Exposition of Job 4-7, Commentary on Job · Chapter 5 · Verses 24-27

Exposition of Job 4-7 · Commentary on Job · Chapter 5 · Verses 24-27

p. 381JOB Chap. 5. Verſ. 24, 25, 26, 27.

And thou ſhalt know that thy Tabernacle ſhall be in peace, and thou ſhalt viſit thy habitation, and ſhalt not ſin.

Thou ſhalt know alſo that thy ſeed ſhall be great, and thine off ſpring as the graſſe of the earth.

Thou ſhalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a ſhock of corne commeth in, in his ſeaſon.

Loe this, we have ſearched it, ſo it is, heare it, and know thou it for thy good.

AT the 19^th verſe of this Chapter, we had a promiſe of deliverance from evill, in ſix troubles, and in ſeaven, In the verſes following, we had a ſpecification of ſix or ſeaven troubles, from which deliverance is promiſed. In theſe words, we have the reſult of all, A well grounded ſecurity, in aſſurance of a fourfold bleſſing. Firſt, of a quiet and happy life. Secondly, of many proſperous children, v. 25. Thirdly, of a long life. Fourthly of a ſweet and comfortable death, v. 26. every one confirmed and ratified as a truth in it ſelfe; a… by way of application brought home to Job, in the 27^th or laſt verſe of the Chapter.

Verſ. 24. And thou ſhalt know that thy Tabernacle ſhall be in peace.

Thou ſhalt know it.] Knowledge is ſometime put for preſent ſenſe; He that keepes the commandement, ſhall feel (Heb. ſhall know) no evill: and ſo, Job is promiſed to know, his Tabernacle ſhall be in peace, that is, he ſhall ſee and feele it to be in peace. And

Secondly, Knowledge is put for experience; As we ſay of a rich man, he never knew poverty; And in that ſenſe, Chriſt is ſaid not to have knowne ſin, 2 Cor. 5. 21. Thus, alſo, the godly man knows his Tabernacle ſhall have peace, even by the peace which he hath had; From the former dealings of God, he gathers concluſions, what God will do with him, for the time to come; Thou ſhalt not find me a falſe Prophet, or that I have fed thee with wind: Thou ſhalt know from experience, that thy Tabernacle ſhall be in peace.

And there is a third way by which this might be knowne, ſc. by debate and reaſoning: Thou ſhalt know it; If thou doeſt p. 382but conſider, what the eſtate of a godly man is, and what God hath ſpoken about that eſtate, thou mayeſt make out ſuch a concluſion, that certainly thy Tabernacle ſhall be in peace.

There is a fourth way of knowing, and that is, upon the teſtimony or word of another, this is properly called Faith: Thou ſhalt know it, that is, by looking into the word of God, or conſidering the promiſes made to godly men, thou ſhalt aſſent to and beleeve this thing, that thy Tabernacle ſhall be in peace.

Fiftly, To know, is as much as to be aſſured, or certaine of a thing; And to know ſo, is oppoſed not only to ignorance and opinion, but it is oppoſed to the lower degrees of faith; I know that my Redeemer lives, &c, (ſaith Job Chap. 19. 25.) that is, I am ſure he lives. And the Apoſtle 2 Cor. 4. 14. Knowing that he which raiſed up the Lord Jeſus, ſhall raiſe us up alſo by Jeſus. Knowledge is often put for aſſurance, and it may riſe to that pitch here, Thou ſhalt be aſſured that thy Tabernacle ſhall be in peace.

Thy Tabernacle.] Tabernacles were of two ſorts. There were Tabernacles for civill uſes, and the Tabernacle for church uſes. They dwelt in Tabernacles, and God was worſhipped in a Tabernacle, And therefore (Ezek. 23. 4.) Iſrael and Judah, are called Aholah and Aholibah. Iſrael, the ten Tribes, is called Aholah, that is, a Tent, or a Tabernacle, noting, that they had been the Tent and the Tabernacle of God, wherein he was worſhipped; But Judah is called Aholibah, that is, my Tent is in the middeſt of her, becauſe God at that time continued the outward Ordinances of his worſhip to Judah, though the ten Tribes had been long in captivity. That only by the way. Here by Tabernacles we are to underſtand civill Tabernacles, for in thoſe Eaſterne Countries their ordinary habitations and dwellings were in moveable Tents or Tabernacles, becauſe of their frequent removes. And hence afterward amongſt the Latines, the word for a Tent or Tabernacle, ſignified a houſe, or any place wherein men dwell and frequent. Further, by a Trope, a Tabernacle ſignifies all a mans eſtate, or all his goods; ſo that, when it is ſaid, thy Tabernacle ſhall be in peace, the meaning is, thy whole eſtate and family, what ever thou haſt, ſhall be in peace.

Shall be in peace.] That is, it ſhall be peaceable or in ſafety; Solent frequentiſſimè abſtracta ob Emphaſin pro concretis praedicari.Peace may be conſidered two wayes; either ſtrictly or largely: Strictly, and ſo peace is oppoſed to warre; either firſt, forreigne, or ſecondly, civill, or thirdly, domeſticall warre (as we may call p. 383it) namely ſtrife and contention in families. Thus, Thy Tabernacle ſhall be in peace, may take in all theſe; thou ſhalt neither be invaded by forreigners, neither ſhalt thou have any inſurrection and ſedition in thy own borders; neither ſhalt thou have unkind contentions, in thy particular family, or within thy private walls.

Secondly, Take the word more largely (as it is very frequently in Scripture) and then peace ſignifies all manner of bleſſings and good things, the confluence and gathering together as it were, of all comforts: And peace in this large ſenſe, is oppoſed to any kind of trouble or adverſity; and to ſay ſuch an one hath peace, is as much as to ſay, he proſpers. Peace and proſperity are termes of the ſame ſignification: And then the meaning is this, Thou ſhalt know that thy Tabernacle ſhall be in Peace, that is, that thy whole eſtate ſhall proſper, and that thou ſhalt have good ſucceſſe. Note hence Firſt,

Peace is a choice and a ſpeciall bleſſing.

Outward peace is the choiceſt of outward bleſſings, and inward peace is the choiceſt of ſpirituall bleſſings. Peace gives ſweetneſſe and beauty to all our bleſſings: without peace, riches are but guilded thornes; honour is but higher miſery; health but ſtronger affliction.

So without inward peace, grace gives no preſent comfort; And therefore in the wiſhes of perfect ſpiritual mercy, to the Saints, we find theſe two in conjunction, Grace and Peace. The higheſt promiſes made to the church, are promiſes of ſetled peace in the Church, Iſa. 32. 18. My people ſhall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in ſure dwellings, and in quiet reſting places: There's the top of their outward felicity. Againe, in the the thirty third of that prophecie, ver. 20. Looke upon Zion the City of our ſolemnities (that is, where the worſhip of God was ſolemniz'd) thine eyes ſhall ſee Jeruſalem a quiet habitation; a Tabernacle that ſhall not be taken downe, not one of the ſtakes thereof ſhall ever be removed, neither ſhall any of the cords thereof be broken; Pure Ordinances, and a peaceable habitation, are Jeruſalems perfection on earth; yea ſome looke upon it as a perfection too perfect for earth, and therefore interpret the prophecie of the heavenly Jeruſalem,

Secondly, He ſaith not only, thou ſhalt have peace in thy Tabernacle, but thou ſhalt know it. Hence obſerve,

To be aſſured of a mercy, is better than the enjoyment of a mercy.

p. 384Doubts of looſing a mercy, eat out the heart of a mercy; and a man in that caſe, is as much troubled with the feare of wanting, as he can be comforted with the ſenſe of enjoying.

