The Christian Exercise of Fasting, Chapter 1 · Verse 16 – Verse 17
Verſ. 16.
And while he was yet ſpeaking, another came and ſayde, the fire of God is fallen from heauen, and hath burnt vp the ſheepe, and the ſeruants, and deuoured them: but I onelyonly am eſcaped alone to tell thee.
ANd while he was yet ſpeaking, &c. Before the firſt meſſenger had ended his meſſage, another ſeruant came with the like or worſe newes.
The fire of *Like phraſe. Gen. 50.8. Ionas. 3.3.God is fallen from the heauen. That is, a ſtrange fire, or ſome ſudden flaſhes of lightning in a grieuous tempeſt, a fire which had ſome ſecret and diuine cauſes,He ſpeaks after the common manner of ſpeaking: the people thinke thoſe fiery meteors which are bred in the higheſt region of the aire, come from heauen. God ſent it, wee knowe not how it came from aboue the heauens or higheſt region of the aire: or the fire of God, that is, a moſt great and ſtrange fire, as Pſalm. 36.6. Thy righteouſnes is like the mountaines of God: that is, moſt great and mightie mountaines.
And hath burnt vp the ſheepe. That is, this cruell fire hath deſtroied and deuoured thy 7000. ſheep & ſeruants: they be all conſumed to aſhes. And I only by ſome diuine and ſpeciall prouidence of God am eſcaped to tell thee.
1. This verſe againe teacheth vsus firſt the ſubtiltie of our common enemie, the great dragon that old ſerpent: Doctrine. hee hath begunne his tragedie, hee hath begunne to wound Iobs heart,Iob is an old ſouldier and therefore muſt be beaten downe all at once, before he can recouer any ſtrength. hee will now giuegive him no time to gather newe ſtrength. He knowes Iob an old ſouldier which muſt be beaten downe all at once, otherwiſe all his labour is loſt. For might Iob hauehave ſome reſt to turne to God by prayer, (before hee bee ſo broken and amazed as hee knowes not where to turne him) hee would ſoone beate backe Sathan with all his force. For this cauſe doth this wicked ſpirite play all his partes without any intermiſſion: The ſaints of God hauehave had ſome skirmiſhes with him, but after a little breathing time they hauehave euer foyled him. This wee ſee in Dauid, hee was often in great ſtraites, and yet by Gods goodnes, he ſoone recouers ſtrength againe: in Ziklagge hee and his men loſt all they had, wiues, children,1. Sam. 30.17. Act. 5. laſt verſ. &c. and to adde vntounto his miſerie, that wicked crue which was with him, all in a rage, would hauehave ſtoned him: here was cauſe ſufficient of inſpeakable griefe of heart. But Dauid gaue himſelfe to prayer, and comforted himſelfe in the Lord his God. So we ſee the holy Apoſtles and diſciples in the primitiue Church, being much beaten of Sathan, yet in ſmall time they recouer greater ſtrength againe.
2. We bee taught that Sathan and wicked ſpirits are of great ſtrength, Pſalm. 103.20. and could ſoone ſet on fire all theſe inferiour parts of the world,Wicked ſpirits hauehave greate knowledge in things naturall and greate ſtrength. if they were permitted. For this cauſe the Apoſtle cals them the princes of the ayre, Eph. 6.12. They poyſoned the waters of Egypt, Pſal. 78 49. Exod. 7. and deſtroyed their fiſh. They poyſoned and infected the ayre of Egypt, and ſo brought in the peſtilence vponupon men, & a murrein vponupon beaſts, Pſal. 78.50. They poyſon and infect mens bodies moſt daungerouſly and diuers waies, as we ſee by many examples in the Goſpell, Matth. 17.15.18. Mark. 5.25. Luk. 13.16. and by this of Iob himſelfe, chap. 2.
3. Note here the more to amaze Iob, how Sathan hath for him varietie of plagues. He could hauehave as well ſtirred vp either the ſame Sabees,Sathan hath againſt Iob variety of plagues. or ſome other men to take away Iobs ſheepe, but hee would not now vſe theſe baſe helpes: hee thinkes it beſt to bring downe ſome ſtraunge plague (as it were) from heauen vponupon him. A rot or any ſuch euill would not hauehave deſtroyed them al in an inſtant, as he deſired:The deuill muſt hauehave againſt Iob ſome exquiſite and ſtrange plagues. he muſt therefore hauehave ſome ſpeciall meanes to deuoure the ſheepe all at once: and for this end & purpoſe nothing like ſome wilde fire, or ſtraunge lightning, this will deſtroy, wee ſee and know by experience, without merciemercy. And thus would Sathan make Iob beleeue that heauen and earth hauehave conſpired againſt him for his deſtruction.
Be as carefull to preſerue life, as Sathan is to deſtroy life.
