An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…

Whatsoever God resolveth and determineth concerning us, we must bear it, and quietly submit.

No man may say unto him, What doest thou? ¹Why do ye sit still (saith the Prophet, Jer. 8.14.) Assemble your selves, and let us enter into the defenced Cities, and let us be silent there, for the Lord hath put us to silence, and given us waters of gall to drink, because we have sinned against him. The Lord hath put us to silence; that is, the Lord hath done these things, and we are not to question him about them, or to ask him what he hath done, or why he hath done thus? Therefore let us be silent, say they. Let us not murmur at, and complain over our own sufferings, much less tax and charge God for his doings. It becomes us to obey Gods suspension; to be silent, when he puts us to silence. The Lord never silences any (unless in wrath to those who would not hear) from speaking in his name, and publishing his word. But he hath silenced all from speaking against his works; and it will be ill with us, if our passions (how much soever God seems to act against us) shall take off this suspension. The Lord is uncontrollable in all his works. When Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4.35.) came to himself, and began to think and speak like a man, after he had been among the beasts: see what an humble acknowledgement he makes concerning God: All the inhabitants of the earth (saith he) are reputed ⟨p. 240⟩as nothing, and he doth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? Here, we have both parts of Jobs speech; none can stay his hand, which is the former; and none can say unto him, What doest thou? which is the later. That great Monarch acknowledged he had no power to question God, though he at that time had power to question all the men upon the earth. Nebuchadnezzar speaks like Job. A wicked man may make a true report of God. Many speak right of the Lord, whose hearts are not right with him. Nebuchadnezzar was converted from beastliness, but I find not that he was converted to holiness. He came home to his own Court, but I see no proof that he came home to the Church of God; yet, see how divinely he speaks, and how humbly he walks, not so much as offering to ask God (who had changed him from a Commander of men to a companion of beasts) What doest thou?