There are three ſteps of bleſſedneſſe. To be delivered from evill, is but a part of bleſſedneſſe, negative bleſſednes: To receive good, is the better part of bleſſedneſſe, poſitive bleſſedneſſe. But to be aſſured that we ſhall hold and retaine all this, is the perfection of bleſſedneſſe. The firſt part of that great bleſſing we receive by Chriſt, conſiſts in our deliverance from evill, or in a freedome from periſhing. The ſecond conſiſts in the conveyance of good to us, as pardon of ſin, grace and glory. But the third (which is the height of all) conſiſts in our everlaſting aſſurance to enjoy all this: Adam had a good eſtate, but he was not aſſured of it: The bleſſings we have by Chriſt, are built upon a foundation, which can never be ſhaken. In this method, temporall mercies are promiſed in this Scripture: Firſt, deliverance from ſword and famine. Secondly, peace with the creatures. Thirdly, an aſſurance that this peace ſhall be continued. Laſtly obſerve,

All outward bleſſings are in themſelves fading and periſhing.

Though a man be aſſured that he ſhall enjoy outward bleſſings, yet he can enjoy them but in the nature and condition of outward bleſſings. Though he be ſure to uſe and enjoy them, yet he looks upon them as periſhing in the uſing. All outward things are here (as frequently in other Scriptures) implied under the notion of a Tabernacle; a Tabernacle is a moveable habitation. It is a peece of a miracle if a Tabernacle ſtand long; that promiſe (Iſa. 33. 20.) imports ſomewhat extraordinary: A Tabernacle that ſhould not be taken downe, not one of the ſtakes thereof removed, nor any of the cords thereof be broken; It is as if the holy Ghoſt ſhould ſay; Thou ſhalt be a Tabernacle priviledg'd above all Tabernacles: They are moveable, unfixed, eaſie to be taken downe; but it ſhall not be ſo with thee. The Apoſtles concluſion takes in all creature comforts, The faſhion of this world paſſeth away, 1 Cor. 7 31. The ſcheme, the beauty of the beſt earthly things paſſe, while we enjoy them, and moulder away between our hands while we are uſing them.

And thou ſhalt viſit thy habitation, and ſhalt not ſin.

This clauſe of the verſe compleats mercy yet higher; It is better not to ſin in our habitation, then to be aſſured of a habitation. To p. 285have quietneſſe in our habitation is very good, but to have holineſſe in it, is beſt of all. Thou ſhalt viſit thy habitation, and ſhalt not ſin.

The word which we tranſlate habitation, ſignifies not only a houſe, but a wife, or a houſewife; Hence ſome render, Thou ſhalt foreign Habitatio & in ſoeminino genere ſignificat▪ Habi…atricem mulierem, ſc. habitantem in domo, & exornantem eam Moller. in Pſal. 68 13.Ps 68:13viſit thy beauty, or thy faire and beautifull wife, and ſhalt not ſin; The reaſon is, either becauſe a good wife is the beauty and ornament of the houſe: or becauſe the knowledge, wiſedome and diligence of the wife, is a meanes to furniſh and adorne the houſe; or laſtly, the buſineſſe of a wife is ſo much in the houſe, that ſhe ſhares names with the houſe: ſhe is, or ought to be like a ſhaile, living with her houſe upon her back. The Apoſtles rule alſo being, I will that the younger women marry, beare children, guide the houſe, 1 Tim. 5, 14. And exhort them to be diſcreet, chaſt, keepers at home, Tit. 2. 5. Hence alſo probably, the ſame word in Hebrew, ſignifies a beautifull wife, and a beautifull houſe. We reade it in that ſenſe (Pſal. 68. 12.) Kings of armies did fly apace, and ſhe that tarried at home divided the spoile. She that tarried at home, or the beauty of the houſe (ſc. the wife) divided the foreignſpoile. The meaning is, ſuch victory ſhall be obtained over the enemies of the Church, that the wives and weake women, ſhall be fill'd with thoſe ſpoiles, which theit triumphant husbands ſhall bring home to them.

But here, we may rather take the word in the ordinary ſenſe, only with this emphaſis, ſignifying (not bare walls, or a numerous family) but a beautifull, a well furniſhed, a well ordered houſe. And ſo we have the word, at the third verſe of this Chapter, where Eliphaz ſaith, I ſaw the wicked taking root, and preſently I curſed his habitation, or his goodly, beautifull, flouriſhing houſe: So here, thou ſhalt viſit thy habitation, that is, thy houſe in all the beauty, order, riches and furniture of it.

Thou ſhalt viſit. The word ſignifies more, then to ſee and look upon buildings and furniture: To viſit, notes in Scripture theſe foreign Viſitavitthree or foure things.

1. To overlooke or take care of the houſe; To viſit the houſe, is to provide for the houſe. Pſal. 8. 4. Lord what is man that thou viſiteſt him! that is, that thou takeſt ſo much eare of him, and haſt ſuch waking thoughts about him.

2. To viſit the houſe, notes an enquirie of what is done in the houſe, how things goe in the family.

3. It imports a calling of all to an account and reckoning, about p. 386what is done in their diſcharge of family duties.

4. To viſit, is to order and direct, to command and give precepts for what ſhall be done. Hence frequently in the old Teſtament, the Commandements of God are expreſſed by this word, his precepts. So then, thou ſhalt viſit thy houſe, or thy habitation, may take in all theſe; thou ſhalt as a Maſter, view, and over-ſee, direct and call to account thy houſe and family. In this ſenſe, the word is commonly uſed amongſt us; That act of the Biſhops calling their Dioceſſes to an account, and over-looking them, was called their Viſitation. And over Colledges, Hoſpitals and ſuch publicke foundations, Viſitors are appointed, to ſee and take an account, how the rules and ſtatutes of thoſe places are obſerved. Thou ſhalt viſit thy habitation, and ſhalt not ſin.

But how is it ſaid he ſhall doe this, and not ſin? Doth not ſin mingle with all we doe?

The word here uſed, ſignifies, 1. Tropically, to erre, faile or miſcarry in the generall. 2. Properly, to miſſe a ſpeciall marke or way, to ſhoot awry, or wander inſtead of walking; as (Judg. foreign20. 16.) it is ſaid of thoſe ſeven thouſand Benjamites, that they Erravit ā via, vel ſcopo.could ſhoot at an haires bredth, and not ſin, ſo the word is, or not miſcarry, not miſſe the marke. And becauſe every tranſgreſſion, is a wandring out of the way of Gods commandements, or a ſhooting beſide the marke of his word; therefore that word in Non afficieris poena pro peccato… P…gn. Non laede…is, non accpies damnum aut detrimentum, Targ. Curabis res tuas & domum tuam, at eas procurans, non f…uſtrabe…is ſpetua, cedentibus tibi rebus omnibus pro voto & ex animi ſententia, Mer. Non aberrabis ſc. ā ſcopo & fine deſiderij …ui. CocScripture, is commonly uſed for ſinning.

Here the word admits of a two-fold interpretation.

