Exposition of Job 22-26, Commentary · Chapter 22

Exposition of Job 22-26 · Commentary · Chapter 22

p. 180Job, CHAP. 22. Verſ. 19, 20.

The righteous ſee it, and are glad, and the innocent laugh them to ſcorne.

Whereas our ſubſtance is not cut downe, but the remnant of them the fire conſumeth.

ELiphas ſtill purſues the ruine, and extirpation of wicked men; he ſhewd us before the ſinfullnes of their practiſes towards man, and the folly of their opinion, in ſaying to God depart from us, who had never hurt them nor given them any cauſe to be weary of his preſence; unleſſe this diſpleaſed them, that he filled their houſes with good things. And becauſe they declared themſelves thus vaine, therefore. Eliphaz rejected both them and their way; The counſell of the wicked is farre from me. Now, in this verſe he acquaints us wi…h the event or iſſue of their counſells, and how the righteous carry themſelves, when God calls the wicked to an account and reckons with them for their prophanenes and irreligion.

Verſ. 19. The righteous ſee it, and are glad.

Who the righteous man is, and what denominates a man righteous, hath been ſhewed b…fore. The righteous ſee it; what do they ſee? That which they beleeved & looked for; the fall of wicked men. This act of ſeeing may be referr'd eyther to the perſon ſeeing, or to the object ſeene: as 'tis referr'd to the perſon of the righteous; ſo ſeeing notes both their priviledge and their pleaſure. They are admitted to ſee this ſpectacle of divine Juſtice, and it is their happines to ſee it. This David intimates (Pſal. 37.34.) Wait on the Lord, and keepe his way, and he ſhall exalt thee to inherit the Land, when the wicked are cut off thou ſhalt ſee it. The righteous ſhall be honoured with this fight, yea and pleaſed with it, the cutting off of wicked men by the hand of God. The righteous man hath a promiſe to ſee this (and promiſes are the conveyances of mercies (Pſal. 91.8.) A thouſand ſhall fall at thy ſide, and ten thouſand at thy right hand, but it ſhall not come nigh thee, onelyonly with thine eyes ſhalt p. 181thou behold and ſee the reward of the wicked. Thou ſhalt be a ſpectator, not a partaker in that calamity. Wicked men ſometimes glutt their eyes with …eholding the troubles of the Saints, and they account it a happy day, when they can have ſuch a ſight. They ſigne that day with a white ſtone, when the black ſtone of the moſt unjuſt and cruell condemnation proves the preſent lot of the righteous. David diſcovered ſuch a ſpirit in his enemies (Pſal. 35.21.) They opened their mouth wide againſt me, and ſaid, aha, aha, our eyes have ſeene it. What had they ſeene? The former verſe tells us; They ſpeake not peace, but they deviſe deceitfull matters againſt them that are quiet in the Land. When theſe deviſes tooke, and had ſucceſſe, then they were pleaſed, then they had what they would, and ſaw what they deſired. And thus the enemies of the Church are deſcribed (Mi…: 4.11.) Now alſo many Nations are gathered againſt thee, and ſay, let her be defiled (there is a twofold defiling, a defiling with ſinne, and a defiling with bloud and miſery, the latter is meant by the Prophet, let her be defiled) and let our eyes looke upon Sion. They counted it a bleſſed ſight to ſee Sion bleed; The wicked would have ſuch ſights often, though uſually their eyes fayle with waiting, and their hope is as the giving up of the Ghoſt; But righteous men ſhall ſee (the righteous God hath ſayd it) vengeance powred upon the wicked.

Againe we may expound this act of ſeing with reference to the object ſeene; and ſo it imports 2 things; firſt, the certainly of their fall: wicked men ſhall undoubtedly be deſtroyed, and there ſhall be eye-witneſſes, honeſt and faithfull witneſſes, teſtifying their deſtruction; The righteous ſhall ſee it, and report it to after generations.

Secondly, As ſeeing notes the certainty of their fall, or the evidence and cleareneſſe of it, ſo the publiqueneſſe of it; That which is done to the eye, is done openly. What the juſtice of God doth againſt the wicked ſhall not be done in a corner, but as upon the houſe-top. The reading of the Septuagint is full to this ſence; They ſhall be made publicke examples. foreign. Denotat rem omnibus conſpicuam & in publicum exemplum propoſitam.It is the care of juſt and wiſe Magiſtrates, not onelyonly to puniſh malefactors, but to puniſh them openly, That ſo all may ſee and feare and doe no more preſumptuouſly. There are three ſpeciall reaſons why offences are puniſhed; and the Greekes expreſſe p. 182each puniſhment by ſuch a word as carryeth a diſtinct ſignification of thoſe reaſons. Firſt, Some are puniſhed, that themſelves may amend and better their manners; This they called foreign. Secondly, Others are puniſhed, to repayre the honour or maintaine the dignity of thoſe againſt whom they have offended, leſt if ſuch ſhould eſcape without condigne puniſhment, authoritie ſhould be contemned, grow cheape, or be lightly valued; This they called foreign. A third ſort were puniſhed for example,1 foreign. 2 foreign. 3 foreign Acerbitas ulciſcendi maleficij, bene at que cante vivendi diſciplina eſt. Caecilius apud Gel. l. 2. c. 1. that others might be deterred from doing the ſame things, leſt they alſo incurre the ſame ſufferings; This was called foreign, As much as to ſay, the holding of a man forth in his ſufferings to the open view, that he may be ſeene of all men, and that all may be warned to avoyd his error. And thus the Lord who is the righteous Judge of all the world puniſheth wicked men. The ſame word is uſed by the Evangeliſt Matthew (Chap. 1.19.) Joſeph being troubled that Mary was with childe (for he knew not the myſtery of hir over-ſhadowing by the Holy Ghoſt) was minded to put her away ſecretly, and would not make her a publique example; He was unwilling to bring her to juſtice, or that others ſhould ſee eyther her (ſuppoſed) ſin or puniſhment. But as God doth worke many glorious ſalvations for his people, that the wicked may ſee it, and be aſhamed; ſo he brings many viſible deſtructions upon the wicked, not onelyonly that the righteous may ſee it and rejoyce, or be glad (which act follows next to be opened) but that the wicked may ſee it and tremble to doe wickedly.

Hence obſerve.

Firſt, That the Lord ſets up wicked men many times as examples of his wrathfull juſtice.

