Exposition of Job 8-10

That's the first instance. The word which we translate to remove, signifies to wax old and strong, because things as they grow in age grow in strength. There is a declining age, and an increasing age. Things very old impair, and things growing older increase in strength; we have the word in that sense (Job 21.2.) Wherefore do the wicked become old? yea, they are mighty in power; he putteth these two together, growing old and mighty in power. The Septuagint render, Who maketh the mountains wax old, because, that which waxeth old is ready to vanish away (Heb. 8.13.) or to be removed and taken away, as the Ceremonial Law was, of which the Apostle speaks in that place.

And because growing old implies a kind of motion, therefore the word also signifies motion, even local motion, a moving from or out of a place, Gen. 12.4. Abraham departed; he removed from the place, where he was. This local motion is either natural or violent: of this later understand the Text, Which removeth the mountains.

There are natural mountains, and metaphorical or figurative mountains: it is an act of the mighty power of God to remove either.

Some understand this of metaphorical or figurative mountains, and so mountains are great men, men of eminency, or of preeminency, the Kings and Princes of the world. The Chaldee is express for this sense, He removeth Kings, who are as strong and high as mountains. For as God hath ordered the superficies of the earth, and made some parts of it plain, others mountainous, some valleys and some hills. So he hath disposed of men, some men stand as upon level ground, men of an ordinary condition; others are as the low valleys, men of a poor condition; others are as the high mountains over-topping and over-looking the rest. The word is used in this metaphorical sense, Isa. 41.15. I will make thee (saith the Lord to the Prophet) a new threshing instrument having teeth; And what shall this new threshing iestrument do? Thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Here is a Prophet sent with a flail or a threshing instrument, and his business is to thresh the mountains, and to beat the hills: the meaning is, thou shalt destroy the great ones of the world, the hills, the mountains, those that think themselves impregnable or inaccessible. But how could the Prophet thresh these mountains, and what was his flail? Gideon (Judge. 8.7.) threatens the men of Succoth, that he will tear or thresh their flesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and with briars. And Damascus is threatened, because they threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron, Am. 1.3. That is, they put them to extremist tortures. Our Prophet could not thus torture men. His threshing instrument having iron teeth, was only his tongue, the instrument of speech, With this he beat those proud mountains to dust, that is, he declared they should be beaten and destroyed. Of such a mountain, the Lord by his Prophet speaks (Jer. 51.25.) Behold I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the Lord, which destroiest all the earth. Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will roll th • e down from the rocks, and make thee a burnt mountain. This mountain was the proud State of Babylon, which was opposite to the Church of God, this devouring mountain shall at last be a devoured mountain, devoured by fire, therefore he calls it a burnt mountain. Thus (Zech. 4.7.) Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain. The Prophet is assured, that all the power and strength, which opposed itself against the reformation and re-edification of Jerusalem should be laid level with the ground. So we may interpret ( Psa. 144.5.) He toucheth the mountains and they smoke; the meaning is, when God doth but lay his hand upon great men, upon the mightiest of the world, he makes them smoke or fune, which some understand of their anger, they are presently in a passion, if God do but touch them. Or, we may understand it of their consumption. A smoking mountain will soon be a burnt mountain. In our language, to make a man smoke, is a proverbial, for destroying or subduing.

And besides, there are mountains (in this figurative sense) within us, as well as without us. The soul hath a mountain in itself, and it is an act of the great power of God, yea, of an higher and greater power of God to remove inward, than it is to remove outward mountains, Isa. 40.4. The Prophet fore-showing the coming of Christ, and the sending of the Baptist to prepare his way, tells us, Every mountain and hill shall he made low. Christ did not throw down the outward power of men, who withstood him: he let Herod and Pilate prevail, but mountains and hills of sin and unbelief in the soul, which made his passage into them impassible he overthrew. These mountains of high proud thoughts, the Apostle describes (2 Cor. 10.14.) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing, and bringing into captivity every thought (every mountainous thought) to the obedience of Christ.

These are metaphorical mountains, the power of sinful men without us, and the power of sin, the pride of our own hearts within us. It is a mighty work of God to remove these mountains.

But these are not proper to the Text, for the instances which follow, being all given in natural things, show, that those here intended are natural mountains.

Taking mountains for earthly, material mountains, it is doubted how the Lord removes them.

There are different opinions about the point. Some understand it of a natural motion. Philosophers disputing about mountains and hills, conclude that they are subject to generation and corruption; by the addition of many parts they are generated, that is, kneaded or gathered together, and become one huge heap of earth; and by the detraction, falling and crumbling off, or taking away of these parts, they are removed again. Thus we may expound that (Job 14.18.) And surely the mountain falling cometh to naught.

Yet this cannot be the meaning of Job here. For though we grant that doctrine of the Philosophers, that there is a generation of mountains, and so a corruption of them, yet that corruption is so insensible, that it cannot be put among those works of God, which raise up the name of his glorious power. That which falls not under observation, cannot cause admiration. Slow and imperceptible motions make small impressions either upon the fancy or understanding.

That here spoken of, is quick and violent, and by it's easy representation to the eye, causeth wonder and astonishment in the beholders.

And so it imports a removing them by some violent motion. Thus the Lord is able to remove, and hath removed mountains, sometimes by earthquakes: sometimes by storms and tempests, sometime those mighty bulwarks are battered with thunder-bals discharged from the clouds (Psal. 97.5.) The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord. Hills melt down when he appears as a consuming fire (Psal. 104.32.) He looks upon the earth, and it trembleth, and he toucheth the hills, and they smoke. Those rocky mountains are as ready to take fire, as tinder or touch-wood, if but a spark of God's anger fall upon them, God by a cast of his eye (as we may speak) can cast the earth into an ague-fit, he makes it shake and more, tremble with a look; He by a touch of his mighty arm, hurls mountains which way he pleaseth, as man doth a Tennis-ball. We read ( Isa. 64.1.) How earnestly the Prophet prays, O that thou wouldst rent the heavens and come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence: Where he is conceived to allude to God's coming down upon Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law, Exod. 19. which is said, To melt from before the Lord God of Israel, Judge. 5.3. Some understand it of that day of Christ, when he shall come to judge the world; others of that day when Christ came in the flesh to save the world; then the mountains were level'd according to the preaching of the Baptist; but rather, the Prophet being affected with the calamitous condition, which he fore-saw the Jews falling into, entreats the Lord to put forth himself in some notable works of his providence, which should as clearly manifest his presence, as if they saw the heavens (speaking as of solid bodies) renting, and God visibly coming down; then, those difficulties which lay in the way of their deliverance, and looked like huge mountains of iron, or of adamant, would presently dissolve like wax, or ice before the Sun or fire. The Prophet Micah describes the effects of God's power in the same style (Chap. 1.3, 4.) Behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth, and the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft: as wax before the fire, and as the waters which are poured down a steep place. So, to remove mountains is used proverbially, Job 18.4. Shall the earth be forsaken for thee, or shall the rock be removed out of his place; that is, shall God work wonders for thee? or, God will alter the course of nature, as soon as the course of his providence. To say God can remove mountains, is as much as to say, he hath power to do what he will: and the reason is, because mountains are exceeding great and weighty bodies: mountains are firmly settled, now, to remove a thing, which is mighty in bulk, and strongly founded, is an argument of greatest strength. The stability of the Church is compared to the stability of mountains, Psal. 125.1. They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but standeth fast forever. The righteousness of God is compared to a great mountain ( Psal. 36.6.) because his righteousness is firm and immovable, Thy righteousness is like the great mountains, or the mountains of God. And ( Psal. 46.2.) the doing of the greatest things, and the making of the greatest changes that possibly can happen in any Nation, or in the whole world are expressed by the removing of mountains, Though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the Sea, yet will we not fear, &c. That is things which carry the greatest impossibility to be done, or which are seldomest done, shall be done, before we will do this. As men, when they would show how far they are from submitting to such a thing, say, We will die first, &c. So here, Who, we fear? No, mountains shall be removed first. He breaths out the highest confidence of the Church, in the lowest, not only of her present, but possible dangers. As faith can represent to us better things then any we enjoy, to raise our joy: so it can represent to us worse things (and put us harder cases) then any we feel, and yet carry us above fear. A faith removing mountains, is put for the strongest faith, Though I had all faith, so that I could remove mountains (1 Cor. 13.2.) that is, though I had the strongest faith, the faith of miracles. When Christ ( Mat. 21.21.) would show to the utmost what faith can do, he faith, If ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig-tree, but also, if ye shall say to this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and it shall be done. As if he had said, if you have faith, ye may do the greatest things imaginable or desirable, ye shall remove mountains. A mountain is immovable by the mere power of a creature. Faith takes that in hand, because faith acts in the power of the Creator. And as the faith of man removing mountains, notes a faith of miracles; so the power of God removing mountains, notes a miraculous power.

So then, taking this speech either for the removing of natural mountains, or taking it proverbially, as it noteth the doing of the greatest things, and putting forth of the greatest power, it proveth the point, which Job hath here in hand, viz. That God is mighty in strength; Why? He is able to remove mountains. Observe from hence,

First, That the Lord if he pleaseth can alter and remove the parts of the earth, and change the frame and fabrique of nature.

He that made the mountains immovable to us, can himself remove them. The Histories and Records of former times, tell us how God hath miraculously tossed mountains out of their places. Josephus in his ninth book of Antiquities, cap. 11. mentions the removing of a mountain; and Pliny in the eighth book of his natural History, Cap. 30. A later writer reports that in Burgundy, in the year, 1230. there were mountains seen moving, which overthrew many houses, to the great terror of all the inhabitants of those countries. Josephus also reports the like done by an earthquake. And another tells us of Mount Ossa joined to Olympus by an earth-quake. So that take it in the letter, the Lord is able to remove mountains.

It should make us fear before the Lord, and give him glory while we remember that even the outward frame of the world, is subject to sudden changes; there is no mountain, no rock, but the little finger of God can move or pull it down. As David spake of his metaphorical mountain, his great outward estate. Lord, thou hadst made it stand strong, yet thou didst hide away thy face, and I was troubled, Psal. 30.6. his mountain began to shake, and became a very mole-hill, useless to him, when God was displeased. If the Lord with-draw himself from our civil mountains, we are troubled, and if he touch the natural mountains they are troubled. Our mountains will skip like Rams; and the little hills like Lambs, (Psal. 114.4.) when he is displeased.

Secondly, observe, That the power of God is made visible to us in the changes which he works in the creature, as well as in the constitution of the creature.

The power of God made the mountains and created the hills; the same power removes mountains, and turns them upside down. It argues as great a power to destroy the world as to settle the world. As the Apostle shows what divinity the Gentiles might have learned in that great book of the worlds creation ( Rom. 1.20.) The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things which are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; So we may say on the other side, The invisible things of him from the confusions which are in the world, are clearly seen; or, they may be understood by the things which are removed and changed, in these you may read his eternal power and God-head. When God breaks the laws and course of nature, he shows his power as well as when he settled the laws and course of nature. He shows his power when he lets the sea out of it's place to overflow the earth, as well as when he bounded the sea, that it shall not overflow the earth. Some things are with far less power destroyed, then made, removed then settled, but no power can destroy the world, but that which made it, or suddenly remove a mountain, but that which settled it. The power of God must be acknowledged in altering as well as in ordering the natural course or constitution of the creature.

And if we look to the change of Metaphoricall mountains, it is a truth, an illustrious truth, that the Lord displaies his mighty power, in removing and over-turning the great estates and establishments of men or kingdoms. When God removes the mountain of our peace, of our riches, the mountain of outward prosperity, and of civil power, it becomes us to say, He is mighty in power, who doth all these things.

God hath given us great tokens and testimonies of his power in this. How many mountains, great mountains, men who were mountains, and things which stood like mountains in our way, how many (I say) of these hath the Lord removed? Our eyes have seen mountains removing, and mighty hills melting: the power of God, and the faith of his people have wrought such miracles in our days, He removeth the mountains.

They, who? who or what is the antecedent to this, They? are the mountains? So some understand it, and then the word know, or the act of knowing is by a figure ascribed (as many times in Scripture to creatures without reason, so) to creatures without life, Psal. 58.8. before your pots can feel the thorns; the Hebrew is, before your pots can understand or know the thorns, that is, before they are sensible of the heat of the fire to make them boil, &c. An act of sense, and is ascribed to pots, which are things insensible.

But others take the antecedent to be man, He removeth the mountains, and they know it not; that is, men know it not. So Master Broughton translates, He removeth the mountains that men cannot mark how he hath removed them out of their place in his anger.

Supposing men to be the antecedent, there is yet a difference about the interpretation. Men, that is, say some, unskillful men, ignorant men, they know not the meaning of this, they cannot give a reason why or how mountains are removed; if God doth it they know it not. Others restrain it to men, inhabiting the mountains, they were secure, and thought their dwellings so safe, that God removed their mountain before they dreamed of, much less feared any such thing; they had no thought that God would remove their mountain. Places strongly fortified either by art or nature, make men secure, and dangers unsuspected. The deluge in Noah's time prevailed over the highest mountains; but his sinful posterity hoped to make an artificial mountain, wherein they might even dare a second deluge. Come, let us build us a City and a Tower, whose top may reach to heaven (Gen. 11.4.) and then (except the stars and firmament be flouded) we shall be dry, how much or how long so ever it rains. Such towering thoughts, as these, were (surely) laid in the foundation of that intended Tower.

Take the text either of natural or of figurative mountains, and to remove them, so, that man knows it not, may have a double meaning.

First, That it is done with great speed.

Secondly, That it is done with great secrecy.

God is able to do great things in a little time, in so little time, that men shall not know he is doing them, till they are done. He can do great things secretly, so secretly, that the way of their dispatch shall not be visible to the eye, or open to the understanding of man, till they are di • patched.

Again, this clause [And they know it not] notes not only the security of men before the hand of God is upon them, but their stupidity, while it is upon them. So (Prov. 23.35.) They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not; the Hebrew is, and I knew it not. Hence observe,

The works and judgments of God, are often unsuspected and unobserved by men.

He removeth mountains, even their mountains, and they know it not.

'It is true in reference to natural, but especially to civil mountains. The rich, the mighty are cast down from their seats, or their seats are cast down before they saw any hand touching them; the whore of Babylon, and mother of fornications, who sits upon seven mountains (Revel. 17.9.) saith in her heart, I sit a Queen and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow, (Revel. 18.7.) Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning and famine, &c. (ver. 8.) If her plagues come in one day, she (doubtless) thought not of them a day before. Babylon's seven mountains shall be removed, she not knowing it; and as Babylon's mountains shall be removed, when she shall not know, that is, suspect it; so, which is more strange, Jerusalem's mountain was removed, and she did not know, that is, perceive it. The Prophets are express (Isa. 42.25.) Therefore he hath poured upon him (namely, Jacob or Israel) the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle, and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew it not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. They were unobservent of those terrible things the Lord did among them. Some little anger passes often without notice, but here was the fury of anger; some sleight skirmishes make no great noise, but here was the strength of battle; and not some few drops of both these, but either of them poured upon him, by whole bucket fuls, and these buckets of burning fury set him on fire, and that not in someone corner or out-house, but round about, yet he knew it not. Which is expounded in the next words, It burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.

The Prophet Hosea (Chap. 7.9.) speaks as much of Jerusalem under the name of Ephraim. Strangers have devoured his strength, and be knoweth it not, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth it not. Strangers devour his strength, that is, according to the language of Job, the mountains wherein his strength did consist, were devoured and overthrown by strangers, and yet he knew it not, he did not observe the hand of God in the hand of man against him. Gray hairs are here and there upon him; gray hairs are a great change; gray hairs note the most discernible change of a man's life. There are two states of a man, easily distinguished, Youth, and old-age, and gray hairs make the most visible distinction between these two; so that to say, Gray hairs are upon him, is to say there is such a change upon his estate, as is between a young man and an old man, and yet he knows, he observes it not. Of all things a man is most apt to take notice of his own natural gray hairs: and many are so troubled at the first sight of them (because they tell us we begin to be old) that they will pick them out; but such is the senselessness of many about the dealings of God with them, that when great changes are upon them, changes like that of youth into old-age, they are not affected with it; providential or judiciary gray hairs are not often known.

Surely many of these gray hairs are upon us at this day: it will be sad if England be like Ephraim, and know it not. It is worse not to know we have gray hairs, then to have them. The one is but our affliction, the other is our sin. Gray hairs are upon us, strangers have devoured our strength; as many oppressing mountains are removed (for which we ought to bless God, and admire his power) so some supporting mountains have been removed, and others shake terribly, for which we ought to mourn, and be humbled under the mighty hand of God. If we know not what God hath done, he can quickly do enough to make himself known. They who will not see the hand of God, when it is lifted up (that they may be humbled) shall see it and be ashamed (Isa. 26.11.) if the removing and shaking of our mountains do not awaken us, the overturning of them shall; That's the next act of divine power in this noble description.

The word signifies to over-turn a thing, so, as to change the form and fashion of it, yea, to bring it to nothing; not only to remove a thing out of its place, but to take away the very being of it, and to remove it out of the world. He not only turns mountains into mole-hills, but into plains, yea into pits, they shall not be mountains any longer, nor anything like a mountain.

It is much to remove a mountain, and set it in another place: but more to crumble it in a moment all to dust, that you shall not find a piece or a clod of it. The Prophet threatens the obstinate Jews in such a language (Isa. 30.13, 14.) Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant, and he shall break it as the breaking of the Potters vessel, &c. So that there shall not be found in the bursting of it, a sheard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.

Anger in man is a mixed affection made up chiefly of these two ingredients, sorrow and revenge. Some call anger the boiling of the blood about the heart, or the boiling of the heart in blood; The fumes whereof rise so fast into the brain, that anger sometimes dislodges reason, and is therefore called by others a short madness.

