Exposition of Job 22-26
Again we may expound this act of seeing with reference to the object seen; and so it imports 2 things; first, the certainly of their fall: wicked men shall undoubtedly be destroyed, and there shall be eye-witnesses, honest and faithful witnesses, testifying their destruction; The righteous shall see it, and report it to after generations.
Secondly, As seeing notes the certainty of their fall, or the evidence and clearness of it, so the publiquenesse of it; That which is done to the eye, is done openly. What the justice of God doth against the wicked shall not be done in a corner, but as upon the house-top. The reading of the Septuagint is full to this sense; They shall be made public examples. It is the care of just and wise Magistrates, not only to punish malefactors, but to punish them openly, That so all may see and fear and do no more presumptuously. There are three special reasons why offenses are punished; and the Greeks express each punishment by such a word as carrieth a distinct signification of those reasons. First, Some are punished, that themselves may amend and better their manners; This they called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . Secondly, Others are punished, to repair the honor or maintain the dignity of those against whom they have offended, lest if such should escape without condign punishment, authority should be contemned, grow cheap, or be lightly valued; This they called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . A third sort were punished for example, that others might be deterred from doing the same things, lest they also incur the same sufferings; This was called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , As much as to say, the holding of a man forth in his sufferings to the open view, that he may be seen of all men, and that all may be warned to avoid his error. And thus the Lord who is the righteous Judge of all the world punisheth wicked men. The same word is used by the Evangelist Matthew (Chap. 1.19.) Joseph being troubled that Mary was with child (for he knew not the mystery of hir over-shadowing by the Holy Ghost) was minded to put her away secretly, and would not make her a public example; He was unwilling to bring her to justice, or that others should see either her (supposed) sin or punishment. But as God doth work many glorious salvations for his people, that the wicked may see it, and be ashamed; so he brings many visible destructions upon the wicked, not only that the righteous may see it and rejoice, or be glad (which act follows next to be opened) but that the wicked may see it and tremble to do wickedly.
Hence observe.
Not only do they feel wrath upon themselves, but others see it; The Lord sometimes chastens his own people in the view of the world, and sets them up as examples of his fatherly displeasure. Thus Nathan speaks in the name of the Lord to David (2 Sam 12.12.) Thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing, (what thing? I will afflict and chasten thee for this great offense) before all Israel, and before the S • nne; that is, in plain and clear light; Though thou hast done this evil in the darkness ot many close contrivances, yet I will draw the curtain and make the penal effects of thy sin as conspicuous as the actings of thy sin have been close and covert. Again ( Numb. 25.4.) when the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab, and Israel had join • d himself unto Baal peor, so that the Anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel; Then the Lord said to Moses, take all the heads of the people, (that is, the capital offenders, or chief rulers, who gave way, or at best gave no stop to such wickedness) and hang them up before the Lord against the Sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. To hang them up before the Sun, is a phrase of speech importing the publicknes of their punishment (as it is said of the seven Sons of Saul, that they were hanged on the hill before the Lord, 2 Sam. 21.9.) for caution unto all; whatsoever is done in the fight of all, or so that all may see, is said (in the Language of the Jews ) to be done before the Sun. To which sense also we may interpret that vision of the Prophet Zechariah (Chap. 5, 6. 9, 10, 11.) at the 6 th verse we read of an Ephah, and this lift up (ver. 9 th ) between earth and heaven; the Ephah was a measure of dry things among the Jews: and in that vision it signified that the sin and punishment of the Jews were measured and proportioned; This Ephah being lifted up and carried, I (saith the Prophet) said whether do these bear the Ephah, (ver. 10.) And he said unto me, to build it an house in the land of Shinar, and it shall be established and set there upon her own base; The building it a house in the land of Shinar (that is, in Babylon ) signified the lastingnes or continuance of their sin in the sad consequents of it, their punishment and banishment in strange lands, not for the space of seventy years only, as by the Babylonians, but (as some of the Learned expound the vision) for many seventyes by the Romans: and as this Ephah had a house built for it, noting the setlednes and dur • tion of the Judgment which should come upon them for their sin; so also it was set upon its own base, to signify the notoriousnes or conspicuousnes of the Judgment, it being as a house set upon pillars for all to behold and take notice of: as we see fulfilled to this day, since the first overthrow of their estate by Titus Vespatianus, and their final dispersion by Aelius Adrianus. There are, I grant, other conceptions about that vision, but as this suits well with the point in hand, so with the calamitous state of that people to this day.
And thus the Lord threatened the King of Tyrus (Ezek. 28.17.) Whose heart was lifted up because of his beauty, and who had corrupted his wisdom by reason of his brightness. Now what will the Lord do? what course will he take with him? The next words inform us; I will cast thee to the ground, and I will lay thee before Kings, that they may behold thee; He doth not say, I will cast thee into the ground, but to the ground, and lay thee before Kings; that is, thou shalt he a spectacle for all the Kings of the Earth, that they may behold as what thy pride and self-confidence have brought thee to, so what their own (if they tread thy path) either will or justly may bring them unto. Thus also in the 7 th verse of Jude, Epistle, the Apostle saith, that Sodom and Gomorrhah, and the Cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of Eternal fire. The Judgments of God are not only punishments to them who went before, but premonotions to them who come after.
Here is the effect which that sight wrought upon the righteous; The eye affects the heart, and the heart is affected suitably to the object, either with joy or with sorrow. The destruction of men is a sorrowful object, and therefore we might rather expect that the righteous beholding it should be affected with sorrow but the Text affirms a direct contrary effect of this fight; The righteous see it, and are glad.
Hence observe.
It is the duty of the Saints to mourn with them that mourn, and to rejoice with them that rejoice (Rom. 12.15▪) But then we must understand these mourners and rejoycers to be such as themselves are. Saints must mourn with mourning Saints, and rejoice with rejoicing Saint. The godly are not bound either to joy the joys, or sorrow the sorrows of the wicked. The judgments of God upon the wicked have a twofold effect eminently noted in Scripture. First, they cause fear; and secondly, they cause joy. When exemplary justice was to be done (according to the law of Moses) upon presumptuous transgressors, it is said, ( Deut. 13.11.) All Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness. David (Psal. 64.) having complained to God in prayer of the cruelty of his enemies, and begged protection from their malicious practices, grows up to much assurance, that down they must ( v. 7, 8.) But God shall shoot at them with an arrow, suddenly shall they be wounded; and then ( ver. 9.) All men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God, for they shall wisely consider of his doings. Thus fear is the issue of divine judgment; And yet joy is the issue of them at the 10 th verse of the same Psalm; The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in him, and all the upright in heart shall glory. Fear is a common effect; All men shall fear; Gladnes, faith and glorying, (which is faith triumphant) are peculiar to the upright, when the arrow of God wounds the wicked. We have this double effect again expressed upon the same occasion (Psal. 107.42.) He poureth contempt upon Princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way; but he sets the poor oh high; the righteous shall it and rejoice. What shall they see? not only the Godly poor set on high, but ungodly Princes filled with contempt, that's part of the spectacle which the righteous shall behold and beholding rejoice; yet this is not all, for it follows; And all iniquity shall stop her mouth; The abstract is put for the concrete, iniquity for men of iniquity: And so the meaning is men of iniquity, or wicked men shall stop their mouths; their mouths shall be stopped With shame and fear, they shall have nothing to say when the Lord doth this; They shall not mutter a word against the works of God; but as Hannah speaks in her Song (1 Sam. 2.9.) shall be silent in darkness. A like report raiseth the hearts of the people of God into a holy merriment ( Psal. 97.8.) Zion heard, and was glad, the daughters of Judah rejoiced. What was the matter? what good news came to Judah? what to Zion? the Text resolves us; Because of thy judgments O Lord: The answer is not, because of thy mercies, or because of thy goodness O Lord, but because of thy judgments, and those were dreadful ones ( ver. 3.) A fire goeth before him and burneth up his enemies round about. Confounded be all they that serve graven Images, &c. ver. 7. Zion heard of it, and was glad. Once more ( Psal. 58.10.) The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance, he shall wash his feet in the blood of the ungodly. Not that the righteous delight in blood, or proudly insult over the worst of enemies; The Psalmist doth only in hyperbolical strains of Eloquence, borrowed from the language of triumphant conquerors, express a complete and glorious victory. The style is of the same signification with that ( Psal. 68.23.) That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of the dogs in the same. When so much blood is shed that the foot may be dipt and washed in it, that dogs may lap it up like water, this argues a great destruction, and when the wicked are thus destroyed, the righteous shall rejoice.
But here it may be queried, What matter of joy is this? why should the righteous rejoice in the sorrows of the wicked? is it not alike sinful to be troubled at the joys, and to rejoice at the troubles of our brethren? The light of nature condemns rejoicing over those who are in misery; and we have an express Scripture against it ( Pro. 24.17.) Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth. And David puts it among the sins of his enemies ( Psal. 35.15.) In my adversity they rejoiced. And he professed ( ver. 13.) that when they were sick his clothing was sack clothe, and that he humbled his soul with fasting. David was so far from rejoicing when his enemies were ruined, or dead, that he mourned when they were but sick, and would not eat, when they could not. And as David's holy practice denied it, so doth Solomon's divine precept; Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth. How then shall we reconcile these Texts?
I answer, there may be a rejoicing at the afflictions and troubles of others, which is not only unbecoming and unseemly for the righteous; but very sinful. As
First, To rejoice, and be glad, merely because an enemy is fallen into misery, is both unseemly and sinful. And so we are to understand Solomon's Proverb; Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth. Some understand this of falling into sin. He makes himself a sinner indeed, who rejoiceth because another hath sinned. He that rejoiceth because another hath sinned, rejoiceth (upon the matter) because God is dishonored. Such joy is a kind of thanksgiving for Satan's victory. But as to rejoice because another falls into sin, is the worst fall into sin; so to rejoice merely because an enemy falls into misery, is worse then our own falling into misery. He shows that he hath not the heart of a man in him, who is glad at the misery of any man, And he who rejoiceth thus when his enemy falleth, doth himself fall much worse. The ruin and downfall of an enemy (suppose him the vilest enemy) considered in it self, is meat and drink to none but revengeful and envious spirits. David was much troubled and chargeth it as an extreme piece of folly upon himself, Because he was envious at the foolish when he saw the prosperity of the wicked (Psal. 73.3.) Now it is an issue flowing from the same principle, purely to envy the prosperity and purely to rejoice in the adversity of the wicked. Nero was justly reckoned a monster among men, who could sing when himself had set Rome a fire: And they have some-what of a Neronian spirit in them, who can sing when they see their enemies consuming in the fire. God delights not in the misery of man (as it is misery upon man) nor do they, who are taught of God.
Secondly, As to rejoice or be glad at the destruction of enemies, merely because they are destroyed; so to rejoice upon private ends or respects, because they being taken out of the way and removed out of the world we hope to have more scope and room in the world for ourselves; or because we hope to step into their places, to fit down in their seats, to possess ourselves of their lands and riches, to fill ourselves with their spoils; upon this account to rejoice when wicked men fall, when the Lord pours out contempt upon Princes, (because (I say) we hope to be gainers by it) is altogether uncomely for the righteous. Let the righteous take heed to themselves, that they be not found thus rejoicing in the calamities of the wicked. They who do so are either but pretenders to godliness, men who are only of the faction of the righteous (for though they who are righteous indeed are far from a faction, yes there are a sor • of men, who profess righteousness as if it were nothing but a faction, now (I say) they who thus rejoice are but either of the faction of the righteous) while they are really of the number of the wicked, or if they are really righteous who do so, (and I confess that a righteous man may do so, David (which was acting the counter-part) envied their prosperity, and by the same reason any godly man may be acted out in joy at their adversity, but now (I say) if they who are really righteous do so) we must conclude them under a sore temptation, and they will at last conclude of themselves as David did in the counter-case, Psal. 73.22.) so foolish have we been and ignorant, even as a beast before thee.
You will say then, how may or do the righteous rejoice when the ungodly fall, and not fall into sin themselves.
I answer, First, The righteous rejoice at the fall of the wicked, as blessing God who hath kept their feet from those ways in which the wicked have fallen; As 'tis a great mercy to be kept out of those ill ways, to be kept from fiding with those corrupt interests, in the pursuit of which we see many broken; so 'tis a duty to rejoice that we have not walked in their way whose end we see to be nothing else but destruction.
Secondly, The righteous have cause to rejoice & bless God when they see the wicked fall, because themselves are saved, & keep their standing; because themselves have escaped the danger, and the Lord hath been a banner of protection over them in the day when the wicked fell. Moses after the destruction of Amalek built an Altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-Nissi (Exod. 17.15.) that is to say, The Lord is my banner. And in like cases the joy of the Saints is not properly in the destruction of the wicked, but in their own deliverance, through the mighty power & good hand of God with them. It is the presence of God with them, the appearance of God for them, which is the gladness of their hearts.
Thirdly, The righteous then rejoice, because the Church and people of God are in a fair way to peace; when the Lions are destroyed, the sheep are in safety; when the Wolves and the Bears are cut off, the flock rests quietly; so in this case when men of devouring cruel spirits, wicked and ungodly ones, are removed, the flock of God, the sheep of his pasture feed quietly, none making them afraid. The fall of the enemies of Zion, is the establishment of Zion; yea in a great measure of mankind. As the Prophet most elegantly sets it forth ( Isa. 14.6, 7, 8.) He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the Nations in anger, is persecuted and none hindereth; The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing, yea the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and the Cedars of Lebanon, saying, since thou art laid down no feller is come up against us. How often have wicked men in power felled not only the Fir-trees and Cedars of the world, but the goodly trees of righteousness in the Lord's plantations; have they not therefore reason to sing when such fall, seeing the Fellers themselves are then felled and fallen.
Fourthly, Joy ariseth to the righteous, because God is honored in the fall of wicked men; And that's their chiefest joy. That God is honored is more joy to the righteous, then that themselves are saved, how much more then, then that the wicked are destroyed. There is a threefold honor arising to God when the wicked fall.
First, God is honored in his justice; such a day is the day of the declaration of the righteous judgment of God; as the Apostle speaks of the great day of Judgment ( Rom. 2.5.) Thou after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up to thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Some do even question the justice of God when wicked men prosper, but he is vindicated in his justice when wicked men fall; It cannot but please righteous men, to see the righteous God exalted, or God exalted in his righteousness. They know and believe that God is righteous, when the wicked prosper ( Jer. 12.1.) But when the wicked are punished, they proclaim his righteousness, Then they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy ways thou King of Saints. Who shall not fear thee O Lord, and glorify thy Name, &c. for thy Judgments are made manifest, (Rev. 15.3, 4.) The Lord is always alike Just, but it doth not always alike appear how just he it. And as, that God is just is the faith and stay of the Saints, so the appearances of his justice are their joy and triumph.
Secondly, God is honored much in the attribute of his truth; in the truth of his word, in the truth of his threatenings, when the wicked are punished. God hath spoken bloody words concerning wicked men; not only in reference to their future estate in the next life, but to their present estate in this. Say to the wicked it shall be ill with him, the reward of his hands shall be given him. But what is this reward? There are two sorts of rewards; First, rewards of love and favor according to the good which we have done; Secondly, rewards of wrath and anger, penal rewards, according to the evil which we have done. Now when the Lord puts these penal rewards into the hands of the wicked, or pours them upon their heads, he is honored in his truth as well as his justice, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. As the promises are yea and Amen (2 Cor. 1.20.) so also are the threatenings, unto the glory of God by us. But as when David saw his life in danger every day, he began to question the truth of God, in the promise, that he should live to reign and fit upon the throne of Israel; for saith he ( Psal. 116.11. when things went thus with him) I said in my hast all men are liars, even Samuel among the rest, who assured me of the Kingdom by express message from God, but surely he also is deceived, and hath fed me with vain hopes. Now as these words of David according to our translation of them, and the truth of the thing in frequent experiences, show, that Godly men are apt to question the truth of the promise, when themselves are by seemingly contradicting providences much afflicted; so they are apt to question the truth of the threatenings when they see outward providences prospering the wicked; Therefore when the threatenings have their actual yea and Amen, that is, when they are executed upon the ungodly, this also is to the glory of God by us, that is, God is glorified by all his people, who hear of it in the truth of what he hath spoken. Again, as God is magnified in the truth of his threatenings, when any particular wicked man is punished; so when common calamities come upon the wicked, the truth of God or God in his truth is magnified two ways. First, As such calamities are a fulfilling of many Prophecies; secondly, As they are the answer or return of many prayers. The vengeance which falls upon the Enemies of the Church of God is drawn out by prayer, Luke 18.7, 8. And there is nothing wherein God is more honored, then when prayer is answered; For as therein he fullfills our wants, so his own word; Who hath not said to the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain.
Thirdly, When the wicked fall the Lord is honored in the attribute of his power; How great is his power, who pulls down great power? It argues the Almightiness of God, when he puts the mighty from their seats: when the Oaks and the Cedars, when the high walls and mountains are shaken and removed by his blows and batteries. When Pharaoh and his Egyptian host were drowned in the red Sea; Then Moses magnified God in his power ( Exod. 15.2.) The Lord is my strength and song (that is, I will sing of the strength of the Lord, not of the strength of man) he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my fathers God and I will exalt him.
In these three attributes, Justice, truth, and power, God is honored, when the wicked are destroyed, and therefore it cannot be uncomely for the Saints to rejoice when they are destroyed. The Lord by his Prophet assures the Church his Jacob that all the enemies thereof shall be scattered. ( Is. 41.15.) Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument, having teeth, thou shalt thresh the Nations & beat them small, & shalt make the hills as chaff, &c. The mountains & th ••• lls to be threshed, were the mighty ones of the earth, setting themselves against the ways and designs of heaven. The Instrument or flayle wherewith they were to be threshed was the worm Jacob (ver. 14.) God did not so much make an Instrument for the worm Jacob, as he made the worm Jacob his Instrument. Behold, I will make thee, (not for thee) a new threshing Instrument; But when the worm hath done this great work, when he hath threshed the mountains, and made the hills as chaff; What must he do then? The 16 th verse tells, Thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shalt glory in the holy One of Israel. Glorying is more then rejoicing: Glorying is a kind of rapture or ecstacy of the soul. As there is an ecstacy of Infatuation, so there is an ecstacy of Gratious admiration. Fools and madmen are besides themselves for want of reason; the wisest and best of men, are besides themselves through the abundance of the Grace of God in them, and the abundance of the goodness of God towards them. When the goodness of God acted mightily towards us, meets with the Grace of God acting mightily in us, we are lifted up so far out of ourselves, that we can see nothing in ourselves, and then in whom or in what can our rejoicing be, but in the Lord the holy one of Israel.
