not to be better; so, it is a great argument, that a man was never good, who fears not that he may be worse, They who are truly assured they cannot fall from grace, are assured also that they may fall in grace, and fall into sin: The foundation of God stands sure, but the footing of man doth not and therefore, Let him that stands, take heed least he fall: And let them who see their brethren, heedlessly falling, lend them the right hand of exhortation to raise them up again: and when they are careless of, or wandering from the Lord lead them by the hand of counsel, into ways where he may be found. I would seek unto God. Observe in the third place; That

We ought to manage our exhortations with meekness and tenderness,

This of Eliphaz is a mild and tender expression; and to make it more easy he puts the exhortation (as was noted before) in the first, not in the second person; he doth not say, seeing afflictions come not from the ground, and that man is borne unto trouble, therefore do thou seek unto God, and do thou commit thy cause unto God; but seeing thy case is thus, truly brother, I advise thee as I would advise mine own soul, Seek unto God. It moves strongly and gains upon the affection of another, to tell him, we would do the things ourselves, which we desire he should, and we wish him, as we do our own souls. Fourthly, observe, That

It is both our wisdom and our duty in all our afflictions to seek unto God.

I would (saith Eliphaz) if I were in thy case, seek unto God. Unto whom should we go, but unto God? He is our best friend, when it is best with us, and he is our only friend, when it is ill with us: all other friends will be Physicians of no value, as Job himself found them, therefore seek unto God. As the Disciples said unto Christ, when Christ asked them, Will ye also go away? Whether shall we go (say they) for thou hast the words of eternal life? So faith the soul in afflictions, To whom shall I go? Unto this creature or that creature, unto this friend or that friend? No, I will seek unto God, That is the wisest and shortest course: all other courses are about, if not in vain. Other ways may be used as helps, but this must; pitch mainly upon God.

When we are directed to seek unto God in afflictions, it speaks four things.

First, To seek unto God about the cause of our afflictions, desire that God would inform us, what his mind is in sending such an affliction, or what it is he aims at, in sending it. Afflictions are the Lord's messengers, and we should never be quiet, till we know their errand. This is it which Job complained of in the third Chapter, That his way was hid, which was expounded, that he knew not the cause of his afflictions, the cause was hidden; and so was the issue, he could neither tell how he came in nor how he could come out; If our way in afflictions be hid, we must seek unto God for the opening of it.

Secondly, To seek unto God for strength and patience, to bear the affliction. As the affliction comes from God, so doth the strength, by which we stand under it, or get victory over it

Thirdly, To seek unto God for the sanctifying of affliction to our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. Afflictions are the good creatures of God, and they (as all other creatures) are sanctif • ed to us, by the word and prayer. We have as much reason to seek unto God for a blessing upon our daily Rod, as upon our daily bread.

Fourthly, Seek unto God for cure and ease, for the removing or mitigating of them. In their affliction they will seek me early, saith the Lord, Hos. 5. 15. But, for what will they seek? even, for medicine and healing. Come and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us, he hath smitten and he will bind us up, Hos. 6. 1.

Observe from the other branch, And unto God would I commit my cause; That

It is a very great ease unto the soul in affliction, to commit our cause unto God, and to put our affairs into his hand.

Man is not able to stand alone, under the weight of his afflictions. Both sin and sorrow are burdens too heavy for us to bear: if you would have ease, lay both upon Christ, it is no unbecoming boldness to do so, for, he calls us to it, and bids us do it, Psal. 55. 22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. Christ is willing to bear a part and put his shoulder under these burdens, yea, it is his strength that bears the whole. The committing of our cause to God, is at once our duty, our safety, and our ease. Thus David did, Psal. 142, 2. I poured my complaint before him, I shown before him my trouble. David brought out his evils and set them (as it were) one, by one, in the sight of God, and told him, thus it is with me. We may see David acting this rule, to the life, when Absalom had fomented a most unnatural rebellion against His: He hastens out of Jerusalem, All the Country wept with a loud voice, and the Priests with the Ark of the Covenant of God came with him also. In what posture was David's spirit, in the midst of these commotions? His words to Zadok show (no doubt) the true picture of it. And the King said to Zadok, carry back the Ark of God into the City, if I shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and show me both it and his habitation: but if he say thus, I have no delight in thee, behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him (2 Sam. 15. 25, 26.) As if he had said, I am uncertain what God will do with me: but I am resolved to let the Lord do with me, what he will, I am willing to be, what God will have me; I lay my cause and leave my business at his footstool, if he will have me dethroned and unking'd, I am content my honor should lie in the dust. If he say, I shall never come again to Jerusalem, or see the Ark of his strength and presence, I am content forever to be banished Jerusalem, never to see the Ark, (which to me is the most beautiful and desirable sight in the world) anymore. Here was self-resignation, and cause-committing to the height. And when David had brought his heart to this, his heart was unburden'd, he (doubtless) found the weight and stress of the whole business lying upon God himself, His cause was with God, and his cares were with God; And therefore, Though his throne shaked, yet his heart was fixed. Nor do I find, that ever his heart was more fixed, then in this stress, while his Throne and Crown were tottering. Hezekiah did the like with like success. In the day of that great and public calamity, he went and spread the letter of Rabshakeh before God, he, as it were desired God to read it, to observe the blasphemous contents, and see in what condition he was. He that commits his cause to God, breathes a composed spirit, when the greatest storms and distractions are upon his body or estates, upon Church or State.