Vſe. 4. Ignorant people in the like euents as theſe are, can not conceiue of Sathans practiſes, becauſe they be rude in Gods booke, and bee not lightened by the holy trueth to ſee his workes. For this cauſe to fill them with illuſions, Sathan hath inuented from the beginning of the world in all ages, and hath ſet foorth and practiſed his abominable arts of Magicke and witchcraft. By which faculties hee hath ſo preuailed,If any of our ignorant ſots and vnbeleeuers were thus plagued in his cattel, he would ſtraight waies crye out onelyonly vponupon witches, and ſeeke after thē for redreſſe. that he hath brought the greateſt part of the world to worſhip and to adore him as a God. For being ſent of God either to correct and chaſten his people and holy ſeruants, as here wee ſee, or to plague vnbeleeuers; as full often wee hauehave ſeene and knowne, hee perſwades the blind people in their extremities, to ſeeke help of witches. And theſe wretched manciples of the diuell, perſwade themſelues and others, that what Sathan doth at Gods ſpeciall charge and commiſsion, is done by vertue of their arts, inchantments, characters, and other curſed illuſions which wicked ſpirits hauehave taught them. And thus the greateſt part of the world followes after Sathan and his mates, becauſe they hauehave not the trueth, or hauing it,1. Theſ. 2.11. hauehave no ſound louelove thereunto.
Verſ. 17.
And while he was yet ſpeaking, another came, and ſayd: The Chaldees ſet out three bands, and fell vponupon the camels, and hauehave taken them, and hauehave ſlaine the ſeruants with the edge of the ſword, but I onelyonly am eſcaped alone to tell thee.
ANd while he was yet ſpeaking another came. The 3. meſſage and cauſe of Iobs miſerie or Iobs 3. rack.There was no intermiſſion, no breathing or reſting time for Iob. Sathan had moſt artificially brought all his matters ſo about, that all his bloudie inſtruments were all at once in a readines, as if they had been of a long time of one league, heart, will, and minde, and now had ſo conſulted together, that they knew their time and place, and all circumſtances, &c. verſ. 16.
The Chaldees ſet out three bands. Sathan hath found out another ſort of theeues ſtronger then the firſt. The bloudie Chaldees which liued by oppreſſion and robberie, theſe came againſt thy ſeruants marching forward in battell aray, well prouided againſt vsus: and they hauehave taken away violently thy 3000. camels. Thy ſeruants fought againſt them, but being fewer in number, and weaker in ſtrength, they were al ſlaine without merciemercy, and the Lord in a ſtrange prouidence hath deliuered me, I thinke for this end that I might come and tell thee.
Doctrine. 1. This verſe againe teacheth vsus, that Sathan is not a ſtranger in any countrey or part of the world. He is acquainted and can commaund the Sabeans to ſerue him,Sathan is a ſtranger in no parte of the world, but familiarly acquainted in all partes with the wicked. he is as well acquainted in Chalde in like maner. And ſo in all countries and nations of the worlde, in the Church and without he can commaund the children of rebellion, when and where the Lord permits him, to bee his hands and inſtruments to effect any miſchiefe.
2. This nation or people of the Chaldees did ſerue Sathan, as here in theft,The Chaldees great men with Sathā in his artes of witchcraft. ſo alſo in all the arts of magicke and witchcraft, more then any of the elder nations, excepting the Egyptians: for that by Aſtrologicall ſpeculations this people could better vaile and couer Sathans practiſes thē any other people. This appeareth in the 2. of Daniel, ver. 2. The King commaunded to call the Inchanters, and the Aſtrologians, and the Sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to ſhew the King his dreames. All theſe wizards would bee called Chaldeans,Diſciplina Chaldaorum Socatur diuinatio Cicer. diuinat. verſ. 4. as if al wiſedome and knowledge dwelt among them, and all other countries no way for diuination comparable vntounto them. The hebrue word Caſdim, Chaldeans is interpreted of ſome, as diuels, or as robbers and ſpoylers. Caſdim.A fit name for ſuch a people. This countrie was Abrahams natiue ſoyle, as it is ſtoried Gen. 11. from whence he was commanded of the Lord to depart and to come vntounto the promiſed land of Canaan, Gen. 12. verſ. 1. it lyeth vponupon the Eaſt ſide of Iurie, betweene Babylon and Arabia, Iere. 50.10. and 51.4.
3. Here againe as in the former verſe, we may ſee how bloudthirſtie Sathan is, and all his ſpeciall inſtruments. Great theeues and robbers, in whom Sathan ruleth and rageth, they hauehave no merciemercy. There are ſome ſort of baſe and poore theeues in the world, which ſaith Salomon men deſpiſe not, becauſe they ſteale for hunger and to preſerue life. A number of theſe poore wretches dye with vsus:Theeues and robbers ſathās inſtruments. but the great maſter theeues, Sathans ſpeciall inſtruments, which robbe and ſpoyle and ſport themſelues in euill, and ſhed bloud full often moſt deſperatly, they will euer finde ſome fauour, and meanes to eſcape racke and gibbet, or ſome one cloake or other, to couer all their bloudie practiſes.