This joy is not, First, the joy of the Epicure; A sensual joy, in wine and belly-cheare, in eating the fat, and drinking the sweet, in carnal merriments & music; nor is this, secondly, a cruel joy in the ruin and destruction of men, which the Prophet rebukes ( Obad. v. 12.) Thou shouldest not have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction. Nor is this, thirdly, a proud joy, or a joy of ostentation, when men spread their plumes, and publish their own wisdom, greatness and power; nor is it, fourthly, a covetous joy, such as theirs is who are glad because they have filled their purses, enriched their families, and their hand hath gotten much; Nor is it lastly, a secure joy, because when evil men are cast down we hope to fit warm and well, safe and quiet upon their ruins; But this joy consists; first, in high thoughts and valuations of God; Whom have I in heaven but thee, &c. ( Psal. 73.25.) Who is like unto thee O Lord among the God's (Exod. 15.11.) It consists, secondly, in a sweet rest or complacency in God. Return unto thy rest O my soul; that is, tur •• • n to God, live nearer him saith a Godly man (to his soul) a such a case ( Psal. 116.7.) This joy is the rest of the soul in God; He who is rest to himself (as God is) may be so infinitely more to us. Thus, The righteous see it, and are Glad.
This heightens the sense of the former part of the verse, not only are the righteous glad when the wicked are destroyed, but they laugh them to scorn. The righteous, in the former part of the verse are the same with the innocent here; yet we may distinguish them. The innocent are taken two ways in Scripture; first, the innocent are they who are pure from sin; secondly, the innocent are they who are pure or free from punishment.
or from trouble; freedom from sin, and freedom from trouble are so dependent upon one another, that one word may well express both. Thus the word is used (2 Sam. 14.9.) The woman of Tekoah said to the king; My Lord O king, the iniquity be on me, and my fathers house, and the king and his throne be guiltless or innocent, that is, free from all evil and trouble; While she saith, The iniquity be upon me, her meaning is, let the punishment of the iniquity be upon me, let the king, and his throne be guiltless; let no punishment of iniquity fall either upon the king in person, or upon his government. In the same sense the word is read ( Exod. 19.21.) If he (that hath been smitten) rise again and walk abroad upon a staff, then he that smote him shall be quitt; the Hebrew is, then shall he be innocent, that is, free from punishment, he shall not have any censure, or judgment for it. We have the like use of the word ( Numb. 5.19.) in the case of the woman suspected by her husband for disloyalty in breaking her marriage vow; she being for her purgation to drink the bitter water, the Priest was to bespeak her in this manner; If no man hath lien with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanenes with another instead of thy husband, be thou free (or innocent) from this bitter water that causeth the curse, that is, let the water do thee no harm; as if he had said; thou shalt feel no evil of pain by it, if thou art not guilty of the evil of sin. Thus some expound the word here. The innocent shall laugh them to scorn, that is, they who are free from those troubles with which the wicked are over-taken and undone, those particular righteous men who escape the storm untouched, laugh the wicked to scorn. Many of the Hebrew writers fix upon a special person; and by the Innocent, understand Noah, as if it were a report of what was done upon the old world; Then the righteous, that is (as the Chaldee Paraphrase explains it) the sons of righteous Noah saw (the flood) and were glad, and innocent Noah laughed the profane old world to scorn. When Noah, and his sons were building the Ark, the old world instead of believing and fearing the report or prophecy of a deluge, laughed them to scorn, and in derision, doubtless, asked them what voyage they intended, and whether they meant to sail their Ship over the dry Land; as for them they never dreamt of a Sea hanging in the clouds, and ready to drop down upon their heads. Now as the ungodly world derided Noah and his Sons for their credulity before the flood came, so 'tis probable enough that when the flood came upon that world of the ungodly, Noah and his Sons laughed at and derided their incredulity. They who laugh at divine threatenings, deserve to be laughed at under divine sufferings.
Others apply this particularly to the Tragedy of Pharaoh and his Egyptians overwhelmed and drowned in the red sea; of which it is said, ( Exod. 14.30, 31.) Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the shore, and Israel saw that Great work, which the Lord did upon the Egyptians. The effect of this sight is two ways described in that holy History; First, by the acting of fear and faith; And the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and his servant Moses: Secondly, by the acting of their joy in the Lord, and their holy insultation over the drowned Egyptians ( Chap. 15. v. 1.) Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying; I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously, the horse & his rider hath he thrown into the Sea. Thus also that innocent people saw the ruin of their wicked enemies, and laughed them to scorn.
Yet I conceive Eliphaz speaking here rather upon a generally experienced and positive truth, then strictly and particularly aiming at those ancient Examples. The innocent, that is, any innocent person, whether innocent in reference to the doing of evil, or having escaped the sufferance of evil, laugh them to scorn.
Before, he said, the righteous see it and are glad, now he saith, the innocent laugh them to scorn: it is one thing for a man to be glad in himself, and another thing to laugh other men to scorn; for though to be innocent carries in it somewhat less, or at the most but so much as to be righteous, yet to laugh the unrighteous and wicked to scorn when they fall, carries in it much more then to be glad when they fall. And besides, the word in the Hebrew, signifies, the most scornful laughter, such a laughter as is expressed, by a distortion of the mouth, and lips, or by a kind of feigned lisping with the tongue, and artificial faultring in speech; For as they that lispe and faulter in speech are usually derided and laughed at, so they that deride and laugh at others will purposely lispe, or faulter in speech. Stammerers are contemptible, and many stammer at others in contempt; This imitation of a defect in nature shows the excess of malice. Such is the force of this expression, The innocent laugh them to scorn.
Here it may be questioned, how a good man, an innocent person, can do such a thing; can he thus laugh the wicked to scorn? it is difficult enough to salve it as consistent with Grace, for a righteous man to rejoice at the fall of the wicked, but it is far more difficult to salve it, how a righteous man may laugh them to scorn; scorning and deriding are the practices of lewd persons, of sons of Belial; such indeed are usually scorners and jeerers. The enemies of Jesus Christ are so described ( Psal. 22.7.) All they that see me (that is, all the wicked that see me, for many Disciples saw Christ in his sufferings, and did not only pity him, but honor and believe on him, but (saith he) all they (who are mine enemies) that see me) laugh me to scorn, they shoot out the lip, and shake the head. And David tells us ( Psal. 1.1.) that to fit in the seat of the scornful, is the conclusion of those who have first walked in the way of the ungodly, and secondly, stood in the way of sinners. The common Latin translater renders that in the Psalm, not the seat of scorners, but the seat of the pestilence. And indeed they have spiritual plague-spots upon them, and the surest tokens of eternal death, who are given up to be scorners. Therefore question it again, how are the Innocent scorners?
I answer, That as when human affections, which are below the divine nature, are attributed to God, (such are to repent, to be grieved at the wickedness, and to laugh at the calamity of the wicked ) we say these note only an effect upon the creature, not a change of affection in God (for, in him there is no variableness nor shadow of change) so when those actions, which are below or unsuitable to a renewed regenerate nature in man, are attributed to the Saints (such as these, to wash their feet in the blood of the ungodly, to laugh them to scorn in their saddest miseries ) we must say, that these note rather what the wicked deserve, then what the godly do. The godly are no scorners, but there is that in wicked men which is worthy to be laughed to scorn, or wicked men do that, for which they deserve to be laughed at; whatsoever is evil in such like actions, is far from the heart and spirit of the godly. And therefore as Scriptures of such a tenor are to be interpreted and understood in such a manner as becomes and is consistent with the holiness of God, so also (in their proportion) to the holiness of the Saints. The laughter of the Saints in these dispensations is serious, and their scorning, the acting of their graces, not of their corruptions. And thus it is said of God himself ( Psal. 2.4.) He that sitteth in heaven shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision. And ( Prov. 1.26.) I will mock at your calamity, and laugh when your fear cometh: when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind &c. that is, I will carry myself so towards you, I will pity you (who have been scorners of my word, and have set at naught my counsel ) no more then men pity those, whom they laugh to scorn; such is the laughter of the Saints at the calamity of the wicked. And thus Elijah derided Baals Priests, while they wearied themselves in their foolish superstition (1 Kings 18.27.) And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them, and said cry aloud, for he is a God, either he is talking, &c. Thus Jerusalem is expressed ( Isa. 37.22.) when Sennacherib sent up that proud threatening message, the Lord sent a comfortable message to his people by Isaiah the Prophet; Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib the king of Assyria, this is the word which the Lord hath spoken concerning him; the virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn, the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. The daughter of Zion, and the daughter of Jerusalem are but one and the same; she was called a virgin, not (as some have conceived) because she was never taken or forced by any enemy; nor was she so called, because he had preserved her self pure and chaste in the worship of the true God (For she had her failings and Idolatrous dalliances before that day) but she was so called because of that special care which God had of her to protect and save her against the insultations of the enemy then ready to assault her, even as a virgin is protected from violence in her fathers house. And the Prophet to assure them that it should be so, speaks of the ruin of Sennacherib's Army, and Jerusalem's laughter, as accomplisht and come to pass already; The virgin daughter &c. hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn, and shaken her head at thee. What God saith shall be done, is as good as done already. The Assyrians were yet in their Jollity, laughing at Jerusalem, and promising themselves the spoil of the people of God, yet (saith the Lord) Jerusalem hath laughed thee to scorn; that is, assuredly she shall. And as the people of God do sometimes formally and explicitly laugh at the downfall and whitherings of the wicked, so they always virtually and secretly laugh them to scorn, even when they stand and flourish in their greenenes and prosperity; For while the Godly are not daunted with the power and splendor, while they are not terrified with the threats and high looks of the wicked, but in the singleness and simplicity of their hearts, keep close to God, his ways and truths; even this, though they use the duest respect to them in regard of their authority, both in word and gesture, is a laughing them to scorn; For this is as a thorn in the sides of evil men, and as a prick in their eyes, when they see they will not stoop to their greatness in any sinful compliance with their commands. This is a truth, but the former is the truth intended in this Text.
Hence note;
They are the laughter of the innocent, upon more accounts then one.
First, because they do such childish, and ridiculous things, such things as can never reach the ends they desire and purpose: they are justly laughed at, whose counsels and courses are unsuitable, much more, when contrary to their designs.
Secondly, Wicked men become ridiculous, while the Lord frustrates their wisest counsels, and blasts those hopes which were bottomed upon the most probable principles and foundations, while he takes them in their own craft, and entraps them in the snare which they laid for others.
Thirdly, While he over-rules all that they plot or act to serve his own ends, and fulfill his own holy counsels. Hence the enemies of God are said to pine away; this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people, that have fought against Jerusalem, their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet (he doth not say, that they shall all be slain, but their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth (Zech. 14.12.) which as some interpret of their bodily languishment, that they shall live dying continually, or that their life shall be a continual death, so all interpret the cause of this consumption to arise from vexation of spirit, because they shall see themselves scorned and laughed at, or that they are become ridiculous to all the world, but chiefly to Jerusalem, the Church and people of God, whom they shall behold in good condition, notwithstanding all the opposition which they have made against them; which Eliphaz also clearly expresseth in the next words.
Vers. 20. Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumes.
There are divers readings and renderings of this verse; first, some with an affirmative interrogation; is not their substance cut down? that is, it is cut down; And then this verse is a continuation of the former discourse concerning the utter extirpation of the wicked; The righteous are glad, they laugh them to scorn; is not their substance cut down? and doth not the fire consume the remnant of them? As if Eliphaz had said, Whatsoever they had of any substance or moment is cut down, and if possibly there be any small inconsiderable remainder of them, fire (that is, some devouring Judgment) will meet with it, and make an utter end of it.
Secondly, Another understands this 20 •h verse as a reason of the former; the righteous are glad (when the wicked fall) the innocent shall laugh them to scorn, because our substance was not cut down; as if he had said, our safety will be matter as of praise to God, who hath preserved us, so of holy scorn and insultation over ungodly men, who longed to see our destruction, and said in their hearts, that surely our day was not only coming, but hastening; whereas indeed we see the day come upon them which burneth as an oven, and themselves as stubble. Wicked men are for the most part doubly disappointed; first, by their own fall, when they looked to stand; secondly, by the standing of the righteous when they look, yea, and long for their fall; This double disappointment doth at once double their sorrow, and the joy of the Innocent, who laugh them to scorn, because their own substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.
There is a third translation which makes these words the form in which the innocent express their laughter at the wicked. When The innocent laugh them to scorn, they will thus bespeak them; Whereas or Although our substance is not cut down, yet the remnant of them, or the best, the excellency of them the fire hath consumed.
There is a fourth reading, which makes the second part of the Chapter begin with this verse. For hitherto Eliphaz hath been describing the sinfulness of wicked men, and the wrath of God upon them for their wickedness. But here he is supposed entering upon a very serious exhortation to repentance, after this manner, or to this effect; O Job, now while our substance is not quite out down, and the fire consumeth the residue or the remnant of the wicked, acquaint thyself with God; or apply thyself to God, as if he should say, before thou art clean cut down, before thou art utterly ruined as many wicked men have been heretofore, and now are, humble thyself and seek to God, that thy sin may be forgiven, and thy wound healed. Some parallel this in sense with that of the Preacher, Eccle. 12.1. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh wherein thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. Thus Eliphaz is conceived exhorting Job, While our substance is not cut down, while we are not totally undone, while the fire of God's wrath is consuming the remainder of wicked men, do thou acquaint thyself with God, and repent. And though our translation makes not this connection, yet it joins fully in the sense of the Original.
So this verse is an elegant conclusion of the whole matter hitherto insisted upon by Eliphaz; and he shuts it up in two parts; first, showing the state of the innocent, who are brought in speaking thus; Our substance is not cut down. strictly, That by which we stand or subsist, our substance or subsistence; which some expound not by goods, but by life; we may take it both ways, our life, and that by which our life is maintained, or by which we and our families subsist, is not cut down.
There is yet a difficulty in regard of the gramatical sense of these words. For Eliphaz having spoken before in the third person plural, The righteous are glad, and the innocent laugh them to scorn, should (as it may be thought) rather have continued his speech in the same form, and have said; Whereas Their substance is not down, but he puts it in the first person plural, Whereas our substance is not cut down &c.
We may answer two ways; First, that it is usual in Scripture to vary the number, while the same person or persons is or are spoken of; take only one Instance, Hos. 12.4. He (that is the Angel of the Covenant) found him in Bethel, that is, Jacob. And there he spake with us. It should according to Grammar be read thus; And there he spake with him. Having found Jacob in Bethel, he spake with him in Bethel. But we see both the person and number are varied, the former words running in the third person singular (being meant particularly of Jacob, ) the latter in the first person plural, There he spake with us; The Spirit of God thereby signifying, that, what God spake at that time to Jacob personally, he spake to all the spiritual seed of Jacob, whether of the Circumcision or Uncircumcision, virtually; He so spake to Jacob as that the substance and effect of his speech reacheth down to and hath an influence upon us, believers, who are his posterity according to the Spirit. Besides this, other Scriptures hold out the like variation of the number, as in the Text, which is the first answer.
Secondly, Eliphaz might purposely vary the number, that himself might put in for a share, and be numbered among those, who had obtained that sparing mercy, not to be cut down while others were consumed. And so this reason of the change is purely spiritual, much like that last opened out of Hosea.
Whence note;
( Psal. 20.8.) They are brought down, and are fallen, but we are risen and stand upright, our substance is not cut down; God takes special care of his own people; they are under a promise; there can be no greater safety, no better security then to be under a promise; the promise is the best shelter in a storm, and the best shield against the dart. The Apostle Peter gives us two famous examples of this, (2 Pet. 2.5, 6.) God spared not the old world, but saved Noah &c. bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. And having turned the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrhah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow &c. and delivered just Lot &c. From both which examples he concludeth ( v. 9.) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of Judgment to be punished. When judgment begins at the house of God, what shall the end of them be that obey not the Gospel of God? as the same Apostle speaks (1 Pet. 4.17.) It is a sure argument to the wicked that they shall be judged, when they see God bringing judgments upon his own house and people; but the wicked are many times judged while the house and people of God are preserved and untouched; and when both good and bad, both the innocent, and the wicked are wrapped up in the same calamity, when they are (as it were) thrust together into the same furnace, the Lord makes a difference, they are not cut down as the wicked are cut down, nor consumed as they are consumed. When the righteous are cast into the fire they are purged but not consumed, but (as it follows in the second part of this conclusion, showing the state of the wicked)
Fire in this place is not taken strictly, as opposed to water; God indeed hath often made fire in kind his scourge. And the Apostle Jude saith of Sodom, That it suffered the vengeance of eternal fire. But all the judgments of God are in Scripture compared to fire ( Mala. 4.1.) Behold the day cometh that shall burn like an Oven, and all the proud, yea all that do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither fruit nor branch. There is a burning, and not by fire; There is so great a judgment and terror in fire let loose and breaking its bounds, that it may well signify all judgments, or anything that is terrible. ( Isa. 52.4.) As the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust. Thus here, the remnant of them the fire consumeth, that is, the wrath of God appearing in some visible judgment consumeth the remnant.
But what is this remnant which the fire consumeth?
I answer. First, we may expound it of persons. The remnant of persons, all that are left of their family, their children and posterity, their kindred and relations are taken away and consumed from off the face of the earth.
Secondly, We may expound it of things, the remnant of goods, whatsoever remains of their estate, the odd ends, the very gleanings and leavings of their great riches and worldly substance, are all eaten up and brought to an end, so that nothing of them or theirs remaineth.
Thirdly, The remnant of them may be the remembrance of them. A fire shall consume their name and memorial, they shall neve • be thought of nor spoken of anymore with honor.
Fourthly, The word remnant, as it signifieth in the Original anything which remaineth, so especially that which remaineth in way of excellency, or eminency; not (as we say) the fagge end of a thing, but even the uppermost and best of it. So that (after this translation) the remnant of them, is the excellency of them, that which they thought most durable, and honorable, that which they looked upon as most substantial and intrinsical to their greatness, that very thing the fire shall consume. So the word is used ( Psal. 17.14.) Deliver my soul from men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world &c. whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasures, they are full of children, and leave the rest (or as we supply, the rest of their substance) to their babes; the rest, that is, the best; their bellies are full of hid treasures while they live, that is, they have and use abundance of the things of this life themselves; and they leave the rest; he doth not mean the scraps or parings after they had filled their own bellies, but by the rest or the remnant, (tis the word of the text) he meaneth the choicest of what they had; even that they leave to their babes or children, when themselves must be gone and leave the world. Thus we may understand the word remnant in this place, not for a poor pittance, but for the best, the choicest things, for the flower and cream of all they had, even these things the fire shall consume, vengeance shall pursue and follow, till all be turned into smoke and ashes.
I have in divers other passages of this book met with Texts showing the utter consumption of wicked men, therefore I shall not stay upon it here; only take this brief note.