Only, take this caution, be sure the cause you commit to God, be a good cause. The committing of a sinful cause to God, is a dishonor to, and a high strain of presumption against God. We may commit a doubtful cause to God, desiring, that he would try, and examine, whether it be good or bad. But we must not commit a doubtful cause to God desiring him to protect it, or us in it whether it be good or bad. And if (in this sense) we may not commit a doubtful cause to God; What shall we think of those, who shall dare to commit an openly unjust. and wicked cause to God? A wicked man's prayer is always sinful, but, how abominable is it, when he prays to be prospered or directed in acting his sin, or to be strengthened in suffering (impenitently) for his sin. There is no gracious act, but a wicked man, at one time or other, will imitate. He will pray, and repent, and forgive, and commit his cause to God, and when he dies, commit his soul to God. There is no trusting to a mouth full of good words, while the heart will not empty it self of wickedness. It is good always to commit our cause and our souls to God, but a cause or a soul are not therefore good, because committed unto God. The language of Israel is often spoken by the men of Ashdod; And many who never had the least part of holiness in them, can yet set themselves (when there is no remedy) to act a part in it. The Apostle Peter gives us this rule, (1 Epist. 4. 19.) Let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him, in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator. Except we suffer according to the will (or from the hand) of God, and also, do well in our sufferings, Christ will not admit this Feofement, though we commit ourselves to him, he will not accept the trust. But he that suffers according to (or by) the will of God, and doth well in suffering, that is, hath a good cause, and a good conscience, He (I say) may commit all to God, (and in the mercy of the most High) he shall not miscarry.

Lastly, Whereas Eliphaz saith, I would seek unto God were I in thy case, observe, That

It is a wise course in advising others, to show ourselves ready to follow the same advise.

It wins exceedingly upon others, to take our counsel, when it appears we are ready to follow the same counsel, ourselves. We ought to do nothing unto others, but what we would have done unto ourselves, and we should advise nothing to others, but what we ourselves would do; It puts strength into a rule, when he that gives it, is ready to enliven it by his own practice. As a Physician, for the encouragement of his patient to take a nauseous medicine, will say to him, Sir you seem unwilling to drink it, but if I were sick and distempered, as you are, I would drink it readily, and that you may see there is no hurt in it, I will taste a little myself; His tasting sweetens it, and the patient likes it well. Thus when either Minister or private friend offers advise or counsel, and shall say, thus I would do, this I would follow; This takes upon the heart: whereas it disparages prayer or any duty, to say to another, Seek unto God, put your case unto him, fast and pray; When he that gives the counsel neglects all these duties, and is careless of communion with God.

Christ saith of the Pharisees, that they bound heavy burdens upon the shoulders of others. These burdens were counsels and directions, rules, and canons; they would have men do thus and thus, in the manner of God's worship, or daily converse with men. But, They themselves would not touch them with one of their fingers (Mat. 23. 4.) That is, they would not practice them in the least degree. As to do evil with both hands, (Mic. 7. 3.) notes the highest degree both of desire & endeavor, in doing evil: So not to touch that which is good with a finger, notes a total neglect of doing good. A finger is the least member, and a Touch is the least act, then these Pharisees not touching with a finger, imports they did not act at all. It is good to act a rule privately by way of experiment, before we put it upon others: but it is most necessary to act it by way of example, when we have published it to, and pressed it upon others. It was a speech of one of the Ancients, I never taught my people anything, but what I had first practiced and experimented myself. Doctrine is sooner followed by the eye, then by the ear; He that (like the Scribes and pharisees, Mat. 23. 3.) saith and doth not, shall find but few to do what he saith. No man ought to teach anything, which he is not willing (as he is called) to do and observe himself. It is very sinful to give counsel, which we will not take. Our works ought to be the practice of our words, and as practicable as our words. Woe unto those of whom it may be said, as Christ of the Pharisees, Mat. 23. 3. Whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do, but do not ye after their works.

THis context unto the 17 verse, contains the second argument, by which Eliphaz strengtheneth his former Exhortation, To seek unto God and to commit his cause unto him. The argument may be thus formed.

He is to be sought unto, both in duty, and in wisdom, and unto him our cause is to be committed, who is of absolute, infinite power, wisdom and goodness.

But God is of absolute, infinite power, wisdom and goodness.

Therefore it is our duty and our wisdom to seek unto God, and unto God to commit our cause.

That, God is infinite in power, wisdom and goodness, Eliphaz proves by an enumeration or induction of divers effects and works, which call for infinite power, wisdom and goodness to produce and actuate them.

These effects are laid down, first in general, v. 9. Who doth great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number.