Firſt, For the fruit or effect of ſin, thus, thou ſhalt order and over looke thy family, with ſuch wiſdome and diſcretion, that thou ſhalt not erre or doe things beſide the rule of prudence, and ſo bring miſcarriages and troubles upon thy affaires by ſinne. Mr Broughton tranſlates to this ſenſe, Thou ſhalt viſit thy habitation, and ſhalt not miſprosper. And ſo Eliphaz may hint at Jobs former loſſes, at the overthrow of his eſtate and family; as if he had ſaid, heretofore thou didſt viſit thy habitation, and didſt not proſper, but if thou ſhalt now humble thy ſelfe, thou ſhalt viſit thy habitation, and all ſhall proſper, things ſhall goe well with thee, thou ſhalt not labour in vaine, or looſe thy end in the care thou takeſt about thy family.

Secondly, the ſenſe may be this, thou ſhalt order and viſit thy family, with ſo much juſtice, equity & holineſſe, that thou ſhalt not ſin. Not that Eliphaz undertakes his abſolute freedome from p. 387ſin, but he ſhould not ſin as (he ſuppoſed he had) before, thou ſhalt not run into ſuch errors, or ſplit thy ſelfe upon ſuch rocks as have wrackt thy former greatneſſe And thus he ſecretly reproves Jobs former carriage in his family, as irregular and ſinfull.

There is a further expoſition joyning both theſe together, Thou ſhalt viſit thy houſe, and ſhalt not ſin, namely, by conniving or winking at the ſins and diſorders of thy family, and yet thou ſhalt have peace: thy ſtrict and faithfull carriage in over-ſeeing thy family, ſhall not provoke either ſervants, or children to contention and complainings, to anger and paſſion; Thy holy ſeverity ſhall not fill thy houſe with quarrels and troubles; but God ſhall ſo Domeſtici correpti non ſuccenſebunt… V… tabl.over awe the ſpirits of thoſe under thee, that they ſhall willingly and cheerefully ſubmit to thy purer diſcipline. Obſerve hence, Firſt,

It is a great and a ſpeciall point of godly wiſdome, well to order and viſit a family.

Families are the principles or ſeeds of a Common-wealth. As every man is a little world, ſo every houſe is a little Kingdome. A family is a Common-wealth in a little volume. And the rules of it, are an epitomie of all Lawes, by which whole Nations are govern'd. The Apoſtle makes it a ſpeciall character of his Biſhop, That he muſt be one who rules his own houſe well; and ſubjoynes the reaſon, For if a man know not how to rule his own houſe, how ſhall he take care of the Church of God? 1 Tim. 3. 4, 5. And therein wraps up this truth, that he who knowes how to rule his own houſe well, is in a good poſture of ſpirit for publike rule. The ſame wiſdome, and juſtice, and holineſſe for kind, only more enlarg'd and extenſiue, acts in either ſpheare, and will regularly move both. Secondly,

A family well viſited and ordered, is uſually a proſperous family.

Sinne ſpoiles the comforts and cankers the bleſſings of a family.

Sin brought into a houſe, rots the timber, and pulls down the houſe; or it undermines the foundation, and blowes up the houſe. The ſin of families, is the ruine and conſumption of families. Hence thirdly obſerve,

To be kept from ſin, is a better and a greater bleſſing, than all outward bleſſings.

When Eliphaz had reckoned up all the comforts, which repenting Job is promiſed; Thou ſhalt be delivered in ſix troubles and p. 388in ſeven: Sword and famine ſhall not hurt thee, peace and plenty ſhall dwell within thy walls, and lodge in every chamber: Yet (ſaith he) I will tell thee of a bleſſing, beyond all theſe, thou ſhalt not ſin: It is more mercy to be delivered from one ſin, then from ſword and famine; grace is better then peace, and holineſſe then aboundance; riches, and honour, and health, are all obſcured in this one bleſſing, A holy, a gracious, an humble heart.

There is more evill in one ſin, than in any or all troubles; therefore, there muſt needs be a greater bleſſing in being kept from ſin, than in protection from any or all troubles. Sin is the greateſt evill, therefore to be kept from ſin, is one of the greateſt goods. Chriſt took upon him all ſorts of outward evils, he became poor for our ſakes, he had not ſo much as an houſe to lye in: he came in the forme of a ſervant for our ſakes, and he was a man of ſorrowes, He was acquainted with grief all his life, at laſt with death and a grave; Yet, he would not admit of the leaſt ſin: he was content to bears all our ſins, but he abhord the thought of acting one. Not to ſin, is the next priviledge to God, and the utmoſt priviledge of man. When in a full ſenſe, man ſhall not ſin, man will be arrived at fulnes of joy; and as we daily empty of ſin, ſo we proportionably, fill with joy.

Verſ. 25. Thou ſhalt know alſo that thy ſeed ſhall be great, and thy off ſpring as the graſſe of the earth.

From the preſent beſſings upon the family, he deſcends to thoſe which concerne poſterity; as if he had ſaid, thy comforts ſhall not be confined to thy ſelfe, neither ſhall they be ſhut up within the limits of one generation; Mercies ſhall be tranſmitted to thy children, thy heires ſhall inherit bleſſings.

Thy ſeed ſhall be great. The word Great, ſignifies both multitude and magnitude: Thou ſhalt have a great ſeed, that is, a numerous foreignſeed a multitude of children; and thou ſhalt have a great ſeed, that is, honourable and wealthy children; Job himſelfe was called, Chap. 1. 3. (though by another word, yet in the ſame ſenſe) the greateſt man in the Eaſt; This greatneſſe is promiſed his children, and thy ſhall receive additionall further bleſſings: For the word [Rab] ſignifies greatneſſe, in a continuall motion to more eminent greatneſſe: And therefore it is ſometime tranſlated by encreaſing; So (Iſa. 9. 6.) where the Prophet ſets out the flouriſhing glory of the kingdome of Chriſt; Of the increaſe of his Kingdome and peace, there ſhall be no end; or, of the greatneſſe p. 389and greatning of his kingdome, there ſhall be no end. So that, to ſay thy ſeed ſhall be great, notes, not only ſome ſtanding greatneſſe, but growing greatneſſe: they ſhall ever be upon an encreaſe, till they come to their full in glory.

And thy off-ſpring as the graſſe of the earth.

Both clauſes of the verſe meane the ſame thing. The word which we tranſlate off-ſpring, ſignifies properly that which goeth forth or iſſues, becauſe children ſpring or goe forth from their parents, foreign Germina ſicut ex vite palmites.and are therefore called their iſſue. And the word is uſed for the bud of the Olive or of the Vine; hence the Pſalmiſt puts them both into a ſimilitude. Thy children ſhall be like olive plants round about thy table, They are as the olive bud in their birth, and as the olive branch in their growth.

Thy off-ſpring ſhall be as the graſſe of the earth.

To be as the graſſe of the earth, is a proverbiall ſpeech; and it Proverbiale multitudinis, talia ſunt ſicut arena maris, ut ſtellae coeli, Druſ.ariſes to the ſenſe of thoſe proverbials ſpoken to Abraham concerning his ſeed, thy ſeed ſhall be as the Starres of Heaven: And thy ſeed ſhall be as the ſand upon the ſea-ſhore. The graſſe of the field is as innumerable, as the Starres, or the ſands; Thy off ſpring ſhall be as the graſſe of the ſield. Thou ſhalt not only have a numerous, but thou ſhalt have (as it were) an innumerable off ſpring.