He hath a fire for his own people, but it is a purging fire, a cleansing, a refining fire. Like that ( Mal. 3.3.) He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. The Lord also hath a fire for the wicked, but it is a consuming fire. He kindles many fires upon them, and himself is a consuming fire to them. But it may be said, that God is a consuming fire also to his own people; for the Apostle speaking of himself and other believers, saith ( Heb. 12.29.) Our God is a consuming fire. I answer; First, It is true, the God of Believers is a consuming fire, but he is not a consuming fire to believers; even the hearts of believers ought to be overawed with a holy fear of that in God, which they shall never feel from God. Secondly, God is sometimes a consuming fire to believers; but it is only to consume their corruptions, or their corruptible comforts; He will never consume either their Graces or spiritual interests. These he will not consume whatsoever he consumes. But the whole of a wicked man is as combustible matter before him. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, fire out of mouth devoured (Psal. 18.8.) That is, God poured out wrath, which devoured them like a fire. Fire (I mean natural fire) is a great devourer, it hath a strong stomach, there's nothing but pure Gold too hard for its digestion; but mystical fire, the fire of divine wrath is infinitely a greater devourer. Wrath kindles ma • y devouring fires, but wrath it self is the most devouring fire; who can stand before it? who can abide the heat and flames of it? This is the Tophet prepared of old for the wicked; This fire is able to consume branch and rush, the root and top of the wicked in one day, and yet it will continue consuming them to eternity. The remnant of them the fire consumeth.
Eliphaz having thus far prosecuted a description both of the unrighteousness and of the ruin, both of the sin and punishment of wicked men, closely insinuating that Job was the man concerned in all this large Discourse, he, in the latter part of this Chapter, turns his speech into a serious Exhortation to move Job to repent, and seek God, giving him many assurances and promises, that (in case he did so) it should not be in vain,
JOB, CHAP. 22. Vers. 21, 22. &c.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
Receive, I pray thee, the Law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
If though return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt-put away iniquity from thy Tabernacles &c.
ELiphaz having reproved Job for sin, and pressed him with the remembrance of the Judgments of God against sinners: now turns his speech into a serious Exhortation, moving him to seek the favor of God, and humble himself, Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace. From this course and method in which Eliphaz deals with Job, take this note.
Daniel dealt so with Nebuchadnezzar, yea though he had told him of a decree in heaven past against him ( Dan. 4.22.27.) yet he gives him faithful counsel, and exhorts him to break off his sins by righteousness, and his iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, if it might be a lengthening of his tranquility, or (as we put in the Margin) a healing of his error. Hopes of mercy prevail with many more then fear of wrath, and they are sooner led then driven unto Christ. Thus Eliphaz; Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace.
This 21 verse contains two general Propositions. First, a Proposition concerning duty, in the former part of the verse; Acquaint now thyself &c. Secondly, Concerning mercy in the latter, thereby good shall come unto thee. This duty of acquainting himself with God, and being at peace with him is explained in the 22 verse. Receive, I pray thee, the Law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. That's a good Comment upon, Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace. The Proposition of mercy, or the promises laid down in the close of that verse, are drawn out in all the following part of this Chapter, in which Eliphaz by most ample Proposalls of good things, doth provoke Job to turn from those sins of which he supposed him guilty, and to return to God.
The Original word which we render to acquaint, hath some variety of significations; As first to be familiar with another. And so it is used by David (Psal. 139.3.) to show the Intimacie which God hath with all our ways, works, and thoughts; O Lord (saith David) thou hast searched me and known me, &c. thou art acquainted with all my ways; As if he had said; Lord, thou knowest my ways infinitely more clearly and distinctly, then any of my nearest acquaintance, who converse with me every day. It is used 2 dly to express the customary doing of a thing. ( Numb. 22.30.) Balaam's Ass spake thus by a miracle, Was I ever wont to do thus unto thee? Hath it been my custom, or have I familiarly served thee thus, said the Ass, when he thrust Balaam against the wall.
Thirdly, To profit; one of the Rabbin's translates the Text thus; Profit with God, as who should say, thou hast been an unprofitable servant to God all this while, be thou now profitable unto him, serve him and his Providences, advance his name and glory; or thus rather, Thou hast but played the truant hitherto, be thou now a good proficient in the school of Divine doctrine and discipline under the holy precepts and various providences of God. We find it applied to that fence at the second verse of this Chapter; Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable to himself? Man cannot be profitable unto God, or add any advantage to him by what he doth, but man may be profitable unto himself, or do himself good in doing the good will of God; yea God reckons it and rewards man for it, as if he had been profitable to him, when he acts as becomes a faithful servant to him. So some expound it here, be profitable unto God, be a faithful and industrious servant unto him: having received his talents, do not lay them up in a napkin, hide them not in the earth.
Thirdly, Master Broughton read's thus, Reconcile thee now unto him. That's Gospel language, like that of Paul (2 Cor. 5.20.) Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. So he conceives Eliphaz speaking here, I pray thee now reconcile thyself unto God. Master Beza reaches that sense fully, Return into his favor, get into his heart again; God hath as it were locked thee out of his heart, and shut the door upon thee, now get in again; and the Tygurine reads very aptly, Accommodate thyself to him, that is every way suite thyself go 〈◊〉 , thou hast heretofore been humorous, or hast followed thine own spirit, and hast labor'd to please thyself, now Accomodate thyself to him, or comply with him in everything, be no more at thine own but at his dispose. All these renderings comply well both with the words and the general scope of Eliphaz in this part of his discourse. Our translation fully joins with the first of them.
Get into a familiarity with God. The word implieth a likeness, or a suitablenes between two in their wills and affections, in their ways and counsels; for from likeness in these familiarity or acquaintance doth arise. So that Eliphaz here speaketh to Job as one that had estranged himself and departed from God, as one who had broken off Communion with God; and so he must needs have done, had he run such a course of wickedness as Eliphaz charged him with, in the former part of this Chapter. Therefore upon that supposition he gives Job wholesome advice, Acquaint not thyself with him.
Hence observe;
We act the part of nature every time we sin, and that in a proportion brings us back in some degree to what we were by nature, strangers unto God. A godly man (who hath had acquaintance with God) sinning puts back his acquaintance, & a distance grows between God and him. Believers after great sins and follyes committed, are not forward to come into the presence of God, they have a kind of listlesnes to duty, a listlesnes to prayer, and to all acts of communion with God. And God himself appears as if he did not much care for them when they come, they have not those Communications from God which he usually vouchsafeth his, God doth not give them the meeting as formerly; they do not find the Lord presently, though they seek him earnestly. So that both ways there is an Estrangement; sin separates between God and the soul, not only judicially but naturally. If God should not depart from sinners, or command them to depart from him, yet they would of themselves depart from him. It is not possible for one, who willingly lives in sin, to live willingly in the presence of God; For as to be cast out of the presence of God, is the extremist punishment of wicked men, so also is their being in his presence. The same thing is both their desire and their punishment. They are punished with a departure from God, and they desire nothing more then to be out of his presence.
Secondly, Whereas Eliphaz exhorting Job to repentance, counsels him to acquiant himself with God.
Observe;
As sin is a turning from God, so repentance is a returning to God; 'tis a change first of our mind, and then of our way. Impaenitency brings the soul into an acquaintance and unholy familiarity with Satan; Repentance brings back the soul into its former acquaintance, and holy familiarity with God. As the first conversion (which is from a state of sin) so the second and every renewed conversion (which is from our falls into sin) renews our converse with the most high.
Thirdly, take this general observation;
God calleth Abraham his friend; friendship cannot be without familiarity, there must be acquaintance before there can be love, if therefore there be friendship and love between God and man, there must be Acquaintance; we cannot love either persons or things, while unknown.
But it may be said, how can we, who are at such a distance, Acquaint ourselves with God?
I answer, we (who of ourselves are a 〈…〉 by the blood of Jesus Christ, and being thus made nigh in our state, we draw nigh or acquaint ourselves with him by several Acts. As first, To think or meditate of God, is to acquaint ourselves with and draw nigh to God; meditation is an inward discourse and converse with God, it is a Soliloquie between God and the soul; acquaintance is got by Conference: when friends meet and confer, that doth not only begin, but confirm, strengthen, and heighten their acquaintance. Saints have many thoughts of God, and that's their acquaintance with God. How precious are thy thoughts to me, O God! (saith David, Psal. 139.17.) how great is the sum of them! when I awake I am still with thee. How was David still or ever with God? He was so in his thoughts, and meditations, in the actings & goings forth of his soul to him. Now he that is still or ever with a person, must needs be acquainted with him, I am still with thee, always meditating upon thee. We find him again in the same holy frame ( Psal. 63.5, 6.) My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips; while I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. As the Lord is ever thinking upon his people, they are written upon his heart, and graven upon the palms of his hand, and when his outward actings towards them are such, as may seem to intimate that his heart is withrawne from all intimacy with them, yet even then he thinks most of them. This he acknowledgeth concerning Ephraim (Jer. 31.20.) Since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still. Since I spake against him, that is, since I spake against him by words of rebuke and correction, since I spake against him by rods of chastisement and correction, (as Ephraim found and confessed he had Thou didst chastise me and I was chastised ) since I spake thus against him, I do earnestly remember him still. I remember him, and I remember him strongly, my heart is much upon him. And when the Lord saith thus, we are not to understand it, as a man will remember an Enemy, when he speaks against him; he'le remember him indeed, and that earnestly to plot mischief against him, and to execute his revenge; but the meaning is, I remember him in mercy, my affections go out to him, my bowels are moved towards him. Such is the remembrance which God had of Ephraim, even when he was speaking against him and smiting him. Now as the Lord doth remember his people at all times, and earnestly remember them at sometimes. So his people in their proportion do earnestly remember the Lord, they mind him often, they would mind him always, they like to retain God (which the natural man liketh not, Rom. 1.28.) in their knowledge, or to acknowledge God; They have not some flitting transient thoughts and acknowledgements of God (as a carnal man may have) but they fix and retain God in their thoughts & acknowledgements, they think of God, what he is in his nature, they think what God is in all his perfections, they meditate of all his glory, of his justice, of his mercy, of his faithfulness, of his power, of his truth, of his unchangeablenes, of his all-sufficiency, they acquaint themselves with God in all these; for indeed we are never acquainted with God, till we come to a distinct knowledge of him in all these parts of his glory, which yet are all but one and the same glorious God. To know only in general that there is a God, is not to acquaint ourselves with God; our acquaintance with him consists in a spiritual and fiducial knowledge of all his revealed perfections, so far as it is possible or lawful for man to search and know. To be acquainted with any man, notes more than a general knowledge of him, how much more to be acquainted with God.
Secondly, We acquaint ourselves with God, not only when we study his nature, or what he is, but when we study his works, or what he hath done, God is visible in his works. That his name is near, his wondrous works declare (Psal. 75.1.) We may acquaint ourselves much with God in the works of Creation, but more in the works of Providence, in those we may most legibly read his name, that is, his greatness and power, as also his goodness and mercy.
Thirdly, We acquaint ourselves with God in the study of his word; there he hath made a full discovery of himself and of his will; O how I love thy Law (saith David) my meditation is in it might and day. The word of God is the demonstration of the holiness of God. There he hath set forth himself, how just, how pure, and how gracious he is. The word is a glass in which God is seen, therefore acquaint thyself with the word of God, and thou shalt be acquainted with God; reading and hearing the word of God is our going to God for Counsel, as we acquaint ourselves with a man when we go to him, and ask his advice and counsel in any matter, or consult his books; so every time we either read or hear the word of God in faith, we are asking counsel of God, and so acquainting ourselves with him.
Fourthly, We, especially, acquaint ourselves with God in prayer. That is nothing else but the opening of our hearts to God, a declaring of our wants to him, Prayer is the ascending, the lifting up of the soul to God, therefore in prayer we acquaint ourselves with God.
Fifthly, Our daily holy walking, is a daily acquainting ourselves with God, every step of a holy life is both towards and with God; the life of Enoch (who was too holy for a life here on earth, and therefore he was translated that he should not see death, his life I say) is described thus, Enoch walked with God (Gen. 5.24.) God and Enoch were like two familiars or intimate friends walking together; And because he took so much delight in God's acquaintance, God took him from all acquaintance with men; so saith that text; Enoch walked with God, and was not, for God took him. He was so taken with God, that God took him, or as the Author to the Hebrews saith, translated him (ch. 11.5.) He was before translated from nature to Grace, & he proved so great a proficient in that school, that he was translated from Grace to Glory (as it were per saltum, ) by a leap over the grave; for he saw not death; From which sad vision, but one more (that I read of in all the Scripture, Elias by name) was excused before he was admitted to the beatifical vision. Holy walking is the sum of all our acquaintance with God; and our fullest acquaintance with God is but the issue of our holy walkings.
To draw towards a close of this point; we may take notice, That there is a twofold acquaintance with God; First, from necessity, when we come to him and desire to have to do with him, pressed with our own wants, fears, or afflictions; of this the Prophet speaketh ( Isa. 26.16.) Lord in trouble have they visited thee, they have poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them. And of this the Psalmist speak ( Psal. 78.34.) When he slew them they sought him, and they returned and inquired early after God: nevertheless, they did but flatter him with their mouth, &c. These make God their refuge not their choice; They, I grant, who have made God their choice in good times, may comfortably make him their refuge in evil times. But to neglect God while it is well with 〈◊〉 , and only to run to him when it is ill with us, or to have our evils and burdens removed, is to acquaint ourselves with God, because we cannot choose, or because we cannot be without him, not because we have chosen him, or desire to be with him. As there is a patience, so there is an acquaintance, perforce. Though God doth not refuse acquaintance with many poor souls, when their necessities drive them to him, yet it is best to acquaint ourselves with him for the love we bear to him, or the desire we have to enjoy him, rather then (though we all have need of him, and are bound to come to him because we have) for the need we have of him. And therefore, secondly, there is an acquaintance with God from pure love. As when we come to a friend, having nothing to do but to see him, & to renew or strength̄ our acquaintance with him. We do not come to load him with our cares, or advise with him about our businesses, or desire a courtesy of him, but, merely & purely to show our love to him. Thus to come to God when we are not pressed with fears, nor pinched with wants, nor clouded with doubts, nor vexed with troubles, is the most noble & ingenuous way of acquainting ourselves with him. When we (as it were) make a Journey to God, having nothing to do with him, but to visit him and to desire further communion with him, nothing to do with him but to behold his excellency and his glory, nothing to do with him, but to tell him what our hearts are towards him, how we love him, how we depend upon him, how we desire to please him, and to commit our ways to him, to acquaint God with those things which only concern our holy walking with him, this is to seek pure acquaintance with him. The Lord saith of Abraham his acquaintant or friend ( Gen. 18.17.) Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I am about to do? I should not deal with him as with my friend, if I did so. A friend who is as our own soul ( Deut. 13.6.) should know all that is in our souls. Now as God (whether we will or no) is acquainted with all that is in our souls; So a soul acquainted with God, will let him know all; shall I hide from God the thing that I am about to do? shall I not tell him how it is with me? To acquaint ourselves thus with God is a sweet and precious duty. Much might be said about it; I shall only add these two things; First, That all our acquaintance with God must be had through the mediator; There is no getting near the Father but by the Son. Secondly, That the more we are acquainted with God, the more we are transformed into his likeness. Some have altered the habit of their bodies, yea, the dispositions of their minds by long acquaintance with others; and have looked or appeared like them, by often looking upon or being with them. When Moses had been forty days in the Mount talking with God, his face shone, some rays of a divine glory darted out from him, so that Aaron and the children of Israel were afraid to come nigh him (Exod. 34.30.) And thus everyone who gets up into the Mount by faith, and acquaints himself with God, gets somewhat of God, which will draw a reverence upon him among men. As when Christ shall appear hereafter to us in glory, we shall be like him (saith the Apostle John 1 Ep: 3.2.) for we shall see him as he is; so according to the sight which we have of and our acquaintance with Christ in the ways of grace here, will our likeness be unto him. The more we are with God, the more we have of God. Acquaint now thyself with him,
There is a threefold Interpretation of this clause.
First, it may be taken as an Effect of what was said before, Acquaint thyself with God, and be at peace, that is, If thou acquaint thyself with God, thou shalt have peace. So in the Hebrew often the Imperative mood is put for the future tense, as, Do this and live, (according to the tenure of the Covenant of works) that is, Do this, and thou shalt live, So acquaint thyself with him, and be at peace, that is, thou shalt have peace. Peace comprehends all good; good of the mind, good of the body, good of the estate. When the Hebrews say, Peace be unto you, they say as much in that one word as the Greeks say in three; whereof the first respects the welfare of the mind; the second, the welfare or health of the body; and the third the success of all our affairs and undertakings. So that while Eliphaz saith to Job according to this reading, Thou shalt be at peace, it is a promise of all manner of good flowing in upon the renewing of his acquaintance with, and his returning to a reverential converse with God. But becuse this promise follows in the next words, thereby good shall come unto thee, therefore I understand this clause as a duty, and not as a promise Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace. To be at peace, is a distinct duty from that of acquainting ourselves with God, yet necessarily following upon it; The words may have these two things in them.
First, Be at peace, rhat is, be quiet and content under the chastening hand of God, do not murmur, do not repine. Thou hast struggled enough already, now lay aside all impatiency and passion, all discontents and animosities, as do not rage and rave, do not distemper and discompose thyself as thou hast done; There is a storm upon thee, but be thou of a calm and quiet spirit, kiss the rod, be not angry with it; we may express this frame by that which the Apostle Peter makes the chief adorning, or ornament of a woman, that she be of a meek and a quiet spirit, which with God is of great price; As meekness is a Jewell of the greatest price that women can wear; so it is a most rich and precious Jewell for a man to wear; and as at all times, so then especially meekness and peaceablenes of spirit becomes man, when God seems to come in anger and to be at war with him. Bildad said of Job (Chap. 18. v. 4.) He teareth himself in his anger; As if he had said, the man's mad or distracted; now Eliphaz adviseth him, Be at peace, be quiet; This is a good interpretation, and we may note from it,
A submitting spirit under an afflicting hand, how comely is it! To be at peace in ourselves, when all is unquiet about us, how blessed a sight is it! there are some who trouble themselves a great deal more than all the troubles that are upon them can. Man is naturally a very unquiet creature, an angry piece of flesh, when God is angry, he is apt to storm: till his heart is subdued to God, he cannot bear the hand of God. Wicked men naturally (as the Prophet Isaiah found them, Chap. 51.20.) are like a wild Bull in a net • , full of the fury of God; and not only so, but full of fury against God, throwing up the dust, and moyling themselves when the net of God hath caught them, or when God hath caught them in his net. God catcheth his own people in his net many times as well as the wicked. His own people are like a dove in a net, but the wicked are like a wild Bul in a net. I grant, the Doves will flutter a while when the net hath caught them. Impatiency doth often break out in the best of Saints: it is a hard thing to keep the heart quiet within while our estate is unquiet without, and to be at peace in ourselves, when God seems to be at war with us. It is hard for us to hold our peace, much more to be at peace in an afflicted condition; yet this lesson, though very hard, Saints have learned. David saith ( Psal. 39.9.) I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it. His was not a sullen silence, but a patient silence. He had not a word to say against God, when God speak hard words against him, yea, when God was at blows at sharpes with him. Paul also had learned in every estate to be content ( Phil. 4.11.) how ever the world went with him, he was at peace.