The word in the text signifies the Nostrils; and the Scripture frequently applies that to anger, because anger is seen and made visible in the nostrils. Quick breathing is a sign of anger. God is without parts and passions, he is not angry as man: but is said to be angry when he doth like man in his anger. The Lord is not moved or stirred by anger, but he is angry, when he makes motions and stirrings in the creature; he lets out the effects of anger, but himself hath not the affection, much less the perturbation of anger. Hence observe,

That the troubles and confusions which are in the creature, are tokens and effects of the anger of God.

As the settling and establishment of the creature, is an effect or sign of his goodness, or as these tell us, that God is pleased: So when the Lord hurls the creature this way and that way, when he tosses it up and down, as if he cared not how, this is an argument of his anger; when Moses came down from the Mount, and saw what the people of Israel had done, how they had made a golden calf and polluted themselves with idols, such a passion of anger came upon him, that he threw the Tables of the Law out of his hand, and brake them. So, when the Lord would signify his displeasure, he throws the creature out of his hand, and breaks man against man, Nation against Nation (as a Potters vessel) one against another. The comfort and well-being of the creature, consist in this, that God holds it in his hand; if he do but let it go out of his hand it perishes, much more when he casts it with violence out of his hand. The Prophet ( Hab. 3.8.) describing the great confusions which God made in the world, questions thus, Was thine anger against the rivers? Was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses, and thy chariots of salvation? God being angry with the enemies of his people, made strange work amongst them; Rather then his people shall not be delivered, the world shall be confounded, Was the Lord angry with the sea? when he compelled the rivers to change their courses, and discover the bottom of their channels, as in the passage of his Israel thorough the red sea? No, God was not angry with the sea, but with Pharaoh and his host, with the oppressors and troublers of his Israel; and when he was thus angry, he checked the course of nature, and turned things up-side-down. When David was in a distress, and his enemies encompassed him round about: what then? Then the earth struck and trembled, the foundations of the hills were moved and were shaken, because he was wrath (Psal. 18.7.) That, God might rescue David out of the hand of trouble, he troubled the foundations of the earth; he made the world shake and Kingdoms tremble, that his David might be settled upon his throne. The Lord threateneth ( Hag. 2.6.) that he will shake the heaven and the earth, and the sea and the dry land; he will move all creatures, why so? He shakes them for the settling of his Zion (verse. 7.) I will shake all Nations, and the desire of all Nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. When the Lord comes against the superstition, and idolatry, and profaneness, and wickednesses of the world in anger, no wonder if Kingdoms shake: yea, he therefore shakes Kingdoms, that he may establish Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down, not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken, Isa. 33.20. We are waiting when God will shake Babylon, and in his anger overturn the seven mountains thereof; Babylon is built upon mountains, upon seven mountains, to note the strength and power of it, yet the Lord will remove Babylon out of her place, and overturn those mountains in the fierceness of his anger, and in jealousy poured out, Then every Island shall flee away, and the mountains shall not be found, Revel. 16.20. That is, the remotest and strongest places which owned and maintained Babylon, shall either be converted or confounded; they shall appear no more under that spiritual notion, though in a natural and civil they do remain. That which is not as it was, is spoken of, as if it were not: A great change in our condition, is called a change of our very being. The anger of God overturns things, as if it did annihilate them. Job goes on.

This is a second instance, but in higher expressions of the same power of God.

He had said before, God removeth mountains. Mountains are great bulky bodies, but no mountain is so great as the Globe of the whole earth. Now (saith he) the Lord doth not only shake mountains, some great parts of the earth, but if he pleaseth he can take up the whole earth, and throw it out of its place, as a man would take up a little ball, and throw it into the air, He shakes the earth out of her place.

The word which we translate to shake, signifies a violent motion of the mind, caused either by fear ( Deut. 2.25.) or grief (2 Sam. 18.33.) we read of a trembling heart from both ( Deut. 28.25.) It is also applied to civil shakings and commotions by the troublesome spirits of men ( Prov. 30.21.) For three things the earth is disquieted. And to unnatural shakings of the earth by the power of God (2 Sam. 22.8, &c.) So in the text.

Some expound this of a natural motion. Those men have (surely) a motion and turning in their brains, who tell us that there is a continued motion of the earth, that it turns and never stands still; they would ground the motion of the earth upon this Scripture, translating thus, Which moveth the earth in her place. But the text tells us, that the earth hath pillars and not wheels. Pillars are made for rest, not for motion.

Further, This text speaks of it, as of an act of God's anger, therefore no ordinary act appointed in nature; and the word notes a violent motion, not a natural. But we need not stand to refute this motion. As when some denied all motion, a Philosopher to prove it, rose up and walked: So when any affirm or give reason for this motion, we may show their senses that the earth stands.

This shaking then is extraordinary, the Lord who made the earth firm upon pillars, can make the earth move, as if it went on wheels.

This he doth, first, by earthquakes, these shake the earth (as it were) out of her place, and make it tremble. Histories are full, and many men's experience can give instances of such terrible shakings of the earth. This earthquake is not meant here, for there is a reason in nature for that. Philosophers dispute much about it, and tell us, when there is a strong vapor included or imprisoned in the bowels of the earth, that vapor seeking vent maketh a combustion there, and so the earth shakes. This, indeed, shows the mighty power of God, but it is in a natural way, whereas the text seems to imply somewhat more, somewhat beyond the learning of Philosophers and Naturalists.

Besides, the text saith,

Whereas an earthquake shakes the earth in her place, and causes it to tremble upon the pillars thereof.

But did God ever shake the earth out of her place? We must understand the text conditionally. We have not any instance that the Lord hath actually done so, but this supposition may be put. The Lord can remove mountains and shake the earth, not only in, but out of her place. We find such conditional expressions often put in Scripture, not as if the things ever had been, or ever should be done, but if the Lord will, he is able to do them ( Amos 9.5.) The Lord God of Hosts is he that toucheth the land, and it shall melt; that is, if the Lord do but touch the land he can melt it. As the three children cast into a fiery furnace, had not so much as a garment, or a thread about them touched with it, because the Lord forbad the fire to burn: So, if the Lord bid a spark but touch us, it shall melt and consume us, as if we were cast into and continued in a fiery furnace. As a word made, so a touch shall mar the world, when God will; yet he hath not done thus unto this day. So in the text, He shakes the earth out of her place, imports what God can, not what he hath or will do. Note from it,

That the Lord is able to do greater things, then ever he actually hath done.

He hath not put the earth out of her place, the earth is where it was, but he can displace it. God hath never acted any of his attributes to the height, for they are infinite; he never acted power so high, but he is able to act it higher: He hath never acted mercy in pardoning so far, but he is able to act it further, a greater sinner then ever yet was pardoned, may be pardoned. A greater enemy then ever was overcome, may be overcome. He hath run with foot-men, and they have not wearied him, and he is able to contend with horses: in a land of peace he was never wearied, and he knows how to wade thorough the swellings of Jordan. It is comfortable to consider, that the Lord cannot only do the same things again, which he hath done, but he hath never done to the utmost of what he is able to do: he can out-do all that he hath done, as much as the shaking of the whole earth out of her place, is more, then to remove a mountain, yea, or a mole-hill of earth.

We have the pillars of heaven, Chap. 26.11. here of the earth.

The word in the original signifies to stand upright, to be erect, because pillars do so. There are two sorts of pillars, upon which there is a different interpretation of the word.

There are, first, Supporting pillars. And

Secondly, Supported pillars. Or, there are pillars for ornament; and pillars for strength. We set up pillars or pinnacles upon the tops of great buildings for ornament, and they are supported pillars. We may call mountains such pillars: for, as when some stately palace is built, great pillars or pinnacles are set upon the towers and battlements: so the Lord having framed the earth, hath set up mountains, as great pillars for the adorning of it, He shaketh the earth, and the pillars thereof tremble; it is true of these upper pillars, the mountains they tremble. But I take it rather to be meant of supporting pillars, under-pillars, which bear the frame above, and are as the bases or under-props of the earth ( Psal. 105.) Who laid the foundation of the earth; the earth hath a foundation; the Hebrew is, He hath founded the earth upon her basis, alluding to a building. Most buildings have their foundations in the earth; but some upon it, being raised upon pillars. So Hannah (1 Sam. 2.8.) in her Song, The pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them.

What are these pillars that the Lord hath set the world upon? or where shall we find them?

David shows us ( Psal. 24.1, 2.) The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein: for he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. It is strange that pillars of liquid water should bear up the massy earth; the earth seems rather to be the pillar and foundation of the waters. Some interpret (super) which signifies, upon, by prope or juxta near, he hath founded it upon the seas, that is, He hath founded it by, or near the seas. But take it in the letter, and it is a truth: for the sea is as much the pillar of the earth, as the earth is the pillar of the sea; earth and sea being a globe and round, the sea is as much under the earth, as the earth is under the sea. Thus the pillars of the earth are waters, And the earth is established upon the floods.

Further, If you would know what these pillars are, hear what Job saith, ( Chap. 26.7.) where he assures us that God hangeth the earth upon nothing. We are not to think that the Lord in framing and building the earth did first set up pillars, and then set the earth upon them, for the earth hangeth as a ball in the midst of the air, without any pillars under it. Hence Jobs Philosophy teaches us, That he hangeth the earth upon nothing; there are no material or visible pillars to sustain it.

What is then the pillar of the earth? What is it that supports and bears it up? The real pillar of the earth it is the power of God. But the power of God cannot tremble? How then doth he say, When he shaketh the earth, the pillars thereof tremble?

In this place therefore we may expound the pillars of the earth, for the lower parts of the earth, and so, though the whole globe of the earth taken together be neither higher nor lower, yet in the parts of it from any point, some are higher, and some are lower, some above, and some beneath; upon what superficies soever we are, the under parts thereof are (to us) the pillars of the earth. So the meaning is, He shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble; that is, he shaketh it so terribly, that if it had any outward visible pillars, those pillars must needs tremble.

In this we may observe, the great power of God in upholding the earth. We see what the pillars of the earth are, the supposed pillars are no other then the lower parts of the earth; and the true pillar of the earth is no other, but the power of God: there are no other buttresses or pillars upon which the earth is set, or by which it is sustained; This huge weight of the whole earth and seas, is borne up by the thin air. Is not this an argument of the mighty power of God, that the air which is a body so weak, that if you throw a feather up into it, it will not stay there, but descend, yet the whole mass or globe of earth and waters hangs there? God poiseth it merely by its own weight: For he weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in balances, Isa. 40.12. He upholds all things by the word of his power, And hath built this great Castle in the air. Could we enter into the secrets of nature, and set our faith a work by our senses about these things, we should be raised above all fear in the greatest difficulties. If we saw but a bullet, or a piece of lead of a pound, yea of a penny weight, lifted up and hang in the air without anything to support it, we would conclude it a miracle. What think you, when all the lead, and iron, and brass, and stone that is in the world hang in the air without any visible stay?

I find some interpreting this clause as the former, in a figurative sense, He shaketh the earth, that is, States, Kingdoms and Common-wealths; And the pillars thereof tremble; that is, they who seemed to be their strongest supporters tremble and shake. This is a truth, and a profitable one for our meditation. To clear this,

First, We find the earth in Scripture often put for States and Kingdoms (Isa. 24.20.) The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage, and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall and not rise again. The earth shall do this: what earth? He doth not mean the natural earth upon which men tread, but the people who tread upon the earth, or that Common-wealth, wherein people are united and governed, these shall reel to and fro, and be removed like a cottage: As if he had said, you thought your State and Kingdom was settled like a strong Castle, but I will take it down, as a man takes down a little cottage, raddl'd only with a few sticks and reeds. Or the meaning of it is, your Common-wealth that hath been founded by the wisdom of so many Law-givers, and is established in so much riches and power, shall be removed as a poor cottage, thorough which every puff of wind finds a passage. The strongest Kingdoms and Bulwarks of the earth, are but as thatched cottages, when God takes them in hand.

Secondly, Pillars are as often taken in a political sense, Psal. 75.3. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved. How comes it then to pass that they are not utterly destroyed? It follows, I bear up the pillars of it; that is, I maintain Governors and Magistrates, some in places of power and authority, by whom shaking, tottering Kingdoms are upheld. Our experience teaches us this; We live in a Nation, of which we may say, Our earth with the inhabitants thereof are dissolved, we are a broken and a shattered people; yet the Lord bears up our Pillar, * the Parliament, the politique pillar of our Nation; we had long ago lain in the dust, if God had not borne up this pillar. The chief counsels of the adversary have been to weaken and undermine, to ruin and pull down this pillar. They (like Samson ) have taken hold of our two pillars, and bowed themselves with all their might ( Judge. 16.28.) but neither have they proved Samsons, nor proved us Philistines.

Further, There are Church-pillars as well as State-pillars; men of eminency in knowledge and learning, in parts and piety; These are pillars of the Church of God. So the Apostle calls James and Peter, Gal. 2.9. As the Church itself is the pillar of truth: so some particular members are pillars of truth, bearing it up, and holding it forth, as pillars do the Laws or edicts of Princes and Common-wealths. As these pillars are of God's setting up, so of God's bearing up. In great shakings of the earth, Common-wealth-pillars tremble, and Church-pillars tremble, yea they would fall, did not the Lord sustain them with his hand.

From all, learn the instability of the creature. If that which is the basis or foundation of all outward comforts be so easily shaken and tost up and down, what are the comforts themselves? If Kingdoms and Common-wealths totter, who can stand fast? When the Saints feel the world shake and tremble under them, their comfort is, They have received a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. Neither man nor devils have any power to shake it, and God will not shake it: nay, with reverence we may speak it, the Lord cannot shake that Kingdom, for it is his own: he cannot do anything to his own wrong or dishonor. Earth may, but heaven shakes not, neither shall any of the pillars thereof tremble forever.

We have seen two acts of the mighty power of God; first, in removing those mountains, those great massy parts of the earth. Secondly, In shaking the whole mass of the earth.

Now the thoughts of Job grow higher, and he ascends from earth to heaven, and brings an instance of the power of God there, in the 7 ^th verse.

And the instance which he makes in the heaven, stands (as heaven doth to earth) in a direct line of opposition to that which he gave about the earth. The earth in all the parts of it, is a settled, fixed body, and therefore the power of God is clearly seen in causing it to move: but, the Sun is a moveable body, a creature in continual motion; and therefore the power of God is clearly seen in checking and stopping the motion of it. It calls for as strong a hand to make the Sun stand still, as to shake and remove the earth. The staying of that which naturally cannot but move, and the moving of that which naturally cannot but stand still, require a like power: and that which stands as the earth doth, or moves as the Sun doth, requires an Almighty power to move or stay it.

Which commandeth the Sun] He describes God in the posture and language of a King, giving out commands. He commandeth, God is the Sovereign of the Sun. Yet the word in the Hebrew is no more, but he saith, or he speaks to the Sun; so M ^r Broughton translates, He speaks to the Sun that it riseth not: We, clearly to the sense, He commandeth the Sun, because the Word of God to the creature, is a Law or a Command upon the creature.

The phrase implies an ordinary, or a common event. But when was there such a thing as this? How rare are such events? I may ask, Did the Lord ever command the Sun that it should not rise? Or did ever any day appear, when the Sun did not appear? we may answer four or five ways.

First, Some conceive Job speaks only of what God can do (as in the former instance) not of what he ever did: He never actually gave out his command to the Sun that it should not rise, but he hath power to do it, if he pleaseth. Many things are spoken of the power of God, as presently done, which only are things possible for him to do. That's a good interpretation of the place.

Secondly, We may carry it further, for when he saith, It riseth not, we need not take it strictly, as if the Sun were staid from making day at all; but, it may note any stop or sudden disappearing of the Sun. The Suns rising is the Suns appearing; and when the Sun disappeareth, or is hidden, it is to us, as if the Sun were not risen. Thus God hath actually more then once, given out a command to the Sun, not to rise. Lavater (in his comment upon this place) reports, that in the year 1585. March 12 ^th , such a darkness fell upon the earth, that the fowls went to roost at noon, as if it had been Sun setting, and all the common people thought the day of judgment was come. That of the Prophet is true in the letter, as well as in the figure (Amos 4.13.) He maketh the morning darkness: And (Chap. 5.8.) He turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night. The holy story records one famous act of God commanding the Sun to stand still ( Josh. 10.12.) When Joshua was in pursuit of his enemies, he prayed that the day might not hasten down: Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon, And the Sun stood still, &c. Joshua speaks as if himself could command the Sun, Sun, stand thou still; he talks to the Sun, as to his servant, or child, stand still. It was indeed at the voice of Joshua, but by the word and power of God, that the Sun stood still. So the Text resolves, There was no day like that before it, or after it (no day so long as that) that the Lord hearkened to the voice of a man. So then, the Lord hearkened to the voice of a man, and then the S •••• hearkened to the voice of a man: First, the Lord hearkened, and then the Sun hearkened, that is, by a command from God at the request of a man the Sun stood still.

Thirdly, It may be understood of ordinary eclipses, which are disappearings of the Sun: and though they come in a course of nature, and are by natural light foreseen many years before they come, yet there is somewhat in them, which should fill us with high thoughts of the power of God. And though an eclipse of the Sun be no miracle, yet God once made, and can again make a miraculous eclipse. When Christ the Sun of righteousness was shamefully crucified, the Sun in the heavens (as ashamed to look upon that act (as from man) of prodigious cruelty and injustice) hid his face; and from the sixth hour (that is, from high-noon) there was darkness over all the Land unto the ninth hour; that is, till three in the afternoon, Matth. 27.45. This eclipse was miraculous; first, because it was the full of the moon. Which (as we receive from Antiquity ) caused a great Philosopher (not knowing what was doing, or who was suffering at Jerusalem ) to cry out, Either the God of nature suffers, or the frame of nature dissolves.

2. Because it was universal (as some affirm) over all the world, or as others (which makes it more strange) that it was only in the Land of Judea, all the world besides enjoying the light of the Sun at that time. Which miracle stands opposite to that in Egypt, which was plagued with darkness, when the Israelites in Goshen enjoyed light; whereas then Judea, where the Israelites dwelt, was covered with darkness, the rest of the world enjoying light.