Then, these works or effects are given in particulars, and the first particular instance of God's mighty power, is in natural things, or his preservation of the world, at the 10 verse, Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields.

The second instance is given in civil things, or his administrations in the world, at the 12, 13, 14. verses. And that we may consider two ways.

1. In destroying the counsels and plots of the wicked, in the 12, 13, and 14. verses, He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise, &c.

2. In delivering those who are in trouble, at the 15. verse, He saveth the poor from the Sword, &c. These are works of Power.

Further the goodness of God shines forth in two things.

1. By the present intendment, or end aimed at, in these mighty works, ver. 11. To set up on high those that be low, that those which mourn may be exalted to safety

2. By the future benefit of these works, and that in two respects, verse 16.

1. The raising up of their spirits who are oppressed, So the poor hath hope.

2. The confounding and shaming of their oppressors, expressed in their silence, at the latter end of the 16 verse, And iniquity stoppeth her mouth.

Thus you have a brief account, of the several points contained in this argument, and the disposition of the whole context. For the better understanding thereof, we will first consider what might be the aim or scope of Eliphaz, in making so accurate and large a description of God, in his great and marvelous works, and then survey these works in order as they are digested.

To the former, we may take notice of a four-fold aim, which Eliphaz might have in describing these works of God.

First, plainly to assert the providence of God, in ordering or disposing all actions and events here below: and so it is in prosecution of what he had said in the 6 verse, Affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground.

Or secondly, his intent might be, to humble Job, to bridle and take down his spirit, which he conceived over-bold with, and too much heightened towards the Almighty; A discovery whereof himself made in his extravagant speeches before noted, in the third Chapter. The remembrance of God in his greatness is one of the readiest means to humble man: And God himself took this way to humble Job, in the latter end of this book, even, by a large discourse of his own power, exemplified in many great acts and pieces of the creation.

Or thirdly, the intent of Eliphaz might be, to support and comfort Job in his afflictions, by showing him a God, that had done such wonders, and therefore able to work another wonder in delivering and raising him up again: A God, who could provide medicines for all his diseases, heal all his breaches, repair all his losses, supply all his wants, and resolve all his doubts. To consider God in himself and in his works, who he is, and what he doth, is a mighty encouragement to seek unto God in our greatest extremities, in the saddest and cloudiest day of our afflictions. Neither can we do anything more prevalent, for the support and relief of our own spirits in a time, when we are lowest, than to spread before the eye of our own thoughts, the power, greatness, and goodness of the high God, in his works and wonders.

A fourth intent in probability was to stop Jobs curiosity, in enquiring so much into the reason of God's dealing with him; which Eliphaz it seems observed in the complaints of the third Chapter, where Job expostulates, Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? Job was troubled, because he could not see the bottom of God's dealings with him, he could not see through them, either what the cause was, why he came into those troubles, or by what issues, and out-lets, he should escape those troubles. Now, to stop Jobs curiosity in prying too far, or too boldy, into the secret workings of God. Eliphaz tells him, That God doth great things and unsearchable, no marvel therefore, if his ways were hid; That he doth marvelous things without number, no marvel then, if he could not measure his dealings, by the line of human understanding, or sum up their account, by the best of his Arithmetic.

This in general, for the common tendency of his discourse, about those noble acts of divine Providence in earthly things. I come now to open the words in particular.

Which doth. He speaks in the present tense, he says not, which hath done great things, or, which will do great things; but which doth great things. And that notes not only a present act, but a continued act, or an everlasting act; or, as if the workings of God were but one act past, and to come, all included in the present, He doth. As in his Nature and Essence, though God was from all eternity, and shall be unto all eternity, yet his Name is, I am. So in his works, though he hath done great things, and shall do great things forever, yet all are comprehended in this, I do, or He doth great things. Christ (Joh. 5. 17.) speaks this language, My Father worketh hitherto; worketh; All that which God had done, and all that he should do, is to be looked upon as his present act, My Father worketh hitherto..

Again, there is some what to be considered in the natural emphasis of the word it self, as well, as in the circumstantial of the time. The word which we translate, Doth, signifies more than an ordinary Doing; which doth great things. The Critics observe, that in strictness and propriety of the Hebrew, it signifies to do a thing completely, perfectly and exactly, or (as we say) the setting of our last hand to a work. Hence Esau (Gen. 25. 25.) had his name. When Jacob and Esau were borne, Esau came forth first, and the text saith, they called his name Esau, and why? because he was borne, made up, in greater perfection, than an ordinary child. Esau signifies, adorned and perfected, because he came into the world hairy, or with hair upon him, which is both a natural ornament, and an argument of natural strength activity and heat of spirit, &c. Hence they called him, Esau: So then, the word [doth] imports doing, not by way of essay or inchoation, but doing completely, or to carry a thing on, or up to an extraordinary degree of perfection. I shall give one Scripture to illustrate that significancy of the word, Isa. 43. 7. where the Lord by the Prophet, showing the abundant increase of the Church, speaks thus,