Secondly, Be at peace, may refer unto God, and so it is but the heightening of our acquaintance with him; for, first there must be an acquainting, and then a making up of peace; when friends fall out, they must first speak with one another, before the breach can be healed, if they do not treat, there can be no reconciliation. After treating comes peace; As peace is the fruit of the lips (Isa. 57.19.) when God treats with man by man, so when man treats with man, and when man treats with God. Acquaint now thyself with him, call for a treaty, and therein make thy peace, Be at peace with him, do not any longer continue thy unholy war with God. Eliphaz supposing Job as a man setting himself against God, had reason to bespeak him thus.
Hence note.
The wicked are like the troubled Sea, whose waves cast up mire and dirt; there is no peace to the wicked, saith my God ( Isa. 57.21.) why no peace to the wicked? the wicked have no acquaintance with God, they are strangers, they are afar off from God, and God beholds them afar off, therefore there is no peace to them: if they have any peace, it is a false peace, a deceitful peace, or it is but a short peace, which will quickly break out into a war again when once Conscience is awakened, when that sleeping Lyon is roused, what will become of all their peace? they will then ••• d, indeed, that their soul is among Lions; and that they have been only secure, not safe, or that theirs hath been at best, a tr •• e only, not a peace; no peace till acquinted with God, and no acquaintance with God can produce peace, but that which is by Jesus Christ; He is the Peace-maker, who is also the Mediator; sinners cannot have peace by any immediate acquain •••• e with God, for he is a consuming fire, and sinners standing alone are but as dry stubble before him. When we are made nigh to or acquainted with God by the blood of Jesus Christ, then (and not till then) are we at peace with him. Acquaint thyself with him, and be at peace: no peace without acquaintance with God, no acquaintance with God but by Christ, therefore no peace but by Christ.
Secondly, Observe;
Acquaint thyself with him, and be at peace; as if he should say, •• ou shalt certainly be at peace with him, if thou doest but acquaint thyself with him; for the Lord will not always chide; his love is everlasting, but his anger towards his c ••••• es but fo • a moment; As the wisdom of God in man, so much more the most wise God, is Gentle, and easy to be entreated. The Lord is found of those who seek him not (Isa. 65.1.) Surely then he will be found of those that seek him; he is not implacable, no nor inexorable. The Lord hath declared himself full of Compassion to returning sinners, so full of compassion that he seeks the acquaintance of sinners, and beseeches them to be reconciled to him, much more will he be acquainted with them who beseech him that they may be reconciled to him. Fury is not in me (saith the Lord, Isa. 27.4, 5.) who would set the briars and thorns in battle against me? that is, who would be so foolish as to encourage sinful men to be so fool-hardy as to stand out against me, or contend with me, for alas, (as it follows in the text) I would go through them, I would burn them together. There's no dealing with me upon those terms; but I will tell you upon what terms a 〈◊〉 may deal with me; Let him lay hold of my strength, that he •• y make peace with me, and he shall make peace with me, that is, he shall n •• loose his labor, he shall find peace, if he take hold of my str •• gth. One would think he should rather have said, let him take hold of my mercy and goodness, but he saith, Let him take hold of my strength. To oppose the strength of God is most dangerous, but by faith to take hold of it, that's both the duty and the privilege of an humbled sinner. Proud sinners oppose the strength of God, humbled sinners take hold of it, as their strength. As a man seeing another whom he hath offended, but is unable to resist, or make his party good with him, with much submission takes hold of his arm or weapon, endeavoring by earnest suit to stay him from smiting. And indeed to take hold of the strength of God, is to take hold on his mercy; The strength of God to save sinners lies in his mercy, and that mercy is in his Son, who is his strength to save sinners; if a sinner lay hold of this strength, the mercy of God in his Son, that he may make-peace with God, if this be his design he shall make peace, there shall not be a treaty with God in Christ for peace in vain; if a sinner should take hold of the strength of his own righteousness & performances, if he should take hold of the strength of all the Angels in heaven, he could not make peace with God, nor would God agree with him upon those terms. Such a soul must return (re infecta) without his errand. God is ready to be at peace with 〈◊〉 , but we must have our peace in his way, not in our own. Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace. And this peace, whether in ourselves or with God, is no light or unprofitable thing, as Eliphaz to provoke Job to pursue and seek after it, tells him in the last words of this verse.
Thereby; whereby? or by what? what is it that shall procure, or produce this good? The answer is at hand. Thy acquaintance with God, thy being at peace will procure all good things for thee Acquaint thyself with him, and be at peace: be at peace in thy own spirit, be quiet; be at peace with God, be reconciled, every way good shall come unto thee. M r Broughton renders, Prosperity shall come unto thee, the sense is the same. Others read, instead of, good shall come unto thee, thy comings in shall be good, thou shalt have a good reven •• • ood income: whereas before evil came upon thee, now thy co ••• gs in shall be good. This also is of the same meaning with our translation. I shall not need to stay upon the opening of the words, there is no difficulty in them.
From their dependence, in that he saith, Acquaint thyself with him, and be at peace, so shall good come unto thee, These words are brought in by way of inference upon the former, whence
Observe.
God can stop the Influences of all our mercies from us, he can lay an embargo upon all Creatures from bringing any good to us, the there be store of treasure and rich Commodity in the place, yet he can bar up all, that no good can come unto us; yea, the Lord in such cases doth often lay a stop upon the spirit of prayer in his own people, and when the heart is stopped that we cannot pray, then usually good is stopped and kept back from coming to us; Prayer is that which fetches in mercy and good things through the love of God in Jesus Christ. Prayer may have a twofold stop. First, prayer may have a stop in the heart; secondly, Prayer which comes forth of the heart may have a stop in heaven, the Lord doth even shut out-prayer sometimes, and when prayer is shut out, no good can get out to us. Prayer is sent upon a message to heaven, and if our messenger be shut out of doors and not admitted in, what answer can we expect by his message. And the Lord as he doth stop such from the receiving of further good, so from the receiving of good by what they have already. We may have that which in the nature of it is good, and yet have no good by it; God can stop the creature in our hands, that it shall not at all give us any Comfort, as well as he can stop any creature-comfort from coming into our hands. Unless the Lord (in one sense) stop the creature, it quickly leaks out all the Comfort which he hath put into it, and proves to us indeed, what sin hath made it, a broken Cistern; And unless the Lord open the creature, the creature cannot give forth that good w ch it hath; It will be to us as a Cistern without a vent to pass out the water for our use. There's many a one who hath enough in his hand (take it in any kind) but he enjoys nothing of it, because the Lord locks up the conduit, or the cistern, and then how much good soever there is in it, there's none for him. It is all one to us, whether we have only a broken Cistern for our portion, or a Cistern always locked up; for as the one lets all the water run out, so the other holds all the water in; we are as far from good, if our Cistern hold all, as if it held nothing at all. It is then not only our duty and our holiness to acquaint ourselves and be at peace with God, but our wisdom and our interest; For it is as he pleaseth, always, and usually as we please him, that either we have anything that is good coming to us, or that any good cometh to us by that which we have.
Secondly, Note (which is a Corallary from the former observation) 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉
So shall good come unto thee. There was never any man a looser by acquaintance with God; God's acquaintance is a gainful acquaintance; Our acquaintance with God, should we consider it abstractly and separate from all benefit but his very acquaintance, yet that is benefit enough; God is the chiefest Good, and therefore when we enjoy him, we enjoy all Good. The enjoyment of God himself is infinitely more then the enjoyment of all created good things that come from God. Friends are sometimes in those heights of friendship and noblenes of spirit one to another, that they count the enjoyment of one another to be more then all the benefits they can heap upon or reap by one another; it is your good Company, saith such a friend, and your acquaintance that delights me more then all the good you can bestow upon me. And is not God much more so to us? Thus (I say) acquaintance with God alone is all good; but besides (as the point leads us to consider) God gives out good things from himself, to all his holy acquaintants, temporal or bodily, good comes to us by his acquaintance, and so also (and that chiefly) doth spiritual or soul good. Acquaint thyself with God, and the dew of grace, showers of the Spirit shall fall into thy bosom. Acquaint thyself with God, and spiritual Comfort shall flow in unto thee, spiritual strength shall flow in unto thee, thy soul shall be filled as with marrow and fatness. And as good shall come to thee in person, so to thine; to thy family and posterity good shall come. And as God will cause good to come to such, so to stay and abide with them. As good comes, so good continues according to the command and commission which it hath from God. Thus he promised in the Prophet ( Isa. 48.18.) in case his people had hearkened to his commandments; Then had thy peace been as a River, and thy prosperity as the waves of the Sea. Thy peace and prosperity had not been as a Land flood or Brooks of water which fail in summer when we have most need of them, (all worldly things are apt to do so) but they should have flowed perpetually as a river doth, which is fed by a constant Spring, or as the Sea doth which is the feeder of all Springs. A godly man gets not only a large portion of good things, but a lasting portion, yea a portion of those good things which are everlasting, by acquainting himself with God. And because by acquaintance with God so much good comes to us, Therefore Eliphaz presseth Job further to it in the next verse.
Vers. 22. Receive, I pray thee, the Law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
Receive, that is, learn from his mouth; he that teaches gives, and he that learns receives; and the Hebrew word which we render here to Receive, signifies not ordinary receiving, but receiving with an earnest desire; yea, it implieth a kind of violence in desire, such as they have who take spoils in war. They fly upon the spoil, and catch it with as much eargernes as they won it with courage. So Receive the Law from his mouth. David saith, I have rejoiced in thy word, more then they that find great spoils, (Psal. 119.162.) O how strongly did his heart run out to the word? And there is an Elegancy also in it, that this word which signifies to receive the Law, doth also signify the Law or doctrine to be received. ( Prov. 4.2.) I give you good doctrine, forsake you not my Law. The word which is there used for doctrine is the same that • s here rendered to receive, the reason is, because wholesome doctrine • s worthy to be received, and ought to be received willingly, cheerfully, and gladly, and therefore the Gospel which is the highest and most precious doctrine is called an Acceptable doctrine; This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all Acceptation (1 Tim. 1.11.) The Gospel is worthy not only of Acceptation, or of great, but of all Acceptation, and that from all men, even from the Greatest; And so also is the Law; for, as shall be opened further afterwards; the Law in this place comprehends the Gospel also. Receive the Law at his mouth.
Further, The word which we express Receive, is rendered by some to buy; we may connect both senses here, Receive the Law as a thing bought and carry it home with thee. That of Solomon (Prov. 23.23.) suites it well; Buy the truth, and sell it not; Truth is a Commodity the trade whereof goes but one way; all Civil Trades and Merchandises are continued by buying and selling, but this spiritual trade is continued by buying only, without selling; it will be our profit to have this Commodity always upon our hands, or rather always in our hands. Thus here; Receive the Law at a price, buy it, and keep it; not that the Lord doth expect any price from us, or that we can bring anything to him valuable for it. We buy it, when we take pains for it, when we do our utmost endeavor to receive the truth, when we receive the truth, not only as it is offered and brought home to us, but when we go out for it, and seek after it in all the means which God hath appointed as conveyances of it, that's buying the Law of truth.
Again, We may profitably consider a double derivation of that word which we trenslate, Law. Some say it is from a root that signifies to behold or Contemplate, to Consider, to look about; and the Law is well expressed by a word of that sense, because the whole Law is diligently to be observed and considered, looked into, and meditated upon, we are always to behold it, and that in every part. For the whole Law is copulative, and he that offends in one part offends in all. David speaking of the righteous man, ( Psal. 1.2.) saith, he meditates in the law of the Lord day and night. What's meditation? but the Inward view of a thing, or the beholding it with an Intellectuall eye; meditation is the continual turning of things over in the mind, to behold the excellencies and perfections that are in them.
Secondly, Say others, it proceeds from another radical word, that signifies to rain, and that not only some small drissling dewing rain, but full showers, or as we say to pour down; and in the Hebrew, the same word signifies, to rain, and to teach, because teaching by the word is like raining, or the sending down of rain. The Apostle ( Heb. 6.7.) alludes to it. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, &c. by the earth he means those who hear the word or doctrine, which comes down upon them like rain to soften their hearts and make them fruitful. There are two other Texts of Scripture very suitable to this Exposition ( Isaiah 30.20.) Though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into Corners anymore, but thine eye shall see thy teachers. Thy teachers shall not be removed, so we render: but strictly from the letter of the Hebrew we may read it thus; Though the Lord give thee the bread of adversity &c. yet shall not thy rain be removed from thee. It may seem strange that they should have the bread of adversity, and the water of Affliction, and yet have also rain, which naturally causeth the earth to bring forth bread, and fills the pools with water. But the Prophet who speaks of corporal bread and water in the former part of the verse, speaks of spiritual rain in the latter, making this so full a compensation to the people of God, for the want of other two, that they should have no cause to complain of it. As if the Prophet had said, Though you are cut short in outward things, yet you shall not be shortened in spirituals, the rain of holy doctrine shall not be removed from you, or as we translate, thy teachers shall not be removed &c. Some amongst us would have the teachers of holy doctrine removed, lest by feeding them the bread & water of the Land should fail, as if the charge of public preaching the riches of the Grace of Christ would be an undoing, or at least an impoverishing of the Nation. Whereas (I touch it only by the way) the Prophet comforts the people of God in the midst of all their wants & outward afflictions, that they should not want the presence of their teachers, nor the showers of holy instruction by them. Again ( Joel 2.23.) Be glad O Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down the rain, the former rain and the latter rain in the first month. That which we render, (The former rain moderately) others translate, a Teacher of righteousness, or according to righteousness; so you may find in the Margin of your larger Bibles. And that's the great mercy which Zion is to rejoice in; for can we think that Zion, the children of Zion should be called so earnestly to rejoice merely in natural rain, or the effects of it; because of the abundance of Corn and Wine and Oil, which the earth well watered usually produceth? This is too poor a thing (considered alone) for Zion to rejoice in! Zion or the people of God do and must confess themselves unworthy of the least outward mercy, even of a shower of rain, or of a sheaf of corn, and they ought to praise God, and be very thankful for these; But these are not properly, the matter of Zion's gladness and rejoicing. In these the world rejoiceth, Who will show us any good (Psal. 4.7.) they are for Corn, and Wine, and Oil, but Lord (saith David) lift up the light of thy Countenance upon me; Thou hast put gladness in mine heart, more then in the time that their corn 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 and their wine increased; As if he had said; Worldly men rejoice in corn and wine; but I rejoice more in the light of thy countenance. The light of the favor of God, and the light of the knowledge of God, are the chief matters of a believers joy. And this light of holy joy comes in usually with and by the rain of that doctrine, which falls upon us from the mouth of God in the teachings of his divine Law. Receive the Law from his mouth.
But you will say, What is this Law which comes down like rain from heaven? and which we are to receive from the mouth of God.
I answer; The Law may be taken two ways.
First, Strictly for the ten Commandments, or the five Books of Moses, which are called the Law.
Secondly, More largely, and so the whole word of God is the Law. Christ himself calls the Book of Psalms the Law two or three times in the New Testament ( Joh. 10.34.) Jesus answered them, is it not written in your Law, I have said ye are God's? where was that written? in the 82 d Psal. v. 6. And so again ( Joh. 15.25.) But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their Law, they hated me without a cause. What Law doth he mean? those words we find ( Psal. 35.19.) Take one text further (1 Cor. 14.21.) In the Law it is written, With men of other tongues, and other lips, will I speak unto this People. Where is that written? ( Isaiah 28.11.) So that the Law, in a large sense, is taken for the whole body of the word of God, or for the general Revelation of the mystery of his will; in which sense we may say the Gospel is the Law; And the Gospel is expressly called the Law (or rule) of faith (Rom. 3.27.) So that by Law here we may understand whatsoever the Lord hath given us, either as a rule of life, or as a rule of faith. The Seaventy translate Eliphaz speaking in that latitude, Receive whatsoever God delivers, declares, or puts forth. Receive, I pray thee, the Law
From whose mouth? from the mouth of God; how can that be? Indeed Moses went up into the Mount, and was with God forty days, and there received the Law from his mouth; but could Job Receive the Law from his mouth as Moses did? I answer; If God had called him to it, as he did Moses he might. But that's not the purpose of Eliphaz. Neither are we (I conceive) to understand him of such a Receiving from the mouth of God, as the old Prophets had who received the mind of God by Immediate Inspiration, & dictates from God himself: for though they were not called up solemnly into a Mount (as Moses ) to receive the Law, yet the Spirit was sent to make known the mind of God to them. And in that sense the Prophet Jeremiah is said to warn King Zedekiah from the mouth of the Lord (2 Chron. 36.12.) And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the Prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord; that is, he received a word from God by an Extraordinary Revelation to carry unto the King, who yet humbled not himself. And so ( Isaiah 30.2.) the Lord complains of his people that walked to go down to Egypt to strengthen themselves with the strength of Pharaoh &c. and yet had not asked at his mouth, that is, had not asked direction in the thing according to the ways of Revelation then in use, by enquiring of the Prophets, or of the high Priest; And the Lord tells the Prophet Jeremy (Ch. 15.19. ) that he should be as his mouth if he would take forth the precious from the vile, as if he had said, if thou art faithful in my work, I will reveal myself to thee, & thou shalt speak even as if I myself spoke, thou shalt be as my mouth. Now, I conceive, Eliphaz doth not go thus high when he bids Job Receive the Law from the mouth of God, as if he were to expect Immediate direction and advice from him. For then, we may be said to receive a rule or a law from the mouth of God, when we receive that which God hath manifested at any time as a rule and law for us with the rest of his people to walk by: they who receive that law once delivered from the mouth of God, may be said to receive the law from his mouth, though they are not the Immediate receivers of it, yea, though it were published some thousands of years before they were borne. Some from these words, collect that the books of Moses were written before this time, and that Eliphaz did refer Job to those, bidding him receive that law which the mouth of God had spoken to Moses, but, though whether the law were then formally spoken or no is a dispute, yet it is without all dispute, that the mouth of God had then given a law or rule of life to his people: and so Eliphaz might safely and truly say, Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, there having been a Revelation of the mind of God among the faithful in all ages and times. God never left his people to their own will, nor them to be their own Guide and Counselor. For when the Apostle saith ( Rom. 2.14.) that the Gentiles having not the law are a law unto themselves; his meaning is not that they had no law but one of their own devising. They indeed had not the law of God formally spoken to their ears, and preserved in tables of stone, but they had the substance of the law of God naturally written in their hearts. So then, there hath always been a law from his mouth formally in the Church, & naturally in the world. Therefore saith Eliphaz, Receive the law from his mouth, and when he saith, Receive the law from his mouth, it may have a double Opposition.
