Exposition of Job 4-7

WHere the knot of connection, between this and the former Chapter lieth, is not so discernible; which hath given occasion for much diversity of conjecture about it.

First, It may be conceived, that Job in his discourse, refutes that tenet of Eliphaz, that, he was punished and scourged for his wickedness: by showing, that to be afflicted is the common condition of man, and therefore no such judgment of any man's wickedness or sinfulness could be made from his afflictions. Or,

Secondly, That Job here confutes that promise, which Eliphaz made about the twentieth verse of the fifth Chapter, concerning outward prosperity, He shall know that his tabernacle shall be in peace, and he shall be delivered, &c. by proving it inconsistent with the present estate of mortals, to look for such uninterrupted happiness, or fair days without any clouds and storms, as Eliphaz seemed to undertake he should, Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling, &c.

Or thirdly, the connection may be made with these words, which himself had spoken at the four and twentieth verse of the former Chapter, Teach me (saith Job) and I will hold my tongue, and cause me to understand wherein I have erred: In which words we shown, Job makes an humble submission of himself; and in case his friends could instruct him better, he was willing to learn, he was not wedded to his own opinion, or resolved never to be removed from it,

In pursuance of which promised teacheablness, he in this Chapter grants what was grantable in the former discourse of Eliphaz. Eliphaz had said, Chap. 5. ver. 7, & 8. That man was born to labor as the sparks fly upward, and thereupon presently infers, I would seek unto God, &c. both these, the Doctrine and the Use, Job seems to prosecute in this seventh Chapter, as if he should say, what thou hast rightly spoken, I will grant thee; thou hast said, Man is born to trouble, I say so too, Is there not an appointed time unto man (of trouble?) and are not his days as the days of an hireling? And thou advisest me to seek unto God, and apply myself to him; it is good counsel, and therefore I will follow it: As we read he doth, at the seventeenth and twentieth verses of this Chapter, O remember that my life is wind, what is man that thou shouldest magnify him; I have sinned, what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? Why doest thou not parnon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? Language full of humility, and sounding out the brokenness of his heart.

But lastly, rather thus, Job having in the former Chapter refuted those arguments, by which Eliphaz would convince him, and having renewed his request to die, expostulated with his friends about their unkindness toward him, and admonished them to a more equal dealing with, and hearing of him: he now proceeds to the confirmation of his first request to die, which he doth from divers grounds.

1. From the general condition of man's life, verse. 1. Is there not an appointed time to man, &c.

2. From the condition of some particular men, A servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and an hireling looketh for the reward of his work, may not I therefore desire death, which only will be a shadow to me, till when, I shall not have my reward? And,

3. From his own special condition at the third verse, and so forward to the seventh, therein expressing how sad, how restless, how troublesome his life was to him, which (as he apprehended) nothing could give remedy to, but only death: My disease appears curable, only by a grave, and my only medicine, is a mouth full of earth: Therefore the matter standing so with me, have I not rightly and reasonably desired, either that I had not lived at all, or that I may quickly die, and that God would cut off my life.

Having by these arguments confirmed that former desire; In the next place, he again renews his former complaints from the eleventh verse of this Chapter, unto the seventeenth. Thirdly, he abases himself before God, as unworthy, that God should take any notice of him, or bestow a thought, a visit, a smile, or a chastisement upon him. What is man, that thou doest magnify him? that thou doest visit him, &c? Lastly, he concludes with confession of his sin, and earnest desire of pardon, at the twentieth and the one and twentieth verses.

Thus in general, both for the dependence of the latter part of his speech upon the former, and the principal parts contained in this.

The question affirms, there is an appointed time to man upon earth, and his days are like the days of an hireling. From whence, we may form his argument thus. He that hath a certain term of life appointed him, to serve in, doth not sin in desiring an end of his service: But there is an appointed time, &c. Therefore it is not sinful to desire it.

Is there not an appointed time?] The Hebrew thus; Is there not a warfare to man upon earth? So you find it in the margin of your Bibles: Our Translators put warfare there, and Appointed time in the text. The word signifies both, because wars of all other actions, have their seasons, and their appointed times; and the life of man is well described under both, or either of those notions.

Consider it first under the most proper signification, and so many read it, Is there not a warfare to man upon the earth? Isa. 40. 1, 2. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith the Lord, speak comfortably to Jerusalem; Why? Tell her, her warfare is ended. In that place our translators put appointed time, in the margin, and, warfare, in the text, as here they put, appointed time, in the text, and warfare, in the margin; The sense in both is the same. Tell her that her warfare is ended, that is, the time appointed or constitued for her trouble is ended: So here, Is there not an appointed time? that is, is there not a set, determined time of the troubles, or troublesome warfaring life of man?

The Greek Translators interpret it, Temptation, Is there not an appointed temptation to man upon the earth? And that gives us the same meaning; for temptation is a warfare; temptation is our spiritual war, the exercise and probation of a Christian. There are three things in which the greatest exercise of a Christian life consists, Prayer, Meditation, and Temptation. First Prayer, wherein man, is seeking unto, and working his heart towards God: Secondly, Meditation, wherein he is preparing himself, by holy thoughts and divine considerations, for his nearer addresses unto God in prayer, and how to walk in every duty towards man: Thirdly, Temptation, wherein he wrastles and strives with those enemies opposing Prayer, Meditation, and the whole course of holy obedience. The life of man is a continued temptation, and that's a spiritual warfare, a continual bickering with a world of enemies; And though they without stand still, yet a soul can scarce pass one hour, but he shall have many fights and bouts with his own heart. In this sense, Is there not an appointed time of warfare or temptation to man upon earth?

Our life is a warfare in divers respects.

First, it is a warfare, because Christians do or ought, to live under the greatest command of any in the world; they ought to stand armed at a call. A Soldier is under absolute command, he must not dispute the Orders of his General, but obey them; The Centurian in the Gospel saith, I have Soldiers under me, and I say to one go and he goeth, to another come and he cometh; and to a third do this and he doth it: which he speaks not as commending the special virtue and good disposition of his own Soldiers, but as describing the duty of all Soldiers: therefore Souldiary is well defined, To be the obedience of a stout and valiant mind, out of his own dispose; A Soldier moves upon direction; so must a Christian, he is in a warfaring condition, he must have a charge or a word from his Commander, for every step he treads, or action he undertakes.

Secondly it is a warfare, in regard of perpetual motions and travels: A Soldiers life is an unsettled life; while he is in actual service, he hath no rest, he is either marching, or charging; and when he comes in his quarters, his stay is but little, he cannot build him a house, he can but pitch him down a tent for a night or two; he must away again. Mans life hath no stop, we have here no abiding City, we dwell in tents and tabernacles, waifaring and warfaring out our days.

Thirdly, a warfare, because of continual watching. It is the watchword which Christ gave his followers, I say unto you, watch; that's the soldiers word and work too; warring and watching go together: The Soldier stands Centinel, fearing the enemies surprise: A Christian should stand upon his guard and his watch at all hours, is not that a warfare?

Fourthly, a warfare, because Christians ought to keep their rank and file, that is, the places and relations wherein God hath set them. A Soldier commanded to stand such a ground, must not stir, though he die for it, and if he stirs (by Martial law) he shall die. There is so much keeping of order in war and Battels, that whatsoever keeps order, is said to fight, or war. The Sarres are said to have fought against Sisera in their courses, Judge. 5. 20. The Stars are embattaild or encampt in their spheres, out of which they move not, and are therefore often called the Militia, or host of Heaven.

Fifthly, a warfare, because so full of hazards, troubles and labors, or because so much hardship is to be endured. A Soldier converses with dangers, and dwells in the territories of death continually: This caused Deborah to begin her Triumphant Song, with praise to the Lord, because the people offered themselves willingly. Many are forced and pressed to the wars; and most who are not pressed by the Authority of others, are pressed by their own hopes of gain, or desire of vain-glory and renown. A true Voluntiere in war; is a rare man: There is so much danger in it, that there is seldom much of the will in it.

The whole life of man, is full either of visible or invisible dangers; he passes the pikes every day. The Apostle reckons eight distinct perlis in one verse, which met him, which way soever he turned, 2 Cor. 11. 26. He was in deaths often. And though there are but few such Heroes as he, yet 'tis seldom, but any of us are in deaths: Especially while we remember, the mighty spiritual enemies and oppositions which encompass and beset us every day. We wrestle not with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers, &c. And are therefore advised to take to us the whole armor of God; never to stir without our sword.

Sixthly a warfare, in regard of the issue; victory and triumph, or slavery and death, is the issue of our lives. Either we overcome and are more then conquerors (that's the Apostles language, Rom. 8.) or else we are conquered, and more then captives; that's the Apostles sense too (both in allusion) They are taken captive by the Devil at his will: To be led captive by the Devil, is the lowest captivity, lower then any captivity unto men. In reference to the spiritual part of our warfare, there's no coming off upon equal rermes: We must be victors or slaves, conquer or die. Only this is the Saints assurance, that as the Captain of their salvation was made perfect by sufferings, and conquered by dying, so (at the worst) shall they; spiritual death (as sinners) hath no power over them at all, and when they die (as men) natural, or by men violently, they shall receive fuller power: Thus our life is a warfare upon earth.

But take the word as we translate, for an appointed time; Is there not an appointed time to man upon the earth? And the reason why it bears that sense, is grounded upon these two things.

1. Because there is a special season of the year, most fit and suitable for war, 2 Sam. 11. 1. And it came to pass at the return of the year, when Kings go forth to battle. The time for war, is such a known appointed season, that the same word signifies, warfare, and any appointed season.

2. Because men go out to war, at a special time of their age: There is an appointed settled time of man's life, wherein he is fit to bear arms: Every age is not fit for arms. Old men and children are not fit for the field: Hence we find, Numbers the first, throughout, that the muster of the children of Israel is thus made, ver. 3, 20, 22, &c. From twenty years old and upward; all that are able to go forth to war. The Roman and Greek histories are distinct in this; In some Common-wealths, from Fifteen to Fifty, in others, from Twenty to Sixty: and in ours, the appointed time is, between Sixteen & Sixty, so men are pressed and listed for war; And because there is such an appointed, or a set time of life in all States to go out to war, therefore, that word is elegantly applied, to signify a set or an appointed time for any business.

Upon earth: In Heaven our time knows no bounds, there are no terms or distinctions in eternity; Seasons and variety of times vanish and shall not be heard of in Heaven. Eterenity is time fixed. But there is an appointed time.

To man upon earth. The word is Enoch, miserable, weak, frail man, is there not an appointed time to this man upon earth? that is, while he walks in this lower region of the world, and lives on mould. The sum of all may be thus conceived, as if Job had said: Every day hath evil annexed, some affliction or other waits upon every hour, so that there is no period of man's sorrow, but the period of his life; and therefore I walk by the rule of sound reason, when, that I might see an end of my trouble, I call for the end of my days. Observe hence, first,

The life of man, is measured out by the will of God. Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? There is. As God hath set out bounds and limits to the sea (Hitherto thou shalt come, and no further) by a perpetual decree; so, he hath also set out bounds and limits to the life of man, his life it is an appointed time: Thus far the line of thy life shall reach, and no further. We live not at adventures, neither can our care lengthen out our own days: As all our care cannot add one cubit to our stature, so not one minute to our glass or hour. And as we cannot lengthen, so we cannot shorten our own days in respect of this appointed time: They who die in a time, when God forbids; yet die when God appoints: And they live • ut all God's time, who wickedly shorten their own: They cut their thread of life, but they cannot cut the thread of God's decree; we live not at our own will, but at the will of God; we are tenants at his will, in these houses of clay. He is the maker of time, and the measurer of our days; he gives us the lease of our lives for what years, he pleases; and it is most fit that he who created time, should dispose of time. God is the Lord of time, and farms it out, as, and to whom he thinks good. Christ might do what he pleased upon the Sabbath, for (saith he) the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath; God is the Lord of time, and therefore hath power to appoint, to one more, to another less. My times (saith David) are in thy hand, Psal. 31. 15. Thou mayest lengthen or shorten, continue or break them off, as thy pleasure is.

Some live as if they were masters of time, and could appoint out their own term: as if they lived at their own discretion, and could make a covenant with the grave, and agree with death, when to come for them. They article with it, for this year, and the next; they say to the grave, thou shalt not take me yet, thou shalt spare me yet, I have such ends to drive, such pleasures to take, before I would die. They (Isa. 56. 12.) speak, as if their tongues and their time were their own, and they knew no Lord of either; To morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant; they speak of the next day, as if they could command it, and bid it come to serve their lusts. That wretched rich man, Lu. 12. could say, soul take thine ease, thou hast goods laid up for many years; see how liberal he is to his soul, out of another's right; and because he had got a great stock of riches, he gives himself a rich stock of time, many years. He resolved to make his life larger, as he had done his barns; and because they were full of corn, he also will be full of days, whereas the word came, Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be taken from thee. And he could not live till next morning, who resolved upon many years, to live. Secondly observe,

That the decrees of God concerning our lives, must not lessen our care to preserve our lives. Is their not an appointed time to man upon earth? Yes, that there is, man lives at God's appointment; but he must not live upon that appointment, that is, withdraw himself from means of his preservation, and say, God hath appointed how long I shall live, therefore what need I take care how to live? or what need I take care for the preserving of my life? As it is in spirituals, so also in temporals. God hath determined and appointed the portion of every man, all comes under a decree, under an everlasting and immovable decree; yet the decree which is past concerning us, must not take us from our care about ourselves. Though only the elect are saved, yet none are saved by their election; Infants who attain not the use of reason, much less the actings of grace, yet are not saved barely by election; what they cannot do, is done for them, they are saved as elect in Christ, not precisely as elect: how, they are united to Christ, we know not, but we know they must be united, or else they could not be saved. But they who grow in years, must also grow in the graces of sanctification, otherwise they are not saved by the grace of election: The decree of God appoints us to salvation, but the decree of God doth not save us; we must run through all the second causes, and ways which the word of God hath chalked out to eternal life and glory. Thus also our temporal life, passeth under a decree, it is by appointment: but woe unto those that shall say, God hath appointed how long I shall live, therefore what need I take care about my life? This is to walk contrary to one part of the decree, while we seem to submit unto the other. For God who appoints life, appoints all the means which concern the preservation of life. It hath no shadow of a warrant, for any man to cast himself upon needless dangers, or to forbear necessary helps for the sustaining of his life, because he hears his time is appointed, and that his days one earth, are all reckoned and numbered to him, from Heaven.

Thirdly, for as much as there is an appointed time, we should learn patience, and wait quietly upon God. It is not in creatures (be they never so angry) to prolong the time of our sorrows. The same word, which shows us, that our life is a warfare, shows us also, that it is an appointed time. Men cannot appoint you one moments trouble, or lengthen this war, when God will shorten it. Our hairs are numbered much more our days. Honor God, and have good thoughts of him, for whether your times be fair or foul, calm or stormy, they are appointed times. The whole life of man on earth is ordered in heaven.

Fourthly, if our lives are for an appointed time, we should be willing to die, when God calls. All the time we would live beyond that, is of our own appointment, and we should be willing to live, till God calls, for all that's appointed time. As it is sinful not to be willing to do (though it be burdensome) what God appoints, so is it likewise, not to be willing to live what time God appoints, though it be painful and troublesome.

An hireling is he, who works a set time, for a set reward; And so this latter clause of the verse is the same in sense with the former, Is there not an appointed time to man, and are not his days, like the days of an hireling? That is, are not his days set, as an hireling, with whom we agree for so many days, or for such a day.

An hireling.] We may take him either for a hired soldier, a mercenary in war, or for an hired servant, a mercenary in work. An hireling in either notion is called to labor, sorrow and sweat; Such is the common condition of man, His days, are as the days of an bireling. God threateneth Moab by the Prophet, in this language (Isa. 16. 14.) Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned; that is, within three years, which shall be like the years of an hireling, troublesome years, laborious years, vexatious years, wearisome years, and then the glory of Moab shall be contemned, and utterly despised, As if he had said, Moab is now in great glory, but near great desolation. You shall see three years trouble will stain all the glory of Moab, and wither all her beauty; we feel this truth, England was a Nation of great glory, you see how two or three years, like the years of an hireling, troublesome years, years of affliction, years of hard labor and travel, have almost spoiled the glory of it.

And yet here Job makes a general description of the life of man: It is not the lot only of some poor afflicted, hard-wrought servants, that, their days are as the days of an hireling: he speaks of man-kind, of the master, as well as of the servant, His days are like the days of an hireling. We may note from it, First, That,

Except we labor we ought not to eat; For the days of man, are as the days of an hireling, the hireling shall not have his meat, except he work for it, neither ought he that hires, or sets him a work. The master is in this sense an hireling. The Saints are (in this sense) Hirelings. The Apostle speaks to believers, and reproves them (2 Thess. 3. 12.) There are some which walk among you inordinately, working not at all, now them that are such, we command, that they work and eat their own bread, and ver. 10. If any man work not, let him not eat; even they, whom Christ hath made free, are to account themselves, as hired servants, that is, they must not eat the bread of idleness; we steal all the bread, which (one way or other) we labor not for, and therefore the Apostle bids the Thessalonians work, that, they might eat their own bread; It is not our own bread, which we buy with our money, unless we pay (in what we can, and are called to) labor for it also. As we eat that bread pleasantly, so we come by it honestly, which is dipt in our own sweat.

Secondly, we are hence taught; That,

We ought to take our travels well, we must not murmur at our labors, or complain over our work, and say, what a weariness is it.

As the Lord cannot bear it, that any should murmur at spiritual work, or say with them in the Prophet, What a weariness is it; so it is very displeasing to him, to say of our callings and the burdens of them, What a weariness are they? Why? It is the common condition of man: Why then should we quarrel with that law of labor, which is become the portion of our mortality. The corruption of our nature hath led us into this condition, and made us all as hirelings. Mans innocence had business, but sin hath brought him to sweat, and changed his labor into toile. Man was put into the garden, as Lord of it, to dress and till it, but now he is put there, as an hireling, to sweat and toil at it. There is a stamp of servility and drudgery upon all the labors, which the children of men take under the Sun. That argument, which the Apostle uses, to support us, in the bitterness of affliction, hath alike strength in it to comfort us in the toile somenesse of our labors. As there is no temptation hath taken hold of us, but that which is common to man, 1 Cor. 10. 13. So there is no labor laid upon any of us in our lawful callings, but that which is common to man. Even the Saints, whom Christ hath made free and separated from the world, are not freed from service, while they are in the world. And while Christ would not have them careful in anything, he would have them industrious in everything. That Canon of the Apostle is clear for it, (1 Cor. 7. 20.) Let every man abide in the same calling, wherein he was called; that is, your spiritual calling doth not void your civil. When you have learned to drive a trade for heaven, you must still drive your trade on earth. While there is anything of sin in us, there must be somewhat of the hireling in us. There is not the most ingenious, no, nor the most spiritual labor, we go about, but there is somewhat of the hireling in it; in the duty of prayer, in the duty of preaching, there is somewhat of the hireling, that is, there is bodily pain and weariness, a waste upon our strength, and expense of our spirits. Though in these things the Saints work not for wages, but their very works is their wages, and their labor their reward, though there be nothing mercenary in their spirits, yet they feel the effects of a mercenary work, upon their bodies, even weariness and waste of natural strength and spirits.

