Exposition of Job 32-24
There is yet a fourth reading, which further aggravates the sick man's consumption; His flesh is consumed in sight; that is, say some, his flesh doth consume so fast, that a man may almost see him consume; as we say of some plants, they grow so fast, that we may, almost, see them grow; so we may say of those that decline and fade much, we may see them consume, their flesh consumeth even to the eye or to view. He that looks steadfastly upon them, may see them fade and wither like a flower, yea they seem to fade by his looking or fixing his eye on them.
Hence note.
It quickly consumes and drips away in a disease; A violent fever or any other acute disease, dries up the spirits, and drinks up the moisture, and how soon doth such a man decay! and as the extremity of a disease, so extreme want of food or famine consumes the flesh. Hunger having nothing to eat, feeds upon the flesh of the hungry, till all be eaten up. We read ( Lam: 4.8.) how rudely famine dealt with the flesh of those delicate Nazarites, who were purer then snow, whiter then milk, they were more ruddy in body then rubyes, their polishing was of Sapphire; yet the next words tell us, Their visage is blacker then a coal, they are not known in the streets, their skin cleaveth to their bones: it is withered, it is become like a stick. And though a man escape sickness, and famine doth not eat up his flesh, yet time (that great eater) will, old age will wast what famine and sickness have not touched. As the Prophet threatened, what the Caterpillar hath left, the Canker-worm shall devour; so what sickness leaves, time will certainly consume. Thus bodily flesh is every way liable to a consumption; and therefore the Prophet being commanded to cry, and putting the question, what shall I cry, had this answer, All flesh is grass. (There indeed flesh is taken in the most comprehensive notion, as to all externals; not only the flesh of the body, but all the riches, honors, and dignities of this world, come under the name of flesh there) All flesh is grass (Isa: 40.6.) But why doth he call it grass? 'It is so under a twofold consideration. First, for the greenenesse and fairness of it. God hath put beauty upon this fading flesh, both for the comfort, and for the trial of man; that flesh is fair as a flower, is matter of delight; and to abstract our thoughts or wean our hearts from that which is fair and delightful, is matter of trial. How hardly are we taken off from affecting flesh, our own or others, while this grass continues beautiful and green! Secondly, Flesh is grass, because soon gone (as it followeth in the Prophet) The grass withereth and the flower fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord (or his breath like a blasting East wind) bloweth upon it; Which yet some expound more spiritually, of the Spirit of God discovering the vanity and mutability of all earthly things to the soul, for that presently causeth the gayest and best of them to wither or be as a withered flower before our eyes. In which sense David said ( Psal: 119. • 6.) I have seen an end of all perfection. Take flesh in the largest sense, and 'tis a consuming thing; The fashion (or scheame) of the world passeth away, and so doth the fashion of all those perfections, or most perfect enjoyments, which are but of a worldly birth and extraction. Flesh under every form is a fading thing, especially the flesh of the best-formed face & body of man. Whence take these six inferences. If the flesh the fairest outside of man be a fading thing, then
First, Be not desirous, much less ambitious, to make a fair show in the flesh; for it may prove but a vain show, and at last, not so much as a show. Flesh may so consume away, that it cannot be seen. When the Apostle tells us of some, who desire to make a fair show in the flesh (Gal: 6.12.) he specially means it of those that brave it and boast themselves in the outward part of religion, and would appear much in the form; 'It is a most vain thing to desire, to make a fair show in the flesh of spiritual things, as hypocrites and formalists do; And 'tis a very vain thing to desire to make a fair show in the flesh of corporal things, as proud and vain-glorious men love to do. Many desire to make a fair show in the flesh of their bodies, they love to have fair faces, and fair skins, to be fairly dressed and decked, is a great part of their care. But take heed of desiring to make a fair show in this or in anything that is called flesh. For when you have done all, flesh will be a nothing; And after you have bestowed much cost upon the flesh of this body, that it may be seen, a sickness may come and consume it, that it cannot be seen.
Secondly, Take heed of priding yourselves in the flesh, when your flesh (possibly unsought by you) makes a fair show; Though you have beauty, and the goodliest structure of body that ever was seen, though you have riches and honor, the highest built estate that ever was enjoyed, what have you to be proud of? will it not consume and molder away? may it not melt like a snow-ball, or like wax before the fire? be not proud of anything called flesh, how goodly a sight soever it is to th • world, for in a little, in a very little time, there may be nothing of flesh left in sight. His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen.
Thirdly, Be not over-careful to provide for your flesh, the outward man, this body, or anything that concerns it. As the Apostle utterly forbids us to make provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof (Rom: 13.14.) that is, those lusts that are exercised in the flesh; so, be not much careful, not at all unduly careful to make provision for your flesh, to satisfy the necessities of it; for 'tis but a perishing thing. Be not careful what you shall eat and drink, and wherewith you shall be clothed, as Christ himself adviseth ( Math: 6.) The flesh that you prepare for your flesh, is not more perishing then the flesh for which it is prepared. Meats for the belly and the belly for meats, but God shall destroy both it and them (1 Cor: 6.13.) It will not be long before there shall be an end both of the meat that is eaten, and of eating meat.
Fourthly, If the flesh may soon be so consumed by the hand of God that it cannot be seen, then be not unwilling to wast and consume your flesh which is seen in working for God, or in doing good work, which is the work of God: your flesh may consume upon worse terms quickly, then working for God, why then should you be unwilling to consume it in God's work? Are not some so tender of their carcass, and their skin, that they are afraid (though that fear be their shame and sin) of taking too much pains in the work of God, lest they should damage their bodies, endanger their health, and consume their flesh? This flesh will wast with idleness, is it not better to wast it by industry in useful services? The Apostle was willing to spend and be spent in the service of the Corinthians; That is, he was willing to spend not only his purse and his pains, but to be spent as to his bodily strength, health and life. He cared not for his own flesh, so he might be serviceable to their spirits, and promote their spiritual good, (2 Cor: 12.15.)
Fifthly, Be not unwilling to waste and consume your flesh in duty with God; as the flesh consumes in work for God, so in duty with God, in prayer and fasting and self-humbling, these are duties with God. Some are afraid of taking too much pains in these soul-works with God, lest they hurt their bodies, their flesh. We can never lay out our strength, or bring our flesh to a better market, we can never put it off at a higher rate (if it must be put off) then in ways of communion with God. Yet let us remember we have a promise, that our bodies shall thrive as well as our souls, even in those duties of communion with God, which are most expensive and severe to our flesh, prayer with fasting. ( Isa: 58.61.) And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones. Which though it may have a more spiritual meaning, yet there is a truth in it as to the point in hand. Holy Fasting, which is a soul-fattening duty (as all agree) is under a gracious promise, that it shall also be a body-fattening, yea a bone-fattening duty. Now, though we have a good assurance, that while we are trading with God for the gain and increase of our souls, our bodies shall not waste nor be losers, yet we should be ready to waste and wear off the flesh from our bodies for the gain and increase of our souls.
Sixthly, Why should we be unwilling to offer our flesh to be consumed by the fury of men, or by the rage of flames in the cause of God, seeing it may ere long consume by sickness and not be seen? why should we be afraid to let our flesh consume or rot in prisons, or by tortures for Christ, seeing a disease will do it, and hath often done it? Thousands of the blassed Martyrs, and suffering Saints, have rejoiced they had flesh to consume when God called them to it. So some interpret that Scripture before mentioned (2 Cor: 12.14.) where the Apostle professed, I am willing to be spent for you (how spent? as an offering or sacrifice by fire) in the service of your faith, and in bearing my witness to those truths of the Gospel which I have preached to you. And indeed, he in that sense, spent his flesh at the last, he suffered death, and let his flesh fall, in holding up and holding out the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is better that our flesh should be thus consumed (if God call us to it) then that we leave it to be consumed by age or sickness, by worms or rottenness. How freely should we offer up this flesh to so noble a consumption, seeing we cannot keep it long from so mean a consumption, do what we can?
Secondly, Note.
It consumes the body, and it consumes the purse, yea it consumes all our worldly comforts and concernments, it consumes everything but grace. We say, A time of sickness is a spending time; the usual reference of that expression, is to spirituals. In health we gather grace and lay up truths, which we spend in sickness. But though sickness be a spending time, yet, it is not (I am sure it ought not to be) a wasting time to grace and spirituals. A spending time it is, that is, a time wherein a godly man may lay out a great deal of his spiritual stock and heavenly treasure, a great deal of faith and patience, a great deal of sweet contentation and self-submission to God. But sickness is not a wasting time to any of these graces or heavenly treasures; yea where grace is real and active, it is not only not wasted or consumed, but increased and improved, occasionally, by sickness; God having promised, that all things shall work together for good to them that love him (Rom: 8.28.) will not suffer the best things of those that love him (their graces) to take hurt by the worst of bodily sicknesses. Sickness doth only damage the body, and deface the beauty of the flesh; and it quickly doth, as Elihu affirm of his sick man in the text, His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen, yea, as it followeth
Flesh and bones are the two eminent materials of this fair and most regular building, The Body of man. The Bones of a healthy and strong man, are not seen because they are covered with flesh; they are only felt or perceived through their clothing, skin, and flesh. God hath put these very comely and beautiful garments as a covering upon our bones: but sickness pulls away these coverings, it pulls away the clothes from our bones, and makes them appear, as it were, naked. When the fat is dript away, and the flesh is spent, the bones seem to start out. We commonly say of a man that hath been consumed by a lingering sickness, He is a very Skelleton, he looks like an Anatomy, which is nothing else but a pack of bones, the flesh is gone. Thus David mourned ( Psal: 31.10.) My life is spent with grief, my years with sighing, my strength faileth because of mine iniquity: and my bones are consumed. The sin-sickness of a sensible soul consumes the bones, more then any bodily sickness. This was not only the consuming but the breaking of David's bones ( Psal: 51.8.) And as his sorrow for his own transgressions, so his sorrow for the afflictions of Zion, had the like effect in him ( Psal: 102.3, 4, 5.) My days are consumed like smoke or into smoke (they vanish like smoke) and my bones are burnt as a hearth. My heart is smitten, and withereth like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread; By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bones cleave to my skin.
Some read this Text, His bones are diminished, lessened, wasted, or broken in pieces, as if the consumption reached not only his flesh but his bones too. That's a fierce disease which at once invadeth and wasteth the bones. The word which we render to stick out, signifieth in the Syriac Idiom, the abating lessening or breaking of anything into lesser parts or pieces. And so those words (are not seen) in the text (which according to our translation refer to the time of health, when a man is so fat and full fleshed, that his bones cannot be seen, scarcely felt, those words I say) are referred according to this translation to the time of sickness, which is supposed so to diminish and wast the bones, that by an ordinary strain of Rhetoric they are said, not to be seen. His b •••• are diminished, they are not seen. We also render this word • 〈◊〉 that first prophetical word concerning our restoring by Christ ( Gen. 3.15.) by bruising. It (that is the woman's seed) shall bruise thy head (that is the Devils) and thou shalt bruise his heel. When bones are bruised, and as it were shuffled together, they cannot be seen in their proper places, or as once they were fixed by nature. This various reading doth not vary the general sense of the Text, but only heighten and increase it. We render fully and significantly, his bones that were not seen, stick out.
Hence note.
Our bones are not made of brass, sickness will diminish them, and pain master them.
Secondly, Whereas 'tis said, His flesh (that was seen) is not seen, and his bones that were not seen stick out, or are seen.
Observe.
It puts that out of sight which was seen, and it brings that in sight which was not seen; This holds true, not only as to that which is natural in man, his flesh and bones, of which this text treats in the letter; but 'tis true also as to that which is moral and spiritual in man, his virtues and his vices, his graces, and his lusts or corruptions. How often is the flesh (in a moral sense) that is, the outward profession of a hypocrite consumed in sickness, and no more seen; will the hypocrite always call upon God? (Job 27.10.) He will not. He that doth all to be seen (that's the character of a hypocrite ( Math. 6.5.) will in a little time do such a little or rather such a nothing in Religion, that it cannot be seen at all. His profession is sick, when he is fick; and then also that which was not seen sticks out; the hypocrite covereth many of his corruptions, his impatiency, murmuring, and unbelief, in a day of prosperity with the skin at left or fair show of faith, but in a day of trouble those dead bones appear, and stick out. A day of sorrow, sickness, and trouble is a great discoverer; it occasions the appearance and sticking out of many base lusts that were not seen before. 'It is so also in the better way with godly men, their corruptions, that appeared upon them before, are abated, wasted, and consumed by affliction, and many of their graces which lay hid and unseen, stick out and appear gloriously in a day of trouble, or upon a sick bed. Their patience & submission of spirit under the hand of God, their long-sufferance and sweet self-resignation to the will of God, which lay hid, show themselves. Sickness and affliction make wonderful changes and discoveries both as to the outward and inward man; 'tis seldom seen or known either how good or how bad any man is, till he is in pain or reduced to some extremity; till his very bones are vexed, or till, as Elihu further describes the sick man in the next verse.
Vers. 22. His soul draweth nigh to the grave, and his life to the destroyer.
When the disease is at the height (as Physicians speak) then the sick man's soul draweth nigh unto and is ready to go down into the grave. But doth the soul go to the grave? I answer, the soul, here, as frequently in Scripture, is put for the person; as if he had said, the man draweth nigh to his grave; The soul being the noblest and most princely part of man, is honored with the denomination of the whole man; or, because all the world is nothing to us (as Christ told his Disciples ( Math. 16.26.) if we lose our souls, therefore man is spoken of as if he were nothing but a soul ( Gen. 14.21.) The King of Sodom said unto Abram, give me the souls, and take the goods to thyself, we translate, give me the persons, and put in the Margin, give me the souls; Thus 'tis said ( Gen. 46.27.) All the souls of the house of Jacob that came into Egypt were threescore and ten. The Apostles rule of obedience to Magistrates runs in this strain, Let every soul (that is, let every man) be subject to the higher Powers (Rom. 13.) And I conceive the Apostle expresseth it so, because there ought to be an inward subjection to that, as to any other Ordinance of God; the soul must be subject as well as the body to the powers of this world, that is, there must be (though no subjection of conscience, yet) a conscientious subjection unto Magistrates. Thus here, his soul that is, himself, the man draweth near
Both are joined or meet in the grave, for that is the pit of corruption. The Greeks call the grave Flesh-eater, to draw nigh to the grave, imports such a prevalency of diseases as bring a man to the graves mouth, to the very point of death; and then (as we say) he is drawing on. Whither is a sick man drawing on? surely to his grave; David (Psal. 107.18.) having described the condition of sick men, adds, they draw nigh unto the gates of death; Here (which is the same) Elihu saith, his soul draweth near to the grave.
Hence note.
A sick bed and a grave are not far distant; David speaking of himself and others in extreme danger of death by the cruel plots and cunning snares of the enemy, hath a like expression ( Psal. 141.7.) Our bones are scattered at the graves mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth; as if he had said, we are so near death, that 'tis a miracle if we escape it. Though we are yet alive, yet we have the sentence of death in ourselves, and are within sight of our graves. What David spake there of himself in consort with others, Heman spake personally of himself ( Psal. 88.3.) My life draweth nigh unto the grave; We are always in our health drawing towards the grave, but in sickness we are drawing near unto it. There is but a little distance between any man and the grave, there is scarcely any distance at all between a man that is very sick and the grave. Now if the sick man be drawing near unto the grave, then
First, Let them that are sick remember the grave; 'tis our duty to be always remembering and meditating upon the grave in our health, much more should that be our remembrance & meditation, when we are sick, most of all when we are sick unto death, or ready to die and drop into the grave.
Secondly; If the sick are drawing near unto the grave, then let sick men draw near unto God; if ever you will draw near unto God, the living God, be sure to do it upon the borders of death; 'tis good yea best to draw nigh unto God when we are well, and all is well with us, even at best in the world ( Psal. 73.25.) But when we are in danger or drawing nigh unto death, O how earnestly should we draw nigh unto God, in the actings of faith, and love, To whom should we go (as Peter said to Christ, Joh. 6.68.) in the appearances and approaches of temporal death, but unto him who hath the words of eternal life. It is high time for us to draw nigh unto God, when any of the comforts of this life are withdrawing from us, is it not more then high time therefore, to draw nigh to him, when life it self is withdrawing from us, and we drawing nigh to the grave! How miserable is their condition who have death near them, and God far from them. Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, yet (as David professed he would not, Psal. 23.4.) we need not fear any evil, while God is with us; but how will the very shadows of death put us in fear, if God be not with us? and what confidence can we have of his being with us, if we are not acquainted with him, if we use not to draw near to him?
Thirdly, If they that are sick draw near unto the grave, then it is good for such as come to visit their sick friends, wisely to mind them of the grave; when will a discourse with our friends of death and the grave be seasonable, if not when we see them dying and going to the grave? yet some, when they visit sick friends, will not speak a word of either; they fear it may hasten death to hear of it, & that speaking of the grave may put them into it, then which I know no fear more foolish, or more to be feared. Yea some will forbid visiters to mention death, when their Relations lie sick, O do not speak of death to my Husband, saith the Wife, &c. But remember it, if the sick are drawing near to the grave, they that visit them should remember them of the grave, both in prayer and in conference; to speak of death cannot hurt the body, but the not speaking of it may hurt the soul, and hinder it from getting out of the snares both of spiritual and eternal death. Yet godly prudence and great caution is to be used about it; none should do it bluntly, nor suddenly, but having by discreet insinuations, first hinted to the sick man his danger of death, we should then by faithful counsels prepare him for it, and by comfortable Scripture cordials strengthen and arm his spirits against it. Such savoury and well managed discourses of death may (through the blessing of God) be a savor of eternal life to the sick man, and will not in the least prejudice his recovery from sickness, when his soul draweth near to the grave,
The Hebrew is, to those that kill, or to l • fe destroyers. There is a difference among Interpreters, who are here intended by these Destroyers, to whom the sick man's life draweth near, or who are these life destroyers.
First, some thus, his life to the destroyers, that is, to his enemies that are ready to destroy him. But that's improper to the text, which speaking of sickness cannot intend any destroying enemy but the last enemy which is to be destroyed, death, or the antecedents and usual attendants of it, sicknesses.
Secondly, by the destroyers others understand, Angels, who are commissioned and sent of God to cut the thread of life, and to take mortals out of this world by mortal diseases; and so the destroying Angel in this verse stands in opposition to that comforting Angel spoken of in the next verse; if there be a messenger or an Angel, &c. That Angels have such a Ministry, is clear, (2 Sam. 24.16.) Where ( David having chosen to fall into the hands of God) an Angel is presently dispatched to do execution upon his people. And when the Angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the Angel that destroyed the people, it is enough, stay now thine hand, &c. That destroyer (so he is called, Exod. 12.23.) who slew all the first borne of the Egyptians (God's last and greatest plague upon them, his tenth plague) is by most interpreted to be an Angel, yea by some a good Angel, because appointed and directed by God to spare his people the Jews, and to pour out his vengeance upon the Egyptians, his and their enemies. For most usually the wicked are plagued by good Angels, and the good, as Job in this book was, are afflicted by evil Angels. Howbeit that text say some ( Psal. 78.49.) leadeth us rather to believe that it was an evil Angel; He cast upon them (meaning the Egyptians) the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, by sending evil Angels among them. Yet possibly those Angels which destroyed the Egyptians, are called evil Angels, not because they were so in their nature, but because they were Ministers of evil to that hard-hearted people. Which way soever we take it, there is a truth in it applicable to the Scripture here in hand. And so some expound that of Solomon (Prov. 17.11.) An evil man seeketh only rebellion, therefore a cruel Messenger shall be sent against him. The text may be rendered a cruel Angel, that is, an Angel with a Message of wrath and destruction shall be sent unto him; The Apostle (1 Cor. 10.10.) speaking of those dreadful judgments, which God sent upon his people the Jews in the Wilderness (such as we are like to find in these Gospel times, if we provoke him, for all those things are said to have happened unto them for Types or examples (verse. 11.) And there he gives us warning, neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. That is, by the Pestilence or Plague (as 'tis expressed, Numb. 14.12, 37.) which the Apostle Paul calleth a destroyer, because, doubtless it was executed by some invisible destroyer, or Angel. The Devil, whom John in the Revelation (Chap. 9.11.) calleth, the Angel of the bottomless pit, is there also set forth by this Title, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. The Devil is the Apollyon, the Abaddon, both which signify a destroyer; yea the Devil ( Heb. 2.14.) is said to have the power of death, as if he were set over that sad work, and Lorded it over dying men; yet (let us know to our comfort) the Devil hath not the power of death as a Lord, or Judge, but only as an Executioner; thus the sick man's life may be said to draw nigh to the destroyer, that is to the destroying Angel, or to the messenger of death.