Not onelyonly doe they feele wrath upon themſelves, but others ſee it; The Lord ſometimes chaſtens his owne people in the view of the world, and ſets them up as examples of his fatherly diſpleaſure. Thus Nathan ſpeakes in the name of the Lord to David (2 Sam 12.12.) Thou didſt it ſecretly, but I will doe this thing, (what thing? I will afflict and chaſten thee for this great offence) before all Iſrael, and before the S…nne; that is, in plaine and cleare light; Though thou haſt done this evill p. 183in the darknes ot many cloſe contrivances, yet I will draw the curtaine and make the poenall effects of thy ſinne as conſpicuous as the actings of thy ſin have been cloſe and covert. Againe (Numb. 25.4.) when the people began to commit whoredome with the daughters of Moab, and Iſrael had joyn…d himſelfe unto Baal peor, ſo that the Anger of the Lord was kindled againſt Iſrael; Then the Lord ſaid to Moſes, take all the heads of the people, (that is, the capital offenders, or chiefe rulers, who gave way, or at beſt gave no ſtop to ſuch wickednes) and hang them up before the Lord againſt the Sunne, that the feirce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Iſrael. To hang them up before the Sunne, is a phraſe of ſpeech importing the publicknes of their puniſhment (as it is ſayd of the ſeven Sons of Saul, that they were hanged on the hill before the Lord, 2 Sam. 21.9.) for caution unto all; whatſoever is done in the fight of all, or ſo that all may ſee, is ſayd (in the Language of the Jewes) to be done before the Sunne. To which ſence alſo we may interpret that viſion of the Prophet Zechariah (Chap. 5, 6. 9, 10, 11.) at the 6^th verſe we reade of an Ephah, and this lift up (ver. 9^th) between earth and heaven; the Ephah was a meaſure of dry things among the Jewes: and in that viſion it ſignified that the ſinne and puniſhment of the Jewes were meaſured and proportioned; This Ephah being lifted up and carried, I (ſayth the Prophet) ſaid whether doe theſe beare the Ephah, (ver. 10.) And he ſaid unto me, to build it an houſe in the land of Shinar, and it ſhall be eſtabliſhed and ſet there upon her owne baſe; The building it a houſe in the land of Shinar (that is, in Babylon) ſignified the laſtingnes or continuance of their ſinne in the ſad conſequents of it, their puniſhment and baniſhment in ſtrange lands, not for the ſpace of ſeventy yeares onelyonly, as by the Babylonians, but (as ſome of the Learned expound the viſion) for many ſeventyes by the Romanes: and as this Ephah had a houſe built for it, noting the ſetlednes and dur…tion of the Judgement which ſhould come upon them for their ſinne; ſo alſo it was ſet upon its own baſe, to ſignifie the notoriouſnes or conſpicuouſnes of the Judgement, it being as a houſe ſet upon pillars for all to behold and take notice of: as we ſee fullfilled to this day, ſince the firſt overthrow of their eſtate by Titus Veſpatianus, and their final diſperſion by Aelius Adrianus. p. 184There are, I grant, other conceptions about that viſion, but as this ſuits wel with the poynt in hand, ſo with the calamitous ſtate of that people to this day.

And thus the Lord threatned the King of Tyrus (Ezek. 28.17.) Whoſe heart was lifted up becauſe of his beauty, and who had corrupted his wiſdome by reaſon of his brightneſſe. Now what will the Lord doe? what courſe will he take with him? The next words enforme us; I will caſt thee to the ground, and I will lay thee before Kings, that they may behold thee; He doth not ſay, I will caſt thee into the ground, but to the ground, and lay thee before Kings; that is, thou ſhalt he a ſpectacle for all the Kings of the Earth, that they may behold as what thy pride and ſelfe-confidence have brought thee to, ſo what their owne (if they tread thy path) eyther will or juſtly may bring them unto. Thus alſo in the 7^th verſe of Jude, Epiſtle, the Apoſtle ſayth, that Sodome and Gomorrha, and the Cities about them in like manner, giving themſelves over to fornication, and going after ſtrange fleſh, are ſet forth for an example, ſuffering the vengeance of Eternal fire. The Judgements of God are not onelyonly puniſhments to them who went before, but premonotions to them who come after.

The righteous ſee it, and are glad.

Here is the effect which that ſight wrought upon the righteous; The eye affects the heart, and the heart is affected ſutably to the object, eyther with joy or with ſorrow. The deſtruction of men is a ſorrowfull object, and therefore we might rather expect that the righteous beholding it ſhould be affected with ſorrow but the Text affirmes a direct contrary effect of this fight; The righteous ſee it, and are glad.

Hence obſerve.

The judgements of God upon the wicked are matter of joy to the righteous.

It is the duty of the Saints to mourne with them that mourne, and to rejoyce with them that rejoyce (Rom. 12.15▪) But then we muſt underſtand theſe mourners and rejoycers to be ſuch as themſelves are. Saints muſt mourne with mourning Saints, and rejoyce with rejoycing Saint. The godly are not bound p. 185eyther to joy the joyes, or ſorrow the ſorrowes of the wicked. The judgements of God upon the wicked have a twofold effect eminently noted in Scripture. Firſt, they cauſe feare; and ſecondly, they cauſe joy. When exemplary juſtice was to be done (according to the law of Moſes) upon preſumptuous tranſgreſſours, it is ſayd, (Deut. 13.11.) All Iſrael ſhall heare, and feare, and ſhall doe no more any ſuch wickednes. David (Pſal. 64.) having complained to God in prayer of the cruelty of his enemies, and begged protection from their malicious practiſes, growes up to much aſſurance, that downe they muſt (v. 7, 8.) But God ſhall ſhoot at them with an arrow, ſuddenly ſhall they be wounded; and then (ver. 9.) All men ſhall feare, and ſhall declare the worke of God, for they ſhall wiſely conſider of his doings. Thus feare is the iſſue of divine judgement; And yet joy is the iſſue of them at the 10^th verſe of the ſame Pſalme; The righteous ſhall be glad in the Lord, and truſt in him, and all the upright in heart ſhall glory. Feare is a common effect; All men ſhall feare; Gladnes, faith and glorying, (which is faith triumphant) are peculiar to the upright, when the arrow of God wounds the wicked. Wee have this double effect againe expreſt upon the ſame occaſion (Pſal. 107.42.) He powreth contempt upon Princes, and cauſeth them to wander in the wilderneſſe where there is no way; but he ſets the poore oh high; the righteous ſhall it and rejoyce. What ſhall they ſee? not only the Godly poore ſet on high, but ungodly Princes filled with contempt, that's part of the ſpectacle which the righteous ſhall behold and beholding rejoyce; yet this is not all, for it follows; And all iniquity ſhall ſtop her mouth; The abſtract is put for the concrete, iniquity for men of iniquity: And ſo the meaning is men of iniquity, or wicked men ſhall ſtop their mouths; their mouths ſhall be ſtopt With ſhame and feare, they ſhall have nothing to ſay when the Lord doth this; They ſhall not mutter a word againſt the workes of God; but as Hannah ſpeakes in her Song (1 Sam. 2.9.) ſhall be ſilent in darknes. A like report rayſeth the hearts of the people of God into a holy merriment (Pſal. 97.8.) Sion heard, and was glad, the daughters of Judah rejoyced. What was the matter? what good newes came to Judah? what to Sion? the Text reſolves us; Becauſe of thy judgements O Lord: The anſwer is not, becauſe of thy mercies, or becauſe of thy goodnes O Lord, p. 186but becauſe of thy judgements, and thoſe were dreadfull ones (ver. 3.) A fire goeth before him and burneth up his enemies round about. Confounded be all they that ſerve graven Images, &c. ver. 7. Sion heard of it, and was glad. Once more (Pſal. 58.10.) The righteous ſhall rejoyce when he ſeeth the vengeance, he ſhall waſh his feete in the bloud of the ungodly. Not that the righteous delight in bloud, or proudly inſult over the worſt of enemies; The Pſalmiſt doth only in hyperbolical ſtraines of Eloquence, borrowed from the language of triumphant conquerers, expreſſe a compleate and glorious victory. The ſtile is of the ſame ſignification with that (Pſal. 68.23.) That thy foote may be dipped in the bloud of thine enemies, and the tongue of the doggs in the ſame. When ſo much bloud is ſhed that the foote may be dipt and waſhed in it, that doggs may lap it up like water, this argues a great deſtruction, and when the wicked are thus deſtroyed, the righteous ſhall rejoyce.