Thirdly, Seeing the days of a man are as the days of an hireling. Observe,

There is a reward or wages, somewhat follows the labor and travel of this life. The hireling labors all day, but at night he hath his reward, Mat. 20. Christ compares believers, even, in their spiritual capacity, unto laborers in a vineyard, to hirelings, who wrought for a penny a day, and at night, they had everyone their pay: It is so in reference to the whole course of this life, we are hirelings; in the evening, we shall have our penny, verily, There is a reward for the righteous, their labor is not in vain in the Lord, 1 Cor. 15. And as the righteous have a reward, so, the wicked shall have wages. Satan's hirelings shall have full pay, though no content, for all their works, The wages of sin is death; there's pay, such as it is, woeful pay, a black penny. The days of man are as the days of an hireling, there is an issue & a reward for every work

Fourthly, note from the Metaphor, while an hireling is doing his masters work, he doth his own too, that is, his own profit comes in by those acts, in which he labors for another. It is thus also in the general state of man: above all, Christ's servants and hirelings, gain by the duties of obedience they perform to Christ, their own profit comes in, with his honor. A godly man cannot do a stroke of work for God, but he works for himself too; the servants of God must not be self-seekers and self-workers, they may not make themselves their end; but as it is with an hireling, let him be never so upright hearted toward the master he serves, let him lay self by, in all he doth, yet he hath a share of profit in all his labors God hath so espoused and married his own glory, and the good of man together, that, whosoever really promotes the one, promotes both. It is so likewise with those, who work the works of darkness, and do the lusts of the devil. While his slaves are doing his work, they are gaining towards destruction, and their own wages increases daily, they are treasuring up wrath and judgment against the day of wrath. As the measure of their sin fills, so doth the measure of their punishment. Thus also the days of man, are as the days of an hireling.

There are two general observations, which I shall but name, because they will occur again.

1. The life of man, it is short; As the days of an hireling. The servant doth not abide in the house forever, a hireling is but for a time. And it is good for a man; that it is so. some complain exceeding much, because their lives are so exceeding little. But let them weigh it well, and they shall see cause to rejoice much, because they live so little. In some respect it is good for wicked men, that their lives are so short: if their lives were longer, they would be wickeder, and so heaping up more sin, they would heap up more wrath against themselves. And it is very well for the Saints, that their lives are so short. Their corruptions & temptations, their weaknesses and infirmities, their troubles and afflictions are so many, that it is well their days are so few. If they should have length of life added to heaps of sorrows, and perpetuity with outward misery, how miserable were they! Christ promises it, as a point of favor to his, that the days of trouble should be shortened, Except those days should be shortened, no flesh should be saved (that is, kept or preserved alive in those tribulations) but for the Elects sakes those days shall be shortened, Mat. 24. 22. It is a favor also to the Saints, that their particular days are shortened, that their's are but as the days of an hireling, for as much as their present days are days of trouble and travel. The days of the best are so full of evil, that it is good, they are no fuller of days.

And further, it is good they are so evil, or full of trouble. It is well for wicked men, that their days are full of trouble; the sweeter their lives are to them, the sinfuller they are against God. Their outward comforts are but fuel and encouragement to their lusts; and while their lives are calm and quiet, they do but sails more quietly down into that dead sea of everlasting misery. And the Saints have this advantage by the troublesomenesse of their lives, to be kept in continual exercise, and more dependence upon God; they would love the world too well, and delight in the creature too much, if God did not put bitterness into their cup.

Job having thus shadowed the state of man, seems to make out his intendment or scope thus. There is no reason why I should be charged so deeply for desiring death; For what is the life of man? Is it not a life full of travel, and of trouble, full of dangers and temptations, is not the time of his life short and set? Is it not a speedy passing time, and yet a firmly appointed time? Why then should not I think the period of my life to be at hand? Why should not I think my appointed time is come; Forasmuch as I have so many evidences and symptoms of death before me, and have heard so many messages and summons to the grave. Death sits upon my lips, ready to come in, while I am speaking. Death hath taken possession of me already, and seized my port: death is in my face, I am the very picture of death, and images of death stand round about me. Therefore Eliphaz, why should I not call to have my days summed up, that I may see the end and sum of these troubles; Or wherefore wouldest thou stay my complaint against my life, or stop my desire of death, by giving me hopes of many days, and of a flourishing estate in this world?

That's his first argument, from the general condition of mankind. Now he proceeds to consider somewhat more special in that condition.

To desire earnestly, is but one word in the original, it is so full of sense, that we cannot empty it into any one word in our language. The letter is, As a servant breaths after the shadow: And because a man, that hath an earnest longing desire for a thing, pants, breaths and gasps after it, therefore that word, which signifies to gape and draw in the air pantingly, signifies also to desire, or to desire earnestly, As a servant earnstly desireth,

Some understand it of the night, when the servant comes to rest himself after his labor all the day. Night is but a great shadow.

Secondly, We may take it for the shadow of the day; A servant that is heated in labor abroad in the open field, earnestly desires a shadow, to get under a tree or a bush, a little to refresh himself. Or,

Thirdly, the shadow may be taken for the house: to come into a man's house, or under a man's roof, is called a coming under his shadow, Gen. 19. 8. Therefore they are come under my shadow, saith Lot to the men of Sodom, that is, under the covert of my roof.

The shadow is used often in Scripture to note protection and mercy, Shadows are substantial mercies, and the promise of a shadow is a real favor, Isa. 4. 6. The Church hath a promise under this notion, There shall be a Tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, Isa. 25. 4. A refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat. And Isa. 32. 2. The Lord promises that he will be as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land unto his people. And David flies to this shadow for safety. Under the shadow of thy wings shall be my refuge, till these calamities be over-past, Psal. 57. 1. So Psal. 17. 8. Psal. 91. 1.

So that in these words, As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, Job means that, which is most refreshing and desirable by a servant: And in those Eastern hot Countries, shadows were very refreshing and much desired. Jacob reporting his labors in keeping Laban's sheep, saith, In the day time I was consumed with heat, or parched with heat. Therefore a servant hath reason to desire the shadow.

There are two things, which a servant or an hireling desires much, Rest and reward; Shadow and pay. When he is hot the shadow refreshes him. And when he is hungry, his pay refreshes him: while his hand is at work in the day, his heart is upon the wages he shall receive at night. Hence the Lord in compassion to servants made a gracious provision for them by a law, Deut. 24. 14, 15. Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant, &c. at his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the Sun go down upon it, for he is poor and setteth his heart upon it, lest he cry against thee to the Lord, and it be sin unto thee.

Job puts the instance in both, As the hireling looks for the reward of his work, &c.

He looketh. The word signifieth to expect a thing with an eye toward it, what we earnestly expect, our eyes move after it. David in his waiting upon God, saith, Mine eyes are towards thee, I lift up mine eyes and my heart to God; The same word is here used, The hireling looks.

So we translate it. The Hebrew is, He looks for his work: Why? he had work before, he had his work all day long, his Master shown him his work, he needed not look for that; then his work is the reward of his work. In the Scripture, the word work signifies three things.

1. The very act of labor.

2. The effect of labor, the thing wrought, or that which is the product of labor. When a man hath labored, what he labor'd about is visible, and that we call his work, as well as the act of his labor.

3. The reward or the wages, which a man receives for his labor, Levite. 19. 13. we read a plain text for it, The wages of him that is hired, shall not abide with thee all night, until the morning. The Hebrew is, The work of him that is hired shall not abide with thee. So Psal. 109. 20. Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the Lord; The Hebrew is, Let this be the work of mine adversaries from the Lord. And Jer. 22. 13. we have the word in the same sense, work for wages. As it is usual to put prayer for the thing prayed for, a petition for the thing petitioned, or for the thing obtained by petition, The Lord hath given me my petition (saith Hannah, 1 Sam. 1. 27.) that is, the child for whom I did petition. It is usual also in Scripture to put sin for the punishment or reward of sin, Gen. 4. 13. My sin is greater, that is, my punishment is greater, than I can bear. And the Master is forbidden to detain the servants wages, least it be sin to him, Deut. 24. 15. that is, least he be punished for detaining it. Thus also it is usual to put the work for the reward of the work, The hireling expects his work, that is, he earnestly looks that he shall have wages in the evening for his work. Now (saith Job) as these wait, the servant and the hireling, for the shadow in the day, and for their wages at night; So I am made to possess months of vanity, &c.

I shall note a point or two in passage from the words, as they contain a general truth, before I examine them in this application.

Take the words as they are a direct proposition, A servant desires the shadow, and an hireling looks for the reward of his work. Hence observe,

First, The condition of a servant is a very laborious and a wearisome condition; He longs for some rest; he earnestly desires the shadow. Observe,

Secondly, The servant must have a reward. Ther's all the reason in the world he should. Observe,

Thirdly, The hireling hath earnest thoughts upon his reward; His reward is in his eye. It is the reason given, why the wages of the hired servant should not be withheld, Deut. 24. 15. The Lord the righteous judge between Masters and servants, gives this account or ground of his Law, Thou shalt not detain his wages, for he setteth his heart upon it; Poor man, he hath been working all day, and he hath had his heart upon his wages; the hopes of that, gave him some relief and ease in going through his hard task and service, therefore thou shalt not keep it from him, his heart is set upon it.

But it may be questioned; Is not this a sin in the servant, to set his heart upon his wages? A charge is given, Psal. 62. 10. If riches increase, set not your heart upon them; and is it approvable in a servant, to set his heart upon his wages or increase?

There is a great difference (and it is worthy our notice) between those two Scriptures. The word in Deutronomy (speaking of the poor servant) notes the lifting up of the soul; He hath lifted up his soul unto it, so we read in the margin of our Bibles: But in the Psame (where he speaks of the covetous rich man) the word imports, the letting down, or settling of his heart upon it. A poor man hath but a little, and his wages (it may be) is above him, his wages (possibly) is more than he is worth, therefore he lifteth up his mind to it, as a mercy and a blessing from God, for the relief of himself and family; take heed (saith the Lord) that thou detain not his wages; for the poor man lifteth up his soul to it, as a thing he reacheth upward for; It is very dangerous to take that out of the hands of man, which he is taking (as it were) out of the hand of God. But a rich man, who hath abundance, lets his heart down, he croucheth and broodeth upon the creature. A godly poor man, looks up to his reward, and fetches his bread from Heaven; A covetous rich man looks down to his reward, and takes his bread from the earth; A godly man is above all earthly things, and yet he lifts up his mind to receive them. A mere natural man is below earthly things, and yet he descends that he may receive them: The things which both receive, are the same, but the conveyance and derivation, differ always, as much as Heaven and earth, sometimes, as much as Heaven and hell. But to the text. Lastly observe,

That, it is the property of an hireling (take it strictly) to eye his reward. This is the description of an hireling, he is one who looks to his reward, whatsoever be doth to his work. Christ, John 10. 13. confirms this character, The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep; he cares much for the fleece, and for the flesh, but he cares little, if at all for the sheep, that is, how, or whether the sheep be fed and prosper. He that works for Christ, finds his reward in his work, and his eye is upon his work, as a reward, as well as upon the reward of his work: he is pleased as much, yea far more with his business, then he is with his wages: Did he not take content, and pay himself in this, that he is in a work acceptable to Christ, he could take no content, he could not be pleased at all, that he is in a work profitable to himself.

Now Job applies this general, about the nature of a servant and an hireling, to his own condition. So I am made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

So am I made. It looks like a strange, and a very unlikely similitude; As a servant desireth the shadow, so am I made to possess months of vanity: Therefore to clear it, we must remember, that this is a similitude with a dissimilitude: The similitude is conceald, the dissimilitude is expressed; we may make it out thus; As a servant desireth the shadow, and an hireling looketh for the reward of his work, so I, who am laboring in the heat of these afflictions, do earnestly desire a shadow, and I who am at work, as an hireling, would have a reward; that is, I would see the end and issue of these troubles; But (here's the dissimilitude) I am made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me; As if Job had said, When the servant hath wrought all day, and is weary he can lie down at night quietly & rest himself; but alas! the night is as troublesome, and as laborious to me as the day; When the hireling hath labored and taken pains, he receives his reward at evening, but my wages are months of vanity, and my rewards are nights of trouble, I am paid in ill coin, months of vanity, wearisome nights are appointed for the reward of weary days. Thus the sense is plain.

I am made to possess.] The word signifies possessing by inheritance and descent. Two things are implied in that phrase:

First, that troubles and afflictions belong to us by right, they are possessed as an inheritance, which we receive from our parents and progenitors. I am made to possess. And,

Secondly, it notes the continuance of troubles upon us: We have not only an ill lodging for a while, or we stay not with trouble, as travellers for a night, but we possess and inherit them as our own. Jobs troubles, were not to him as an hired house, or a lodging, but as an inheritance, wherein he was settled and estated: I am made to possess months of vanity; as if he had said, you see what the patrimony and inheritance is, which descends to me: I have waited for comfort, and have been in expectation of good days, but I possess months of vanity, that's all I have found and felt, as the issue of my labors.

Months of vanity.] Some read, Empty Moons (the word bears that sense) as if Jobs Moon were always in the wane, or ever in the eclipse. The word signifies any kind of vanity, whether in word or in deed, personal vanity, or real vanity, falsehood or deceit, anything that is trivial or light. Such months have I appointed to me.

But some may say: Months of vanity: Why doth Job complain of this? Hath any man in the world any other than months of vanity? Why then doth Job take it so ill, that he possesseth months of vanity, when no other fall to the lot or possession of any man? David Psal. 39. verse. 5. affirms, that, man at his best estate is altogether vanity; What reason then hath Job to complain of months of vanity in his worst estate? It was with him as well as with any of his neighbors, we know not who hath any other than months of vanity. The Preacher makes this the preface of his Sermon, Eccles. 1. 2. Vanity of vanities (saith the Preacher) vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

I answer, it is true, our whole life is a life of vanity, but yet there is more vanity in some man's life, or in some part of the same man's life, than in another. Vanity is gradual. There is a vain, and a rainer vanity, and there is the vainest vanity. Months of vanity may be understood two ways.

First, Months of vanity, that is, months empty of comfort, fruitless months, months bringing me no refreshing or content. As Gen. 1. 2. it is said, the earth was without form and void: void, that is, it had neither man, nor beast, nor plant upon it, there was nothing but emptiness upon the face of the earth, as it lay in that rude mass; So Job saith here, mine are months of vanity, void months, that is, months not filled up with any comfort, with any refreshing, with any joy, with any light or content, all these which are as the filling up of our months, and the beauty of time, are taken away from me, mine are empty months, my days are all Dogg-days, or at best, the days in the calendar of my life are blanks.

Secondly, Months of vanity, because he had not what he expected, or the issue which he waited for: Job expresses himself in a posture of waiting, by the former similitudes; The hireling looks for his wages, and I look for somewhat, but it is in vain, I cannot enjoy it. So the word is used, Psal. 78. 33. where the Psalmist describes the sinful distempers of the people of Israel, and God's anger towards them, They believed not his word, &c. What then? Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble. The days of all men are consumed in vanity, as we said before? but here was somewhat more judicial and penal; It is a sore judgment to consume our days in vanity, as that people did: As soon as they came out of Egypt, they were in a fair way to Canaan; but God leads them about by the wilderness, and there lets them wander out forty years, expecting and waiting for Canaan, but no Canaan came, or they came not to Canaan; this was the spending of their years in vanity, because they were travelling to their desired rest, but enjoyed it not; they went toiling up and down the wilderness as in a maze, finding no way out, but at the door of the grave; their carcasses fell in the wilderness; thus their days were consumed in vanity. So saith Job, I possess months of vanity, that is, months wherein I am tired out in continual troubles, and they are fruitless, issuelesse troubles, I have no sensible benefit by them, I see no end of them, my hopes are frustrate, and put far off from me. And are not these months of vanity? Observe hence, first,

Troubles will prevail upon us, whether we will or no. I am made to possess, &c. As if Job had said, I would fain have got over these months of vanity, or worn them out, but whether I will or no, I am made to possess them. The bands of affliction, are too strong for the creature to break: when the Lord sends trouble, he will make a man possess it, how displeasing soever it is; It is best for us to submit, where we cannot remedy, and to yield quietly to that, which we cannot avoid. Secondly, Observe,

Troubles come to us, as our natural inheritance. I am made to possess months of vanity, they are as mine inheritance, and I would wave my right, but I cannot. There are two parts of our natural patrimony, sin, and sorrow, both these descend to us, and we are made to possess them, till we come to our purchased inheritance, reserved in Heaven for us. Observe thirdly,

That, though every man's life have vanity in it, yet some men have more: that is, more troubles and trials, more disquietments and disappointments. The common condition of all men, in their best estate is, that they are altogether vanity, but the vanity of some men is more vain, their afflictions more afflicting, their troubles more troublesome, and their sickness more sick than their brethren. Job speaks as if he had spoiled all the world of this inheritance, and had engross'd all vanity to himself: I am made to possess months of vanity: That vanity which is the portion of all men, seems sometimes to be the portion of one man alone. I am the man that hath seen affliction, saith the Prophet Jeremiah. Lam. 3. 1. why, is that such a strange sight, who hath not seen affliction? True, but Jeremiah had seen more, then most, and therefore he speaks, as if he only had seen affliction. I am the man.

Wearisome nights.] Or nights of labor and weariness; As if Job had said, though the servant be wearied all day, yet the night is not wearisome to him, he rests at night, but I am wearied in the day, and wearied in the night; wearisome nights are appointed to me; the night which is given unto others for rest, is measured out to me, in watchings and in sorrows. And this is a great aggravation of his sad condition: it is said before, that he had months of vanity, yet it might be supposed, his nights were comfortable intervals of refreshing: As a man may say, I have had seven years of hard labor, yet it is supposed he rested all the nights of those years; so when Job saith, I had months of vanity, it might be conceived, he had, at least sometimes, a good night; therefore he adds, wearisome nights are appointed to me, I speak not after the rate of ordinary men, whose months labor, is a month of days, my laboring months include the night also.

A strong, healthy man goeth forth to his labor and to his work, until the evening, Psal. 104. 23. But a sick, weak man, goeth forth to his labor in the evening. The night is most laborious to sick men, then they revolve their troubles, and being free from visits of friends, they visit their own afflictions, and study their own distempers, freely.

