The Christian Exercise of Fasting, Chapter 1 · Verse 14-15
Verſ. 14.15.
There came a meſſenger vntounto Iob and ſayd vntounto him:The Rabbins are fabulous. The firſt meſſage of Iobs firſt calamitie. Iob is here firſt ſet vponupon the racke.
This meſſenger ſay the Rabbins, was a wicked ſpirit: but it is moſt like hee was one of Iobs ſeruaunts, which did attend vponupon Iobs husbandrie: hee ſeeing the great loſſe his maſter had by theeues made haſte to tell him, to ſtirre vp ſome meanes to purſue the theeues, &c.
The oxen were plowing, and the aſſes feeding by them. The meſſenger aſſureth his maſter firſt of his fellow-ſeruants fidelitie, they were carefully tending their buſines, when the theeues came violently vponupon them: q. d. They ſeruaunts were not feaſting or ſporting themſelues, they were not ſlothfull or ſleepie, they were not abſent about their owne affaires, &c. but wee were all occupied in our ſeuerall places, ſome plowing, ſome graſing and feeding our cattell carefully when this great euill fell vponupon vsus. Againe he ſheweth how the oxen were plowing, they were in labour, very beneficiall beaſtes. Boues arabant (ſayth Gregorie vppon Iob) vt memorato fructu operis, cauſa creſcat doloris: The oxen were plowing: this benefite is mētioned for the increaſe of Iobs grief. And for this cauſe ſayeth hee alſo, that Non ſolum aſinae, ſed aſinae faetae rapta referuntur. Apud *foreign.Graecos. The Greeke tranſlation ſayth, they were not aſses onelyonly, which were ſtollen, but aſſes great with young.
And the Sabeans: That is, that wilde and ſauage people of Arabia, which liue by theft, robbery, and ſpoyle of men.Hic naſcitur thus, vnde virgil Centumquè Sabaeo thure calent arae. This wicked people came of Sheba, nephew to Keturah, Gen. 25.3. and Abraham. There is another countrie of like name, Sheba, of Seba, Chus ſonne, Gen. 10.7. nephew to curſed Cham: hence came the Queene to Salomon, 1. King. 10.1. and Candaces eunuch vp to Ieruſalem to worſhip, Act. 8.27.
Came violently. Theſe bloudie theeues and robbers came ſuddenly vponupon vsus vnprouided and vnarmed, yet wee reſiſted them, notwithſtanding they were ſo ſtrong, but they hauehave ſlaine all thy ſeruants.
And tooke them awaye. That is, the aforeſayd oxen, 500. yoke of oxen, and the aſſes, 500. aſſes, they droue all theſe away when they had ſlaine thy ſeruants.
They hauehave ſlaine thy ſeruants with the edge of the ſword. That is, theſe wicked theeues were all mercileſſe, they hauehave murdered all thy ſeruants: like Phraſe, Luk. 21.24. Pſalm. 63.10. Heb. 11.34.
And I onelyonly am eſcaped alone to tell thee. That is, I did not flie onelyonly to ſaue life, but ſeeing all my fellowes ſlaine, and al the cattel in danger to be loſt, and mine own life indangered, to ſaue the one or the other, or both if it may be, I am now come by Gods good prouidence to tel thee, that thou maiſt purſue and followe after them with all the power and ſpeed that may be.
1. The 14. verſe teacheth vsus, how neer Sathan may be in this world vntounto vsus, whē we think him furtheſt off: if this wicked ſpirit may thus ruſh vponupon Gods good people whē they are well occupied in their lawfull vocation, place, and charge: what maruell is it, if hee bee let looſe againſt the wicked and ſlothfull men which lie and ſleepe in idleneſſe and in ſinne. Peter thought little Sathan had been ſo neere when he warned his maſter louingly,Let Sathan euer find vsus wel occupied. to ſpare and to pitie himſelfe, Math. 16.23. and when hee promiſed ſo confidently that hee would dye with his maſter, Matth. 26.33. Iohn 15.37. Sathan lyeth in waite for vsus eueryevery where,Sathan ſhames Dauid in his ſlothfulnes. 2. Sam. 11.2. hee is an olde ſerpent, 2. Cor. 11.3. Reuel. 12.9.10. and by all his artes ſeeketh to circumuent vsus, to vnderprie vsus, 2. Cor. 2.10.11. & to deuour vsus (as here we ſee) by all the meanes he can, 1. Peter 5.8. Therefore let vsus put on our compleat armour eueryevery day, Ephe 6. 1. Theſ. 5.