Man kind in generall is compared unto graſſe, Iſa. 40. 6. All fleſh is graſſe; Graſſe in regard of its ſudden withering, he is ſuddenly cut downe, the goodlineſſe of man is as the flower of the field. Wicked men are compared to graſſe, not only becauſe they wither, but becauſe they wither ſuddenly, or are cut downe by ſome hand of juſtice. The off-ſpring of a godly man, are compared to graſſe, but in another reference. To graſſe, firſt, becauſe of their multitude, and ſecondly, becauſe of their beauty, they ſhall flouriſh and be green as the graſſe, which is very pleaſant to the beholders eye.

And in this alſo Eliphaz aimes at the death of Job's children; Thou haſt loſt thy children, they periſhed miſerably, but if thou Hoc dicit quia. Iob filios amiſerat. Merc.returne, that bleſſing ſhall returne, thy ſeed ſhall be great, and thy off spring ſhall be as the graſſe of the earth.

The bleſſing of children hath been ſhewed in the firſt Chapter, therefore I ſhall but name a point or two now. Firſt, That

The poſterity of godly parents. ſtand neerer then others, p. 390under the influence of heavenly bleſſings.

As grace doth not runne in a blood, ſo neither do bleſſings infallibly runne in a blood, yet the children of thoſe who are bleſſed, are neereſt a bleſſing: And their poſſibilities for mercy are faireſt. Many promiſes are made to them, they are heires apparent of the promiſes in their parents right; others to appearance, are ſtrangers from the promiſes. Though, we know free grace chuſeth often out of the naturall line; The mercies of God are his own, and it is his prerogative, to have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardneth.

Secondly, When he ſummes up the bleſſings of a godly man, the bleſſings of his children are caſt into the account. Whence note,

That the bleſſings of the children, are the bleſſings of the parent.

As the parent is afflicted in the afflictions of his children, ſo he is bleſſed in their bleſſings. Relations ſhare mutually both in comforts and croſſes. Children are their parents multiplied, and every good of the child, is an addition to the parents good. A flouriſhing and a numerous poſterity is a great outward bleſſing. Some have the choiſeſt of ſpirituall bleſſings, who want this (Iſa. 56. 3.) God comforts thoſe that have no children, Doe not ſay that thou art made a dry tree; for I will give thee in mine houſe, a place and a name better than of ſons and daughters; As if he had ſaid, the name of ſons and of daughters, is a very great comfort, but it is not the greateſt comfort, the beſt bieſſing: thou ſhalt have a name and a place, better than of ſons and daughters.

Verſ. 26. Thou ſhalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a ſhock of corne commeth, in his ſeaſon.

From perſonall preſent bleſſings of this life, and the bleſſings of poſterity, Eliphaz deſcends to ſhew the bleſſing of a godly man in death. A happy death is the cloſe of temporall happineſſe, and the beginning of eternall. A happy death ſtands between grace and glory, like the Baptiſt between the law and the Goſpel, and is the connexion or knitting of both. And as it was ſaid of John, That among them who are borne of women, there aroſe not a greater then he, nevertheleſſe, he that is leaſt in the kingdome of heaven, is greater then John: So we may ſay, that among all the bleſſings of this life, there is none greater then a bleſſed death, nevertheleſſe that which is leaſt in eternall life, is a greater bleſſing, then a bleſſed p. 391death. It was an obſervation among the Heathen, That no man is to be accounted bleſſed, untill he die. But when life is ſhut up with a bleſſing, then man is fully bleſſed; As in reaſoning, ſo in living, the concluſion lyes in the premiſes. A happy death is the reſult of a holy life.

Thou ſhalt come to thy grave.] That phraſe notes two things.

Firſt, A willingneſſe and a chearfulneſſe to die. Thou ſhelt come, thou ſhalt not be dragged or hurried to thy grave, as it is ſaid of the fooliſh rich man, Luk. 12. This night ſhall thy ſoule be taken from thee. But thou ſhalt come to thy grave, thou ſhalt die quietly and ſmilingly, as it were, thou ſhalt goe to thy grave, as it were upon thine owne feet, and rather walke, then be carried to thy Sepulcher.

Secondly, it notes the honor and ſolemnity of burying. Thou ſhalt come to thy grave with honour; as it is ſaid of Ahijah the ſon of Jeroboam, 1 King. 14. 12, 13. When Meſſengers were ſent to the Prophet to enquire whether he ſhould recover, the Prophet tels them, The child ſhall die, and all Iſrael ſhall mourne for him, and bury him: For, he only of Jeroboam ſhall Come to the grave, becauſe in him there is found ſome good thing toward the Lord God of Iſrael, in the houſe of Jeroboam. He only ſhall come to thy grave, the reſt ſhall be thruſt into the grave, or lye unburied, but he ſhall come, that is, he ſhall be buried with honour; others ſhall have reproach caſt upon them, when the earth is caſt upon them. Thou ſhalt come to thy grave.

In a full age] So we tranſlate. The word is expounded two foreign Senium ſenectutis tempus.wayes.

In a full age, that is, in an age, when thou ſhalt be full: full of eſtate, full of wealth and honour, thou ſhalt have abundance when thou dieſt. And ſo it points at Jobs preſent poverty: though thou haſt nothing now, ſcarſe a ragge to thy backe, or a ſheet to winde thee in, if thou ſhouldſt die, yet ſeeke unto God, and thou ſhalt die in a full age, in a golden Age, thy wants ſhall be ſupplied, and thy loſſes repaired to the full.

But rather a full Age, notes here a ſulneſſe of daies, though the other (fullneſſe of eſtate) be not excluded. The Prophet puts the ſame difference, between aged men, and men full of dayes, as is between children, and young men (Jer. 6. 11.) I am full of the fury of the Lord, I will powre it out upon the children abroad, and upon p. 392the aſſembly of young men together, The aged, with him that is full of dayes. That is, all ages ſhall feele the fury of the Lord. A full age, is an age full of daies or compleate to the utmoſt time of foreignlife. Some of the Jewiſh Writers obſerve that the numerall letters of this word (Chelad) make up threeſcore, which they conceive is In numeris notat 60 ea prima ſenectus eſt, non matura. Quidam Hebrae orum vi…idem ſenectam nomine foreign putant ſignificari, ut Caph ſit ſimilitudinis foreign …u…è virtutem & humidum ſonat. foreign. Senctutem ita que pollecetur-non quidem m… leſtam & morboſam ſed vegetā & paelicem.the age here meant; but threeſcore is not a full old-oge, it is rather the beginning of old-age. Therefore fulneſſe of age, is by others interpreted, to be ſtrength of age; thou ſhalt die in an old age, yet thou ſhalt have ſtrength and comfort in thy old-age; thine old-age ſhall not be a troubleſome age, thou ſhalt not be weake and crazy, diſtempered and ſick, a burthen to thy ſelfe, or friends; thou ſhalt die (as ſome tranſlate) in a good old-age, or as Mr. Broughton, thou ſhalt die in luſty old-age; Time ſhall not wither thee, nor drinke up thy blood and ſpirits, Thou ſhalt have a spring in the Autumne, and a Summer in the winter of thy life. As it was with Moſes, Deut. 34. 7. who died, when he was an hundred and twenty yeares old, yet ſaith the text, His eye was not dimme, nor his naturall force abated; This is to die in a full old-age, full of daies, yet full of ſtrength and health. It is a great bleſſing, when a man is (in this ſenſe) youthfull in old-age: when others ſee with foure eyes, and goe with three leggs, he uſes neither ſtaff nor ſpectacles, but renews his ſtrength like the Eagle.