Are appointed to me.] The Hebrew is, Are numbered, or reckoned to me: as if he should say, God sets down my nights by tale or by scores, It is an arithmaticall word, is notes to number by art & skil: And some observe, that it notes Arithmetique in that operation of it, which we call subtraction or subduction, not that which we call addition or multiplication. Wearisome nights, are numbered or appointed to me, in a kind of subtraction, that is, God takes or substracts the night out of the months, and makes them as wearisome and as troublesome to me, as the days are. And because those things, which are thus numbered by way of separation or subtraction, are usually appointed or appropriated to some special use, therefore the word is well translated, to appoint or constitute: if you see a man separate or subtract one thing from another, it is an argument that he hath a reason for what he doth, and intends it to some extraordinary purpose. The word is so taken here, to note a special end to which these nights, being substracted from the rest of his time, were appointed; namely, they were to be as Jobs pay and reward; He was troubled all day, and if he looked for his reward or comfort in the evening, this was given him, A night as wearisome as his day, or he had an ill nights rest given for his hard days labor. The Prophet gives us the word in such a sense, Isa. 56. 11, 12. He tells the Jews their sin in the former words, Ye furnish a drink offering to that number; Some understand his meaning to be, a reproof of that wicked and superstitious custom, wherein the Jews (it seems) did sympolize with the heathens, who were wont to drink to their Idols by number, to such an Idol they would drink so many cups, and that was called a drink offering to that number; Now saith God, because you have done thus, namely, furnished a drink offering to that number, therefore I will number you to the sword, or, therefore I will appoint you to the sword, I will subtract and take you out, and you shall be the men separated for the sword to deal with and destroy; I will number you to the sword, that shall drink your blood, because you have been so accurate in wickedness, to drink by number. The word is applied to Christ (Isa. 53. 12.) He was numbered amongst the transgressors, that is, he was taken aside, and separated from the innocent, and ranked amongst transgressors; which notes him appointed, or set apart to that end, that so he might be the Savior of transgressors, and a deliverer of the wicked from their sins. In Daniel 1. ver. 10. when those children of the Hebrews, desired to be spared from eating the Kings diet, I dare not do it, saith the steward, for I fear my Lord the King, who hath appointed your meat and your drink; as if it should be said, he hath numbered out to you, so many dishes of meat he hath numbered out to you, so many flagons of wine, he hath substracted such a proportion, and appointed it to you, and I dare not alter it. And in the Prophesy of Jonah, chap. 1. ver. 17. it is said, God prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, so we translate, the Hebrew is, God numbered a great fish to swallow up Jonah, that is, God did separate or substanct a fish from all the rest of the fishes of the sea, for that end and purpose, to swallow up Jonah. From all which instances it is clear, that the word notes an appointment, by way of design, or the drawing of a thing to some special use and service. When a Party is drawn out of the body of an Army, they are numbered or appointed to some design; such a meaning is in Job's words, these nights are substracted or drawn out, and then appointed to be my reward and wages. The sum of all is, Job comparing his estate with that of hirelings, servants and soldiers, finds his far worse than theirs, they have rest in the night, at least some nights they rest, but he had none.

Observe here the law of nature, Night is the time of rest. Sleep is the parenthesis of our troubles: it puts a stop to our sorrows, and gives intermission to our labors. Observe secondly,

That the troubles of every night, and how many troublesome nights any one shall have, are determined by God himself. I have wearisome nights (saith Job) but they come not by accident, they are appointed and exactly numbered to me. It is matter of great comfort, to remember, that God is thus accurate about our sorrows: He gives his people a cup of sorrow, & he appointeth how many drops shall be in their cup, all the world cannot put in one drop beyond his measure: He appointeth out our trouble for the kind, and for the degree, and for the time or continuance of it; how many wearisome nights, how long every night shall be, are all calculated and set down, in the calendar of his heavenly counsels.

I shall add but a word of the next verse, which is only the description of a wearisome night: Job having said, that wearisome nights were appointed or numbered out to him: now resolves us what he means by a wearisome night, or when he accounts a night wearisome.

This is a wearisome night, and it is a most exact description of a wearisome night; when a man, as soon as he goeth to bed, desires to rise, as soon as it is night, enquires for day, this man hath a weary time of it.

When shall I arise, and the night be gone? Mr Broughton translates, the duskie time be gone? The word signifies evening, and the verb, to mingle or to mix; because the evening is a time, wherein there is a mixture (as it were) of light and darkness. Evening, is light and darkness mingled; hence we call it twilight; And though all the night be (in this sense) mixed, because in nature there is no pure darkness, yet in the evening, this mixture is more discernible; therefore it is rather appliable to the former part of the night, because afterward the light is more fully overcome, and conquered.

When shall the night be gone? The Hebrew is, when shall the night be measured out? There is an elegancy in that; it signifies to measure a thing, as we measure cloth, by a yard, or as ground is measured, by a rod or pole; it signifies likewise to measure time, to tell, count and observe the hours: As if Job had said, of himself (as many times sick men do) I lie a bed all night, and tell the clock. The clock is the measure of the night: now, saith he, when shall the night be measured out? As if he had (with sorrow) counted the tedious hours, oh when will this time be measured out? what a long night is this! As come to a sick man in a morning, and you shall have him say, what a long, tedious night was this? as long as two or three nights.

He adds yet another part of the description, I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day. He lay measuring the night, and was unquiet all the while, full of tossings to and fro. The word signifies to be filled with meat and drink; I have my fill of troubles, my fill of torture, I have unquietness enough, as much as I can hold of sorrow.

Tossings to and fro.] The word is understood by some, of inward tossings. I am full of tossings to and fro, that is, I have great agitations in my heart, my thoughts are very unsettled. One of the Rabbin's to that sense, I am full of wandering thoughts; thoughts will toss up and down, forward and backward; A man's thoughts will toss him from one end of the world unto the other; while he is a prisoner in his bed: They toss him from business to business, while he is unfit for any business. A sick man is full of inward tossings, of wandering thoughts, his thoughts run fastest, when himself is bed-rid, or confined to his bed: all the night is spent in the travel of his mind, while his body cannot stir.

But rather undestand it of corporal tossings. A sick man full of pain removes from one side of his bed to another, from one corner to another, sometimes from the head of the bed to the foot. The Moralist expresses it excellently, Sick men use changes, as if they were medicines, they hope by changing their place to loose their pain by the way, I am full of tossings to and fro.

Till the day break, that is, the whole night though. Some understand this for the evening, the word signifies both the evening and the morning. And these interpret this latter part of the verse, for his troubles in the day, having complained before, that wearisome nights were appointed to him, When I lie down, I say, when will the night be gone? There is an end of the night, but when the night is gone, have I any ease in the day? No, I am full of tossings to and fro, until the evening; And so it is an amplification of his troubles in regard of both parts of the natural day, light and darkness. But we may more properly keep it to the description of a wearisome night, and that word, which may note the evening, is here to be appropriated to the dawning of the day, when darkness begins to depart, and give way to the prevailing light.

This was a great aggravation of the afflictions of this holy man, he had no rest, no ease, in any part of the night, he could not so much as, get a nap towards morning.

The night is the time of our truce with troubles, through a man be in conflicts with business all day long, yet there is a cessation at night, all is laid by till morning. Hence the night and sleep are well called, The Conquerors of evil, and Victors over sorrow; because in the night a man gets rid of them. Christ saith, Mat. 6. ult. Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof: if there be evil enough in the day, who is able to stand before the evils of day and night too? When our very sleep becomes our fight, what can flesh and blood do anymore? Sleep is a medicine for all diseases, and Physicians often give a sleepy potion for a medicine, that the body may have a little refreshing, after it hath been worn and tired out with a wakeful sickness.

Observe from the text, as it is the description of a sick man;

That a man in pain lo • ks upon every time as better to him, than the present time. When I lie down, I say, when shall I arise? I hope it will be better with me anon, I hope the day will be better to me than the night, and when the day comes, then he wisheth for night hoping the night will be better than the day. An afflicted troublesome time is so described, Deut. 28. 67. In the Morning thou shalt say, would God it were Even, and at Even thou shalt say, would God it were Morning; They shall think anything, or time to come, better to them, then the present; therefore when they had night, they called for day, and when they had day, they sent a messenger for the night, ever thinking the next change of time, would be-friend them with a change in their condition. Observe, Secondly.

Change of place giveth no ease of pain. I am full of tossings to and fro to the dawning of the day; he had changed, and changed, and changed, but could not change his pain for ease, that continued still. Some travel to other Countries to mend their Estates. Some go from kingdom to kingdom to ease their minds; and some to better their manners; but, as he that runs to another country changes his air, but not his heart, alters place, but not his manners, the same is the same still: So it brings no health to the sick, no ease to the pained to change place.

As a man sin-sick, before he comes to rest and healing in Christ, tosses from place to place, from this duty to that duty, from this means to that means to get a little ease for his wounded spirit and aking conscience; he hopeth this will do him good, and that will do him good, but all in vain. And as worldly men hope their pleasures and their riches will do them good, and so they toss from one pleasure to another, from creature to creature, but all fails there is no settlement, no composedness, no peace, no redress, till the soul fixes upon Christ. So in bodily pains, there is no ease, no refreshing, but in God: it is not this or that place of the bed, it is not the bed or the couch, it is not the Country or the City, a sharp or a temperate air can do it; God can alone, and he can command any creature to do it.

You that have months of comfort, and to whom refreshing nights are appointed, bless God, it is not your bed that gives you rest, but his blessing.

Remember this description of a sick man: present the condition of a sick man to your thoughts, think what a wearisome thing it is, to lie all night telling the clock, calling for day, and tossing to and fro, praise God for quiet nights, and pity those to whom wearisome nights are appointed.

WE have seen Job in this Chapter confirming his former desires of death.

• 1. From the general condition of man-kind, v. 1.
• 2. From the condition of some parlicular man, v. 2. And
• 3. From his own present condition, which he draws forth in the 3, 4, 5, and 6, verses.

The third and the fourth verses have been already opened.

In this fifth he gives us a further description of himself, and such a one, as might well assure us, that his restless nights were not without reason, My flesh is clothed, &c. As if he had said, if you think I am thus unquiet without cause, then behold my body, look upon me, and see what a pitiful spectacle I am, My flesh is clothed with worms, my skin is broken and hecome loathsome.

These words give us Jobs picture, here is his delineation and pourtracture, as he was under the hand of God. They who would take Jobs picture, as, in the day of his afflictions, must draw him, thus, A man clothed with worms and clods of dust, there's his garment; his skin scabby and discolor'd, full of chaps and running sores, angry biles and enflamed ulcers, his posture, lying on the ground, scraping himself with a pot-sheard.

My flesh.] That is, my body, by a Synecdoche; and the word which we translate flesh, springs from a root, or hath near relation to it, which signifies to bring and publish good tidings, or welcome news; and therefore the Gospel is expressed by it (Evangelium) is the same in Latin, or ( 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ) in Greek with this in the Hebrew: And some Critics give the reason, why flesh is expressed by this word, which signifies to publish or bring good tidings, because there should be a taking of flesh, or a making of flesh, namely the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which should be the best tidings, and the most joyful news that ever the world heard of.

In the first Chapter of this book at the 21. verse, Job describes himself thus, Naked came I out of my mothers womb, and naked shall I return; but now it seems Job hath got clothing, and being ready to lie down in the grave, he had a vesture put upon him, now (it seems) Job should not go naked out of the world, for he said, My flesh is clothed; but, what is this clothing? My flesh is clothed with worms, and clods of dust, that's a suite of clothes very fit and suitable for the grave, but it is usually put on in the grave. Job is in his grave-clothes before he dies; or, he speaks this to show that he accounted himself dead, while he lived, or (as Heman mourns, Psa. 88.) Free among the dead; A member of that Corporation, a brother of that society already. For he was now in their habet or livery, A gown of worms set or embroidered with clods of dust.

It is frequent in Scripture, when the holy Ghost would heighten the sense of what we are, & enjoy, would to note the abundance of a thing, or how man is adorned, or defiled with it all over, then to express it under the notion of clothing; God himself is expressed, clothed with Majesty, because he is Majesty all over, and there is nothing but glory upon him; God is also described, clothed with judgment and with justice; why? Because these are his honor and his ornament, he is justice and judgment all over; we find Job in the 29. of this book at the 14, verse, speaking thus of himself in his state of Magistracy, I put on righteousness, and it clothed me, my judgment was as a robe and a diademe; that is, I was full of righteousness, I was altogether reghteous, in dispensing re wards and punishments, in exercising my power among the people. To be clothed with humility, to be clothed with the Spirit, to be clothed with Christ, are phrases of the same importance. So on the other hand to be clothed with pride, with shame, with dishonor, Let mine enemies (saith David) be clothed with shame, Psal. 109. 29. Let them be clothed with dishonor, Psal. 35. 26. that is, let them be ashamed and dishonor'd, all over, or exceedingly ashamed or dishonored. And so a great desolation is called a clothing with desolation, Ezekiel 7. 27. That which stripps a man naked is in this sense called his clothing, clothed with desolation.

Thus we are to understand Job, when he saith, That his flesh was clothed with worms; his meaning is, he had many worms, crawling upon his flesh, or lying within his flesh, and so were as a lining to his upper garment of nature. These worms spread themselves all over him, as a filthy and loathsome garment covering his whole body.

And besides this figure, Job spake properly, while he was thus full of sores, and botches, and boils, to say, he was clothed with worms; worms are proper to sores, many sores, breed worms, and worms are a disease in the flesh, as well as within the bowels, and such diseases are accounted the foulest and filthiest diseases of all other: Such was Jobs, his sores and boils corrupted and bred worms, which made him an abhorring to himself, Putrifaction is the foil out of which worms grow, Rotten flesh breeds worms, and a rotten conscience breeds a worm, Isa. 66. 24. Their worm shall not die; why doth the holy Ghost say of those men who were never washed, nor healed of their sin-sores, of their soul-sicknesses and pollutions, that when they die, they have a worm, that dieth not. It is in allusion to this, because, as a corrupt body, or corrupt putrid flesh, breeds noisome worms, so a corrupt conscience, a soul full of filthiness and uncleanness, which was never washed or healed in the fountain of the blood of Christ, this soul, this conscience breeds worms, even that gnawing worm, which shall live with it, feed upon it, and clothe it forever. Both the natural and the spiritual worm, arise from rottenness, and derive their pedigree from sores, sicknesses, and putrifaction.

Wormes and clods of dust. Here are strange materials, course stuff for Jobs clothing, clods of dust. Some conceive that Job sat in the dust, and so the dust gathered about him, as a garment. Others, that these clods of dust, were the scrapings of his sores, for the word signifies the filings of any metal, or the scrapings of an unclean thing. It is said expressly in the second Chapter, that he took a pot-sherd to scrape himself; those clods of filthy dust, or scales scrap'd from his putrifying sores; these, with the crawling worms bred in them, covered his whole body like a garment, and therefore he complains, I am clothed with worms and clods of dust.

You see what his garment was, see now (to carry on the allusion) his skin, upon which this garment was put? My skin (saith he) is broken, and become loathsome. The skin is the immediate garment of the flesh, his sickness had worn out his skin, he had many holes and rents in that garment, which needed mending, and it was all over so filthy, that it needed washing. My flesh is broken and become loathsome. Sores break the skin, and defile the skin, Jobs skin was so broken and chapt, so defiled and filthy, that he was loathsome to all beholders, and to himself.

This is the picture of Job, A few days before, you might have pictured or drawn him thus, Job clothed with silk and scarlet, his garment set with precious orientall stones, his skin smooth and beautiful, his face cheerful and manly, his eye quick and piercing. But now Job is clothed with worms and clods of dust, his skin is broken and become loathsome.

We may hence learn, what our own bodies are. The Apostle (Phil. 3. 21.) calls the body, a vile body; not that the work of God was vile: The work of God was noble and honorable in all he wrought, especially in that Master-piece of it, the fabrique of man's body; but as the body is come out of the hands of sin, so it is a vile body, that is, it is a body subject to corruption, and will quickly corrupt, be vile and loathsome, 1 Cor. 15 53. This corruptable must put on incorruption. The body of man is but one remove from worms and corruption, Chap. 17. 4. I have said to corruption thou a • t my Father, and to the worm, thou art my mother. We shall quickly bear the image of our parents, worms and corruption.

Then be not proud of your bodies, nor of your beauties; They, who are now the fairest and goodliest to look upon, may quickly have a broken and a loathsome skin; A disease, one fit of sickness will spoil all thy beauty, deface and blemish thy excellent feature, and if a disease doth it not, old-age will, time will draw furrows in thy face, and make wrinkles in thy brow. Strength and beauty of body are no matches for time. All things were made in time, and time will mar all things. So long as generation continues, corruption must.

Again, take heed of pride in clothing. The two externals, of which man is most subject to be proud, are beauty and apparel. Cloaths are a flag of vanity, and pride sits upon the skirts. But remember how fine soever your clothing is this day and hour, God can put you on another suite before tomorrow. We see what change of apparel Job had, a godly man, an humble man. That which God did to try the grace of one; he can quickly do to punish and chastise the sin of another; he can quickly put you on such clothing, as you shall have little cause to be proud of. He can make you wear worms and clods of dust.

And if we consider it, we have little reason to be proud of clothes: for if we follow the best of them to their original, they will be found to be but a clothing of worms, and clods of dust; what are silks, satins and velvets, but the issue of worms? And what is your gold and silver, what your pearls and precious stones? are they anything (if you will resolve them into their principles) but clods of dust? They are indeed better concocted by the heat of the Sun, refined and polished by the art of a man, but if you search their pedigree, they also are but clods of dust. In your most glorious array, you are but clothed with dust and worms, and if you be proud of such clothing, God can cloth you with worms and clods, not only of unrefined and unpollished, but of putrefied and filthy dust.

Thus we see the first thing, the picture or description of Job's body, His friends at first sight, might be convinced, that a body in such a case, could take little rest day or night. He carries on his complaint, a degree further, at the 6. verse.

My days are swifter.] The Seventy render it thus, My days are swifter or nimbler than a word or speech. Nothing moves faster or passeth away more lightly, than a word; a word is gone, and it is gone suddenly; Hence the similitude is used proverbially, Psal. 90. 9. We spend our days, as a tale that i • told, or, as a meditation (so some translate) suddenly or swiftly; a discourse is quickly over, whether it be a discourse from the mouth, or in the mind; and of the two, the latter is far the more swift and nimble of foot, a discourse in our thoughts out-runs the Sun, as much as the Sun out-runs a snail; the thoughts of a man will travel the world over in a moment; he that now sits in this place, may be at the worlds end in his thoughts, before I can speak another word. So that the translation of gloss, by speech or meditation, aggravates the sense, and extends it to the highest.