2. Here againe the Lord aduertiſeth vsus what need we hauehave to be garded continually by the holy Angels of God.Pſal. 3.8.91.11.12. Sathan is our common aduerſarie, but the Lord hath appointed his good Angels to preſerue vsus, otherwiſe both we and our ſubſtance ſhould bee conſumed eueryevery day, euerie moment of the day.
The 15. verſe teacheth vsus:Theeues and robbers Sathās ſpeciall hands and inſtrumēts to worke by.
1. How Sathan maketh the children of rebellion his vaſſals and ſlaues to ſerue him and to worke his will. Here is no mention made of Sathan, yet all this murder and theft by the Sabeans came from him as the chiefe head, for that bloudie and cruell ſpirit, worketh ſpiritually, inuiſibly, and ſtrangely in all the children of rebellion, Ephe. 2.2. It is hard to demonſtrate in what manner Sathan worketh in the wicked, becauſe the ſcripture,When this packe commeth againſt vsus let vsus remēber then that Sathan is let looſe to proue vsus. No mercy with Sathan and his inſtruments, if the Lord rebuke them not they murder all. Gen. 45.5. as here ſo elſewhere doth not ſo cleerely reueale it. But the ſcriptures full often beate into our eares that Sathan is neere vsus and worketh in the vnbeleeuers, to the end we might watch and reſiſt him by faith and prayer, Iam. 4.7.
2. We ſee here there is no merciemercy with Sathan and his inſtruments, if the Lord ſtay not their rage. Sathan had leaue and commiſſion granted, hee would hauehave all Iobs ſeruants murdered, theeues and robbers were readie to execute: and ſo bee alſo this crue, but the Lord often cuttes them all ſhort. Sathan would hauehave murdered Ioſeph by his brethren, but God rebuked him, and bridled them. God (ſaith he) ſent me hither for your preſeruation. So Sathan than and Saul his inſtrument ſought eueryevery day to murder Dauid,1. Sam. 23.14. But GOD deliuered him out of his hand. Let vsus learne to reſt quietly by faith in the Lords ſweete protection. vſe. Pſal. 91.1.And Dauid himſelfe ſo long as hee was caryed away with the ſpirite of whoredome and murder, hee ſhewed himſelfe a moſt mercileſſe man,It is a great comforte for a man in miſerie to hauehave ſome louing friends about him, a good wife or a good child, or ſome good faithful ſeruāt: but Iob had none of all theſe: No doubt Sathan ſlew al the beſt ſeruants and left the worſt aliue. hee ſpared not his owne beſt beloued ſeruant good Vriah the proſelyte.
3. Sathan did rob Iob of all his faithfull children, and beſt ſeruants, which might comfort him in his miſerie, but he leaues him ſome fewe hirelings which hee knew would be meete inſtruments to ſcorne him and moleſt him in his afflictions. Hee complaineth of a number ſuch wretches (which were about him) to whom hee had done good often, Children of fooles or of villaines, or without name, or of an euill name, more vile then the earth, now I am their ſong and their talke, (ſaith he) they whoſe fathers I hauehave refuſed to ſet with the dogges of my flockes. And yet was he a father to all the poore and fatherleſſe.
4. We may learne here againe how artificially Sathan prouides to wound Iobs hart: hee kils al this companie excepting this meſſenger. If none had beene left to make relation of this ſtratageme,Sathan artificially playes his parts againſt Iob, giues him no reſt or intermiſſion till al the tragedy be ended. Iob had not knowen (it may be) this euill for ſome daies after, in which time he might hauehave recouered ſome ſtrength by prayer, & otherwiſe by ſome good meanes from the Lord. For this cauſe Sathan ſtriues to play all the partes of this tragedie in ſuch good order in one day, as that it may moſt amaze Iob in beholding it, and fill his heart with ſorrowe and griefe without any eaſe or intermiſſion.