Gods Sovereignty Displayed from Job 9:12, Treatise 1 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
NOw let us prove the point de jure, as well as de facto, that the Lord may take from us what he pleaſeth.
I. He may do it without croſſing his Juſtice: The Lord is righteous in all his wayes, and holy in all his works, Pſa. 145.17. Clouds and darkneſs are round about him; righteouſneſs and judgement, are the habitation of his Throne, Pſa. 97.2. Or, as it may be tranſlated, are the foundation of his Throne: his Seat of Judgement is compoſed of, and founded in righteouſneſs; whatſoever he takes away from us, he acteth by Rule, his Throne is upon Judgement and Righteouſneſs; God is infinitely righteous, it is impoſſible for God to do iniquity; how unjuſt ſoever his wayes ſeem to us to be, yet they are moſt juſt; he is the Supreme Lord of all his creatures, and may do with them what he pleaſeth, as the Potter with the clay: all acts that God doth, are acts of his will, and whatſoever he willeth, is exceeding juſt. This is a received Axiome among Divines: Ʋoluntas Dei eſt ſumma perfectiſſima, & infallibilis Regula divinae juſtitiae, & Deus ſibi ipſi lex eſt. The Will of God is the chiefeſt, the moſt perfect and infallible Rule of Divine Juſtice, and God is a Law to himſelf; no loſſes, no croſſes that befall us, but do proceed from him who is moſt juſt and righteous; therefore we muſt not murmure at God, when he takes our goods or houſes from us, as if he dealt unrighteouſly with us; but if we ponder with our ſelves what we have deſerved, we may behold abundance of mercy toward us under our greateſt loſſes, and his ſharpeſt corrections. Peradventure, thou art in ſome great pain in ſome part or member of thy body, but tell me, doſt thou not deſerve to burn in hell, and to feel the ſcorching pains of the damned? if ſuch an eaſie diſeaſe doth ſo torment thee here, think then with thy ſelf how thou couldſt lie in everlaſting torments? if the pain of one worm-eaten tooth doth ſo fearfully vex thee day and night, that it almoſt driveth thee to madneſs, think then that thou deſerveſt to be tormented for ever with that fearful Worm of Conſcience? Thou canſt not brook the ſight of ſuch a perſon, nor endure the company of ſuch a man who hath done thee wrong; but tell me then how thou wouldeſt be able to endure the company of all the damned, yet even this alſo thou doſt deſerve: thy ſharpeſt ſufferings here are ſweet▪ if compared with hell torments: Perhaps thy houſe is burnt, thy goods are conſumed by the flame, thou haſt loſt thy husband, thy wife, thy children, thy friends, thy eſtate: but tell me, doſt thou not deſerve it, and much more, even to loſe thy God, thy Saviour, thy ſoul, thy treaſure in heaven, everlaſting glory and bleſſedneſs? Therefore under all thy loſſes and ſufferings; let God have the glory of his Juſtice, and ſay with Mauritius the Emperour, Juſtus es Domine, & juſtaſunt judicia tua. Righteous art thou O Lord, and juſt are all thy judgements: Or as Daniel, To thee, O Lord, belongeth righteouſneſ… but unto us confuſion of face: Say thou, I am unrighteous, thou art righteous; I am a ſinner, thou art juſt.
II. God may take from his creatures what he pleaſeth, without croſſing his goodneſs or mercy: his mercy is free, it is not due to any, he hath mercy on whom he will, therefore he may take away what he will from any: it is a mercy that God hath left any good thing in the poſſeſſion of ſinful man, who might have ſtript us of all; and when he doth a little conſume us, it is his mercies that we are not utterly conſumed.Auguſt. S. Auguſtine well weigheth the words of S. James: Behold we count them bleſſed which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have known what end the Lord made. They ſhould not therefore, ſaith he, ſuffer the loſs of their goods, in hope to receive their goods again, as Job did; for his wounds and rottenneſs made him whole, and all thoſe things which he had loſt were doubly reſtored to him. That therefore we ſhould not, when we ſuffer temporal loſſes, expect or look for ſuch a remuneration, he ſaith not, ye have heard of the patience and end of Job, but he ſaith, ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have ſeen what end the Lord made; as if he had ſaid, Endure the greateſt loſſes as Job; but for this your enduring do not expect the reſtitution which Job had of temporal goods, but rather of a more enduring ſubſtance laid up in heaven for you.
