An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and the thirty fourth chapters of the booke of Job being the substance of forty-nine lectures / delivered at Magnus neare the Bridge, London, by Joseph Caryl ...

Vers. 33. If not, hearken unto me, hold thy peace, and I shall teach thee wisdome.

Elihu having desired Job to speake, and he either refusing or having nothing to say, he re-assumed and re-inforced his former counsell.

Hearken unto me, hold thy peace.

These words were opened, (v. 31.) therefore I need not stay upon them here; If not, hearken &c. and indeed what should they doe but hear and submit, who have nothing to answer or re∣ply? especially when so gainfull an overture is made them for their encouragement to hear, as Elihu made Job in the next words, which are also the last of this discourse.

And I shall teach thee wisdome.

Elihu may seeme to take much upon him, and shew himself ve∣ry confident, when he thus undertook and promised to teach Job wisdome; yet doubtless the ground of his confidence was not in himselfe, but in Gods assistance; and in Jobs humble silence. As if he had said, I see thou wilt not speake, but heare, hear then, and I shall teach thee wisdome; for God (I hope) will be with us in this matter, and both open my mouth to speak, and thine eares to hear that which is wisdome indeed; having given thee a heart to receive

instruction, he will instruct thee to profit, and make thee wise to know t••y duty and doe it, by my ministry, though a weake and unworthy instrument in his hand.

I shall teach thee wisdome.* 1.1 The word which we render to teach in another conjugation signifieth to learne; and the Nowne signi∣fieth a leader, or governour. As that first letter Aleph in the He∣brew Alphabet is the leading letter to all that follow, so a Teacher should be a leader, he should goe before those that heare him, by good example as well as by wholsome doctrine. Be thou an exam∣ple of the Beleevers, saith the Apostle Timothy (1 Epist. 4.12) who was set up in the Church of Ephesus a Teacher and an Instructer.

Further, when Elihu saith, I will teach thee wisdome; his meaning is, I shall acquaint thee with that which may make thee wise, or I shall shew thee wherein true wisdome doth consist. And that consists chiefly in these two things. First, in the know∣ledge of our selves; Secondly, in the knowledge of God; As if Elihu had said, I doubt not but I shall make thee know more fully what thou art, as also who God is. And it plain∣ly appeares in the close, that Job got a fuller light in both by what Elihu said to him: He got a suller soul-sight of the soveraign∣ty and highnesse of God, and a deeper humiliation in the sight of his own sinfullness and vilenesse. He that hath learned and is in the power of these two lessons, is questionless a wise man; and he that faithfully teacheth these two lessons doth not at all over-rate his doctrine if he call it wisdome, nor doth he put too high a title upon his paines and endeavours, if he saith to his Auditors or Schollars, I will teach or have taught you wisdome.

Lastly, When Elihu said, I will teach thee wisdome; we must not conceive that he looked upon Job as unwise or ignorant; Elihu knew well enough he had not to doe with a child or an ide∣ot, but with a man of knowledge, with a man who was skilfull in the word of righteousnesse, whose senses (as the Apostle expresseth it, Heb. 5.14.) were exercised to discern both good and evill. His meaning then, when he said I will teach thee wisdome, was only this, I will teach thee to be wiser and more knowing in some ne∣cessary truths, then as yet thou art, or at least, hast appeared to be. Or we may give his sence in the language of the Apostle, (2 Cor. 1.24.) I will teach thee wisdome, not as having domi∣nion over thy faith, but as a helper of thy joy.

Hence note, First.

There are none so wise, none so holy, but they may learne more wisdome, to be yet more holy.

'Tis out of question, he was never good, who thinks he can be no better; nor doth he yet know any thing aright, who saith he needs know no more. It is very sad (which is the case of many, 2 Tim. 3.7.) to be ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth: Yet they who (through grace) have been enabled to come to the knowledge of the truth must be ever learning; and the more any man doth know, the more he seeth his need, and the more willing he is, to be taught and know more. The feare of God that is wisdome, saith Job, (Chap. 28.28.) and to depart from evill, is understanding; and God testified of Job that he feared him, and eschewed evill, in the first verse of this Booke; now if so wise, so good a man as Job might learne wis∣dome, let none think themselves too wise or too good to learne.

Secondly, Note.

True wisdome consists in the true knowledge of our selves, and of God.

This was the theame or subject upon which Elihu insisted, he was not teaching Job humane, philosophicall, or naturall wisdome, but heavenly and divine wisdome; the greatest meere naturall Philosophers in the world▪ (which title sounds them, lovers of wisdome) were meere strangers to that, which we call true wisdom; and (as the Apostle chargeth them, Rom. 1.21, 22.) became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened, pro∣fessing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

Thirdly, Note.

There is nothing worth the learning or knowing, but that which makes us truly wise.

For that only sheweth us the way to be truly happy. 'Tis our wisdome to work for a right end, and that work can never attaine its end but by the choyce of right means. Through desire (saith Solomon, Prov. 18.1.) a man having separated himself, seeketh and intermedleth with all wisdome. The desire of all things (say

Naturalists) especially of all men runs out to good. And the bet∣ter any man is, the better is that good which he desireth, yea if a∣ny man be truly good he desireth that which is best; for the enjoy∣ment of God wherein alone happinesse doth consist, is his ultimate and highest end. But what doth he to reach this end? Solomon poynts us to two things: First, he separateth himselfe from all those lets and impediments which stop up the way, or lye crosse to his desire. Secondly, He seeketh and intermedleth with all wis∣dome, with all reall and substantiall wisdome, (as the word there used signifieth) for he knoweth that nothing but such wisdome, acted in wise wayes, is proper and successefull for the promoting of that noble end. Now if nothing but wisdome can lead us to that end, what is there worth the learning or knowing except that which makes us wise?

Fourthly, From that frame of spirit which Elihu observed in Job,

Note.

They that are humble and meek are fittest to learne wis∣dome.

God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. (Jam. 4.6.) The humble soule hath received grace already, and that grace received is the way to all grace. (Psal. 25.9.) The meek will he guide in judgment, the meek will he teach his way. The way of God is wisdome, and they whom God teacheth shall undoub∣tedly learne it.

Lastly.

To teach spirituall wisdome, or to teach man how to be spiritu∣ally wise, is the best lesson that can be taught.

They are blessed Masters who make such Schollars. The whole discourse of Elihu is about spirituall wisdome, not about the wis∣dome of the world which God will destroy; not how to climbe the pinnacles of honour, and get high in the world, not how to ga∣ther riches, and to lade our selves with thick clay; it was not how to be great or rich, but it was how to be holy and humble, how to give glory to God, and be fitted for glory with God; these were the lessons of wisdome which Elihu taught Job, and

these are lessons chiefly to be taught and learned by every man, who undertakes to be a teacher, or desires to be a learner. Thus Elihu hath concluded his first discourse with a promise to teach Job wisdome, and how well he performed and made good his promise, will appeare, to his praise, in opening the following Chapters.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 In Kal dis••ere in Piel docere hinc A∣leph Paedago∣gus, antecassor dux, doctor, qui aliis solet prae∣ire sicut Aleph prima litera re∣liquas antece∣dit.