Thirdly, we may take the destroyers, not for persons sent to destroy, but for diseases, and sicknesses; these are destroyers. And thus it may be said of a sick man, his life draweth nigh to the destroyers, that is, he is in the hand or under the power of such diseases, as probably will destroy him. That seems to be Mr. Broughtons understanding of the words, who renders, his soul draweth nigh to the grave, and his life to killing maladies. Whatsoever is a death-bringer, whatever is deadly or mortal to man, may be comprehended under this expression, The Destroyers. And so, these words, His life draweth nigh to the destroyer, may signify only thus much, he is deadly, or (as we commonly express it) mortally sick. There's no hopes of him, he is past recovery, the Physicians have given him over. Heman (Psal. 88.3, 4, 5.) speaks to this sense and near in this language of himself. My soul is full of troubles: my life draweth nigh unto the grave. I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength. Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave whom thou rememberest no more. Heman was alive, yet with respect either to the anguish of his soul, or the pains of his body, he looked upon himself as one free among the dead, that is, as a dead man, his life drew near to the destroyers. And hence
Fourthly, Others read the words not in an active sense, (as we) Destroyers, but in a passive, His life draweth nigh to those who are destroyed or dead. Dying men are so near to, that they may be reckoned as dead men. That word of encouragement in the Prophet ( Isa: 41.14.) Which we render, Fear not thou worm Jacob, and ye men (or as we put in the Margin Few men) of Israel, is rendered by some others, Fear not thou worm Jacob, and ye that are dead of Israel, that is, who are (in your own fearful apprehensions or in the opinion of your proud and prepotent enemies) as dead men, or nigh unto death; or (as we may expound it by that of Paul concerning himself and his Fellow-Apostles, with respect to the continual hazard of their lives 1 Cor: 4.9.) men, as it were, appointed unto death; yea, as the learned in the Hebrew language tell us, the word translated in the Prophet men, with the change but of one point, and that only in the position of it, signifieth properly, dead men. We find the word applied specially to wicked worldly men ( Psal: 17.14.) who are there called the hand of God (to afflict or take away the lives of Godly men) and are said to have their portion in this life; the word, I say, is applied to them, as implying, that how much soever they rejoice, either in the present enjoyments of this natural life, or in the hopes of a long natural life in this world, yet they always are within one point (or prick with a pen which is the shortest imaginable space) of death. In which sense also S t Paul speaking of the different state of the body now in this life and after the resurrection from the dead, saith (1 Cor: 15.54.) When this mortal shall have put on immortality; that is, when we, who now live in dying bodies, or in bodies bearing the marks or tokens of death, and looking like dead men, shall have put on the beautiful and glorious robes of immortality, Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death shall be swallowed up in victory. Whereas now death which is ready enough to get the victory over healthy and strong men, is so ready to get the victory over weak and sick men, that their life may very well be said (according to this fourth and last interpretation) to draw nigh to the destroyed, or those that are already dead. Thus if instead of Death-Bringers or destroyers we read Destroyed or those that have been brought to death, the meaning of Elihu in this passage is plain and easy; importing the sick man so sick, that there is scarce a step or but a point between him and those who are actually dead.
But whether we take the word in this passive sense, and translate The Destroyed, or in the active, as we, and translate destroyers, thereby understanding either Angels in special, or diseases in General sent by God to destroy or take away the life of the sick man; which way soever of these, I say, we expound the word, it yields a clear sense as to the scope of the text, and as to the truth of it, (upon the matter) the very same. His life draweth nigh to the destroyers.
Hence note.
Either they themselves destroy when they come, or the destroyer comes with them. ( Psal: 90.3.) Thou turnest man to destruction and sayest, return ye children of men. 'It is a Psalm penned by Moses lamenting the frailty of mankind. He lived to see all Israel, whom under his hand and conduct God brought out of Egypt, die, •• cept that renowned two, Caleb and Joshua; And therefore he having seen the great destruction of that people for their murmurings and unbelief, for their ten-fold provocations in the wilderness, might say from his own experience more then most men to that point of man's mortality. And as God turned that people to destruction, and said according to that irrevocable sentence ( Gen: 3.19.) Return ye children of men to your original and first material, dust; so he saith the same to men every day, who as they are dust, so we see them returning to their dust. Every disease, if so commissioned by God, is death, and every pain (if he say it) the period of our lives.
Again, Elihu is here speaking of a man whom the Lord is but trying, teaching, and instructing upon his sick bed; yet he saith, His soul is drawing near to the grave, and his life to the destroyers.
Hence observe.
When the Lord hath a purpose only to try a man, he often acts towards him as if he would kill him. If any shall say, this is hard, I answer; A ruffe horse must have a ruffe rider. Ruffe wood will not cleave without a beetle and wedges. We put God to use extremities, that he may bring us to a moderation. Our spirits are often so ruffe and head-strong, that they must be kept in with bit and bridle; they are so tough and knotty that there's no working, no cleaving of them till the Lord sets his wedges to us, and lays on with his beetle of heaviest and hardest afflictions; In a word, we even compel him to bring us to deaths-door, that he may teach us to live.
Now seeing pains and sicknesses (of which Elihu speaks as the way and means by which God speaks to sinful man) are accompanied with such dreadful symptoms and effects, loathing and loss of appetite, consumption of the flesh, and the breaking of the very bones, the soul drawing near to the grave, and life to the destroyers; seeing I say, there are such sad effects of sickness, remember,
First, Health is worth the praying to God for.
Secondly, Health is worth the praising of God for; and that considered, either, first, as continued, or, secondly, as restored. 'It is a mercy not to be pained, not to be sick; 'tis a more sensible, though not a greater mercy to be freed from pain, and recovered out of sickness. While we are kept free from pains and sicknesses, how thankful should we be; and when we are freed from and brought out of the bonds of bodily pain and sicknesses, how soul-sick, yea how dead are we if we are not thankful!
Thirdly, Seeing pains and sicknesses are such sad afflictions; be wise and careful for the preservation of your health; do not throw away your health upon a lust, do not expose yourselves to lasting pains and pining sicknesses, for the satisfying of a wanton sensual appetite. The health and strength of this frail body, are of more value then ten thousand of those vanishing delights. Yet how many are there, who run themselves to the graves mouth, and into the thickest throngs of those destroyers, for the taking up of such pitiful and perishing delights? who to please their flesh for a few moments in surfeiting, drunkenness, and wantonness, bring many days, yea months and years of pain and torment upon their flesh? yea, and not only shorten (I mean as to what they might probably have had by the course of nature) the number of their days, but suddenly end & extinguish them. It hath been said of old, Gluttony kills more men then the sword; that is, it casts •• em into killing diseases. 'It is a maxim in war; Starve your enemy if you can rather then fight him; cut his throat without a knife, destroy him without drawing a sword; that is, with hunger. Some are indeed destroyed with hunger, and hunger, if not relieved, will destroy any man! Yet surfeiting destroyeth more then hunger, and 'tis a more quick and speedy destroyer. We have known many who have cut their own throats, by cutting too much and too fast for their bellies; Pampering the Body destroyeth more bodies then starving. Many while they draw nigh to their Tables, their souls (as Elihu here saith) are drawing near to the grave, and their life to the destroyers. Therefore, remember and consider, O ye that are men given to appetite, (as Solomon calleth such, Pro: 23:2.) or rather as the Hebrew elegancy there hath it, ye that are Masters of appetite, studying your Bellyes, till indeed ye are mastered by appetite, to you, I say, remember and consider, Health is more then meat, and life then dainty fair. All the content that intemperance can give you, cannot recompense you for the pains that sickness will give you; you may have pleasure for an hour or two, and sickness for a month or two, for a year or two. And if all the pleasure we take in satisfying that which though it may be glutted, yet will not be satisfied, a lust, cannot recompense the pains that are found in a sick bed for a few days, months or years, how will it recompense any for those everlasting pains that are found in hell, where the damned shall be always conversing with death and destruction, and yet never die nor be destroyed.
Fourthly, Forasmuch as sickness is often accompanied with such grievous dolours and racking tortures, let the sick pray much that they may be armed with patience; who knows what trials and extremities sickness may bring him to? Though the beginnings and first appearances of it are but small, like the cloud which first appeared to the servant of Elijah, only of a hands-breadth, yea though it begin but with the little finger of the hand, yet as that little cloud did the whole face of the heaven, so this little distemper may over-spread the whole body, and put you to the exercise of all your patience: it may hang and increase upon you, till it hath broken your bones, and consumed your flesh, and brought you to the graves mouth, therefore pray for patience.
Lastly, Let not the strong man glory in his ••• ngth, nor the healthy man in his health; sickness may come shortly, and then how strong soever any man is, down he must, and lie by it. There's no wrestling away sickness any way (if God send it and bid it come) but by wrestling with God (as Jacob did, Gen: 32.) in prayer. If you think to wrestle away bodily sickness by bodily strength and striving with it, you will be thrown and get the fall. Who can stand before a fever, or a consumption, when they arrest us in the name of the Great King, and carry us prisoners to our beds? Therefore let no man glory in his strength, if any man do, it shows at present his moral weakness; and his natural weakness may quickly teach him another lesson, and spoil his glorying.
JOB. Chap. 33. Vers. 23, 24, 25, 26.
If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show unto man his uprightness:
Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom.
His flesh shall be fresher then a childes: he shall return to the days of his youth.
He shall pray unto God, and he will be favorable unto him, and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render to man his righteousness.
THese words hold forth the third way by which God speaks or reveals himself to man, and recovers him out of his sin. As if Elihu had said; When God hath brought a man to his sick bed, and he yet continueth in his blindness, not perceiving either his own error, or the purpose and intention of God to him; If then besides all this God so order the matter, that in his merciful providence he provideth for his further instruction, and sends a special messenger (as he doth me to thee) an interpreter (which is a singular favor of God) to explain, and expound the meaning of his dealings with him, and what his own condition is, to bring him to a true sight and sense of his sin, and to set him upright in the sight of God, by the actings of faith and repentance; this soon altereth the case, and hereupon God is presently appeased towards him. Then he is gracious, and then many blessed fruits and effects of his grace do follow, and are heaped on him. Here, therefore, we have a very illustrious instance of God's loving kindness to poor sinful man, recovering and fetching him back (when he is as it were half dead) from the gates of death, restoring him both as to soul and body, putting him into a perfect (so far as on this side heaven it may be called perfect) state, and giving him indeed what he can reasonably desire of him. In the context of these four verses; Consider
First, The instrument, or means by which God brings this about, and that is, by sending a messenger, or a choice interpreter to the sick man's bed, to counsel and advise him. Vers. 23. If there be a messenger with him, &c.
Secondly, We have here the motive, or first moving cause of this mercy, that is, the grace or free favor of God, then he will be gracious unto him; and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit, that is, being gracious he will give forth this word for his deliverance. Then he is gracious to him, &c. (v. 24.)
Thirdly, We have here the meritorious Cause of this merciful deliverance; and that is a ransom; I have found a ransom, at the latter end of the 24 th verse.
Fourthly, We have the special benefits of this deliverance, which are twofold.
First, Respecting his body; He is delivered from the pit of death (v. 24.) And not only so, but he hath a life as new as when he began to live; His flesh shall be fresher then a childes; the days of youth shall return to him again, (v. 25.)
Secondly, We have the benefit respecting his soul, ( v. 26.) He shall pray, and God shall be favorable to him, and he shall see his face with joy; for he will render to man his righteousness.
Thus you have the parts and purpose of these words; I shall now proceed to the particulars.
These words are Hypotheticall, or by way of supposition; if there be: noting, that it is not always so, everyone hath not this mercy to have a messenger sent him; it's a special privilege granted by God to some; If there be
What or who is this messenger? The word in the Hebrew hath a three-fold signification; all which are insisted upon by interpreters upon this place.
First, It signifieth an Angel; Now, Angels properly taken are spiritual or incorporeal substances, whose both office and high dignity it is to attend about the throne of God, and to be sent forth upon his special service ( Psal: 103.20.) Bless the Lord ye his Angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments, and hearken to the voice of his word. God hath thousand thousands of these servants ministering to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before him (Dan: 7.10.)
Some stay upon this exposition, affirming that here we are to understand an Angel by nature; And hereupon ground the ministering of Angels to those who are either sick in body, or troubled in mind. Yea the Popish writers would hence prove the intercession of Angels for man, and man's invocation of Angels; but though the exposition be granted, yet it yields no ground for this Inference. For what though God should send an Angel to instruct and comfort a sick man, will it therefore follow that the sick man should pray to him, and so give him the honor which is due to God?
Secondly, The word is applied in particular to Jesus Christ the uncreated Angel, or the creating Angel, the Lord of Angels, who, by way of eminency is called, The Angel of his presence, (Isa: 63.9.) and the (Angel or) messenger of the Covenant, (Mal: 3.1.) He also was that Angel of whom the Lord spake to the children of Israel (Exod: 23.20.) saying, Behold I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not, for he will not pardon your transgressions (if you persist in them) for my name is in him, that is, he is of the same nature with myself, and with that nature he hath my name, Jehovah. Thus some carry it here, as if Elihu specially intended the ministration of Jesus Christ, the Angel of the Covenant, to the sick sinner, for his restoring both as to the health of soul and body. 'It is true, Jesus Christ is the great Angel, or messenger, and he primarily and chiefly doth all the business for poor sinners; he is the messenger sent from God, and he is the interpreter of the mind of God, he came from the bosom of the father, and reveals the mysteries of heaven to us by his holy Spirit. He indeed is the one of a thousand, the chiefest of ten thousand, to show unto man his uprightness. Yet, I conceive, that in this place, not the Lord of Angels alone, but some Angel of the Lord is also intended. And therefore,
Thirdly, The word Angel is appliable to every Messenger; The Scripture gives it first to those that are sent by men about any errand or business (1 Sam: 23.27.) But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, hast thee and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land. We read of an evil messenger ( Pro: 13.17.) who is either such a one as brings an evil message, or is himself evil ( Isa: 14.32.) What shall one then answer to the messengers of the Nation, the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it. And as it notes a messenger first by man, so a messenger sent by God. The ancient Prophets were in this sense the Angels of God, his messengers, and so are the Ministers of the Gospel at this day. The Epistles to the seven Churches, are all directed to the Angels of the Churches, that is, to the several Pastors or Ministers of the Churches respectively. And thus we may conclude, that by the messenger in this text, we are to understand any faithful Minister of Christ, sent to convince, convert, or comfort a sick troubled soul. And, as was intimated before, we may very well gather up both these latter interpretations into one, that which applieth it to Christ, and that which applieth it to the Ministers of Christ. For so we have here both the author and the instrument of this comfort to the sick man. Jesus Christ is the chief messenger and comforter of poor sinners; and the Ministers of the Gospel are instruments in his hand, sent out by him for the perfecting of that work. The word is applied to both, ( Mal: 3.1. ) Behold, I will send my messenger (or, my Angel) and he shall prepare the way before me. John the Baptist was Christ's messenger, as Christ himself (an infallible interpreter) assureth us ( Math: 11.10.) And presently it follows, The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his Temple, even the messenger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in; Behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. In the first part of the verse, John is called the Lord's messenger, and in the latter part Christ is called the Lord's messenger. Both were messengers, yet with a mighty difference; and therefore John the messenger of Christ, saith of Christ the messenger, ( Math: 3.11.) He that cometh after me is mightier then I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. And again ( John 1.26.) He it is that coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoes latchet I am not worthy to unloose. If there be a messenger.
Hence note.
Christ is the fathers messenger, and they are messengers sent out by Christ. As my father hath sent me, so send I you, said Christ to his Apostles (John 20.21.) And though that Title of Apostle, which signifieth One sent, or a Messenger, be most properly attributed to those, who were immediately called and inspired by Christ, yet in an allayed sense it may be applied, commodiously enough, to any true Minister of the Gospel, for he also is sent; he hath both his mission and commission mediately from Christ. Yea the word Apostle is applied in common to all or any that are sent upon business ( John 13.16. ) He that is sent (let him be who he will or upon what occasion soever he is sent) is not greater then he that sends him.
So then, the Ministers of the Gospel are called the messengers of Christ; First, Because they are sent by Christ; and have a Commission from him. Secondly, They are his messengers because they are instructed by Christ, and carry forth his mind: they may not speak their own words, nor their own sense, but the word which they bring, is or ought to be, what they have received, or what Christ hath put into their mouths, that's their duty. And the messengers of Christ are to speak his mind.
First, Plainly (1 Cor: 2.4.) In the demonstration of the Spirit.
Secondly, boldly, not flattering the persons, nor fearing the faces of men. Thirdly, They should speak authoritatively, though they beseech, and beg, and pray, yet they are to do all as having a warrant for what they do, and as being clothed with power from on high. If any man speak (saith the Apostle, 1 Pet. 4.11.) let him speak as the Oracles of God. As he is to speak the Oracles of God, so as the oracles of God. Some speak, who do not speak the oracles of God, but their own opinions. Others speak the oracles of God materially, that is, they deliver divine truths, yet they do not speak them as the oracles of God, with that authority which becomes the Gospel; we say of some, They mar their tale in the telling; Though they report, or tell the mind of him that sent them, yet they spoil it in reporting it; The Ministers of the Gospel spoil their message, unless they report it plainly, boldly, and with Authority.
Thirdly, If Ministers be the messengers of Christ, surely then, they are to be heard, and their message is to be received; if God sends a messenger to us, shall we not open the door to him? if a friend send a messenger to us, he takes it very ill (and well he may) if we do not. 'It is below civility, 'tis an high affront to a man not to receive his message, what is it then to the most high God! How dreadful is that woe which Christ pronounceth against such as refuse either his messengers, or their message, ( Math: 10.14, 15.) Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words; When ye depart out of that house or City, shake off the dust of your feet; Implying, that God would so shake them off, or esteem them no more then the vilest dust. Yea (as another Gospel hath it ( Mark 6.11.) implying, that as they had not received the testimony which his messengers bare of him, so their dust should be kept as a testimony against them. And lest the mischief threatened them in this aenigmatical or covert speech should not be understood, Christ himself expounds it in the next words, Verily, I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrhah in the day of Judgment, then for that City.