But here it may be queried, What matter of joy is this? why ſhould the righteous rejoyce in the ſorrowes of the wicked? is it not alike ſinful to be troubled at the joyes, and to rejoyce at the troubles of our brethren? The light of nature condemns rejoycing over thoſe who are in miſery; and we have an expreſſe Scripture againſt it (Pro. 24.17.) Rejoyce not when thine enemy falleth, let not thy heart be glad when he ſtumbleth. And David puts it among the ſins of his enemies (Pſal. 35.15.) In my adverſity they rejoyced. And he profeſſed (ver. 13.) that when they were ſicke his cloathing was ſacke cloath, and that he humbled his ſoule with faſting. David was ſo farre from rejoycing when his enemies were ruined, or dead, that he mourned when they were but ſicke, and would not eate, when they could not. And as Davids holy practice denyed it, ſo doth Solomons divine precept; Rejoyce not when thine enemy falleth. How then ſhall wee reconcile theſe Texts?

I anſwer, there may be a rejoycing at the afflictions and troubles of others, which is not onelyonly unbecoming and unſeemely for the righteous; but very ſinfull. As

Firſt, To rejoyce, and be glad, meerely becauſe an enemy is fallen into miſery, is both unſeemly and ſinfull. And ſo we are to underſtand Solomons Proverbe; Rejoyce not when thine enemy falleth. Some underſtand this of falling into ſinne. Hee p. 187makes himſelfe a ſinner indeed, who rejoyceth becauſe another hath ſinned. He that rejoyceth becauſe another hath ſinned, rejoyceth (upon the matter) becauſe God is diſhonoured. Such joy is a kinde of thankſgiving for Satans victory. But as to rejoyce becauſe another falls into ſin, is the worſt fall into ſinne; ſo to rejoyce meerely becauſe an enemy falls into miſery, is worſe then our owne falling into miſery. He ſhewes that he hath not the heart of a man in him, who is glad at the miſery of any man, And he who rejoyceth thus when his enemy falleth, doth himſelfe fall much worſe. The ruine and downfall of an enemy (ſuppoſe him the vileſt enemy) conſidered in it ſelfe, is meate and drinke to none but revengefull and envious ſpirits. David was much troubled and chargeth it as an extreame peece of folly upon himſelfe, Becauſe he was envious at the fooliſh when he ſaw the proſperity of the wicked (Pſal. 73.3.) Now it is an iſſue flowing from the ſame principle, purely to envy the proſperity and purely to rejoyce in the adverſity of the wicked. Nero was juſtly reckoned a monſter among men, who could ſing when himſelfe had ſet Rome a fire: And they have ſome-what of a Neronian ſpirit in them, who can ſing when they ſee their enemies conſuming in the fire. God delights not in the miſery of man (as it is miſery upon man) nor doe they, who are taught of God.

Secondly, As to rejoyce or be glad at the deſtruction of enemies, meerely becauſe they are deſtroyed; ſo to rejoyce upon private ends or reſpects, becauſe they being taken out of the way and removed out of the world we hope to have more ſcope and roome in the world for our ſelves; or becauſe we hope to ſtep into their places, to fit downe in their ſeates, to poſſeſſe our ſelves of their lands and riches, to fill our ſelves with their ſpoyles; upon this account to rejoyce when wicked men fall, when the Lord powres out contempt upon Princes, (becauſe (I ſay) we hope to be gainers by it) is alltogether uncomely for the righteous. Let the righteous take heed to themſelves, that they be not found thus rejoycing in the calamities of the wicked. They who doe ſo are eyther but pretenders to godlineſs, men who are onelyonly of the faction of the righteous (for though they who are righteous indeed are farre from a faction, yes there are a ſor… of men, who profeſſe righteouſneſſe p. 188as if it were nothing but a faction, now (I ſay) they who thus rejoyce are but eyther of the faction of the righteous) while they are really of the number of the wicked, or if they are really righteous who doe ſo, (and I confeſſe that a righteous man may doe ſo, David (which was acting the counter-part) envied their proſperity, and by the ſame reaſon any godly man may be acted out in joy at their adverſity, but now (I ſay) if they who are really righteous doe ſo) we muſt conclude them under a ſore temptation, and they will at laſt conclude of themſelves as David did in the counter-caſe, Pſal. 73.22.) ſo fooliſh have we been and ignorant, even as a beaſt before thee.

You will ſay then, how may or doe the righteous rejoyce when the ungodly fall, and not fall into ſin themſelves.

I anſwer, Firſt, The righteous rejoyce at the fall of the wicked, as bleſſing God who hath kept their feete from thoſe wayes in which the wicked have fallen; As 'tis a great mercy to be kept out of thoſe ill wayes, to be kept from fiding with thoſe corrupt intereſts, in the purſuit of which we ſee many broken; ſo 'tis a duty to rejoyce that we have not walked in their way whoſe end we ſee to be nothing els but deſtruction.

Secondly, The righteous have cauſe to rejoyce & bleſſe God when they ſee the wicked fall, becauſe themſelves are ſaved, & keepe their ſtanding; becauſe themſelves have eſcaped the danger, and the Lord hath been a banner of protection over them in the day when the wicked fell. Moſes after the deſtruction of Amaleck built an Altar, and called the name of it Jehova-Niſſi (Exod. 17.15.) that is to ſay, The Lord is my banner. And in like caſes the joy of the Saints is not properly in the deſtruction of the wicked, but in their owne deliverance, through the mighty power & good hand of God with them. It is the preſence of God with them, the appearance of God for them, which is the gladnes of their hearts.

Thirdly, The righteous then rejoyce, becauſe the Church and people of God are in a fayre way to peace; when the Lyons are deſtroyed, the ſheepe are in ſafety; when the Wolves and the Beares are cut off, the flock reſts quietly; ſo in this caſe when men of devouring cruell ſpirits, wicked and ungodly ones, are removed, the flocke of God, the ſheepe of his paſture p. 189feed quietly, none making them afrayd. The fall of the enemies of Sion, is the eſtabliſhment of Sion; yea in a great meaſure of mankinde. As the Prophet moſt elegantly ſets it forth (Iſa. 14.6, 7, 8.) He who ſmote the people in wrath with a continuall ſtroke, he that ruled the Nations in anger, is perſecuted and none hindereth; The whole earth is at reſt, and is quiet: they breake forth into ſinging, yea the firre-trees rejoyce at thee, and the Cedars of Lebanon, ſaying, ſince thou art layd downe no feller is come up againſt us. How often have wicked men in power felled not onelyonly the Firre-trees and Cedars of the world, but the goodly trees of righteouſneſſe in the Lords plantations; have they not therefore reaſon to ſing when ſuch fall, ſeing the Fellers themſelves are then felled and fallen.