Or, we may take the ſenſe more generally, for any one that liveth long, and liveth comfortably; as it was ſaid of Abraham, Gen. 25. 8. That he died in a good old-age, an old man, and full of yeares. He died in a good old-age; The young-man is counſel'd, To remember his Creator in the dayes of his youth; before the evill daies come, Eccleſ. 12. 1. What are thoſe? Thoſe evill daies are the daies of old-age: The words following being an Allegoricall, elegant deſcription of old age. Old-age in it ſelfe is the evill day: The lives of many old-men are a continuall death. They live as it were upon the racke of extreame paines or ſtrong infirmities; therefore it is a ſpeciall bleſſing for man to be old, and yet to have a good old-age, that is, a florid comfortable old-age; To have many yeares and few infirmities is a rare thing. In ſome old-age flouriſhes, and in others old-age periſhes, Job gives us this difference in the uſe of this word, Chap. 30. 2. Yea whereto might the ſtrength of their hands profit me, in whom (Chelad) old-age was periſhed, As if he had ſaid, ſome old-men are active and ſtrong, but theſe, who were faded and flatted in all their abilities, in what p. 393ſtead could they ſtand me? They were a trouble to themſelves, and therefore could be no comfort unto others.

This full old-age is explained further, by way of ſimilitude, He ſhall die in a full age, lie as a ſhock of corne commeth in, in his ſeaſon. When a young man dye, he is as greene corne. The Pſalmiſt imprecates that ſome may be like the graſſe or corne on the houſe-top, that withereth before it is cut downe, whereof the mower Pſal. 129. 6, 7.Ps 129:6Ps 129:7filleth not his hand, nor he that bindeth up the ſheaves, his boſome. The life of a man ſometimes is like corn growing upon the houſe top, that withereth: Or (as it is in the parable of the ſower, Mat. 13.) like the corne that fell on the high-way ſide, or among ſtones and thornes, which came not in, in it's ſeaſon, it never ſtaid the ripening or reaping, but was eaten up or dried or choaked before the harveſt. Now here, man is compared unto corne, ſowed in good ground, well rooted and continuing out it's ſeaſon, and is brought in ripe at harveſt. Old-age is the harveſt of nature.

Some divide mans life into ſeven parts, comparing it to the ſeven planets; Some into five, comparing it to the five acts of an interlude; but commonly the life of man is divided into foure parts, and ſo it is compared to the foure ſeaſons of the yeare. And in that diviſion, old-age is the winter-quarter, cold and cloudy, full of rheumes and catarrhs of diſeaſes and diſtellations. But here, old-age is the harveſt; though, thou art a very old-man, thou ſhalt not die as in winter, but thou ſhalt die, as it were in harveſt, when thou art full ripe and readie, as a ſhock of corne that is laid up in the barne; The generall judgement of the world is compared to a harveſt, and death (which is a particular day of judgement) is a harveſt too.

Thoſe words, He ſhall come to his grave as a ſhock of corne, are foreign Aſcendere ſignificat …vaneſcere, velut in auras tolli velè medio tolli.further conſiderable, the Hebrew is, He ſhall aſcend as a ſhock of corre; and that referring to death, is ſometimes tranſlated by cutting off, or taking away, Pſal. 102. 25. Cut me not off in the midſt of my daies; The letter is, Let me not aſcend in the midſt of my daies: Whether it have any alluſion to that hope or faith of the Saints in their death, that, they doe but aſcend, when they die; or to their diſappearing to the eye of ſence, when they die, becauſe things which aſcend, vaniſh out of ſight, and are not ſeene; In either ſence, when the Saints are cut downe by death, they aſcend foreign Propriè ſignificat acervum frugum, qui inAnd they are elegantly ſaid, To aſcend as a ſhock of corne, becauſe that is taken from the earth, and reored or ſtackt up; and ſo by a p. 394Metaphor it ſigniſies a Tombe or a monument errected or high-built over a dead corpſe, much after the manner of a ſhock of corn; area erigitur. Metaphoricè tumultum ceu currulum te…rae vel monumentū ſepulcro impoſi…um.So the word is uſed, He ſhall remaine in the tombe or Heape. Job 22. 32.

So then, the ſum of this verſe, is a promiſe of comfort and honour in death: He ſhall die in a full age, when he is readie and ripe for death. Yet this is not to be taken ſtrictly, that, every godly man dies in ſuch a full old age, in an age full of daies or full of comforts. Many of Gods beſt ſervants have had evill daies in their old age; their old age hath had many daies of trouble and ſickneſs, of paine and perplexity. But thus it is with many in old age, and this is eſpecially to be look't upon as an Old Teſtament promiſe, when the Lord dealt more with his people, inviſible externall mercies. Yet, in one ſenſe it is an univerſall truth, and ever fulfilled to his people, for whenſoever they die, they die in a good age, yea though they die in the ſpring and flower of youth, they die in a good old age; that is, they are ripe for death, when ever they die; when ever a godly man dies, it is harveſt time with him; though in a naturall capacity he be cut down, while he is green, and cropt in the bud or bloſſome, yet in his ſpirituall capacity, he never dies before he is ripe. God ripens his ſpeedily, when he intends to take them out of the world ſpeedily. He can let out ſuch warme rayes and beams of his Spirit upon them; as ſhall ſoone maturate the ſeeds of grace, into a preparedneſſe for glory: whereas a wicked man living an hundred yeaers, hath no full old-age, much leſſe a good old-age, he is ripe indeed for deſtruction, but he is never ripe for death; he is as unreadie and unripe for death, when he is an hundred years old, as when he was but a day old. He hath not begun to live, when he dies; or he is at the end of his naturall race, before he hath ſet one ſtep in his ſpiritual. Gray haires are the ſhame, and ſhould be the ſorrow of old-age, when they are not found in the way of righteouſneſſe. From the former branch of this verſe, obſerve; Firſt,

To have a comely buriall, to come to the grave with honour, is a great bleſſing.

It was threatned upon Jehojakim, the ſonne of Joſiah, as a curſe, That he ſhould have the buriall of an Aſſe, and be drag'd and caſt out beyond the gates of the City, Jer. 22. 19. That man ſurely had lived like a beaſt, whom God threatn'd by name, that when he died, he ſhould be uſed as a beaſt: though we know the bodies of p. 395many of the ſervants of God, have been ſcattered, and may be ſcattered upon the face of the earth, like dung; The dead bodies (as the complaint is, Pſal. 79. 2.) of thy ſervants have they given to be meat to the fowles of the heaven, the fleſh of thy Saints to the beaſts of the earth. Yet to them (even then) there is this bleſſing reſerved, beyond the bleſſing of a buriall, they are ever laid up in the heart of God, he takes care of them, he embalmes them for immortality, when the remains of their mortality, are troden under foot, or rot upon a dunghill.