Further, 'It is not enough barely to receive Christ's Messengers, they must be received as the Messengers of Christ. Such a reception the Apostle found among the Galatians, (Chap. 4.14.) And my temptation (or daily affliction) which was in my flesh, ye despised not, nor rejected, but received me as an Angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. And what is said of the Messenger, is to be understood also of his message, both are to be received as from Christ. How is that, you will say? Take it in these four words, First, when 'tis received gladly, (Acts 2.4.) It should be the joy of our hearts (the Psalmist calls it the joyful sound, Ps. 89.15.) to hear a word from Christ. Secondly, when it is received reverently, and respectfully, as giving honor to the message and the Messenger for Christ's sake. Thirdly, when 'tis received obedientially, as submitting to the word; else your respectful, and joyful receiving the message of Christ is but a complement, or piece of Courtship. Fourthly, when their whole message is thus received, as Cornelius said to Peter (Acts 10.33.) We are all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. We must receive not only those things that suit us well, but those things that are most cross to our corrupt natures and interests, whether of worldly profit or pleasure; this is to receive the Messengers and messages of Jesus Christ, as his. If there be a Messenger,
That's a second style, or Title given to the man sent to the sick sinner; The Hebrew word here rendered an Interpreter, cometh from a root signifying sweetness, or to sweeten. Some conceive the Latin word (Mel) for honey hath its original from it, because the message, or interpretation that comes from God should be sweet, as honey to us; David professeth, The word of God is sweeter then honey, and the honey-comb, (Psal. 19.10.) As if he had said, 'tis sweeter to the soul then that which is sweetest to sense. Now, the messenger sent from God, is called an interpreter, because he is sent to interpret and declare the mind of God to his people. Mr. Broughton renders, A Teacher. The word interpreter may be taken three ways.
First, For any one that interpreteth tongues or languages. Thus 'tis said ( Gen. 42.23.) Joseph spake to his brethren by an interpreter, they ('tis like) did not understand the Egyptian language, and he either for state, or to conceal himself the better, would not seem to understand theirs.
Secondly, There is an interpreter of mysteries as well as of languages. Many things spoken in our own language may need an interpreter more then the words of a strange language. We read ( Prov. 1.6.) of a Parable, and the interpretation of it. Parables are wise, but hard and dark sayings, they need an interpreter. The Gospel is a mystery, and he that can expound and declare the mysteries of the Gospel is an interpreter indeed.
Thirdly, The word interpreter is taken in a larger sense, for any person that interposeth between two, or that endeavors the settling of any matter in difference, either between God and man, or between man and man; ( Isa. 43.27.) Thy Teachers (we put in the Margin interpreters) have transgressed against me. As if he had said, they who as Mediators should have prayed for thee to me, and have declared my will to thee, are themselves depraved.
Further, We may distinguish of a threefold interpreter. First, a gramatical interpreter, whose business is to give the sense of words. Secondly, a logical interpreter, who gathers up the meaning, scope and mind of any sentence, or the purpose of man in what he speaketh. Thirdly, there is the divine of spiritual interpreter, who labors to bring the truths of God, and the heart of man together. The Apostle having treated about prophesying, concludes (1 Cor. 14.25.) And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest, and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth; as if the man that believed not, or one unlearned (for of such he speaks, verse. 24.) had said, surely these men understand what is in my heart, for they have brought the truth of God, and my heart together, so that I must confess God is in them, that is, there is a divine wisdom or interpretation in them. When Elihu faith, If there be an interpreter, we are to understand him in this last sense; not of one that can interpret words, like a Grammarian, or give the scope and sense of words like a Logician, but of one that hath a divine skill to bring the truths of God home to the heart of man, that is, to convince & inform an ignorant conscience, and to comfort, relieve and support a troubled conscience. If there be an interpreter,
Hence note.
They interpret the mind of God as to peace and reconciliation, as to grace and salvation, as well as to duty and holiness of conversation. 'It is the nicest and hardest thing in the world to interpret the mind of God aright to a sinner, to bring his heart to a closing with the great truths, and promises of the Gospel; he that can do this skillfully is worthy the name of an interpreter. The Apostle saith of him who is but a babe in Christ and useth milk (that is, lives upon the lower and more easy principles of faith) he is unskillful in the word of righteousness (Heb. 5.13.) that is, he knows not how to make out and manage for his own comfort the doctrine of free grace through the alone righteousness of Jesus Christ. And therefore, as first, God himself is the author and fountain of this grace; as secondly, Jesus Christ is the purchaser or procurer of the fruits of this grace to sinners; as thirdly, the effectual worker of our hearts to receive this grace, as also the witness-bearer and sealer of it to our souls is the holy Spirit; as fourthly, the word of the Gospel is the Charter, and Covenant of this grace: so fifthly, the Ministers of Christ are the interpreters of this grace; and they are, or ought to be skillful in this word of righteousness. Their skill and duty is first to explain what the Covenant is, and rightly to lay down how the sinners reconciliation to God is wrought. Secondly, to make a suitable and seasonable application of it, or to bring it home to the souls and consciences of poor sinners, as they find their state to be. And as the Ministers of Christ are God's interpreters to his people, so they are the people's interpreters unto God. They are the former, two ways; First, by opening the mind of God to his people; Secondly, by urging and pressing them to receive it both for their direction and consolation. They are the latter four ways: First, by laying open and spreading the people's wants, and weaknesses before God. Secondly, by confessing their sins, and transgressions to God. Thirdly, by entreating the Lord for them, or by praying for mercy, pardon, and forgiveness in their behalf, for sins committed. Fourthly, by giving thanks in their name for mercies received. Thus they are first, God's mouth to the people in preaching & declaring the Gospel; Secondly, the people's mouth to God in prayer and thanksgiving. And in both perform the work and Office of an interpreter.
And if the Ministers of the Gospel are interpreters; Then,
First, Every Minister must be acquainted with the mind of God. He must have skill in the mystery of the Gospel. How shall he be able to interpret the mind of God to sinners, who is not acquainted with the mind of God? We have the mind of Christ (saith the Apostle of himself and his fellow-laborers in the Gospel (1 Cor. 2.16.) and when he saith, we have the mind of Christ, his meaning is not only this, that they had the mind of Christ written in a book, but they had a clear understanding of it, and so were fitted to interpret it to others.
Secondly, As he must have the knowledge of the mystery, so he must have the tongue of the learned ( Isa. 50.4.) That he may be able to speak a word in season to him that is weary; that is, to the wounded, and troubled in conscience; This is the interpreter intended by Elihu. He is one that hath learned, and is taught of God. Human learning, the knowledge of Arts, and Sciences, is good, and hath its use; but divine learning, or learning in divine things, that is to be divinely learned, ('tis possible for one to have learning in divine things, and not to be divinely learned) is absolutely necessary to make him an interpreter. It is not enough to know divine things, but he must know them divinely, or by the unction and teachings of the Spirit. The Apostle John (Rev: 10.8.) is commanded to eat the book; this eating of the book, signifieth the spiritual knowledge of divine truths; in this sense, we know no more then we eat, then we (as it were) turn into our own substance, that which is eaten becomes one with us; the mystery of the Gospel must be eaten by the interpreter of Gospel mysteries. A man cannot interpret the mind of God till he knows it; and he cannot know the mind of God, unless God himself reveals it; so the Apostle argueth (1 Cor. 2. from 12, to 16.) As no man knoweth the mind of a man, but the spirit of a man that is in him, so the things of the spirit of God knoweth no man, but the spirit of God, and he to whom the Spirit of God doth reveal them. And therefore though a man may have an ability to interpret the word of God, as 'tis an excellent book, a book full of admirable knowledge, he may (I say) have an ability to interpret it soundly by human learning, yet no man can do it savingly and convertingly, but by the help of the Spirit. ( Psal. 25.14.) The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will show them his Covenant; he will show it effectually, he will make them know it. Thus David prayed ( Psal. 119.18.) Lord open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law. Natural parts and human learning, arts and languages may give us an understanding of the tenor and literal meaning of the Law of God; but none of these can open our eyes to behold the wonders of the Law, much less the wonders and mysteries of the Gospel. The opening of our eyes to behold these spiritual wonders is the Lord's work, and it should be marvelous in our eyes. For this opening of the eye (and nothing without this) will make any man the most ignorant man among a thousand, An Interpreter
These words contain either a third higher Title, or the highest commendation of the former two. A messenger, an interpreter, even such a one as is one among a thousand; One is no number, and a thousand is put for the greatest number; then one among a thousand, or one of a thousand, implieth that the one here spoken of is a very rare one; only he that is seldom seen, or found, is one among a thousand; Solomon saith ( Eccl: 7.24.) One man among a thousand have I found, but a woman among all those have I not found. There were very few wise or good men among many when he found but one among a thousand. He might find men in great number, but the number of those that deserved to be called men was very small, so small, that he saith he found but one among a thousand. So that here when Elihu calls the interpreter One among a thousand, he teacheth us that such a messenger, such an interpreter is rarely to be had, or being had is a very rare and excellent one. 'It is a proverbial speech, with an hyperbole, to say of any man, he is one among a thousand; for though we are not to take it arithmetically or strictly, yet one being no number, must needs signify very few, or the smallest number, and a thousand being the greatest whole number must needs signify many, very many or a great number. And therefore to say of this interpreter, he is one among a thousand, must needs import, that even among a thousand men, we can hardly find one who hath a faculty or a competency for this office, or is fit to be honored and adorned with this Title, An interpreter.
Hence note.
He is a rare and choice man that is picked out of a thousand men. The faithful messengers and interpreters of the mind of Christ, are rare under a twofold notion; First, as being precious and of great worth and use. Such are the light of the world, and the salt of the earth; The minds of all men would be dark, and their manners corrupt, if God did not send out these interpreters to enlighten and to season them. Secondly, they are rare as not being everywhere to be had or met with; what is hardly had is highly prized. It is said (1 Sam. 3.1.) The word of God was precious in those days, why so? the reason is added, there was no open vision, there were not such frequent manifestations of the mind of God, as had been formerly; there were few Prophets few Interpreters to be found in those days. The true and faithful messengers or interpreters of the mind of God, are rare at all times, in what numbers soever they appear, though they come like an Army by thousands, though (as is said, Psal. 68.11.) God giving the word great be the company (we put in the Margin Army) of those that publish it, or (as the old translation hath it) great be the Company of the Preachers. They are rare, also, because not to be had at sometimes and in many places. Look over the times or ages of the world, and you will find some of them were dark times, days of ignorance, there were few interpreters; look at any time or at this time over many parts and places of the world, and you shall find such interpreters are not to be found in the greatest part, in the most places of it. Not one to be had in some whole countries and huge tracts of the earth. Go to all the Heathen and Mahometan nations, and you shall not find one of these messengers, or interpreters; go to Greece, which anciently engrossed all knowledge, and was famous for all sorts of learning, yet an interpreter is scarcely to be found there in these days. Go to the popish nations, though they bear the name of Christ, and abound with learned men, men learned in the knowledge not only of common Arts and Sciences, but in divinity and the Scriptures; yet in the sense here spoken of they have not many interpreters, the most being such as pervert and wrest the Scriptures, and lead the people into error, rather the messengers of Antichrist, then of Christ; Satan's emissaries, then God's interpreters. So then, if we consider, that several parts and countries of the world are quite without, they have none, and others are filled with false teachers & interpreters of the word of God, which are worse then none, we must conclude an interpreter is one of a thousand,
Again, If we turn our eyes to those parts of the world, where there are many sound, orthodox, faithful messengers and interpreters of the word of God (with which blessing this nation (above many, if I say not above all) hath been crowned for a hundred years together; England as Jerusalem of old ( Isa. 21.1.) may well be called a valley of vision, a seminary of seers, because of that abundance and variety of visions and divine revelations which God hath stored us with in these latter ages) yet (I say) even here as in all other the best reformed Protestant Churches and Christian nations, an interpreter may be called one of a thousand; and that in a twofold reference.
First, If we consider, the whole body of any reformed nation, Ministers are but few compared to all the people, they are hardly so much as one of a thousand, throughout that whole nation; there are but few who give themselves up to the work of the Ministry. Few that dedicate themselves to Christ's service in publishing the Gospel, for the saving of souls; there is (I say) but one of a thousand that is dedicated to that work.
For First, Most are unwilling to meddle wsth that calling, because of the laboriousness of it; interpreters are they who labor in the word and doctrine, and not only so, but they must give a strict account to Christ of their labors. Some good men have declined the ministry, being terrified both with the weight of the woe • k, and the strictness of the account, and doubtless (were we duly sensible) it might make the ablest Ministers tremble every hour of the day, to think what a burden of care and account lieth upon them, who are set to watch over souls.
Secondly, Others will not enter into this calling, because as the labor is great, and the account strict, so the reward, as from man, is small; it doth not lead to riches, and greatness in the World, comparatively with other callings; though there be a comfortable competence allowed to the Ministers of the Gospel, yet there is not much of the world to be expected by them, yea they are charged not to look for much, or not to do their work for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind (1 Pet. 5.2.)
Thirdly, As the reward is small, so the opposition is great, Ministers are often persecuted, and reproached, and the more faithful and diligent they are, the more they are opposed and reproached. To preach the Gospel fully as it should be preached, is to provoke thousands, and bring the World about our ears. No marvel then i • rhe messengers and interpreters of it be not many, if they be but as one among a thousand. Thus you see what hinders the generality of men from meddling with that work. 'It is but one among a thousand that will engage in a work upon these hard terms, or that prae-apprehending them, hath faith and self-denial enough to swallow and overcome them.
Again, Consider those that outwardly bear the name and Title of the Ministers of Christ, and you will find that among them, they who are true and faithful to their trust, are upon the matter, but one among a thousand. As there are but few Ministers among many men, so there are but few Ministers among many that are true and right interpreters. Do but take out or sever these five sorts from among them who pretend to be Ministers, and then it will soon appear that the interpreters in truth are but few among many of those that are so in Title.
First, Take away all those, who thrust themselves boldly, or are admitted carelessly, or by mistake into the Ministry, who yet are ignorant, blind, ungifted, and so unable for the work.
Secondly, Take away those, who though they have gifts and abilities, yet are lazy, and slothful, such as will not take pains nor work in the work.
Thirdly, Take away those, who have gifts, and are industrious, yet are unsound (at least in many points) and erroneous in their judgments, and so mis-lead and mis-guide those, whose guides and leaders they are.
Fourthly, Take away those, who though they are not unsound, and erroneous, yet are profane, and scandalous, pulling down that truth with one hand which they have set up with another, or building again those sins by their practice, which they have destroyed by preaching, and so make themselves (as the Apostle speaks in a like case, Gal: 2.18.) transgressors; for as God justly calls such transgressors, because they have sinned against his word, so they make themselves transgressors, because they sin against their own; even against the doctrine by which they have condemned those sins, which themselves live in.
Fifthly, Take away those, who though they are neither of these, neither ignorant, nor idle, nor unsound, nor scandalous, yet are but mere formal preachers, such as only speak words, deliver the outside, and skin of the Gospel, but have no acquaintance with the marrow and power of it. Take away these five sorts from among Ministers, and surely this expression of Elihu will be but too much verified, The interpreter is but one among a thousand. Abstract all that are ignorant, idle, unsound, scandalous, formal dispencers of the word, from those who are commonly called Ministers, and then, they who remain will be very few, so few, that everyone of them, may be reckoned, one among a thousand. And we shall be forced to say, that Elihu hath not said without cause, whether we respect their excellency or their scarcity, that any faithful messenger or interpreter is one among a thousand.
This is not spoken by Elihu here, nor ought it to be taken up by any of the most faithful Ministers of Christ, to draw honor and respect upon themselves, or that their persons may be had in admiration who are faithful; this were a pitiful design of holding out such a truth; but it serves for this end, that the people of God may see, they have a blessing where any are faithful; and may learn how they ought to prize those faithful messengers, whom the Lord sends among them, yea how readily they should receive the grace of God which is tendered in their ministry. These are not only each of them, one messenger, or interpreter, but each one of them is one of a thousand. A soul-convincing, converting, quickening, comforting Minister of the Gospel is worth thousands, and one among a thousand. The Prophet saith ( Isa: 52.7.) How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tideings, &c. By their feet he meaneth their coming, feet being the instruments of their coming to bring this glad tideings; yet when he saith, their feet are beautiful, it may have a greater emphasis, for (the feet being the lowest part of the structure of man's body) it may intend thus much, that even that which is lowest and meanest in a messenger of the Gospel, his feet wearied and wet, yea foul and dirty with travel, have a beauty upon them, how much more his face and countenance; for if the very feet of such news-bringers, of such messengers, and interpreters, should be acceptable and lovely (so beauty is) to all men, how much more should their persons and most of all their message and tideings be? And doubtless, if men did but understand it, they would acknowledge, that God hath committed such a treasury to them, as is better and more beautiful, then all the gold and precious things of this world, and would cry out, O what a mercy is it to have such a News-bringer? and what Greedy News-mongers would they be? The one among a thousand would be more desirable then many thousands of Gold and Silver.
Elihu having described the person, whom the Lord often makes instrumental for the restoring and comforting of the sick sinner, calling him A messenger, an interpreter, one of a thousand (which latter may be applicable to both the former) proceeds to show the business of this messenger, or interpreter, who is one of a thousand, more expressly, or to set out what his work is, surely excellent, and glorious work, even this
We are not to understand this showing for a bare report of the thing; in which sense the Prophet complained; Lord who hath believed our report! (Isa: 53.1.) that is, we have shown good things to the world, but who hath believed us? The showing spoken of by Elihu, is not a bare declaration of the matter to the ear, but an effectual, and powerful impression of it upon the heart. Such a showing as is spoken of at the 16 th verse of this Chapter, then he openeth the ears of men; The Lord speaks so by his messengers, and interpreters, that he not only makes the ear hear, but the heart too. The heart hears when we have a sense, and are under the power of what is heard. As before we had a spiritual interpreter, so here we have a spiritual showing of his interpretation. Here's a heavenly messenger, and a heavenly message to the earthly man; To tell the earthly his rightfullness, saith Mr Broughton.
Now, because of the pronoun, [his] his uprightness; It may be demanded whose uprightness he means? or, what this uprightness is, which the interpreter showeth.
First, Some expound it of God's uprightness, and then the sense runs thus; God sendeth an Interpreter to show unto man his uprightness, that is, his own right and just dealing with man; As if Elihu had said, God's messenger shall convince this troubled man that God doth not wrong him, how much soever he doth afflict him, or that God is upright and faithful in his dealing with him. This David acknowledged ( Psal: 119.75.) In faithfulness thou hast afflicted me; that's a good sense of the words, and very suitable to the purpose of Elihu, who was about to convince Job that his complainings were very sinful and uncomely, seeing God neither had nor would, nor, indeed, could do him any wrong. God is faithful, just, and right, yea, God is good and merciful to man, when he corrects him sore. Mr Broughton gives this interpretation of his own translation; To tell the earthly his rightfullness, that is, God his mercy. The uprightness of God is that by which he doth righteous things. This uprightness of God consists not only in his holiness, in his love of that which is good, and in his hatred of evil, but also in his preservation of man according to his word of promise. 'It is the righteousness of God, that through the death and intercession of his Son, he should save and heal the believing and repenting sick sinner.
Secondly, And more clearly (as I conceive) to the present scope of this place; the Antecedent to His, is the sick man; And then, to show unto man his uprightness, is to show him his own uprightness.
But you will say; Is the messenger or interpreter, only to tell man how good he is, and what good he hath done? and so to flatter him into a good opinion of himself, or of his own good deeds?
I answer; This showing unto man his uprightness, may be taken
First, As implying the man's ignorance of that uprightness which he hath; or that he hath an uprightness, but doth not know nor understand that he hath it. 'It is so sometimes with the sound godly man, as well as with the sick, when (though in bodily health, yet) he is discomposed and troubled in mind; For then though he hath an uprightness of heart, an integrity towards God, or (as Job speaks of himself) the root of the matter in him; that is, though he be truly converted and really godly, yet he seeth it not, such temptations of Satan and troubles of mind assault him, such clouds of doubt, and darkness are upon him, that he is not able to make out his own state. In this case the faithful messenger or interpreter coming to him, and inquiring how it is with him, picks out this from him, that there is an uprightness, and an integrity of heart in him towards God, and that his state is good, though he cannot discern it. For as the life and state of grace, is always a secret to those who have it not; so 'tis often a secret to those that have it. Some men, never, few men always understand their own condition, and 'tis very hard to make them understand it. For as it is with many hypocrites, and with all presumptuous ones, you cannot beat them out of a good opinion of themselves; though they are stark naught, rotten at heart, and have nothing to salve themselves up with, but a little boldness and confidence, yet they will not be persuaded off from their false foundations, and deceitful bottoms; they will be good in their own eyes, upright in their own opinion, and do not doubt but all's well with them, and will be well with them always. Now, I say, as it is with some hypocrites, and all presumptuous ones, they think themselves to have an uprightness which they have not; so many are upright and sincere, who see it not, and 'tis a very hard work, the hardest work that the Ministers of the Gospel have to make them understand and see their own uprightness.