Fourthly, Joy ariſeth to the righteous, becauſe God is honoured in the fall of wicked men; And that's their chiefeſt joy. That God is honoured is more joy to the righteous, then that themſelves are ſaved, how much more then, then that the wicked are deſtroyed. There is a threefold honour ariſing to God when the wicked fall.

Firſt, God is honoured in his juſtice; ſuch a day is the day of the declaration of the righteous judgement of God; as the Apoſtle ſpeakes of the great day of Judgement (Rom. 2.5.) Thou after thy hardneſſe and impenitent heart, treaſureſt up to thy ſelfe wrath againſt the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgement of God. Some doe even queſtion the juſtice of God when wicked men proſper, but he is vindicated in his juſtice when wicked men fall; It cannot but pleaſe righteous men, to ſee the righteous God exalted, or God exalted in his righteouſneſſe. They know and beleeve that God is righteous, when the wicked proſper (Jer. 12.1.) But when the wicked are puniſhed, they proclaime his righteouſnes, Then they ſing the ſong of Moſes the ſervant of God, and the ſong of the Lambe, ſaying, Great and marvailous are thy workes Lord God Almighty, juſt and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints. Who ſhall not feare thee O Lord, and glorifie thy Name, &c. for thy Judgements are made manifeſt, (Rev. 15.3, 4.) The Lord is alwayes alike Juſt, but it doth not alwayes alike appeare how juſt he it. And as, that God is juſt is the faith and ſtay of the Saints, ſo the appearances of his juſtice are their joy and triumph.

p. 190Secondly, God is honoured much in the attribute of his truth; in the truth of his word, in the truth of his threatenings, when the wicked are puniſhed. God hath ſpoken bloudy words concerning wicked men; not onelyonly in reference to their future eſtate in the next life, but to their preſent eſtate in this. Say to the wicked it ſhall be ill with him, the reward of his hands ſhall be given him. But what is this reward? There are two ſorts of rewards; Firſt, rewards of love and favour according to the good which we have done; Secondly, rewards of wrath and anger, poenal rewards, according to the evill which we have done. Now when the Lord puts theſe poenal rewards into the hands of the wicked, or powres them upon their heads, he is honoured in his truth as well as his juſtice, for the mouth of the Lord hath ſpoken it. As the promiſes are yea and Amen (2 Cor. 1.20.) ſo alſo are the threatnings, unto the glory of God by us. But as when David ſaw his life in danger every day, he began to queſtion the truth of God, in the promiſe, that he ſhould live to reigne and fit upon the throne of Iſrael; for ſaith he (Pſal. 116.11. when things went thus with him) I ſaid in my haſt all men are lyars, even Samuel among the reſt, who aſſured me of the Kingdome by expreſſe meſſage from God, but ſurely he alſo is deceived, and hath fed me with vaine hopes. Now as theſe words of David according to our tranſlation of them, and the truth of the thing in frequent experiences, ſhew, that Godly men are apt to queſtion the truth of the promiſe, when themſelves are by ſeemingly contradicting providences much afflicted; ſo they are apt to queſtion the truth of the threatnings when they ſee outward providences proſpering the wicked; Therefore when the threatnings have their actuall yea and Amen, that is, when they are executed upon the ungodly, this alſo is to the glory of God by us, that is, God is glorified by all his people, who heare of it in the truth of what he hath ſpoken. Againe, as God is magnified in the truth of his threatnings, when any particular wicked man is puniſhed; ſo when common calamities come upon the wicked, the truth of God or God in his truth is magnified two wayes. Firſt, As ſuch calamities are a fullfilling of many Prophecies; ſecondly, As they are the anſwer or returne of many prayers. The vengeance which falls upon the Enemies of the Church of p. 191God is drawne out by prayer, Luke 18.7, 8. And there is nothing wherein God is more honoured, then when prayer is anſwered; For as therein he fullfills our wants, ſo his owne word; Who hath not ſaid to the ſeed of Jacob, ſeeke ye mee in vaine.

Thirdly, When the wicked fall the Lord is honoured in the attribute of his power; How great is his power, who puls downe great power? It argues the Almightines of God, when he puts the mighty from their ſeates: when the Oaks and the Cedars, when the high walls and mountaines are ſhaken and removed by his blowes and batteries. When Pharoah and his Egyptian hoaſt were drowned in the red Sea; Then Moſes magnified God in his power (Exod. 15.2.) The Lord is my ſtrength and ſong (that is, I will ſing of the ſtrength of the Lord, not of the ſtrength of man) he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my fathers God and I will exalt him.

In theſe three attributes, Juſtice, truth, and power, God is honoured, when the wicked are deſtroyed, and therfore it cannot be uncomly for the Saints to rejoyce when they are deſtroyed. The Lord by his Prophet aſſures the Church his Jacob that all the enemies thereof ſhall be ſcattered. (Iſ. 41.15.) Behold, I will make thee a new ſharpe threſhing inſtrument, having teeth, thou ſhalt threſh the Nations & beat them ſmal, & ſhalt make the hills as chaffe, &c. The mountains & th…lls to be threſhed, were the mighty ones of the earth, ſetting themſelves againſt the wayes and deſignes of heaven. The Inſtrument or flayle wherewith they were to be threſhed was the worme Jacob (ver. 14.) God did not ſo much make an Inſtrument for the worme Jacob, as he made the worme Jacob his Inſtrument. Behold, I will make thee, (not for thee) a new threſhing Inſtrument; But when the worme hath done this great worke, when he hath threſhed the mountaines, and made the hills as chaffe; What muſt he doe then? The 16^th verſe tells, Thou ſhalt rejoyce in the Lord, Gaudebunt de eorum exitio, non vindictae cupiditate, ſed zelo dei accenſi qui hoc modo declarabit ſibi curae eſſe res humanas. Druſ.and ſhalt glory in the holy One of Iſrael. Glorying is more then rejoycing: Glorying is a kinde of rapture or extaſie of the ſoule. As there is an extaſie of Infatuation, ſo there is an extaſie of Gratious admiration. Fooles and madmen are beſides themſelves for want of reaſon; the wiſeſt and beſt of men, are beſides themſelves through the aboundance of the Grace of God in them, p. 192and the aboundance of the goodneſs of God towards them. When the goodneſs of God acted mightily towards us, meetes with the Grace of God acting mightily in us, we are lifted up ſo farre out of our ſelves, that we can ſee nothing in our ſelves, and then in whom or in what can our rejoycing be, but in the Lord the holy one of Iſrael.

