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. 19. How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of Princes?

Who is that? The words are a cleare Periphrasis of God, he accepts not the persons of Princes. As if Elihu had said; the Kings and Princes of the earth, expect such great respect from their subjects, that no man should dare to censure them or speake evill of them, though they doe evill, or deale unjustly; how much more unfit is it to speake evill of God, or to charge his govern∣ment with injustice, who never doth any evill, all whose wayes are not only just, but justice. He that accepteth not the persons of Princes, who are the greatest of men, can have neither will nor motive to deale unjustly with any man. I shall not stay to shew what it is to accept persons? because that hath been shewed at the 7^th verse of the 13^th Chapter, as also Chapter 32.21. only I'le give it in one word; To accept persons is to have more re∣spect to the man then to the matter; and that's a very common fault among men, and as commonly condemned by God. 'Tis a received axiom, He that would or doth put on the person of a Judge, must put off the person of a friend; that is, he must not be sway'd by any respect whatsoever of friendship, or allyance, but must judge purely as the cause deserveth.

Nor shall I stay to urge the greatness of the sin of speaking any thing uncomely of God, that also hath been spoken to in many for∣mer passages of this Chapter. Only from these words, How much lesse to him that accepth not the person of Princes?

Note First.

That which ought not to be done or spoken to the greatest of men, ought much lesse to be either done or spoken to God.

The reason is, because, first, God is infinitely more to be reve∣renced then any man. Secondly, because God is infinitely more able to take vengeance, and certainly will, of any that shall doe or speake evill to him, then the greatest among the children of men. Yet how many are there who dare not offend a man, not a great man especially, either by word or deed, who are not afraid

by both to offend and provoke the great God? O remember, the force of this text; If it be not fit to speake unduely of Princes, How much lesse of him that accepteth not the persons of Princes?

Hence note, Secondly.

God is no accepter of persons.

He hath no respect to Princes in prejudice to truth and righte∣ousnesse, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righ∣teousnesse (be he never so poore) is accepted with him, (Acts 10.35.) and in every nation he that feareth him not, but worketh un∣righteousnesse (be he never so great) is unacceptable yea abomi∣nable to him. The Scripture often attributes this glory to God, (Deut: 10.17. 2 Chron: 19.7. Gal: 2.6. Col: 3.25.) And as it is the glory of God, that he is no accepter of persons, so it is the duty of man (Deut: 1.17.) Judgement must proceed and conclude with respect to the rule, and command of God, not with respect to the persons of men, or our relations to them. Levi was highly commended for this (Deut: 33.9.) who sayd unto his fa∣ther and to his mother, I have not seene him; neither did he acknow∣ledge his brethren, nor knew his owne children, &c. When man ac∣cepteth not the persons of men he acteth most like God, of whom Elihu saith, He accepteth not the persons of Princes,

Nor regardeth the rich more then the poore.

That's a further description of God; He doth not regard,* 1.1 that is, acknowledge or know the one more then the other; He is (in the best things) as communicative to, and converseth as familiarly with the poore as the rich; yea, he doth not value or prize the rich man more then the poore; the poor man is worth as much as the rich man in Gods account; suppose the rich man worth thousands, yea ten thousands of gold and silver, and the poore man so poore that he is not worth a shilling, yet in the account of God the poor man is worth as much as the rich man.

The Scripture speakes of two sorts both of rich and poor men; There are men rich in spiritualls, such Christ intimates, who are (Luke 12.20.) rich towards God, or as he speakes of the Church of Smyrna (Rev: 2.9.) rich in grace, I know thy poverty, but thou art rich; That is, I know thou art poor in earthly pelfe, but rich in spi∣ritualls. The Apostle James puts the question (Chap: 2.5.) Hath not

God chosen the poore of this world rich in faith, and heires of the kingdome. Now, it is most certaine, that God regardeth the rich in spiritualls, more then the poore in spiritualls, he highly regard∣eth those that are poore in spirit, and pronounceth them blessed (Math: 5.3.) for theirs is the kingdome of heaven; But he re∣gardeth not those who are poore in spiritualls; not them especial∣ly who boast of their spirituall riches when they have none (they that have them are thankfull for them, they do not boast of them) as the Church of Laodicea did, of whom Christ sayd (Rev: 3.16, 17.) I will spew thee out of my mouth, because thou sayest I am rich & encreased in goods, and knowest not that thou art poore. Thus you see, there are a sort of rich men, whom Christ regardeth more then the poore of that sort. But as poore and rich are distinguished meere∣ly by aboundance and want, by the smallness and greatness of their portion in the things of this world, as Dives and Lazarus in the parable were, so he regardeth not the rich more then the poore. When a poor man is gracious as wel as poore, God regardeth him more then any rich man who hath no grace; And when either both have grace alike, or both are alike without grace, he regardeth them both alike. When rich and poore have grace, they are both greatly regarded, and when neither of them have grace, neither of them are at all regarded by the God of all grace. Thus 'tis plaine, God regardeth the rich no more then the poore, nor the poore any whit lesse then the rich.

* 1.2The word rendred rich, signifieth also bountifull (Isa: 32.5.) 'Tis also rendred, The helpfull, the saving man; for though rich men are not alwayes helpfull with their riches, nor ready to save others in distresse; yet rich men may doe both: they have alwayes in their hand power and usually opportunity to be helpfull to the poore, and to save the distressed. And surely, as the Lord regard∣eth not the rich more then the poore; so he regardeth those rich men least of all, who have no regard to helpe and save the poore. Once more, Some derive the word which we translate rich, from a roote which signifieth to clamour, or to speake out and boldly, which complyes wel with that sentence of Solomon (Pro: 18.23.) The poore useth entreaties (that is, he speaketh humbly or by way of supplication) but the rich answereth roughly. And as God regard∣eth not the rich more then the poore, so he regardeth those rich men least, who speake loudly and roughly to the poore. Having

thus opened the assertion of Elihu, that God regardeth not the rich more then the poore; let us consider, The reason of it in the next words.