Fourthly, Some refer this speech of Jobs to that particular plague of darkness, for three days in Egypt (last mentioned) which they conceive was then fresh in memory, and so Job had reference especially unto that, when he saith, He commandeth the Sun, and it riseth not. For though God at that time did not give a command to stop the Sun from rising upon all parts of the earth, yet he commanded the Sun not to rise upon that part; when his own people had light in Goshen, the Lord charged the Sun not to rise upon the Egyptians; This is a more distinct act of the power of God. For, as he speaks, Amos 4.7. (to note the accurateness as well as the power of God in his judgments) concerning the rain, I commanded the clouds (saith he) and I caused it to rain upon one City, and caused it not to rain upon another City: So the Lord can cause the Sun, if he please, to rise upon one Country, and not upon another; upon one Nation, and not upon another; upon one City, and not upon another. Thus we may understand it, He commandeth the Sun, and it riseth not upon one people, though it shineth upon others, according to the manner of that Egyptian plague.

Lastly, We may interpret it of any extraordinary tempestuous time, He commandeth the Sun, and it riseth not; that is, he makes such storms and tempests, and causeth such vapors and clouds in the air, that the Sun is mufled up, and is, as if it did not rise. Such a day (he means it of any troubles and afflictions) we have described in the Prophet Joel (Chap. 2.2.) A day of darkness, and of gloominesse, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the morning upon the mountains. But how is a day of darkness as the morning? &c. The speech intends thus much, that this darkness shall spread itself, as suddenly as the morning light spreads itself upon the mountains, which being highest, are blest and gilded with the first issuing rays of the rising Sun. God is said to command the Sun not to rise, when he vails and masks the face of the Sun with sudden clouds, as if there were no Sun at all but clouds. Paul in his voyage to Rome, was under such a tempest, and the Text saith, That neither Sun nor star for many days appeared (Act. 27.20.) they were as if the Sun had not risen for many days. Such stormy gloomy weather God can make, ( Ezek. 32.7.) When I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark, I will cover the Sun with a cloud; that is, I will put a black veil or cloak upon the heavens, that the Sun shall not put out any light, when I put them out; when I extinguish thee, I will (for a time) extinguish the Sun also. The constellations of heaven are often expressed sympathizing with the dispensations of God on earth, Isa. 13.10. Joel 2.31. Mat. 24.29. He commandeth or speaketh to the Sun. Observe hence.

First, The bare word of God is a command.

He speaks to the Sun, and it riseth not. The Apostle useth that word about the creation of light, 2 Cor. 4.6. The Lord who commanded light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts: the Greek is, The Lord who spake light out of darkness, which we translate, The Lord who commanded the light out of darkness. The words of God are Laws, and therefore the ten Commandments, that part of the word which carries the name of commands from all the rest, is yet called, The ten words of God. The Greeks call the ten Commandments, the Decalogue, or the ten words; so many words, so many commands. The devil seems to acknowledge this great power of God (only that he might abuse it) in Christ, that his word was a command, If thou be the Son of God (Mat. 4.3.) command that these stones be made bread: The Greek is, If thou be the Son of God speak to these stones that they become bread, or speak these stones into bread: he would take that as a proof of his Divinity, If thou be the Son of God; do this; God can do this, his Word is a command to all creatures, for whatsoever he imposeth upon them, they must submit to it, therefore do thou so likewise, speak to these stones, or command these stones to become bread.

It should be matter of comfort to us, while we remember that every word of God is a command upon all creatures, He hath made a decree which shall not pass (Psal. 148.6.) The Hebrew is only, a word which shall not pass, his word is a decree, which none shall reverse.

Secondly, As from the former clause [He commandeth the Sun] we learn, that every word of God is a command: so from that which followeth [and it riseth not.] We may learn,

That, every creature obeies the command, and submits to the will of God.

Men often speak, and speak in the highest language of commanding, and yet the thing is not done; but whatsoever the Lord speaks, is done. Every thing hath an ear to hear his voice, who made both voice and ear, Psal. 148.8. Fire and hail, snow and vapor, stormy wind fulfilling his Word. Senseless creatures act at God's command, and go upon his errand, They fulfill his Word. The Lord sent a message unto Hezekiah, to assure him that his sickness was at his command, because the Sun was, (2 King. 20.9, 10.) Shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go backward ten degrees in the dial of Ahaz? either way (saith the Lord) I can do it; either way, as thou shalt ask a sign, it shall be done. And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. Yet he knew the Lord did not offer him a light thing in either, when he said, Shall the Sun go forward or backward. The Suns going forward was within a degree, as great a matter as it's going backward; but Hezekiah calls it a light matter, in regard of common apprehension and observation. The Suns motion is naturally forward, and though it should mend it's pace, many would not much regard it; but all would stand and wonder at a retrograde motion, or at the Sun going backward. Hence Hezekiah calls it a light matter for the Sun to go forward comparatively to it's going backward. And from either the Lord would teach Hezekiah that the creatures will do what he bids them, even the Sun will move miraculously at his Word. How great a rebuke will it be to man, if he move not at the command of God, and as God commands? Shall the Lord say to the Sun, Rise not, and it riseth not; and shall he say to man, Swear not, and he will swear, pray, and he will not pray: shall the Lord have better obedience from creatures without life then from man, who hath not only life but reason? or from Saints, who have not only reason but grace? They who have grace give not such universal obedience as things without life: for though there be a part in them active to obey, yet there is a part in them backward to all obedience. Let it shame us that there should be anything in us (who have life, reason and grace) resisting, or not readily complying with all the commands of God, when the Sun, which hath not so much as life, obeies his voice, He commandeth the Sun, and it riseth not.

Thirdly, Observe from the manner of this speech.

That, The Lord hath a negative voice upon the motion of all creatures.

He commandeth the Sun, and it riseth not. It is a royal Prerogative that the Lord commands the Sun to rise, but that the Lord hath a power to stay the Sun from rising, lifts up his Prerogative to the highest. In all disputes about power, his is resolved to be greatest, who hath the negative voice, w ^ch checks and supersedeats all others. This is the Prerogative of God; he can stay the motion of the Sun, and of man. The Sun dares not do his office to the day, nor the stars to the night, if the Lord say, No. The Sun is described, Psal. 19.5. like a bridegroom coming out of his Chamber, dressed and prepared, and as a Giant rejoicing to run his race; but though the Sun be thus prepared, and dressed, and ready, yet if the Lord send a writ, and a prohibition to the Sun to keep within his chamber, he cannot come forth, his journey is stopped. Thus also he stops man in his nearest preparations for any action. If the Lord will work, who shall let it? Isa. 43.13. That is, there is no power in heaven or earth which can hinder him. But if the Lord will let, who shall work? neither Sun, nor stars, nor men, nor devils can work, if he forbid them. The point is full of comfort. God tells Abimelech in the case of Sarah, Abraham's wife, whom he took into his house, I know that thou didst it in the integrity of thy heart, but I with held thee, and I suffered thee not to touch her (Gen. 20.6.) And when Laban pursued Jacob with hard thoughts against him, and strong resolutions to deal harshly with him; The Lord gave a negative voice, ( Gen. 31.24.) Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. Laban had not the use of his own tongue; He could not speak either good or bad. Not good or bad! Was there any hurt for Laban to speak good to Jacob? And the story tells us, that Laban spake many words, and some bad enough to Jacob, charging him with a double theft. First, for stealing himself away (verse. 27.) Wherefore didst thou steal away from me? Secondly, for stealing his Idols (verse. 30.) And now though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou longest sore after thy fathers house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen away my gods? Foul language all, though God charged him not to speak a bad word to Jacob. For answer know, We must restrain that restraint to the point of bringing Jacob back again, Thou shalt not speak either good or bad to him, to stop or turn him from his way, thou shalt use no threatenings to bring him back to thee, no, nor any promises or allurements: thou shalt make no offers of better entertainment to win him to thy service, which was the thing he so much desired. Good and bad are the two terms of all that can be spoken, and where the utmost extremes of speaking are forbidden, all speaking to that purpose is forbidden. When the ancient people of God were few in number, yea, very few, and strangers in the land, when they went from one Nation to another, from one Kingdom to another people, one would think, that all the world would have been upon them; but here was their protection, God had a negative voice (Psal. 105.15.) He suffered no man to do them wrong. Many had (as we say) an aking tooth at the people of God, their fingers itcht to be dealing with them, and the text shows four advantages the world had against them: First, They were few. Secondly, Very few. Thirdly, Strangers. Fourthly, Unsetled. What hindered their enemies? It was the Lord's negative voice. He reproved Kings for their sake, saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my Prophets no harm. We see an instance of this ( Gen. 35.5.) when Jacob and his family journeyed, the terror of God was upon the Cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob: They had a mind to pursue after them, to revenge the slaughter of the Shechemites, but God said, Pursue not, and then they could not pursue, they must stay at home. And when his people the Jews were safe in Canaan, he encourages them to come up freely to worship at Jerusalem, by this assurance, No man shall desire thy Land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God, thrice in the year ( Exod. 24.34.) God can stop not only hands from spoiling, but hearts from desiring. Our appetite, whether concupiscible or irascible, is under his command, as well as our actions. The Prophet asserts this by way of question (Lam. 3.37.) Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? That is, if the Lord doth not concur, if the Lord vote against the saying or command of any man in the world, what he saith shall never come to pass.

We should consider this to help our faith in these times. God hath a negative voice upon those counsels and conclusions, which are carried with one consent of men, And the wrath of man shall either turn to his praise, or all that is beyond that, he will stop, the remainder of wrath (namely, so much as remains over and above what turns to the praise of God) shalt thou restrain, Psal. 76.6. The sword is in motion amongst us, even as the Sun, and the sword seemeth to have received a charge to pass from one end of the Land to the other; yet a counter-command from God will stop this sword from going on. If he speak to the sword, the sword shall wound no more. We may entreat the sword to wound no more, as they ( Jer. 47.6.) cried out, O thou sword of the Lord, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put thyself into thy scabbard, rest and be still. The answer was, How can it be quiet, seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Askelon? &c. Our answer might be (changing place) the same, How can it be quiet, seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against England? A word from God draws, and a word from God sheaths the sword. He that commands the Sun, and it riseth not, can command the sword, and it smiteth not, the fire and it burns not, the water and it drowns not, the Lions and they devour not. How happy are they who serve the Lord over all!

Observe fourthly; seeing, He commandeth the Sun, and it riseth not.

That, The daily rising of the Sun, is an act of grace and favor to the world.

The Sun doth not rise alone of itself, it is the Lord (as we may say) that helps it up every morning. Therefore it is said ( Mat. 5.45.) He makes his Sun to rise; His Sun, mark how Christ speaks of the Sun, as God's own, that Sun which he can either cause to rise, or not to rise, cause to rise upon one people, and not upon another, He makes his Sun to rise; there is an act of common grace in making it to rise upon any, especially in making it to rise upon all, upon the evil, and upon the good, Mat. 5.41. That God makes the Sun rise to give them light, who use their eyes only to rebel against the light, how admirable is it?

Lastly, As to the special aim of Job, we see what a proof we have of the omnipotency of God, He is great in power, and mighty in strength; Why, because he can stop the Sun? He that can stay the Sun, what can he not do? We say to men that attempt impossibilities, Climb up to the Moon; it is more to stay the Sun, than to climb the moon. And if the Lord be able to overcome this difficulty, what difficulty can he not overcome? Here's a clear proof of the infinite power and wisdom of God, He speaks to the Sun, and it riseth not. And

The Sun is the light of the day, the stars the light of the night. He sealeth up the stars. Some take it to be a Periphrasis, or a description of night and day, because till the Sun riseth it is night, and when day appears, the stars are sealed up, or disappear: The Sun riseth, and the stars are obscured, we see them not: So the former clause, He commandeth the Sun, and it riseth not, is a description of the night; and this later, he sealeth up the stars, is a description of the day. The plain sense of both being this, He maketh both night and day.

Secondly (say others) This seal is set upon the Sun, in behalf of the stars, He sealeth up the Sun for the stars; that is, in favor of the stars; that the stars might sometime appear in their luster and glory to the world; he keepeth the Sun from appearing.

But (as we translate) we may better keep the seal upon the stars, He sealeth up the stars.

And so, sealing may import either of those two things.

First, The safe custody of the stars, He sealeth up the stars; that is, he preserveth the stars in their orbs, in the places where he hath set them, they shall never drop out. Sealing is often used for assurance and safe-keeping. Darius (Dan. 6. ) sealed the stone upon the den of Lions, that so Daniel might not be rescued or fetched out from the danger. The Jews, that they might keep Christ fast enough, sealed the stone of the sepulcher, wherein his body was laid ( Mat. 27.) And in a spiritual sense, the sealing of the Spirit, is to make the soul safe in the love and favor of God. A soul that is sealed by the Spirit of God, is secured of the love of God, and shall never drop out of his heart. So, He sealeth up the stars, is, He makes the stars firm and fast in their Sphears. But rather,

Secondly, Sealing is for secrecy, or for the hiding of a thing from the sight of others: So in the sealing of letters, that they be not seen, and of treasures, that they be not stolen or taken away, Deut. 32.34. Job 14.17. Thus the Lord seals up the stars, when he clouds or obscures the stars, and will not let them be seen. Some make it an allusion to a book. The heavens are a great volume, wherein many truths of God are written, his name is there; and the stars are as so many characters or letters of his Name. He often seals up this great volume, and so blots these letters that no man can read or distinguish them.

Thirdly, The meaning of, He sealeth up the stars, may be taken thus, He keeps in, and closes up the virtue and influences of the stars; he stops those treasures, which usually come down from the stars upon the earth. Natural Philosophy teaches us, that all the fatness and fruitfulness of the earth, is convaied from the heavens. Heaven nurses and suckles the earth: and if the Lord please he can dry up those breasts, seal up those influences, stop those secret workings which the heavenly bodies have upon the earth. Observe hence.

That the influences of the heavens are in the hand of God, to let them out, or stay them as he pleaseth.

As he can seal up the spiritual treasures of heaven, that the soul shall receive no light, comfort or refreshing from them in ordinances; so he seals up the natural influences of the heavens, that the earth and the fruits of it here below shall receive no quickening, no refreshing from them. And the earth languishes when the Lord suspendeth and sealeth up the natural influences of heaven, as the soul languisheth, when the Lord stops up the spiritual influences of heaven, when he seals up that star of Jacob, that daystar from on high, Jesus Christ.

What we hear of God in natural things, should keep us in continual dependence upon him for spirituals; he seals with the comforts of his own Spirit, and he seals up all comforts from our spirits.

This verse gives us a further argument of the mighty power of God. See how Jobs discourse moves from earth to heaven, and from the heavens down to the sea. He searches for the wonders of God's power and wisdom, in heaven and earth, and in the waters. Before he shows God stopping the course of the Sun, and sealing up the stars; now spreading out of the heavens, and treading upon the sea.

The heavens in reference to the earth, are the upper part of the world. The heavens are (as it were) the roof of the great house, which God made, or as a spangled Canopy over our heads, He spreadeth out the heavens; The word is of the Duall number in the Hebrew, and hath divers derivations, which are considerable to enlighten us in the point.

Some derive it from Shem, which signifies a name, a name of honor and dignity, Men of Name are men of renown ( Gen. 6.4. ) the heavens are the most glorious, beautiful and renowned part of the Creation; Their name is above every name of inanimate creatures.

Others, because there are waters above in these heavens, derive the word from (Sham) which is an adverb of place, and (Majim) which signifies waters; as much as to say, there are waters, or there is the place where God hath fountains and stores of water. All his waters are not upon the earth, he hath waters and springs in heaven.

A third takes it for a simple, not a compound word, being near the Ishmaelitish word Shama, noting only superiority in place, high or above.

A fourth opinion derives it from Schamem, which signifies, to be amazed, or to make one at a stand with wonder: And the reason is given, because the heavens are such a vast, stupendous body, that if a man look upon them exactly, they will amaze him. Who can observe the Sun, Moon and Stars, and not wonder, and be transported, at their vastness and beauty, at the swiftness and regularity of their motions, it is above the reach and apprehension of natural reason, how the Lord should fashion and spread out such heavens.

But, what are these heavens which he spreadeth forth?

Heaven is sometimes expressed with an addition, the highest heavens, the third heavens, in 2 Cor. 12.12. The heaven of heavens, 1 King. 8.27. Paul was wrapped up to the third heavens, that is, in visions and revelations he was brought as near to God himself, as a creature possibly can. Of this heaven we are to understand that, Gen. 1.1. where Moses saith, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was without form and void. He doth not say, the heaven which God created at first, was without form and void, but the earth was without form and void; for that heaven was a perfect creature. We read further of the creating of those heavens which we see, of the visible heavens, which are the continent of the Sun, Moon and Stars. But, In the beginning God created the heaven; that heaven which by way of eminency is called, The habitation of his holiness, and of his glory, Isa. 63.15. This was created in the beginning, and then, it is conceived the Angels were likewise created; but the earth which was then made was an imperfect creature, and all other corporeal creatures with their several forms and fullness were extracted out of that earth, which was without form and void. The very heavens (which we see) were made out of that first earth, the Sun, Moon, and the Stars, yea, the very light itself was made out of that earth, that general heap of matter which the Lord created at first, and is said to have been without form and void. But the heaven, which we call the heaven of heavens, the third heaven, or the highest heaven, was a perfect creature the first day, made without any pre-existent matter whatsoever by the power of God. This heaven is the largest of all the heavens which God spread out.

Secondly, Take heavens for the visible heavens. I intend not to stay upon philosophical considerations, only what the Scripture holds forth; we find heavens put, first for the starry heavens or the firmament, where the stars have their motion, that's the heaven meant ( Gen. 1.17. Psal. 8.7. Psal. 19.1.) This, a • cording to the doctrine of Astronomers, is distinguished into several orbs and spheres, in seven of which seven special stars are said to move, and all the rest to be fixed in the eighth.