This joy is not, Firſt, the joy of the Epicure; A ſenſuall joy, in wine and belly-cheare, in eating the fat, and drinking the ſweete, in carnal merriments & muſicke; nor is this, ſecondly, a cruel joy in the ruine and deſtruction of men, which the Prophet rebukes (Obad. v. 12.) Thou ſhouldest not have rejoyced over the children of Judah in the day of their deſtruction. Nor is this, thirdly, a proud joy, or a joy of oſtentation, when men ſpread their plumes, and publiſh their owne wiſdome, greatnes and power; nor is it, fourthly, a covetous joy, ſuch as theirs is who are glad becauſe they have fill'd their purſes, enriched their familyes, and their hand hath gotten much; Nor is it laſtly, a ſecure joy, becauſe when evill men are caſt downe we hope to fit warme and well, ſafe and quiet upon their ruines; But this joy conſiſts; firſt, in high thoughts and valuations of God; Whom have I in heaven but thee, &c. (Pſal. 73.25.) Who is like unto thee O Lord among the Gods (Exod. 15.11.) It conſiſts, ſecondly, in a ſweete reſt or complacency in God. Returne unto thy reſt O my ſoule; that is, tur… …n to God, live neerer him ſaith a Godly man (to his ſoule) a ſuch a caſe (Pſal. 116.7.) This joy is the reſt of the ſoule in God; He who is reſt to himſelfe (as God is) may be ſo infinitely more to us. Thus, The righteous ſee it, and are Glad.

And the innocent laugh them to ſcorne.

This heightens the ſence of the former part of the verſe, not onelyonly are the righteous glad when the wicked are deſtroyed, but they laugh them to ſcorne. The righteous, in the former part of the verſe are the ſame with the innocent here; yet we may diſtinguiſh them. The innocent are taken two wayes in Scripture; firſt, the innocent are they who are pure from ſinne; ſecondly, the innocent are they who are pure or free from puniſhment.

p. 193or from trouble; freedome from ſin, and freedome from trouble are ſo dependent upon one another, that one word may well expreſſe both. Thus the word is uſed (2 Sam. 14.9.) The woman of Tekoah ſaid to the king; My Lord O king, the iniquity be on me, Innocens in Scriptura ſumitur, non ſolùm activè, pro eo, qui nemini nocet, ſed etiam paſſivè, pro eo cu… nemo nocet.and my fathers houſe, and the king and his throne be guiltleſſe or innocent, that is, free from all evill and trouble; While ſhe ſaith, The iniquity be upon me, her meaning is, let the puniſhment of the iniquity be upon me, let the king, and his throne be guiltleſſe; let no puniſhment of iniquity fall eyther upon the king in perſon, or upon his government. In the ſame ſenſe the word is read (Exod. 19.21.) If he (that hath been ſmitten) riſe againe and walke abroad upon a ſtaffe, then he that ſmote him ſhall be quitt; the Hebrew is, then ſhall he be innocent, that is, free from puniſhment, he ſhall not have any cenſure, or judgement for it. We have the like uſe of the word (Numb. 5.19.) in the caſe of the woman ſuſpected by her huſband for diſloyalty in breaking her marriage vow; ſhe being for her purgation to drinke the bitter water, Innocens eris ab aquis iſtis amariſſimis. Heb.the Prieſt was to beſpeake her in this manner; If no man hath lien with thee, and if thou haſt not gone aſide to uncleanenes with another in ſtead of thy husband, be thou free (or innocent) from this bitter water that cauſeth the curſe, that is, let the water doe thee no harme; as if he had ſayd; thou ſhalt feele no evill of paine by it, if thou art not guilty of the evill of ſinne. Thus ſome expound the word here. The innocent ſhall laugh them to ſcorne, that is, they who are free from thoſe troubles with which the wicked are over-taken and undone, thoſe particular righteous men who eſcape the ſtorme untouched, laugh the wicked to ſcorne. Many of the Hebrew writers fix upon a ſpeciall perſon; and by the Innocent, underſtand Noah, as if it were a report of what was done upon the old world; Then the righteous, that is (as the Chaldee Paraphraſe explaines it) the ſonnes of righteous Noah ſaw (the flood) and were glad, Videbant filij Noë juſti et laetabuntur, & Noe innocens ſubſa…nabit ees. Targ:and innocent Noah laught the prophane old world to ſcorne. When Noah, and his ſonnes were building the Arke, the old world in ſtead of beleeving and fearing the report or prophecy of a deluge, laught them to ſcorne, and in deriſion, doubtleſſe, ask't them what voyage they intended, and whether they meant to ſayle their Ship over the dry Land; as for them they never dreamt of a Sea hanging in the clouds, and ready to drop downe upon their heads. Now as the ungodly world derided Noah and his Sons for their credulity before p. 194the flood came, ſo 'tis probable enough that when the flood came upon that world of the ungodly, Noah and his Sons laught at and derided their incredulity. They who laugh at divine threatnings, deſerve to be laughed at under divine ſufferings.

Others apply this particularly to the Tragedy of Pharaoh and his Egyptians overwhelmed and drowned in the red ſea; of which it is ſaid, (Exod. 14.30, 31.) Thus the Lord ſaved Iſrael that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Iſrael ſaw the Egyptians dead upon the ſhoare, and Iſrael ſaw that Great worke, which the Lord did upon the Egyptians. The effect of this ſight is two wayes deſcribed in that holy Hiſtorie; Firſt, by the acting of feare and faith; And the people feared the Lord, and beleeved the Lord and his ſervant Moſes: Secondly, by the acting of their joy in the Lord, and their holy inſultation over the drowned Egyptians (Chap. 15. v. 1.) Then ſang Moſes and the children of Iſrael this ſong unto the Lord, and ſpake, ſaying; I will ſing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriouſly, the horſe & his rider hath he throwne into the Sea. Thus alſo that innocent people ſaw the ruine of their wicked enemies, and laughed them to ſcorne.

Yet I conceive Eliphaz ſpeaking here rather upon a generally experienced and poſitive truth, then ſtrictly and particularly ayming at thoſe ancient Examples. The innocent, that is, any innocent perſon, whether innocent in reference to the doing of evill, or having eſcaped the ſufferance of evill, laugh them to ſcorne.

Before, he ſayd, the righteous ſee it and are glad, now he ſayth, the innocent laugh them to ſcorne: it is one thing for a man to be glad in himſelfe, and another thing to laugh other men to ſcorne; for though to be innocent carries in it ſomewhat leſſe, or at the moſt but ſo much as to be righteous, yet to laugh the unrighteous and wicked to ſcorne when they fall, carries in it much more then to be glad when they fall.foreign denotat geſtum qui fit ore, labijs, & ficta balbutie, five quod balbutientes irrideri ſoleāt, ſive quod irriſores balbutiant, per contemptum et malignam imitationem. And beſides, the word in the Hebrew, ſignifies, the moſt ſcornefull laughter, ſuch a laughter as is expreſſed, by a diſtortion of the mouth, and lips, or by a kinde of fained liſping with the tongue, and artificiall faultring in ſpeech; For as they that liſpe and faulter in ſpeech are uſually derided and laught at, ſo they that deride and laugh at others will purpoſely liſpe, or faulter in ſpeech. Stammerers are contemptible, and many ſtammer at others in contempt; This imitation of a defect in nature ſhewes the exceſſe of malice. Such is the force of this expreſſion, The innocent laugh them to ſcorne.