First, To the will and wisdom of Job; As if Eliphaz had said, Thou hast been hitherto a law to thyself, that is, thou hast followed thy own advice, run on upon thy own head, now Receive the law from his mouth. Man, naturally hath high thoughts of himself, and would be a law to himself. Not as ( Rom. 2.14. which place was touched before) The Gentiles not having a law, w • re a law to themselves; that is, they had the law of God written in their hearts by nature; but besides that, there is a law which man would be to himself against that law of nature written in his heart, and against the light of nature shining in his conscience, he would set up a law, even his own Lust, in opposition to the law of God. Thus he would be a law to himself, and not Receive a law from the mouth of God. Therefore saith Eliphaz; Now, receive the law from his mouth.
Secondly, (from his mouth) may be opposed to the mouths of others; as if he should say, if thou wilt not trust us, nor take our word, then trust God, we would not have thee depend upon us, nor upon any man living, not on the Judgment or Authority of any Creature, but receive the law from his mouth; there is a law and a truth come from God, let thy faith be guided, and thy life ordered by that.
Hence Note.
The Lord hath power to give us the law, and we must receive the law from him. None have power to Impose a law upon us but God himself, nor may we devise a law for ourselves; God is the only Master of the Conscience, he alone can say, Receive the law at my mouth. If you ask, what is it to receive the law? I answer, it is more then to give it the hearing. To receive, is, first, to believe the law; secondly, to receive, is to honor and reverence the law; thirdly, to receive the law, is to yield up ourselves to the obedience of it, to be cast into the mould of it, to subject ourselves wholly to the mind of God in it; Then we receive the law when we take the Impressions of it, & have as it were the Image and stamp of it upon our spirits, and in our lives; fourthly, then we receive it when as it follows in the Text, we lay up his word in our hearts; barely to receive it is not enough, you must lay it up, treasure it up.
This is opposed,
First, To forgetfulness of the word, Receive the law and let it not slip out of thy memory.
Secondly, It is opposed to negligence in the practice of the law; lay it up that it may be forth coming to direct thee in every duty. In Conversion the law is written in the heart; every godly man hath a Copy of the law in his heart; That's the description of a godly man, ( Psal. 37.31.) The law of God is in his heart, none of his steps shall slide; which is not an universal exclusion of all failing & slipping, as if every godly man were as much past sinning, as he is past perishing: but when 'tis said, none of his steps, the meaning is, few of his steps shall slide, or he shall never slide so in any of his steps as not to recover his feet and get up again. He shall walk very holily, so holily as if all his walkings were but one continued act of holiness. But, to the text, None of his steps shall slide quite and forever out of the way, because the law of God is in his heart. What David speaks in that prophetical Psalm of Christ ( Psal. 40.8.) Thy law is within my heart, is true in its degree of every Christian, all the laws of God are in his heart. That Character is again given of them ( Psal. 84.5.) In whose heart are thy ways; there is a suiting of the mind of God and the heart of man together in regeneration. But now the duty spoken of in the Text is another thing; for a man that hath the law written in his heart, may yet possibly forget to lay up the word and law of God in his heart, he may (under temptation and the pressures of corruption) be negligent in that; it is the work of a godly man, who hath the law of God in his heart already, continually to lay up the law in his heart; and so we are to understand such Scriptures as these ( Pro. 7.3.) Keep my Commandments and live, and my law as the apple of thine eye, bind them on thy fingers, write them on the table of thine heart &c. The first writing of the law in the heart is by the finger of the Spirit, by God's own finger. As it was God that first wrote the law in tables of stone with his own finger, so it is he that writes the law in these fleshy Tables of the heart by the finger of the Spirit: yet Solomon persuades his son to write the law upon the Table of his heart: when grace is received, and the law once written in our hearts, we do as it were put in several fresh Copies of the law, we are continually writing divine notions and Instructions upon our hearts; this renewed act is ascribed to us, because we through grace join in it. We have an Expression of like import ( Pro. 4.21.) My Son attend to my words, incline thine ear to my sayings; let them not depart from thine eyes, keep them in the midst of thine heart. The heart is said to be the midst or Center of the body, now, saith he, keep the law in the very midst of thine heart, in the safest place; as the heart is the safest place the middle of the body, so the middle of the heart is the safest place of the heart. So we may understand that of David, I have hid thy Commandments in my heart (Psal. 119.11.) And ( Deut. 6.6.) These words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart; that is, thou shalt lay them up there. Of this laying up the law in the heart we are to understand Eliphaz here; as if he had said; O Job, thou hast often heard of the law, but thou hast been a forgetful hearer; now hear it, and hold it, now (as the Apostle exhorts the Hebrews, Heb. 2.1.) give the more earnest heed to the things, which thou hast heard, or shalt hereafter hear, lest at any time thou shouldest let them slip, or thou shouldest run out (as we there put in the margin) as a leaking vessel.
Further, This laying up the word in the heart, is opposd unto a bare barren knowledge; it is not enough to have the word of God in our heads, that is, to know it: it is not enough to have the word of God upon our tongues, that is, to speak of it, but we must lay it up in the heart; For though the heart, in Scripture, takes in the understanding, and the whole soul, yet chiefly it respects the affections; lay up the word in thine heart, that is, let thy affections be warmed with it, while thy memory retains and keeps it, and thy understanding is enlightened with a true notion of it.
Hence Observe.
First, The word of God is a precious thing.
We do not lay up trifles and trash, but precious things, and treasure; we lay up our Plate and Jewels, our Gold and Silver; the word of God should be more to us than thousands of gold and silver, it is the most precious Jewell, 'tis treasure, and therefore it must be laid up.
There was an Ark or Chest provided for the law ( Exod. 25.21.) and that Ark was Christ, he was typified by it, and indeed the law would be too hot for our hearts, too hot to lie there if it had not first layne in the heart of Christ; we (since fallen) could never have been an Ark for it, if he had not been. The tables of the law were laid in the Ark, and the Ark (in which the law was put) had a mercy-seat which did cover it all over (The dimensions of the Ark and of the mercy-seat were exactly the same, two cubits and a half in length, and a cubit and a half in breadth, ( Exod. 25.10.17.) so that nothing of the law could appear or rise up in Judgment against poor sinners. The propitiatory or mercy-seat covered all. Now as Christ hath been the Ark of the law to protect and cover us from the condemning power of it; so the hearts of believers must be the Ark of the law, where it must be laid up with a readiness of mind to yield ourselves up to the commanding power of it. David prophesying of Christ saith ( Psal. 40.10.) I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart, yet he had said before, I delight to do thy will, thy law is within my heart. To clear which Scripture take notice that there is a twofold hiding of the righteousness or word of God in the heart. First, so as to obscure or conceal it from others, in that sense David saith, I have not hid thy righteousness in mine heart, I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation, and not concealed thy loving kindness and truth from the great Congregation. And thus no man ought to lay up the truths, the law, the promises of God in his heart to conceal and stifle them there. Secondly, There is a hiding of the law in our hearts, first, that it may be safe, lest Satan or the world should snatch it from us. Secondly, That we may further consider of it; when a man hath got an excellent truth, or Scripture, he should lay it up in his heart to ponder and meditate more upon it, to draw out the sweetness, and to experience the power of it. Thirdly, That we may have it ready at hand for our use; and so the Scribe instructed for the kingdom of heaven is described by bringing forth out of his treasury things both new and old. How sad is the condition of many that have heard much, but laid up little or nothing at all of all that word which they have heard. Some having laid it up in their note books, are satisfied with that; 'tis good and useful to do so; but do not let it lie there, get a Copy of it in your hearts; a few truths in your hearts are better to you then many truths in your books; no man was ever saved by the word in his book; unless that word were also written in his heart. God commanded the Jews (Deut. 6.8, 9.) to write the law upon the post of their houses, and on their gates, to bind them as a sign upon their hand, and as frontlets between their eyes. They were commanded also to put fringes upon the borders of their garments ( Numb. 15.38.) which our Savior calls Phylacteries (Math. 23.5.) these were ribands of blue silk, or as some say, scroles of parchment upon which the law being first wrought or written, and then bound upon their garments, they were to look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord (Num. 15.39. ) Now, saith Christ, they make broad their Phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their Garments; as much of the law as you will upon thei • Clothes, but none of it in their hearts. Thus the proud Scribes and Pharisees went about as it were Clothed with the word of God, but his word was far from their hearts, nor did it appear in their lives; it is a mere vanity to have much of the law in our books, while we neglect to keep it in our hearts, and act it in our ways. The former is good, but it doth no good without the latter. The want of this, the laying up the word in the heart, causeth the great want of Saints in the things of God; and as many loose that Grace which they seemed to have, so many are at a loss in the use of that Grace which they have, because they have not laid up the word of God in their hearts so carefully as they ought. We say proverbially, Sure bind and sure find; They who would surely find the comfort of the word of God when they need it, had need to bind it sure, when they receive it.
JOB, CHAP. 22. Vers. 23, 24.25.
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy Tabernacles.
Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defense, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
ELiphaz having invited Job (at the 21 verse) to renew his acquaintance with God, and now again pressing him to return to God, he reckons up those advantages which might move, and encourage him 〈◊〉 it; he tells Job what will follow his return to, and acquaintance with God, and these advantages are of two sorts.
First, Temporal, and outward; secondly, spiritual, and inward; the temporal good things which he assures him of in case he repent, and turn to God, are set down first more generally in the 23 verse, Thou shalt be built up; secondly, They are set down particularly; first, He should then have riches, gold and silver in the 24 •h verse; secondly, protection, The Almighty shall be thy defense, (v. 25.) as he will fill thy house; so he will guard thy house and keep all safe.
In the following parts of the Chapter, Eliphaz assures him of eight blessings spiritual.
First, Joy in God, ver. 26 th ; Thou shalt have thy delight in the Almighty.
Secondly, Confidence, or holy boldness before God; Thou shalt lift up thy face unto God; thou shalt not hide thy head, and run into • orners, but lift up thy face.
Thirdly, (which is an effect or part of the former) freedom in prayer; Thou shalt make thy prayer to him, (v. 27 th )
Fourthly, He assures him of audience, or of an answer to his prayer in the same verse; He shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 vows; that is, thou in thy prayer having made vows to God, God shall hear thy prayer, and so give thee occasion to pay thy vows.
Fifthly, He promiseth him not only that his prayer shall be heard, but that his very purposes and designs shall be fulfilled; Thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established to thee, v. 28. When thou resolvest upon such a way, or course in thy affairs, thou shalt have this privilege, thy decree shall stand.
Sixthly, He promiseth him direction and counsel, what way he should take, what course to run in the close of the same verse; And the light shall shine upon thy ways; that is, thou shalt see what to do, the Lord will give thee counsel.
Seventhly, He gives him hope of rising out of any trouble, or that when others are overtaken with calamities, he should be preserved, at the 29 th verse; When men are cast down then thou shalt say, there is a lifting up, for God will save the humble person.
Eighthly, He promiseth, that he shall not only have blessings personal, and family blessings, but he shall be a •• blique blessing, ( v. 30.) He shall deliver the Island of the innocent, and it is delivered by the pureness of thy hand. Thus you have both the general scope of this latter part of the Chapter; which is to stir up Job to return to God, and likewise the particular blessings and mercies which are held forth as arguments moving him to return.
Vers. 23. If thou return unto the Almighty.
To Return is used frequently in Scripture in a metaphorical sense, and signifies as much as to repent; sin is a going away from God, great sinning is a going far from God, a going, as it were, into a far Country, such sinners would go out of God's sight, and fall out of his memory. Eliphas had charged Job deeply with such departures; and now he speaks to him of returning.
And here we may consider the condition or state of Job, and the season in which Eliphaz presseth him to this duty, he was in an afflicted condition, the hand of God was upon him. Now Eliphaz adviseth him to return; Intimating at least, that the present dispensation of God towards him, was a special opportunity for the duty he moved him unto.
Hence Note.
How often in Scripture doth the Lord complain as if he were wholly frustrated of his design, when either nations or persons being smitten by his judgments did not return unto him, or repented not. ( Isa. 9.13.) They turn not to him that smiteth them; that is, they turn not to me the Lord: I have smitten them, and I alone can heal them, yet they turn not to me; as if the Lord had said, I therefore smote them that they might bethink themselves of returning, but they turned not to me. As they turned not at my word, or to me speaking, so they turned not at my sword, or to me smiting. I see they are not only Sermon-proof, my Prophets spake to them in vain, but they are judgment-proof also, my hand is upon them in vain, they return not. And as it was then, so at this day, for may we not observe, some mouldering in their estates, crushed in their hopes, crossed in their children, blotted and blasted in their credit, weak and sick in their bodies, even tired and worn out under several afflictions, yet no thought of returning to the Lord, or of making their way perfect before him. So that the Lord may say to them, as he once did to his ancient people the Jews (Isa. 1.6.) Why should ye be smitten anymore, ye will revolt more and more. The returning of many is like that which Solomon speaks of ( Pro. 26.11.) As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly; As Jesurun waxed fat, and kicked, so some will be kicking while they wax lean.
Further, Eliphaz doth not speak barely to Job of returning, but he directs him to the object; If thou return
And that is expressed in some translations very emphatically, Return home to the Almighty, return till thou comest to or reachest God, be thou sure to repent home; so the word is used ( Hos. 14.2. Joel 2.12. Amos 4.6. return home to God, stay not short of him in your repentance, that is, repent fully, seriously; And the intendment of Eliphaz in speaking thus, might be to reprove Job for his former (by him supposed) hypocrisy: thou hast returned before, but not to the Almighty, surely thou didst repent only as an hypocrite in former times when thou madest the greatest shows of repentance. Therefore now repent as a sincere convert. Thy former repentunce was to thee a fruitless repentance, and therefore doubtless but a feigned and false repentance. Thou couldst never after it recover out of thine afflicted, thy ruinous condition, and therefore surely thou didst never by it recover out of thy sinful condition, or from thy sins. But now, I promise thee, if thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built.
Hence note.
That, True repentance is a full, a home returning to God.
Much of the progress of a Christian is to go backward, backward (I mean) from those sins and evils to which he hath (by temptation) been carried forth; nor (having sinned) can any man go forward till he return to God. We read in Scripture, of God returning to us, as well as of our returning unto God; in both there is repentance; when God returns to us, he repents of the evil of punishment, that he hath brought upon us; and when we return to God, we repent of the evil of sin which we have committed against him: only be sure (as the points directs) that ye return home to God. The Prophet found Israel's repentance defective in this ( Hos. 7.16.) They return (that is, they make a show of repentance) but not to the most high. There is a repentance which brings the soul never the nearer unto God. And that's a repentance (as we speak) never the near, or to no purpose. Thus another Prophet taxeth their fasting ( Zech. 7.5.) When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? Observe how he doubles it upon that point, as if the whole emphasis of repentance lay upon that point; To me, even to me. As David in confessing his sin ( Psal. 51.4.) Against thee, thee, thee only have I sinned &c. Many fast, but not at all to God, they return, but not at all to God. They fast to themselves, and return to themselves, that is, their own interest, not the honor of God is the motive and end of their fasting and repenting. And hence the Prophet is plain and downeright with Israel in this case ( Jer. 4.1.) If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me; as if Israel had used to return, but always short of God, or not to God, Israel made some stop in the work of repentance before he came at God. Now then (saith the Lord by his Prophet) O Israel, if thou wilt return, return to me. If thou hast any further purpose to return, be persuaded to return to some purpose. Let not thy repentance be any longer such as is to be repented of. All our returnings are but wanderings, unless we return to God.
But when may we be said to return to God?
I answer; first, when we return out of a sense of sin against God, as well as of smart upon ourselves; for when we return only because of smart, we return to ourselves rather then to God; as when it is said in Hosea (Chap. 7.16.) They returned, but not to the most high; we may see the reason of this charge at the 14 th verse; They have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and for wine, and they rebel against me. As if he had said, all their crying and howling, is not because they have sinned against me, but because their sins have pinched them, they do not mourn because of their wickedness, but because of their wants. 'It is famine that moveth them, not my fear. They would fain be at their full tables again, they are all for corn and wine, nothing for grace and holiness. We may say of some persons repenting, as Job (Chap. 6.6.) of the wild Ass braying, Doth the wild Ass bray when he hath grass, or loweth the Ox over his fodder; he applied it to his own case, that he did not cry out without cause, he was, nor complain when he felt no pain; but (I say) we may apply it to some persons repenting. They would never bray if they had but grass enough, nor low if they had foddar enough; that is, if they had but outward comfort enough, corn and wine, health and strength enough, did they but abound in these, you should never hear them complain nor shed a tear, how much soever they abound in sin; All the world cannot satisfy the soul of a godly man, till (after sinning) he be reconciled to God; His soul is hungry and thirsty, notwithstanding all his corn and wine, till he be filled with the favor of God. And, this is indeed to return to the Almighty.
Secondly, Then also we return to the Almighty, when we turn specially from and mourn for that sin whereby we have most provoked the Almighty; when that which hath most offended God, is most offensive and burdensome unto us. For though in repentance, every sin is to be repented of, yet some more; As Samuel said to the house of Israel (1 Sam. 7.3.) if you do return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange God's and Astaroth. But why doth he exhort them to put away that strange God Astaroth, by name, more then any other of their strange gods? I answer; it was because they had most provoked the true God by worshipping that strange God, and therefore he counsels them as ever they would approve themselves to have returned to God in their repentance, to look to it, that they turned from that Idol. If every strange God must be put away when we return to God, how can we return to God, if we put not away our Astaroth. Thus the rule was given by the king of Nineveh, in proclaiming a fast ( Jon. 3.8.) Let them turn everyone from his evil way (that is, from his beloved sin) and from the violence that is in their hands, that is, from the sin of oppression, by which they got much into their hands. But why doth he instance in that sin? Surely because that was the common sin of that City, they were an oppressing people, and loved the gain of oppression, or to get by violence; They lived more by the blood of others, then by their own sweat, more by the violence, then the labor of their hands, therefore they must particularly repent of that sin. If the covetous man return to God, he must turn from every sin, and from his covetousness. If the proud man return to God, he must turn from every sin, and from his pride, this is the nature of returning to the Almighty, yet
Thirdly, Unless we do all this with the whole heart, we do not return to the Almighty (2 Chron. 6.38.) Jere. 3.10. Jere. 24.7. The wicked are serious and cordial in sinning, they must be so in repenting. But some sinner possibly may say, I have gone away too far to return; No, Jer. 3.1. Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers, yet return unto me, saith the Lord. Another will say, I have sliden back and relapsed, I have as it were, repented of my repentance. The Prophet answers this doubt ( Jer. 3.12.) Return thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord. And again ( v. 14.) Turn O backsliding children, saith the Lord, for I married unto you &c.