The Apostle Jude seems to give a hint of those planeticall orbs ( Jude v. 13.) where he justly reproacheth unsettled spirits by the name of wandering stars or planets, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

Thirdly, Heaven is taken in Scripture for a nearer heaven, for all that, which is below the Moon, for the air and the clouds. Hence the birds are said to fly in the heavens; and ( Gen. 8.2.) the rain from heaven was restrained, that is, the rain from the clouds, for there is no rain in that heaven above the clouds.

Heaven is a building of three stories. The first story is the air and the clouds, up to the moon. The second story reaches all the planets and stars. The third story is also called, the third heaven, or the heaven of heavens, the place of his most glorious residence, who filleth heaven and earth.

All these heavens the Lord spreadeth out.

There is a threefold spreading forth of a thing.

First, By contusion or beating with hammers, as a mass of gold or silver, &c. is spread into thin plates and leaves.

Secondly, By way of rarefaction or attenuation; water is rarefied by fire, and so are metals, when they are melted or caused to run with extreme heat. In allusion to which, Elihu speaks in his challenge to Job (Chap. 37.18.) Hast thou with him spread out the sky which is strong, and as a molten looking-glass. The sky is of a weak, sleight matter, not hard, massy, or elemental, yet it is strong; the nature of it being incorruptible, the figure of it round and indissoluble. And it is compared to a looking-glass, for the clearness of it; those instruments were made, some of glass, some of steel or brass, molten and polished for that purpose.

Thirdly, A thing is spread forth by unfolding the parts, as a tent or a curtain is spread: and thus the spreading of the heavens is described, Psal. 104.1, 2. O Lord, thou art clothed with honor and majesty, thou stretchest out the heavens like a curtain. God took the vast matter folded together, and spread it as a curtain, tabernacle or tent. And the Latin word which carries the interpretation of this in the Hebrew, is frequently applied by ancient Authors, to the pitching of tents in war. In this third sense we are specially to understand the Text, Alone spreadeth out the Heavens.

And so this spreading is either an exposition of the nature of the heavens ( Gen. 1.8.) The Lord said, Let there be a firmament; the Hebrew is, Let there be an expansion, or a stretching forth. These heavens are so much spread forth, that they are called, a thing spread forth; and so the text is a description of the heavens in their first Creation. Or, it may refer to the words going before, and so these are a reason to show that God can command the Sun, and seal up the stars, why? He spreadeth forth the heavens; that is, the heavens are all of his making, and at his disposing; he set the Sun there, and put the stars there, he fashioned the orbs in which they are placed, and therefore he can stay the Sun, and seal the stars.

And as he thus spreadeth out the heavens, so, which is more observable, He spreadeth them out alone. When a piece of hangings, or the like of a large extent is to be spread forth, one man cannot do it, many hands are put to that work. It is an axiom in Divinity, That no creature can be an instrument in Creation: this stretching forth of the heavens is an act of Creation, therefore he alone doth it, there is none to help him.

Yet we find that God had some other with him, when he stretched out the heavens, though it be here attributed to him alone: and though Elihu expostulates with Job in this point (Chap. 37.18.) Hast thou with him spread out the sky which is strong, and as a molten looking-glass? Elihu would bring down the thoughts of Job, which he conceived were too much lifted up, by showing that God did this alone; Job (saith he) didst thou hold one part of this great Curtain or Canopy of heaven in thy hand, and God another, and was it so spread out between you? No, neither man nor angel was his helper; who then was with God in this work? Solomon tells us, ( Prov. 8.27.) When he prepared the heavens I was there, when he set a compass upon the face of the depth. Who was that? I wisdom was there. Jesus Christ was there. Christ was he by whom God prepared and stretched forth the heavens. No creature was there, only the uncreated, creating Son of God. God created alone, that is, without the help of any creature; but he created all things by the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made, that was made. Observe from hence,

First, The heavens are as the royal tent and pavilion of the Lord.

He spreadeth them out. The Lord is often expressed coming out of the heavens with warlike preparations: There his tent is pitched, and he sitteth there, as a great Commander in his pavilion, to give out Orders to his Armies. He hath an host in heaven, and therefore he hath a tent in heaven; or rather heaven is his tent. The Lord hath his way in the whirlwind, and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet, Nah. 1.3. God pitches his battle in heaven; The stars in their courses fought against Sisera. He fought from heaven; from thence he discharged his great Artillery, his Cannons thundered and lightened against the enemies of his people. He hath also his store-houses for ammunition, his Magazines there (Job 38.22. ) Hast thou (saith God to Job) entered into the treasures of the snow? Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble, the day of battle and war? He speaks of heaven as of a great storehouse, where he hath his arms, his powder and ball, all his warlike provision laid up against the day of battle. Heathens have spoken such language, calling storms and tempest, hail and thunder, The weapons and engines of the Armory of heaven.

Secondly, In that he saith, He stretcheth out the heavens alone; observe,

That the Lord needs not the help of any treature to do his greatest works.

He hath power, and he hath power in himself to do what he hath a will should be done; let all the creatures in the world stand still yet God can carry his work forward. What work is like this, the stretching forth the heavens: There cannot be a work of so much difficulty under heaven, as the spreading forth of the heavens. He, who did that alone, what can he not do alone? Though men will not, though men cannot help, the Lord can and will alone. Isa. 59.16. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; no man to do, no man to speak in that business, not a man appeared: what then? Doth the Lord say, well, seeing there is no man to do, I also will let it lie? No, Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him, and his power sustained him; he did it alone. Paul speaks of himself, that at his first appearing before Nero, all men forsook him, not a man would own him, but (saith he) The Lord stood by me (2 Tim. 4.15.) This is a great encouragement to us in great affairs and businesses, in the greatest straits and difficulties of the times; if men forsake and desert, the Lord alone can do all for us; if men have not power to do what they have will to do, nor will to do what they have power; then remember, He that stretcheth out the heavens alone, can order our works alone, compose our differences alone, conquer our enemies alone. God alone is infinite, greater, stronger, wiser, then all creatures together. God can be now as he will be hereafter, all in all unto us. God is enough for us without any creature; yea, God and all that he hath made cannot do more than God, without anything that he hath made.

The sea is a fluid body; to sail or swim in the waters is ordinary, but to tread upon the waters, that's another act of wonder, He treadeth upon the waves of the sea; or, he walks on them as upon a pavement.

To tread upon the waves imports, that God hath a command over the sea, and the waves of it. To tread upon a thing is to have it under our power, or in subjection to us ( Psal. 91.13.) the promise is, Thou shalt tread upon the Lion, and upon the Asp; that is, thou shalt prevail and triumph over the greatest evils, over enemies as strong and fierce as Lions, as poisonous and stinging as the Asp, Psal. 108.9. Over Edom will I cast out my shoe; which notes either contempt of them; as if he had said, I look upon them as worthy only to scrape and make clean my shoes. Or secondly, Conquest over them; I will walk thorough Edom and subdue it. Deut. 11.24. Every place whereon the sole of your feet shall tread shall be yours; that is, yours shall be conquering feet, you shall tread as lords upon all lands. Yours shall be all the ground you go on, that is, it shall be subject to you, Jud. 5.21. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength; and Mic. 1.3. The Lord shall tread upon the high places of the earth; that is, the Lord shall subject the highest things that are upon the earth to his power. That place is very observable, Numb. 24.17. Where Balaam prophesying of Christ, saith (as we translate) A star shall come out of Jacob; the Hebrew is, A star shall tread out of Jacob, noting Christ a victorious, a triumphing star, who should come treading and trampling upon the world as conqueror; though the world in regard of his outside, trod and trampled upon him: So it is explained in the later words of the verse, He shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. A star shall tread out of Jacob. A treading star is a triumphing star.

The Hebrew is, He treadeth upon the high places of the sea; the word (Bamoth) is used frequently for the places where idolatrous worship was set up, their high places. M ^r Broughton translates, the high waves of the sea; because sea-waves rise high, so high, that the Psalmist describes them, mounting up to the heaven (Psal. 107.26.) When these high waves threaten to swallow all, then the Lord treads upon them, that is, his power is above them, and he makes them submit to his command. As to ride upon the high places of the earth (Deut. 32.13. Isa. 58.14.) is to have highest command, and to be a chief upon the earth, or to dwell safely and free from anoiance upon the earth: So to tread upon the high places or high waves of the sea, implies God's Empire or Sovereignty over the Sea.

Hence observe, first,

That the sea in its highest rage is at the beck, and under the treadings of God.

When the waves are most stirring and raging, he speaks them quiet, Psal. 89.9. Thou rulest the raging of the sea, when the waves thereof arise thou stillest them. As to walk upon the sea, is an argument of a divine power; so to command the sea. When Christ ( Mat. 8.26.) rebuked the sea, and said, as another Gospel hath it ( Mark 4.38.) Peace and be still, as if one should hush a child; The men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him? Winds and waves seem the most disobedient, stubborn and unteachable creatures in the world, yet a word from God calms the one, and smoothes the other. When the old Egyptians would by their Hieroglyphics express an impossibility, they did it by the picture of a man treading upon the waves; as if they should say, this is as impossible as for a man to walk upon the waves. The Heathen Poets describe Neptune their Sea-god, swimming, not walking upon, or treading the waters. To tread upon the waters is so much above man, that mere Naturalists thought it too much for God. Man shows his pride and arrogancy to the height, when he pretends to lord it over the waves of the sea. When the Hellespont a strait of the sea, by a sudden storm rising upon it, broke the bridge of Boats, which Xerxes had made to pass into Greece, and so opposed the project of that Persian Monarch, he cast fetters into it, as if he would teach it to know it's Lord, and caused it to be beaten with 300. stripes, to chasten its former disobedience. It is recorded in the history of this Nation, concerning Canute an ancient Danish King, that when a mighty storm of flattery rose upon him, he appeased it by showing he could not appease the storms of the sea. One of his Courtiers told him in his progress, as he rode near the sea side, that he was Lord not only of the land, but of the sea, and that all those seas which he saw, were at his command. Well, saith he, we shall see that by and by, and so walketh down to the shore, and pulling off his upper garment, wraps it together, and sits upon it near the flowing of the waves, and with a loud voice speaks thus, O ye seas and waves come no further, Touch not my feet, &c. But the sea came up, notwithstanding his charge, and confuted that flattery. God only hath this Prerogative, He treadeth upon the high waves of the sea.

There are also mystical waves, which the Lord treadeth upon: people and Nations are called waters, and many waters, in the book of the Revelation. The waves of the sea cannot be in a greater rage, then the Nations of the earth sometimes are. And the same Hebrew word by which the rage of the sea is properly expressed, expresses also the rage of men (Psal. 2.1.) Why do the Heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? Why are the Gentiles, the great waters up as high waves, threatening a deluge to the throne of Christ? The power of Christ is as eminent in stilling the rage of the mystical, as of the literal waters; yea, we find these two matched together ( Psal. 65.7.) He stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waters, and the tumult of the people. Hence the Apostle Jude (verse. 13.) calls wicked men, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame. The Lord sitteth upon these floods; yea, the Lord sitteth King forever, Psal. 29.10.

There are other mystical waves, even waves within us, which will not be trodden upon by any foot, but God's. There is a sea of wickedness in every man's heart by nature. Every wicked man is nothing but a sea, he is a sea of wickedness. The wicked (Isa. 57.20.) are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest. And as the winds blow from all quarters of the heavens, and strive upon the seas: So there are divers lusts, which as winds strive upon the face of man's heart, the lust of pride, the lust of covetousness, the lusts of ambition, of envy, of malice, these enrage and swell the waters. The Lord treads upon the high waves of this sea also, he restrains and keeps lust down by his power, it would drown all else. These raging waves swell too high in his own people; it is the work of his Spirit to tread these down; and when the winds of several temptations raise those waves, he it is that commands them down. Who amongst us is there, that one time or other finds not corruption raging, as the high waves of the sea? How mighty and powerful is the Lord in that great work of his effectual grace, treading upon the waves of this sea, remaining corruption in his servants and children!

In the verse immediately before, we heard of the power of God in stretching out the heavens; and in this we have his excellent skill, and infinite wisdom displayed in adorning, decking and beautifying those heavens which he had stretched forth. He hath not only drawn out a vast piece of work, like a large Canopy (such are the heavens) but he hath embroidered this Canopy, and set it with rich sparkling stones; he hath made several engravings, images, figures, and representations upon it.

Or we may make the connection with the later clause of the former verse. Job having said that the Lord treadeth upon the high waves of the sea; that when the seas are most stormy and tempestuous, they are at his command, and that their confusions are under his Empire and order; he adds this verse by way of answer to a possible objection. For some might say, the motion of the seas is from the power and influences of the stars, from the rising and setting of the moon, with other planets and constellations. True, saith Job, yet the Lord is he that treadeth upon the waves of the sea, it is the Lord that orders them, and not the stars: Though the stars and constellations have a dominion over the seas in their ebbings and flowings, motions and revolutions, yet there is a Lord who hath power, not only over the seas, but over that which over-powers the seas, even over the stars of heaven. He maketh Arcturus, Orion and Pleiades, and the chambers of the South; which stars, according to the doctrine of Astronomy, have a special power upon the seas.

Either of these ways we may make the connection.

First, That Job would express the adorning of the heavens, after he had spoken of their making and stretching forth.

Or secondly, He would teach us, that though the heavens work upon the seas, yet God works upon the heavens. He maketh Arcturus, Orion and Pleiades, and the chambers of the South.

I shall endeavor to speak of these distinctly; The holy Ghost giving us such a Text, it is not lightly to be passed by: And though here are strange words and uncouth expressions, yet we may (I hope) bring them down to an easy meaning, and fit them to the understanding of the simplest.

I shall touch a little in the general before I come to everyone in particular.

Job under these names couches many of the stars of heaven. A Star (according to Philosophy) is the thicker part of its orb • r sphere; it is thicker then other parts of the heavens; for otherwise as it could not hold the light, so it could not reflect and send forth the light; It could not be a vessel for light, or a conveyance for light. Light was created the first day ( Gen. 1.3.) but the lights were created the fourth day ( Gen. 1.14.) that is, certain vessels were created to hold the light. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven; that is, let the light which is now scattered thorough all, be gathered in certain receptacles, fit to keep, and yet fitted to transmit and disperse it into all parts of the world, Let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light, verse. 15.

Of these lights or stars, some are called moving, and others fixed. That's the doctrine of Astronomers, and it is the doctrine of the Scripture. The Apostle Jude (ver. 13.) calling some wandering stars, seems to admit of that distinction of the stars, into wandering and fixed. The unfixt or wandering stars are seven, known by their names and motions. These in the Text are none of them; these are placed above them.

The seat of these Asterismes, is in the eighth sphere (to take that doctrine for granted, though many dispute it) or story of the heavens (so the Prophet Amos speaks, Chap. 9.2. He buildeth his stories in the heavens; we put in the margent, spheres, He build • th his spheres in the heavens, which being one above another, are elegantly called the stories of heaven.) And in the eight sphere innumerable stars are fixed. Some of which fall under special observation and numeration. Astronomers give us a Catalogue of a thousand three and twenty stars, which they exactly distinguish; which is the ancient account. And since that we have had many more discoveries by those noble Navigatours, who have made thorough-lights to the world, that the East might look into the West, and the South into the North: The travel, study and experiments of these Masters in navigation have brought us in an additional number of three hundred stars more. And so we reckon a thousand three hundred, and twenty three fixed stars known by name; of which these in the text are a part.

Th • other stars are both innumerable and unnameable, beyond number and without name. Hence when the Lord shown Abraham how great his seed should be, he carries him out, and bids him look toward heaven, and tell the stars, if he were able to number them, Gen. 15.5.

The stars (to come a little nearer the Text) observed and numbered by Students in this great volume of the heavens, are distinguished into forty and one images or representations, whereof some (for learnings sake) are fancied the images of men and women, others the images of beasts and fishes, others the images of things without life. Of these images, twelve are in the Zodiaque, commonly called the twelve signs. In the Southern part of the sphere eleven of those signs are placed, and in the Northern eighteen, which added to twelve in the Zodiaque, make up the number of forty and one.

Now, when it is said in the Text, That God makes Arcturus, Orion and Pleiades, and the chambers of the South. We are not to take them for so many distinct and particular stars, but for constellations, or configurations, because they stand in such a form or figure: and so for the better knowledge of them they are called by the names of such creatures as they seem to represent.

We have three of those special figures here in the Text, and one more general. Arcturus, Orion and Pleiades are three figures, or starry representations in the eighth sphere. I will open their Hebrew names. As also the Latin and Greek names, used commonly in translations, by which we shall get a clearer understanding in the nature of the things themselves.

The word Gnesh in Hebrew, signifies a meeting or congregating of many things together, because in that one, many stars are joined. Arcturus in Greek is as much as to say, The tail of the Bear, because the stars called Arcturus stand in a figure like the tail of a Bear.

The second Asterisme, which we translate Orion, is called in the Hebrew (Chesil) and that signifies either constancy or inconstancy (the sense runs both ways) settledness or variableness. And it is applied to this star or constellation in either sense.

First, For constancy or settledness, because there is much strength in the influences of that constellation.

Or, secondly, For inconstancy and unsetlednes, because it is observed, that upon the rising of this star, there is much variety, changeableness and unsettledness in the weather. Hence the Jews call that month which answers to our November, or the ninth month, Chislu (Zec. 7.1.) because that month was usually very stormy and the weather changeable, Orion then arising in their Haemisphear. The Arabic word (Algeuse) by which this Asterisme is named, signifies a warrior; and the Chaldee (Algebar) a Giant, all aiming at the furious, boisterous winds which usually attend the appearing of this constellation. And so the Greek word from which Orion cometh, signifies to trouble or to disturb. And its usual Epithets are bold, vehement, impetuous Orion, all betraying its unquiet and various temper.