For they are all the work of his hands.

As if he had sayd, God cannot but deal impartially with all, because all are the work of his hands: what reason hath he to re∣spect one more then another, seeing the one is no more to him then t'other, they are all the work of his hands. Man as man is the off-spring of God (Acts 17.28.) He is also the work of his hands; that is, man is made by his power; As man descendeth from man, so he is called the fruit of the womb; but as man is the off-spring of God, so he is called the worke of his hands, and his hands have wrought the poor man as well as the rich; They are all the work of his hands in a two-fold respect.

First, In their naturall constitution; God hath moulded them in the same fashion, he hath given each of them a body and a soul; A body framed of the same parts, a soule consisting of the same powers. God hath bestowed as much care and cost upon the ma∣king of a poore mans body and soule, as upon the rich mans. The richest man in the world, cannot boast that he hath any one mem∣ber in his body or faculty in his soule, more then a poore man hath.

Secondly, Look upon the rich and poore in their Civil state, and so likewise they are the work of his hands: and that I con∣ceive, is here intended as much as, if not more, then the former; not only is God the maker of the poor and of the rich in their na∣turall state, soule and body; but as poo••, and rich, he is the maker of them; that is, he maketh one man poore, and another man rich, as himselfe pleaseth. (Prov: 22.2.) The rich and the poor meet together, the Lord is the maker of them all. He hath made them men, and he hath made them rich or poore men. There is as much of the power and wisdome of God seene in making some men poore and others rich, as there is in making them men; yea God thinks himselfe as much honoured in our acknowledgements that the poore with their poverty, as that the rich with all their riches, are the work of his hands.

Hence Note.

First, Poor men are as much the work of God as the rich.

As they have the same nature, and are of the same matter, as they are both made of the same stuff, or are both of a piece, so they have the same maker; and their maker hath been at as much charge in the making of the one, as in the making of the other; yea, and usually, the poore man yeilds him a better rent, and brings more into his Treasury then the rich man doth.

Secondly Note.

It is the Lord who makes men poor, and makes men rich.

Agur prayed (Prov. 30.8.) Give me neither poverty nor riches. Agur knew poverty was a gift of God as well as riches. It hath been said (though prophanely) Every man is the fashioner of his own fortune, or the contriver of his own condition. Some who acknow∣ledge God hath made them men, think they have made them∣selves rich, or great men; and we commonly look on those who fail in their worldly Estates, that they have made themselves poor and low in the world. I grant, there is a sense wherein men make themselves rich, and make themselves poor; that is, when they do either by their sins. God is not so engaged in the making of a man rich, when he enricheth himself by his sin, by deceiving or oppressing his brethren, as when he groweth rich in a way of righteousness: He that is enriched by oppression, or deceit, or sets his nest on high by flattery, or by fraud, cannot thank God for his riches, or honours; and if he doth, he blasphemously makes God a partner in those sins by which he hath got his riches and honours. For though it be a truth that there is a hand of God in his gettings, (for all the craft, and policy, and oppression which men use, will never be able to make them either rich or great, if God did not permit and order it so) yet the heart of God is not with him in it, and God will not own his own hand in giving them wealth or power, further then as they are a testimony against them, of his goodness, and their ingratitude. We may also say of some poor men, they have made themselves poor, not God; He made Job poor, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, was his humble acknowledgement (chap. 1.21.) but there are some, of whom we cannot so much say God hath made them poor by his sad providences to them, as that they have made themselves poor by their idleness and improvidence, or by their prodigality and vain profuseness; yet even of such poor men we may truly say,

there be a righteous hand of God upon them in leaving or giving them up to the lusts of their own heart, their laziness, or lavish∣ness, which produce their utter undoing, and bring them to a morsel of bread. So that let men be in what condition they will, the Lord is the former of it. The diligent hand maketh rich, but it is with the blessing of God; and when an indiligent man becomes poor, it is the curse of God upon him for his sin, as well as the con∣sequent of his sin. Yea, when an honest diligent man becomes poor, (that's the case of some) it is the Lords with-holding of his blessing, which makes all his labours fruitless and successless; such a man is indeed one of God's poor, or a poor man of God's making; and God will surely make the poverty of such a man (if he continue in a believing dependence upon him, and in an humble submission to him, if he know how to want as well as to abound, how to be hungry as well as to be full, and in every estate hath learned therewith to be content, as the holy Apostle had, then (I say) God will surely make the poverty of such a man bet∣ter to him then riches, or the largest portion of this worlds enjoy∣ment. The poor of God's special making, are under his special keeping and blessing: As they have but little, so they want no∣thing; God himself will always be not only enough, but all to them.

Take two further inferences from the whole verse.

First,

Princes, great and rich men must not expect to fare better with God because of their greatness or riches. For,

He doth not regard the rich more then the poor.

Secondly,

The meanest man needs not fear that he shall fare the worse before God for his meanness.

The most high God will not overlook those in a low estate, he regardeth the poor as well as the rich; and that's matter of great comfort to the poor, when disregarded by the rich. Though the Lord doth not make all men of an equal respect in the world, 'tis his will that some men should be more regarded by men then o∣thers are, yet himself (in the sence opened) beareth an equal re∣spect to them all; He regardeth not the rich more then the poor, for they are all the work of his hands.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 aguoscere, familiaritèr tractare.
• * 1.2

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 est dives opalentus; qui∣dam volunt de∣ductum a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 servando quod multos servare et juvari possit, vela 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 cla∣mando quod ••∣pulenti liberi∣ùs et audaciùs loquantur.