p. 195Here it may be queſtioned, how a good man, an innocent perſon, can doe ſuch a thing; can he thus laugh the wicked to ſcorne? it is difficult enough to ſalve it as conſiſtent with Grace, for a righteous man to rejoyce at the fall of the wicked, but it is farre more difficult to ſalve it, how a righteous man may laugh them to ſcorne; ſcorning and deriding are the practices of lewd perſons, of ſons of Beliall; ſuch indeed are uſually ſcorners and jeerers. The enemies of Jeſus Chriſt are ſo deſcribed (Pſal. 22.7.) All they that ſee me (that is, all the wicked that ſee me, for many Diſciples ſaw Chriſt in his ſufferings, and did not onelyonly pity him, but honour and beleeve on him, but (ſaith he) all they (who are mine enemies) that ſee me) laugh me to ſcorne, they ſhoot out the lip, and ſhake the head. And David tells us (Pſal. 1.1.) that to fit in the ſeate of the ſcornefull, is the concluſion of thoſe who have firſt walked in the way of the ungodly, and ſecondly, ſtood in the way of ſinners. The common Latine tranſlater renders that in the Pſalme, not the ſeate of ſcorners, but the ſeate of the peſtilence. And indeed they have ſpirituall plague-ſpots upon them, and the ſureſt tokens of eternall death, who are given up to be ſcorners. Therefore queſtion it againe, how are the Innocent ſcorners?

I anſwer, That as when humane affections, which are below the divine nature, are attributed to God, (ſuch are to repent, to be grieved at the wickednes, and to laugh at the calamity of the wicked) we ſay theſe note onelyonly an effect upon the creature, not a change of affection in God (for, in him there is no variablenes nor ſhadow of change) ſo when thoſe actions,Irriſio, & foreign & ſimilia quae affectum humanum ſignificant, uti a deo longe abſunt, ita quae mali moris ſunt ab eccleſia. Coc: Ʋt haec de deé foreign i…a de ſanctis foreign ſunt intell genda. which are below or unſuteable to a renewed regenerate nature in man, are attributed to the Saints (ſuch as theſe, to waſh their feete in the bloud of the ungodly, to laugh them to ſcorne in their ſaddeſt miſeries) we muſt ſay, that theſe note rather what the wicked deſerve, then what the godly doe. The godly are no ſcorners, but there is that in wicked men which is worthy to be laughed to ſcorne, or wicked men doe that, for which they deſerve to be laughed at; whatſoever is evill in ſuch like actions, is farre from the heart and ſpirit of the godly. And therefore as Scriptures of ſuch a tenour are to be interpreted and underſtood in ſuch a manner as becomes and is conſiſtent with the holines of God, ſo alſo (in their proportion) to the holines of the Saints. The laughter of the Saints in theſe diſpenſations is ſerious, and their ſcorning, the acting of their graces, not of their p. 196corruptions. And thus it is ſaid of God himſelfe (Pſal. 2.4.) He that ſitteth in heaven ſhall laugh, the Lord ſhall have them in deriſion. And (Prov. 1.26.) I will mocke at your calamity, and laugh when your feare commeth: when your feare commeth as deſolation, and your deſtruction commeth as a whirlewind &c. that is, I will carry my ſelfe ſo towards you, I will pity you (who have been ſcorners of my word, and have ſet at nought my counſel) no more then men pity thoſe, whom they laugh to ſcorne; ſuch is the laughter of the Saints at the calamity of the wicked. And thus Eliah derided Baals Prieſts, while they wearied themſelves in their fooliſh ſuperſtition (1 Kings 18.27.) And it came to paſſe at noone that Eliah mockt them, and ſaid cry aloud, for he is a God, eyther he is talking, &c. Thus Hieruſalem is expreſſed (Iſa. 37.22.) when Senacherib ſent up that proud threatning meſſage, the Lord ſent a comfortable meſſage to his people by Iſaiah the Prophet; Thus ſaith the Lord God of Iſrael, whereas thou haſt prayed to me againſt Senacherib the king of Aſſyria, this is the word which the Lord hath ſpoken concerning him; the virgin the daughter of Zion hath deſpiſed thee, and laughed thee to ſcorne, the daughter of Jeruſalem hath ſhaken her head at thee. The daughter of Zion, and the daughter of Jeruſalem are but one and the ſame; ſhee was called a virgin, not (as ſome have conceived) becauſe ſhe was never taken or forced by any enemy; nor was ſhe ſo called, becauſe he had preſerved her ſelfe pure and chaſt in the worſhip of the true God (For ſhe had her faylings and Idolatrous dalliances before that day) but ſhe was ſo called becauſe of that ſpeciall care which God had of her to protect and ſave her againſt the inſultations of the enemy then ready to aſſault her, even as a virgin is protected from violence in her fathers houſe. And the Prophet to aſſure them that it ſhould be ſo, ſpeakes of the ruine of Senacheribs Army, and Jeruſalems laughter, as accompliſht and come to paſſe already; The virgin daughter &c. hath deſpiſed thee, and laughed thee to ſcorne, and ſhaken her head at thee. What God ſaith ſhall be done, is as good as done already. The Aſſyrians were yet in their Jollity, laughing at Jeruſalem, and promiſing themſelves the ſpoyle of the people of God, yet (ſaith the Lord) Jeruſalem hath laughed thee to ſcorne; that is, aſſuredly ſhe ſhall. And as the people of God doe ſometimes formally and explicitly laugh at the downfall and whitherings of the wicked, ſo they alwayes virtually and ſecretly laugh them to p. 197ſcorne, even when they ſtand and flouriſh in their greenenes and proſperity; For while the Godly are not daunted with the power and ſplendour, while they are not terrified with the threats and high lookes of the wicked, but in the ſinglenes and ſimplicity of their hearts, keepe cloſe to God, his wayes and truths; even this, though they uſe the dueſt reſpect to them in regard of their authority, both in word and geſture, is a laughing them to ſcorne; For this is as a thorne in the ſides of evill men, and as a pricke in their eyes, when they ſee they will not ſtoope to their greatnes in any ſinfull complyance with their commands. This is a truth, but the former is the truth intended in this Text.

Hence note; That wicked men are not onelyonly miſerable but ridiculous.

They are the laughter of the innocent, upon more accounts then one.

Firſt, becauſe they doe ſuch childiſh, and ridiculous things, ſuch things as can never reach the ends they deſire and purpoſe: they are juſtly laughed at, whoſe counſells and courſes are unſuitable, much more, when contrary to their deſignes.

Secondly, Wicked men become ridiculous, while the Lord fruſtrates their wiſeſt counſels, and blaſts thoſe hopes which were bottom'd upon the moſt probable principles and foundations, while he takes them in their own craft, and entraps them in the ſnare which they layd for others.

Thirdly, While he over-rules all that they plot or act to ſerve his owne ends, and fullfill his owne holy counſels. Hence the enemies of God are ſaid to pine away; this ſhall be the plague wherewith the Lord will ſmite all the people, that have fought againſt Jeruſalem, their fleſh ſhall conſume away while they ſtand upon their feete (he doth not ſay, that they ſhall all be ſlaine, but their fleſh ſhall conſume away while they ſtand upon their feete) and their eyes ſhall conſume away in their holes, and their tongue ſhall conſume away in their mouth (Zech. 14.12.) which as ſome interpret of their bodily languiſhment, that they ſhall live dying continually, or that their life ſhall be a continuall death, ſo all interpret the cauſe of this conſumption to ariſe from vexation of ſpirit, becauſe they ſhall ſee themſelves ſcorn'd and laughed at, or that they are become ridiculous to all the world, but chiefly to Jeruſalem, p. 198the Church and people of God, whom they ſhall behold in good condition, notwithſtanding all the oppoſition which they have made againſt them; which Eliphaz alſo clearely expreſſeth in the next words.