The third starry association we call Pleiades, the Hebrews, Chimah. This is a very cold constellation. The Greeks express winter by this word, because it brings in frost and cold with it. The derivation of the Hebrew name is very obscure. Some professedly acknowledge their ignorance, that they cannot tell how to derive it; yet some dig the root of it in the Chaldee, signifying firm. Others in the Hebrew, signifying to desire, or earnestly to wish for a thing; and the reason of it is (say they) because these stars (the Pleiades ) the seven stars we often speak of, are much desired by Sea-men, for seeing them, they have a perfect rule to guide and steer their course by. And it is an observation among some of the Rabbins, that Noah had a little window in the top of his Ark, that from thence he might (when the waters began to asswage, and the stress of the deluge was over) look up to the heavens, and know by those stars what course his Ark made. Thus much we know, that the stars are the Sea-men's night-guide, and the rising of some of them falls under their more special observation.

The fourth title of the stars is, The chambers of the South. And why, The chambers of the South? The continent is put for the things contained. The word which we translate Chambers, signifies anything that is very inward or retired, and therefore translated a chamber, Judge. 15.1. and Cant. 3.4. Mans spirit is thus expressed, because it lies so far inward (Prov. 24.4.) By knowledge shall the chambers be filled; that is, the most secret parts of the soul shall be filled by knowledge. Prov. 18.8. The inward part of the belly. Prov. 7.27. They go down to the chambers of death; that is, to the inmost and most retired ways of death, the grave. Here, The chambers of the South are the most remote, hidden and secret parts of the South. And the reason why after he had expressed the other constellations by special names, he gives us these only in general [The chambers of the South] is, because the stars which are under the Southern pole, are hidden from us, and are enclosed & lodged as in a chamber: God locks them up in his treasury, and they are secrets to this part of the world; the southern Pole being under or below our Horizon. In the artificial spheres of heaven we find few Asterismes or descriptions of the stars about those parts; there are many, but we perceive them not. And the virtue and operation of these chambered, hidden stars, is as strong, as of those, which appear in greatest luster and beauty.

Again, When he saith, Which maketh Arcturus &c. his meaning is, Which makes them appear, or do their office. These stars were made when the heavens were made, and Jobs discourse is not about creation, but providence. So that to make Arcturus, &c. in the sense of this Text, is only this, to order the times of their rising and setting, to distinguish the seasons of the year, and to produce their several effects in every season, which providential acts are here especially aimed at. Thus he maketh Arcturus to rise, about the middle of September, which is the time of the Equinox, when the civil day and night are even, and share the hours of the natural day equally between them. Or, as others account, this star rises about eleven days before the Equinox. So, by Arcturus we may understand that season of the year: And he maketh Arcturus, is, he orders and disposeth of the season, commonly called Autumn. Orion shines forth in our Hemisphear, about the month of December, and by that, winter is designed. The Pleiades begin at the spring, therefore called Vergiliae, because they arise (vere) in the spring, and disappear or go down toward winter. The chambers of the South, are fiery stars, which have their chief influence upon us in heat of Summer.

And so we may put the Text into these plain expressions, He maketh Arcturus, Orion and Pleiades, and the chambers of the South. That is,

First, He makes and orders Summer and winter, spring and harvest, because these stars divide the four seasons of the year.

Or, secondly, thus, He makes hot and cold, wet and dry, storm and calm.

Or, thirdly, as these fo •• constellations are assigned to the four chief points of heaven. Arcturus is known by all, who know anything in the heavens, to be seated about the Northern Pole, whose opposites are those stars in the chambers of the South. Orion dwells in the East, and the Pleiades in the West.

So the plain English of the words is this, That the Lord by his mighty power and wisdom ordereth and appointeth the motions of heaven, from East to West, from North to South.

Lastly, To clear up the sense of this Text, we must understand these four constellations Synecdochically, these being put for all the rest; For as God orders these, so every star in the firmament; the least are under his eye, and at his dispose, as well as the greatest. But because these are the most eminent, useful and efficacious in their appearances, motions and influences, therefore these are named, He maketh Arcturus, Orion and Pleiades, and the chambers of the South.

We may observe from the words thus opened divers profitable instructions.

First, All the stars are placed in the heavens by the special designment of God for the use and good of man.

Moses (Deut. 4.19.) gives a caution to Israel from the Lord, that they should take heed of imitating the Heathens in their abominations, and this is one particular, Lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the Sun, and the Moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all Nations under the whole heaven. Observe that, The Lord thy God hath divided them unto all Nations under heaven; Therefore take heed that thou do not worship them. They are the work of God, they are creatures; and worship, which is proper to the Creator, must not be given to them. It is a remarkable Text, Lest (saith he) thou shouldest be driven to worship them. How driven? Not by external force and power, but driven by the strong inclination of thine heart, ravished with such beautiful objects. The excellency that is in the works of God hath power to draw, yea to drive the heart of man to commit idolatry. Job shows this, while he acquits himself so industriously from it (Chap. 31.26, 27.) If I beheld the Sun when it shined, or the Moon walking in brightness, and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth had kissed my hand; this also were an iniquity to be punished by the Judge, &c. Some translate that ( Deut. 4.) in this language of Job, Lest thou be deceived t • worship the Sun, Moon and stars, and host of heaven: this is very considerable: but the thing I chiefly note in that Scripture to the point in hand, is this, That the Lord hath made and appointed the stars to the several parts of the heavens, he hath divided them to all Nations under the whole heaven. Some stars are the portion of one people, others of another. As the earth is an inheritance divided among the children of men; so also are the stars and heavens. We seldom consider what riches we receive from that part of our inheritance; most think they live by the earth only; No, saith Moses, The Lord hath divided the heavens, the Sun, Moon and Stars, unto all Nations under heaven. He hath settled it, what star such a Land shall have, and in what seasons, as also what proportions of the Sun and Moon, for light, heat and influence. He hath made them for the children of men. Man is fed and clothed, warmed and cherished from heaven more then from the earth: and the lot and divisions which we have of the earth, are naturally and usually good or bad, rich or barren, pleasant or unpleasant, healthy or unwholesome, according as the aspects of the heaven and stars, are more or less benign, or favorable unto them. Moses (Deut. 29.26.) reproves the ingratitude of the Jews by this argument, Because they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given to them. So we translate. But the letter of the Hebrew gives it thus; who had not given to them, or divided among them any portion. As if Moses had said, The Lord divided and gave the heavens and the stars among you, and these base dunghill-gods never gave you so much as a clod of earth, and will ye depart from Jehovah to serve them?

Secondly, Observe, God knoweth the number, the names and the nature of all the stars.

He gives them special names. These in the translation are names of man's imposition. Yet the holy Ghost uses Heathenish names in the New Testament ( Act. 28.11.) we read of a Ship, in which Paul sailed to Rome, whose sign was Castor and Pollux, two Pagan Sea-gods. It is said, that God brought all the beasts of the earth to Adam, that he should give them names; but he brought not the host of heaven to Adam, that he should give them names, he named them himself, Psal. 147.4. He telleth the number of the stars, he calleth them all by their names. Men are not able to tell the number of the stars; they tell distinctly but to a thousand three hundred, or a few more, and they are not able to tell all these by distinct names, but they are constrained to reckon them by constellations, where a whole family of stars are called by one name. The Lord hath made it his special privilege to tell the number of the stars, and to call them all by their names. And these are named in the Text for all the rest. Observe,

Thirdly, Some stars are more excellent, of greater virtue and name then others; when these are named, it is for special reason. The Lord nameth these, as stars of more then ordinary dignity. These are in degree next to the Sun and Moon: when a few are named for many, we usually name the chiefest: as the whole people of the Jews are set forth by the heads of their Tribes, by the Chiefs; and when a Nation is spoken of, it is by those greater names, the Magistrates and the Ministers. These are named, because they have most to do, and the greatest business in a Nation. So these stars are here named, because they are of special use and influence. The Apostle gives us this clearly (1 Cor. 15.41.) There is one glory of the Sun, another of the Moon, and another glory of the Stars; for one star differeth from another star in glory. One star hath a more honorable name then another. Some stars God doth not vouchsafe to name particularly to us, when others, which are of greater glory, are. As in a building, some parts of it are chief, The foundation, the top stone, the corner stone; the strength and beauty of the whole building are comprehended under these. God hath made differences and degrees in all creatures; in the heavenly as well as earthly. The names of most stars are concealed, as being of a lower degree. And we find that whensoever in Scriptare stars are spoken of, scarce any are named but these, and these are often named, which implies their superiority and dignity. The Prophet urges this as an argument of humblest addresses unto, and dependence upon God. (Amos 5.8.) Seek him that maketh the seven stars (that is, Pleiades) and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, &c. He doth not say, Seek him that maketh all the stars, the Lord made all. But because he hath given so much virtue and excellency to these, these only are reported as of his making. Here, Which maketh Arcturus: (there) Seek him which maketh the seven stars; As if he had said, In those stars God hath laid out much of himself, and made his power and wisdom most visible: How much hath God in himself, who hath communicated so much to one senseless creature?

And though stars differ thus one from another, yet they envy not one another. Which lessons us to be content, though God make our names less named in the world, than the names of many of our brethren; though he trust more talents to, or put more light into others, than into ourselves. One star differs from another star in glory, but no star envies another's glory.

Fourthly, Job being about to declare the power and wisdom of God, gives instance (among other things) in this, He maketh Arcturus, Orion, &c. Then observe,

The power and wisdom of God shine eminently in the stars.

The power and wisdom of God shine in every grass that grows out of the ground, yea in every clod of earth much more then in the stars of heaven. Much of God is seen in those works of God; yea, so much, that many have been drawn to make them gods. There is so much of God seen in the heavens, that not only Heathens, who had not the true knowledge of God: but his Covenant-people, who knew him, and whom he knew above all the Families of the earth, have been drawn away to worship the host of heaven. That place before cited ( Deut. 4.) hinteth as much, Take heed, lest when thou liftest up thine eyes to heaven, and seest the Sun, and the Moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, thou shouldest be driven to worship them and serve them. If thou lift up thine eyes to the stars, and not higher, even to God who made the stars, thou wilt quickly mistake the stars for God, or make the stars thy god; the heart of man is mad upon idolatry. Read how often the Jews are taxed with this sin, 2 King. 21.3. and in 2 King. 17.16. and in Amos 5.26. which clears this truth, that much of the power and wisdom of God is stamped upon the stars; if God did not much appear in the stars, so many had not taken the stars for God, or given them, which is proper and peculiar to God, religious worship.

There are five or six things which show the power of God and his wisdom in making of the stars.

First, The greatness of the Stars; such vast bodies show an infinite power in their constitution. It is incredible to ordinary reason (unless men have skill and learning to make it out, and to lay the course of nature together) that the stars are so great. The Sun is reckoned by Astronomers to be one hundred sixty six times bigger than all the earth. The Moon indeed, which is called a great light, is thirty nine times less then the earth, yet that magnitude is far beyond common apprehension. Some other of the planets are almost an hundred times bigger then the earth. And whereas the fixed stars are distinguished into six magnitudes, or differences of greatness. Those of the first magnitude (which are many) are conceived to be one hundred and seven times bigger then the whole earth. We look upon a star, as if it were no bigger then the blaze of a Candle, and the Country-man wonders if the Moon be bigger then his bushel, or broader then his Cart-wheel. If the most judicious enter the consideration of these things, they may soon come to amazement, that so many stars in the heavens should be more then an hundred times bigger then all the earth. And if there are such vast bodies in heaven, what a vast body is heaven? That continent must needs be exceedingly exceeding vast, which contains so many exceeding vast bodies in it. If we get but a nook or a corner of the earth for our portion, we presently think ourselves great men: yet what is all the earth to the heavens? And what are the heavens we see to that heaven which is unseen, to which these are but a pavement? The heavens which are to us a roof, are but a floor to the highest heavens.

A second thing which shows the mighty power and wisdom of God in the stars, is the multitude of them, they are innumerable: Man cannot tell them (only God can) they are like the sand of the sea for number. A multitude of little sands make a huge body; then how great a body do a multitude of great bodies make?

Thirdly, The swiftness of their motion, that these mighty vast bodies should be carried about every day, so long a journey, and never tire or wear, shows infinite power and wisdom.

Fourthly, This is more admirable, the exact order of their motion. That innumerable stars should move continually in the heavens, and yet not one of them move out of course: this regularity of their motion is settled by an ordinance of heaven (Jer. 31.35.) where the Lord, to assure his people that he would be steady and steadfast in the ways of his love to them, and that he would not cast them off, tells them that he would be as firm to them in his Covenant, as he is in the ordinances of heaven: Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the Sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the Moon and of the stars, for a light by night, &c. As if he had said, I have made a statute and a decree which is irrepealable and irrevocable concerning the motion of the stars. There is an ordinance of heaven for it: so that as the celestial bodies cannot but continue the course I have assigned them for the enlightening of these inferior parts, while the world lasts: So the Covenant which I have made with you shall not fail to give you light. Thus he infers in the next verse, If these ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then shall the seed of Israel also cease from being a Nation before me forever; but that cannot be, I have established these stars by a firm and perpetual decree; therefore you are much more established.

And such is the exactness of their order and motion, that the stars of heaven are frequently in Scripture called an host or an army: Now an army, as it consists of many persons (which is one reason why the stars are called an host) so an army rightly marshalled is cast into an exact form, and so regular for motion, that it is one of the good liest sights in the world. Now the stars are the host of heaven, they stand (as it were) in battalia, they keep rank and file; there is not so much as one of that great multitude out of place; therefore, Judge. 5.20. where they are said to fight against Sisera, they are described fighting in courses, The stars in their courses fought against Sisera; as if the stars had been drawn up, now one regiment, then another regiment of them, to charge upon Sisera and his host: the heavens fought, and the stars fought, that is, the Lord by an heavenly power and influence of the stars confounded Sisera, and all the enemies of Israel.

Fifthly, There is a most efficacious virtue in the stars. It is a secret virtue, and it is a strong irresistable virtue, no power in the creature can stop it: Therefore God challenges Job, in the 38. of this book of Job, v. 31. Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? There are influences in the stars, and canst thou bind them? Is it in the power of any creature to stop the issues and out-flowings of the stars? Their influences are so efficacious, that none can bind them, but he that looseth them; none can bind them, but the hand and power which made them; there is so much efficacy in them, that if God let them go on in their natural vigor, their effects are wonderful. I (saith the Lord, Hos. 2.21, 22.) will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth, and the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and they shall hear Jezreel; As if he had said, The heavens are next in power to me, they are second to myself in working, Therefore I will hear the heavens, the heavens cannot do it, unless I give them a commission, but I will hear the heavens. I will leave a power in the heavens, And the heavens shall hear the earth, and the earth shall hear the corn, &c. There is a gradation, a descent from God to us, and the heavens are the next receptacle, the immediate vessel, receiving and taking in power and virtue from God to defuse and send down upon the creatures here below, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth.

Sixthly, Observe, That the stars and constellations of heaven, can do nothing of themselves, but as they receive order & commission from the Lord.

He maketh Arcturus and Orion, &c. They have great power, but it is the Lord that maketh them. That word [He maketh] doth not so much signify the Creation, as the providential disposition of the stars, as was noted in the Exposition of it. He maketh them, that is, he orders and disposeth them, or he acts the stars, he trims up those lamps of heaven; the word is so used (2 Sam. 19.24.) Mephibosheth, while David was in trouble, had not dressed his feet; the Hebrew is, He had not made his feet, that is, he had neglected his body; now (saith Job ) the Lord is he that makes, dresses, or trims up those lamps of heaven: though they have a natural virtue, yet that virtue is quickened by providence. Providence is a continued creation. He maketh Arcturus, Orion and Pleiades.

The stars are the servants of God, they receive orders and directions from him for all they do. And the reason why the Lord did so often call his people off from gazing upon the stars, and reproved star-gazers, was, because they looked no further than the stars, they thought the stars did all, they did not eye God that made Arcturus, Orion, &c. but they only eied Arcturus, &c. Therefore he threatens the star-gazers and monthly prognosticatours, who took upon them to resolve future events by the conjunction of planets, and planetary aspects; placing an uncontrollable power in the hands of the heavens, and stars, whereas I (saith the Lord) make Arcturus: I made him, and I make him do what I command, not what you fore-tell. Therefore ( Isa. 44.24, 25.) the Prophet speaking of God's work in making the heavens and the stars, presently adds, how he befools men, that will prophesy from the stars, as if they could tell infallibly what shall come to pass. I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretcheth forth the heavens alone, that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself: What follows? That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad. I stretch out the heavens: some will needs prophesy out of the heavens, I have set the stars in the heavens, and they are for signs ( Gen. 1.14.) but I have not set them for Prophets: If any presume to declare or resolve what shall be done, I resolve to punish their presumption. I take delight to frustrate men, who delight in this, and to befool them, who would be thus wise. This is my name, The God that stretcheth out the heavens alone, and that maketh diviners mad. Great disappointments enrage: and some men lose their reason, when they lose the credit of doing things above reason. Because they cannot be as God's to fore-tell good or evil, they will not be so much as men, He makes the diviners mad. The Law was peremptory and severe against them ( Deut. 18.9.) There shall not be found amongst you any one that useth divination, or is an observer of times; why not an observer of times? may we not observe times and seasons? May we not look up to the heavens and consider their motions? Yes, we may observe times holily, but not superstitiously, as if sometimes were good, others bad, some lucky, others unlucky, as if the power of God were shut up in, or over-ruled by his own instruments and inferior causes, this is dishonorable unto God, and thus the Jews were forbidden to use any divination, or to observe times.

The heavens and stars are for signs, but they are not infallible signs. They are ordinary signs of the change of weather, Mat. 16.2, 3. They are ordinary signs of the seasons of the year, Spring and Summer, and harvest and winter; they are ordinary signs of a fit time to till and manure the ground, to plow, sow and reap. The earth is fitted and prepared for culture by the motion of the heavens. The heavens are at once the Alphabet of the power and wisdom of God, and of our works: we may read there when to do many businesses. Gen. 8.22. While the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Those seasons shall continually return according to the time of the year, measured by the Sun, Moon and Stars. Thus, they are signs of ordinary events. And God sometimes puts the sign of an extraordinary event in them, Mat. 24.29. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the Sun be darkened, and the Moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; which, some understand allegorically; others literally of strange apparitions and impressions in heaven, either before the destruction of Jerusalem, or the day of judgment. So Act. 2.19, 20, &c. Thus God puts a sign in them of extraordinary events.