Secondly, The word uprightness, and the showing unto man his uprightness here spoken of, takes in the whole duty, yea and the whole privilege and interest of a Godly man, or that which will be his uprightness and set him right both before God and his own conscience. To show unto man this his uprightness, is to show him when he is right, and how he may be settled in a right state; in such a state as will be to him like Mount Zion which cannot be removed. Thus the uprightness of man comprehends the whole business both of faith and repentance, or all that which a sinner is called both to do, and believe, for the repairing and mending of his lost and ruined state, for the putting and settleing him in such a state as the Lord may own him as his, and be gracious to him. This, whatsoever it is, is man's uprightness or righteousness, and the showing unto man, this his uprightness is the bringing him word in the name of Christ, that God justifieth him from the guilt of all his sins, and accepteth him into his favor.
Hence observe.
This observation takes in both parts of the exposition. To show unto man how it is with him, what his present state, and condition is, and to show unto man what he ought to be, or how he may be in a safe condition, this is the work of that messenger and interpreter who is one among a thousand, this is a blessed work, and thus it must be done.
First, Man is to be shown the uprightness of his state, or that which must be and be had to make up the uprightness of his state, which is
First, His first-repentance, or conversion to God. Fallen man can never come into a right state • till he return to God from whom he fell. A man's sinful state is a crooked, perverse, and wretched state; repentance or returning to God, is the bringing of a man right again, it brings him to his uprightness, even to that state, wherein he was first made; Loe this have I found (saith Solomon, Eccl: 7.19.) that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. Solomon doth not discover the several branches and streams of man's sinfulness, but the root and spring of it he doth, the corruption of his nature by the fall. For as he found that God made man upright, so mutable, subject to temptation, and as easily yielding to the temptation, as admitting himself to be tempted: and so, not resting in that way and means of happiness (as the Devil his tempter did not) which the wisdom and goodness of God had chalked out and allotted to him, but conceiting to himself a higher perfection, he then began and still continueth to seek out variety of means (called by Solomon, many inventions ) as then to get more then he had, so now to regain some shadow at least of what he had. These inventions, are all those carnal shifts, whereby man hopes either to palliate his sin, or to pacify his conscience. But all prove vain inventions; there being no possibility now, for man to get out of sin, or to go back to God, and so to his first estate, but by repentance; That's God's invention, and he hath concluded, that nothing without that shall bring man (the case of infants is another thing) to that state of uprightness, in which he was first made. And therefore the Apostle giving an account of his ministry, how he acted as a messenger, or an intepreter (He indeed was one among a thousand) saith ( Acts 20.20, 21.) I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, &c. testifying both to the Jews, & also to the Greeks, repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, which is
The second thing wherein this uprightness of man's state doth consist. These two, repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, were the sum of all those Sermons in which Paul gave counsel both to Jews and Gentiles what to do that they might be saved. And this is the work of all Gospel Ministers in showing unto man his uprightness. He that is converted, and believeth, he that turneth from sin, and taketh hold of Jesus Christ by faith for righteousness, is in a better state of uprightness, then when he was first made upright. The Prophet ( Hab: 2.4.) speaking of faith, and that which is opposite to it self-confidence, useth this word, Behold his soul which is lifted up (namely in thoughts of any self or creature-sufficiency) is not upright in him. A proud soul is not an upright soul. What is pride? surely this, for a man to think himself in a good condition, or that he is well enough, that he wants nothing, as it is said of the Church of Laodicea (Rev: 3.17.) when yet he is empty and guilty, poor and penny-less in spirituals, wanting everything, especially a sight and sense of his poverty and wants; yet this is every man's thought of himself, till he is shown what is indeed his uprightness. The natural man's spirit is lifted up, not to God nor in God by faith and repentance, but in himself. The soul thus lifted up is not upright (saith the Prophet, and what faith he next?) But the just shall live by his faith. As if he had said; The man that lives by faith, or the man that believes, and so lives upon Christ, is upright and hath an uprightness which will hold him right, which the uprightness of creation did not. Then the whole matter of man's uprightness was in himself, and he was to stand upon his own bottom, having no promise of support. But now the main matter of man's uprightness is out of himself, and besides, himself hath a promise to be supported in his uprightness. Man by the grace of repentance, turning from sin, and by the grace of faith closing with the Lord Jesus Christ, is set right in the Court of heaven, and shall be preserved (in his uprightness) by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Again, When man is shown his uprightness as to his state, which is his life of justification; then he must also be shown his uprightness as to his way or course of life in sanctification, or holiness of conversation. The interpreter must not only bring man to Christ, but must tell him how he ought to walk in Christ. Man being set right, ought to go right, or (as 'tis said, Psal: 50.23.) To order his conversation aright. Mans uprightness in walking and working is an inseparable fruit of his uprightness in Being.
Thirdly, The business of the interpreter, is not only to bring the troubled soul to a true sense of sin, to a clear sight of Christ, and a suitable conversation, but to furnish him with weapons to resist Satan's temptations, to show him how to manage the sword of the Spirit, and the shield of faith, that he may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the Devil; as also to answer, resolve, and remove the doubts and scruples, that may arise in or are upon his own conscience, and so to settle him in a sweet and comfortable dependence upon Christ by faith as his uprightness and righteousness, against all the fears which at any time assault his peace.
But some may say, Should not sinners be shown their un-uprightness or unrighteousness, rather then their uprightness?
I answer; First, 'It is a piece of our showing man his uprightness, to show him that he hath no uprightness. The Spirit convinceth, first, of sin, and then of righteousness ( John 16.8.) Secondly, I answer, a man's uprightness (according to the meaning of this Scripture) cannot be shown him, but he must also be shown his unrighteousness. Thirdly, I answer, The sick man here spoken of, may be supposed a man troubled in mind about his sins; and in that case the interpreters duty is to ease his mind by showing him his uprightness in the way opened, rather then to burden his mind further by showing him his sin or unrighteousness. And therefore lastly,
To close this point with a word of caution; When Elihu speaks of an uprightness to be shown the troubled soul; 'It is not, that the messenger who comes to relieve and comfort him, should use flattering words, and blow him up with a conceit of his own good works, and so tell him a story of his virtues or virtuous deeds. No, the uprightness chiefly intended here is the righteousness of Christ, in and by which we are reconciled to and made one with God. Nor can we ever attain to this till we are made sensible of our own nothingness, till we are unhinged of self, and quite taken off from any bottoming upon our own righteousness. Some, when they have trouble of conscience upon them, what do they? they fly to their own righteousness; And when they are sick, and ready to die, how do they prepare to stand right before God? they confess they have sinned, and done amiss, but they hope they have repented, and made amends for that; yea they can remember they have done such, and such, possibly, many good things, they have been just to all men, and charitable to the poor, they have heard the word, and been at many a good Sermon, they have prayed and fasted, &c. Thus they patch up the business, as if this were their only uprightness, whereas, indeed, their only uprightness is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We never see where our uprightness is, till we see there is nothing that makes us stand upright in the court of heaven, but only Christ our righteousness. This is the great duty of the messengers, and interpreters of Christ, to declare to man this righteousness for his uprightness. And that hence it is (as Elihu proceeds in the next verse to assure the sick man) that God is and will be gracious to him.
Vers. 24. Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down into the pit, I have found a ransom.
These words hold out the general issue and fruit of the labors and good counsel of that messenger or Interpreter dealing with the sick man, and showing him his uprightness.
There are three distinct interpretations which run quite through this verse, and they arise from a different apprehension about the antecedent in this pronoun [He] then he is gracious unto him. He; who is that? All the Popish interpreters refer it to the Guardian-Angel sent to attend on this sick man; Then he (the Angel) will be gracious, and he will say, deliver him. But as I then laid by that opinion that the messenger was an Angel properly taken, so I shall not stay upon that which is a consequent of it, here.
Secondly, Several of our Protestant interpreters refer this he, to the Messenger or Interpreter, to the Prophet or any spiritually wise and holy man, sent of God to assist and help the sick man in his distress. Some are so positive in this opinion, that they deny the text any other reference; This is to be understood of the Messenger (saith one) and not of God. And I grant 'tis suitable to the business of the messenger who comes to comfort and instruct the sick man, that he should pity and compassionate him in that disconsolate condition, and likewise pray for him, according to the tenor of these words in the text, or to the same effect; O Lord God, be gracious to him, and deliver him, let him not go down to the pit, for the ransom sake which I have found. As if Elihu had said; When that faithful messenger shall have declared the benefits and grace of God to the afflicted man, then pitying his afflicted soul, he shall pray for him; O God deliver him from death and condemnation, from the pit, and from destruction, for I have found and shown him a ransom, by which his soul may be delivered, and his sins pardoned.
In the 19 th Chapter of this Book at the 27 th verse, Job useth this word in his application to his friends, for their pity to him, and more favorable dealing with him; Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me. As if he had said, The hand of God presseth me sore, O let not your hand be heavy upon me too. This exposition carrieth a great truth in it, and is not at all inconsistent with the letter of the text; yet I shall not insist upon it, but adhere rather to a third, which makes the antecedent to this [He] to be God himself.
That is, when the messenger hath dealt with the sick man, when he hath opened his condition to him, and shown him his uprightness, or how he may stand upright before God, or what his righteousness is before God, and hath brought his heart to an unfeigned sorrow for his sin, and to the actings of faith upon the promise; then God is gracious, and then he gives out the word for his restoring, and orders it to be presently dispatched away to him, saying, deliver him, unloose him, unbind him, let him not go down into the pit, I have found a ransom. Taking this for the general sense of the Text, I shall proceed to open the particulars.
Then he will be gracious, or then, he will have mercy upon him, as Mr Broughton translates. Then and not before; till then the Lord lets his bones ache, and his heart tremble, till then he suffers him to be brought so low that he is reckoned among the dead, but then, though not before, he showeth himself gracious unto him. When a poor man is reduced to the utmost extremity, then is God's opportunity, then is the season of mercy; and the Lord therefore lets us be at the lowest, that we may be the more sensible of his goodness in raising and lifting us up: The Lord suffers many (as Paul spake of himself, (2 Cor. 1.9.) to have the sentence of death in themselves, that they may learn not to trust in themselves, but in him who raiseth the dead. We seldom give God either the glory of his power by trusting him, or of his goodness by thanking him for our deliverances, till we are brought to the last cast (as we say) or to such an exigent as leaves no visible means in probabillity, no nor of possibility to escape. And when 'tis thus with us, then he is gracious.
Secondly, Then he is gracious, that is, when the man is doubly humbled, when the man's heart is graciously broken, when the man is grown into an abhorrence of himself and of his sin, or loathes himself for his sin, as much as he loathed his meat, as 'tis said in the former verse; when his heart is thus taken quire off from all that is below in the world, and gathered up believingly to Jesus Christ in the word of promise; Then he is gracious.
The Original word hath many comfortable significations in it, yet all resolvable into this one, he is gracious. It signifies to pity, to have compassion, tenderly to regard, to bestow grace, to do good, there is enough in the bowels of this word to bear up the spirit of the sickest body, or of the most troubled soul. It is said ( Gen. 6.8.) Noah found grace (or favor) in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was the only man that held out the grace of God in that age, him only did God find perfect or upright in his Generations ( Gen. 6.9.) and Noah only was the man, that found grace or favor in the eyes of the Lord in that generation ( Gen. 6.8.) God was gracious to him and his, when the whole world peri • hed by water. That proper name John is derived from this word; when God gave Zacharias and Elizabeth a Son in their old age, he also directed how he would have him called, ye shall call his name John, which name (as we may well conceive) was assigned him either because God did very graciously and favourably bestow that gift upon his Parents in their old age, and so shown them much favor (a child at any time is a great favor from God, especially in old age) or, secondly, because John was to open the Kingdom of Grace, to preach the Gospel, and to prepare the way for Christ, by whom grace and truth came. The Baptist was as it were the loop and button between the legal and the Gospel dispensation; therefore his name might well be called John. And there is frequent use in Scripture of the Adverb which comes from this Verb, to signify injuries received without desert or undeservedly. ( Ps. 7.4.) Yea, I have delivered him that without cause was mine enemy, or that was mine enemy gratis. And again ( Psal. 35.7.) For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause have they digged for my soul. Yet more, as the word signifies the doing of good (gratis) or when there is no desert; so any injury done gratis, or when no provocation hath been given the party so to do. Now, as all the mischief which the wicked plot against or do to the people of God is undeserved, and floweth merely from their malice, so all the good which God doth for his people is undeserved, and floweth purely from the fountain of his free grace, or from his compassions, which fail not. And surely the Lord deserveth highest praises from man for any good he doth him, seeing what he doth is gratis, or undeserved.
Further, This Hebrew word Chinnam answers the Greek word ( 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ) rendered freely (Rom. 3.24. ) We are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. How can unjust men deserve justification? Therefore Mr Beza translates, We are justified gratis, that is, by his grace.
Again, When it is said, then he (or, the Lord) is gracious, it may be taken two ways. First, as, to be gracious implieth the intrinsical graciousness of his nature, or that mercifullness and kindness which dwells in the heart of God, and which indeed is God, (for the graciousness of God is the gracious God) thus God is always and altogether gracious, he is infinitely and incessantly gracious. Secondly, when it is said, he is gracious, it may note only the graciousness of his acts, and dispensations; thus, as I may say, the Lord is gracious (ad hinc et nunc) as he sees cause, at this time he is gracious and not at that time; that is, he puts forth acts of grace now, and not then. The Lord puts forth acts of grace, both according to the pleasure of his own will, without respect to anything in man, as also without respecting what man is or doth, according to his pleasure. And thus we are chiefly to understand it here; then he is gracious. God is gracious in his nature always, and always alike gracious; but he is not always alike gracious in his dispensations, or in giving forth acts of grace; he is gracious to man according to his secret will as he pleaseth, but he is gracious according to his revealed will as man pleaseth him.
Hence Observe, first.
That's the fountain, yea that's the Ocean which seeds and fills all the Channels of mercy, which stream to us, as our happiness in this world, and for our everlasting happiness in the world which is to come. All is of grace fundamentally, or because the Lord is and will be forever gracious. Thus the Lord spake to Moses (Exod. 33.19.) I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. My mercy shall flow our, when, and to whom, and where I please. And the proclamation which he made of himself in all his royal Titles runs in the same strain ( Exod. 34.6.) The Lord, the Lord God, merciful, and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity. If we consider God, first in doing us good; Secondly, in forgiving us the evil which we do; Thirdly, in delivering us from the evils which we now suffer; Fourthly, in delivering us from the fear of future sufferings; all is from grace and from free grace. He doth us good though we are undeserving any good, that's grace, yea, he doth us good though we are ill deserving, and that's more grace. He doth all for us through grace, First, in spirituals, and Secondly, in temporals; not only do the good things of eternal life, but the good things of this present life flow from grace unto his own people. Not only the health of their souls, but the health of their bodies, not only deliverance from hell, but deliverance from sickness also, flow from his free grace in Jesus Christ. Therefore of all their mercies and salvations (both as to the foundation and top-stone of them) the people of God must cry (as the Prophet Zachery (Chap. 4.7.) foretells the people of God should say of that longed for deliverance, when that great mountain should become a plain before Zerubbabell) grace, grace, unto them: That is, grace hath begun them, and grace alone will maintain, continue, and perfect what it hath begun. As there is nothing in us (except our misery) which moves the Lord to begin, so there is nothing in us (but our inability) which moves the Lord to perfect what he hath begun. He seeth we cannot, and therefore he will perfect what he hath begun, and all this he doth that he may exalt his own name, and perfect the praise of his free grace towards us.
More distinctly, that all comes from grace, or from the graciousness of God, may note these five things to us. First, not only that God doth all for his people freely, or without desert. But Secondly, that he doth all things willingly, or without constraint for his people. Thirdly, that he doth all things forwardly for his people. He doth very much unaskt and unsought, and he is not much asked or hardly drawn to do anything for his people. Though he hath said of some things, I will be sought unto, or inquired after that I may do them for you, (Ezek. 36.37.) yet his mercies are never forced nor wrested from him by entreaties, but flow from a principle of love, naturally, as water out of a fountain. Fourthly, he doth all rejoicingly, even with his whole heart, and with his whole soul. Mercy pleaseth him, and he is pleased with occasions of showing mercy, 'tis no burden to him to do us good; mercy proceeds from his nature, and therefore he delighteth in mercy ( Mic: 7.18.) yea, to be merciful is his nature, and therefore he cannot but delight in it. Fifthly, graciousness being the very nature of God, implieth that he will do us good liberally, and constantly, or that (as the Apostle James speaks) he giveth liberally, and upbraideth not; he doth not upbraid us with our poverty, who receive, nor do • h he upbraid us with the riches of the gifts which himself bestoweth; And because they flow from his nature, therefore he doth not in the least empty himself, how much soever he fills the creature with his gifts or goodness. Some men (upon the matter) even exhaust and undo themselves by liberallity unto others; and they who give most, or have most to give, cannot always give. It is said in this Book, ( Chap. 37.11.) By watering, he wearieth the thick cloud; that is, God commandeth the cloud to give rain so long, that it hath not a drop more to give, but is quite spent. Springs or fountains are never wearied or spent with watering, because their waters come as freely and as fast as they go; God is an everlasting spring of grace and goodness; He is not wearied, nor emptied by what he giveth out to, or doth for the creature, because all floweth from his natural graciousness as from a fountain.
Then he is gracious. I would urge the second reference of that word (then) a little further; It was shown before, that it might refer, First, to the extremity of the sick man, Secondly, to the sick man's humiliation, or the right disposure of his spirit to receive renewed acts of grace, and favor from the Lord.
Hence observe, Secondly.
It is said ( Isa. 30.18.) Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious. The Lord hath always a gracious disposition, a gracious nature; he always hath a store and a stock, a rich stock and store of mercy by him; but he doth not always give it forth; no, he waits to be gracious, that is, he waits till we are in a fit frame, till we are in a due temper to receive his grace. And because as to the dispensings of grace, God waits to be gracious; therefore many retard and hinder their own good; they are not yet in a frame to receive; their vessel is not yet seasoned to hold mercy. The Lord waited to be gracious to David after his grievous fall, and therefore he did not give Nathan a Commission to say, Thy sin is done away, till David's heart was broken, and had said (2 Sam: 12.13.) I have sinned against the Lord; But when once that word fell from him, then Nathan declared how gracious the Lord was to him. As soon as David said, I have sinned (that's an act of repentance) presently, Nathan said, the Lord hath done away thy sin, that's an act of grace. When did Ephraim hear a word of comfort from God? The Prophet tells us ( Jer: 31.18, 19, 20.) I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself, (that is, mourning over and bewailing his sin) saying, thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. We have him there also praying, Turn me, O Lord, and I shall be turned, &c. Upon this, how graciously, how meltingly did the Lord speak? Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still, (or, in remembering I remember him) my bowels are troubled for him, I will surely have mercy on him. Now I will manifest my grace, and acquaint him with my goodness. The Lord was very gracious to Saul afterwards Paul, he sent Ananias to him with a message of mercy, as to restore the sight of his bodily eyes, so to assure him that he should be an instrument in the hand of Christ to open the eyes of many, and a chosen vessel to bear his name before the Gentiles and Kings and the Children of Israel, (Acts 9.15.) But when was this message delivered him? the text tells us ( v. 11.) For behold he prayeth; the man is in the dust, he is brought upon his knees, his spirit is broken; that word he prayeth, comprehends the whole work of a gracious soul, as to his humiliation and returning to the Lord. In the parable of the prodigal Son, his father is represented abundantly gracious to him; but he did not signify it, he did not send the ring, not the rich robe to him, when he was abroad in a strange Country among harlots, drinking and wasting his estate, time and strength vainly; we read of no acts of grace to him then, but when, being pinched with famine and hunger, he came to himself, and began to bethink himself of coming back to his fathers house, and that he had brought himself by his own folly to beggary, and want, and husks; when he was upon these terms, or resolves to go home to his father, and cast himself at his feet as unworthy the name or privilege of a Son, then his father ran to meet him, fell on his neck and kissed him, then he put on the ring, and clothed him with the robe, then he killed the fatted calf, and made a feast for him. All which sceane of mercy doth but hold out this one word in the text; Then he is gracious.