Verſ. 20. Whereas our ſubſtance is not cut downe, but the remnant of them the fire conſumes.

There are divers readings and renderings of this verſe; firſt, ſome with an affirmative interrogation; is not their ſubſtance cut downe? that is, it is cut downe; And then this verſe is a continuation of the former diſcourſe concerning the utter extirpation of the wicked; The righteous are glad, they laugh them to ſcorne; is not their ſubſtance cut downe? and doth not the fire conſume the remnant of them? As if Eliphaz had ſaid, Whatſoever they had of any ſubſtance or moment is cut downe, and if poſſibly there be any ſmall inconſiderable remainder of them, fire (that is, ſome devouring Judgement) will meete with it, and make an utter end of it.

Innocens ſubſarnabit eos, quia non fuit ſucciſa ſubſtantia noſt…a &c. q. d. ut qui ſe & res ſuas ſalvas, illos autem penitùs igne illo divino videant jure abſumptos. Bez:Secondly, Another underſtands this 20^•h verſe as a reaſon of the former; the righteous are glad (when the wicked fall) the innocent ſhall laugh them to ſcorne, becauſe our ſubſtance was not cut downe; as if he had ſayd, our ſafety will be matter as of praiſe to God, who hath preſerved us, ſo of holy ſcorne and inſultation over ungodly men, who longed to ſee our deſtruction, and ſayd in their hearts, that ſurely our day was not onelyonly comming, but haſtning; whereas indeed we ſee the day come upon them which burneth as an oven, and themſelves as ſtubble. Wicked men are for the moſt part doubly diſappointed; firſt, by their owne fall, when they looked to ſtand; ſecondly, by the ſtanding of the righteous when they looke, yea, and long for their fall; This double diſappointment doth at once double their ſorrow, and the joy of the Innocent, who laugh them to ſcorne, becauſe their owne ſubſtance is not cut downe, but the remnant of them the fire conſumeth.

Innocens ſubſannabiteos dicens, etſi non eſt ſucciſa ſubſtantia noſtra, tamen excellentiam illorum conſumpſit ignis. P…ſc:There is a third tranſlation which makes theſe words the forme in which the innocent expreſſe their laughter at the wicked. When The innocent laugh them to ſcorne, they will thus beſpeake them; Whereas or Although our ſubſtance is not cut downe, yet the remnant of them, or the beſt, the excellency of them the fire hath conſumed.

There is a fourth reading, which makes the ſecond part of the p. 199Chapter begin with this verſe. For hitherto Eliphaz hath been deſcribing the ſinfulneſſe of wicked men, and the wrath of God upon them for their wickednes.Cum nondum abſcinditur ſubſtantia noſtra, & reſiduum illorum abſumit ignis, aſſueſce quaeſo cum illo. Jun: But here he is ſuppoſed entring upon a very ſerious exhortation to repentance, after this manner, or to this effect; O Job, now while our ſubſtance is not quite out downe, and the fire conſumeth the reſidue or the remnant of the wicked, acquaint thy ſelfe with God; or apply thy ſelfe to God, as if he ſhould ſay, before thou art cleane cut downe, before thou art utterly ruined as many wicked men have been heretofore, and now are, humble thy ſelfe and ſeeke to God, that thy ſin may be forgiven, and thy wound healed. Some paralel this in ſenſe with that of the Preacher, Eccle. 12.1. Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth, while the evill dayes come not, nor the yeares draw nigh wherein thou ſhalt ſay, I have no pleaſure in them. Thus Eliphaz is conceived exhorting Job, While our ſubſtance is not cut downe, while we are not totally undone, Quum ſubſiſtē tia noſtra non ſit exciſa, reliquias autem iſtorum ignis aſſumpſerit. Tygur: Ita bene ut nihil melius. Bold: foreign, extant…a vel potius foreign quo ſubſiſtimus duramus, vel ſubſiſtantia noſtra i. e. vita qua ſubſiſtimus, nam ſtare valet interdum ſuperſtitem eſſe. Druſ:while the fire of Gods wrath is conſuming the remainder of wicked men, doe thou acquaint thy ſelfe with God, and repent. And though our tranſlation makes not this connection, yet it joynes fully in the ſenſe of the Originall.

Whereas our ſubſtance is not cut downe.

So this verſe is an elegant concluſion of the whole matter hitherto inſiſted upon by Eliphaz; and he ſhuts it up in two parts; firſt, ſhewing the ſtate of the innocent, who are brought in ſpeaking thus; Our ſubſtance is not cut downe. ſtrictly, That by which we ſtand or ſubſiſt, our ſubſtance or ſubſiſtence; which ſome expound not by goods, but by life; we may take it both wayes, our life, and that by which our life is maintained, or by which we and our families ſubſiſt, is not cut downe.

There is yet a difficulty in regard of the grammaticall ſenſe of theſe words. For Eliphaz having ſpoken before in the third perſon plural, The righteous are glad, and the innocent laugh them to ſcorne, ſhould (as it may be thought) rather have continued his ſpeech in the ſame forme, and have ſayd; Whereas Their ſubſtance is not downe, but he puts it in the firſt perſon plural, Whereas our ſubſtance is not cut downe &c.

We may anſwer two wayes; Firſt, that it is uſuall in Scripture to vary the number, while the ſame perſon or perſons is or are ſpoken of; take onelyonly one Inſtance, Hoſ. 12.4. He (that is the Angel p. 200of the Covenant) found him in Bethel, that is, Jacob. And there he ſpake with us. It ſhould according to Grammar be read thus; And there he ſpake with him. Having found Jacob in Bethel, he ſpake with him in Bethel. But we ſee both the perſon and number are varied, the former words running in the third perſon ſingular (being meant particularly of Jacob,) the latter in the firſt perſon plural, There he ſpake with us; The Spirit of God thereby ſignifying, that, what God ſpake at that time to Jacob perſonally, he ſpake to all the ſpirituall ſeed of Jacob, whether of the Circumciſion or Uncircumciſion, virtually; He ſo ſpake to Jacob as that the ſubſtance and effect of his ſpeech reacheth downe to and hath an influence upon us, beleevers, who are his poſterity according to the Spirit. Beſides this, other Scriptures hold out the like variation of the number, as in the Text, which is the firſt anſwer.

Secondly, Eliphaz might purpoſely vary the number, that himſelfe might put in for a ſhare, and be numbred among thoſe, who had obtained that ſparing mercy, not to be cut downe while others were conſumed. And ſo this reaſon of the change is purely ſpirituall, much like that laſt opened out of Hoſea.

Whence note; That the righteous are often preſerved in common calamities.