But shall man from them prognosticate and fore-tell extraordinary events? as when there shall be famine and pestilence, war and trouble in Nations? This the Lord abhorreth. The counsels of God about these things are written in his own heart; what is man that he should transcribe them from the heavens? But if men will say, they are written there; God will blot out what they say, and prove theirs to be but human divinations, yea, that they were received from hell, not written in heaven. (Isa. 47.13.) I will destroy the signs of them that divine, let now the Astrologers, the star-gazers, the monthly Prognosticatours stand up and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee: Behold, they shall be as stubble, they shall not be able to deliver themselves. It is good to be a star-beholder, but a wicked thing to be a star-gazer; that is, to look upon the stars, so, as if we could spell out the secret providences of God, and read future events in the book of those creatures. It is our duty to look upon the heavens, as they declare the glory of God; but it is a sin to look upon the heavens, as if they could declare the destinies, fates and fortunes of men. All which vanities are largely and learnedly confuted by M Perkins, in his book called, The resolution of the Country-man about Prognostications.

Now, that the success of every creature is in God, not in the stars, we may see; first, in the order of the creation; God created the earth, and commanded it to bring forth fruit upon the third day, but the lights in the firmament were made the fourth day: The earth can bring forth without the midwifery or help of the heavens. God himself made the earth fruitful without, yea, before the stars were made. Upon which one of the Ancients gives this observation, Surely (saith he) the Lord in his providence made the earth fruitful in all its glory, before he put the stars in the heavens, to the intent to make men see that the fruitfulness of the earth doth not depend upon the heavens or stars; God needs neither the rain of the clouds, nor the warmth of the Sun to produce these effects. He that made all second causes to work in their ranks, can work without the intervention of any second cause. And because the Lord fore-saw men would dote much upon second causes, and venture to prognosticate by the heavens the fates of men, and the fruitfulness of the earth, therefore he made the earth fruitful before he made Arcturus, or placed those constellations in the heavens.

Secondly, The providence of God works under the decree of God. His providence is the execution of his decree. Therefore we must not bring the decrees down to providence, but we must raise providence up to the decrees.

Thirdly, The heavens and those heavenly bodies, Arcturus &c. are but general causes, there are special causes besides of the earths barrenness or fruitfulness, of tempests at sea and troubles at land; and the Lord is able to invert all causes, to work beyond causes, without causes and against causes: So that nothing can be infallibly fore-told from the positions, conjunctions or revolutions of those heavenly bodies.

Lastly, Observe, That it is our duty to study the heavens, and be acquainted with the stars.

In them the wonderful works of God are seen, and a sober knowledge in nature may be an advantage unto grace. Holy David was such a student (Psal. 8.3.) When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the Moon and the Stars which thou hast ordained. Consideration is not a transient or accidental, but a resolved and a deliberate act. Shall we think that God hath made those mighty bodies, the stars, to be past by without consideration? Shall men only pore upon a lump of earth, and not have their hearts lifted up to consider those lamps of light? Shall man make no more use of the stars then the beasts of the earth do, namely to see by them? When I consider thy heavens, saith David. Heaven is the most considerable of all inanimate creatures, and more considerable then most of the animate: and, David's, when, when I consider the heavens, notes not only a certainty, that he did it, but frequency in doing it. Some of the Rabbins tell us, that when Isaac went out into the field to meditate (Gen. 24.63.) The subject of his meditation was the stars, or the heavens. It is good to take field-room sometimes to view & contemplate the works of God round about. Only take heed of the former folly, of Astrological curiosities, confining the providence of God to secondary causes; avoid that, and the heart may have admirable elevations unto God, from the meditation of the works of God. ( Psal. 19.1.) The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handy work; if the heavens declare the glory of God, we should observe what that glory is which they declare. The heavens preach to us every day. Their line is gone out thorough all the earth, and their words to the end of the world, Psal. 19.4. Sun, Moon and Stars are Preachers, they are universal preachers, they are natural Apostles; the world is their charge, their words, saith the Psalm, go to the ends of the earth. We may have good doctrine from them, especially this doctrine in the text, of the wisdom and power of God. And it is very observable that the Apostle alludes to this text in the Psalm, for a proof of Gospel-preaching to the whole world, Rom. 10.18. So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the end of the world. The Gospel like the Sun casts his beams over, and sheds his light into all the world. David in the Psalm saith, Their line is gone out, &c. By which word he shows, that the heavens being so curious a fabric, made (as it were) by line and level, do clearly, though silently preach the skill and perfections of God. Or, that we may read divine truths in them, as in a line formed by a pen into words and sentences (the original signifies both a measuring line, and a written line.) Letters and words in writing being nothing but lines drawn into several forms or figures. But the Septuagint, whose translation the Apostle citeth, for (Kavam) their line, read (Kolam) their sound; either mis-reading the word, or studiously mollifying the sense into a nearer compliance with the later clause of the verse, And their words into the ends of the world.

Thus I have endeavored to make those things plain, which are here represented (to vulgar ears) under strange, unusual, and hidden expressions.

Job is full of Philosophy and Astronomy, he was a great student in the heavens, doubtless, and a holy student. Job having given these several instances, gathers them all into a general conclusion in the tenth verse.

These words are repeated from the discourse of Eliphaz, in the 5 ^th Chap. v. 9. I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause, which doth great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number. I will not stay in a particular disoussion of them, but refer the Reader to the place before cited, where the text is opened at large, and particular observations given from it. Take only this observation in general.

That, A godly man labors to exalt God, both in his thoughts and in his words, with heart and tongue, when God depresses and humbles him most.

Mark in what a condition Job was, when he speaks thus honourably of the name and power of God. One would think, Job had little reason to extol the power of God, which he felt to his own smart; Job was stripped of all he had, his outward comforts were taken from him, and the arrows of the Almighty wounded his very spirit. Now when he had wounded Job thorough and thorough, thorough flesh and thorough spirit, even at this time, when God appeared, making no use of his power but to undo Job, Job is in his Encomium, all in the praise and commendation of God. He endites a Chapter on purpose to set forth the power and wisdom of God, while he employed both to make his afflictions both great and accurate. This shows the admirable frame of his spirit; in all his distempers his heart stood right, and he would speak good of God, what evil soever befell him from God's hand. Let God afflict with his power, yet a gracious heart rejoices in it. A gracious heart will lift up that power which weakens and throws it down. Let the Lord employ his wisdom to undo, to impoverish such a man, to bring him into such straits that he cannot get out, yet he hath enlarged thoughts of that wisdom, He sees God is as wise in troubling us, as he is in delivering. That language of Spira, is the right language of hell (I judge not his person, but his speech) who in a great temptation spake thus, I would I had more power then God, or, O that I were above God. He was angry that God had so much power, because God used his power against him. A carnal man would be above God: especially, if God at any time puts forth his power against him. When he is hard bestead and hungry, he frets himself and curses his King and his God, looking upward (Isa. 8.21.) to murmur at God, not to pray unto him, or speak good of him. It is observed by one of the Ancients concerning the Heathen, That if God did not please them, he should be no longer God. Such are our hearts by nature, if God do not use his power, wisdom, mercy for us, we presently wish he had no power, wisdom, nor mercy for any in the world; we would be above God, unless God will serve us: but an holy heart saith thus, Let God improve his power and wisdom which way he pleaseth, if to afflict and chasten me, yea to destroy and cast me to hell, his be the power forever, I extol his power. Nature can only praise God, and speak good of him, when he is doing of us good: But grace prompts the heart to indite a good matter, and bids the tongue be as the pen of a ready writer to advance God, when sense feels nothing but smart, and sees nothing but sorrow round about. Then grace is in her heights, when she can lift up God highest, while he is casting us down, and laying us lowest: When we can honor God frowning, as well as smiling upon us; smiting and wounding, as well as kissing and embracing us, then we have learned to honor God indeed.

As if he had said, I am not able to reckon how often he worketh, for I cannot always perceive when he worketh, I am not able to search out all his great and wonderful actings, for I cannot see him in many of his actings.

The Lord is said to go by us, not in regard of any local motion: for, he that filleth all places, moves to none, Do not I fill heaven and earth? is the Lord's query of himself to those who thought to play least in sight with him. And he convinces them that they could not be hid from him in secret places, because he fills all places. There is no place to be found beyond the line of heaven and earth, both which God fills ( Jer. 23.24.) Then his motion is not local, but providential, God doth not move to act, but his acting is his moving. He goeth by us, doing marvelous things for us, and we see not when he is doing, or what he is doing.

The other word here used [He passeth on] is of the same sense: yet more peculiar and proper to the motion of spirits, we had it in the fourth Chapter, verse. 15. A spirit passed before me, saith Eliphaz, when he speaks of the vision that appeared. It signifies to change and vary, either place or condition. The transitory changablenesse of the creature, is expressed by it ( Psal. 102.27.) Thou doest change them, and they shall be changed; the creatures pass on, as from place to place, so from condition to condition, The fashion of them passeth away (1 Cor. 7.31.) They have not only a perfective change, but a corruptive change; but of the Lord he saith, Thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. The word is used for changing by oppressive destruction (Prov. 31.8.) Open thy mouth for the dumb, in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction, or death. Such as are appointed to that great change, are called, The Sons of change or destruction: Thus the Original. So that the word signifieth any change or motion, whether perfective or corruptive. The Lord (saith Job) passeth on, he maketh changes, he worketh sometimes to perfect, sometimes to destroy, but I perceive him not, I am not able to make out what he doth.

Here are two words, one referring to sense, the other to understanding, He goeth by me, and I see him not; that is, my senses cannot find him: He passeth on also, and I perceive him not; that is, he destroyeth, he buildeth, he planteth, he rooteth up, but I am not able to apprehend him, or unriddle the meaning of his wonderful works, He doth great things, and things unsearchable.

There is much variety of opinion about the meaning of these words, though I think the meaning is clear in that general I have now given. Yet I will touch a little.

First, Some interpret Jobs discourse conversing still, in and about the natural works of God, the earth, the heavens, the waters and the air, (of which he had spoken before) as also about the body of man (Act. 17.28.) In him we live, and move, and have our being. God is about us, he is ever with us, and yet we observe not, either when he begins to work, or resteth from working. How he is in all things, without all things, and above all things is not known.

Secondly, Others take his going and passing for the acts of his favor or dis-favor, He goeth by me in bestowing favors, and He passeth on, in taking them away: his accesses or recesses in mercy or judgment, his love and his wrath are often indiscernible, He goeth by me, he passeth on, he varieth his workings, and I perceive him not. To pass by is taken sometimes for sparing, pardoning, or showing mercy. The Lord by his Prophet ( Amos 7.8.) reports several judgments, from a full execution of which he was taken off, yet at last he resolves, I will not pass by them anymore (it is the word here) that is, I will not have mercy on them anymore, I will not spare them anymore, the next time I come with my drawn sword in my hand, I will be sure to smite and wound before I put it up, I will not pass by them anymore. So [He passeth by me] may note here the sparing mercy of God. The Lord spareth man many times and pardons him, not suffering his whole displeasure to arise, when man takes no notice, but is insensible of it. The word is used in this sense ( Prov. 19.11.) It is the glory of man to pass by an offense; that is, to spare a man that hath offended, not to punish him or take revenge: and it is ordinary in our phrase of speech to say, I will pass you by for this time, that is, I will not take any severe notice, or strict account of what you have done. And we find in the same prophecy of Amos, that to pass thorough, notes judgment and wrath, in the opposite sense; In the fifth Chapter, verse. 17. In all vineyards shall be wailing; Why? For I will pass thorough thee, or I will pass into thy bowels or inwards: So the letter of the original; that is, I will come to judge thee, I will pass thorough thee as a revenger, and wound thee deeply, insomuch that in all vineyards there shall be wailing; why in all vineyards? When he saith, There shall be wailing in all vineyards, it implies there should be wailing everywhere: for if there were joy in any place, it would be in the vineyards; vineyards are places of mirth and refreshing, grapes make the wine, which makes glad the heart of man. Therefore when he threatens, That in all vineyards there shall be wailing; it is as much as if he had said, There shall be sorrow in those places where usually the greatest joy was found, or there shall be sorrow in every place. Joy shall dislodge and give place to sorrow, for, I will pass thorough thee saith the Lord. So that as the work of providence in sparing, and the work of providence in punishing, may be understood by this word, with a little varying of the construction. He passeth by me in the ways of mercy, and I see him not; and he passeth thorough me in the ways of judgment, and I see him not. I cannot see or understand him as I ought, either in ways of judgment, or of mercy.

Thirdly, we may take the words, as they are an argument to prove the power and wisdom of God to be such, as man is no way able to match or to deal withal, which is the subject Job is upon. He would set the Lord infinitely above all that is in the creature, and he doth it there by an argument drawn from his nature. What is his nature? Why, he is most simple, he is a spirit without any mixture, without any composition, without any materiality, he is invisible, bodily eyes cannot behold him, therefore certainly bodies are not able to overcome him. Man being a material substance, is not able to see the Lord, then surely he is not able to contend with, much less to conquer the Lord; What then doth he meddling with him? It was said at the 4 ^th verse of this Chapter, Who ever hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? Is flesh and blood any match for a spirit? If man would strive with God, where should he have him? He goeth by me, • nd I see him not; he passeth on also, and I perceive him not; I know not where to meet him, he can come upon me on every side, he may take me at all advantages, and destroy me, for I know not how to guard or defend myself. If a man were to fight with an enemy, whom he could not see, and yet his enemy saw him; what an advantage had his enemy against him? Doth any man harden himself against God? He goeth by, and we see him not; How then can we deal with him, or stand against him? Thus (I say) it may be an argument to make good that great assertion, That there is no contending with God; flesh and blood are too weak for a spirit. It is the argument which the Apostle uses, to show that the devil is too hard for man, We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers, with spiritual wickednesses, &c. Ephes. 6. They pass by us, and we understand it not, they are now here amongst us, and we take no notice of it: We are no matches for evil spirits, much less are we able to match the most holy Spirit. Spiritual wickednesses are strong, but spiritual holinesses are stronger. This third interpretation renders the words a description of an invincible enemy.

Fourthly, It may be understood in the general, to note the infinite distance which is between God and man, or the dignity of God above man, The Lord is omnipresent, he is going by, and he is passing on, he is in all places, and he acts his power and wisdom where he pleases. Poor man is confined to a place, to a spot of earth; when he is here, he cannot be there; but God is everywhere: And though God be everywhere, yet he cannot be seen anywhere, where he is. God sees all, himself being unseen, and fills all places, his presence being is unperceived; nothing is hid from him, yet he is hid to everything, but the faith of his own people. Thus He goeth, and we see him not; he passeth on, and we perceive him not.

And so the whole is a confirmation and proof of the general assertion, that the Lord is infinite in power and wisdom, and that man is an ignorant narrow-room'd and narrow-hearted weak creature compared unto him. We may form up the Argument thus:

The ground is this, He that cannot comprehend or see what another doth, is not able to hinder or match him in what he doth: But such is the state and condition of man, he is so far from being able to equal God in dignity, or hinder what he doth, that he cannot find out or know what God doth.

Yet this is not to be taken strictly, as if man did not at all perceive or understand what God doth. Job in the former context gave us a large account of the works of God, what wonders he had done. The Saints find out some of God's doings in the world, though the blind world see not anything he doth. But he speaks comparatively; The Lord passeth on, and we perceive it not; that is, it is little of God that we perceive; it is little of the workings of God that we see at the best. There are many persons who do not see him at all, and many works that are not seen at all by any person. And they, the eyes of whose understandings are anointed to see most clearly, are not able to see all that God doth, None can see all, some will not see what they may (Isa. 26.10.) Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see it; and in the former verse, In the land of uprightness, will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the Majesty of the Lord. That which good men see is but little, and evil men see nothing. So that, as the Lord goeth altogether invisibly in his essence, so mostly in his actions; man sees but few things of the many, and little of the great things which God doth.

I meet with a gross exposition of this text given by some Papists. No man (saith one of them) can know whether God dwell or abide in him or no. And Bellarmine in his 5 ^th book, and 5 ^th Chapter concerning justification citeth it to prove, That a believer cannot know that he is justified, but must believe blind-fold, or take the work of justification by grace in the dark, For (saith he) God goeth by us, and we see him not; he passeth on, and we perceive him not: That is (as his gloss speaks) God cometh in favor to justify, or he leaveth under wrath, and yet man remains ignorant both of the one, and of the other state. Surely he was at a great pinch to find a proof for his point, when he was forced to repair to this Scripture to seek one. Providence toward man-kind (not the justification of a sinner) is the proper subject of this text. And as there is nothing for a blind-fold justification here, so many other Scriptures are expressly against it. To say that a man cannot know when God loveth him, or shineth upon him, is to contradict what our Savior asserts, Joh. 14.17. I will send the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. Ye know him, saith Christ to his people, the Saints see God in a spiritual sense, or in his workings upon their spirits. And though God works much upon our spirits, which we know not, yet we have a promise of the Spirit, by whom we know God in his workings. Few know when God is nigh, or when he is a far off, what his goings away mean, or what his comings. But when he cometh to the Saints, they know he cometh; and when he hideth or departeth from them, they know his hidings and departures. Hence their joys and over-flowings of comfort, when he manifests his presence; and hence their bitter complainings and cryings after him, where he seems to absent himself and hide his face: yet this Text hath a truth in it, in reference to the inward and spiritual, as well as the outward and providential dealings of God, that sometimes, He goeth by us, and we see him not; he passeth on also, and we perceive him not.

Hence learn; First, That

God is invisible in his essence, and incomprehensible in many of his actions. Mans eye cannot see him: Mans understanding cannot comprehend what he doth.