But the word properly signifies (as we translate) a Weavers shuttle, which is an instrument of a very swift and sudden motion. And the word which we render [Swifter] signifies that which is fitted for the swiftest motion, Any light thing, because those things which are light, move swiftest; and we call a good runner, a man light of foot, Hab. 1. 8. The horses of the Chaldeans are thus described, Their horses are swifter (or lighter of foot) than the Leopards, so, swifter or lighter than the weavers shuttle, which passeth the loome or web with such speed, that it is grown to a proverb, for all things which are quick and transient. The Latins express it by that word, which signifies a ray of the Sun, which is darted in a moment from one end of the heavens to another.

But a question rises. Job in the third Chapter, and so in the fifth, complains that his life was so prolonged, and slow-paced that it was very tedious to him, and in this Chapter by a repeated request, he spurs and hastens his life to it's journeys end; he thought (it seems) his time not wing'd, but slow footed; how is it then, that in this place he complaineth of the swiftness of his days? My days are swifter than a Weavers shuttle.

I answer, In a word: By his days, here, we are to understand his good days, his days of comfort and prosperity; the days of my peace and plenty, are slipped away and gone, even as a weavers shuttle. But when he complains that his life is slow-footed, and requests that his days might move faster, he means the days of sorrow and trouble which had overtaken him in his journey; the former were too swift, and the latter too slow; It is as if he had said, Alas, all my fair days of prosperity are gone, they are slipped away as a weavers shuttle, they are as a tale that is told, nothing remains of them, but the remembrance, which is an addition to my sorrow; but now I have days, that seem long, very long, they hand upon my hands, I cannot get them off, my sorrows clog my time, and make every hour seem a year. Hezekiah in his complaint upon his sick bed, useth this allusion, Mine age is departed and removed from me, as a shepherds tent, I have cut off like a weaver my life, Isa. 38. 12. As the weaver cuts off the thread when the web is finished, so it is with me, I have cut off as a weaver my life; Not that Hezekiah was active in his own death, we are not to understand it so, for he prayed that God would spare him; and he spake this upon the promise of God, to lengthen out his life, and to tie the thread of his days again, according to which the web was woven on for fifteen years more; But this speech of Hezekiah, as a weaver I have cut off my life, is like that of the Apostle, I have finished my course. He compares the passing of his life to a shuttle, and the conclusion of it to the cutting off, of the thread; Nights and days pass this shuttle forward and backward, to and again, the night casts it to the day, and the day to the night, beween these two, time quickly wears off the thread of life. The heathen Poets had a fiction answering this allusion of the holy Ghost; they tell us a story, or a fiction rather, of three sisters, whereof the one held the wheel or the distaff, the second drew out the thread, and a third cut it off; In this they shadow the state of man's life; our ordinary phrase for living long, is spinning a long thread, and for dying, the cutting off the thread of life.

And they are spent without hope. Some translate, they are spent so, as that there is no hope left. The word, which here we english, spent, signifies both consumption and consummation, or sometimes in a good sense, the end or perfecting of a thing, and sometime in an ill sense, the end or consuming of a thing, Gen. 2. 1. So the Heavens and the earth were finished, It is this word, they were ended, God ended his works by way of perfection, and consummation, he made his work complete. But here, and often in Scripture, it notes ending by way of consumption, or as we translate, the spending of a thing; Jer. 14. 12. I will consume (or make an end of) them by the sword; And Exod. 33. 3. God commands Moses, to go with the people into the wilderness, for (saith he) I will not go up in the midst of them, lest I consume them in the way.

And to show how deep an expense and consumption of time was upon him, Job tells us, it had devoured and eaten up all his hope. It is worse to have our hope spent, then to have our days spent; now (saith he) my days are spent, and that is not all, my hope is spent; Some translate so, my days are spent, and I have want or penury of hope; as I have spent my days, so I have spent my hope. And his hopelessenesse, may refer two ways; I have no hope, or my hope is spent; First, in regard of long life, I see I am so afflicted with this disease, that there is no hope I should hold out under it: Secondly, without hope, that is, without hope of being in a better condition, that is, of having my estate restored unto me again, if I should have health restored, and a longer life continued. In both these senses, as he saw the thread of his days cut off, so he saw the thread of his hope cut off, he was near death, and his hope was dead. My days are spent without hope, or, there is no hope remaining. This also is a negative to both parts of Eliphaz his promise, either of longer life, or of a better.

We may observe hence, first, a common truth (which I shall not insist upon) about that precious commodity, a commodity more precious then the gold of Ophir, Time.

All time is short, and we have a very short estate in time. Man is not master of one day, and a servant but of few days. The holy Ghost gives us very many remembrances of this, which is an argument, that we are very apt to forget it. Man is slow to take notice of the swiftness of time, and very dull in apprehending the speed of his days. It is a wonder that such a plain common doctrine, should be handled so often, and that the Holy Ghost, should as it were, labor for similitudes, and fetch in all things that are more then ordinarily transitory in nature, to teach us the transitorinesse of our condition: We meet with many in this book, all hinting at the sudden, invisible motion of time: This is a point easy to be known, but very hard to be believed; every man assents to it, but few live it. And surely the holy Ghost would not spend so many words about it, nor gather up so many illustrations of it from sense, if it were not of much importance to our faith. We usually slight the hearing of common principles; • nd a Sermon preached upon this subject, the shortness of our lives, and the speed of time, is judged a needless shortening of time; and the hour seems very long, which runs out upon the speed of time; we think it an easy doctrine, and a Theame for boys. But the truth is, if the heart did well digest, how few our days are, we should have better days; and men would live holier, if they knew indeed their lives were no longer. Therefore though I only touch this subject, yet, do ye dwell upon it, and stay long in your thoughts upon the shortness of your lives: Common truths neglected, cause a neglect of every truth. Had we more serious thoughts of Heaven and hell, that these are, and what these are; that there is a God, and who he is; that there will be a judgment, and what it will be, we should more profitably improve and trade our time and talents. Secondly note,

Time passeth irrecoverably. When the weavers shuttle is once out of his hand, 'tis gone presently; there is no hope time past should be recalled, or time in motion stopped: To consider time under that notion, should make us very good husbands of our time, or (as the Apostle advises) to redeem the time. Redemptions are made by purchase, to redeem a thing, is to buy it with a price; the price we redeem time with, is our labourand faithful travel. It is matter of mourning, to consider, that so little care is taken in spending that, which when it is gone, we have no hope it can be restored to us again.

Thirdly, In that Job complained before, that his life was so long, and now complaineth of the shortness or swiftness of his life, we may note; That,

Man thinks good days end too soon, and that evil days stay too long, or will never have an end. We love the company of good days, and are therefore sorry when they depart: When the Disciples were upon the Mount, and had such a good day of it, how desirous were they to have continued there, and sorry they were the day was at an end. Master (saith Peter) it is good for us to be here: The sudden passing of our comforts, is our trouble. Time is always of the same pace, no creature keeps his pace more evenly then time doth, it always moves at the same rate, neither faster nor slower; but man thinks this time short, and that time long; this time speedy, and that time slow, according to the several objects he meets with, and to the conditions wherein he is: Fourthly observe,

That hope is the last refuge of the soul: My days are spent without hope, my hope is spent too; If I had hope left, I had somewhat left, but my hope is gone. It is so in natural things, it is so in spiritual things. The Apostle, Heb 6. tells us, that hope is the anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast; while hope holds, comfort holds, and when hope's gone, all's gone. Observe lastly,

That, sometimes a godly man's hope may lie prostrate. My days (saith he) are cut off without hope: Job thought (as I have noted from some passages before (that his case was desperate, his hope lay in the dust, as well as his body, or his honor. Every godly man is not an Abraham, of whom it is said, Rom. 4. 18. That against hope he believed in hope: Nay Abraham is not always Abraham, he that hath such a strong hope, hath it not always, even his hope may sometimes possibly be hopeless. There are weaknesses in the strongest, and imperfections may come upon those who are perfect, ebbings after the greatest flowings, and declinings after the greatest heights of graces and gracious actings My days are spent without hope.

Job having thus complained of his condition, and asserted his own desires of death, now turns from his friends, with whom he had discoursed all this while, and betakes himself to God, to speak a while with him; The next words are generally understood, an Apostrophe to God:

O remember that my life is wind. To remember, is not here taken strictly, for to God all things are present. Remembrance, is the calling of that to mind which is past; when the act of remembering is applied to God in Scriprure, it hath one of these three senses.

1. It notes a resolution or settled purpose in God, to act his justice, or inflict punishment upon his enemies, Psal. 137. 7. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom: that is, Lord bring forth that decree of thine, for the ruin and destruction of these bloody Edomites, who have been cruel against thy people.

Secondly, it signifies an affection in God, ready to help and relieve his own people: Psal. 74. 2. Remember thy Congregation which thou didst purchase of old, that is, do good to thy Congregation, bless thy Congregation.

Thirdly, To remember, imports an act of present consideration: to remember, is fully to weigh, observe and take notice of the estate of things or persons: Psal. 38. 39. He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passeth away and cometh not again; that is, he considered and weighed the estate of man: So in this place, O remember that my life is wind, that is, consider, and weigh it well Lord, put my condition into the balance, observe what a weak creature I am, how short my llfe is: therefore deal with me, as with a weak short-lived creature; Thou needest not lay any great stress upon me, thou needest not trouble thyself much to make an end of me, my life is but wind, 'tis but a puff, which quickly passes away.

O remember that my life is wind. This is a proverbial speech, like that before, of a weavers shuttle. The word translated wind, signifies the holy Ghost, the third Person in the blessed Trinity: As also a Spirit in general. And because the wind is of a spiritual nature, invisible, swift, powerful, therefore it is applied to that aerial or elementary spirit; And the operation of the holy Ghost, is shadowed by wind or breath, Christ breathed upon his Disciples saying, receive the holy Ghost, John 20. 22. and the holy Ghost came as a mighty rushing wind, Acts 2. 2.

When Job saith, remember that my life is wind, he means, my life is like the wind; It is a similitude; not an assertion. The life of man is like the wind in two things: First, the wind passeth away speedily, so doth man's life: Secondly, the wind when it is past, returns no more, as you cannot stop the wind, or change its course; So all the power in the world, is not powerful enough to recallor divert the wind, which way the wind goes it will go, and when it goes 'tis gone, Ps. 78. 34. He remembered that they were but flesh, wind that passeth away; in this sense Job calleth his life a wind, it passeth away, and shall not return, by any law or constitution of nature, or by any efficacy of natural causes.

Yet here observe, Job saith not, His soul was a wind, but his life was a wind. Some have philosophiz'd the soul into a wind, a blast or a breath; and tell us, that it goes, as the soul of a beast, that life and soul are but the same thing, when the life's gone out of the body, the soul's gone from its being: They acknowledge a restoring of it again with the body at the resurrection, but deny it any existence when separate from the body. How dishonorable this is to the noble constitution of man, and how dissonant to Scripture, is proved in mentioning it; we acknowledge, that life which is the union of soul and body, is a wind and passeth away; In all the learned languages, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, the word which signifies spirit or life, hath its original, from respiring; and when we say, my wind was gone, or my wind was almost beaten out of my body, our meaning is, my Life was almost gone. In the creation (Gen. 2. 7.) God breathed into man the breath of life, or of lives, implying the many facultes and operations of life. And in as much as the body of man was first formed, and this life brought in after, to act and move it, this is an abundant proof, that the soul of man is not any temperament of the body, the body being completed (as a body) before it, and yet no life resulting. Whereas beasts (to whom that beastly opinion compares man in his creation) had living bodies as soon as bodies, their total form being but an extract from the matter.

Solomen, Eccl. 3. 19, 20, 21. brings in the Atheist, drawing this conclusion from those confused oppressions which he observed in the world: men carried themselves so like beasts, preying upon, and devouring one another, that he (who had nothing but carnal reason to judge by) presently resolves; That which befalleth the sons of men, befalleth beasts, even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other, yea they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast, for all are vanity; all go to one place, all are of the dust, and all turn to the dust again. And whereas the Atheist heard some speak of the ascent of man's spirit after this life, he puts it off, as but talk and guessing. ver. 21. Who knoweth the spirit of man, that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast, that goeth downward to the earth? That is, who can tell that there is such a difference, between the spirit of a man and of a beast? whoever saw the one ascending, or the other descending? or from what Anatomy was this learned? Thus the Atheist derides the doctrine of the soul, and will therefore laugh and be merry with his body while it lasts, that's his portion, For who shall bring him to s • e what shall be after him, ver. 22. Is it not strange, that any who are called sober Christians, should plant their opinions in this soil of Atheism: and make that a proof of their faith, which Solomon brings only as a proof of some men's infidelity? The Preacher in this Book, personated those whom he abhorred, and sometimes speaks the practices of other men, not his own opinion. There is no more reason to ground this Tenet of the Souls Mortality upon those texts, then there is of encouragement to intemperance in that, chap. 11. 9. Rejoice O young man in thy youth, and let thy heart cheare thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine own heart; Or in that of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 15. 32. Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. If any would learn Solomon's own sense about this point, let him read it, as plain as words can make it (Eccl. 12. 7.) Then (namely when man dies) shall the dust return to the earth, as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God, who gave it.

So then (to the next before us) the soul is not a wind, but the life: And all those Scriptures where life is compared to wind, and dying, to the passing of it without returning, deny the regress or returning of the soul to a natural, not to an eternal life, and imply the short stay of the soul in the body, and certain departure from it, not, a not being, when it parts. These two must part, and so part, as never to return to that estate again; Thus Job expounds himself in the words following;

Mine eye shall no more see good. Or as the Hebrew, I shall not return to see good, answerable to the metaphor of a wind, it passeth away, and returns no more.

To see. In this place, as often elsewhere, is to enjoy, I shall not enjoy good, Psal. 4. 6. Who will show, or who will cause us to see any good? It was not the bare sight of good, which they desired, but the enjoyment of it. So Ier. 17. 6. The man whose heart departeth from God, is threatened, that he shall not see, when good cometh, that is, he shall not enjoy good, when it comes: For though to see good be a mercy, yet to see it and not to taste it, is a curse. Therefore at the last day, they who thought themselves high in God's favor, but were indeed under his wrath, are told, that they shall see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of God, and themselves shut out; they shall see what they cannot enjoy, and that sight shall add to their sorrow. The Prophet cries out, Lament. 3. 1. I am the man that hath seen affliction, that is, I am the man that hath felt and had experience of afflictions. And Psalm 16. 10. the great promise to Christ is, that though he took a corruptible body upon him, yet he should not see corruption, that is, partake of corruption; corruption should have no communion with, much less power over him. And we have the same use of the word in this book, chap. 20. ver. 17. where Zophar tells the hypocrite, that God will deprive and strip him of every good thing. He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter; It is a rhetorical expresson, comparing the affluence of outward things, to floods, and rivers and brooks, which send forth their streams plentifully; as if he had said, though there be great store of honey and butter (those two are specified for the rest) though there be rivers, brooks and streams of these commodities, yet he shall see none of them, that is, he shall not enjoy or taste a drop of them. That unbelieving Lord, is told by Elisha, that he should see plenty in Samaria the next day, but should not eat thereof, 2 King. 7. 2. Not to see, is not to eat; and he that sees, but eats not is not relieved, but troubled at the sight.

Mine eye shall not see good. What good? when a man dies, shall he see no more good? we see but little good while we live, and the greatest good, is to be seen when we die: or rather while we live, what do we see but evil, and when the Saints die, what have they to see but good? how is it then, that Job saith, when I die, mine eye shall not see good? what miserable creatures were we, if there were no good to be seen, beyond the line of this life? our richest stock of comfort, lies in the good we shall see hereafter, which is therefore called, the blessed-making vision; And Job knew well enough, that his eyes should see good after death, for he saith (chap. 19. 27.) with these eyes shall I see God; he knew also his soul had an eye to see good (and a better good then ever he saw in the world) while his body lay in the grave. Then, his meaning of, Mine eye shall no more see good, is, no more worldly good, none of † these good things, which I have seen; I shall be above the smart of earthly sorrows, and above the sense of earthly joys. Good is either natural, or civil, or spiritual; When God created the world, he looked upon all that he bad made, and he saw that all was very good: Civil good, is the order, peace and prosperity of the world, death stops the sight of all this good. As for eternal or spiritual good, death cannot close or dim the eye against those objects.

Then here is no plea for Atheists against the resurrection, nor any, against the souls Being, or being awake, till the resurrection. Job speaks only about the spear and course of nature; when man dies naturally, and is in the state of the dead, he enjoys nothing, he acts nothing according to the estate of the living, Psal. 115. 17. The dead praise the not, &c. there is no work, device or business at all in the grave, Eccl. 9. 10. The hand works not, the tongue speaks not, The eye shall no more see this good.

Job expresses himself by an act of the eye, which carries the greatest strength for refreshing to the whole man. All the joy and pleasure we shall have in Heaven, comes in by sight, we shall see him as • e is; The heholding of God in Christ, is the beatifical vision, much of the good which we have in this world, comes in by the sense of seeing; and all the good of the next is placed in seeing; therefore he doth not say, I shall no more taste good, or no more feel good, but no more see good, because the chiefest good, eternal good, consists in vision, therefore proportionably our present good doth so likewise.

Sick Hezekiah speaks in the language of sick Job; I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living; I shall behold man no more, with the inhabitants of the world, Isa. 38. 11. When Hezekiah thought he should die, he describes the state of the dead by a deprivation of all those comforts which are taken in, by the sight of the eye. But you will say, how saith he, I shall not see the Lord? He doth not say absolutely, I shall not see the Lord? But with a modification, thus, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living. But did Hezekiah see the Lord in the land of the living, or while he lived? Yes, as Moses saw him that was invisible, so did Hezekiah: God makes himself visible to the Saints in this life. Though God cannot be seen in his essence in Heaven, much less on earth, yet he is seen in his works, in the acts of his providence, and in his ordinances; we may see the goings of God in the Sanctuary, and behold the beauty of the Lord, while we inquire in his Temple, Psalm 27. 4. So that when Hezekiah saith, I shall not see the Lord in the land of the living; his meaning is, I shall not behold God in his great works, and in the ordinances of his holy worship, and in the Congregations of his holy people. In all these God is visible, and most in the last; and therefore he saith, I shall behold man no more, with the inhabitants of the world; God is visible in all creatures, but most in man, and among men, most in his Saints, and among his Saints most, when they meet in the comely order of his house and worship; The ignorant and unlearned coming into such a sacred throng; sees so much of God, that he is convinced and goes away reporting, that God is in them of a truth. In Christ is seen the brightness of his Fathers glory, and in the Saints much of the beauty of it is seen. Christ is the express image of his person, and in the Saints so meeting, much of his image is expressed.