Secondly, obſerve, A godly man, is a volunteer in his death; He commeth to the grave: A wicked man, never dies willingly, Though he ſometime die by his own hand, yet he never dies with his own will. Miſerable man is ſometimes ſo over-preſt with terrours, and horrours of conſcience, ſo worne out with the trouble of living, that he haſtens his own death. Yet he, Comes not to his grave willingly, but is drag'd by neceſſity. He thruſts his life out of doores with a violent hand, but it never goes out with a cheerfull mind. He is often unwilling to live, but he is never willing to die. Death is welcome to him, becauſe life is a burden to him. Only they come to the grave, who, by faith have ſeene Chriſt lying in the grave, and perfuming that houſe of corruption, with his owne moſt precious body, which ſaw no corruption. Obſerve thirdly.

To live long and to die in a full age is a great bleſſing. Old Eli had this curſe pronounced upon his family, 1 Sam. 2. 31. There ſhall not be an old man in thy houſe.

Gray haires are a crown of honour, when they are found in the way of righteouſneſſe. It is indeed infinitely better, to be full of grace, than to be full of daies; but to be full of daies, and full of grace too, what a venerable ſpectacle is that? To be full of years, and full of faith, full of good workes, full of the fruits of righteouſneſſe, which are by Chriſt, How comely and beautifull beyond all the beauty and comelineſſe of youth, is that? Such are truly ſaid to have filled their daies. Thoſe daies are fill'd indeed, which are full of goodneſſe. When a wicked man dies, he ever dies emptie and hungrie; he dies empty of goodneſſe, and he dies hungry after daies. That place before mentioned of Abraham (Gen. 25. 8.) is moſt worthy our ſecond thoughts, He dies in a good old-age, an old man, and full, ſo the Hebrew, we reade, full of years; As a man, that hath eaten and drunke plentifully, is full; and deſires no p. 396more. So, he dyed an old-man and full, that is, he had lived as much as he deſired to live, he had his fill of living, when he died. And therefore alſo, it may be called a full age, becauſe a godly man hath his fill of living, but a wicked man (let him live never ſo long) is never full of daies, never full of living; he is as hungry and as thirſty (as a man may ſpeake) after more time and daies, when he is old, as he was when he was a child, faine he would live hill; He muſt needs thinke it is good being here, who knowes of no better being, or hath Impij quamvis diu vivant. tamen non implent dies ſuos, quia ſpem in rehus temporarijs collocantes perpetua vita in hoc mundo pe…frui vellent.no hopes of a better, It is a certaine truth, He that hath not a taſt of eternity, can never be ſatisfied with time. He that hath not ſome hold of everlaſting life, is never pleaſed to let goe this life; therefore he is never full of this life. It is a moſt ſad thing, to ſee an old man, who hath no ſtrength of body to live, yet have a ſtrong mind to live. Abraham was old and full, he deſired not a day, or an houre longer His ſoul had never an empty corner for time, when he died. He had enough of all, but (of which he could never have enough and yet had enough, and all, as ſoon as he had any of it) eternity. In that great reſtitution promiſed, Iſa. 65. 20. this is one priviledge, There ſhall be no more there, an infant of daies, nor an old man that hath not fil'd his daies. There is much controverſie about the meaning of thoſe words; The digreſſion would be too long to inſiſt upon them. Only to the preſent point thus much, that there is ſuch a thing, as an Infant of daies, and an old man that hath not fill'd his daies.

An infant of daies, may be taken for an old child, that is, an old man childiſh, or a man of many years, but few abilities. A man whoſe hoary head ann wrinkled face ſpeak fourſcoure, yet his fooliſh actions and ſimple carriage ſpeake under fourteene. An old man that hath not fill'd his daies, is conceived to be the ſame man, in a different character. An old man fils not his dayes. Firſt When he fulfils not the duty, nor reaches the end for which he lived to old-age; That man who hath lived long, and done little, hath left empty daies, upon the record of his life. And when you have writ downe the daies, the months, and yeares of his life, his ſtorie's done, the reſt of the book is but a continued Blanke, nothing to be remembred that he hath done, or nothing worth the remembrance.

Now as an old man fils not his daies, when he ſatisfies not the expectation of others: ſo in the ſecond place his daies are not fill'd, when his own expectations are not ſatisfied, that is, when he having p. 397lived to be old, hath yet young freſh deſires to live, when he finds his mind empty, though his body be ſo full of daies, that it can hold no longer, nor no more. He that is in this ſenſe, an infant of dayes, and an old man not having filled his dayes, though he be an hundred yeares old when he dies, yet he dies (as the Prophet concludes in that place) accurſed; he comes not to his grave under the bleſſing of this promiſe in the text, in a full age. Laſtly obſerve.

Every thing is beautifull in its ſeaſon.

He ſhall come to his grave like a ſhock of corne that is brought in in his ſeaſon. Even pale death hath beauty in it, when it comes in ſeaſon. Eccleſ. 7. 17. Be not wicked over much, why ſhouldſt thou dye before thy time? No man can dye before Gods time, but a man may dye before his time, that is, before he is prepared by grace, and before he is ripened in the courſe of nature. Thoſe two wayes a man dyes before his time; Firſt, when he dyes without any ſtrength of grace; Secondly, when he dyes in the ſtrength of nature. In this ſenſe the Prophet deſcribes the hand of God upon him, Pſal. 102. 23. He weakned my ſtrength in the way; … ſhortned my dayes: and therefore prayes in the 24th verſe, I ſaid, O my God take me not away in the midſt of my dayes: That is, in the ſtrength or beſt of my times according to the line and meaſure of nature A godly man prayes that he may not dye out of ſeaſon; but a wicked man never dies in ſeaſon: That threatning is ever fulfilled upon him, in one ſenſe, if not in both (Pſal. 55. 23) The bloodthirſty and deceitfull man ſhall not live out halfe his dayes. A wicked man never lives out halfe his daies; for, either he is cut off before he hath lived halfe the courſe of nature, or he is cut off before he hath lived a quarter of the courſe of his deſires; either he lives not halfe ſo long as he might, or not a tenth, not a hundreth part ſo long as he would; and therefore let him dye when he will, his death is full of terror, trouble and confuſion, becauſe he dies out of ſeaſon. He never kept time or ſeaſon with God, and ſurely God will not keep or regard his time or ſeaſon.

Verſ. 27. Loe this, we have ſearched it; ſo it is, heare it, and know thou it for thy good.

As Eliphaz began his diſpute with an elegant preface, ſo he ends it with a rhetoricall concluſion; as if he had ſaid▪ Job, I have ſpoken many things unto thee, heare now the ſumme and upſhot of p. 398all; Loe this, we have ſearched it, ſo it is, heare it, and know it for thy good.

Two things he concludes with, Firſt with an aſſertion of the truth of what he had ſpoken, So it is. Secondly, with a motion for his aſſent to what was ſpoken, Heare it.

Or the words may fall under a three-fold conſideration.

As the

1. Concluſion

of his ſpeech.

2. Confirmation

3. Application

And this application is ſtrengthned by a three-fold Motive.

By a motive, firſt from experience, Loe this, we have ſearched it, we have found the thing to be true.

Secondly, By a motive from the truth of the thing in it ſelfe, ſo it is: we have ſearched it, we have experience of it, ſo it is, the thing is certaine. And then

Thirdly, From the fruit and benefit of it, if he ſubmit unto and obey the truth delivered, know it for thy good, thou ſhalt reap the profit of it. Theſe are three motives, by which he ſtrengthens his exhortation, in applying the truth he had beaten out, in his former diſcourſe.