But why speaks Job this, as a matter of wonder, if it be the common condition of man-kind? Behold, he passeth by, and I see him not; who can see him? who can perceive or comprehend him? When Moses (Exod. 33.20.) desired to see his face, the Lord answers, No man can see my face and live; God spake to Moses face to face, that is, familiarly, as a man speaketh to his friend, yet Moses did not, could not see the face of God. No man can see God in his essence or nature: A sight of God would astonish, yea, swallow up the creature, It is death to see the living God; and man must die before he can see God so fully as he may, and know as he is known. But (though the face of God be invisible) yet his back-parts may be seen. Behold (saith the Lord to Moses) there is a place by me, stand thou there upon a rock, and thou shalt see my back-parts; thou shalt see much of my glory shining forth, as much as thou canst bear, as much as will satisfy thy desire (were it a thousand times larger then it is) though not so much as thou hast (not knowing what thou askest) desired of me. My Name shall be proclaimed, Gracious and merciful &c. the back-parts of God may be seen; the invisible God discovereth much of himself to man: and shows us a shadow of that substance which cannot be seen.

Some may object that of the Prophet Isaiah, crying out, Woe unto me, for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts, Chap. 6.5. Seen him? could Isaiah see him, whom Job and Moses could not? Isaiah did not see him in his essence and nature, but in the manifestations and breakings forth of his glory. His train filled the Temple, saith the Text ( verse. 1.) or his skirts. It is an allusion to great Kings, who when they walk in State, have their trains, or the skirt of their royal robe held up. T'was this train, which Isaiah saw. He saw not God who was present, but he saw the manifest signs of his presence. That speech of Isaiah seemed to savor of, and border upon highest blasphemy, and was therefore charged as an article of accusation against him; he was indicted of blasphemy for speaking those words, I have seen the Lord; his enemies taking or wresting it, as if he had made the Lord corporeal and visible with the eye of the body. And it is conceived he was put to death upon that, and one other passage in his prophecy, Cha. 1.10. calling the Princes of Judah, Princes of Sodom, and the people thereof, the people of Gomorrah.

But though God be thus invisible in his essence, yet there is a way by which the essence of God may be seen. And of that Moses, to whom the Lord said, Thou canst not see my face, the Author to the Hebrews saith ( Heb. 11.24.) That he saw him who was invisible; the letter of the text carries a contradiction in the adjunct, it is as much as if one should say, He saw that which could not be seen. The meaning is, He saw him by the eye of faith, who could not be seen by the eye of sense; faith sees not only the back-parts, but the face of Jehovah: the essence of God is as clear to that eye, as any of his attributes, yea his essence is as plain to faith, as any of his works are to sense. Thus he is seen, Whom no man hath seen nor can see (1 Tim. 6.16.) not the Saints in heaven: they are not able to see the Lord in his essence, He passeth by them there, and they see him not; in heaven we are promised a sight of him, yet not that fight, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall see God: and without holiness no man shall see the Lord, then holy men shall see him; the state of the Saints in glory is vision, as here it is faith (2 Cor. 13.12.) We shall see him face to face, and as he is (1 Joh. 3.2.) These Scriptures which speak of the estate of the Saints, beholding God in glory, are not to be understood, as if the nature and essence of God could be seen, for no man hath seen that, nor ever shall; but they are meant of a more full and glorious manifestation of God; We shall see then face to face; that is, more plainly, for it is opposed to seeing him in a glass; we see him now in a glass, that is, darkly, in ordinances, in duties, in his word, and in his works, but there shall be no need of these glasses in heaven. We shall have so direct and full manifestation of God, that these glasses which reflect him shall be out of use. The Saints on earth have sometimes a sight of God without a glass, that is, out of all ordinances, promises and works either wrought in them or for them. God comes near to their spirits, and lifts them above means, and shows them his love, and their interest in him by an immediate witness of the Spirit, (1 Joh. 5.8.) For although the water and the blood (justification and sanctification) never witness without the Spirit; and though the Spirit never witnesses against them, or where they are not; yet the Spirit doth often witness above them, and without them, that is, they not being called forth to give their witness. This is next door to heaven: only, the vision in heaven will be exceedingly heightened and raised, not only above our vision by ordinances, but above our vision by immediate revelation or witness.

Further consider, The sight we have of God is in Christ. God is seen in every creature ( Rom. 1.) much more in ordinances, but Christ is the express image of his person, and the brightness of his glory, Heb. 1.3. He is the medium by which we see God now, and some have thought we shall see him only in Christ forever. But it is out of doubt that in this life God is seen only in Christ savingly. We of ourselves, are so far off from God, that we cannot see him. There must be a due distance between the organ and the object; we are afar off from God, until Christ bring us near; we come to, and see the Father through the Son. And how near soever we are to any object, we cannot see it without an eye. We are naturally blind, the eyes of our mind must be enlightened before we see him, Christ cleareth our understandings, and cures our blindness, He is made to us of God wisdom (to see our need of him to be made) righteousness to us, and sanctification and redemption, 1 Cor. 1.30. Again, The medium must be light; if the eye be clear, yet while the air is dark we cannot see. There must be an outward light, as well as an inward light to see by; that Jesus Christ makes also; for He is the light of the world, as well as the enlightner of everyone that cometh into the world. He sends the means of knowledge, as well as gives an ability to know. He sends light to the eyes of our mind, and he is light in the eyes of our mind. What we ought to know comes from him, and how to know as we ought comes from him. Without him, God goeth by us in the Gospel, and we see him not, he may pass on forever, and we never perceive him.

Secondly, Observe, That as the Lord in his nature cannot be seen at all: So (such is the weakness of man, that) we cannot see him fully in his word, or works.

How little is it that we see, that we know of God in either? What admirable operations are there in the course of natural things, in the Sun, Moon, and Stars, in the growth of herbs and plants, and in our own bodies, which we see not? What admirable administrations are there in the course of civil things? The beginnings, growths and declinings of Common-wealths, the transplantations of people from Country to Country, their oppressions by injustice, their confusions by war, their establishments by peace, their consumptions by plague and famine, their increase by health and abundance are little minded by the most of men. How doth God turn Nations up-side-down, and hurl Kingdoms together, and we perceive him not. Some take no notice at all of God, as doing such things, none taking such notice as they ought. We observe creatures, what this man did, and what the other, such men were malicious and unfaithful, such were valiant and wise, such were self-seekers, such self-deniers, such constant Patriots, and such were Apostates. Thus we see men, but we seldom see God in the great transactions and motions of Kingdoms. And we see him least of all in the course of spiritual things, in his working upon our hearts; God works wonders in us, and we perceive him not! We regard not his comings or goings, his comfortings or with-drawings, when our spirits are heated, or when they are cold, when we are strong, or when we are weak: There are continual varieties and changes in our spirits, had we a clearness to make observation. The work of God in the heart of a believer moving it, ordering it, preserving it, comforting it, purging it, is as wonderful, and more, then any of his works in the whole world.

Thirdly, Note, Man is not fit to fit as a Judge upon the works and dealings of God.

Shall we judge God in what he doth, when we cannot apprehend what he doth? A Judge must have the full cognizance of the matter before him, how else can he pass sentence about it? Shall man be so bold as to get up into the throne, and pass sentence upon what God doth, when he cannot apprehend or take in evidence of what he doth? He goeth by thee, and thou seest him not; he passeth on also, and thou perceivest him not; And wilt thou censure what thou canst not perceive?

Fourthly, Which is Jobs scope,

It should be matter of great humiliation to us that we see so little of God.

God works round about us and in us, and yet we know little of him. Our blindness should abase us in our own eyes: God is all eye, and all hand, and we so blind that we cannot see what his hand doth; It must lay man low in his own sight, to consider how little he sees of God.

This and the next verse contain a proof of man's weakness, as the former doth of man's ignorance and blindness, He passeth by, and I see him not. There is man's blindness: He taketh away, and who can hinder him? There is man's weakness. Suppose a man should see God in his works, and apprehend what he is about, yet though he hath so much light, as to see God, he hath not so much strength, as to hinder God; Is not this an argument of man's weakness? What! contend with God? God doth many things, and thou canst not see him, or if thou seest him, yet it is not in thy power to stop him, Behold, he taketh away, and who can hinder him? Yea, man is so far from being able to stop or hinder God, in what he is about to do, that man hath not right to question God, or to ask him what he is about to do. Man is neither strong enough to stop him from what he will do, nor righteous enough to question him for what he doth. This is the total denying of any possibility in man to deal with God. How can he stop God in what he doth, who cannot so much as ask him, what he doth? Who shall say unto him, What dost thou?

The word signifies to take away by violence and force, to take away as a robber takes, to steal away: As if he had said, suppose the Lord come by open violence to take a thing from thee, or secretly, and as it were by stealth, to bereave thee of thy estate, or of thy life, if he take all from thee, and strip thee naked, What canst thou do? So the word is used ( Prov. 23.28.) speaking of a wicked woman, an harlot, She lieth in wait as for a prey; the Hebrew is, She lieth in wait as a robber, to take away the estate, yea, and the life of those whom she shall entangle. Some understand this more specially of taking away life. If he will stop thy breath, and deliver thee up to death, so Augustine upon the place; or as the Chaldee, If he take one out of the world, who can hinder him? As if Job had said, The Lord may not only take away so much as he hath taken from me, but more, without wrong to me. He hath taken away my goods, and my estate, my children and friends, he hath fetched away my health and strength, my beauty and outward comforts; if he come and take away my life also at next bout, I cannot hinder him; I can neither compel him to restore, nor call him to an account; I can neither urge him to restitution, nor charge him with oppression. He plainly intimates the rapine of his goods by the Chaldeans, &c. Of which he spake positively (Chap. 1.21.) The Lord hath taken, and here by way of general supposition, If he take away,

M ^r Broughton translates, Who shall make him restore? So he carries it in allusion unto men, who violently take away the goods and estate of another. If a man come with force and take away my goods, I may make him restore them again by a greater force; but if the Lord take away and ask me no leave, I cannot make him restore. The word signifies to stop or turn a thing, and because in recovering of a prey, or in making a man restore, we stop and stay his course, therefore the word is indifferently applied to both.

Others understand it in this sense, If he taketh away, who shall hinder him? That is, who can turn him from his purpose? Who can stop him in the thing he hath a mind to do? The Vulgar translation varies much, If he suddenly ask a man a question, who shall be able to answer him? The Hebrew word which signifies to return, signifies to answer, answering is the return of a word ( Prov. 8.13.) He that answereth (or returneth a word) before he heareth a matter. But I shall lay that by, though the abettors of the Vulgar make great store of it; interpreting their meaning thus, if the Lord cite a man to judgment, and bring him to trial, man is not able to answer him, or to plead his own cause. Man cannot stand before the Lord. Observe hence,

First, That, All our comforts are in the power of God.

If he taketh away, supposeth he can take away, and he can take all away, and do us no wrong. It is no robbery if God rob us, his robbery is no wrong: why? because he comes not as a thief, but as a Lord and Master of our estates; he may come and take them away as he pleaseth, and when he pleaseth.

Secondly, Note this from it, He taketh away.

That which God doth by the hand of the creature, is to be re • koned as his own act.

He taketh away when creatures take away. It is seldom that God dealeth immediately with us in these outward providences; he sends men, stirs instruments to do what is done. But that which man doth, the Lord doth (Isa. 42.24.) Who gave Jacob to the spoilers, and Israel to the robbers? Did not I the Lord? Men spoiled and robbed them, yet it was the Lord's act to send those spoilers, Did not I the Lord? As that which man doth in spirituals is the Lord's act, when man converteth and saveth, it is the Lord that saveth and converteth; when man comforteth and refresheth by applying the promises, it is the Lord that comforteth and refresheth; when man gives resolution in doubts, it is the Lord that resolveth doubts; man's act is the Lord's. So here, when man robbeth and spoileth us, the act is from the Lord, though the wickedness of the act is from the man. The Lord suffers men to spoil and undo us, yea the Lord orders them to spoil us: it is done not only by his permission, but by his commission; not only with his leave, but by his appointment, I will send him against an hypocritical Nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets, Isa. 10.

Observe thirdly, What the Lord will do, either by himself or by instruments, no man can stop or prevent.

If he taketh away, who shall hinder him? The Lord hath absolute power, if he will overthrow men, or families, or whole Kingdoms, none can stay him. There have been four great Monarchies in the world, and the Lord coming in judgment against them, hath taken all away. The united strength of all creatures cannot stand before him, when he is angry and resolved. The Babylonian could not say and perform it, I will keep my throne: The Persian could not say and do it, I will keep my State: The Grecian could not say and maintain it, I will keep my glory: The Roman could not say and make it good, I will keep my empire. When the Lord had a mind to it, he came and fetch away the power and glory, the crown and dignity of those Monarchs, he threw down their thrones, brake their states, darkened their glory, dissipated their empires, no man could hinder him. How are ye fallen from heaven O Lucifers, sons of the morning, how are ye cut down to the ground, which did weaken the Nations? Though ye said in your hearts, We will ascend into heaven, we will exalt our thrones above the stars of God: We will ascend above the heights of the clouds, we will be like the most high; yet how are ye brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit? All that look upon you say, Are these the men that made the earth to tremble, that did shake Kingdoms? Thus the Lord hath taken away the thrones of Princes, and none could hinder; he hath also removed the Candlesticks of Churches, and none could hinder. Christ threatened the seven Churches in Asia, that he would come and take away their Candlesticks: which of these hindered him? Both Crowns and Candlesticks must down, if he speak the word. It is said, when David kept his fathers Sheep, there came a Lion and a Bear, and took a Lamb and a Sheep out of the flock, but he arose and went out after them, and rescued both Lamb and Sheep, taking the prey out of their teeth: When the Lord Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah will come, and tear and take away, no David can rescue out of his hand. The five Kings that came against Sodom, took away Lot, Abraham went with his army and made them restore, made them bring back again; it is ordinary with man, when one hath robbed another, for a stronger to make him restore and vomit up the sweet morsels, which he hath swallowed. It is not thus with God.

First, Power cannot do it: though the instruments which he useth to take away from us be weak, yet the strong shall not be able to make the weak restore. A weak Nation may destroy a strong Nation, and the stronger shall not be able to make the weaker restore, if the Lord send them. When the Babylonians encamped about Jerusalem, he warns them by his Prophet, do not think you shall deliver yourselves by your great strength, I have sent them to take your City and your State, And though they were all wounded me • , yet they shall rise up and take your City (Isa. 43.13.) I will work (saith the Lord) and who shall let it? Who shall let it? Why, they might say, We will have some that shall let it: No (saith the Lord) none shall let it; Behold, I have sent to Babylon, and destroyed all their Princes, those that fought to hinder me in my work by their power and counsel, are broken, though they seemed as strong as iron bars (so the word is,) These bars of iron cannot keep me from entering, I will break all opposition raised against my work.

Secondly, As power cannot hinder him, so policy cannot; no counsel shall stop him: They ( Isa. 7.6.) took counsel and resolved strongly, We will go up against Judah, and destroy it, and set a King in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal; The Lord answereth in the next words, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass: You resolve to do it, you make it out in your counsels, how to hinder mine, but it shall not be, it shall not come to pass. As no counsel against us shall stand, if the Lord be with us ( Isa. 8.10.) So no counsel for us shall stand, if the Lord be against us.

Thirdly, When the Lord is resolved to take away the peace and glory of a Nation, or of a Church, he will do it, and no spiritual means shall hinder him, prayer itself shall not hinder him. If anything in the world can move the Lord to restore, when he taketh away the peace of a people, it is prayer and the cry of his people. Prayer hath often met the Lord, as Abigail did David (1 Sam. 25.) and prevailed with him to put up his sword, which was ready to destroy. At the voice of prayer the Lord hath restored that which he took away, and hath stayed from doing that which he seemed fully resolved to do, Psal. 106.23. The Lord would have destroyed them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach. Did Moses out-power the Lord? did he out-wit, or out-policy the Lord? No, but Moses prayed, and prayed so strongly that the Lord was hindered, that is, he, as if he had been hindered, did not effect the thing, he restored their comforts again, when he had arrested but some of them, and seemed to come armed with resolution to take all away. Yet sometimes we find the Lord will come and take away, and prayer itself, prayer and fasting, cries and tears shall not hinder, God will trample upon all these. God was resolved to take away the glory of Israel; and to assure them that he would, he takes away that wherein their chief assurance lay, that he would not (Jer. 15.1.) Thus saith the Lord, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people, &c. As if he had said, Ye think to hinder me now, ye will stop me, ye will send out prayer, your old friend, which hath helped you heretofore at many a dead lift. And if you cannot pray enough yourselves, you will procure prayers, and pray in the aid of prayer from all the favorites that I have in the world, ye will get Moseses and Samuel's, such as they, to pray for you; ye may do so, if ye will, but it shall not profit you, they and ye shall lose your labor, even these labors will not quit cost or be worth the while, to the end ye aim at, for, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, and entreated for this people, yet my mind could not be toward them: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth, such as are for the sword, to the sword, and such as are for death, to death, and such as are for captivity, to captivity. Thus, I say, sometimes the Lord is so resolved to take away life, riches, glory, peace, the all both of persons and Nations, that nothing shall help us, or hinder him, no, not the prayers and cries, not the supplications and tears of his own people, which are the strongest stops of all in the way of provoked justice. If prayer cannot stay destruction, and obtain a reprieve from death, if the prayers of a Moses and a Samuel cannot, nothing can; it is, as if God had said, The best means shall fail you, therefore all means shall fail you: if when prayer cannot hinder God, we resort to other means, it is as if we should think to fasten an Anchor with a twined thread, which hath broken a cable; or to conquer an enemy with a pot-gun and a bull-rush, whom we could not with sword and Cannon, And as God will not sometimes be entreated, so he ought not at any time time to be questioned; which is the next point.