There are two sorts of gracious acts of God. First, some are acts of absolute grace, or of preventing grace; These are put forth upon and exercised towards the creature, before there is any the lest preparation in the heart, to draw them out or invite the bestowing of them. Thus, the grace of God in election is absolutely free, there was no prevision of any qualification in man moving God to elect him. And so that wonderful act of grace (in which election first descends and discovers it self) effectual vocation, is absolutely free. God calls a sinner when he is in the heat and hurry of his evil ways, pursuing his lusts in the height of his pride, and in the hardness of his impenitent heart. Now, if when God first calleth a sinner there is nothing in him but sin; What can move God to call him but free grace? A third absolute act of grace is justification; God doth not justify a sinner for anything that he finds or sees in us; As to us 'tis altogether free. He justifieth the ungodly (Rom: 4.5.) when that wretched infant was in its blood (which expresseth a miserable unclean polluted condition) then was a time of love (Ezek: 16.8.) then was God gracious. What loveliness was there in that infant (representing the best of men in that fallen natural estate) to draw out the love of God? nothing at all, yea she was altogether unlovely, yet then (saith God) thy time was the time of love, or then was the time of putting forth love in her conversion and voc • tion; Then, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, live. And because the thing might seem not only strange, but even impossible, that the heart of God should be towards such a wretched one for good, the word is doubled, yea I said unto the • , when thou wast in thy blood, live. These acts of absolute free grace are the glory of the Covenant of grace; for if the Covenant should hold out acts of Grace only upon our pre-dispositions, when should we receive any act of grace? The promise is not of this tenor, I will pardon them when their hearts are soft and tender; but, I will take away the heart of stone, and give them a heart of flesh.
Yet Secondly (as to the point in hand) there are conditional acts of grace, I may call them second acts of grace, or renewed acts of grace. For when after conversion we fall into sin, and by that evil heart of unbelief (remaining in a great measure unmortified) we depart from the living God ( Heb: 3.12.) God doth not give out fresh acts of grace, but upon repentance, and the renewings of our communion with him. Having once received grace, we being again helped and assisted by grace, act graciously, before God declares himself gracious to us. When a man is cast upon a sick bed for sin, (that's the case of many) the Lord will see repentance before he will raise him up again. ( James 5.15.) The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven him; that is, if he being cast upon a sick bed to correct or chasten him for the sin that he hath committed, shall humble himself, and seek the Lord by prayer, praying and calling for prayer; Then the sin committed shall be forgiven him, and the Lord will raise him up again. 'It is not the prayer of another that can obtain deliverance for the sick, much less the forgiveness of his sins, if himself be prayer-less, and repentance-less. But while others pray for the sick man's bodily health, they praying also for his souls health, the Lord gives him repentance for his sin, and then a comfortable sight of pardon. So then before the Lord puts out these second acts of grace, he looks for and finds something in the creature yet still, that also is an effect of his grace both to them and in them. They, who have already received grace, must stir up their grace, and renew acts of grace (thorough grace) towards him, before he dispenses acts of grace towards them. And as consolation in this life, so that highest and last act of grace, salvation, in the life to come, is not bestowed upon any, till they are fitted. God calls and converts the worst of men, those that are in their filth, and mud, and mire, but he will not save a filthy person, he will have him first purged and prepared. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not enter into the kingdom of God (1 Cor: 6.9.) and that without holiness no man shall see the Lord (Heb: 12.14.) There is no eternal salvation without preparation; nor is there any promise of temporal salvation without it. When a man is sick to death (as in the text, salvation comes not, the Lord is not gracious till the sick man's spirit is humbled and set right; till the messenger hath shown him, how he may stand upright before the Lord, and he hath embraced his message; then, and not till then he is gracious. And as in these words we have the occasion of this grace; so in the following words we have the publication of this grace; Then he is gracious.
[And saith] that is, the Lord gives out an order presently, he gives out a warrant for the release of the sick man. When earthly Princes have once granted pardon to an offender, they say, deliver him; they sign a warrant for his deliverance out of prison, or they sign a pardon, and say, deliver him from death, when he is at the place of execution. Thus concerning this sick man, God saith, deliver him from going down to the pit.
The word rendered deliver, signifies also to redeem, 'tis used in this form nowhere else in all the Scripture. To free, deliver or redeem a man, intimates his person in hold, then will he say, deliver him. From what? there are as many sorts of deliverances, as there are of troubles, each particular strait, and trouble, hath a proportionable deliverance. There is deliverance, First, from captivity or bondage. Secondly, from want or poverty. Thirdly, from imminent sudden danger or peril by land or Sea. Fourthly, from sicknesses and diseases. Fifthly, from death; and that twofold; First, from temporal, Secondly, from eternal death. Here when he saith, deliver him, we may determine this deliverance by the latter words of the text, to be a deliverance from deadly sickness; deliver him from going down to the pit; that is, deliver him from death; To go down to the pit, is often in Scripture put to signify dying.
Further, The pit implies corruption, because in the pit or grave, the body corrupts. It is said indeed ( Numb: 16.30.) of that rebellious triumvirate, Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, they went down alive into the pit, but they went down to death, and ordinarily the dead only go down to the pit. The same phrase is used ( Psal: 28.1. Psal: 88.4. Ezek: 31.14. Ezek: 32.18, 24, 29, 30.) That text is very remarkable ( Prov: 28.17.) He that offereth violence to the blood of another, he shall flee to the pit, let no man stay him; That is, The murderer, who in wrath and hatred, or upon private revenge dest • oyeth the life of any man, shall hasten to destruction, either as chased and hurried by his own fears like Cain and Judas, or as prosecuted by the justice of the Magistrate. And as he thus hasteth to the pit, so let no man stay him, that is, First, let no man conceal him; Secondly, let no man move for his impunity, or solicit his pardon; or if any do, then Thirdly, let not the Magistrate grant his pardon; For the old universal Law tells him his duty ( Gen: 9.6.) He that sheddeth man's blood, by man (that is, by the Magistrate commanding, and by his officers executing) shall his blood be shed. And as another Law hath it ( Deut: 19.13.) Thine eye shall not spare him, &c. The Magistrate who is in God's stead, may not say of him, as here God doth of the sick man, Deliver him from going down to the pit. His blood is ill spared who would not spare the blood of another.
But it may be questioned, for as much as the text saith only in general, deliver him, Into whose hands this warrant for his deliverance is delivered? or who is directed to deliver him? Master Broughton represents God speaking this to the sick man's disease, for thus he renders the text; Then he will have mercy upon him, and say, Spare him (O killing malady) from descending into the pit. God will speak thus to the disease (and there is a great elegancy in it) spare him O killing malady. Diseases come and go at God's command; they hurt and they spare at his direction; As the Lord's breath or word bloweth away the winds ( Math: 8.27.) The men marvelled, saying, Who is this that even the wind and the seas obey him? So the Lord's breath bloweth away sickness; if he do but speak to a disease, to a fever, to an ague, to a dropsy, to a consumption, O killing malady, spare him, thou hast done enough (any disease might prevail to death, did not God say, spare him ) hold thy hand, not a blow more, not a fit more O killing malady. Death it self, much more sickness, heareth the voice of God. And it may be said to hear him, because it doth that, which they who have the power of hearing ought to do; that is, it obeyeth or yieldeth to the voice and command of God, & will no longer afflict the sick man. Diseases may be said to deliver a man from death, & the pit, when they depart from him. Yet,
Secondly, I conceive this warrant for the deliverance of the sick man, is given out to the messenger or interpreter, to the one among a thousand, that visiteth him in his sickness. He having been with him, and dealt with his conscience, he having brought him into a good frame, the Lord is gracious, and in answer to his prayer, sets it upon his heart that he shall recover, and warrants him to tell him so, which is, declaratively, to deliver him from going down to the pit. This act of man's delivering the sick, is like that act of man pardoning the sinner ( John 20.23.) that is, 'tis ministerial or declarative, not original nor Authoritative. The interpreter doth not deliver him, but tells him God will. We have the Psalmist speaking thus after his supplication and prayer made to the Lord for a sick State or Nation or for a sick Church (that's his scope, Psal: 85.) Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoyc • in thee (v. 6.) Surely thou wilt, and he expresseth his confidence, that God would ( v. 8.) I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his Saints. When he had prayed he would hearken for news, or for a message from heaven, whether or no, the Lord would order him to speak peace to those for whom he had been praying, and say, deliver them from going down to the pit. Thus did the Prophet Habakkuk, I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon my tower, and see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved (Chap: 2.1.) In the next verse, The Lord answered and said, write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. And what was the answer? surely deliverance; for having said, in the end it shall speak and not lie (v. 3.) he concludes ( v. 4.) The just shall live by his faith. Believing deliverance, he shall at last be delivered from the pit of captivity and live.
Here in the text we must suppose this messenger had prayed, and having prayed, he did not neglect his prayer, but was hearkening what the Lord would say. Elihu was confident the Lord would give a gracious answer, though not by an immediate voice or revelation to his ear, yet by an assurance of the mercy given into his spirit. When that good king Hezekiah, was not only sick unto death, but had received an express message from the Lord, Set thy house in order, for thou shalt die and not live (2 Kings 20.1.) 'It is said at the 2 d verse, He turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, &c. And at the 4 th verse, The word of the Lord came to Isaiah the Prophet, saying, turn again, and tell Hezekiah the Captain of my people; Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears, behold, I will heal thee, &c. Here God gave a word formally, and put it into the Prophets mouth, Go deliver him from going down to the pit. And though the Lord doth not thus now in such an explicit and open way, nor may we expect it, yet there is a virtual saying of this word from the Lord, and that sometimes mightily imprest upon the hearts of those who have prayed and sought unto him, for the sick man, whereby (not by an ungrounded vain confidence, but by a scripturall holy confidence, comparing the promise with the man's condition) they are enabled to tell him, The Lord hath delivered thee from going down to the pit. And he shall as certainly be delivered, as if the Lord had sent an express from heaven to tell him so. Then he is gracious to him, and saith, deliver him from going down to the pit.
Hence observe.
Thus it is ordinarily with all who die, to the pit they go. Many die and go down to the bottomless pit; all who die may be said to go to the pit. To go to the bottomless pit, is the circumlocution of eternal death, as to go to the pit is the circumlocution of temporal death.
Secondly, Forasmuch as the man being sick the Lord gives out this word, deliver him from going down to the pit.
Note.
The sick stand as it were upon the borders of the grave. Some not only put death far from them in health, but in their sickness; until they are even dead, they scarce think themselves dying. It is good for us in our health and best strength to be looking into the pit, and considering upon what grounds of comfort we can descend into the grave. How much more should we be thinking of and looking into the pit, when we are in a languishing and dying condition?
Thirdly, Observe.
God can, and God only can deliver from death; no creature in heaven or earth can speak this but by commission from God; none can open this secret till God interpret it. Deliverance is the Lord's salvation; and the word of salvation from sickness, as well as of salvation from hell, comes out from the Lord.
But is it not said ( Pro: 11.4.) Righteousness delivereth from death.
I answer; when it is said, Righteousness delivereth from death, The meaning is, God delivereth the righteous from death. He delivereth them from the sting and terror, from all that which is properly called the evil of corporal death; and he delivereth them wholly from the least touch or shadow of eternal death. And this righteousness which delivers from death is not our own, but the righteousness of Christ made ours by the appointment of God, and received as ours by faith. 'It is neither any righteousness wrought in us, nor any righteousness wrought by us, but that righteousness which is wrought for us, which delivereth from death: and that delivereth us from death, because God saith of such a righteous person, deliver him, as often from temporal death, or going down to the pit of the grave, so always from eternal death, or going down to the pit of hell.
Fourthly, In that this word deliver him, is given to the messenger.
Observe.
He will have the creature beholding to the creature for his mercy, though mercy come freely and only from himself. God delivereth the sick and the sinner in such a method that we may own, though not stay in his messengers, as the instruments of his favor. God who can do all things by himself, will not do many things but by means. He saith to the messenger, Deliver him from going down to the pit.
You will say, How can a Minister or a Messenger deliver the sick from going down to the pit?
〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉I answer, (as was touched before) he delivers him by declaring to him the mind of God, by acquainting the sick with the promises of deliverance, and by pressing him to believe and rest upon them; by assuring him that as God is able to perform the promise, so he is faithful and willing to perform it; yea that he hath given some tokens for good that he will deliver him from going down to the pit. Thus the work of God's free grace, mercy, and power, is oftentimes attributed to instruments and second causes, because they have their place and use in the bringing about the purposes of God for the good of his people. Hence some men are called Savior's; And Savior's shall come up on mount Zion (Obad: v. 21.) No man can save either from temporal or eternal destruction; He that is our God is the God of salvation, and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death (Ps: 68.20.) yet saith the Prophet, there shall come Savior's; that is, God will raise up worthy men, principal men (as another Prophet calls them, Mic: 5.5.) who shall destroy Zion's enemies. Thus Paul admonisheth Timothy, Take heed to thyself, and to thy doctrine, continue in them, for in so doing thou shalt save thyself and them that hear thee (1 Tim: 4.16.) The Apostle James (Chap: 5.20.) speaks the same thing; He which converteth a sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. And the same Apostle faith (as to the case in the text) at the 15 th verse of the same Chapter; The prayer of faith shall save the sick. Though none can save, yet many are means of our salvation. And the Lord is pleased to honor those who are the means of any salvation, so far, as to say, They save. It is indeed the duty of all to ascribe the all of every work and piece of salvation and deliverance to God only. When the people stood wondering at Peter and John after they had healed the lame man, Peter answered ( Acts 3.12.) Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as if we by our own power or holiness had made this man to walk. The God of Abraham, &c. hath glorified his Son Jesus; As if they had said, Therefore do ye also glorify him, not us for delivering this lame man. Though God is pleased to put much honor upon man, by speaking of what himself doth, as if man had done it; yet he will not give the glory of what he doth to any man, nor may any take it. God saith to the messenger, deliver him from going down to the pit; but woe to that messenger who saith (when he is delivered) I have delivered him from going down to the pit.
Thus we see the spring of the sick man's recovery, it is from the graciousness of God, and we see the means of it, God gives a warrant to his messenger, saying, Deliver him from going down to the pit; But what is the procuring or meritorious cause of this deliverance? As the Text hath shown us the first moving cause, The grace of God, so it shows us the meritorious cause, by which his deliverance is procured; Things are so ordered in the Covenant of grace, that though the Lord acts with infinite freeness, yet he hath appointed and ordered a way in which alone he will do, what he freely doth. This is expressed in the last clause of the verse,
But where did God find it? certainly in his own bosom, in his own heart; Jesus Christ came out of the bosom of the Father, there he was, God found him in and with himself; God did not find the ransom by chance, nor did he find it by advice and consultation with others, but he found it in himself, in his own infinite wisdom and goodness; that is, he contrived it, he invented i • there. This rare, this most excellent thing, a ransom, is the Lord's own invention. I have found it, I know how to do this man good, I know how to save him, and do my own honor and Justice no hurt, no wrong: my honor is saved, my Justice is satisfied in doing it. I have found a ransom.
The word here rendered a ransom signifies in the Verb, to cover or to hide that which before lay open, that it appear no more. Grace brings another face upon things, a new face, I may say, upon our souls. The covering of sin elegantly denotes the pardon of sin. And what reason have we to be thankful and rejoice, when sin (our soul dirt and deformity) is covered! We have very foul faces (I mean outward conversations) and more foul souls, or inward inclinations, till the Lord is graciously pleased to put a covering upon them. If we cover our own sins we shall have no mercy, but if the Lord once cover our sins, he cannot deny us mercy, that being itself our greatest mercy, and the fruit of his great mercy. The Mercy-seat, so famous in the Mosaical Poedogogy, is expressed by this word, which properly signifieth a Covering. The Mercy-seat was itself a Covering of pure gold, laid over the Ark, in which Ark the Law was put ( Exod. 25.17.21.) Thou shalt put the Mercy-seat above upon the Ark, and in the Ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And as the dimensions of the Ark were two Cubits and a half in length, and a Cubit and a half in breadth, so the same were the dimensions of the Mercy-seat; ( Vers. 10.17.) which figured that as the Mercy-seat fully covered the Ark wherein the Law was, so Christ should fully cover all our sins, which are transgressions of the Law. The righteousness of Christ is as long and as broad as the Law, and so, our sins being covered with that shall never appear against us. Therefore also from above this Mercy-seat between the two Cherubims (the Lord said ( verse. 22.) I will meet thee, and I will commune with thee. There was a gracious manifestation of the presence of God above the Mercy-seat, because that typified Jesus Christ the true Propitiatory or ransom, covering and hiding out of the sight of God forever all our defections iniquities and transgressions. And hence the same word which signifies expiation or redemption, signifieth also the procuring cause of our Redemption, here called (as also in the New Testament) A Ransom.
I have found a Ransom. A ransom is properly a price demanded for release out of bondage. And when the Captive is released, the price is paid. To be redeemed and to be ransomed is the same thing, ( Isa. 35.9, 10.) The redeemed shall pass there, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion, and everlasting joy upon their heads, they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Thus here, Deliver him (saith the Lord) from going down to the pit; I am satisfied, I have found a price, a ransom. Both Law and Gospel meet in this; here is the Law, by which the man being humbled confesseth his own sin, and the wrath of God, due to it. Here is also the Gospel, by which he hath been taught to believe, that his sins are pardoned, and the wrath of God turned away from him for the ransom which Christ hath paid.
So then, 'tis not as popish Expositors tell us, I have found a ransom, that is, I have found the man's good works, I have found his repentance, I have found his tears, his prayers, his alms. I now see that in him for which I may be propicious to him, and deliver him from the sickness under which he is detained; thus they generally make somewhat in man or done by man, his ransom, at least to have a share in it. The heart (as was shown before) is prepared for deliverance, by the workings of faith and repentance. But the ransom upon which deliverance is given, is nothing at all wrought in us or by us. Woe to us notwithstanding our prayers and repentance, our reformations and humiliations. To put these in place of a ransom, or to hope for deliverance from the pit upon their account is to pervert the whole Gospel.
Others give a better sense, yet not clear enough, thus, He hath humbled himself, and I am as well satisfied as if I had received a ransom, but I lay that by also. For when God saith I have found a ransom, we are to understand it of a real ransom, of full pay or satisfaction, not of a ransom by favor and acceptation. This satisfaction to the justice of God is only and wholly made by Jesus Christ, without any the least contribution from man. The perfect ransom which the Lord finds is the blood of his own Son, which is called the blood of the Covenant, because thereby the Covenant is confirmed, and all Covenant mercies assured to us. Upon this price or ransom God restores the sick sinner and pardons him, he heals both his body and his soul. And that Job had knowledge of this ransom as the only means of deliverance, appears ( Chap. 17.3.19.25.) Deliver him, for I have found a ransom.