First, in that Job betakes himself to God, O remember that my life is wind, &c. Observe, That

In our distresses it is better to cry to God, then to complain to creatures. God is usually the last, but he is always the best refuge, when we have told over the story of our sorrows and sad condition, and pour'd our wants into the bosoms of our most faithful friends; yet, this Apostrophe is sweetest to the soul, when we can turn unto God, O remember me. It is said of Hezekiah in his sickness, that he turned himself unto the wall and prayed, he turned from the people, from those that were about his bed, unto the wall; why, what was the wall to him? Or what could the wall do for him? surely nothing. As good turn to an Idol for help or ease, as to a wall, yea such a turn to the wall, turns the wall into an idol; Good Hezekiah had no thought of the wall, nor had he any message to any image, hanging there. But as 'tis probable, many of his loving Subjects and servants were weeping about the bed of their sick King, and he had been discoursing of his disease, and telling them of his sickness, but at last he turns to the wall; that is, he leaves speaking to the company, and turns away from them, that he might have communion with God, and his first word of prayer, is, the same with Jobs, Remember now O Lord, Isa. 38. 3. Creatures are but creatures, and when they have done their best for us, it may be they can do no good for us; when they have tried all their skill, and all their strength, and stirred the utmost of their abilities, to give us counsel and ease, we must say to them all, stand by, and come to Job's Turn, O Lord remember. That man is most to be bemoaned, who can make his moan to man only. He, who knows not how to complain to God, or to speak out his sorrows, and his griefs in the ear of Christ, shall gain little, (though he receive much) by complaining to the creature. But so long as we have a God to turn to, and spread our cause before, though men turn from us, yea, though they turn against us, and forget us, yet it is enough, that we have said, O Lord remember.

Secondly, from the matter, which Job puts God in mind of, namely his natural frailty and fleeting condition, that he was a passing wind. Observe,

It is an argument, moving the Lord to compassion, to mind him of the frailty of our condition. There is no argument from ourselves, so effectual, to draw out the bowels of God's compassions toward us, either in regard of our spiritual or temporal estate, as this, to tell him how frail we are; The Psalmist shows this the motive of mercy often to that ancient people the Jews, Psal. 78. 38. He being full of compassion forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not, yea many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath; But what moved the Lord to deal thus with his people? What was it, out of himself? We know, the inward moving cause was his own free grace, but what did he look upon abroad in the creature? He remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. Jobs argument to a letter. He considered how easily and quickly they might be destroyed, and therefore he destroyed them not, Psal. 103. 14. Like as a father pitieth his children, so doth the Lord, &c. Why, what stir's up this pity? For he knoweth our frame, and he remembereth that we are but dust; Now, that which God himself makes the argument, all the argument in us, of his turning to us in mercy; that we should manage, especially as our argument, when we turn to him in prayer. Should we plead before God our perfections, and say, Lord remember our holiness, our zeal, our prayers, our tears, our fastings and humiliations, could any of this move God, or be any attractive of his compassions toward us? If we will plead our perfections; God will despise our prayer. Our strongest argument is to say, we are weak, and to tell God we are sinful, prevails more, then to tell him, we are righteous: We shall gain most by saying we are unprofitable servants.

But did not Hezekiah, entreat the Lord to remember that he had walked before him in truth and with a perfect heart, and done that which was good in his sight? Isa. 38. 3. And doth not Nehemiah use the like plea, Chap. 13. 14, 22.

I answer, first, that, these were the best, most the spiritual and powerful pleadings with God is not proved, because used by good men. Grace doth not act always at the height, nor bring out choicest it's treasures at all times.

Secondly, they move the Lord to remember what good they had done, but they do not move the Lord by that remembrance to do them good. Hezekiah was so far from rejoicing in his own righteousness: that the text saith, He wept sore. And Nehemiah with the same breath, desires the Lord to remember what he had done, and to spare him, according to the greatness or multitude of mercy. He, that when he hath done best, begs a multitude of mercies to spare him, is far enough from challenging justice to reward him.

Men, that are but ingenuous, will be moved most with a sight or report of another's weakness. The beggar speaks most effectually by his rages and sores. The Woman, 2 Sam. 14. 14. who was hired to move David for the bringing back of Absalom, useth this argument, For we must needs die, and are as water spilled upon the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; As if she had said, Sir, if you will contend with your Son, thus, alas, his life is but water, and he will die, for this is the common condition of mankind; therefore be compassionate and pitiful to him, fetch home your banished. This motive takes much upon the heart of God, as in regard of particular persons, so of a people in general, Deut. 32. 36. The Lord shall repent himself for his servants. But when will he repent himself? When he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up or left. When they have no power and strength, and there is none shut up, that is, when they have no fort, no strong places to defend themselves in, but even lie open to the rage and malice of the adversary, and are ready to sink utterly, then the Lord takes this, both as an argument and a season for him, to repent of the affliction of his people; that is, to change the way of his administrations towards them. This promise was in part made good to Israel in the days of Jeroboam, Son of Joash, 2 King. 14. 26. The Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter, for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper in Israel.

Thirdly, speaking of the world, he saith, Mine eye shall no more see good. Observe then,

That worldly things are good things. In their sphere and proportion, they are good. Abraham minds the rich man, Luke 16. Son remember, that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things. Therefore, we are to use the world, and all the creatures in it, as the good things of God, and the goodness we see in creatures, should raise us up, to admire the goodness of the Creator; if goodness be stamped upon present and temporary things, how good are things eternal?

Fourthly, Mine eyes shall no more see good. Observe;

After this life there is no more use, or enjoyment of worldly things. The things of the world are but for the world; Mine eyes shall no more see, I shall no more enjoy or use these good things. Consider what it is you lay up, when you lay up the things of this life, you lay up those things, which after a while your eyes shall see no more; you lay up those things, which after a few days; you shall have no more use of; you shall have no use at all of your gold, no use at all of your silver, no use at all of your apparel, no use at all of your goodly houses, no use at all of your rich furniture, no use at all of your lands, you shall have no use of all these good things: Consider then what it is you lay up, a time is coming, when you shall say of them all, I shall no more see, I shall no more use and enjoy any of these good things. Therefore be so wise as to improve this time, which passes like a Weavers shuttle and a blast of wind, to lay up such good things, as your eyes shall see, when you are laid down in the grave; lay up spiritual good things, lay up your portion in Christ, make him yours, and then when you die, and lie down in the grave, you may say, we have good things, yet to see; our best sight is to come, even such a sight, as eye hath not seen. Such a sight, as to which the glory of all the Princes of the world is a mere Pagean tree. And so much of Jobs Apostrophe to God.

The next verse is a further description of the state of the dead.

In the former verse, Job had said his own eyes should see no more good, now he saith, that the eyes of others shall see him no more; The eye of him that hath seen me, shall see me no more. It is a great part of the glory and comfort which men take in the world, to be seen of men. As we take in our comfort by seeing, so by being seen. No man would put himself into goodly clothing were it not, that he goes abroad in company to be seen, and knows others will be looking upon him. Now as Job sets forth the vanity of the creature and of this life, because he should see none of it, when he died, so, because when he died, others should see him no more, all his beauty, riches and good things, must be buried with him. There is an elegancy in putting these two together, to see and be seen. Death stops both, it takes us from seeing, and it takes us from being seen. As all the good we have will be hid from our eyes, so all our glory and excellency will be obscured from the eyes of others in the dark chambers of the grave.

Job speaks of a three-fold eye. 1. Of his own eye, Mine eye shall see no more good. Verse 7.

2. Of the eye of men, The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more.

3. Of the eye of God, Thine eyes are upon me; and I am not. He doth not say, Thine eyes are upon me, and thou shalt not see me. God's eye looks into the grave, and can see there; when we are out of the eyes of men, we are in the eye of God; therefore he saith, Thine eyes are upon me, and I am not; as if he had said, Lord, if thou shalt defer a little to help me, and then shouldest come to look for thy Job, I shall be dead, I shall be laid in the grave, I shall not be capable of remedy, if my remedy be defer'd: it is too late to give a man a cordial when he is dead: Thou shalt not have a Job to help, if thou dost not help him quickly. Some understand it in a spiritual sense, Thine eyes are upon me, as if he should say, Lord thine eyes are upon me, to search me, and try out my ways, and alas I am not, I am not able to stand before thy justice, before thy pure eyes, which can behold none iniquity. But rather take it as an appeal to God, whether or no he were not near death. Thou Lord seest I am as a dead man; as a man not to be numbered among the living. Therefore if thou wilt deliver me, let thy loving-kindness speedily prevent me, for I am brought very low. As a sick man in some acute disease hastens his Physician, Sir, give me somewhat presently, or I am gone, you cannot but see I am a borderer upon death. Thine eyes are upon me, and

That is; I am not alive, I am not among the children of men. Not to be, doth not import a not-being, but a not appearing, I am not as I was, nor can I long be at all. Rachel wept for her children, because they were not; Josephs brethren said to their Father, Joseph is not; and Job himself in the 21. of this Chapter, explains this to be his sense, Thou shalt seek me in the morning, and I shall not be; Death is a great devourer, it sweeps all that appears of man, into the grave. The world shall no more enjoy him, nor he the world, this is man's not being, when he dies: as the two following verses further explain by an elegant similitude.

Job having moved the Lord to take notice of, and compassionate his transitory condition, his life being but like the hastening wind. He gives us another comparison to the same sense and purpose; There, his life was but a wind, and here it is but a cloud, As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, so he that goeth down to the grave, shall come up no more, &c.

The cloud] in a natural notion, is a thick and moist vapor, drawn up from the earth, by the heat of the Sun to the middle region of the air, and by the coldness of that heavenly country (where snow and hail, &c. are made and stored up) is further condens'd, congeal'd and thickn'd, and so hangs or moves partly from natural causes, the Sun and wind, but especially by supernatural, the mighty power and appointment of God, like an huge mountain in the air. To this cloud Job compares the vanishing estate of this life.

As the cloud (such a cloud, as you see hanging in the air) is consumed, or spent: The same word is used at the 6. Verse, My life is spent without hope. A cloud comes to it's height, and then 'tis quickly dispersed and vanisheth away; The letter of the Hebrew is, It goeth or walketh away. The walk of the clouds is according to the walk of the winds, we cal it the Rack of the clouds. When the Heavens are (as it were) all masked with clouds, and a black veil or curtain drawn between us and the Sun, the winds in a little time dissipate and scatter them.

It is usual in Scripture to compare those things, which are vanishing & suddenly consumed, to clouds, In which sense (Isai. 44. 22.) the sins of the Saints are compared to a cloud, and the pardoning of their sins to this consuming and scattering of the cloud, I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins. A cloud is but a kind of a blot in the pure parchment-roll of the skies, I am sure a cloud of sin is a foul blot in the roll of our lives, Blot a fair writing, and you cannot read it, but blot out the blots, and then 'tis legible again: yet, the blotting out of sin, intimates it fair written, as an evidence or a record against us, till a pardon blots it out. In which sense, Christ is said to have blotted out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us, Col. 2. 14. Thy sins (O Israel, so the Lord seems to speak in the Prophet) are as a cloud to hinder the shining of the light of my countenance upon thee: like blots, they hinder thee, from reading the evidences of my favor, or they stand like evidences of guilt against thee. But I have blotted out this cloud, that is, I have pardoned thy sins, and by the breath of my favor and free grace, scattered thy transgressions, with all the evils and sequels, which they naturally bring forth. So that, now the light shines fair and warm upon thee; the evidences, which were against thee, cannot be read, and thou mayest read the evidences of my love, and mercy towards thee. The sins of the Saints are but vanishing clouds, whereas sin in it self, and the sins of all those, who are out of Christ, are an abiding cloud, they are a cloud firm and immovable, like a mountain of brass, or a rock of stone. Sins make such a cloud, as no power in Heaven or earth is able to consume, but the power of mercy, and a gale of love, breathing through the covenant of Grace.

And, as the life of man is compared by Job to a cloud, so, to that which is the matter of the cloud, by the Apostle James, Chap. 4. verse 14. where he puts the question, what's the life of man? Is it not (saith he) even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away? A vapor is exhaled from the earth by the heat of the Sun, and is the matter out of which the cloud is made. Mans life is not only like a cloud, which is more condense and strong, but like those thin vapors, sometimes observed arising from moorish grounds, which are the original of clouds, and more vanishing then clouds. Even these, are but vanishing enough, to shadow the vanishing, decaying, quickly dis-appearing life of man. As the cloud consumes and vanishes, (the next words speak out the mind of the comparison.)

The grave is a descent; And the word which is here used for the grave, is Sheol, about which many disputes are raised among the learned: The root of it signifies to desire, or to crave with earnestness, and the reason given is, because the grave is always craving and asking; Though the grave hath devoured the bodies of millions of men, yet it is as hungry as it was the first morsel, still it is asking and craving: The grave is numbered among those things which are not satisfied, Prov. 30. 16. In the Greek of the New Testament, it is translated Hades, which by change of letters, some form out of the Hebrew Adam, and Adamah the earth, unto which God condemned fallen man to return, Gen. 3. 19. We find this word Sheol, taken five ways in Scripture.

1. Strictly and properly for the place of the damned, Prov. 15.

II. Hell and destruction are before the Lord, how much more then all the hearts of the children of men. God looks through the darkness of hell, which is utter darkness.

2. It is put Metaphorically, for great and extreme dangers, or miseries which seem irrecoverable and remediless; these are figuratively called hell, because hell properly taken, is a place from whence there is no recovery; There's no release from the chains of darkness, all changes are on earth, Heaven and hell know none: When David praises the Lord (Psalm 86. 13.) for delivering his soul from the lowest hell; he meaneth an estate on earth, of the lowest and deepest danger imaginable; Mercy helped him at the worst. To be as low as hell, is to be at the lowest.

3. The word signifies the lower parts of the earth, without relation to punishment. Psal. 139. 8. If I go down into hell thou art there. He had said before, if I ascend up into Heaven thou art there; by Heaven he means the upper Region of the world, without any respect to the estate of blessedness; and hell is the most opposite and remote in distance, without respect to misery. As is he had said, let me go whither I will, thy presence finds me out.

4. It is taken for the state of the dead, whether those dead are in the grave or no, Psal. 30. 3. Isa. 38. 18, 19. Gen. 37. 35. In all which places, to go out of the world, is to go to Sheol. Jacob in the text alleged, Gen. 37. 35. said, he would go down into the grave to his son, mourning; yet Jacob thought his Son was devoured by a wild beast, he could not go down into the grave to his son, for the bowels of a wild beast was his supposed grave, but he meaneth only this, I will even die, as he is dead. So Numb. 16. 33. where that dreadful judgment of God upon Korah, Dathan and Abiram is storied, it is said, that they, their sheep and their oxen, and their tents, and all went down into Sheol, that is, they were all devoured and swallowed up. But

5. Sheol signifies the place where the body is laid after death, namely, the grave, Prov. 30. 16. Man hath a demension of earth fitted to the dimensions of his body; this portion or allotment is his Sheol. Yet, it signifies the grave only in general, as it is natural to man-kind, not that grave which is artificial and proper to any particular man, this the Hebrew expresses by another word: He that goeth down to the grave, goes to his long home, to a house out of which he is never able to see or make his way, and therefore it follows;

He shall come up no more. No? that's sad news indeed, to go down to the grave and come up no more. Are all the hopes of man shut up in the grave? and is there an utter end of him when his life ends? Shall he come up no more?

Many of the Greek writers tax Job as not acquainted with the doctrine of the Resurrection, as if he either knew not that mystery, or doubted, at this time, of it: And some of the Rabbins say plainly, he denied it: But he is so clear in the 19 ^th Chapter, that we need not think him so much as cloudy here: And if we look a little farther, himself will give us the comment of this text: When he saith, he shall come up no more, it is not a denial of a dying man's resurrection to life, but of his restitution to the same life, or to such a life as he parted with at the graves mouth: They who die a natural death, shall not live a natural life again; therefore he addeth in the next verse;

He doth not say absolutely, he shall return no more, but he shall return no more to his house, he shall have no more to do with this world, with worldly businesses or contentments, with the labor or comforts of the creature, or of his Family; He shall return no more to his house.

But some may say, how doth this answer the comparison, That as the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, so he that goeth down to the grave, shall come up no more; for we find another description of clouds, Eccles. 12. 2. where the text saith, that, the clouds return after rain: So that it seems, though clouds vanish and are consumed, yet they return and come again. The clouds are like bottles full of rain, or sponges full of water, God crushes these sponges, or unstops these bottles, and they are emptied, and in emptying vanish away: but yet Solomon affirms, the clouds return after rain, how then doth Job say, that as the cloud vanisheth, so man goeth to the grave and returns no more?

In that place of Ecclesiastes, Solomon is only giving us a description of old age, and the sad condition of man in it; he calleth it the evil day; and wisheth men would be wise to consider their latter end, remembering their Creator, and laying up a good foundation, before those evil days overtake them, before the light of the Sun, and Moon, and Stars be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain; In old age, the clouds return after the rain, thus: as in some very wet time, when we think it hath rained so much, as might have spent and quite exhausted the clouds, or drawn those bottles dry, yet you shall see them return again, it will rain day after day as fast as ever; so in old age, when rheums distil so freely, that you would think an old man had emptied himself of all, yet the clouds will return again, and floods of watery humors overflow. Thus the clouds of old age return; And in this sense the clouds of the air return, after they are consumed and spent into rain: But how doth a cloud return? not the same cloud numerically, that cloud, which was dissolved doth not return; the same Sun goes down, and vanisheth out of our sight in the Evening, and returneth again, the same individual and numerical Sun, in the morning; but that numerical cloud which vanished, comes not again: Thus man vanisheth, and returns as the clouds return after the rain, that is, after one generation of men are dead, they return again in their children, another generation springs up: other return to life there is none, till all shall return at the general judgment of quick and dead. As now we are, who never were, so all shall return, who were, but are not. It was a witty answer of a learned Jew, disputing with a heathen Philosopher, who opposed the Resurrection: If that (saith he) which never was in the world, now is; is it strange, that, that which now is, should be again, after it is not in the world? If this be a wonder, the other is much more wonderful.

His place, may be taken three ways. First, For the calling and condition of a man in this life, that's the place of a man, a man's Calling is his place. Or secondly, Locally for his house or inheritance, where he dwelt; he shall come to that place no more. Or thirdly, Place is taken for dignity, magistracy, for the eminency of a man's calling, therefore we say of a Magistrate or a man in honor, he hath a Great place, or he is a man of place and Rank, in all these senses, his place shall know him no more.

His place shall not know him. That's an elegancy of the holy language. Places are without life and without sense, much more without knowledge; knowing is an act of reason, how is it then said, his place shall know him no more? Did it ever know him? Ther's a double figure in it: Some understand it by an Hypallage, or transmutation of the words, his place shall know him no more, that is, he shall know his place no more. So that is expounded (Psal. 103. 16.) The place thereof shall know it no more, speaking of man passing away like a wind. So Psal. 37. 10. Thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be; his place shall not be; places continue while the world continues; Then, his place shall not be, is, he shall not be in his place. Or secondly, understand it by a Prosopopeia, (frequent in Scripture) which is the imitation of life, by things without life: when a place takes upon it the person of a man, or when a place acts or imitates the speech of a man: sense and reason are often ascribed to things without life, and so the meaning of, his place shall know him no more, may be conceived thus: When a man lives and comes home to his house, his house (as it were) welcomes him home, and his place is glad to entertain him; as in the Psalm, the little hills are said to rejoice at the showers, so, when a man comes home, his house and all he hath, have as it were, a tongue to bid him welcome, and open arms to receive and embrace him; but when he dies, he shall return no more, and then his place shall know him (that is, receive him) no more.

