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. 12. Yea, surely.

There is a mighty force of affirmation, in the originall words,* 1.1 we may parallel them, with those assertive speeches frequently used by our Saviour Jesus Christ in the Gospel, Amen, Amen, Ve∣rily, verily I say unto you; Yea surely, is as much as verily, verily; as if Elihu had sayd, There is no question to be made of what I af∣firme, that God is righteous, or will not doe wickedly; as the Apostle writ to Timothy about the great mystery of the Gospel, God mani∣fested in the flesh, (1 Tim: 3.16.) without controversie great (or, as the word imports, confessedly on all hands, great) is the myste∣ry of Godlinesse; so here Elihu might speak to Job, This is a truth beyond dispute or controversie, an unquestionable truth, and such a truth that, if once confessed, will quickly determine all the Questions, which are depending between you and me. There are some Master-truths, ruling truths; such a one is this in the text, Yea surely, or undoubtedly, God will not doe wickedly.

Hence note.

It becomes us to grow up into highest confidences, about the truths of God, especially about the truth and Justice of God.

We should not be as meteors hanging in the ayre, speaking with hesitation, possibly it is so, peradventure it is true; but (as the Apostle directs the Collossians, Chap. 2.3.) We must labour to grow up unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding; as there is a full assurance of faith in believing, & of hope in waiting or expecting, so also of understanding in apprehending the things of God. We should be (in a sense) Masters of truth; and then

we are so indeed, when truth hath fully mastered us, and pre∣vailed upon both our judgement and affections, and we are led captive by light to the love and obedience of it. We have cause to bewayle those (much more have they cause to bewayle them∣selves) who are but Scepticks or Questionests in Religion, ne∣ver coming to a poynt, nor able (after a due making up of their thoughts) to say, Thus it is, and by this we will abide, as Elihu did in the then present case, delivering himselfe confidently, yea surely, or verily, verily,

God will not doe wickedly.

To cleare the meaning in this Negative assertion, we must take in the highest affirmatives of the holinesse and Justice, of the righ∣teousnesse, truth, and faithfulnesse of God; For it sounds like a flat and low commendation of God, to say, he will not doe wicked∣ly; for so it may be sayd of every honest man, He will not do wick∣edly; but seeing in this Negative commendation given by man to God (as in all the Negative commandements given by God to man) all affirmatives are to be understood; what can be sayd more to or more sound out his praise and glory then this?

God will not doe wickedly?

* 1.2The word here used for doing wickedly, signifies two things; First, to pronounce any person wicked; and Secondly, to doe any thing which is wicked; both these often meete together. For in many cases to pronounce a person wicked, is to doe a wicked thing; he that condemneth a just person, pronounceth him wick∣ed, and what thing can be done more wickedly then that? Some take the word in that sence here, as a deniall that God either hath done, or ever will condemne the innocent. There are two things wherein men doe very wickedly, with respect to the persons of men, both which the Lord abhorres. First, when they condemne the innocent. Secondly, when they acquit or cleare the guilty. The former way of doing wickedly, is chiefly removed from God here by Elihu, as the latter is directly and expressly by himselfe (Exod: 34.7.) The Lord, the Lord, &c. that will by no meanes cleare the guilty. To pronounce a guilty person innocent, or an in∣nocent person guilty, if ignorantly done, is a great piece of weak∣nesse, and if knowingly done, is a great piece of wickednesse.

Yet, because the latter part of the verse speakes particularly to cleare God from wrong Judgement, therefore, I conceive, we may better expound this former part of it more largely, as a ge∣nerall deniall of any evill act whatsoever, done by God. Surely God will not doe wickedly,

Neither will the Almighty pervert Judgement.

The Almighty, who hath power to doe what he will, hath no will to doe this evill. He will not pervert Judgement.* 1.3 The word signifies both to pervert and subvert, as also to bow, wrest, or put out of order, to mingle or blend those things together, which should be for ever separated, or, as we say, to mingle heaven and earth, yea heaven and hell together; so doe they who mingle good and ill, right and wrong together. To pervert Judgement, is, to doe all this, for then (which Abraham assured himselfe was farre from God, Gen: 18.25.) The righteous are as the wicked, that is, the righteous fare as ill as the wicked, or the wicked fare as well as the righteous. But the Almighty will not pervert Judge∣ment, that is, the right which belongs to any man, and therefore, he will-doe every man right. We had the same position in termes (Chap: 8. 3d) and we have had this whole verse equivalen••ly in the 10^th of this Chapter, where Elihu sayd, Far be it from God, that he should doe wickednesse, and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity. Here, only one verse intervening, El••hu reports and repeats the same matter againe; but it is no needlesse or vaine repetition, for which Christ reproved the prayer of the Hea∣thens (Math: 6.7.) there are many repetitions in Scripture, but not one vaine one; how often soever the same truth is repea∣ted there, it hath its weight and use, not only as it is still a truth, but as it is a truth repeated. And therefore I shall give a three∣fold reason why this truth is here againe repeated, which will also lead us to a fuller improvement of it.

First, Because this truth is (as it were) the hinge upon which the whole controversie between Job and Elihu is turned. Job was unsatisfied because he was so ill handled, and therefore Elihu tells him often that God is righteous, and that he will not wrong any man. Hereby giving Job to understand, that God had done him nothing, or done nothing to him, but right. Such grand sway∣ing controling truths should be often, and can scarce be too often repeated.