(Pſal. 20.8.) They are brought downe, and are fallen, but we are riſen and ſtand upright, our ſubſtance is not cut downe; God takes ſpeciall care of his owne people; they are under a promiſe; there can be no greater ſafety, no better ſecurity then to be under a promiſe; the promiſe is the beſt ſhelter in a ſtorme, and the beſt ſhield againſt the dart. The Apoſtle Peter gives us two famous examples of this, (2 Pet. 2.5, 6.) God ſpared not the old world, but ſaved Noah &c. bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. And having turned the Cities of Sodome and Gomorrha into aſhes, condemned them with an overthrow &c. and delivered just Lot &c. From both which examples he concludeth (v. 9.) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of temptation, and to reſerve the unjuſt unto the day of Judgement to be puniſhed. When judgement begins at the houſe of God, what ſhall the end of them be that obey not the Goſpel of God? as the ſame Apoſtle ſpeaks (1 Pet. 4.17.) It is a ſure argument to the wicked that they ſhall be judged, when they ſee God bringing judgements upon his owne p. 201houſe and people; but the wicked are many times judged while the houſe and people of God are preſerved and untoucht; and when both good and bad, both the innocent, and the wicked are wrapt up in the ſame calamity, when they are (as it were) thruſt together into the ſame furnace, the Lord makes a difference, they are not cut downe as the wicked are cut downe, nor conſumed as they are conſumed. When the righteous are caſt into the fire they are purged but not conſumed, but (as it follows in the ſecond part of this concluſion, ſhewing the ſtate of the wicked) The remnant of them the fire conſumeth.

Fire in this place is not taken ſtrictly, as oppoſed to water; God indeed hath often made fire in kinde his ſcourge. And the Apoſtle Jude ſaith of Sodome, That it ſuffered the vengeance of eternall fire. But all the judgements of God are in Scripture compared to fire (Mala. 4.1.) Behold the day cometh that ſhall burne like an Oven, and all the proud, yea all that doe wickedly ſhall be ſtubble, and the day that cometh ſhall burne them up, ſaith the Lord of hoſts, that it ſhall leave them neither fruit nor branch. There is a burning, and not by fire; There is ſo great a judgement and terror in fire let looſe and breaking its bounds, that it may well ſignifie all judgements, or any thing that is terrible. (Iſa. 52.4.) As the fire devoureth the ſtubble, and the flame conſumeth the chaffe, ſo their roote ſhall be rottenneſſe, and their bloſſome ſhall goe up as duſt. Thus here, the remnant of them the fire conſumeth, that is, the wrath of God appearing in ſome viſible judgement conſumeth the remnant.

But what is this remnant which the fire conſumeth?

I anſwer. Firſt, we may expound it of perſons. The remnant of perſons, all that are left of their family, their children and poſterity, their kindred and relations are taken away and conſumed from off the face of the earth.

Secondly, We may expound it of things, the remnant of goods, whatſoever remaines of their eſtate, the odd ends, the very gleanings and leavings of their great riches and worldly ſubſtance, are all eaten up and brought to an end, ſo that nothing of them or theirs remaineth.

Thirdly, The remnant of them may be the remembrance of them. A fire ſhall conſume their name and memoriall, they ſhall neve… be thought of nor ſpoken of any more with honour.

p. 202foreign ſignificat illud quo quis alium excellit, ideo reliquiarum nomine impiorum excellentem & ſupra cūctos mortales ingentem foelicitatem intelligo. Pined.Fourthly, The word remnant, as it ſignifieth in the Original any thing which remaineth, ſo eſpecially that which remaineth in way of excellency, or eminency; not (as we ſay) the fagge end of a thing, but even the uppermoſt and beſt of it. So that (after this tranſlation) the remnant of them, is the excellency of them, that which they thought moſt durable, and honourable, that which they looked upon as moſt ſubſtantiall and intrinſecall to their greatnes, that very thing the fire ſhall conſume. So the word is uſed (Pſal. 17.14.) Deliver my ſoule from men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world &c. whoſe belly thou filleſt with thy hid treaſures, they are full of children, and leave the reſt (or as we ſupply, the reſt of their ſubſtance) to their babes; the reſt, that is, the beſt; their bellies are full of hid treaſures while they live, that is, they have and uſe abundance of the things of this life themſelves; and they leave the reſt; he doth not meane the ſcraps or parings after they had filled their owne bellies, but by the reſt or the remnant, (tis the word of the text) he meaneth the choiceſt of what they had; even that they leave to their babes or children, when themſelves muſt be gone and leave the world. Thus we may underſtand the word remnant in this place, not for a poore pittance, but for the beſt, the choiſeſt things, for the flower and creame of all they had, even theſe things the fire ſhall conſume, vengeance ſhall purſue and follow, till all be turned into ſmoake and aſhes.

I have in divers other paſſages of this booke met with Texts ſhewing the utter conſumption of wicked men, therefore I ſhall not ſtay upon it here; onelyonly take this briefe note.

That the Lord hath a different fire for the righteous and the wicked.

He hath a fire for his owne people, but it is a purging fire, a cleanſing, a refining fire. Like that (Mal. 3.3.) He ſhall ſit as a refiner and purifier of ſilver. The Lord alſo hath a fire for the wicked, but it is a conſuming fire. He kindles many fires upon them, and himſelfe is a conſuming fire to them. But it may be ſaid, that God is a conſuming fire alſo to his owne people; for the Apoſtle ſpeaking of himſelfe and other beleevers, ſaith (Heb. 12.29.) Our God is a conſuming fire. I anſwer; Firſt, Tis true, the God of Beleevers is a conſuming fire, but he is not a conſuming fire to beleevers; even the hearts of beleevers ought to be overawed p. 203with a holy feare of that in God, which they ſhall never feele from God. Secondly, God is ſometimes a conſuming fire to beleevers; but it is onelyonly to conſume their corruptions, or their corruptible comforts; He will never conſume eyther their Graces or ſpirituall intereſts. Theſe he will not conſume whatſoever he conſumes. But the whole of a wicked man is as combuſtible matter before him. There went up a ſmoake out of his noſtrills, fire out of mouth devoured (Pſal. 18.8.) That is, God powred out wrath, which devoured them like a fire. Fire (I meane naturall fire) is a great devourer, it hath a ſtrong ſtomacke, there's nothing but pure Gold too hard for its digeſtion; but myſticall fire, the fire of divine wrath is infinitely a greater devourer. Wrath kindles ma…y devouring fires, but wrath it ſelfe is the moſt devouring fire; who can ſtand before it? who can abide the heate and flames of it? This is the Tophet prepared of old for the wicked; This fire is able to conſume branch and ruſh, the roote and top of the wicked in one day, and yet it will continue conſuming them to eternity. The remnant of them the fire conſumeth.

Eliphaz having thus farre proſecuted a deſcription both of the unrighteouſnes and of the ruine, both of the ſin and puniſhment of wicked men, cloſely inſinuating that Job was the man concern'd in all this large Diſcourſe, he, in the latter part of this Chapter, turnes his ſpeech into a ſerious Exhortation to move Job to repent, and ſeeke God, giving him many aſſurances and promiſes, that (in caſe he did ſo) it ſhould not be in vaine,