If thou return &c. Eliphaz having thus shown him that it is his duty to return to the Almighty, now proceeds to show that it will be his happiness, and this he doth by an enumeration of those manifold blessings which follow our returning to him. Whereof the first is,
Affliction and trouble, which are the fruit of sin, pull down, and lay us wast, godly sorrow and repentance, which are our turning from sin, have a promise of this good fruit, That we shall be built up again.
This building up, may be taken two ways; first, more generally for an increase in all good things; secondly, more specially for an increase in children. In the Hebrew the same word, which signifies a son, signifies, to build, because children build up their fathers house, or are their fathers building; in that sense the word is often used, ( Gen. 16.2. Gen. 30.3. Ruth 4.11.) It is said ( Exod. 1.21.) that God built the midwives houses; which some interpret, he gave them children, or made them more fruitful in child-bearing. We read in rhe law how that man was to be dealt with, who refused to take his brothers wife, according to the commandment of God in those times, and the conclusion of all is ( Deut. 25.9.) So it shall be done to the man that shall not build up his brothers house, that is, who refuseth to marry his brothers widow, and (through the blessing of God) to have children by her, which would be as the building up of his house, or the continuance of his name and family. Thus some understand the phrase here; Thou shalt be built up, that is, thou, who hast lost all thy children; Thou, whose house hath been pulled down by the fall of a house ( Ch. 1.19.) shalt have more children, and so thy house built up again. But I rather take the phrase here in that larger sense, and so to be built up, implieth all kind of prosperity in outward things. ( Mal. 3.15.) Now ye call the proud happy, yea they that work wickedness are set up, we put in the Margin, are built up, that is, they are very prosperous, they may have what they will in this world, or (as we say) the world at will. And (note that by the way) 'tis the worst character of an age, when they that work wickedness (which ruins the best built State) are built up. The Lord makes a promise in the language of this Metaphor to the Church, ( Jer. 31.4.) I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel; As if he had said plainly, I will bless thee, and raise thee up out of the dust of thy present desolate condition, into a glorious fabric of prosperity and honor; so it follows in the same text; Thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabarets, and go forth in the dances of them that make merry. This sense of the word is clear in that opposition used in the Psalm ( Psal. 28.5.) Therefore saith the Lord, I will destroy thee, and not build thee up, that is, thou shalt be destroyed forever, I will never repair any of thy ruins, thine shall be as Asaph speaks ( Psal. 74.3.) Perpetual desolations. So that, when Eliphaz promiseth Job, Thou shalt be built up; his meaning is, thy ruined state shall be repaired, and thou shalt have not only a beautiful, but a well foundation'd felicity.
Hence note;
If we by repentance pull down the strong holds of sin, if we forsake and lay wast our lusts, the Lord will build us up, he will build us up with all manner of blessings; repentance is fruitful; There are many who profess they repent, but they do not bring forth fruits meet for repentance; but as true repentance is accompanied with our fruits of holiness and obedience towards God, so with God's fruits, the fruits of his love and mercy towards us. Ther • is a kind of repentance in hell, there's weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, but that's a fruitless repentance, as well as a faithless repentance; the damned are under chains of everlasting darkness. Unsound repentance, or the repentance of hypocrites in this life, is like the repentance of the damned in the next life, but true repentance is fruitful. If we as the Baptist exhorted the Jews (Math. 3.) Bring forth fruit meet for repentance, our repentance will bring forth fruit meet for us; we shall have good things of all sorts, if we sorrow (as the Apostle saith the Corinthians did) after a godly sort; godly sorrow is rewarded with joy; if we humble ourselves, God will lift us up. The sorrows of Gospel repentance, are like the sorrows of a woman in travail, who (as Christ speaks Joh. 16.21.) straight way forgets her pain for joy that a man is borne into the world. The pangs and throws of godly sorrow are therefore said by the Apostle to cause repentance not to be repented of, because that repentance brings forth joy to be rejoiced in, a masculine joy, joy that a man-child of Grace to build up our spiritual house is brought into the world. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be build up. And
The word imports, first, putting away with indignation; secondly, putting away to the utmost distance; therefore we translate, put away far; 'tis but two words in the Original; Thou shalt put iniquity far &c. Iniquity may be taken either for sin, or for the effects of sin, that is, punishment; if we take it in the first sense for sin it self; and then, this latter clause must be understood as a duty; If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thee, that is, It is thy duty to put away iniquity far from thee; as if Eliphaz here did set forth more fully what repentance is; thou shalt be built up if thou return to the Almighty; that is, if thou return so as to put thy iniquity far from thee; if we take iniquity in the second sense, for the punishment of iniquity, then the words are a promise, as if he had said, if thou return &c. then thou shalt rid and discharge thyself and thy house of all the troublesome effects of sin; Thou shalt put iniquity, or all the sad issues and consequents of iniquity, far from thee, none of them shall touch thee to annoy thee.
M r Broughton pitcheth upon the former sense in his translation; If thou cast far off unrighteousness from thy tents. That gives a perfect sense to the whole sentence, and from thence we may
Observe;
We return not at all to the Almighty, till we wholly turn from sin, nor will the Almighty build up our house, till we put iniquity quite out of our house; till we turn it out of house and home; out of the house of our family, out of the home of our hearts; nor is it enough to put sin away a little, or a little way, but it must be put far away. There are several degrees of putting away sin; first, There is a putting it away out of our practice, or conversation, so that it hath no visible being or abode in us or with us. This is a putting of sin away, but this is not a putting of sin far away. Secondly, There is a putting of it out of our affections, or out of our hearts; not as if we could keep it (while we are in the body) from having a place or dwelling there, but as keeping it from having a throne or reigning there. This is to put sin very far away from us; it is no great thing to put sin out of our hands, but 'tis hard to get it out of our hearts; hypocrites will (possibly) lay down the practice of it, but still their spirits cleave to it, they are not at all alienated from the love of it, but only restrained from the acting of it; such are oftentimes kept from doing iniquity, but they do not at all put away their iniquity, much less put it far away. As it is with a natural man in reference to his doing of Good, so to his not doing of evil; If good be at any time in his practice, yet it is far from his spirit, he hath no mind to it, he cannot say the law of God is in his heart, or that he delights to do it; so if evil be at any time put out of his practice, yet it is still in his spirit, his mind is toward it, he cannot say that his heart is withdrawn from it, or that he hates it. No, but as the Prophet Ezekiel speaks of the stubborn Jews (Ezek. 11.21.) Their heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things. As every Godly man is (in the main) like David, A man after God's own heart, and walketh after the heart of God; so every ungodly man is a man after the heart of the devil, and every Idolater or worshipper of false God's (who is one of the worst of ungodly men) is after the heart of his false gods, and he walketh after the heart of his false God's, which the Prophet calls detestable things. Whatsoever is most after the heart or according to the desires and commands of an Idol, that the Idolatrous heart walketh after; that is, he loves it, he delights in it, and thus doth every natural man's heart walk after the heart of his lust, though sometime his feet walk not after it, or he may seem to lay it out of his hand. But he that turns indeed from sin, deals with it, when he is repenting of it, as the Lord doth when he is pardoning it. How is that? The Lord in pardoning sin, puts it far from us ( Psal. 103.12.) As far as the East is from the West, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us; That is, he hath removed them from us to the utmost imaginable distance; for such is that of the East from the West: they and we shall no more meet together again, then the East and West shall or can meet at all. And thus in repenting a godly man desires to put his sin as far from him as the East is from the West, that he and they may never meet together in the practice of them, as he is assured that God hath so pardoned them that they and he shall never meet together in the punishment of them.
In which words he includes more then his own personal repentance; for by the Tabernacles, we are to understand the whole family or household, the tabernacle containing, is put for the persons contain'd; in this Eliphaz seems to strike at Job for his former course, as if he said, Wickedness hath lodged not only in thy heart, but in thy house, in thy family, children and servants. And this surely was it which provoked the Lord to crush thy family of children and their servants with the fall of a house; now therefore I counsel thee to put away iniquity from thy tabernacle, that is, from all that belong to thee, from all that are under thy shadow, and are committed to thy trust and charge.
Hence observe;
They should cleanse not their persons only, but their families, they should sweep their houses, as well as their hearts from sin. ( Gen. 35.2.) Then Jacob said to his household, and to all that were with him, put away the strange God's (or, the estranging God's (such are Idols, they are not only strange, because new God's, and strange, because 'tis a strange or wonderful thing that man should be so besotted as to worship such things for God's, but they are estranging God's) because they withdraw or steal away the heart from the true God; therefore said Jacob put away the strange God's) that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments. This outward changing of their garments signified the changing or cleansing of their souls. God principally looks at that, and the outward ceremony hath no acceptance at all without the inward sincerity; In comparison of which, as the Lord said in Joel, Rent your hearts, and not your garments, so he would say here, change your hearts, and not your Garments. Now Jacob was very careful, that this blessed change of Garments, betokening the change and cleansing both of heart and life, should be the livery of all his family and household. Family sins bring family judgments as well as personal: and they that have the charge of a family, have (in a great degree) a charge of souls as well as of bodies; every Master of a family hath cure of souls; And he is to see so far as lieth in him, that no sin nor wickedness remain or be harboured in his family, that his children and servants live not in ignorance, nor in any evil. In the 6 th of Numbers, Moses gives charge to the Congregation, That they should depart from the tents of those wicked men, Corah, Dathan, and Abiram; it is dangerous to be near the families of the wicked, but it is more dangerous to have wickedness remaining in our family, in our servants, or in our children. And if Masters endeavor not by all due means, to remove sin out of their family, that in a little time may remove them out of their family, or (as we say) eat them out of house and home. Thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy Tabernacle. Thus much of this part of the verse, in the first sense, as iniquity is taken for sin; yet,
Further, as the word iniquity is taken for punishment, thou shalt put away iniquity (or the effects of iniquity) far from thy Tabernacle; and then the words are both a new promise and a further explication of what is meant by being built up, which was the former promise; Thou shalt be built up, and all evil shall depart away from thy Tabernacle. Iniquity, which properly signifies the evil of sin, is often put in Scripture, for the evils of trouble and suffering; and as all acknowledge this to be a truth, so some judge it the truth specially intended in this place. I shall therefore briefly, note from it,
For though the Lord be pleased to dispence variously for trial of his people, and often suffers the evil of affliction to hang about their Tabernacles, who desire sincerely, and endeavor faithfully to put all iniquity far from their Tabernacles, yet this is the promise of God, and this hath been often experienced by Godly men; That God hath turned trouble out of their doors, when they have humbly and zealously labored to turn sin out of their hearts.
Eliphaz having encouraged Job by this general promise, he draweth it forth into particulars. And that, first, in reference to outward things.
Vers. 24. Then, shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
Then, that is, when thou hast acquainted thyself with God; then, when thou hast laid up his law in thy heart; then, when thou hast returned to the Almighty thyself, and put away iniquity far from thy Tabernacle; Then thou shalt lay up gold as dust, &c. The word which we render Gold, signifies to fortify, or to defend, and it is translated a defense at the 25 th verse Solomon saith ( Eccl. 7.12.) not only, That wisdom is a defense, but that money is a defense, (that is, it procures defense) and Gold is the chief of money. Though Gold be not a defense formally, yet virtually it is; Gold defends it self against all the forces of fire, and it is a principal means of defending us against the fire and fury of the Greatest dangers. Thou shalt lay up Gold as dust, &c. But Christ saith ( Math. 6.19,) Lay not up treasures for yourselves on earth. And it was a rule given concerning the King of Israel in the Levitical Law, long before Israel had a King, ( Deut. 17.17.) He shall not greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. How then, doth Eliphaz say, that he who repents, shall lay up gold as the dust? is that fit work for him? I answer, the words are not to be understood as an exhortation to bend his endeavors to the gathering of riches; but as a promise from God that he shall, by a blessing from above, gather store of riches here below. Thou shalt lay up gold as the dust. By gold here, and silver in the next verse, we are to understand all manner of riches; because gold and silver are the chief riches, therefore all is contained under them. And when he saith, Thou shalt lay up gold as the dust, the words receive variety of renderings; some thus, Thou shalt lay up gold above the dust; as if he should say; thou shalt have more gold than dust, which is a strain of rhetoric, expressing abundance; Others read, Thou shalt lay up gold upon the dust; As ( Psal. 24.2.) He hath founded it upon the Seas; A third renders, Thou shalt lay up gold by the dust; Like that ( Psal. 1.3.) A tree planted by the river side: A fourth thus, by way of counsel; And lay gold in the dust. Which two latter readings, are expounded as a direction given to Job, how he should lay up gold, he must not lay up gold in his heart and spirit, but in the dust, or by the dust; As if he had said; Put that purer dust, that better concocted, and refined dust, in the common dust; put the dust to dust; put thy gold in its proper place, where God and nature put it. 'It is but dust, and so a fit companion for the dust; yea (say some) 'tis as if Eliphaz had said; Do not so much as make room for it in thy house, provide not chests for it, let it lie where it had its original; It came from the dust, there leave it, return it back to its own Country, to the place of its nativity. A Heathen hath this notion concerning gold and silver, &c. And he labors much to show that the site & position of these things in nature, holds forth how we ought to receive and estimate them; Even nature (by which he means the ordinary course set in nature) draws us off from coveting Gold and silver; there is nothing which may provoke or stir up covetousness, which God hath advanced or set up high in the order of nature; Gold and silver are the chief objects of Covetousness, now both these, as also whatsoever else man is pressed about, and as it were trodden underfoote in the dirt for, by burdensome or covetous cares, God hath thrust or trodden under our feet; Gold doth not fall out of the clouds of heaven, hut lieth under the clods of the earth; there God hath put them to be trampled and trodden under our feet, that we might scorn to have our affections trampled upon and trodden underfoote by them, or such things as they. So then, All that this interpretation or translation aims at in saying Gold must be put in the dust, is only to show us, that our estimations should be taken off from it, or that we should place it as low in our thoughts, as God hath placed it in the order of nature. And this is a spiritual sense, suiting that of our Savior; Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, make not great preparations to keep your earthly treasures, especially let them not be kept in your heart, or lie there where Christ only and the treasures of heaven ought to be laid up. Put your gold in the dust, or let it be esteemed as dust, seeing at best it is but well concocted dust. So Gold and silver are called Amos 2.7. That pa • t after the dust of the earth upon the head of the poor. So the Prophet describes their extreme covetousness, who will be rich, though it be by empoverishing those who are poorest.
Yet I conceive in this place Eliphaz hath another aim; And that where be saith; Thou shalt lay up Gold as the dust, his meaning only is, thou shalt lay up plenty of Gold, or •• ou shalt gather much riches; for the dust of the earth or sand of the Sea are used frequently to signify abundance, or the exceeding numerousnesse of things, or persons; Who can count the dust of Jacob? and the number of the fourth part of Israel (Numb. 23.10.) that is, they are as the dust that cannot be counted, or numbered; that was the promise made to Abraham (Gen. 13.16.) I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth. So here, Thou shalt lay up gold as the dust, that is, gold more then thou canst tell, or cast up; Thou shalt have not only enough, but even more then enough. Job was very rich before, now saith Eliphaz, Thou shalt have gold as the dust, thy riches shall be increased, thou shalt have a greater store and stock then ever. Thou shalt lay up gold as the dust. And as it followeth
'It is the same thing in another tenor of words; the Hebrew is, Thou shalt lay up Ophir as the stones of the brook. The word gold is not expressed in the Original; yet it may well be understood; Ophir is put for the Gold of Ophir, because Ophir was the place of Gold, yea of the richest Gold (1 Kings 9.27, 28.) They came to Ophir and fet from thence gold four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon. Ophir was a noted place in those times for gold, both in reference to the plenty and purity of it. 'It is a question much controverted, where Ophir is; some making it to be an Island in Africa; others place it in India; since the discovery of America or the West Indyes, many contend, that Ophir is now called Peru; and they have (as they conceive) a probable ground for this opinion from that place in the Holy Story (2 Chron. 3.6.) Where 'tis said, He (that is, Solomon) garnished the house with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was gold of Paruaim, which is near in sound to the name of that Gold-abounding Country in America called Peru. I shall not undertake to decide this Geographicall Controversy about Ophir; That w ch is agreed on all hands is enough for my purpose, and the explication of this Text, that Ophir was a Country famous in ancient times, both for the plenty and excellency of the Gold found there and brought from thence. Therefore said Eliphaz, Thou shalt lay up Ophir, that is, the Gold of Ophir, pure and precious Gold.
That is, thou shalt have abundance of gold; to lay up gold 〈◊〉 the dust, and to lay it up as the stones of the brook, or as the stones of the valley, are parallel expressions for plenty of Gold, suitable to those hyperbole's (2 Chron. 1.15.) The king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones &c. And Chap. 9 of the same book ( v. 27.) The king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and Cedar trees made he as the Siccamore trees that are in the low plain in abundance. Thus in the text Job is promised to lay up the Gold of Ophir, as the stones of the brook.
The Vulgar translation reads differently; He shall give • Thee for earth a Rock, and for a Rock streams of Gold; which is a proverbial speech, implying a change for the better; as if he said, thou before who hadst a sandy foundation, shall now build upon a rock, as ( Math. 7.27.) And we find such language in the Prophet ( Isa. 60.17.) where the Lord promiseth, for brass I will bring gold, for Iron silver, for wood brass, &c. So here, For earth I will give thee stone, and for stone Golden brooks, or brooks of Gold, that is, those brooks where gold is, or, I will give thee much Gold out of those brooks.
Junius seems to favor this translation most of all, rendering the whole verse thus, connexing it with the former; Thou shalt be built up &c. and that by giving thee for dust the choicest gold, and for the rock the river gold of Ophir. By all assuring Job of a happiness in his civil state in case he did change or mend in his spiritual state. Then he who had so great a change in his worldly estate for the worse, should have a greater change in his worldly state for the better. The next verse is a continuation of the promise, much to the same intent, and almost in the same words, and therefore I shall open that also before I give any observations.
Vers. 25. Yea the Almighty shall be thy defense, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
There is some difference in the reading of this verse, for the word which we translate defense, is the same which we translate gold in the former verse. And hence some translate thus; thy gold shall be mighty; Making the word Shaddai (which is one of the names of God, and usually rendered Almighty) to be as an Epithite to the word Gold, Thy Gold shall be strong or mighty. And thus some translations render the word Shaddai (Ezek. 1.24.) where the Prophet saith, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty; so we render; but others thus; As a mighty voice; So in the present text, whereas we say, The Almighty shall be thy defense, or according to the strictness of the word; The Almighty shall be thy Gold; others give it thus; Thy Gold shall be mighty. And this answers the latter clause of the verse, where we read; Thou shalt have plenty of silver; yet put in the Margin, Thou shalt have silver of strength, or, strong silver. These readings have an elegancy in them.