Observe from this briefly (because it is a similitude of the same importance with that opened in the former words) first,

That death is the conclusion of all worldly comforts and relations. As the cloud vanisheth and returneth not, so (in that sense) there is an utter conclusion of man, he is gone, and there is no returning; God by his almighty power, hath fetched back some, and the vanishing clouds have been brought again: so Lazarus (and others at the death of Christ) was raised from the grave; but in a natural way, death seizeth all fast forever: your places, your relations, your credits, your Friends shall know you no more, or give you farther entertainment. Secondly observe;

That God hath given us not only the book of Scripture, but the book of the creature, therein to learn and read our own frailty and mortality. The creatures preach what man is, and that is a reason why the holy Ghost spends so much time; and is so frequent in giving us the measure of ourselves by creatures; these are every hour in our eye, we meet with, and see, and handle, and feel them continually: The wind, the vapors, the clouds, set forth what we are, When I consider (said David, Psal. 8. 3. 4.) the Heavens, the work of thy fingers, the Moon, and the Stars which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him? To consider the greatness of the works of God, should abase man; it should amaze us, to remember, that God hath made such things for our use, who are ourselves so useless (in comparison of what we ought) to God. And when man considers the Heavens and the earth, and weighs how many things there are in them, which set forth his frailty, he hath reason to cry out, O Lord what is man? Man is but a wind, a cloud, a vapor, even such a thing, as I see most perishing and vanishing in the whole compass of the creation. Psalm. 19. 1. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handy work▪ The heavens are excellent creatures, and full of glorious wonders, they speak the power and wisdom of God, they show forth his handy work, they can be the work of none, but of God only; The clouds also show forth the handy work and power of God, Psal. 147. 8. Who covereth the heavens with clouds: The hand of God draws those curtains, and puts that mask upon the face of Heaven.

But as the heavens declare the glory of God, so they publish and declare the weakness of man, the vapors and the winds show forth, how frail he is: As the invisible things of God, to wit, his eternal power and Godhead, are seen in the things which are made; God is (as it were) visible in the creatures; so likewise the frailty and mutability, the weakness and inconstancy of man, is visible in the things, which are created; we may read a lecture of our own transitorinesse, in the most transitory texts of nature: And that is an admirable contrivance and complication of things, that out of the very same text of the creature, where the infinite wisdom & power of God may be learned, man also may learn his own frailty: He that studies the creature much, shall find much of God and of himself, Some conceive when Isaac (Gen, 24. 63.) went forth into the field to meditate, that he studied the book of the creatures, probably the holy man did so, but, we are sure he might. How will it shame those men at last, who know not God not themselves, when they have or might have had (without cost or travel) so many tutors and instructors.

IN the context of these six verses, we may take notice of four things.

• 1. Jobs violent resolution to complain, ver. 11.
• 2. His vehement complaint, ver. 12.
• 3. An amplification of his sorrows, ver. 13, 14.
• 4. A renovation of his often repeated desires to die, and the tediousness of his life, ver. 15. 16.

Therefore.] Job having in an apostrophe to God, shown his weak condition; takes up a fresh resolution of complaining to God; Therefore I will not refrain my mouth, &c. as if he had said, The consideration of these things, is so far from putting me to silence, that it doth rather enlarge my heart, and open my mouth to speak and complain, once more; seeing death is by God's appointment, the certain end of all outward troubles, and perceiving myself upon the very borders or brink of death, my body past cure, my estate irrecoverable and remediless; therefore I will complain yet again, I will yet farther lay open my misery before the Lord, and press him to hasten me thorough the confines of this land of sorrow, that I may accomplish my days, and see an end of these troubles, for my soul is in great bitterness.

I will not refrain my mouth.] The word signifies to stop, inhibit or prohibit; Those writs which stay the process of inferior Courts, are called Prohibitions, and then no man may open his mouth more in that business, until the Prohibition be dissolved or taken off: I (saith Job) will not give myself a prohibition, I will not silence or suppress my sorrows: I will give my heart full liberty to meditate, and my tongue to speak out my sufferings: Being emptied of all my comforts, I will surely take my fill of complainings. It will be some ease to me, to make known how I am pained. I will not refrain my mouth. That word is used (Isa. 58. 1.) Cry aloud spare not; when the Prophet is commanded to tell the people of their sins, the Lord sets his tongue at liberty, spare not, thou art not silenced or limited, therefore, cry aloud; Theirs, were crying sins, and crying sins must have crying reproofs, loud sinners must not be whispered to, therefore, Cry aloud, spare not. I will not spare my mouth (saith Job) or refrain as we translate.

But I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, or in the straightness of my spirit; I am in a straight, I am pent in my spirit, and unless I let my spirit out, my heart will break; I must give it vent and air, I will speak in the anguish of my spirit.

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. The word rendered complain, signifies to meditate, and so, to speak upon meditation, or to speak deliberately. It implies, first, a forming and fashioning of what we would say in our thoughts; Thoughts are the moulds of our words. Job intends not rash speaking: what he intended to speak, should be molded, shapt and wrought in his heart, before brought forth by his tongue. Prayer is expressed by this word, because prayer ought first to be formed in the heart: Prayer is the manifestation of our desires to God; If the tongue speaks before the heart, before the heart makes up our requests, we take God's name in vain. Hannah takes up this word (1 Sam. 1. 16.) Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial, for out of the abundance of my complaint (or meditation, so the word is rendered) and grief, have I spoken. Hunnah was praying, her voice was not heard, only her lips moved which caused Eli to suspect and censure her for drunk or distracted; but she answers in words of turth and soberness, O my Lord, count not thine handmaid a daughter of Belial, for though my voice hath not been heard, yet I have been speaking out of the abundance of my complaint, that is, out of the abundance of my meditation; my complaints are not the work of my tongue, but of my heart, and my lips moved not, until my heart moved, my complaint is my meditation. Hence likewise that phrase of pouring out prayer, Psal. 142. 2. I poured out my complaint before him; He that pours out, must have somewhat, yea much within, where there is a constant stream, there also is a fountain, I poured out my complaint, or my complaining prayer; it is the same word here, I have gathered the bitter waters of sorrow into my own heart, and now I pour them forth in complainings.

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. What the bitterness of the soul is, hath been expounded already in the third Chapter, therefore I shall not stay upon it: It notes only the height or extremity of affliction. Bitter is opposed to unpleasant, as well as to sweet: In the bitterness of my soul: The affliction appeared most upon his body, but it afflicted him most in his soul. He speaks little of the pain of his body, in comparison of the trouble upon his spirit, he insists principally upon that, I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul, not in the pains of my flesh, or sufferings of my body; and yet that form of speaking, excludes not his sense and sensibleness of bodily pains, for a man may well say, his soul is in bitterness by reason of the pains of his body.

Being in this condition, we see what his remedy was, he falls a crying and a complaining before God, telling how it was with him.

Jobs complaints have been spoken of in former passages of the Book, and why he complains, hath been shown. An afflicted soul finds some ease, in complaining of affliction; To complain out of impatience, distrust and hard thoughts of God is very sinful; in that sense we must be silent, as David, Psal. 39. 9. when the hand of God was heavy upon him, I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it; in reference to the dealing of God with him, David had not a word to say; Our Lord Christ (the great pattern of suffering) was as a sheep before the shearer, dumb, and opened not his mouth, no impatient speech came from him. Though the grief of Job was very great, and so it might somewhat (as hath formerly been cleared) excuse the greatness of his complaint, yet, in this Job shown himself a man subject to like passions, as we are. Man thinks to get cure by complaining, but usually he gets a wound: What poor shifts are we poor creatures often put to? How often do we entangle ourselves because we are straightened? Though Jobs heart kept close to God in the main, though his spirit was preserved untouched of blaspheming, yet we find him touching too often, and too loud upon this string of complaining. He cannot be excused from some motions of impatience, while we hear him settling upon these resolutions to take his fill of, or to let loose the reins of his passion to complain, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Anguish is a very ill guide of the tongue. It must needs be troubled matter, which passion dictates. Observe further,

That when sorrow continues and hangs long upon us, it grows boisterous and resolute.

We have three wills in the text, as if Job had turned all his reason into Will, and his will into passion, I will not refrain; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul; He was grown to a kind of resolvedness in his sorrow. It is as unsafe for man (in this sense) to will what he doth, as to do what he will; we ought to will the will of God, but we must submit our own. We should not mourn over our afflictions, nor rejoice over our comforts, but as God wills. Yet in this, the will of Job was rather strong then pertinacious. He was not a man of that rough make, to oppose his will against the will and good pleasure of God, though that were a pain to him.

Having thus resolved to complain, he complains in this very high Language.

These are his first words, words full of deep complaint, like the sea, which, whether he was or no, he would be answered. Am I a sea? Tell me. His question is of like importance with that, at the 12. verse of the 6. Chapter, Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh brass? He expostulates with God, why hast thou laid such trouble upon me? Am I stone or brass that I should be able to bear it? And here like a sea swollen with bitter waters) in the bitterness of his soul he begins to break the bounds again, Am I a sea or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?

The sea and the whale are often joined in Scripture, Psal. 104. 25, 26. O Lord how manifold are thy works, &c. the earth is full of thy riches, so is the great and the wide sea, there go the ships, there is that Leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. Again, Psal. 74. 13. 14. Thou diddest divide the sea by thy strength, thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters, thou brakest the head of Leviathan in pieces.

But why doth Job speak this language? In brief, the meaning is this. The sea, you know, is a mighty boisterous and unruly creature, and the whale is the strongest, mightest and most dreadful creature in the sea; the greatest of the creatures, whether upon sea or land. The sea is the most boisterous of all the inanimate creatures, and the whale is the most boisterous of all living creatures: So that here Job gives instance in two creatures, which are the most head-strong, violent and out-ragious in the whole creation, The whale and the sea. And he sets forth his own weakness, by the Antithesis of these two creatures, surpassing all in strength with which God only is able to graple and encounter. And in asking, Am I a sea or a whale, he may be conceived to speak thus, Lord thou seemest to deal with me in a way beyond all thy dealings with the children of men; Thou carriest thyself towards me, as if I were more proud, heady, hard to be reclaimed, then any man in the world; thou seemest to take such a course with me, as with the unruly sea, and with the boisterous whale, to keep me in compass. He speaks as if God laid too heavy an affliction upon him, and took too strong a course to tame him, or, as if he might be more gently dealt with, and that God needed not prepare such bonds and fetters for him, or lay such law upon him, as upon the mighty sea, and the monstrous whale.

But for the words in particular.

There are three things in the sea, specially considerable, at which Job might have an aim here.

First, the turbulency of the sea; the sea is stormy and turbulent, so stormy and turbulent, that it threateneth to over-whelme all; to over-whelme the ships sailing upon it, to over-whelme the dry land encompassing it, and it would do both, if God did not bound it, if he had not said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further, and here shall thy proud waves be stayed; did not God put an everlasting law upon it, it would be lawless, Gen. 1. 10. the text saith, That the gathering together of waters, God called seas; God gathered them together, thrust them together into one place, and there set a watch upon them, put them in prison, bound them in chains, for he saw what an unruly element it was, and how soon it would disturb all, if left to it's own guidance. So Job 38. 10. He hath set bounds to it, bars and doors to keep it in. He locks and bolts it in by his mighty power. And then Jobs meaning may be this. Am I an over-whelming tyrant or oppressor, a swallower up of the poor, &c. that thou dost thus imprison and restrain me?

Secondly, there is a wonderful capaciousnesse in the sea: the sea is so big and broad, so extensive and vast, that it takes in all the waters that come off the land into it's bosom, and yet feels no access. And then his meaning may be thus conceived, Am I able to drink in all these floods of sorrow, and rivers of affliction, which are let out and unburthen themselves upon me?

Thirdly, the sea is of mighty strength, though we say, weak as water; water is a weak element in one sense, yet in another, water is a strong element, so strong, that it bears all down before it, and bears all the storms that rage upon it. And so his meaning is, am I able to bear continual tempest, perpetual tossings and agitations. Wilt thou ever let loose the winds and gusts of trouble to blow thus furiously upon me?

The word signifies any great and terrible creature, any monster whether of sea or land, but frequently, the whale; so Gen. 1. 21. God created great whales; and Lamen. 4. 3. The sea monsters, draw out their breasts; which some interpret the sea calf. It is taken also for the dragon, which lives partly upon the earth, and partly in the water (Deut. 32. 3.) their wine is the poison of dragons; and so Jer. 51. 37. But place it either at land or sea, it notes the most fierce, devouring and cruel of all living creatures. Our Translations understand it of that huge stupendous sea-monster, the whale or Leviathan, Am I a sea, or a whale.

The word signifies to watch a thing so narrowly, that it can neither escape, nor do hurt: for upon these two reasons, watches and guards are set, we are afraid some will run from us, that others will hurt us, therefore we set a guard upon them. In this last sense, Job specially meaneth it, Thou settest a watch over me, as thou dost over the sea and the whale. Why doth God set a watch over these? It is that the sea should not hurt thc earth, that whales and sea monsters should not hurt man, sailing upon the sea, or destory the lesser fishes swimming there.

In the 39th Psalm ver. 2. the word is used for setting a watch upon the tongue, I have set a watch (saith David) upon my lips, &c. A man sets a watch upon his lips, least he should speak a miss, or least he should do hurt or wrong in speaking, so (Ps. 141. 3.) the Psalmist desireth God to set a watch before his mouth, and keep the door of his lips, The tongue is a hurtful instrument, as the Apostle James describes it, a little member, which hath a world of iniquity in it: Therefore the tongue being so hurtful, it is a great part of grace, to keep a watch over it, and a great part of our duty to beg of God to set a watch upon it, that it may do no hurt, that it may not as a sea or a whale, swollow up our neighbors good name. Nehemiah (Chap. 4. 23.) made his prayer (a sweet conjunction) and set a guard or a watch; why was it? to keep off his wicked enemies from hurting him, and hindering the good work he had in hand.

Some translate it thus, Am I a sea or a whale, that thou shouldest inclose me in prison? It comes to the same sense, and the word signifies a prison in divers texts of Scripture: prisons are places of watch and guard, from whence there is no escape or getting loose. Job thought himself a man kept in prison, as offenders are, The sea is a prisoner shut within banks and walls: as a man in prison cannot go where he will, so neither can the sea. And the whale, of whom it is said, He takes his pastime in the sea, is, yet God's prisoner there. And the truth is, all creatures, are in the prison of providence, the limits whereof they can no more go beyond, then a man that is bound (as Peter) with two chains, and all the doors locked upon him. Especially afflictions are imprisonments, sickness is an imprisonment. A disease is sent like a Sergeant to attach a man: that shuts a man within his house, confines him to his chamber, and then binds him upon his bed, not to stir, till God give a release: sorrow is often called a Cord, Psal. 18. 4. The sorrows of death (the cords of death, as the Hebrew is) compassed me about; And Psal. 116. 3. The sorrows of hell (or the cords of hell) were about me. And in that sense Job speaks of himself, why dost thou arrest and cast me into prison, binding me with the cords of these sorrows and sicknesses. So he complains, Chap. 13. 27. Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly to all my paths, thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet. It is said of the woman (Luk. 13. 16.) that Satan had bound her eighteen years; she was bound with the cords of that infirmity, and kept as a poor prisoner those many years. From all we may collect the sense formerly hinted, that Job expostulates with God for using him, after the manner of a whale or a sea, as if he were a man so unruly, that nothing could tame and quiet him but such a severe course, as is used with beasts, or, as if he were a vexer and a devourer of his brethren, a very enemy to man-kind. Observe from hence.

First, in that Job saith, Am I a sea or a whale, that thou settest a watch over m • ?

The providence of God watches over all his creatures; All their motions are by his permission or commission, they stir, not but by his leave. The providence of God is his watch, and therefore it is called the eye of providence; and providence hath such an eye, as never sleeps nor slumbers; and therein lieth our security, that we have a providential eye open for us, when ours are shut and we asleep. Secondly, observe,

God expresses most care to keep those creatures from hurting man, which are most apt to hurt man. We see Job instances in these two by name, the sea and the whale, and tells us, that God puts a guard upon them, he watches the least creatures, but it speaks most security to man, to hear that these are under a watch. The Lord watches over all wicked men, that they should not hurt his people, but such of them as are most harmful, who are very seas and whales, men who would swollow and drown his people with a deluge of rage and malice, over these the Lord watches in a special manner. His eye of jealousy (which is always awake) is surely wakeful upon these. As the Lord hath a special eye upon the Saints to do them good, so he hath a special eye upon the wicked, that they do no hurt, or no more, then shall turn to good. Hence the Psalmist admonishes all, and it may have a particular application to wicked men, Psal. 32. 9. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. If the Lord sees men so brutish, that they will not be ruled by reason, he will rule them by rigor, He hath a whip for the Horse, a bridle for the Ass, and a rod for the fools back, (Prov. 26. 3.) A rocky shore for the sea, and a prison for the whale, rather then they shall come near to hurt his beloved people.

Secondly, note, That

Man in the passion, and distempered sinfulness of his nature, is like the sea or the whale. A cruel man is as hurtful, as the most hurtful creature. In the place before noted, while man is warned, Not to be as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding. It is intimated that many men are; and it is a truth, that all men left to themselves would be like unto a horse or a mule, yea like unto a sea or a whale in doing mischief. The Prophet (Isai. 57. 20) compares wicked men unto the troubled sea that cannot rest. There is not in the whole compass of nature, a clearer shadow of man's nature, than the sea.

First, The sea is very vast, and would (if let alone) be boundless, Man is naturally vast and boundless in his desires, he is never satisfied.

Secondly, The sea is unstable, always fleeting and moving, Gen. 49. 3. Dying Jacob characters Reuben thus, unstable at water: The heart of man is a moveable thing, ebbing and flowing forward and backward, tumbling up and down, as the vast Ocean.

Thirdly, The sea is often provoked with storms and tempests, it is the great stage, where the winds act their parts, and strive, as it is expressed in the Revelation. There are many winds striving upon the sea of man's heart continually, and therefore he is so boisterous, and so stormy; he hath winds within him, and winds from without him; The winds in his own bowels make the greatest commotions. The Apostle James questions (Chap. 4. 1.) Whence comes contentions and wars, and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts, that war in your members? Lusts are as boisterous winds in the soul, which make it unquiet and unruly; strong lusts and desires like strong winds; and contrary lusts and desires like contrary winds, contend upon this sea. Most men are (Tit. 3. 3.) serving divers lusts and pleasures, not only many, but divers, or divers not only in number, but in nature, one lust as a contrary wind, striving with another, and so making a storm in the heart. And this storminesse is caused also by an outward blast; Satan blows upon the heart, and the world blows: so that, till the holy Ghost breaths heavenly gales to overcome and blow down those storms raised by the blast of stronglusts and temptations, the soul will be ever like a sea tumbled up and down, or, as the Apostle Jude speaks (verse. 13.) like a raging wave of the sea, foaming out it's own shame.