We have ſearched it.] As if Eliphaz had ſaid, we have not taken foreign Scrutatus, perſcrutatus eſt, remota aut abſtruſa.theſe things upon truſt, or by an implicite faith; we have not received them by tradition from our fathers, but we have ſearched, and tryed, and found out, that thus the matter ſtands in Gods diſpenſations, both to a wicked man, and to a godly man, in all the particulars run thorough in this Chapter. Or we have ſearched, that is, we have learned theſe truths by experience; That, God puniſheth not the innocent, that, man cannot compare in juſtice with God, that, hypocrites ſhall not proſper long, and that, mans afflictions are the fruit of his tranſgreſſions. The word ſignifies a very diligent and exact ſcrutiny, (Deut. 13. 14.) Thou ſhalt enquire and make ſearch, and aske diligently; it is to ſearch as Judges Diligenti inquiſitione & verita is ſcrutatiene nec non reconditorum divinae providentiae judiciorum conſideratione rem ita ſe habere compe…im….ſearch and enquire about any crime, or queſtion in Law determinable by their ſentence; and as we ſearch to find the meaning of a riddle. (Judg. 14. 14.) The word is alſo applied to the ſearchings and enquiries of a Spie (Judg. 18. 2.) ſent to bring intelligence; A ſpie is an exact inquiſitor, into all affaires, given him in charge for diſcovery. So here, we have ſearched out, we have ſpied out and tryed this thing to the utmoſt, we have as it were, read over all the records of divine Truths, we have examined all experiences p. 399and examples, and this is the reſult, the ſumme of all, Loe thus it is.

A queſtion ariſes here, how Eliphaz can ſay, we have ſearcht it, when as Chap. 4. he ſaith, A thing was ſecretly brought to me? It ſeemes theſe were matters attained and beaten out by ſtudy, not ſent in by divine revelation; and ſo are rather the opinions of men, then the oracles of God. Men inſpired by the Holy Ghoſt, ſpeak another language; As, Thus ſaith the Lord, or this we have received, not this we have ſearched. Scripture is given by inſpiration from God. not by the diſquiſitions of men

Some have hence concluded this ſpeech of Eliphaz Apocryphal, Ex quo intelligimus hanc Eliphae diſſertionem non or aculi fuiſſe, ſed ſtudij, nec ad Dei revelantis reſponſa, ſed ad humani ingenij inventa pertinere. Janſon. in loc.as being rather matter of humane invention, then divine inſpiration: Or the work of mans wit, rather then of Gods Spirit.

But I anſwer. Firſt, The Apoſtle Paul hath ſufficiently atteſted the Divine Authority of this diſcoruſe, by alledging a proof out of it, 1 Cor. 3. 19.

Secondly, That which was ſecretly brought to Eliphaz, was that one ſpeciall Oracle, Chap. 4. 17. Shall mortall man be more juſt then God? ſhall a man be more pure then his maker? The other part of his diſcourſe, to which theſe words (Loe this we have ſearched) refer, were grounded upon the experiences which himſelfe and his friends had obſerved in, and about the providence of God in all his dealings both with the godly and the wicked, all agreeable to that grand principle received by immediate revelation. And therefore as he told Job before, that the generall poſition was brought him in a viſion, ſo all ages and the records kept of them (in all which he had made a diligent enquirie) came up fully to the proofe of it; As if he had ſaid, The Lord told me ſo, and all he hath done in the word proclaimes that it is ſo. His word is enough to aſſert his own juſtice, but his works witneſſe with it. Loe, this, we have ſearched, ſo it is.

We have ſearched. He ſpeaks in the plurall number; he begun his ſpeech in the fourth Chapter, and he concluds it here in the plurall number. Yet we are not to think, that, this was a diſcourſe penn'd by them all together; or debated firſt in private conference, and agreed on, that thus Eliphaz ſhould ſpeake, becauſe he ſaith, we have ſearched it. But the meaning is only this, I ſuppoſe I have ſpoken the ſenſe of my two friends, who ſtand by, and I beleeve they are ready to ſubſcribe to, or vote every word I have now uttered, therefore behold we have ſearched and thus it is.

p. 400Heare thou it. To adviſe thee, was our part; to heare and hearken is thy part; therefore heare it.

But had he not heard them all this while, why doth Eliphaz now bid him heare it?

It is true, he had heard; but there is more required, then the hearing of the eare, when ſuch a Sermon as this is preached. To heare, is more than the worke of the eare. It is

Firſt, To beleeve and give credit to what was heard. (Joh. 9. 27.) I told you before, and you would not heare (ſaith the blind man) wherefore would you heare it againe? that is, I have told you already, but you would not beleeve, nor give credit to what I ſpake.

Secondly, To heare is to hearken, that is, to yeeld and conſent to what is ſpoken. (Gen. 3. 17.) Foraſmuch, as thou haſt hearkned to the counſell of thy wife: Barely to heare a temptation to ſin, is no act of ſin; as barely to heare an exhortation to good, is no act of grace. Therefore becauſe thou haſt hearkned, is, becauſe thou haſt yeelded and conſented to, that which ſhe hath ſpoken.

Thirdly, To heare, is to obey. Iſa. 55. 3. Heare and your ſoule ſhall live. It is not every hearing af the eare, that bringeth life to the ſoule, obedient hearing is enlivening hearing.

So here, we have ſearched it, ſo it is, heare it, that is, beleeve what we have ſpoken, ſubmit unto, and conſent to what we have ſpoken, obey and practiſe what we haveſpoken.

To heare, is both an act of ſence, and an act of reaſon, an act of nature, and an act of grace. To heare one requeſting and praying is to grant: and to heare one counſelling and commanding, is to obey. When God heares man, he grants; and when man heares God, or heares men ſpeaking in the name of God, he yeelds and obeys.

It followes, And know thou it for thy good. The Hebrew is, know it for thy ſelfe. Now, becauſe that which a man knowes for foreignhimſelfe, is for his profit, therefore we tranſlate, know it for thy good; that is, know it as that, whereby thy ſelfe mayeſt receive good. The meaning of, know it for thy ſelfe, is not this, know and keep it to thy ſelfe, let none partake with thee of it; It is againſt the uſe of knowledge, that a man ſhould ſo know for himſelfe, though a mans ſelfe hath or may have good by all he knowes. So we muſt underſtand that of Salomon, Prov. 9. 12. If thou be wiſe, thou ſhalt be wiſe for thy ſelfe; that is, thou ſhalt be advantag'd by thy wiſdome; Wiſdome brings in a faire revenew; though many know p. 401much and ſeem very wiſe, who know nothing for themſelves, and are not wiſe at all, for their own good.

There are three ſorts of knowing men.

Firſt, Some know onelyonly to know. They know, but the propoſe no end to themſelves, beyond knowledge: They know not for the good of others, no nor for their own good. As it is with riches and honour, ſo with knowledge: covetous men gather riches that they may be rich, they propoſe not any other end of having riches, but only to be rich. An ambitious man, deſires honor, that he may be honourable, he propoſeth to himſelfe no other end of his deſiring honor, but to be honourable. So many are covetous and ambitious of knowledge, they read from book to book, and from point to point, from ſcience to ſcience, and what do they with all this knowledge? only this, that they may know; to know thus, is not to know for good, To know only to know, is no better then not to know.

Secondly, Others know, that they may be knowne, to know this is their end, that other men may know that they are knowing men, that they are great Schollars, great read-men, men of great abilities and boundleſſe ſtudies. Even as ſome deſire riches, that they may be accounted rich, and honour, that they may be fam'd for honourable. To know only that we may be known, is worſe then not to know.