Hence Observe, First.
If all men on earth, yea if all the Angels in Heaven had sat from the foundation of the world to this day, in counsel beating their brains, and debating this question, How man, sinful man might be delivered out of the hand of the Law, or from that condemnatory sentence under which the Law had cast and detained him, with satisfaction, or without damage to the Justice and righteousness of God, they could never have found it out, nor anything like it. This is God's own invention; or, if God had said to fallen man, I see thou art in a lost pitiful condition, but sit down and consider how I may do thee good, and not wrong myself, how I may relieve thee, and not dishonor myself, I will freely do it. If God (I say) had given man a blank to write down what he would have done to bring this about, he could never have found it out; but must have perished forever in his sin. The thought of a ransom in this way had never entered into the heart either of men or Angels, if God himself had not revealed it. Therefore the Apostle Peter having spoken of the great diligence of the old Prophets searching into and inquiring about that great mystery, the way and means of man's salvation, c • ncludes (1 Epist: 1.12.) Which things the Angels desire to look into. The word there used notes a curious prying into that which hath some veiled or secret rarity in it. We may conceive the Apostle in that word alluding to the Cherubims, which by God's command, to Moses, were made with their eyes looking down to the Mercy-seat or propitiatory in the Holy of holies (Exod. 25.20.) figuring the ransom in the Text, yea and expressed by the same Hebrew word. The living Angels do that which those representative Angels seemed to do, they look earnestly at the mystery of our redemption made, or ransom given by Jesus Christ. There is such an exquisiteness in this invention, the deliverance of man by Christ, that the Angels desire to look into it, even as men desire to see rare inventions. And this exceedingly commends the wisdom of God in our redemption, that it was a secret to the very glorious Angels. They did not know it, but as it was made known to them; nor did God (as it seems) make it known to them firstly or immediately, but it was revealed to them, occasionally by the revelation of it first to the Church; as the Apostle doth more then intimate, ( Eph. 3.10.) To the intent, that now unto principalities and powers in heavenly places, (that is the holy Angels) might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God. As if, had it not been for the light given to and spread abroad in the Church, the Angels had been in the dark to this day about that matter. And doubtless if the Angels did not gather up their knowledge of that mystery by the ministry of the Apostles preaching it to the world, in a way of information, yet by their contemplation of what was done in the Church, & of the goodness of God to the Church, they saw as in a glass that manifold wisdom of God which before they saw not, or were ignorant of. Now if the holy Angels knew not this mystery, but as it was revealed, much less could man. We (saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 2.6, 7, 8, 9.) speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the Princes of this world, that come to naught. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, &c. which none of the Princes of this World know, (who use to be the most knowing men in the World) for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. As if he had said, surely the Princes of the world would have adored, not reproached and crucified Christ, had they understood who he was, or the work which he came about. And therefore the Apostle calls it not only a mystery, but a great mystery, and that there is not the least question, but 'tis a great mystery. (1 Tim. 3.16.) Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh; this great mystery, which from the beginning of the World hath been hid in God (Eph. 3.9.) that is in the counsel and decree of God, hath been also some way or other revealed by God almost as soon as the world began; It was revealed to Adam by the promise of the woman's seed; and to Abraham by promise, that in his Seed all the Nations of the earth should be blessed; It was revealed to the Church of the Jews in Ceremonies and Prophesies, and it hath been revealed to the Church both of Jews and Gentiles by the Spirit in the preaching of the word, ever since Christ paid this ransom to this day; and it had been hidden to this day, if the Lord had not revealed it; 'tis therefore the Lord's invention.
Let me add this by way of inference. We honor men that bring forth any rare invention. And if it be an invention which also produceth profit and advantage to mankind, how are the Authors of it admired, and their names recorded? All the inventions of the most refined wits in the world, are dull pieces to this invention, the redemption of man by Christ. And as there is the stamp of an infinite unchangeable wisdom upon it; so the profit which comes in by it to mankind is infinite and inestimable. How then should we honor God, both for bringing this wonderful invention to light, and giving us the benefit of it freely! It had been great mercy if God had delivered us upon our finding out and proposal of a way to him; but he hath not only delivered us, but found out a way himself, and plotted how we might be delivered. What a glorious mercy is this! When Darius saw how Daniel was ensnared by his act or decree, he was extremely troubled, and (saith the Text, Dan. 6.14.) he was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him, and he labored (beating his brains and studying) till the going down of the Sun to deliver him, yet could not, but cast he was to the hungry Lions, only he told him, ( verse. 16.) Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. Darius could not find a ransom, any means of deliverance for his servant and great Favorite Daniel. But when we had brought ourselves into a snare, and must have been cast to the Lions forever, to be torn by them, the Lord brought forth this rare invention, a ransom, whereby we poor sinners are delivered out of the mouth of the roaring Lion, who goeth about continually to devour us.
Secondly, Inasmuch as deliverance is got by ransom.
Observe.
Souls are precious, they are dear ware; Blood, and that the blood of Christ is their ransom; ( Math. 20.28. Rom. 3.2.5. Eph. 1.7. Col. 1.14. Heb. 9.12. Rev. 5.9.) in comparison of which all the treasures of this world are trash, our Gold and Silver corruptible, and our very righteousness a corrupt thing. Deliverances are obtained three ways.
First, By power or plain force; thus Abraham delivered his Nephew Lot when he was carried captive ( Gen. 14.14.) He armed his trained servants, born in his house three hundred and eighteen, and rescued him. I may say, the Lord Jesus hath delivered us thus, even by force and power, he hath beaten all our enemies, and having broken and spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it (his Cross spoken of in the former verse) or in himself; that is, in his own personal power, not by any aide or foreign assistance received from men or Angels.
Secondly, Deliverance is obtained by price or payment. When our friends or country-men are taken Captives by Turks or others, we cannot send an Army to rescue them, but usually we do it by ransom; we buy them again out of the enemies hand, or out of bondage. Jesus Christ hath delivered us, not only by power, but by price, it was not (as hath been already shown) by gold or silver, but by his own most precious blood, (1 Pet. 1.18.) Jesus Christ hath delivered us out of the soul destroying hand of Satan by force, but he delivers us out of the sin-revenging hand of his Father by price. Christ owed the Devil nothing (nor do we) but blows, but having undertaken our cause, he owed his Father as much as our debt and deliverance from it amounted to, a vast sum, yet he had enough to answer it to the utmost farthing, and did, and so delivered us.
There is a third way of deliverance, and that is by supplication and intercession, which may be considered two ways, First, by our own prayers and supplications; Secondly, by the prayers and supplications of others; which prayers of others are properly called intercessions. The intercession of a man with man may deliver him from the wrath of a man. And the intercession of a man with God, hath wrought the temporal deliverance of some both persons, and Nations; and therefore when the Lord was resolved not to spare his people, he forbad the intercession of the Prophet ( Jer. 14.11.) Pray not for this people for their good: And he professed ( Jer. 15.1.) Though Moses and Samuel (those two mighty Advocates) stood before me (praying he means for them) yet my mind could not be towards this people, cast them out of my sight; In that God would not deliver his people upon their intercession, is an argument that he often doth. But 'tis the intercession of Christ alone which carrieth it with God (and that always carrieth it, for the Father always heareth him, that is, granteth his requests) for the deliverance of his people both from temporal spiritual and eternal evils. This intercession of Christ is the fruit of his blood shed, or of the ransom paid down for us. For as his blood purchaseth our deliverance, so by his intercession it is given in or applied to us. We have the impetration of our pardon by Christ's sufferings, and the application of it, by Christ interceding for us. So then, we are delivered both by power, and price, and prayer, in several and distinct respects; But the present text speaks of deliverance only by a price, I have found a ransom, I am well paid, saith God, for man's deliverance. This ransom every poor soul may plead before the Lord, for his deliverance both from sickness death and hell. He that hath nothing to offer to the Lord (as indeed the best have nothing of their own worth the offering, and if they offer anything of their own, of how much worth soever it may seem to be, it will not pass nor be accepted, he (I say) that hath nothing of his own to offer) yet may tell him he shall be well paid; he may tell God, he shall have more by saving him, then by damning him. If he damn him he shall have but his own blood (the blood of a creature) for satisfaction; but if he save him, he shall have the blood of his Son, the blood of God, as a ransom for his salvation.
Thirdly, Observe.
How doth the grace of God shine forth in man's deliverance by a ransom, in this Scripture; Here is nothing said of deliverance from sickness by medicines, but by a ransom; and if they knew that deliverance from a disease must come in by a ransom, how much more, that deliverance from damnation must come in that way? The old Patriarchs had the knowledge of Christ to come, and not only was there a knowledge of him to come in that nation and Church of the Jews, but the light scattered abroad, the Land of Uz. had it, Job had it, as hath appeared from several passages of this Book, Elihu had it as appeareth by this.
Fourthly, Observe.
A believer doth not eat a bit of bread, but he hath it by virtue of the purchase of Christ; Christ hath bought all good for us, and Christ hath bought us out of all evil. Christ hath not only purchased deliverance from hell, and salvation in heaven for us, but he hath purchased deliverance from a sick bed, and freedom from bondage to men for us. ( Zech. 9.11.) As for thee also (saith the Lord) by the blood of thy Covenant (that is, the Covenant which I have made with thee) I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein was no water; that is, from the Babylonish captivity. The Jews were delivered from corporal slavery, as well as spiritual, by the blood of Jesus Christ, and so are the Covenant people of God to this day. The blood of the Covenant serves to all purposes; for the good things of this life, as well as of that which is to come. Nothing else can do us good to purpose, or deliver us from evil but the blood of Christ. ( Ps. 49.7, 8.) They that trust in their wealth, & boast themselves in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him. In some cases, as Solomon saith, ( Prov. 13.8.) The ransom of a man's life are his riches. As a man's riches do often endanger his life (all the fault of some men for which they have suffered as deep as death, hath been only this, they were rich) so a man by his riches may redeem his forfeited or endangered life, he may buy off the wrath of man, and so ransom his life by his riches. But all the riches in the world cannot buy his life out of the hand of sickness; though a man would lay out all his substance, and spend all that he hath upon Physicians (as the poor woman in the Gospel did) yet that could not do it. We need the blood of Jesus Christ to help us out of a sick bed, and from temporal sufferings as well as from hell and everlasting sufferings. And the more spiritual any are, the more they have recourse to the blood of Christ for all they would have, whether it be freedom from this or that evil, or enjoyment of this or that good.
Therefore, First, When we hear of a ransom let us remember that we are all naturally captives. Here is a ransom for our souls and a ransom for our bodies, we are ransomed from hell, and ransomed from death, surely then, we are (through sin) made captives to all these.
Secondly, In that the ransom is expressed by a word, that notes hiding or covering, it should mind us, that, Jesus Christ by his blood (which is our ransom) hath covered all our bloody sins; and surely the blood of our sins will appear not only to our shame, but to our confusion, unless the blood of Christ cover them.
Thirdly, We may hence infer, The Lord shall be no looser by saving the worst of sinners. His Son hath taken care for that, he hath undertaken to see his Honor saved, and his Justice satisfied.
Fourthly, In all your outward afflictions and sicknesses; apply to the blood of Christ for healing, for help and deliverance.
Fifthly, Being delivered from going down to the pit, from death by sickness, bless Christ for his blood. We are rescued from the arrest of death, from Deaths Sergeant, sickness, by the blood of Christ. And remember that as Christ ransomes us from going down to the grave when we are sick, so Christ will ransom us from the power of the grave when we are dead. ( Hosea 13.14.) I will ransom them from the power of the grave. Which though it were primarily meant of the deliverance of the Jews out of Babylon, where they seemed to be not only dead but buried; yet the Apostle applieth it clearly to the ransoming of the body dead indeed and laid in the grave, by the power of Christ at the general resurrection (1 Cor. 15.54.) For then shall be brought to pass that saying that is written, Death is swallowed up of victory. O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy Victory. Yea Christ hath ransomed all those from going down to the pit of hell, who take hold of his ransom by believing. See that you have an interest in this ransom, else you will never have deliverance from going down to that pit. We read not all the Scripture over of any ransom to deliver those, who are once gone down to that bottomless pit. They that are in the grave shall be ransomed and recovered by the power of Christ, but they that go into hell shall never be ransomed from thence. Take hold of this ransom that ye may have full deliverance, both from sickness leading to death here, and from hell which is the second death hereafter.
JOB. Chap. 33. Vers. 25, 26.
His flesh shall be fresher then a childes; he shall return to the days of his youth.
He shall pray unto God, and be will be favorable unto him, and he shall see his face with joy; for he will render unto man his righteousness.
IN these two verses Elihu proceeds, to show the perfecting of the sick man's recovery, the foundation of which was laid in the Lord's graciousness to him, spoken of in the former verse; and the declaration of it in that word or warrant, which went out from God to the messenger about his deliverance from going down to the pit.
This mercy or recovery in, the full extent of it, hath a twofold respect; First, to his body; Secondly, to his soul.
The mercy as it respects his body, is laid down in the 25 th . verse; His flesh shall be fresher then a childes; he shall return as in the days of his youth.
The mercy which respects his soul, or the state of his inward man, is laid down in the 26 th verse; He shall pray unto God, and be will be favorable unto him, and he shall see his face with joy; for he will render unto him his righteousness.
In this recovery of his soul-state, we may further consider, First, the causes of it.
First, The Instrumental cause, prayer; He shall pray unto God.
Secondly, The principal or efficient cause of it, together with the first moving cause, The kindness of God; He will be favorable unto him.
Secondly, The consequence of this his renewed soul-state; He shall see his face with joy.
Thirdly, The matter wherein this joyful state doth consist, in the close of the 26 th verse; For he will render to man his righteousness.
So much for the scope and parts of these two verses; which show the blessed issue, which God gives this distressed and sick man from his afflictions and sorrows.
Vers. 25. His flesh shall be fresher then a childes.
By flesh he means the natural flesh of the body; this flesh shall be fresh, yea fresher, and not only fresher then it was before he fell sick in his man-hood, but then it was in his child-hood, fresher then a childes. The word which we render comparatively, fresher, signifies to wax soft or tender. 'It is nowhere read in the whole Bible but here. Grammarians say, it is compounded of an Hebrew word, which signifies to be green or flourishing ( Chap: 8.16.) and of a Syriac word which signifies to increase and grow as a plant; we render it as noting the man mending apace (as some sick men upon recovery do) in his strength and health. He shall be fresh-coloured, who before was pale and wan, he shall be full-fleshed, who before was fallen and lean; so that, when he saith, His flesh shall be fresher then a childes, 'It is an Elegant hyperbolical expression, to show his perfect recovery from that mortal sickness to health. As if he had said; God will restore him so, that there shall be no scarr, nor print, no dregs, nor appearance of his former disease seen upon him. We know how tender and soft, how delicate and fair, the flesh of a little child is, how sweet his countenance is, how full of good blood his veins are, how healthy and strong (as to his time) his whole body is. Thus it shall be with this sick man; His flesh shall be fresh • r then a childes; he shall be as if he were new-borne, or entered a second time upon the stage of this world. Our spiritual estate of renovation by Christ is set forth as a youthful, or childlike state, as to the purity and perfection of it ( Eph: 5.27.) Christ shall present us to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. The Church hath her sin-spots and wrinkles now in her militancy; but when Christ shall present the Church at last triumphantly to himself, then as himself was ever without spot or wrinkle, so shall the Church be. Her flesh shall indeed be fresher then a childes, being perfectly recovered out of her spiritual sickness. And thus, in proportion, Elihu assures the penitent sick man, that, when his peace is renewed with God, and his spirit set right for God, his very flesh shall be without spot or wrinkle, fresher then a childes. The latter part of the verse bears the same sense.
That is, he shall not barely recover his health, and get upon his legs again (as we say) he shall not merely escape death and the grave, but he shall have an addition of bodily ability, he shall, as it were, be young again. As sickness makes a young man look old, so recovery from sickness makes the old man look young. That's to return to the days of his youth.
Hence Note; First.
He gives them, and takes them away at pleasure, or having taken them away, he can give them back when he pleaseth. He kills and he makes alive, he bringeth down to the Grave, and bringeth up, as Hannah said in her Song (1 Sam: 2.6.) How low soever a man is brought by sickness, either proper or metaphorical, the Lord is able to raise him up again. We read ( v. 21.) in how pitiful a plight, the sick man was, how rather like a carcass then a living man he looked, His flesh was consumed, that it could not be seen, and his bones which were not seen, stood out; as much as to say, He was nothing but skin and bones; yet, when in that case all hopes were gone, and all natural helps failed, it was no hard matter with God to cure him. When the skill of the Physician, and the virtue of medicines fail, the power of God faileth not. As it is in reference to those outward dangers and desperate exigence, which we meet with in this world by enemies and persecutors, when we look upon ourselves as dead men, when all hope of deliverance seems past & gone, then the Lord always can and often doth deliver. The Apostle gives us his experience of it (2 Cor: 1.9, 10.) We had the sentence of death in ourselves; he spake not thus in regard of sickness, but of trouble and persecution; As if he had said, The malice and wrath of our enemies was such, that we thought we should never escape, We had the sentence of death in ourselves, but providence suffered it to be so, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raiseth the dead. As it is (I say) in such dangers, so in dangerous deadly sicknesses; when a poor creature hath the sentence of death in himself, when he makes no other reckoning but to die, as good King Hezekiah said of himself in his sickness ( Isa: 38.13.) I reckoned till morning, that, as a Lyon, so will he break all my bones, from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me; yet then as in his case, so in many cases the Lord stretcheth forth a healing hand and takes the sick man up again, to continue in the land of the living.
Secondly, From the way of expressing this, in allusion to a child or a youth.
Note.
That is, he can make a young or a healthy man weak as an old man, and an old or sickly man strong as a young man; and as it is with natural, so with political bodies, as with persons, so with nations. A nation that is flourishing in its youth, heat, strength and glory, rich and full of peace and plenty, God can bring an oldness upon it, and cause it to decline every day. The Prophet spake of the state of Israel in this notion ( Hos: 7.9.) Gray hairs are here and there upon them, and they perceive it not; they thought ttemselves to be in a very youthful flourishing condition (as a state) but the Lord brought gray hairs, that is, they were decaying, withering, weakening, and became a decrepit nation; And when a nation is gray-hayred, old and withered, he can make it youthful, he can recover the honor and power of it, and cause the dread of it to fall upon the neighbouring nations round about. He turns a land into a wilderness, which before was as the Garden of God; And he can change that land into a Garden of God which now is a desolate wilderness. The unchangeable Lord is visible and glorious in all these changes. The health and strength both of the body politick and natural are at his dispose. He can bring a decay upon what is built, and repair what is decayed, whether in nations or persons. When the earthly house of this Tabernacle is ready to drop down into the grave, and crumble into dust, God by a word speaking, repayreth it to as much beauty and strength, as when, the first stone being laid, the top-stone was set up. When Naaman had once submitted to and obeyed the Prophets counsel, which at first he despised, & washed in Jorden, His flesh (saith the text, 2 Kings 5.14.) came again like unto the flesh of a little child. The holy Psalmist charged his own soul to praise the Lord, and all that was within him to bless his holy name (Psal: 103.1, 5.) Who had satisfied his mouth with good things, so that his youth was renewed as the Eagle. This renovation of his youth may be understood three ways; First, as to his natural state, or bodily strength. Secondly, as to his civil state or worldly successes, as to his honor and kingly renown. Thirdly, as to his spiritual state, or the hightning of his gifts, graces, and comforts. 'It is probable, David had found a declension in all these, and at last through the goodness of God and his blessing upon him, the renewing of them all from that oldness to a youthfullness again, like that of Eagles. We find the same allusion in the Prophet ( Isa: 40.31.) They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up as with Eagles wings. Some Naturalists say, the Eagle reneweth her strength by sucking blood when her stomach is so weak that she cannot seed upon the flesh of her prey. Saints indeed renew their strength as the Eagle, while by faith they suck the blood of Jesus Christ; and they get cure of their own weaknesses, while they believingly lay hold upon his strength.