But I shall keep to our own, which is profitable to us and suitable to the text; Yea the Almighty shall be thy defense; the particle (yea) shewth that this is a h • gher step of mercy then the former; as if he had said, Thou shalt not only have gold which is a defense, but better then gold, even the Almighty for thy defense, or, God who is better then Gold, will be thy defense, and the defense of thy Gold. The Hebrew word is plural, Defences, which intimates; first, all sorts of defense; secondly, strong defense; The Almighty shall be thy defences; All manner of defense, and a strong defense unto thee.
Hence note;
There are many in the world who have gold, but there are few who have this defense for it. The Prophet Haggai speaks of those who earned money, but put it into a bag with holes; that is, they could not hold or keep what they had gotten. It is the Lord that establisheth the creature to us, and defends it for us. The best things in the world take wings and are gone, unless the Lord stay them with us; and unless the Lord defend and keep them for us, they will soon be pulled out of our possession. Some men's estates wast away they know not how, there is a hole in the bottom of the bag they thought not of. Others have their estates violently taken away from them, because the Lord is not their defense. The Lord is The protector of his people, the Lord is a Castle, a strong Tower, all manner of fortifications about his people, to defend their estates and persons, much more their souls. And Eliphaz seems to mind Job that he once had, but now had lost this defense; God once made ahedg about him, or rather was a hedge about him, but he opened a gap or withdrew, and then in came the Sabaeans and Chaldeans and spoiled all. Now then (saith he) return to the Lord, and he will once again be thy defense. How safe are they that have God for their defense, who live under the shadow, and covert of the Almighty! How safe are they (I say) and all that they have.
The vulgar latin is so full of this sense, that he leaves out the word defense, and o • l saith; The Almighty shall be (or shall stand up for thee) against thine enemies; and in this perfect outward happiness consisteth. For to have much, and that secured, is all we can desire for the things of this world. Many have gold, and riches store, but the thing that troubles them is this, how to make all sure; Return to the Lord, and he shall be thy defense; he shall be an assurance Office to thee, he shall protect thee against all winds and weathers, against all enemies and pirates; The Almighty shall be thy defense and the defense of thy gold.
Further, Because the word which we render defense, signifieth gold also, as was shown; therefore some keep to that reading, and thus translate this 25 verse, And the Almighty shall be thy choice gold, and silver, and strength unto thee. Which reading is likewise followed by Master Broughton; And the Almighty will be thy plentiful gold and silver of strength to thee. This sense of the word is comfortable indeed; for to have told Job only this; Thou shalt lay up gold as the dust, and gold of Ophir as the stones of the brook; this had been though a great mercy, yet but a common mercy, such as the men of the world have and enjoy. Many that know not God lay up gold as the dust, and they who serve him not, have often store of silver. But when God himself saith, I will be your Gold and silver, This is not only the richest of temporal, but the riches of all spiritual mercies. For when 'tis said, the Lord shall be thy choice gold and silver of strength to thee, the meaning is, he will be better to thee then the choicest Gold, and a greater strength then silver unto thee. This is a rare and a distinguishing mercy. Wicked men may have gold from God, but no wicked man hath God for his gold.
Hence note;
The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; whose soul said this? It was the soul of a mourning Jeremiah. And when said he this? even then, when their lands and houses were possessed by the enemy, even then, when their Gold and silver with all their goodly things were carried captive into Babylon; Then Jeremy said, The Lord is my portion (Lam. 3.24.) the Gold and silver which I had in my house are gone, but my Gold & silver in heaven is not gone into captivity, he is my portion still and forever. They who have God for their gold and silver, are happier and richer then gold and silver can make them: What can be said more to draw our hearts to God, then this promise, that God will not only give us riches, but that himself will be our riches? What can be said more to take a covetous man's heart off from the love of his gold then this? take thy heart off from thy Gold, and God will be thy gold. And so what can be spoken more prevailingly to the voluptuous man, who delights to swim in rivers of sensual pleasures; O take off thy heart from these pleasures of sin, which are but for a season, and God will be thy pleasure for evermore. What stronger argument to take down the ambition of man, who hunts after high places and dignities in the world? then to tell him, withdraw from this pursuit, and God will be thy honor, and thy high place. We may say to the ambitious, to the covetous, to the voluptuous, and in a word to all sorts of sinners, Ye shall find all that your sins can offer you, and infinitely more in God; your honors, and pleasures, your gold and silver, you shall have altogether in him. One of the ancients speaks well and truly to the point; That man is too, too covetous whom God doth not suffice, or, who is not satisfied with God. The only true reason why any man is not satisfied with God is, because he knoweth not God; He that can say knowingly, the Lord is my God, cannot but say, I am satisfied. When God is ours, all is ours. And the poorest who are rich in faith, have as great a share in this riches, as the richest. God is the poor man's gold, they that have neither gold nor silver in their purse (as Peter said to the impotent man) may have God in their hearts. The Almighty is their gold, and silver too, as it followeth in the text.
Some render, Thou shalt have silver of weariness; He means it not of silver, as it wearies a man in the getting of it, but he means it of so great a quantity or sum of silver, as shall weary a man to tell it, or trouble him to weigh it. The manner of accounting silver was anciently by weight; hence what is paid in money is called a pension. We translate fully to that sense, thou shalt have plenty of silver; for they that have so much as tires and wearies them to tell or weigh it, have store enough. We put silver of strength in the Margen. Silver is a strong metal, and it is strength, great strength to Man. This rendering suites best with the beginning of the verse. The Almighty shall be thy defense, and thou shalt have silver of strengths, or silver to strengthen thee. As for plenty, that was fully set forth in the former verse, where he is promised Gold as the dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the Brooke. Besides, the word is divers times applied to express strength by, but rarely if at all in Scripture to express plenty by, and here our translators render it so, not properly but tropically, as appears before; for properly it expresseth the greatest strength, as first, The strength of the Unicorne (Num. 23.22.) God brought him out of Egypt, he hath as it were the strength of an Unicorne; Secondly, The strength of Mountains (Psal. 95.4.) therefore I conceive it is best rendered silver of strength; as gold is clothed with a word which signifies defense, so silver is joined with a word that signifies strength, because there is much strength and defense in both, money being the sinews or strength of war; So that to say, Thou shalt have silver of strength, is as if he had said, thy silver shall be a strength, or a blessing to thee; Some have silver and it is no strength to them; or he calleth it, silver of strength, because it should be confirmed, and established for his use and in his possession. He should find, by experience, that there was tacke in it, that it was solid silver, or silver that had strength in it. So then, these are but several expressions of the same thing, all which gathered together heighten up the promise of this outward mercy; he should have gold, and God would be his defense, yea his gold, and he should have silver plenty, enough of it to make a man weary to tell it, or he should have silver of strength, his silver should be a strength to him, and all this is assured him upon his repentance and return to the Almighty.
Hence note;
Godlines is gainful, though a godly man should die a beggar; but besides there is worldly gain in it, these promises are not made in vain. Christ speaks as much ( Math. 6.33.) Seek first the kingdom of God, and the righteousness thereof, and all other things (even gold and silver) shall be added to you. And the Apostle is full for it (1 Tim. 4.8.) Godliness is profitable for all things, 'tis good to make men rich, it will bring in worldly profits; Godlines hath the promise of gold as well as of grace, of silver, as well as of pardon and peace, do not think that godliness is barren of outward blessings, or that we must needs loose all gain in this world, by getting that which fits us for the Glory of the next world. Know, that as the Lord makes his ways sweet to his people by inward communications of himself, revealing his love and grace to them, yea in them, so he makes his ways sweet to his people by giving them outward good things, blessing their basket and their store, filling their hearts with food and gladness.
Secondly, Note;
It is no sin to be rich, but when riches are got by sin; Poor Lazarus lay in the bosom of rich Abraham; As many poor men may be called the Devils poor, so some that are rich may be called God's rich men. Again, if Godlines have a promise (as it hath) of riches, then the godly may lawfully possess riches; which also may be instruments in their hands of glorifying God, and doing good among men. Nor can it be denied, that they know best how to use the things of the world, and how to be the best Stewards of earthly treasures, who are instructed for the kingdom of heaven, and are (as the Apostle Peter exhorts Saints to be (1 Pet. 4.10.) Good Stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Thirdly, Note;
He bestows them where, and upon whom he pleaseth. This promise of plenty of gold, upon repentance and returning to the Almighty, must needs proceed from this supposition, that the Almighty hath gold and silver in his power. The world is the Lord's, and the fullness of it (Psal. 50.12.) God is the best Indies for gold. If any would trade for gold prosperously, let them trade heavenward; for God is everywhere Lord of the soil, and he saith of all the precious mines hidden in the bowels of the earth, They are mine. See how the Lord speaks as the great proprietour of all the gold, and silver, of all the good things of this world; ( Hos. 2.8, 9.) She did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal, therefore I will return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax &c. All's mine. Thus the Lord voucheth himself the great owner of all these things, all the gold & silver, all the wool and the flax, all the corn and wine are his. When the people and Princes of Israel with David their king offered so willingly and so liberally Gold and silver &c. for the building of the Temple. David makes this confession for them all (1 Chro. 29.14.) All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. And may he not do what he will with his own? Men think they may, surely God both may and will.
Fourthly, Observe;
Eliphaz promiseth Job from the Lord gold as the dust, and as the stones of the brook, with silver of strength, that we have it in such or such a proportion is from the Lord, as much as that we have anything at all; he can give much as well as little, & that our proportion hath a defense and strength in it is from the Lord; therefore we should honor the Almighty for every portion and proportion of worldly riches, and for the establishment of our portion whatsoever it is. Silver and gold have no strength in them unless the Lord who giveth these give them strength, and bid them stay with us to do us good. Lastly, Observe;
'It is sinful to make abundance our aim, or to contend for much in temporals; to do so in and about spirituals is our duty, and our contention for the highest degree our commendation. We should design it, to lay up the Gold of Grace, as the dust, and the silver of sanctification as the stones of the brook; We should forget all that we have, that we might get what we have not. Our desireings while pitched upon an eternal object cannot be immoderate, but in temperals they quickly may: and therefore as to them, our moderation should be known to all men. Yet if God give in abundance of temporals in the lawful exercise of our callings, we may warrātably enjoy it as a blessing from him. The providence of God doth often bound us to a little, and we ought to be contented with the least portion of outward things, with bare food & raiment; but the word of God doth not bound us to a little, nor doth it say it is unlawful to have much. And as it is not unlawful to have much of the world, so it is a great exercise and trial of our Graces to have much; As there are some Graces of a Christian which come not to trial till we are in want, so there are other Graces which come not to trial unless we have abundance. Want trieth our patience, and our dependence upon God for a supply of what we have not; and abundance trieth our temperance, our humility, our liberality, yea and our dependence upon and faith in God, for the sanctifying, blessing, and making of that comfortable to us which we have. When a rich man seeth an emptiness in his abundance without the enjoyments of God in it, he exerciseth as high a grace, and showeth as heavenly a frame of mind, as that poor man doth who seeth and enjoyeth a fullness in God, in the midst of all his emptiness. And therefore Paul puts both these alike upon a divine teaching, ( Phil. 4.12.) In all things I am instructed, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. And had it been unlawful to enjoy plenty, Eliphaz had never pressed Job to repentance by this motive, The Almighty shall be thy defense, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
JOB. CHAP. 22. Vers. 26, 27.
For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.
Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and • e shall hear thee, and thou shall pay thy Vowes.
IT hath been shown from the former context, how Eliphaz encouraged yea provoked Job to repentance, and returning to God by the proposal of many promises, by promises of outward, and temporal mercies, gold, silver, and protection. He might have what he pleased of God for the comforts of this life, if his life were once pleasing unto God. In this latter part of the Chapter he riseth higher and proposeth spiritual promises; And he begins with the best of spiritual promises, the free enjoyment of God himself.
Vers. 26. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, &c.
As if Eliphas had said; If thou dost indeed repent and turn from sin, thy conscience which now troubles, yea torments thee, shall have sweet peace in God, and thou who now grovellest with thy eyes down to the ground, by reason of thy pressing guilt, and misery, shalt then with confidence lift up thy face unto God in prayer, and thou shalt find God so ready at hand with an answer, that thou shalt see cause cheerfully to perform thy Vowes, which thou madest to him in the day of trouble; That's the general scope of this latter part of the Chapter. I shall now proceed to explicate the particulars.
The first word implieth a reason of what he had said before. Having spoken of temporal promises, he confirms his interest in them by assuring him of spiritual; for then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty. As if he had said, God will not deny thee outward comforts in the creature, seeing he intends to give thee the highest comforts, even delight in himself. 'It is an argument like that of the Apostle ( Rom. 8.32.) He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things? Thus Eliphaz seems to argue, seeing God will give thee himself to rejoice in, or to rejoice in himself, how can he deny thee gold and silver with those other conveniencies which concern this life? these being indeed as nothing in comparison of himself.
Then, that is, when thou returnest to God, and not till then, then thou mayest expect to receive much sweetness from him, such sweetness as thy soul never tasted or experienced to this day.
The word signifies to delight, or take contentment, whether it be outward contentment, or inward contentment, the delight of the body, or the delight of the mind; And so an universal delight, thy whole delight shall be in the Lord. Moses (Deut. 28.56.) describes those women by this word, who were made up of delight; Thy tender and delicate woman, that is, such as are so delicate that they are the delight of all who behold them, or who are themselves altogether devoted to their delights, who (as the Apostle Paul speaks of the wanton widow (1 Tim. 5.) live in pleasure; These are threatened with such calamities as should render their very lives a pain to them. The word is used again ( Isa. 58.13, 14.) where the Prophet speaks of keeping the Sabbath; If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight; what then? then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; thou shalt have curious delight, all manner of delight in the Lord, if thou call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, and shalt honor him; if thou hast a delight in duty, thou shalt have the delight of reward.
Thus Eliphaz, then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty. And 'tis considerable that he doth not say, thou shalt have thy delight in the merciful, or gracious God, but in the Almighty; in him thou shalt have thy delight, whose power is over all, and who is able to do whatsoever pleaseth him. Even the power and allmightinesse of the Lord shall be as pleasant to thee as his mercy and loving kindness.
Further, delight in the general nature of it, consists in these two things.
First, In the suitableness and conveniency of the object, and the faculty, whether sensitive or intellective.
Secondly, It consists in the reflection and application of the faculty upon the object. So that to delight ourselves in the Almighty, hath these two things in it.
First, A suitableness in our souls to the Lord.
Secondly, The souls reflecting upon the Lord as good and gracious unto us. This reflect act breeds and brings in delight, and works the heart to an unspeakable joy in God. By this last and highest act of faith, we take in the sweetness of the Almighty, and delight ourselves in him mightily. This faith doth not only suck the promises, wherein the love of God is evidenced to us, but is it self an evidence of the love of God to us. We suck and are satisfied with the breasts of consolation by believing ( Isa. 66.11.) that is, we believing draw forth that sweetness of the promise which the word declares to be the portion of Believers. Thus spiritual delight is made up; and therefore Saints are said to rejoice in believing, with joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Pet. 1.8.) that is, having as much and as clear a manifestation, yea participation and taste of that Glory in believing, which is prepared and reserved for them against the next life, as they are capable to receive, and more then they are able to express, in this life. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, We may look upon the words first as a command; and then observe,
Delight in God, is both a privilege and a duty, it is commanded in the Law, and it is promised in the Gospel. God is pleased to give us many things in the world, not only for necessity, but for delight, A heathen looking upon the various provisions which the Great Creator hath made not only for the maintenance of man in his being, but for his comfortable and pleasurable being. Some of which affect the senses, the eye, the ear, the taste &c. others are sweetly contentful to the understanding, with all the faculties of the soul, He (I say) concludes this from it; The bountiful Creator hath provided for more then our necessity, or he hath provided more then will barely serve our turn to live upon, we are loved even up to our delights. Now I say, though the Lord hath provided delights for us in the creature, yet it is our duty, our greatest, our highest duty to delight chiefly in the Lord, to delight in him first, and to delight in nothing but in reference unto him; nothing should be pleasing to us, but as there is an impress or stamp of the love of God upon it, or as it tastes of his goodness. And indeed what can delight us long but this thought? that God delighteth in us, or that we are a delight to God; that God is Good, and that God is good to us; having tasted his goodness, we should love and delight in him, above all our delights. The Psalmist ( Psal. 137.6.) preferred Jerusalem above his chiefest joy; how much more should we prefer the God of Jerusalem above our chiefest joy. God delighteth in man whom he hath made, and who is his son by Grace, next to Jesus Christ who is his son by nature, and Jesus Christ delighteth in man whom he hath redeemed, and should not man delight in his maker, in his father, in his redeemer? We have a most divine description of the delight which the Father takes in Christ his Son, and which Christ taketh in his redeemed ones, ( Pro. 8.30, 31.) Then was I by him as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight (Christ was the delight of his father, and he delighted in his father) rejoicing always before him; rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth, and my delight was with the sons of men. Jesus Christ himself takes up many of his delights with the sons of men, whom he calls the habitable parts of the earth, even those of the sons of men that are a habitation of God through the Spirit. Now (I say) as the delight of the Father is in the Son, and the delight of the Son in the Father, and the delight both of Father and Son in the Saints, in the habitable parts of the earth, or with the sons of men; so the delight of the sons of men should be in the Father, and in the Son; there should our delight be, there should we take our highest contentment.
Secondly, The words are rather to be taken for a promise; Then shalt thou have thy delight in the Lord; Then, that is, when thou turnest from sinful delights, or delight in sin, I assure thee of spiritual delight.
Whence observe;
When once sin is bitter to us, the Lord will be sweet to us; and until sin be bitter to us, the Lord is not sweet to us; sin hinders our delightful enjoyment of the creature, it puts gall and wormwood into our dish, and cup, it is that which makes all relations grievous and burthensome to us; yet this is but a small matter, that it hinders us from the contentment, and sweetnesses which are to be had in the creature; sin takes us off from delighting in God. That soul cannot delight in the Almighty, who loveth and continueth in the love of sin. If such profess delight in God, it is but a false boast, and a high presumption; it is impossible for such to delight in the Lord indeed. Job (Chap. 27.10.) saith of the hypocrite; Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God? He may pretend to a delight in the Almighty, he may have some flashes, some raptures, but his joys and delights are not in the Almighty, what joys soever he hath they are in somewhat below God; the hypocrite may delight himself in somewhat received from the Almighty, in some present benefit, or future expectation that he hath from the Almighty; he cannot delight in the Almighty himself, or in God as God.