III. God may take away what he pleaſeth from us, without croſſing his truth and faithfulneſs: For
1. Gods promiſes by which he engageth to us in theſe outward things, are conditional; and what man living is able to ſay, that he doth ſo exactly perform his conditions, that God cannot take any thing from him without breach of promiſe? who among us hath performed the conditions of the promiſes? your in quities have withheld good things from you, ſaith the Prophet: So I may ſay, your iniquities have taken good things from you: We have either failed in our duty, or we have been unthankful for what we received from God, or we were not wiſe Stewards of Gods bleſſings, or we waxed proud and wanton,Certè ſi beneficiorum Dei eſſemus capaces, liberaliùs nobiſcum ageret Deus. Calvin. and forgat God the giver of our bleſſings, therefore God hath turn'd us out of all, or the greateſt part of thoſe good things he gave us, as a chaſtiſement of our ſins, and negligence in our duties: Could we make good the condition of the promiſes, we ſhould ſtill find God making good all the promiſes of this life to us: Aſſuredly, ſaith Calvin, if we were fit and meet to receive Gods benefits, he would open his hand, and deal more liberally with us: Therefore when God takes away your goods, your wealth and ſubſtance, ſearch and try your wayes, and you will find your iniquities to be the cauſe, and then you will ſee little ground to blame God for unfaithfulneſs in his promiſes: for albeit abundance of outward things be promiſed to the godly, yet if we are deficient in our duty, he may either with-hold or take away thoſe good things promiſed; for theſe things are promiſed upon condition of our hearkening diligently to the voice of the Lord our God, to obſerve and do all his Commandments, Deut. 28.1, 2.
2. God may take what he will from the wicked, without croſſing his truth, becauſe they have no intereſt in Chriſt and his promiſes; the promiſes are all yea and Amen in Chriſt, but the wicked can claim no intereſt in the promiſes, becauſe they have no intereſt in Chriſt; and if God leave them any good thing, it is more than he promiſed them; if he take away their children, and leave them health, it is more than he promiſed them; if he takes away health and wealth, and give them only their lives, if he caſt them not into hell it ſelf, it is more than he promiſed them.
IV. When God takes away health, wealth, goods, liberties, outward comforts, from his own people, he hath made up all their loſſes afore-hand; he hath given himſelf, an infinite God, to be their portion; nay, he that takes theſe outward things from them, will give them a kingdome, and that Will make up all their loſſes, and therefore he may take away all other things. See how God ſpeaks to Abraham, Gen. 15. 1. Fear not Abraham, I am thy ſhield, and thy exceeding great reward. Had Abraham left his native Country, his Kindred, all ſave one Lot, and was he alſo gone from him to dwell in Sodome? was Abraham now as one alone among ſtrangers, among Idolaters and Atheiſts, and thoſe the moſt execrable in the world, the very brood of Cham, the Father of Canaan, a people devoted to deſtruction, having four hundred years given them to fill up the meaſure of their ſins, and yet hath Abraham no cauſe to fear? no ſaith the Lord to him, Fear not Abraham: The Majeſty of God is pleaſed to ſtoop ſo low, as in love to give a reaſon hereof to Abraham, and one, that Abraham muſt needs ſay, was very ſufficient: I am thy ſhield, and thy exceeding great reward: which is more full, than if God had ſaid, I will ſhield thee, and reward thee, though that had been enough; but God promiſeth himſelf as a ſhield to him, and ſo aſſureth him of an infinite protection; yea, he giveth himſelf as a reward to him, an exceeding great reward. What cauſe then hath Abraham to fear? Fear no dangers, nor enemies, for I am thy ſhield; fear no wants, nor loſſes, for I my ſelf am thy reward. Are any dangers ſo great, any enemies ſo ſtrong, that I cannot ſhield thee againſt them? who am ready to cover thee with my wings, and defend thee againſt all the wicked of the world, and againſt all the legions of hell? canſt thou be undone by any loſſes, or be ſunk by any wants, when I my ſelf am thy exceeding great reward? Haſt thou the poſſeſſor of heaven and earth in thy poſſeſſion? and haſt thou cauſe to fear any wants? if the earth cannot ſupply thee, heaven ſhall; if neither heaven nor earth can, yet I will, who am the Lord of heaven and earth, I my ſelf am thy exceeding great reward, So Gen. 17▪ 7, 8. I wil eſtabliſh my covenant between me & thee, & thy ſeed after thee in their generations, for an everlaſting covenant to be a God to thee, and unto thy ſeed after thee. He doth not ſay, only to be a helper to thee, or a friend to thee, but to be a God to thee; I will give myſelf to thee; as I am eſſentially God, ſo I will be a God to thee, thou ſhalt have me for thy own; thoſe that are in Covenant with God, they are in poſſeſſion of an infinite good, and they have him in everlaſting poſſeſſion.