Secondly, Elihu repeated this againe, because 'tis such a truth, as no man can too much, no nor enough weigh and consider the value and worth of it. Now, that which cannot be too often nor too much thought of, cannot (if rules of prudence be observed) be too much or too often spoken of. There is scarce any man who hath not sometimes at least indirectly and obliquely some hard thoughts of the proceedings of God, either in reference to him∣selfe or to others; Nor is there any thing that we have more temptations about, then that, surely, we are not in all things right∣ly dealt with, and that the dispensations of God are not so even, as they might. These sinfull suspicions are dayly moving and fluctuating in the heart of man, and therefore this opposite prin∣ciple ought to be fastened and fixed there to the utmost, that the will and workes of God are all just and righteous, yea that his will is the rule of all righteous workings; or, that as whatsoever is done in this world, is done by the disposure of God, so God (though the thing be evill and unjust) is just and good in the disposure of it. Therefore unlesse we resist or contradict the will of God, we must say, whatsoever comes to passe, comes righteously to passe, because it comes to passe by the determinate will and counsell of God.

Thirdly, Elihu repeates this assertion, that he might the more commodiously make his transition or passage to the matter fol∣lowing, and prosecute it with greater successe. And therefore I shall not stay longer upon those words, only.

Note.

First, This great truth, that God will not doe wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert Judgement, convinceth those, not only of injudiciousnesse, but of wickednesse, who, though they are ready to acknowledge in generall, God is just, yet as to those particular providences, which concerne them, or wherewith themselves are pincht, doe not, cannot acquiesce and rest in the will of God, with freedome and satisfaction. That which is just should not dis∣please us, though (in it selfe) it be very bitter and unpleasant to us.

Secondly, This truth is a ground of comfort to all the people of God, who are under heavy pressures from this evill world, or who receive little reward or incouragement (as to sense) from the good hand of God. Such are apt to say with the kingly Pro∣phet

(Psal: 73.13, 14.) Verily in vaine have we cleansed our heart, and washed our hands in innocency, for all the day long have we been plagued, and chastened every morning. David was under a temptation when he was under hatches, he could hardly per∣ceive it worth the while to take paines in cleansing and washing either heart or hand while God was so constant and frequent in correcting and chastening him with so heavy a hand. Yet David soone after recovered out of this temptation, and concluded the Psalme, with this particular assurance, (v. 28.) It is good for me to draw neere to God, as he had begun it (v. 1.) with a generall assurance, Truely God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a cleane heart. God is good to those who have a cleane heart, even when they are in the greatest sufferance of evill, and therefore they who are cleane hearted, have no reason at any time to say, nor shall they long say, they have cleansed their heart in vaine. Though now they smart, yet in due season they shall be well re∣warded for their washing. The Judgements of God are such,* 1.4 as no man can fully comprehend, such as no man can justly reprehend. The Almighty will not pervert Judgement.

Those foure things which cause men to pervert Judgement, are at the furthest distance or remove from God; whereof the first is envie at the good condition of others. The second is groundlesse and unreasonable love or hatred of their persons. The third is feare of frownes from those that are great, or feare of after-claps; Many are deterr'd from giving but a just measure, either of reward to good men, or punishment to evill men, lest themselves should receive hard measure from those who like nei∣ther. The fourth is hope of gaine, or their private advantage. For as some pervert Judgement for bribes already received, so others for bribes promised, or upon expectation of some future favours. Now God (I say) is infinitely above these foure, and all other imaginable by-respects, upon which Judgement is per∣verted every day, by the sons of men. God is above all envy, yea above all that hatred or love which perverts Judgement; he is above all feare of evill, and hope of good. God hath nothing to feare, seeing none can reach him, much lesse hurt him; neither hath he any thing at all to hope for, seeing he is in the full pos∣session of all happinesse and blessednesse, that is, of himselfe. Why then, or upon what account should the Almighty pervert

Judgement? so that, if at any time, we have any unbecoming thoughts of the Justice of God, either that he afflicts the good without reason, or prospers the wicked against it; all this ariseth from our ignorance, or the shortnesse of our sight. We have not a full or perfect prospect of things, we see but a little way back∣ward, we are not wise to compare what's past with what's present, nor can we at all infallibly foresee any thing future, or discerne what shall be. Whereas God at once hath all things before him, he seeth what is past as well as what is present, and what shall be hereafter, as well as what hath been, and so the compleatnesse and indefectibility of his owne Justice in all. And when we in the great day shall see all the workes of God in the world brought and presented together as in one view, we shall then say from the evidence of sight, as now we ought from the evidence of faith, that the Almighty hath not in any one thing perverted Judge∣ment. And therefore the Apostle doth most excellently and ap∣positely call that day, The day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God (Rom: 2.5.)

Elihu having strongly asserted, with a yea surely, that, the Al∣mighty will not pervert Judgement, yet stayeth not in a bare (though so strong an) assertion, (which he might) but gives us the proofe and confirmation of it; as he hath denied that God will, so he proveth by undeniable arguments, that God will not doe wickedly, that the Almighty will not pervert Judgement. And this he doth in the next or 13^th verse, and the two that follow.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Irgons est in o∣rigi-nali asser∣tionu vis.
• * 1.2

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 est a∣liquando impi∣um pronuncia∣re, condemna∣re; aliquando vero impiè a∣gere vel iniquè quippiam face∣re. Merc:
• * 1.3

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 detorquo∣bit curvabit.
• * 1.4

  Judicia dei ple∣nè nemo com∣prehendit, justè nemo reprehen∣dit. August: lib: 2. de Civ: •• Dei. cap: 23.