Thirdly, We heard in the former verse of a divine warrant issued out for this man's recovery; Then he is gracious to him, and saith, deliver him. Here we have the warrant executed; His flesh shall be fresher then a childes.
Hence observe.
If God say, deliver him from a sick bed, he shall be delivered; I will work (saith the Lord, Isa: 43.13, 14.) and who shall let it? for your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their Nobles, or bars, as the margin reads it; I will have it done, I will break all those Nobles who are as bars in the way of my people's deliverance. So when the Lord sends his warrant for the delivering of a sick man, he will break all those bars and bands by which diseases and sicknesses hold him as a prisoner in his bed. Nothing can stand against the word of God: as by a word speaking he gave the creature a being, when it had none (The Lord only spake the word, Let there be light, let there be a firmament, &c. and it was so ) Thus also the word or warrant of God reneweth a well-being to those, with whom it is worst, or a comfortable life to those, who are compassed about with the sorrows of death. The word of God prevails over all, or is effectual to every purpose ( Psal: 33.9.) He spake and it was done, he commanded and it stood fast.
Further, In this restoring of the sick, we have a shadow of the resurrection. The raising of a dying man from his bed, is like the raising of the dead from the grave. The spring of the year is a shadow of the resurrection, because then the earth returns to her youth, and is fresh as a child, In winter all things are dead and desolate, their gloss and beauty is gone; but then cometh the spring and all revives again, the face of the earth looks fresh, corn and grass, trees and plants flourish and put forth their buds and blossoms. Now, what the spring of the year is to the body of the earth, the same is the return of health to the body of man; In both we have an exemplar of the resurrection, as also in the regeneration or new birth of the soul, by the power of the holy Ghost. For till then we are, like old sickly men, in the old man, yea we are dead. But no sooner doth the Spirit bring us forth by a second creation into the life of the new man, but we become in spirit fresh like Children, our youth returns to us again; that is, we return to that state wherein we were first created and set up by God in righteousness and true holiness; yea into a better and surer state then that. Man through grace is not only as he was in the first day of his creation, but better; He returns to the day of his youth, and receives such a youth as shall never decay into old age; yea the older he is in nature, the younger, that is, the stronger and more beautiful he shall be in grace. He shall (according to that promise, Psal: 92.14.) still bring forth fruit in old age, he shall be fat and flourishing. This renewed youthfullness and flourishing condition of the restored sick man in spirituals, is specially and fully set forth in the next verse.
For Elihu having shown the recovery of the sick man's body, he proceeds to the recovery of his soul, which eminently returns to the days of its youth, both in the puttings forth of or exercising the grace of God received, and in receiving more grace, favor, and comfort from God, as will appear in opening the words.
Vers. 26. He shall pray to God, and he will be favorable to him, and he shall see his face with joy, for he will render to man his righteousness.
El • hu gave us, before, one means of the sick sinful man's recovery from his bodily and soul sickness, that was the counsel and instruction given in by the messenger, the interpreter, one of a thousand. And here he sets down another means by which he is restored to both, especially to the sweetness of both.
The word here used to pray, signifieth not barely to pray, or put up requests to God; 'It is a word with an emphasis, implying the Multiplying of prayer, and that not the multiplying of prayer so much by number, as by weight; the pouring forth or multiplying of strong prayers, or, as it is said of Christ, In the days of his flesh (Heb. 5.7.) the offering up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears. There may be a multiplying of weak insignificant words in the ears of God by prayer; But the faithful people of God, through the Spirit, pour out many strong words in prayer (as Christ did in the days of his flesh) to him who is able to save them from death or danger, and give them life. When Elihu saith, He shall pray, he intends such prayers, even the urgency, importunity, or vehemency of the soul in prayer. When Isaac saw his wife Rebecca was long barren (he was forty years old before he married, and many years being elapsed in marriage, there was no appearance of Children) Then (saith the Text, Gen: 25.21.) Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren, and the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebecca his wife conceived, It cannot be imagined that Isaac being so holy and gracious a man, had not prayed for that mercy before; Doubtless he prayed that God would fulfill the promise to his father Abraham in giving him a child: but when he saw the promise so long delayed, or stick so long in the birth, then he entreated the Lord ('tis this word) he poured out many and strong prayers. The word is used again concerning Manoah, after his wife had received a promise from the Lord of hearing a Son, afterwards called Sampson (Judge: 13.8.) Then Manoah entreated the Lord, and said. O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send, come again unto us, &c. Fearing they might not fully follow the instructions given his wife for the education of their son, he earnestly begged of the Lord further direction in that matter. That prophecy either of the Gentiles to be converted, or of the return of the dispersed Jews, expresseth them by this word ( Zeph: 3.10.) From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, my suppliants shall come, even the daughter of my dispersed shall bring mine offerings. As if the Prophet had said; They shall spend themselves in supplications at their return, they shall come with strong petitions, with mighty prayers, as making prayer their business. They shall not come with frozen affections and cold requests, but with hearts flaming up in the ardency of their desires, and urgency of their supplications to the Lord. That's the force of the word; He shall pray; As if Elihu had said, He shall not come with dead-hearted prayers and petitions, (as many do in their sicknesses and sorrows) nor with a formal Lord have mercy upon me, and help me; but he shall make a business of it, he shall pray to purpose, he shall pray with his whole strength. In which sense the Lord bid Ananias go to Saul, afterwards Paul (Acts 9.11.) For behold he prayeth; intimating that he had never prayed all his days before; nor indeed had he (though being brought up a strict Pharisee, he was much in the form of prayer) ever prayed in power before.
Some understand this, He, relating to the messenger praying for the sick man, He shall pray, and God will be favorable to him. That's a truth, 'tis the work and duty of the messenger to pray for, as well as advise the sick man. But I conceive rather the person here intended praying, is the sick man for himself, who after he hath been counseled, directed, and advised by the messenger what to do, applieth himself to the doing of it.
Further, Some, who agree that the sick man is the person praying, yet understand it of prayer after his recovery; who finding himself healed and strengthened prayeth unto God for grace, or for a right use of his health & strength. But I rather understand it of his prayer unto God in the time of his affliction; who when his sins and transgressions have been laid before him by the messenger, and his soul-soars searched to the bottom, and faithfully dealt with, and so brought to a sight of himself, and of his sin, with the sad effects of it visible upon this pained and consumptive body, is then stirred to seek the Lord, and entreat his favor; He shall pray unto God;
Hence Note.
Prayer is a duty never out of season, yet at sometimes more in season, and most in season in times of affliction; Is any man afflicted, let him pray, (James 5.13.) And among all afflictions the affliction of sickness seems to be a special season calling for this duty. Therefore in the 14. verse of the same Chapter, as soon as he had said, is any man afflicted, let him pray, it followeth, is any sick among you, let him call for the Elders of the Church, and let them pray over him; 'It is high time for us when sick to look about us, to call in prayer-aide, or help from others in prayer; yet 'tis not enough fought the afflicted, or the sick to get others to pray for them, they must pray for themselves: some put off the duty of prayer to others, and think it sufficeth if they send bills to ministers or move friends to pray for them. I know sickness indisposeth to prayer, bodily pain and weakness hinder continuance and abiding in the duty; but that doth not excuse the sick from praying for themselves. To desire others to pray for us in bodily sickness, and neglect it ourselves is an ill symptom of a sick soul; yea to desire others in that case to pray for us, when we have no heart to pray for ourselves, is too clear a prognostic that their prayers will not profit us, nor be prevailing for us. Pharaoh, when under those dreadful plagues, could send for Moses and Aaron more then once, and said unto them, entreat the Lord for me, (Exod. 9.27, 28. Chap. 10.16, 17.) But we read not that he entreated the Lord for himself. Simon Magus when struck with the terrible threatenings of Peter, said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. (Acts 8.24.) But we read not that he prayed for himself. The prayers of others are rarely beneficial to any, unless they either pray or have a desire to pray for themselves. Elihu represents the sick man praying for himself, he shall pray
Unto God. There's the object of prayer.
Hence Note.
Divine addresses are fit for none but God; For First, none are worthy of this honor but God; Prayer is so great a part of that honor and worship which is due to God, that it is often put for his whole worship. Mine house (saith the Lord, Isa. 56.7.) shall, be called an house of prayer for all Nations. Secondly, none can hear, that is, answer prayer but God; there is no help to be had but in him. As it is his glory to be prayed to, and such a glory as he will not part with to any other, so it is in vain to pray to any other. In vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of Mountains (that is, from the greatest worldly Powers) truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel, (Jerem. 3.23.) God only was David 's Hills (Psal. 121.1, 2.) I Lift my eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help; what these hills were, himself explains in the next verse. My help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and earth; Baals Priests called upon Baal, they cried Baal hear us, but saith the Text, th • re was neither voice, nor any that answered (1 Kings 18.26.) It is not only sinful, but senseless to pray to any other then God alone. That popish Doctrine of invocation to Saints and Angels, is not only a will-worship, but folly and dotage.
Fourthly, He shall pray, &c.
Hence Observe.
God is ready to give, but he looks to be entreated, and he will be entreated: What God hath promised to do for us, his doing of it must be obtained by prayer. Working prayer, worketh the promises to their issue, yea prayer worketh the prophecies, whether of salvation upon Zion, or ruin upon Babylon to their issue. Promises and prophesies are the express will of God, and shall certainly be fulfilled in their season; yet if we desire their fulfilling, we must pray that he would fulfill them; and 'tis a token for good that God is about to fulfill them, when the hearts of his people are drawn out much in prayer for their fulfilling. There are some mercies, in the promises, rightly called preventing mercies, they come upon us before we ask; such is the mercy of out vocation, conversion or turning to God; we are naturally so far from praying while we are in the state of nature, that we are continually blaspheming or dishonoring the name of God; but, as for persons converted, (who are eminently called heirs of the promise, that is, of the good in the promise) if they will have any good out of a promise, they must ask it. When the Prophet had declared many prophesies of good and great and glorious things which God would do for his people, he concludes with this direction from the Lord. ( Ezek. 36.37.) I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them. As if the Lord had said, I will not do these things unasked, as you look I should do these things for you, so I look you should pray unto me that they may be done. A promise was made to Abraham (Gen. 22.17.) that his seed should be multiplied as the Stars of Heaven; now might not Isaac his Son have said, God hath promised me children, what need I pray for them? but Isaac knew better, he knew that the promise was to be brought to the birth by prayer, therefore he entreated the Lord that he might have children.
Fifthly, from these words He shall pray compared with the next, and he (that is God) will be favorable to him.
Observe.
As prayer is honorable and delightful to God, so fruitful to man. Ask and it shall be given you, seek and you shall find (Math. 7.7.) He shall pray unto God, and he will be favorable unto him. Prayer shall not be lost, nor vanish into air. There was never any faithful prayer lost; though the prayers of many have not been answered in kind, that is, they have not had the very thing they asked for; yet they have had an answer to their prayers; and though prayer be not always answered in our time, yet there is a time wherein all faithful prayers shall be answered; one age reaps the fruit of those prayers which another age hath sown. The seed time is one age, the harvest in another. Latter Generations get good by the prayers of the former. Though we who pray see not the fruit of it, yet many shall find the fruit of it; and how often doth the fruit of prayer appear presently, how often doth the answer come in upon the very putting up of the request? (Isa. 65.24.) Before they call, I will answer, and while as they are yet speaking, I will hear. While the word is in their mouth, the mercy shall be put into their hand. While the Church ( Acts 12.5.16.) was praying, Peter came in among them. As if God had said, there's your prayer. What the Prop • et Elisha said (2 Kings 6.33.) of the messenger sent to apprehend him; Is not the sound of his Masters feet behind him? The same may we say sometimes of this messenger holy and fervent prayer, is not the sound of the mercy prayed for at the very heels of it? Thus close doth Elihu put the sick man's prayer and the answer of God, he shall pray unto God,
That is, he shall have a gracious and a speedy answer; he will be favorable unto him, or, he will accept him; as Mr. Broughton renders: 'It is a very comfortable word, it notes not only to wish well to, or to be at peace, but to be well pleased with another, yea to be delighted, and take pleasure in him. 'It is not barely, to be appeased and reconciled, to lay down wrath and displeasure conceived against a man, but it notes much sweetness of spirit towards him, and full content or complacency in him ( Psal. 149.4.) The Lord taketh pleasure in his people, (they are as the joy of his heart) he will beautify the meek with salvation; he will not only save them, but adorn them with salvation; they shall not only be delivered (after they have lain among the pots, Psal. 68.13.) from the blackness and filth of their adversity, but they shall have a beauty put upon them, or (as it followeth in that Psalm last cited) They shall be as the wings of a Dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold. God will be favorable to them, that is, he will give them favors to wear for him, he will put markee of honor upon them, they shall not only be benifited, but beautified and crowned with salvation.
God expressed that highest favor and most endeared affection which he bare to his own Son, as serving him, by no better nor more emphatical word then this ( Isa. 42.1.) Behold my ser • ant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth. What is or can be more delightful to God then his Son? and what can be more comfortable to man, then to hear and know, that God delighteth in him, and bears favor to him (through his Son) with the same affection as he doth to his only begotten Son? He will be favorable unto him.
Whence note.
When a sinner is brought upon his knees and becomes a suppliant, when as he is laid low by affliction, so he lieth low in prayer and supplication, then the Lord will be savourable to him, and show his delight in him. The Lord delighteth not in the strength of the horse, he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man ( Ps. 147.10, 11.) No man is favored by God, because of his outward favor, because he hath a beautiful face, or strong clean limbs; yea not only hath the Lord no pleasure in any man's legs, but not in any man's brains, how reaching soever, nor in any man's wit how quick soever, nor in any man's judgment how deep soever, nor in any man's tongue how eloquent or well spoken soever, but the Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy; in those that walk humbly with him, and call upon him. Let me (saith Christ to his Spouse, Cant. 2.14.) hear thy voice for it is sweet; he means it not of an artificial singing voice, but of a spiritual praying voice. That's the music which the Church makes for Christ. Nothing is so tunable nor takes the ear and heart of Christ, like the voice of prayer and praise from a gracious heart. All the beauties and rarities both of persons and things are dull and flat, yea wearisome and loathsome to God in comparison of a gracious, honest, humble soul. Princes have their favorites (they are according to the language of this Text) favorable to some above many, either because they are beautiful and goodly persons, or because they are men of excellent speech, prudence and comportment. All godly men are God's Favorites, he is favorable to them not only above many men in the world, but above all the men of this world, who have their portion in this life; And he therefore favors them; because they are the purchase of his Son, and the workmanship of his Spirit, convincing them of, and humbling them for their sins, as also creating them after God in righteousness and true holiness. Such shall be his favorites.
Secondly, Consider the coherence or dependence of these words, He shall call unto God, and he will be favorable unto him. Whereas, before, all his complainings and outcries stood him in no stead, now being humbled effectually, and taking hold of the righteousness shown and offered him by the Messenger of God, he no sooner makes suit to God but is heard.
Hence Note.
This truth may be understood two ways, First, in reference to the state of grace. When Abel and Cain brought their sacrifices or offerings, God had respect to Abel and his offering, but to Cain and his offering had no respect, (Gen. 4.4, 5.) Abel was in a state of grace, Cain was not, so the Apostle states their case, ( Heb. 11.4.) By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice then Cain, by which he obtained witness that he (his person) was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and what did he testify? surely that his gifts were brought in faith, and were presented from a principle of grace, which Cain had not; and therefore God did not approvingly testify of his gifts. Till we close with God by faith, God doth not close with our services by acceptance. Secondly, as this is true in reference to the state of grace, so in reference to somewhat in the present actings or dispositions of those who are gracious. 'It is possible for a godly man to act so sinfully, and to be so ill disposed to the frame of his heart, that God may seem to deny acceptation to his prayers, and services. David said ( Psal. 66.18.) If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. And God told the Jews, his Covenant people, ( Isa. 1.15.) When ye make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood. Thus while they who have a state interest in Christ, walk unworthy of it, they are under the frowns of God, and his dis-acceptation of all their duties, till they renew their repentance and humble themselves. And I conceive this was the case of the sick man in the Text (in whom doubtless, he aimed at Job ) whom Elihu granted to be a godly man, yet under great distempers of spirit, which must be healed & removed before he could so call upon or pray unto God, as he would be favorable to him, or give him testimony of his favor. Thus we see, in both these references, how the person of a man must be respected and in favor before his prayers can. For as we can have no benefit by the intercession of Christ, till we accept his person, so God will not give us any benefit by our supplications, till himself accepteth our persons, which he doth only in Christ. Many would be saved by Christ, they would be pardoned and get to heaven, they would enjoy the benefits and privileges which he hath purchased for his people, but they neglect Christ himself; nor do they think of closing with his person. Now, I say, as unless we have respect to the person of Christ, and desire union with him, we have nothing to do with his benefits; so unless God hath respect to our persons, we get no benefit, no answer of our prayers.
Thirdly, Note.
'It is the Alpha and Omega, the first and last of all other favors, to find God favorable to us; if God be favorable to us, it matters not much who frowns upon us, or what foul weather we meet with in this world. And, as to be in his favor should be the chief of all our desires, so to be assured of his favor should be the chief of all our studies and cares (2 Cor. 5.7.) Herein (saith the Apostle) we labor, that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him. The word notes to labor ambitiously; as if he had said, we labor as much for the favor of God, as ever any of the sons of ambition labored for the favor of Princes, or regard with the Kings of this world. No man ever plotted or flattered and crouched so much to the Kings of the earth for favor, as we do to God for favor; herein we labor. We make it our business to be accepted with him; if God once accept a man, you may turn him loose, he will shift for one. How compleately happy the condition of such a favourite is, will appear yet furtber in opening the next clause of this verse.
When once God is favorable to a poor sinner, then he shall be used or dealt with like a favourite. Great Favorites stand in the presence of Princes, and frequently see their faces. Whomsoever any man favors he freely admits to his presence, and takes delight in his company. Thus Elihu speaks of God's Favorite, He shall see his face with joy.
There is a twofold interpretation of these words tending both to the same spiritual sense.
First, Some by the Antecedent He, understand God himself, and by his face the face of the humbled sick man; and so the sense of this assertion, he shall see his face with joy, is plainly, this. God will look cheerfully and smilingly upon the face of this poor suppliant; God will look upon him, as we do upon friends whom we favor and have much respect for. Friends may see content and joy shining in or stamped upon our faces, when we look them in the face. The content which we take in seeing the face of another is visible in the smiles and joys of our own faces. As when we look sowrely, angryly, sorrowfully, sullenly upon a man, when darkness is seen in our faces, and clouds gather in our brows, ready to dissolve into a storm, this speaks we bear him no good will, or rather that we bear him much displeasure. So when we look pleasantly upon a man, doth it not say, that we are highly pleased with him? To be sure, when God is at peace with a repenting sinner, he no longer frowns upon him, nor turns his face from him as an enemy, but entertains and welcomes him as a friend; which is directly opposite to Jobs apprehension of God at the 10 th verse of this Chapter, Behold he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy. This is a sweet soul-reviving and ravishing truth. God beholds the face of his people with joy, he beholds them smileingly, cheerfully, delightfully. David calls it The light of God's countenance (Psal. 4.6.)