And this is further considerable, that as the sea is most turbulent and tempestious, most loud and roaring about the banks, where it is restrained; so man is most boisterous, where he is kept in and stopped; if God do but set bounds to him by afflictions, he begins to rage at those bounds. It is that which Job (in a degree) complained of, he thought God would bind and bound him in by affliction, and he began to be somewhat unquiet in his shackles. But when God sets bounds to wicked men by afflictions, and hedges up their way with thorns, they are angry indeed, & their corruptions break forth the more, by how much the stronger banks are made against them. The great bank and bound, which God hath set up to keep the lusts of men from over-flowing all, his word and will, his laws and ordinances, by which he speaks to man, as to the sea, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; Against these banks, the hearts of men naturally rage most. How do their lusts roar and rise up against the holy and righteous will of God, there the foam of their corruptions is most wrought and cast up. As Paul himself acknowledged of his natural condition, Rom. 7. 8. Sin (saith he) taking occasion by the law, wrought in me, all manner of concupiscence, my lusts and corruptions were more mad, because they were more restrained, I was like the sea, which makes most noise at, and most assaults the banks which stay it. So ver. 13. Sin that it might appear sin, wrought death in me by that which is good; there was a good, a holy, and a righteous law set before me, but the baseness of my heart was such, that I was the worse, for that, which taught me what was good, and should have made me better.

Further, man is as a sea in this, he ever casts up mire and dirt when he is moved, corruption moves, every stirring stirs up the pudle of his heart. As he is a sea for largeness, so he is a very sink for filthiness, Isa. 57. 20. The wicked are like the troubled sea, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

Lastly, Covetous oppressors have a nearer resemblance to the sea in three things. They (as the sea) suck in all the rivers and streams of profit, which flow into them, from any part of the world, and yet are not filled.

Secondly, They (as the sea) wrack and over-whelme thousands, and are not at all moved with their out-cries.

Thirdly, They (as the sea) have huge treasures in their houses, yet all satisfies not their desires, they are as greedy, as if they were not worth a groat.

Look upon man, in the other comparison, He is a whale, a devourer. In the worst of bruits, you may see the picture of man's nature. They who have power to do what they will, and will do (when their advantage is in it) to the utmost of their power; These are your Leviathans upon dry land. Sennacherib was a mighty whale, gaping to swallow up the people of God, and therefore the Lord expresses his dealing with him in a word very suitable to this sense (2 King. 19. 28.) Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, &c. See how God uses him, Sennacherib came raging and threatening to swallow all up; God uses him like an unruly beast of the earth, or like a devouring fish of the sea, He puts a hook in his nose, It is said of Leviathan, that he scorns the hook and the angle, Job 41. Canst thou draw out Leviathan with an hook? implying that no hook, no tackle is strong enough to hold this sea-monster, but God hath a hook can hold him. Some men are like this sea-monster, no tackling of man's making will hold them, no power under heaven can stop them; then the Lord prepares his engines and inctruments, he can make a hook will catch Sennacherib the great whale, as if he were but a sprat, I will put my hook into his nose, and turn him about or pull him up.

What devouring enemies have come out against us, threatening to swollow, or, as the Moabites said of the children of Israel (Num. 22. 4.) to lick up all that were round about, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. Yea, they thought (as it is said of Leviathan) that they could draw up Jordan into their mouths, that is, remove the greatest difficulties, and overcome all opposition. But how often hath God put a bridle into the lips of the horse, and a hook into the nose of these whales?

Further, if we consider the words, as Job's question, in application unto himself, Am I a whale? Am I a sea? Observe,

Man is apt to have good thoughts of himself. Job would not be the whale, or the sea. Secondly note,

Man is apt to judge that God lays more upon him than there is need. Am I a whale or a sea? as if Job had said, Lord thou needest not deal thus strictly and severely with me, or bestow so much care to watch me. I would have come in at a call, thou needest not have bounded me with these afflictions, and put such a hook in my nose, a nod, or a beck would have fetched me in: Wise men suite their preparations to their occasion; we carry not out a piece of Ordinance to shoot at a fly, which we can kill with a phillip; so saith Job, Lord I need not all this, a little admonition, a little chastening, or a check should have reduced me, such are man's thoughts. But the most wise God, never lays more upon man, than he hath need of: when God straightens us with such afflictions, he seeth there is somewhat of the sea in us, he must bound us, somewhat of the whale in us, he must watch and bring us under. If we see God bestow more rods and blows upon us, we must conclude, we could not be without them; some apprehend, that such is Jobs meaning in the sixteenth verse, What is man that thou shouldest magnify him? as if he had said, it is too great an honor for man to be afflicted by thy hand. If we see a King make great provisions of war, to go out against an enemy, we say he magnifies the enemy. It is an argument they have great strength, against whom we prepare great strength. So Job, Lord thou magnifiest me, thou makest me to be looked at, as some powerful creature, a sea, a whale, against whom thou actest so much of thy power.

Job having, as he resolved, begun to complain of his sorrows, now amplifies them.

He amplisies his sorrows upon this general ground, because they were such, as he could not find any ease or abatement of, no not at any time, no not by any means; As if he had said, my grief and my pain is so remediless, that, neither artificial nor natural means give me any ease; those things, which have the greatest probability of refreshing, yield me none. He instances in those ordinary ways, which give sick and distempered bodies some abatement or intermission of their pains lying down upon their bed or couch; When I say, my bed shall comfort me, my chouch shall ease my complaint, As if he had said, while I was wrestling all day, and conflicting with my sorrows, I yet had some hope to find comfort at night, and that I should meet with rest in my bed, but my hope fails me ever: or while in the day time my thoughts are overburthened, and my spirit overwhelmed within me, I think sometimes to deceive my pains a little, by taking a nap or a slumber upon my couch; but alas, my pains will not be deceived, when I say, my bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint (I find instead of ease, farther trouble, and instead of comfort, terrors. For then) thou skarest me with dreams.

The word signifies to mourn and repent, as well as to comfort; because comfort usually follows holy mourning and repenting. Godly sorrow is the mother of spiritual joy.

In the words we have either that ordinary figure Prosopopeia, the fiction of a person, when acts of life and reason are ascribed to things without life; and so Job brings in his bed, as his friend speaking to him, when I say my bed shall comfort me, my bed and I will confer together, I am persuaded that will afford me a word of comfort: Or we may rather understand it by a Metonymy of the effect, when I say my bed shall comfort me; Comfort is the common and usual effect or benefit of lying down upon the bed: The bed is said to comfort, because ordinarily we find comfort in resting upon the bed; that being a means or instrumental cause of comfort, is called a Comforter.

The words are indifferently translated in Scripture, either for a bed, or for a couch; but if we take them distinctly, then the bed is the place, where we rest in the night, and the couch by day: When Job saith;

My couch shall ease my complaint; It notes his complaint or sorrow lay as a heavy burden, or weight upon him; for the word signifies to ease, or to lift up, or to ease by lifting up; if a man have a burden upon him, the way to ease him, is to lift it off from him; so Job here, I lie down upon my couch, with a burden of heavy sorrows upon me, God knows, hoping my couch will be a means to take off that burden a while, that I may have a little breathing, but (to my grief) I find, it doth not. The use of sleep, is to unburthen the spirit, and take off the load of cares; The word is used in that sense Gen. 4. 13. about the sin of Cain, which lay upon him as a heavy burden, My sin (saith he) is greater than can be forgiven (so some translations) or greater than I can bear, word for word thus; my sin is greater than can be taken off; Forgiveness is the taking sin off from us; it is the word here used for easing; my sin is greater than I can be eased of; as if Cain thought his sin a burden which the arm of mercy could not lift from his shoulders: Pardon is the easing of the conscience, sin the burthening of it; sin is a burden, and so is sorrow. My couch (saith he) shall ease my complaint, by taking off, or at least intermitting the troubles, which cause me to complain: or my couch shall ease me in my conplaint, when I am meditating, revolving and rolling my troubles up and down in my thoughts, then my couch and I am discoursing together, and reasoning out the matter, but no ease comes. We may observe from hence, first,

That a man in pain, expects ease from every change. My bed (saith Job) shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint, everything he sees raises his hope, every man that comes to him, he looks upon as a messenger of good news, I said, this shall help me, and that shall help me; surely if I had such a thing (saith a sick man) it would do me good, if I had such meat I could eat, if I had such drink, my palate would relish it, if I were in such an air, it would restore my health, and I should get up again. As a Be goes from flower to flower, to suck out somewhat, so man from instrument to instrument, from means to means, from bed to couch, still hoping to find relief or mitigation at least for his troubled mind, or pained body. Secondly observe hence,

That the most probable or proper means, are unable of themselves to give us any ease or comfort. What is fitter to give a man rest than a bed? what is more proper to give one refreshing than a couch? but Job goes to his bed in vain, and goes to his couch in vain, nor this, nor that, nor tother administered him any help. Creatures are not able of themselves to give out the comforts committed to them: Their common nature must be assisted with a special word of blessing, or else they do us no good. If God will command a bed to comfort us, it shall comfort us, if he will say to a couch, ease such a man's complaint, it shall ease his complaint; Job saith it, and his saying could not effect it: Nay, if God will say to a hard stone, give such a man rest, he shall rest and sleep sweetly upon it; when another shall not get a wink of sleep upon a down pillow: If God say to a prison, give such a man rest, he shall find rest there: if God speak to bonds and fetters, give such a man content and pleasure, he shall find not only contentment, but pleasure in bonds and fetters: if God say to flames of fire, refresh such as are cast into your arms, the fire will obey him, and refresh them: The most probable means cannot help us of themselves, and a word from God will make the most improbable means helpful to us, yea that which is destructive shall save us. For as God can create that good for us which is absent, so he can (as it were) uncreate the evil that is present; Providence can take away or suspend that hurting and destroying power which creation gave; no creature is able to help or to hurt, if God forbid and lay his restraint upon it. Bread cannot nourish, or clothes warm us, if he say they shall not; poison shall not kill, or fire burn us, if he say they shall not. Mans saying is but saying; God's saying is doing, Man may say to his bed, comfort me; to his riches and honors, content me; to his wife and children, please me; to wine and music, make me merry; he may lay his command, or send his desires to all creatures, and yet remain comfortless, contentlesse, mirthlesse. Pleasure it self will not please him, nor the having of his will, satisfy his mind at his own saying or biding. Observe in the fourth place;

That rest and sleep, are from the especial blessing of God. When I said to my bed, do it, the bed could not, sleep is not from a soft bed, or from an easy couch. Psal. 127. 2. For so he giveth his beloved sleep; that is, sleep with quietness, or extraordinary quiet refreshing sleep; which some have noted in the Grammar of the text; The Hebrew word Shena, for sleep, being with (Aleph) a quiet or resting letter, otherwise, than is usual in that language. He giveth sleep to his Jedidiaths, as the word is there, alluding to one of the names of Solomon, The Lord gives sleep sometimes as a love token to his beloved: The connection is somewhat obscure, the words before run thus, It is in vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrow, for so he giveth his beloved sleep; how is sleep a consequent of fruitless labor, and eating the bread of sorrow, these rather hinder sleep. Some refer it to the words of the first verse, Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the City, the watchman waketh but in vain, for so he giveth his beloved sleep, the Lord watches and takes a care of a City and family, and thus gives his people rest, and quiet sleep, they are not awakened with alarms or surprizes of the enemy: Others read it thus, for surely he will give his, &c. that is notwithstanding the ungodly are eaten up with cares to provide bread for themselves and families to eat, yet without fail, the Lord of his mere mercy will give food convenient to his people by their labors, and quiet sleep (which includes all inward contentments) with it. So Prov. 3. 24. Thou shall lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet; And Psal. 41. 3. there is a special promise made to the sick man, or to him, who hath been a comforter of the sick, The Lord will make all his bed in his sickness; that is, God will make his bed easy and comfortable in his sickness. When we cannot sleep, we use to complain of our servants, and say, sure this bed was not made to night, or it was ill made; no man complains his bed was ill made, when he hath slept well: That his people in such a case may be sure of rest, the Lord condescends to that low office, the making of their beds, Therefore we are to receive sleep as a matter of special blessing, coming from the hand of God; he makes the bed in sickness, and in health too; then bless God for rest, and not your beds. Though we know sleep is the portion of mankind and many times the worst of men have quiet and refreshing sleep; yet no wicked man ever slept upon the pillow of this promise, nor will God make the bed of the greatest Prince in the world, as such, which yet, he is ready to do for his meanest servant; common comforts, are to some special mercies. As some enjoy riches and honor by common providence, while others enjoy them by virtue of a special promise, so it is with sleep, He giveth his beloved sleep.

But what found Job upon his bed? Instead of sleep and rest, he found skaring dreams and terrifying visions as it follows,

As if he had said, I find myself altogether disappointed and deceived, instead of being comforted, I am skared, instead of being eased, I am terrified, my bed is to me as a very rack, and my couch my torment, or a little-ease.

Thou skarost me. The word signifies to be cast down prostrate to the ground with fear, or to be ground to powder with fear; And it is often rendered by that word, contrite, which notes, breaking of the heart by godly sorrow! such a breaking is upon me, thorough the dreams which fall upon me, in, and break my sleep; If I have any sleep, it is terrifying, and not refreshing sleep.

Thou skarest me with dreams. That word springs from a root signifying thick vapors; because sleep is caused by thick vapors ascending from the stomach to the brain, and closing up the senses; dreams usually come in that sleep, and the stronger and thicker the vapor is procuring sleep, the more we are subject to dream.

And terrifyest me thorough visions. In the fourth Chapter I had occasion to speak at large concerning visions, therefore I shall not here insist upon that point, but refer the reader thither; I shall only say thus much, that these were not † visions as those before treated of, for the revelation of any divine secrets, to enlighten the mind of man, but only visions of hellish horror, to darken and vex the mind of man. The Hebrew word signifies to see, whence the ancient Prophets were called (Chozim) Seers. Our english word Gaze, hath near affinity with it. And we call Starprophets (who pretend skill in predictions, from the visions of the Heavens) Stargazers.

Job had both dreams and visions, for in every dream there is somewhat of a vision; There are many visions without a dream, but there cannot be a dream without a vision; An image or similitude, is always represented to, or formed in the fancy, or else there can be no dream: Jacob dreamed (Gen. 28. 12.) and behold a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to Heaven. The vision here spoken of, was (I conceive) the vision of his dream, though some understand it of day or waking vision.

There is a twofold cause of dreams: There is an inward cause, and an outward cause. And

The inward cause of dreams is twofold:

• 1. The accidental motions of the fancy, of which a man can give no reason from any precedent agitation of mind or body.
• 2. The settled natural temperament and constitution of the body.

The external or outward causes, are usually according to the objects with which, or about which we are conversant in the day time, the impressions of these kept in the fancy, are formed into dreams at night; such as the desires or distempers of the mind are, such often are our dreams.

Or take it thus. Dreams may have a five fold cause.

First, The natural temper of the body, and so from the variety of constitutions, variety of dreams are shaped; Cholerick, or Melancholy, or Flegmatique, or Sanguin, produce their special dreams.

Secondly, Dreams are caused by the distempers of the body, either from intemperate drinking, or eating any kind of meat, or from the very eating (though moderately) of some meats, or from the diseases and sicknesses of the body; from this latter Jobs dreams were much increased, and Satan took the advantage to raise fumes, and stir the pudled humors of his body up into his brain, out of which his fancy formed terrible representations to his mind. As Melancholy is said to be the Devils bath, so are other diseased sickly humors; in them he sports himself, and vexes man.

Thirdly, There is a moral cause of dreams; such as the studies and businesses, labors and employments, cares and disquietments of a man are in the day, such often are his dreamings. As he works in the day, his fancy works in the night.

Fourthly, Dreams have a divine cause, and are immediately from God. The Scripture is full of instances, I need not stay upon them: Jacob had such a dream, Gen. 28. 16. and Jospeh had many dreams from God: Hence his brethren called him in scorn, The dreamer, or a Captain Dreamer, Gen. 37. 19. And not only have godly men dreams from God, but heathens also, Pharaoh and Nebuchnazzar, men of the earth received dreams from Heaven, of high concernment, revealing the counsels of God, concerning their own Kingdoms, and the latter about the state of all Kingdoms and Monarchies, till all the Kingdoms of the earth shall become the Kingdoms of that One, sole, Supreame Monarch, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Fifthly, There are diabolical dreams, dreams which are from the Devil: Not that the Devil of himself is able to cause a dream, he cannot stir the fancy in the night, or tempt in the day, but as he hath a power given him; but permitted, he causes sometimes sinful and fifthly dreams; as Augustine bewails in the tenth book of his Confessions: sometimes terrible and troublesome dreams, sometimes treacherous and deluding dreams. It is by some conceived, that the dream of Pilate's wife, Mat. 27. 19. was from the Devil: she comes to Pilate, and desires him to have nothing to do with that Just man: for (saith she) I have suffered many things this night in a dream, because of him. The reason why some conceive that dream was from the Devil, is this, because thereby Satan would have hindered the work of man's redemption, if Christ had not died, and so by saving him, would have destroyed us all. I will not assert this; but it is clear to the point in hand, that there are dreams from the temptations, motions and suggestions of the Devil, who hath a power over us, as God lengthens out his chain both day and night.

But, when it is said, Thou skarest me with dreams, what dreams were these, divine or Diabolical? Job speaks unto God, Thou skarest me with dreams: doubtless divine dreams had an influence upon his spirit, and left terrifying impressions there. But Satan having power to afflict Job which way he pleased, was instrumental here: and yet Job saith to God, Thou skarest me. As before, when Satan by his instruments took away all from him, he said, The Lord hath taken; so here, when Satan vexed him with visions, representing horrid and fearful spectacles, yet he saith; Thou skarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me with visions, as pointing still unto the power and providence of God, who hath all second causes, Satan and all, at his own dispose. Observe here, first,

That even our dreams are ordered by God. Though Satan be the instrument, yet we may say, Thou skarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me with visions. Job was not ignorant, that second causes had a great power upon the body, to produce dreams and nightly fancies; he was not ignorant, that the strength of a disease might do very much in this, and that Satan his former enemy was busy to improve the distempers of his body for the trouble of his mind: yet he overlooks all these (as he did before) and saith, Lord thou skarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me with visions. Dreams are in the hand of God: As our waking times are in the hand of God, so are our sleeping times: when we are sleeping we are in the arms of an ever waking Father: Satan hath not power to touch us, sleeping or waking, without leave.