That's further considerable; man is not only not able to stop the Lord from what he would do, but he hath no right to put in a plea against what he hath done, no nor to ask him what he hath been doing, or why he did it. The superior may ask the inferior, and call him to an account: Every infer • our Judge and Court, is accountable to those above; that is the highest Court, and he the highest Judge, to whom no man can say, What doest thou? The Parliament of England is therefore the highest Judicatory in this Kingdom, because their actions are not questionable in any other Court; one Parliament may say to another, What hast thou done? This Parliament hath said to Parliaments that have gone before, What have ye done in making such and such Laws? No power of man besides their own can question some men, much less can any man question God, and say to him, What doest thou? He is supreme, there is no appeal to any other higher Judge, or higher Court. Hence observe,

Whatsoever God resolveth and determineth concerning us, we must bear it, and quietly submit.

No man may say unto him, What doest thou? Why do ye sit still (saith the Prophet, Jer. 8.14.) Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defensed Cities, and let us be silent there, for the Lord hath put us to silence, and given us waters of gall to drink, because we have sinned against him. The Lord hath put us to silence; that is, the Lord hath done these things, and we are not to question him about them, or to ask him what he hath done, or why he hath done thus? Therefore let us be silent, say they. Let us not murmur at, and complain over our own sufferings, much less tax and charge God for his doings. It becomes us to obey God's suspension; to be silent, when he puts us to silence. The Lord never silences any (unless in wrath to those who would not hear) from speaking in his name, and publishing his word. But he hath silenced all from speaking against his works; and it will be ill with us, if our passions (how much soever God seems to act against us) shall take off this suspension. The Lord is uncontrollable in all his works. When Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4.35.) came to himself, and began to think and speak like a man, after he had been among the beasts: see what an humble acknowledgement he makes concerning God: All the inhabitants of the earth (saith he) are reputed as nothing, and he doth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? Here, we have both parts of Jobs speech; none can stay his hand, which is the former; and none can say unto him, What doest thou? which is the later. That great Monarch acknowledged he had no power to question God, though he at that time had power to question all the men upon the earth. Nebuchadnezzar speaks like Job. A wicked man may make a true report of God. Many speak right of the Lord, whose hearts are not right with him. Nebuchadnezzar was converted from beastliness, but I find not that he was converted to holiness. He came home to his own Court, but I see no proof that he came home to the Church of God; yet, see how divinely he speaks, and how humbly he walks, not so much as offering to ask God (who had changed him from a Commander of men to a companion of beasts) What doest thou?

We may ask the Lord (in one sense) what he doth? Yea, the Lord doth nothing in the world, but his Saints and servants are enquiring of him about it. He invites them to petition for what they would have, Ask of me things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me, (Isa. 45.11.) Though man cannot order or enjoin the least thing upon God, yet at the entreaty of his people, he is as ready to do, as if he were at their command. And as we are thus envited to ask things to come, so we are not totally denied to ask about things already done. We may ask him in an humble way for information, not in a bold way of contradiction. We may in zeal to his glory, not in discontent with our own condition, expostulate with him about what he hath done. So Joshua (Chap. 7.7, 8.) Alas O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us? Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan, &c. but how durst Joshua speak thus? What if God would destroy them, was it not his dury to bear it, and let God alone? Yes doubtless, and such I doubt not was the frame of Joshuas spirit. If Israel only had been to suffer, Joshua had held his peace, at least from such language; but he saw a further matter in it; the glory of God was like to suffer in their sufferings: the close of his prayer betrays this holy disposition of his heart, verse. 9. And what wilt thou do unto thy great name? As if he had said, Lord, the matter were not much, though the name of Israel were blotted out from under heaven, so thy Name were written in fairer characters. But I fear a blow to Israel will be a blot to thy name, and therefore I have taken upon me to pray this prayer unto thee, and I have prayed rather for thee, than to thee. All prayers are made to God, and yet some are made for him. Not that he hath any want, or is in any the remotest possibility of any danger, but only for the promoting of his glory, and that the world may not have occasion of a dishonorable thought of him, whose honor never abates in itself, or in the eyes of his own people. Thus we may ask him what he hath done, and why he hath brought such desolations upon his people. But we may not ask him what he hath done, either to question his right to do it, or to question his righteousness in doing of it. No creature may put the question upon either of these terms, What hast thou done? much less conclude, Thou hast done that which thou hast no right to do, or, thou hast been unrighteous in doing it. Either of these is highest blasphemy: for, whatsoever the Lord doth, he hath right to do, and whatsoever the Lord doth, he is righteous in doing it.

Hence it followeth by way of corollary, That

The Lord is of absolute power.

He is the Sovereign Lord, Lord over all; there is no appeal from him, no questioning of him. Solomon speaketh of the power of a King, in this language (Eccles. 8.4.) Where the word of a King is, there is power, and who may say unto him, What doest thou? But is there nothing which a King doth, about which it may be said unto him, What dost thou? And what is this word of a King? The word of a King, is the Law of his Kingdom: all that a King doth or speaks besides the Law, he speaks as a man, not as a King; and that's the meaning of Solomon's text; which Court-flatterers have corrupted with their unsound glosses, as if every word of a King were of absolute power, and must have peremptory obedience. A King is for his Kingdom; and while he commands according to the rules and laws of his Kingdom, no Subject may question him, or say unto him, What doest thou? There is no power above his power, as he is armed with the power of his Laws. And because wheresoever the Word of God is, there is his Law, therefore wheresoever the Word of God is, there is power, and no man may say unto him, What doest thou? Every word of direction, spoken by God is a Law, because his will is the Law of all things and persons. As the will of man by nature is not subject (by obeying) to the righteous Law of God, neither indeed can be; so the will of God by nature is the subject, containing all righteous Laws, neither indeed can it not be: for though God be voluntarily, and with highest freeness righteous, yet he is righteous necessarily, and with greatest undeclinablenesse; As he is freely what he is, so it is impossible for him, not to be what he is. And therefore no man ought to say to God, What doest thou? seeing God can do nothing, but what he ought. In vain then is God either attempted by power, or solicited by prayer against his own mind; For,

Though, If God taketh away none can hinder him; though none ought to say unto him, What doest thou? whatsoever he doth: yet possibly some will be venturing upon this hard task, and undertake this impossible adventure, attempting to recover God's booty, and his prisoners out of his hand: but see the issue, If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him. Suppose any should come to help, protect and patronize those whom God hath a mind to take away and destroy, shall they prosper or speed? No, not only they themselves whom the Lord hath taken away, but their assistants, and their seconds, all that appear for them (except God call in his anger) shall fall before him.

The letter of the Hebrew is, If the Lord will not turn away his nostrils, or his face. Nostrils or face are taken here, as in many other Scriptures, for anger, because there is such an appearance of anger in the face and nostrils, acted passion is seated there, as was noted ( Chap. 4.9.) Therefore to turn away the face or nostrill, is to turn away from anger, Psal. 78.38. Many a time turned be away his anger; it is this word. When the Lord is angry, the turning of his face towards a man showeth he is reconciled; and when he is angry, the not turning away of his face, shows that he is unreconciled, or resolved to continue angry. And while God is so resolved, man is in a sad case, his helpers must stoop, The strength of Israel will not lie or repent (1 Sam. 15.29. ) The Hebrew is, The victory of Israel, The Lord's strength is victory; victorious persons can hardly be overcome, but victory cannot; therefore except himself will with-draw, except himself overcome himself, it is not in the power of all creatures to overcome him ( Job 23.13,) He is in one mind, and who can turn him? As if he had said, except the Lord will turn himself, and alter what he himself hath determined, it is not in men to cause him to alter, He is in one mind, and who can turn him? And what his soul desireth, even that he doth; which is the highest expression of power imaginable. How many things do our souls desire which we cannot do? We are desiring and desiring, yet our hands are not able to bring it to pass, The desires of the slothful (always) slay them, because (saith Solomon, Prov. 21.25.) their hands refuse to labor; and the desires of the diligent slay them, sometimes, because they cannot compass the thing desired, with all their labor; but as for the Lord, What his soul desireth, even that he doth. And as his desires are irresistible, so is his anger, his irascible appetite is as victorious as his concupiscible, unless God withdraw his anger.

The word is, Helpers of pride, that is, such as think themselves most powerful and able to help, The helpers of pride, or the strong helpers. The same word (note that by the way) signifies strength and pride, because we are so apt to be proud of our strength. If a man have a little strength in the world, strength of friends, or of riches, strength of body or of mind, strength of understanding, strength of memory, strong parts, he is under a strong temptation to pride. Pride is one of the greatest weaknesses of man, but it is always grounded upon supposed strength.

But who are these proud, these strong helpers?

Some understand it of the good angels, who are the strongest, the highest of created helpers; Angels stoop under the power of God as well as men.

Others expound these strong helpers to be devils, who are evil angels, to whom evil men seek sometimes for help. If the Lord will not turn away his anger, though men seek to the devil for help (as Saul did) that helper shall stoop under him. Saul consulted with a witch (the devils oracle) yet he could not be delivered by a witch.

Others understand by these strong helpers, godly men; if the Lord will not turn away his anger, the righteous shall stoop under him, that is, they shall not be able to rescue a person or a Nation from the anger of God by prayer, or by the utmost improvements of their interest with God. Some places have fallen, because they wanted godly men to support them; and some places have fallen, though they had godly men to support them. The Vulgar Latin translation renders, They that bear up the pillars of the world shall fall. Godly men bear up the pillars of the world. Though the Hebrew will not bear their translation, yet the sense is good. Godly men are the worlds supporters. It is said, ( Revel. 12.16.) That the earth helped the woman, that is, worldly men for carnal ends helped the Church, when a flood of persecution, cast out of the mouth of the dragon, was ready to swallow her up. But the Church continually helps the world, and swallows up many of those floods of God's displeasure, which else would drown the world. And because the Church was so thin, and there were so few godly men in the old world, therefore it was drowned, Gen. 7. And because ten righteous persons were not found in Sodom; fire from heaven consumed it ( Gen. 18.) God seeks for Saints many times to stand in the gap, and save a Kingdom ( Ezek. 22.30. Jer. 5.1.) and yet sometimes Kingdoms are not saved, though many such stand in the gap. Except the Lord turn away his anger; these Porters of the world shall not support it, these spiritual Atlasses shall faint and fall under him. The Heathens had a fiction of a mighty Gigantine man, whom they called Atlas, him they fancied bearing up the frame of nature: it is most true in a spiritual sense, the Saints bear up the world; yet if the Lord turn not away his anger, the world must totter and fall too, notwithstanding these helpers. For the Saints do not bear up the world, or save Kingdoms from wrath, by giving the least satisfaction to the justice of God (that's the sole Prerogative of Jesus Christ) but only by imploring the mercy of God. Or they are therefore said to turn away the wrath of God from a people, because God will not pour out his wrath upon that people, while his Saints are mingled with them. The tares are let grow, lest in pulling them up, the wheat should be pulled up also. It is good for the worst to have the neighbourhood of those who are good.

Further, More generally these proud helpers are supposed to be Kings and Common-wealths, joined in strongest confederacies; and then the sense is, If God come against a Nation, though it join with other Nations, though hand join in hand, the hand of one King in the hand of another, yet it shall not escape or go unpunished.

There is yet another interpretation, which restrains and limits the word Rahab particularly to Egypt, Unless the Lord turn away his anger, helpers out of Egypt shall stoop under him, or Egypt helping shall stoop under him. We find frequently in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, that Egypt is called Rahab. And that name did well suit with Egypt, which was both a strong and a proud Kingdom, Psal. 87.4. We will remember Rahab and Babylon, that is, Egypt and Babylon. Egypt and Babylon are matched together for pride, and for oppression, persecuting the people of God. And Isa. 51.9. Art not thou it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? That is, Art not thou (O Lord) he that didst cut Egypt in pieces, when they opposed thy people, and woundedst Pharaoh in the midst of the red sea. In the 26 ^th of this book of Job, verse 12. some translate Rahab, Egypt: we render the Text thus, He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth thorough the proud; so we, By his understanding he strikes thorough Rahab, that is, thorough Egypt, say others. And so they make that Text and this an argument, that the book of Job was penned after the deliverance of the people of Israel out of Egypt, and that in these passages Job had reference to the mighty work of God, in destroying the Egyptians at the red sea. Taking the word thus, the Text is, Unless the Lord turn away his anger, Egypt shall stoop under him; as if he had said, Do you not remember a late instance of God's power? Egypt thought to contend with God, to hold his people in bondage whether he would or no, when he had a mind to bring them forth; but you know Egypt stooped: God brought down the pride, and abated the strength of it.

And that other place ( Chap. 26.12.) may be glossed thus, He divided the sea by his power, that is, the red sea, and by his understanding he struck thorough Rahab; that is, when the Egyptians pursued his people, he destroyed them. Which interpretation carries a very clear proof that Job alludes to the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, and therefore lived after the time of that deliverance; though others who grant the exposition, deny the inference, maintain that Job spake this prophetically, not historically. This we know, that Egypt was a place much sought to for help, and therefore it is elegantly said, If the Lord turn not away his anger, Egypt shall stoop; that Nation which hath been so often called out to help and relive other Nations, that Nation w ^ch hath so often helped and relieved other Nations, shall not be able to help, Isa. 31.1. They go down to Egypt for help, as if Egypt had been as a City of refuge, or the place of common resort for help. And Isa. 30.7. The Egyptians shall help in vain; the Text is very appliable to this point; we read it thus, The Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose, therefore have I cried concerning this, their strength is to sit still. Their strength shall not deliver you, they shall help in vain, therefore I have warned you (saith the Prophet) to sit still, to be quiet with your own strength, and it is better to do so than to go down thither for help. But the word which we translate strength, is, that in the Text, Rahab; and we may render the whole thus, The Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose, therefore I cried to them in this thing, They are proud, or only pride, Therefore sit still. As if he had said, Will ye go to Egypt for help? Ye go but to a proud people for help, and ye had better have no helpers, then proud helpers, ye had better be quiet and sit still at home, for they shall help you in vain. So it is an elegant allusion to their nature and disposition. The truth is, proud helpers are very unsafe helpers, for the Lord resisteth the proud, and I wonder how they can help us to resist our enemies, who are resisted by the Lord himself? They will prove but ill friends to us, who have the Lord for their enemy.

The word is often used for worshipping, it imports likewise any casting down or abasement, because we in the worship of God ought to be exceedingly abased and humbled before him. Psal. 38.6. I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly. So Habak. 3.6. The perpetual hills did bow, that is, the power (for it is conceived to be a continued Allegory) of the great Monarchs, who were as the mountains and hills of the world, bowed under the Lord. The word is used to the same sense ( Isa. 49.23.) where the Lord promiseth his people, That Kings shall be their nursing Fathers, and Queens their nursing Mothers, they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick the dust of thy feet. The Church shall have the honor to be honored by the Kings and Princes of the world, they being converted shall bow down so low to the Scepter of Jesus Christ, held forth by the Church, as if they would lick up the very dust, and shall employ their power and authority for the good and protection of the Church. The speech of Israel (Gen. 27.29.) in his prophetic blessing upon Jacob, Let thy mothers sons bow down to thee, and of Jacob, in his, upon Judah (Gen. 49.8.) Thy fathers children shall bow down before thee, note greatest honor and subjection to them both.

The meaning of all is plainly this, That except the Lord himself suspend his own act, and restrain his anger, no power in heaven or earth, how strong, how proud, how confident of success soever, is able to force him, or to alter him. Helpers shall not help themselves, much less those to whose help they come, against the mind and purpose of God. Observe here, first,

Those passions which are ascribed to God, are fully under the command of God.

The passion of anger is ascribed to God, yet the anger which we say is in God, hath no power over God: Mans anger usually masters him; but God is always master of his anger; that is, he can turn and with-draw his anger when he pleaseth. There is no perturbation in God; when he is offended, he is not moved; his motions are all without upon the creatures, he hath none in his own bosom. The passions of the Lord are his most serious counsels & determinations; and we therefore say, he is angry, because those counsels of his acted, look like the effects of anger. Secondly, observe,

That, It is not in the power of man to turn away the anger of God.

He doth not say, except men by prayer or other means stop the anger of God, but, Except the Lord with-draw his anger all help is vain. Prayer is said to appease the wrath of God, and to stay his anger; Moses stood in the gap, and Aaron came out with incense to turn away his wrath, yet it is an act of God's will, which turns away his anger, not the force of our prayer; prayer therefore prevails with God, because he hath said, it shall. He is infinitely free when himself acknowledges that we laythe powerfullest restraint upon him: when the Lord is turned by prayer, it is his will to be turned; it was his counsel, and is his command that prayer should be made as a means to turn him; and it is his promise, that he will turn to us when we pray. Then it appears to us that the Lord hath decreed to do a thing, when he stirs up the hearts of his people to pray for the doing of it, and that he is purposed to with-draw his anger, when he draws out their hearts strongly to entreat his favor. Thirdly, observe,

That, until God be appeased towards a person or a people, there is no remedy for them in the world.

The proud helpers shall stoop under him. If the helpers themselves fall, who can rise by these helpers? if they are cast down, how shall we be upheld by them? What if the people of a provoking Nation associate themselves together, or associate themselves with other Nations, or call in help and aid from all that are round about them, shall they therefore escape in their wickedness? they shall not escape. Unless God help our helpers, they are helpless to us. When many companies, and great Commanders repaired to David at Ziklag, David went out to meet them ( Chron. 12.17.) and said, If ye be come peaceably to help me, mine heart shall be knit to you, but if ye be come to betray me, &c. Amasai who was chief of the Captains, answers ( v. 18.) Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy helpers, for thy God helpeth thee! Our helpers cannot give us peace, unless God give them peace; our helpers must be helped by God, before they can give us help. The anger of God breaks all the staves we lean on, and makes them as reeds, which wound rather then support; till God is quiet all is unquiet, and when he is unpacified, men shall be unpacified, or their peace shall be to our loss. As if he with-draw his anger, enemies shall oppose in vain: so except he with-draw his anger, friends shall help in vain.