Secondly, (and I rather conceive that to be the meaning of the place) most relate the He, to the sick man; who having been upon his knees humbling himself before God, and finding God favorable to him, he then seeth his face, that is, the face of God, with joy. God fills his soul with a great deal of peace, comfort, and sweetness in his approaches to him. Before, possibly, if he did but think upon God, he was troubled as Asaph found ( Psal. 77.3.) I remembered God, and was troubled. To a man in great trouble, especially in trouble of mind, the very thoughts of God (who is our only help in trouble) may be troublesome; but when he is set right and restored to the favor of God, or God being again favorable unto him, he beholds his face with abundance of joy. Here are yet two things to be opened, or two Queries may be made and answered for the clearing of these words.
First, What is meant by the face of God; Secondly, what is meant by seeing his face.
To the former query, I answer; First, the face of God is the essential being or perfect Majesty of God, of which himself saith to Moses. (Exod. 33.23.) My face shall not be seen. Secondly, the good will and favor of God is his face ( Ps. 80.3.) Cause thy face to shine, (that is, be good to us) and we shall be saved. Thirdly, the face of God in Scripture is put for any manifestations of God to man. God manifesteth himself in wrath to some men, ( Psal. 34.16.) The face of the Lord is against them that do evil; That is, he is angry and greatly displeased with them. He manifesteth himself in love to others, and all such are said either (as in the Text) to see his face, or (as other Texts express it) to have his face shining upon them. God is a spirit, he hath no face properly; but as the face of a man is that, by which he is known (if a man hide his face we know not who he is, though we see all the other parts of his body, he is a concealed man) so that whatsoever it is, by which God is clearly known, that in Scripture language is called his face. And hence Thirdly, the worship and holy ordinances of God, are called the face of God ( Gen. 4.14.) because they are great manifestations of God, or because God is manifested in his Ordinances, in his word and worship, who and what he is, After a sick man, through the help of God, is recovered; he goes into the congregation to give thanks; and then he may be said to see the face of God, because there be exhibits the signs of his presence, & doth as it were show his face. There as in a glass we behold the face of God, that is, the discoveries of his holiness, of his love & goodness; The face of God is seen in his works, as the Apostle teac • eth us, ( Rom. 1.20.) The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead: much more in his word and Ordinances, and above all in Jesus Christ is God seen and manifested. Jesus Christ is the face of God, the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person, (Heb. 1.3.) The light of the knowledge of the glory of God shineth to us in the face of Christ. Thus the face of God is beheld in the face of Christ. There we may see how holy, how just, how good, and merciful God is; all this glory of God appeareth to us in the face of Christ, who is the highest manifestation of God. Here in the Text by the face of God; we are to understand any demonstration of God's favorable presence; in which sense of the word, Aaron was to bless the children of Israel (Numb. 6.25.) The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. That is, the Lord manifest himself to thee in ways of grace and peace, in favor and in mercy. David prayed in the same style ( Psal. 67.1.) God be merciful to us, and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us; that is, give us tokens and pledges of his favor.
Secondly, How see we the face of God? Doth not God tell Moses, No man can see my face and live. How then can the face of God be seen?
I answer; The face of God (which was touched before) as taken for the essence of God, or for his essential glory, cannot be seen; That's too transcendent a glory for man to behold. What we see of God is but some ray or beaming out of light and glory from himself, we cannot see himself. The essential or personal glory of God, is that face which cannot be seen, but the declarative glory of God is a face of God which may be clearly seen by faith in the light of his word and works. And to see the face of God, is nothing else but for a man to know in himself (as the Apostles word is in somewhat a parallel case, Heb: 10.34.) that God is gracious to him, that is, to have an assurance of his favor, or a reflect act of faith about it. The holy Spirit showeth us what God is, and what the things of God are (1 Cor: 2.12.) We have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God; that is, that we may • e enlightened with the knowledge of the grace, goodness, and favor of God to us discovered in the Gospel. The Spirit showeth us this blessed face of God, and we see it by the actings of our faith; all our visions of God in this life are visions of faith; upon whose wings all our intellectual powers soar aloft and are carried up to God. Faith is not only a work of the will in consent and application, but a work of the understanding by assent and knowledge. Thus we see God (as a Spirit is only to be seen) with a spiritual eye. The vision of God is intellectual, the vision of faith. Thus the reconciled sinner finding God favorable to him; he seeth his face
The word signifies joyful acclamation, or shouting for joy, such as men use after great favors done them and benefits or rather bounties bestowed upon them. There is a seeing of the face of God with terror; so the wicked shall see God, that is, they shall have manifestations of God's displeasure; they shall be made to see him with shame and sorrow: They shall say (when they see him) to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. They who never saw the face of God with joy, shall see it with horror & amazement. Saints see it with joy, they have inexpressible comfort and contentment in beholding God; they shall rejoice with shouting, as in the year of Jubile, when they sounded out their joys with trumpets, or made a joyful noise. 'It is no ordinary but a triumphant joy, with which the godly see the face of God. Extraordinary sights affect with extraordinary joy. Now the face of God being the highest and most glorious sight in the world, it must needs affect the beholder with a glorious with a Jubilean joy. He shall see his face with joy.
First, It being said, He shall see his face with joy, upon his prayer, and the humbling of himself before God.
Observe.
God will not be seen at all times, no not by his own people; There are several cases in which he turneth away his face in anger, or draws a curtain (as it were) yea a cloud between himself and the soul. And this he doth, First, and most usually to try his people, how they can bear his withdrawings, and to see whether or to what they will betake themselves, when he takes himself so much from them, that they cannot see him. Secondly, He doth it often to chasten and correct man for sin. To be under the hidings of God's face, is the saddest effect of sin to a sensible or an awakened soul. David made a grievous complaint because of this, what ever the cause or occasion of it was. ( Psal: 13.1.) The absence of God from him (though possibly but for a short time) was so tedious to him, that he cried out, How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, forever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? Even Jesus Christ while he stood in the place of sinners, bare the hiding of his fathers face, as the sum of all those punishments which were due to and deserved by our sin. This pressed him more then all bodily sufferings, and made him cry out, while he hung upon the Cross, My God, my God (not why hast thou left me to be crucified, but) why hast thou forsaken me (Math: 27.46.) Thirdly, God hideth his face from some, because the manifestations of it have not been received thankfully, nor improved rightly. We ought to give thanks for the light of the Sun shining in the air, and also do our work in it; Is it any wonder if God cloud and eclipse the light of his countenance towards those, who neither prize it, nor improve it? If you would always see the face of God, then be ye always seen at the work and in the ways of God.
Secondly, Observe.
As no man can see that face of God, his essential presence, so none but Godly men shall see this face of God, his comfortable or blessed-making presence. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord (Heb: 12.14.) There is a twofold vision or sight of God, and that negative assertion may be understood of either or of both. There's first, a vision of God on earth; thus we see his face, as was shown before, in the actings of faith; For though the Apostle opposeth these two, faith and sight; We walk by faith, and not by sight (2 Cor: 5.7.) yet faith hath its sight; we walk not by sight as the worldly men walk, who do as they see, and make their eyes both the guide of their consciences, and the in-bringers of their comforts; we walk not by outward sight, nor do we make conclusions how to guide our conversations, by what we see. We walk by faith, and that's the sight which we have of God while we are here on earth, which cannot possibly be without holiness; faith being so great a part of our holiness, and (by drawing virtue from Christ daily) the maintainer of it all. Secondly, there is a sight of the face of God in glory. And if none can enter into glory but holy men, then no man without holiness can see the face of God there. Thus Christ saith of the Angels, They always behold the face of my father which is in heaven (Math: 18.10.) Now we see the face of God darkly as in a glass (1 Cor: 13.12.) that is, in his word and works, in his ordinances and appoyntments; in these we have glimpses of the face of God, but we shall see him face to face; that is, as fully and comprehensively as creatures can; we can never comprehend God, but we shall have comprehensions of God so far, as finite can take in the fruitions of Infinite. We shall see his face with joy.
Thirdly, Note.
Any manifestation of God is a joyful favor, and a full manifestation of him fills the heart with joy; Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon us (saith David, Psal: 4.6, 7.) thou hast put gladness in my heart more then in the time their corn and wine increased; As if he had said, I rejoice in thy favor more then worldlings do in their best enjoyments. Shew us the father and it sufficeth us, said Philip (John 14.8.) let us have but that favor, and we desire no more; we have enough, we can have no more, if we may but see the father. True joy stands not in any sights, nor in the sight of anything here below, but in the sight of God above while we are below, and in a hope that we shall at last get above too, and there have an everlasting sight of him, in whose presence is fullness of joy, and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore. We read in the Levitical Law, of the show-bread, which was to be set in the holy place, upon a Table ( Exod: 25.30.) The Hebrew is, the bread of faces. There are two reasons of this denomination; First, Because that Bread did show the gracious provision that God made for them all the way they journeyed from Egypt to Canaan, or that he spread a Table for them in the wilderness where they had no harvest; To which the Prophet may allude ( Jer: 2.2.) I remember (saith the Lord) the kindness of thy youth, the love of thy espousalls, when thou wentest after me in a land that was not sown; that is, when thou didst trust me for thy daily bread. Secondly, It was called the show-bread, to testify the special presence of God with them, and that his eye was always upon them, ready to do them good upon all occasions. This was the high privilege of the Jews then, they had the bread of faces; and this is the joy of the people of God now, that what ever good they have, it is the face of God to them; their bread is the bread of faces, and their wine is the wine of faces, &c. that is, they are a signification of the favor and love of God to them, or they look upon the love and favor of God manifested in those things, much more then upon the things themselves. Now if it be so great a mercy to have some manifestation of the face or favor of God, or that we are always in the sight and view of God; What will it be to us when we shall always abide in the presence of God, and see his face with joy?
Lastly, Note.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is (saith the Apostle, 2 Cor: 3.17.) there is liberty, a liberty of address and approach to God, a liberty also of speech and prayer to God. True godliness hath much well regulated boldness with God; and as a Godly man ought with reverence, so he can with a well-grounded confidence look God in the face.
This latter part of the verse giveth an account of the ground of that joy which the sick man found in seeing the face of God. He shall see his face with joy (saith Elihu) for he (that is, God) shall render unto man his righteousness.
He shall render; The Hebrew is, he will make to return; The word signifieth, First, to return to a place from whence we have departed ( Gen. 18.10.) Secondly, to return or turn from that displeasure which was once conceived. When the Lord, is, as it were, in a hot pursuit of sinners, he returns or turns from his anger. The Prophet speaks in the negative ( Isa: 5.25.) For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still, or he is not returned from his anger. Thirdly, The word is used to note man's return unto God by repentance ( Deut: 30.28.) We by sin turn away from God, and by repentance we return to him. Fourthly, It signifieth to return by way of requital ( Psal: 116.12.) What shall I render unto the Lord (It is this word) or, What shall I return to the Lord for all his benefits? David was in an holy muse or maze, what testimony of thankfulness he should bring to the Lord. What shall I render? And in that sense it is attributed both to God and man; sometimes in relation to evil done, and then it notes to render punishment or revenge ( Psal: 28.4.) Render to them their desert, so the word is used by Josephs brethren ( Gen: 50.15.) He will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him; they were jealous of their brothers love when their father was dead. And as it notes a return of evil done in way of revenge, so also a return of good done in way of reward, thus here.
It is an indefinite assertion, not to this or that man, but to man. With God there is no respect of persons, but he that worketh righteousness (let him be who he will) is accepted of him. To man, that is, to every man God will render
Righteousness is of two sorts; First, There is the righteousness of our sanctification, which consists; First, in our turning from or leaving to do evil; Secondly, in our doing good: this is a righteousness wrought by us and dwelling or inherent in us. The Hebrews by this word often express that which we call alms or charity; and the reason is twofold, why alms or acts of charity are expressed by that word which signifieth righteousness; First, because our charity or our alms must be given of those things that are rightly gotten. We must not do unjustly that we may be charitable, nor wrong some to relieve others. Secondly, because charity and alms is a due or right to the poor that are in want; we call it charity, but it is a work of duty ( Prov: 3.27.) therefore 'tis well expressed by righteousness. He shall render unto man his righteousness or beneficence. We may take it in this large sense; for this also is a part of our sanctification. And when it is said, he will render unto man his righteousness, we are not to understand it of righteousness in kind, but of the reward or fruit of his righteousness. For here Elihu speaks of a person already righteous, or at least of him who had repented of and turned from his unrighteousness. So that, to return or render unto man his righteousness, is to return the mercy promised to those that are righteous. For as iniquity or unrighteousness is often put for the punishment of unrighteousness; so equity or righteousness is often put for the reward of righteousness, or for that which God according to his righteous promise returns unto a righteous person. Thus we may understand Elihu here. As if he had said, God dealt with this man before, as with a sinner, or he afflicted him for his sin; But now he will deal kindly with him as with a righteous person, and removing his affliction, and taking his hand off from him, he will render his righteousness to him, he will not reckon with him for any former unrighteousness.
From this notion of the word, Observe.
If a godly man sin he shall smart for it; and if a sinner return and repent, God will show him kindness. Though the mercy and kindness which God shows to a returning sinner, be not for his returnings or repentings, yet 'tis according to them. The favor which God showeth any man is for Christ's sake, or for what Christ hath done and suffered, but it is according to what himself hath done or suffered. David experienced this himself ( Psal: 18.20.) The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness, &c. That is, as I have been a righteous and just person, so the Lord hath dealt with me. And he gives the rule with respect to all others ( v. 25.) With the upright thou wilt show thyself upright, with the pure thou wilt show thyself pure, &c. That is, Thou wilt be such to men in thy dispensations, as they are in their conversations and dispositions, in the frame and bent of their hearts and lives. And as it followeth ( v. 27.) Thou wilt save the afflicted (or humble) people; but wilt bring down high looks; that is, those that are proud and high-minded. The Prophet holds out the same truth in way of direction ( Isa: 3.10.) Say ye to the righteous, it shall be well with him, for they shall eat of the fruit of their doings; that is, they shall have good for the good they have done, or according to the good which they have done. ( Rom: 2.10.) Glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.
If any object; But may it not be ill with men that do good and are good? doth the Lord always render to man according to his righteousness.
I answer; It is well at present with most that do well; look over all the sons of men, and generally ye shall find that usually the better they are, the better they live.
Secondly, I answer; It shall be well with all that do well in the issue, and forever. This truth will abide to eternity; God will render unto man according to his righteousness.
Secondly, We may take the word righteousness, for the righteousness of justification; M r Broughton inclines to that sense, He will restore unto man his justice. And presently adds by way of gloss; Justice is Christ; It is Christ's Justice or righteousness that is restored to man. Christ is indeed The Lord our righteousness (Jer: 23.6.) And thus several others of the learned expound these words. He will render unto man his righteousness; That is, he will bestow upon him or restore to him righteousness in Christ; he will account him righteous, though he hath no righteousness of his own which will hold in God's account. Elihu, I grant, calleth it Mans righteousness, his righteousness; yet we may well understand him calling it so, not because it is wrought by but because it is imputed to or bestowed upon man as his righteousness. That is ours which is freely given us, so is righteousness in justification by faith in Christ. We have no righteousness wrought in us or by us, for that purpose; but we have a righteousness wrought for us, and freely bestowed upon us, for that purpose, which is therefore truly called man's righteousness.
But some may question, how can it be said, that God doth render or return to man this righteousness, that is, the righteousness of justification? Can this righteousness be lost? can a person justified fall out of a justified state?
I answer; The righteousness of justification (which is true also of the righteousness of sanctification) as to the substance and being of it cannot be lost; But it may be lost as to the comfortable enjoyments and fruits of it, or as to our apprehension of it; And the Lord is said to return to man the righteousness of his justification, not as if the grace it self were lost or taken away from him, but because the sight and sense of it, the sweetness and joy of it, the workings and effects of it having been lost, are now restored to him again. When the Lord by his Spirit gives the soul a clear and fresh evidence of it, or reneweth the testimony of his Spirit with our spirits, that our sins are forgiven, and that we are justified, beloved, and accepted in Christ, then the Lord is said to render unto man his righteousness; otherwise, neither the faith, by which this righteousness is applied, nor the righteousness it self which is applied to us by faith, is at any time lost or removed. Only in this sense, as in many other Scriptures, so in this, the Lord is said to render unto man his righteousness, both of sanctification and justification. For, when a believer through sin hath blotted his own evidences, and God hath left him under the darkness of his own spirit, for his negligent, unwatchfull & unworthy walking, or when the Lord hideth his face, to try him what he will do, whether he will trust in his name while he walketh in darkness and seeth no light, when, I say, after withdrawings for either of these reasons or for any other the Lord gives him in a renewed evidence of his love, then he is said to render unto man his righteousness. It is in this case as with a man that labors under some strong and dangerous disease, which taketh away his senses, and leaves him half dead; we say, the man is gone, yet he recovers, his speech returns, and his spirits revive, and then we say, his life is rendered to him, or he is brought back from the grave, we have fetched him again; not that his life was quite taken away (for he was not a carcass in that condition, a body without a soul) but his life was, for that time, withdrawn, there was no appearance of it, no sensible breathing, no motion, no vital visible operation. Thus we may conceive what is meant by the rendering unto man his righteousness.
Hence observe.
He hath a clothing of righteousness; that which we call his righteousness, is not properly but imputedly his. It is not a clothing of his own making, but made for him and bestowed freely upon him. ( Rom: 10.3.) They being ignorant of the righteousness of God; and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. It is God's righteousness not our own, and yet it is our own as well as the righteousness of God, it being imputed and reckoned unto us for our righteousness; it is the believers righteousness as given to him, it is Christ's righteousness as wrought by him.
Secondly, Observe.
And so may look upon himself as an unrighteous person, as having no righteousness, or as being unreconciled & unjustified. For, as many bold sinners & hypocrites presume they have a righteousness when they have none, and boast themselves to be in the number of the justified when they are not. So many an afflicted and tempted soul, who is indeed justified in the sight of God, may be unjustified in his own. Great afflictions have an appearance of divine displeasure, which stands most opposite to justification. As affliction is a kind of darkness, so it often leaves the soul in much darkness. And he that is in the dark is full of fear, he is apt to question his state, whether he hath anything of God in him or no. For though it be not good for a Christian always to begin to live, he should come to a point, and labor for a certainty; yet some are brought to such a pass that their former evidences and experiences are even dead and lie prostrate, and they constrained to begin a new reckoning about their spiritual estate, or, as it were, to begin again to live.
Thirdly, Note.
When his soul-state is so ravel'd and entangled, that he can make nothing of it, then his righteousness is as lost. Those things which appear not, are to us as if they were not. Not to know what we have, is a degree of not having. When grace doth not act or is not used, we are said in Scripture to lack grace, or to have none. (2 Pet: 1.9.) But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off. The whole context carrieth it of believers, who are in a state of grace, who yet not using grace are said to lack it, and are called blind, as not able to see afar off, how it was with them when the work of conversion first began, & so have upon the matter forgotten that they were ever purged from their old sins. That is, they act as a man that hath never had any acquaintance with God, or knew so much as the meaning of repentance from dead works. He, in the Gospel, who had but one talent and did not use it, is said to have none, From him that hath not shall be taken away even that he hath (Math: 25.29.) 'It is a strange expression to say, that shall be taken away from a man which he hath not; yet the idle servant is said not to have that one talent which he had, because he did not use it, but laid it by as a dead stock. Now, as in reference unto the grace of sanctification in us, when we do not act, we are said to lack it, or not to have it, so in reference to the peace of justification, when we have not the comfort of it, we are said to be without it. And therefore when peace is restored to the soul, righteousness or justification is restored also.
Further, from the connection of these words, He shall see his face with joy; for he will render unto man his righteousness.
Note, Fourthly.
We may be justified or in a justified state, and not rejoice. But if we know we are in a state of justification, we cannot but rejoice. It will make a man rejoice to purpose, when he seeth the righteousness of justification is clearly his (