But thirdly. That which is the right way of knowing, is to know that others may know, or, to know that our ſelves may practiſe. Theſe are the true ends of knowing, to communicate knowledg and to obey knowledge. The great end of knowing ſhould be our own profiting in holineſſe and obedience. And ſo here, Know it for thy good, is, to know it ſo, as to make an advantage of thy knowledg. To know for our good, is the only good knowledge. Hence obſerve, firſt,

Truth deſerves our moſt diligent ſearch.

We have ſearched it (ſaith Eliphaz) The promiſe of finding truth, is only to ſuch as ſearch for truth (Prov. 2. 4.) Thou ſhalt find wiſdome, &c. If thou ſeekeſt her as ſilver, and ſearcheſt for her as for hid treaſures. There are two places, two veines eſpecially, where truth is to be found; There is the book of Gods word, and the book of Gods works: The book of Scripture, and the book of providence; In theſe two books, we are to ſearch, in them to ſtudy out truth, for our own practiſe, and for adviſe to others.

Secondly Obſerve,

That which we offer to others for truth, we ought diligently to p. 402make tryall of our ſelves; or we ſhould make truth our own, before we diſtribute it to others

We have ſearched the thing out (ſaith Eliphaz) we know the truth to be thus, we are maſters of what we teach. They who hear aright, ſearch (as the Bereans) thoſe things, which are taught them; and they who inſtruct aright, ought to ſearch the things which they teach; If there muſt be after-ſearching of thoſe things we hear, certainly there muſt be fore-ſearchings of the things we teach. Truth (ordinarily) is not worth the having unleſſe it be come in by our own ſearching. They who receive that for truth which they never ſearcht, will not hold any truth when themſelves are ſearcht. Truths merely borrowed and taken upon truſt, are no ſtock, no abiding treaſure of knowledge; And yet moſt can only ſay of all the truth they have, as he of his axe head, (2 Kings 6. 5.) Alas maſter, for it was borrowed; they ſnatch up one truth from this hand, and another from that, they take it upon the credit of this and that learned man; very few are able to ſay (as Eliphaz here) Loe this, we have ſearched it: The more paines we take to find truth, the more pleaſure we take in it; That is ſweeteſt to us, which we ſweat moſt for, in praying and ſtudying: Morſells of Truth dipt in that ſawce, fatten and ſtrengthen the ſoul moſt.

Obſerve thirdly,

What a man knoweth by ſearch and diſquiſition, he is confident of.

We have ſearched it; and what follows? ſo it is; He ſpeaks with authority, not timerouſly, as if he doubted whether it were ſo or no; but, ſo it is, we will bide by it, we have it upon enquiry and diligent ſearch. Obſerve fourthly,

The truths we know our ſelves, we ſhould communicate unto others.

Here it is, we have ſearched it, but we will not put the light we have found, under a buſhell; we will not hide the talent we have in a napkin: Here it is, make what uſe of it thou canſt, know it for thy good. Obſerve fifthly,

Truth may challenge credit, and command the eare.

Hear thou it▪ Truth needs not ſtand begging audience, or creep upon the ground with flattering inſinuations, or humble ſubmiſſions to gaine acceptance. Truth is a great Prince, and may ſpeak in the language of Princes; We will, We require; It commands rather then entreats, or all its entreaties commands, every word a p. 403law or a charge: Hear thou it. Obſerve in the ſixth place, That

It is needfull to make speciall application of generall doctrinall truths.

Eliphaz had delivered a doctrinall truth, and here he makes application; And though he failed much, in the application of it to Job, yet there were generall truths very appliable, in the things he delivered. Therefore he ſtays not in generals, nor leaves his doctrine hovering in the ayre, but brings it home to the heart, and layes it cloſe to the conſcience; Hear thou it, and know it thou, for thy good. And not onelyonly are nationall and ſpeculative truths to be brought home and applied, but even common experimentall truths, ſuch were theſe diſcuſſed, and handled by Eliphaz. Obſerve ſeventhly,

A man may know much, and yet get no good by it.

Know this for thy good. The Devil is a great Scholler, he knows much, but he knows nothing for his benefit, but all for his hurt. Many a man knowes almoſt all that is knowable; but he knowes nothing which is (to him) profitable: Nothing gaines by his knowledge but onelyonly his pride, he is puffed up with knowledge, not built up, and that knowledge which puffes up, will at laſt puffe down, or caſt us down. Eightly Obſerve,

A godly man, may make a profitable uſe of any Truth.

You ſee what truths Eliphaz ſpake; many of them ordinary, common Doctrines, and many of them ſore threatnings and judgements upon wicked men, yet know thou this for thy good. There is no veine of Doctrine in the book of God, but a man may make uſe, yea treaſure of it. All truth is ſo ſymbolical to the regenerate part, that it cannot but more ſublimate and ſpiritualize a ſpirituall heart, though it ſelfe be a truth about things earthly and temporall.

Obſerve laſtly,

All truths, eſpecially truths contained in the promiſes, are the portion of a godly man.

Know thou it for thy good, ſaith he; As if he ſhould ſay, if thou art a godly man, then all the good things I have here ſpoken of, belonging to godly men, belong to thee, they are thy portion alſo. While a believer reads the book of God, he ſees great riches, many precious things in the promiſes, and whatſoever good he findes there, there is nothing of it too good for him; he may know it all for his own good; thoſe ſweet delicious promiſes of the pardon of ſin, of the love of God▪ of the freeneſſe of grace, of the glory to come, the promiſes of Chriſt, and of all that is Chriſts, all theſe p. 404things are his, when he reads them, he may ſet his mark upon them, and know them for his goods, know them as his own proper goods. Unbelievers are ſtrangers to the promiſes, and the promiſes are as ſtrange to them, they know not the promiſes, and the promiſes will not know them: They know not a letter of Scripture for their good. The very promiſes are threatnings to them, and the very bleſſings of the book of God, are their curſe. As the clouds paſſe over this and that piece of ground, and then diſſolve upon a third, by the directing and all diſpoſing providence of God: So the promiſes (which are full of bleſſings, full of comforts, as the clouds are of ſhowers) paſſe over a wicked mans head, and let not down one drop of mercy or comfort upon him, but leave him like the dry hearth, or barren wilderneſſe, which ſeeth not when good cometh, Jer. 17. 6. But when the cloud moves a little farther, and meets with the family or perſon of a godly man, there it diſſolves and powreth out a plentifull raine (both of temporall and ſpirituall bleſſings) to refreſh and confirme that inheritance of the Lord, Pſal. 68. 9.

And ſo much for this fifth Chapter, wherein, with the fourth, we have handled the firſt part of the diſpute undertaken againſt Job, by Eliphaz, the firſt of his three friends. The whole diſcourſe conſiſting of divers arguments, to convince and humble him under the hand of God: of divers counſels and motives to perſwade and direct him to ſeek unto God, and ſubmit to his correcting hand: All he was to ſpeak, being let in, by a loving preface, and all he ſpake, being ratified, with an aſſuring concluſion, that all he had ſpoken was for his good, if he would hear, believe and obey. In the next Chapters we ſhall hear Job making his defence, ſcattering the charge thus brought againſt him, ſtiffely maintaining, and importunately renewing his firſt complaint.