As it is impossible in the nature of the thing, for a man to delight in sin, and in God too; so God hath said that he who hath a delight in sin, shall not find any delight in him. God hath said, Delight thyself in me, and I will give thee the desires of thy heart, (Psal. 37.4.) But if any man will follow the desires of his own heart, he shall not delight himself in God. Sin separateth between God and us (Isa. 59.2.) that is, it separates between the comforts and mercies which are in God, and us; sin doth not, cannot separate us from the power, or presence, from the eye, or justice of God, so sin doth not separate (for God is nigh to sinners both to see what they are doing, and to punish them for what they •• ve done sinfully) but sin separates from all those delights that flow from God, from those joys which his people take in him; yea sin breeds a strangeness between God and the soul, so that the soul that loveth sin, cannot have any holy familiarity or converse with God. The Lord saith to those who repent ( Isa. 1.18.) Come let us reason together, &c. As if he had said, I am now ready to debate the matter with you that repent, and how great soever your sins have been, they shall be blotted out. Whereas before the Lord tells them that he was weary of them, and that they were a burden to him in all their services; Now when we are a burden to God, God is never pleasant to us; if the Lord say he is weary of us, we cannot say we delight ourselves in him. Our delight and pleasure in God is the fruit of his delight in and well-pleasednes with us.
Thirdly, Eliphaz proposeth this delight in the Lord, as the most winning promise.
Hence note;
There is nothing better, nothing sweeter then to delight in the Lord; delight in the Lord hath all true delights in it. David speaks this out fully in that place lately quoted to another occasion ( Psal. 37.4.) Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart; that is, thou shalt have all thy desires fulfilled in this thing; delight in the Lord will be the fulfilling of all thy desires; not only shall they who delight themselves in the Lord; have all their desires filled up, but their very delight in the Lord is the fulfilling of all their desires. What is the glory of heaven, but delighting in the Lord? And he who delights in the Lord, feels not the want or absence of any earthly Good. In thy presence is fullness of joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore (Psal. 16 11.) Heavenly glory is nothing but delight in God, and all earthly good is nothing without delight in God. We may affirm four things of this delight, in opposition to all worldly delights.
First, This is a real delight, worldly delights are but shadows, or pageant-like shows of delight. The joys of a hypocrite, are like his holiness, mere appearances of joy; he hath no real, no true joy, as he hath no true, no real holiness. That man doth but fain a taste of joy, whosoever he is, that doth but fain the practice of holiness. Thus who wickedly hold out a holiness which they feel not, shall talk of joys which they find not.
Secondly, Delight in the Lord is a strong delight, yea it is a strengthening delight; That must needs be strong joy, which is strengthening joy; such is the joy of the Lord, as Nehemiah told that people ( Neh: 8.10.) The joy of the Lord, is the strength of the soul, the strength of the inward man, it makes us mighty, it makes us giants to run our race, the race of holiness. The giant rejoiceth to run his race, because he is strong, and knows he can do it. The joy of the Lord is our strength, and is both an evidence tha • we are strong, and a means to make us so. Worldly delights are weak, and they weaken us, Delight in the Lord is strong, and it strengthens.
Thirdly, It is a lasting delight; not like the crackling of thorns under a pott, (to which Solomon elegantly compares the laughter of the fool, Eccl. 7.6.) that make a noise, and a blaze for a while, but are presently extinct. Now Solomon's fool may be either, first, the profane man in the world, or, secondly, the hypocrite in the Church; All the joys of this pair of fools, the profane worldling, and the formal hypocrite are soon in and soon out, like crackling thorns. But joy or delight in the Almighty is a lasting delight, it is not for a fit, or a pang, but for continuance, yea it continueth in the midst of all worldly sorrows, for it overcomes and conquers them. There is a laughter in which (saith Solomon, Pro. 14.13.) the heart is sorrowful, and there is a sor • ow in which the heart laughs; As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, saith the Apostle (2 Cor. 6.10.) Spiritual joy, or joy in the Lord is not extinguished, though surrounded with worldly sorrows; Many waters cannot quench this vehement flame, this flame of God (as Solomon speaks of love, Cant. 8.) neither can the floods drown it.
Fourthly, Delight in the Almighty is a holy delight, a delight which makes us more holy; the delights of the world are impure, and they defile us, we seldom take in worldly pleasures, but they leave some spot and taint upon our spirits or conversations; but the delights we have in the Lord are all pure, yea purifying delights, they make the soul more clear, more holy, more heavenly, they make us like unto the Almighty, in whom our delight is. For look what the object is in which we delight, such is the spirit of him that takes that delight; now the Lord in whom this delight is, being altogether holy, they that take delight in him, must needs be made or kept holy by it. As delight in worldly things makes the heart worldly, base and dreggish, so this refines and purifies it. The more we drink of the rivers of this pleasure, the more sober we are, to be an epicure (as it were) in these delights, is the highest temperance. Our feeding cannot be too full, nor our drafts too large upon these delights. Solomon (Eccle. 2.2.) who had run a course through all worldly delights, and tried them to the utmost, said of laughter it is mad, and of mirth what doth it? there is a madness in the mirth of the world, what doth it? that is, what good doth it to any man? many things it doth, it makes men vain, foolish, dissolute, dispirited for any goodness; but what good doth it? doth it make any man better, more holy, more wise or fit for duty, no, it can do none of these things. But delight in the Lord, is all this, and can do all this, it is true, strong, strengthening, lasting, holy, a delight that makes us more holy. This is the portion of Saints at all times, though paid them in more or specially at sometimes, and that either, first, respecting the state and disposition of their own souls, as in the rest, or secondly, the state of and promised dispensations of God to the Church. ( Isa. 65.14.18. Isa. 66.11.) Then (also in a special manner) shalt thou have thy delight in the Lord. And because every man doth freely or willingly look to that in which he is delighted. Therefore Eliphaz addeth,
But some may say, is that such a great matter, is it any special favor to lift up the face to God? seeing to do so is common to mankind. The Naturalist saith, That whereas other creatures look groveling downward, God gave man an erect countenance, and bid him look heavenwards. How then doth Eliphaz promise, Thou shalt lift up thy face to God? We had the like expression ( Ch. 10.15.) If I be righteous, yet I will not lift up my head. And ( Ch. 11.15.) Then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot. The lifting up of the head, and the lifting up of the face are the same; implying confidence, or a well-grounded boldness in him that doth so; For all these phrases of speech imply a lifting up of the mind or Spirit to God. As David saith ( Psal. 25.1.) Unto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul. Eliphaz means not the lifting up of a heart-less face or head, such as the hypocrite or formalist lifts up to God in worship, nor the lifting up of a mere living head or face, such as all men lift up to God according to the form or frame of their natural constitution, but the courage and confidence of the soul, and that a holy courage and confidence, is here intended. And there are not many, who can thus lift up their face to God, as is promised here to Job by way of privilege.
To lift up the face, is taken under a twofold notion in Scripture, first, as a gesture or bodily position in prayer; He that prayeth doth usually lift up his face to God, and so to lift up the face to God, is to pray unto God. A corporal posture being put often in Scripture to signify a spiritual duty. Thus some understand it here; Thou shalt lift up thy face to God, that is, thou shalt pray; secondly (which further complyes with the duty of prayer. To lift up the face, notes (as was touched before) confidence of spirit, and boldness, courage, and assurance towards him, before whom the face is lifted up, whether God or man.
The Septuagint who rather paraphrase then translate this text, give this sense fully; Thou shalt be confident before the Lord (or thou shalt act fiducially and boldly before him) and behold heaven cheerfully. This lifting up the face is opposed to casting down the face, & that is a phrase used in Scripture to signify shame and failing of spirit. When courage is down, the countenance is down too; as we say, such a man hath a down look, that is, there is an appearance of guilt upon him. The face is cast down three ways; First, by fear; secondly, by sorrow; thirdly, by shame. Ezra. 9.6. O my God I am ashamed and blush, to lift up my face unto thee; for our iniquities are increased over our heads. So ( Luk. 18.13.) the Publican durst not lift up his eyes to heaven, and possibly there was a complication of all these three causes why he durst not, fear, sorrow, shame; he was so much terrified, so much grieved, so much ashamed of himself, that he durst not lift up his eyes to heaven. It was the speech of Abner to Asahel (2 Sam. 2.22.) Turn thee aside from following me, why should I smite thee to the ground, how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother; that is, if I slay thee I shall be afraid to look him in the face, nor can I have any confidence of his favor; and it is well conceived, that he spake thus (for it is indeed a very unusual thing for the General of an Army in the very heat of war to look after the favor of the General of the opposite Army, but (I say) 'tis conceived he spake thus) as being convinced that he had undertaken a bad cause in upholding the house of Saul against David, and therefore had misgivings that he might shortly fall into the hands of Joab David's General, and was therefore unwilling to provoke him by killing his brother. This made him say, How shall I hold up my face to thy brother Joab? As if he had said, I shall obstruct the way of my own reconciliation to thy brother, (in case The turn of things in this war cast me into his hands) by killing thee. Again we may look back to Gen. 4.5. where it is reported of Cain, That he was wrath, and his countenance fell; anger, and sorrow, and shame, falling at once upon him (because the Lord had respect to Abel and his offering, but had no respect to him or his) caused his countenance to fall; which phrase stands in direct opposition to lifting up the face in all the three occasions of it. For it implieth first fear, which is opposed to boldness; secondly, sorrow or anger, which are opposed to content and joy; thirdly, shame which is opposed both to freedom of approach, and liberty of speech. We have an expression which paralels much with this, in that Prophecy of Christ ( Psal. 110.7. ) He shall drink of the brook in the way, therefore shall he lift up his head, that is, he shall rise and appear like a mighty Conqueror with boldness, honor, and triumph. So Christ himself prophesying of the troubles which shall be in the latter days, comforts the surviving Saints in this language; When these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads (that is, then take heart and boldness) for the day of your redemption draweth nigh, (Luke 21.28.) that is, the day is at hand wherein you shall be freed from all fears and sorrows.
Hence observe;
Then shalt thou lift up thy face unto God. As soon as Adam sinned, he hid himself from the presence of the Lord amongst the trees of the Garden, ( Gen. 3.8.) He ran into the thickets for shelter, he durst not appear or show his face. But when once we are reconciled to God, and sin is taken off, when we are freed from the bonds of guilt, then we have boldness, reconciliation is accompanied with the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry abba father; we can then speak to God as a child to his father; the child dares lift up his face to his father, and speaks freely to him. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (faith the Apostle, 2 Cor. 3.17.) and that a threefold liberty. First, a liberty from sin; secondly, a liberty unto righteousness, or a freeness and readiness of spirit to do good; thirdly, where the spirit of the Lord is, there is a liberty of speech or access, with boldness in all our holy Addresses unto God. As the Apostle clearly showeth at the 12 •h verse of the same Chapter. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness (or boldness) of speech, as we put in the Margin of our Bibles to express the significancy of the Greek word in the full compass of it. For as because we have such hope we ought to use great plainness of speech towards men in preaching and dispensing the Gospel to them, so great boldness towards God in receiving the offers and promises of the Gospel, for ourselves. Eliphaz having thus shown what freedom Job, truly repenting, might have with God in prayer, proceeds in the next verse to show what success with God, or what fruit he should have in prayer.
Verse 27. Thou shalt make thy prayer to him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy Vowes.
In these words we have a further promise, leading to a further duty; as before • the duty of returning to the Almighty, had a promise annexed to it of lifting up the face to God, or boldness in prayer. So now the promise of being heard in prayer, is followed with a duty, The payment of vows.
The word notes the pouring out of many prayers, or of a multitude of words in prayer, yet not of bare w • rds, but of words clothed with power, strong prayers as well as many prayers. For as the Gospel comes from God to us, not in word only, but in power and in the holy Ghost, and in much assurance, (1 Thes. 1.5.) so prayer should go from us to God, not in word only, but in power, and in the holy Ghost, &c. Thus, saith Eliphaz, Thou shalt make many, and mighty prayers, strong prayers, prevailing, conquering prayers; so the word is used ( Gen. 25.21.) T • en Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife because she was barren; that is, he made many prayers to God, he made a business of praying that he might have a son, though there was a sure promise made to Abraham that he should have a son, and that in him, and from him should come the promised seed; yet Isaac was long without a son, and he leaves it not carelessly in the decree of God, resolving Idly, God hath said I shall have a son at least, if not many sons, why should I trouble myself in the thing. No, Isaac had not so learned the mind of God, he was better skilled in Divinity then so, to separate the means from the end, or to conclude that we need not pray for that which God hath purposed and promised. He I say, was better instructed then so, and therefore though he (doubtless) did fully believe that God would fulfill the promise made to Abraham in giving him a son, yet he entreated the Lord for his wife because she was barren: and he entreated the Lord earnestly, he made plenty, abundance of prayers; for it cannot be supposed but that he had prayed for that mercy long before (for it was near twenty years since his marriage to Rebekah, as appears plainly by comparing the 20 verse of that Chapter with the 26 •h , the former telling us, that he was forty years old when he married Rebekah, and the latter that he was threescore when Rebekah bare Jacob and Esau. So that I say, we cannot suppose but so holy a man as Isaac had been suing out the good of the promise before) but when he perceived it sticking so long in the birth, then his soul fell in travel about it, then he was very fervent in prayer, and would give the Lord no rest; Then he entreated the Lord &c. The same is said of Manoah (Judges 13.8.) Then Manoah entreated the Lord, and said, oh my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we should do unto the child that shall be borne; he prayed then with much earnestness, or made prayers for direction in that thing. The word is often used to signify abundance, ( Isa. 35.2.) It shall blossom abundantly. (Jere. 33.6.) Behold, I will bring in health, and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace, and truth. Not only shall they have peace, and truth, but abundance of them. So here, thou shalt not only pray, but a spirit of prayer shall be poured out upon thee abundantly. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him.
Hence note;
First, Prayer is a duty.
We owe prayer to God as his creatures, or in regard of our natural dependence upon him, much more as new creatures, or in regard of our spiritual dependence upon him.
Secondly, Note;
The emphasis of the Original word here used, leads us to this as well as many Scripture Authorities. Cold asking invites a denial, 'tis effectual or working fervent prayer that prevails much, ( Jam. 5.16.)
Note, thirdly.
Prayer is a part of holy worship, and all such worship is proper to God alone; Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him. Saints and Angels worship God with us; we must not worship either Saint or Angel with God, no nor God by the help and mediation of Saints or Angels. We know no mediator of intercession, but he who is the mediator of redemption, the Lord Jesur Christ.
Fourthly, Taking in the consideration of the time, as before in the former part; Then shalt thou have thy delight in the Lord, then shalt thou make thy prayer to him.
Observe.
As the Lord will not hear us when we pray, if we regard iniquity in our heart (Psal. 68.18.) so neither are we in a fitness to speak to God in prayer, if we regard any iniquity in our hearts. Repenting and praying must be of the same length; unless we repent continually, we cannot pray continually, because we sin continually. The more holy we are, the more free we are to pray. Sin clogs and checks the spirit in this great duty, cast off that weight, and then, shalt thou make thy prayer to him,
To hear prayer, is more then to take notice of the matter or words spoken; to hear prayer, is to grant what we pray for; as our hearing the word of God is more then to take in the sound or sense of what is spoken; it is to submit to and obey what is spoken; Now as we hear no more of the word of God, then we believe and practice, so the Lord heareth no more of what we pray (in a Scripture sense) then what he granteth. There are two expressions in Scripture which note this.
First, To have regard to a person, or to a prayer (1 Kings 8.28, 29.) when Solomon prayed at the dedication of the Temple, the Lord's hearing of prayer, which he then beggd, is thus described, Have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, &c. that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day. So it is said of Abel (Gen. 4.4.) that the Lord had respect to his offering, the Lord looked towards him, and accepted of him; to accept a prayer, is to hear a prayer.
Secondly, The hearing of prayer is described by the presence of God with those that pray. ( Isa. 58.9.) Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer, thou shalt cry, and he shall say, here I am. This is a wonderful condescension, 'tis even as when a Master calling to his servant, he answereth, here, Sir, here I am; and that is as much as to say, I am ready to your command, I am ready to do what you will have me, here I am; so saith that promise in the Prophet, Thou shalt cry, and the Lord shall say, here I am, that is, I am ready to do what you ask, I am even ready (O unspeakable Goodness) at your command (as our translation of the 11 •h verse of the 45 th Chapter of Isaiah, speaks out in plain terms,) or I am willing to do what you will have me to do. All which is in effect and virtually contained in the word of the Text. He shall hear thee. This teacheth us,
It is the Lord's title, O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come (saith David, Psal. 65.2.) God is not only A hearer of prayer, but he is The Hearer of prayer; to hear prayer is his peculiar prerogative and privilege as well as his goodness and mercy; none in heaven or earth have a will to hear prayer as God doth, nor have any a power to do it. No creatures ear is long enough to reach the complaints, nor his stock large enough to supply the wants of all his fellow creatures. The crown of this honor fits none but God himself. He shall hear thee.
Secondly, Note;
He shall hear thee; Man cannot desire a richer favor then to be heard of God. To have audience in the Court of Princes, and among the great men of the earth is a great favor. What greater worldly privilege can a man have then this, that he hath the ear of those who are greatest in the world? When a man saith, I have the Princes ear, I can be heard when I speak, we think he hath spoken enough to make him a man. How great a mercy is it then to have the ear of God? to have ready audience in the Court of heaven? that as soon as we call, the Lord is ready to answer, here I am, what's the matter? what would you have? it shall be done, your request is granted. And to show that to be heard by God is the sum of all mercies, or all our mercies wrapped up in one, the Scripture testifies that not to be heard of God is the sum of all judgments, or all judgments wrapped up in one. When the Lord refuseth to hear, or saith he will not hear those that pray, then wrath is coming upon them to the uttermost. Thus the Lord threatened the Jews (Isa. 1.15.) When ye spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you, yea when ye make many prayers I will not hear, your hands are full of blood; As it is an argument of the greatest sinfulness of man against God not to pray; Pour out thy fury upon the Heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name, (Jere. 10.25.) So it it an argument of the greatest wrath of God upon man not to be heard in prayer. He that is not heard receives nothing, and he that is heard receives all. And this is the Saints privilege by Jesus Christ, their prayers are heard, they have welcome audience at the throne of Grace continually. And hence by way of Corallary from the former observation, we learn, that
God hath not said to the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain; He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious fruit, (this precious fruit faith and prayer, or the prayer of faith) shall doubtless (there's no hazard nor peradventure in the case) come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. His showry seed-time shall be blessed with a fruitful and plentiful harvest. The wicked make many adventures, many voyages by prayer, such as it is, heavenwards, yet come home without ladeing, without any freight at all. Their prayers are all lost, and turn to no profit; and indeed theirs are not prayers but words, or babbling rather. But holy prayer, the prayer of the holy is prevailing;