Secondly, Ged can make our sleep an affliction. Jobs were skaring and terrifying dreams: Some dreams are for warning and admonition; The Lord warned Joseph in a dream: Some are for counsel and instruction, he revealed great things in dreams: Others are for comfort and consolation. Many a soul hath tasted more of heaven in a night-dream, than in many days attendance upon holy Ordinances. As the lusts of wicked men have dreams attending them, so also have the graces of the Saints. Jobs dreams were for terror and afflictions. Observe secondly,

Satan's desire of troubling poor souls, is restless. It is restless indeed, for he will not give them leave to rest, they shall not sleep in quiet, their very dreams shall be distractions, and their nightly representations, a vexation to them. Note further,

That (if God permit) Satan can make dreams very terrible to us. He can show himself in a dream, and offer ugly sights, extremely perplexing to the Spirit. He is able to cast himself into a thousand ill favor'd shapes, into horrid and dreadful shapes, he can clothe himself with what habit he pleases, if God give him a general Commission. And hence the devil terrifies, not only by temptations to the mind, but by aparitions to the eye, and is seen, at least conceived to be seen (especially by such as labor under strong diseases) like a Lion, a Bear, a Dog, gaping, grinning, staring: whence we say of any terrifying sight, it looks like a devil. We depend upon God, as for sleep, so for the comfort of sleep. Many lie down to sleep and their sleep is their terror. As that evil spirit (in the Gospel) went about seeking rest, but found none: So he hinders some, (and would more) from finding rest, when they seek it. Therefore bless God for any refreshing you have by sleep: Bless God when your dreams are not your skares, nor your beds your rack. See the effect, what deep impressions, dreadful dreams made in Jobs spirit, he was so affrighted with them, that he professes with his next breath.

So that my soul chooseth strangling.] He renews his former often repeated motion, but with a greater ardency; He not only prefers death before his troubled condition, but a violent death, and (in the opinion of some) the worst of violent deaths, strangling, which though it be not the most painful of violent deaths, yet it is looked upon as the most ignominious of violent deaths.

Some refer these words to the terror which Job had in his dreams and visions, as if they were so violent upon him, that they almost distracted him, and made him mad, that they even put him upon desperate thoughts of destroying himself: My soul chooseth strangling, that is, I am often tempted and almost prevailed with, to make myself away. The learned Physicians tell us, that their Patients have often attempted to destroy themselves thorough the terrors of dreams and visions.

Yet we may understand the word [strangling] only of natural and ordinary. Every death is a kind of strangling; and some diseases stop and choke a man even as strangling doth; so that, My soul chooseth strangling, may be taken in general, My soul chooseth death rather then life.

He puts the soul (as it is often in Scripture) for the whole man; and the sense of all is, as if he had said, If I might be my own chooser, if I might have my election, I would even take the worst of deaths rather than the life which now I live. My soul chooseth strangling.

If we take strangling for a special death, then here death is put in general; As thus, if strangling be too easy a death, let me die any kind of death, Death rather then life.

The Hebrew in the letter is, And death rather than my bones, which some render thus, And death rather than to be with my bones; To be with our bones is to live. Others make this choosing an act of his bones, My soul chooseth strangling and my bones death: that is, every part of me chooseth death, all vote for the grave, I have not a dissenting member, no nor a dissenting bone; when David prays, Psal. 6. 2. Heale me O Lord, for my bones are vexed; His meaning is, I am vexed quite through. And when he promiseth (Psal. 35. 10.) All my bones shall say, who is like unto the Lord, &c. his meaning is, that he will praise God quite thorough, soul and body. Again (Lam. 1. 13.) From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against me, that is, he hath utterly consumed me. So here the whole man is expressed by parts, soul and bones, or body and soul, that is, whether I consider the anguish of my soul, or the pains of my body, I desire to die.

Thirdly [Death rather then my bones;] because he had such sore putrefied and afflicted bones, painful bones: For when Satan desired a Commission to afflict him, he words it thus, Touch his flesh, and his bone, and he will curse thee to thy face: Doubtless Satan had gone as deep, as his commission; he had liberty to touch his flesh and his bone, and he did it: He vexed his very bones (as we say) my bones are ewen rotted and consumed, the sores and the putrifaction is sunk down into my marrow, I had rather have death than my bones; that is, than a body thus consumed and putrefied even to the very bones.

Yet further, some of the Hebrews give it thus; Death rather than my bones] because Job had nothing left him, but bones, he could not say my flesh, for his flesh was consumed: As we say, Such a man is nothing, but skin and bones, a very skelleton; I am nothing but bones, and I had rather die, than live such an Anatomy.

He closeth up his complaint, as he had often done before, with the tedium that was upon him, and the nauciousnesse of his life: I loath it, I am nothing but skin and bone, nothing but sores and boils, my life is a burden to me, I would not live always.

The word signifies the greatest aversation possible. God expresseth his greatest displicency of that, wherein the Jews were commanded to take their greatest pleasure, under this notion, Amos 5. 21. I despise your feasts; you think you keep solemn feasts, wherein I delight as much as yourselves, but I loath them, my stomach turns at every dish. The stomach closes with wholesome meat, and turns to it; that which is unwholesome, the stomach turns against, the sight of it causes loathing. Their feasts were of God's own appointment, and he used (in a sense) to feast with them, but their hypocrisy spoild the banquet. Job speaks of his own life, what the Lord spake of their feasts. I loath it, even as that meat which is most burthensome to the stomach. So Psal. 53. 5. Thou hast put them to shame, because God loathed them, or, because God despised them: They who are loathsome to God cannot long be honorable or acceptable among men.

The word is, I would not live to eternity; or, I would not live forever. Why, who can, if he would? Why should Job deprecate that, which was not attainable? I would not live always, he needed not trouble himself about that; (for he speaks of a natural life) it being impossible that he should. There is no fear of living always in this world, nor is there any hope of avoiding it in the next. Why then doth Job say, I would not live always. To live always or forever, is often used in Scripture, for a long time; The Ceremonies and institutions of the Jews were said to be forever, because they were long-lived, yet we know they are vanished and gone, That which continues as long as it should, continues always. So here, I would not live always, that is, I would not live long or I would not live out my full time, I had rather be cut off in the midst of my days, or in the midst of my years, than live to the end of them.

Let me alone.] Or cease from me; which is taken two ways, either, leave off to prolong and protract my days, cease from me so, do not stand by me, with thine assisting power to keep my life whole within me; I am ready to die, give me no strong-water or cordial, rather pull away my pillow, let me go: Or, Cease from me; that is, cease afflicting me, take off thine afflicting hand from me, do not any longer hold me in this woeful and sad condition, Cease from me. The world and time, while they continue are always ceasing, and therefore have their denomination from this word, which signifies co cease.

That's the ground of his prayer, why he requests God to cease from him, My days are vanity; why shouldst thou stay me longer in a vain shadow. If we take, Cease from me, or, let me alone, for the ending of his affliction, it is, as if he had said, my life is vanity, there is trouble enough in it; if thou givest me the greatest ease, that ordinarily a life can have, yet it is but a vain life, I need not have this super-addition or accumulation of sorrows upon me: Or, let me alone my life is vanity; why should I converse further and longer with vanity.

He saith not, my days are vain, but they are vanity. My days are Hebel, which signifieth a vain, light thing, a buble on the water, or a breath of the mouth, my days are but a breath, or a puff. The root imports, vanishing or disappearing, the still almost unperceiveable breath of a little infant, which will scarce move a feather. Alas, my days are fleeting and vanishing, vain, yea vanity, they have no consistency in them, O then cease from me, and let me do what vanity must, vanish out of sight. Hence observe,

First, That which a man loatheth, he longs to be rid of. I loath it, I would no live always. When a man loathes his sin, then he saith, I would not sin always. I would be eased of this burden of corruption, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death. When a man delights in sin, he would sin always, he thinks he can never have enough of sinning: it is so in any other instance; where once affection is alienated, we would be estranged, and taken off from conversation: We care not to be with that from which our hearts are departed. As soon as ever Amnon, had defiled, he loathes his sister, and as soon as he loathed her, he turned her out of doors, And Amnon said unto her, arise and be gone, 2 Sam. 13. 15. He that loathes his life, is glad when a door opens for it's departure.

I loath it, I would not live always. Secondly, observe,

Trouble makes a little time seem long. He had said before, that his life was swifter then a Weavers shuttle; now, I would not live always; O how long is my life, how tedious! He looks upon it, as if it were a kind of eternity, as if his life would never have an end, never be done, I would not live always. Paine makes every hour a day, and every day a month, and every month a year, yea an age. He thinks his life will never end, whose affliction doth not; he thinks he shall never die, because his troubles live. Every man is ready to say, he lives too long, when he lives not, as he would. The souls under the Altar cried out (Revel. 6. 10.) How long Lord, how long Lord, wilt thou cease to avenge, &c. of our good days we complain, How short Lord, how short? And of our evil days we cry out, How long Lord, how long? This is a long day, and this a long night indeed, this is a long fit, this a lasting affliction. As the eternity which we shall have in heaven, is the longest, so it is the shortest; Eternity is longest in regard of duration, but it is shortest in regard of apprehension; The eternity of heaven shall be to us, no more tedious than a minut or a moment. Eternity is so full of pleasure and satisfaction, that it breeds no fullness of it self: living at the well head of comfort, in immediate communion with God by Jesus Christ, our comforts renew as much as they continue; whence freshness of appetite, and fullness of satisfaction, are perpetually interchangeable. The joys of that estate are so many, that the years seem but few. Eternal joy makes eternity, but as a moment, as eternal pain will make every moment an eternity.

Thirdly, Observe; forasmuch as Job saith, I would not live always; he intimates, that there is such a desire in some men; for he speaks of a life in this world;

There is a principle in man, drawing out his heart in desires, to live always in the world. I (saith Job) would not live always; let others make that their choice, if they will, I will not. Most are very greedy of that commodity, and would not part with it upon any terms: and no wonder, for (as the Psalmist describes them) They have their portion in this life; He that hath his portion in this life, would ever have this life; he that hath nothing beyond this world, would never go heyond the world. Such must needs be all for life, all for the world, because these are their all. You shall never come to a worldly man, and find him in a mind to die, Let orhers take heaven, he is contented with his earth; let others make their best of the next life, the present shall serve his turn.

From the reason of this request, My days are vanity, Observe;

The life of man is a vain life. Vanity hath two things in it, whereof the one may seem quite contrary to the other; it hath emptiness in it, and it hath fullness in it; it hath emptiness of comfort, and fullness of vexation; that's the right vanity, Vanity with vexation of spirit; My days are vanity, they are empty of good and full of evil.

Four ways, the vanity of man's days may be demonstrated.

First, they are vain comparatively: So our days are more then vain, or less then vanity, for they are nothing, Psal. 39. 5. Mine age is nothing before thee. As in comparison of God (Isa. 40. 15. 17,) The Nations are as the drop of a bucket, &c. they are vanity, yea they are nothing, yea they are counted to him less then nothing; So our days are vain, they are nothing but vanity, they are less than vanity, or nothing; Nothingnesse is the substance of vanity, and all troublesomenesse is the accident of it. We cannot form up an apprehension of our life, so little as it is, we cannot reach so low in our thoughts, as the bottom of man's vanity, in either notion. As we are not able to raise our hearts so high, as the excellency of that estate, which we have by Christ; no man's thoughts are bigg enough, or can be, to comprehend or to take in that: So we cannot little our thoughts enough to consider the estate, sin hath brought us into; therefore it is said, to be as nothing, and less than nothing, and how little that is, which is less then nothing, no man can proportion.

Secondly, our days are vanity, because they are so inconstant and changeable, so subject to motion and alteration. That's a vain thing which is ever upon it's change. That which sets the glory of God highest in opposition to the vanity of the creature, is, That with him there is no variableness, nor shadow of turning, Jam. 1. 17. or, shadow by turning; some translate it so, no shadow by turning, because the Tropique or turning of the Sun makes the shadow: while the Sun is in the Zenith, that is, directly over our heads in the highest point of the heavens, we cast no shadows. Now the Lord never turneth, he is ever fixed at a point, and so makes no shadow; or thus, as we render it, no shadow of turning; that is, not only is there no turning in God, but there is not so much as a shadow of it, not so much as the least imagination of a shadow. This sets up the glory of God highest: And in opposition to this point of highest perfection in God, lies the lowest point of the creature vanity: that in them there is nothing but turning, in them there is nothing but variableness, and the substance of turning. The fashion of the world passeth away, it is ever passing, never standing at a stay. It is more then passing, it is posting from stage to stage, night and day. As the nature of man contains the seeds and principles of all things in the world (and is therefore called a little world.) So his nature contains the seeds and principles of all the changes in the world. Therefore his days are vain.

Thirdly, the vanity of these days appears in this, because they are unsatisfying days. That's a vain thing, which doth not satisfy; for vanity is emptiness, and emptiness can never fill: our days are but as a dream. And what is spoken in Isaiah (Chap. 29. 8.) concerning the dreamer, is verified of a mere natural life, It is saith the Prophet, As when a hungry man dreameth, and behold he eateth; but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or, as when a thirsty man dreameth, and behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh and behold he is faint; neither hunger nor thirst can be appeased by dreams, satisfaction comes not in at the door of imagination. Our days of themselves can give us no more satisfaction, no better a break-fast, then a dream of meat and drink doth to a hungry, or a thirsty man. All creatures are not able to fill one. There is a satisfaction which comes to us thorough the creature, but the creature doth not satisfy: God can make anything satisfy, the least of his creatures shall fill the greatest. He can give us as much, as we expect from them, that is, look what satisfaction a man would have from a creature, that God can give when he pleaseth: But the days of man are vanity in this, because we cannot take this satisfaction ourselves from the creature; neither is any creature able to give it us. When creatures have done their best, we are hungry and restless still, empty and unsatisfied still. There is no rest till we return to God, or till God turn his face to us.

Fourthly, the vanity of our days appears in this, that they are deceiveable days; that's very vain to us, which deceives us. And in this the great vanity of the creature consists: it promiseth much and performeth nothing. Great promises are made, and hopes are raised very high: Riches will tell us, what they will do for us; and honors will tell us, what they will do for us, and how happy they will make us; and the wine will tell us, O how that will refresh us, and the sweet and the fat will tell us, how they will fatten us. All these make golden promises, but leaden performances. They cannot make good what they promise, unless they can, with evil. As Satan said to Christ, when he had not so much as a shoela • chet to dispose of, All this will I give thee: So the creature joining with our hearts, makes wonderful promises of high content, and then leaves us most discontented, This is vanity and vexation of man's spirit. If the creature were not so free to enter bond, and give us security, for the payment of great good, it would not be so ill with us. If the creature would say directly to us, it is not in me, as Job brings in the creatures disclaiming wisdom (chap. 28.) The sea saith, it is not in me; and the earth saith, it is not in me; So if creatures would speak plainly, comfort is not in us, help is not in us, satisfaction is not in us, and so tell us how vain they are, their vanity were less to us, though the same in it self. It is worse to be deceived of good, then to want it.

Surely (saith David of this life) every man walketh in a vain show, Psal. 39. 6. there is a show of this, and that, and the other thing a promise of it, but it is a vain show, it is but like a Pageant, which feeds the eye, and delights the fancy, or pleases the ear, but passeth away, and leaveth you as empty as before. In the fifth verse of that Psalm, the inventory of man's temporal estate is summed up, and the total amounts but to this, Every man at his best estate is altogether vanity; and least any should think he hath miscounted, an affirmation is prefixed; Surely, every man at his best estate is altogether vanity; Every man is vanity, and every man is vanity at his best estate: not only in his afflictions and in his losses, in his troubles and in his sorrows, such as Job now was in; but take a man in the height, and perfection, and accomplishment of all creature comforts and accrewments: take the cream, the pith, the marrow, the sweetness of all; extract a quintessence of all that can be had in creatures, all is vanity, Man at his best estate is vanity, yea altogether vanity.

When Cain was born, there was much ado about his birth, I have got a man-child from God, saith his mother, she looked upon him as a great possession, and therefore called his name Cain, which signifies a possession; But the second man, that was born into the world, bare the title of the world vanity; his name was Abel, which is the word here used; They called his name Abel, that is, vanity: a premonition was given in the name of the second man, what would or should be the condition of all men. Psal. 144. 4. there is an allusion unto those two names; we translate it, Man is like to vanity, the Hebrew is, Adam is as Abel; Adam (you know) was the name of the first man, the name of Abel's father; but as Adam was the proper name of the first, so it is an appellative, or common to all men; now Adam, that is man, or all men, are Abel, vain, and walking in a vain shadow.

And this word is by some translated, nothing, his days are nothing, Idols are nothing; time is but the Idol of eternity, and things temporal, but the Idol of things eternal. This word signifies in the Hebrew, an Idol and a vain thing: Deut. 32. 31. Jer. 2. 5. the word Abel, is translated Idol; and the Apostle (1 Cor. 8.) tells us, that an Idol is nothing in the world, that is, an Idol is the vainest thing in the world, or the greatest vanity: So that upon the matter, our estate and our days here are but an Idol, that is, the representation of a thing which is not; so much vanity and folly, so much trouble and sorrow, so much affliction is mixed with the days and life we now lead, as A nothing is all it can justly be called, or an Idol, a show, of what is not.

And therefore we may well make it an argument (as Job here) to take us off from the world, and to chide worldlings with, as David did (Psal. 4.) O ye sons of men, how long will ye love vanity! or as Solomon about that adored Idol of the world, riches, (Prov. 23. 5.) wilt thou set thine eyes (or as the Original) wilt thou cause thine eyes to fly upon that, which is not. An Eagle will not catch flies (that's no game for her) much less will she make a flight at nothing, when there is no game sprung at all. And wilt thou make a flight with thy heart (for the eye which Solomon chiefly intends, is the eye of the soul) when nothing springs before thee, but, that which is not.

To close this point, if the creature be so vain, and the days of man be vanity, let us set our eyes and hearts upon that which is, something, upon that which is all, upon that which is lasting, upon that which is everlasting, upon that which is true, upon that which is truth, upon that which will not deceive, upon that which cannot deceive, upon that which will be more in fruition, then ever it was in expectation.

The excellency of that estate we have in spirituals, consists in this, that as it promiseth much, so it performeth much, and rather more than it promiseth; a believer finds himself satisfied in Christ, beyound expectation; the soul did not expect so much as it finds: As the Queen of Sheba coming to Solomon, had satisfaction beyound report and promise, so shall all who come to Christ; he makes us large promises, and if we believe, we shall find larger performances: We shall, at last, say, that the half of those good things which we now enjoy, were not told us in the promises: God hath laid up all good in his word, but our thoughts are not able to take out the extent of those good things; Hence it is said, that when Christ appears, He shall come to be admired in his Saints; things shall be so far beyound their apprehension, that they shall be all in admiration.