A35439:674
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…
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of the book of Job being the sum of thirty two lectures, delivered at Magnus near the bridge, London / by Joseph Caryl ...An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of the book of Job being the summe of thirty two lectures, delivered at Magnus neer the bridge, London / by Joseph Caryl ...
London: printed by A. Miller for Henry Overton, 1647
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
There is a two-fold help which God giveth,
First, A common help.
Secondly, A special help.
Secondly, A speciall help.
We grant that God strengthens the hands even of evil doers in regard of a common help: For no man could put forth his hand to any evil, as a sinner, if God did not give him a general assistance, as a creature. In this sense the strength by which men rebel and sin against God, comes from God. But he doth not strengthen their hands, or give them help by any special assistance. In the doing of good, we have a common assistance to the act, as there is a natural motion in it, which God gives his people with the rest of the world: but this will not carry them out to do good completely. To bring forth any gracious act, they must have a special assistance. Hence Christ saith, Without me ye can do nothing; he means it not of that general support which Christ gives to man, by which all live and move, and have their being in him (in that sense no man is able to do any thing without Christ, for in him all things cons st) but when he saith, Without me ye can do nothing, he means, without my special assistance and strength ye cannot perform holy and spiritual duties, acceptable unto God. So the Apostle, We have no sufficiency of our selves, so much as to think a good thought. We have no sufficiency to think any thought without some assistance; but to think a good thought, we have not any sufficiency without a special assistance. Wicked men are not able to do evil, without a common assistance; but they have no special assistance from God to do evil. He doth neither stir up and excite then lusts to the act, nor supply their lusts while they are acting. Wicked men have assistance enough in both from their own hearts, and from Satan. Though man hath no sufficiency in himself to think one good thought, yet he hath a sufficiency in himself to think all evil thoughts; As he is a creature he acts, and as he is a corrupt creature he sins. Man hath full power and free-will to do evil therefore the Lord doth not put forth his hand to help the evil doer.
We grant that God strengthens the hands even of evil doers in regard of a common help: For no man could put forth his hand to any evil, as a sinner, if God did not give him a generall assistance, as a creature. In this sense the strength by which men rebell and sinne against God, comes from God. But he doth not strengthen their hands, or give them help by any speciall assistance. In the doing of good, we have a common assistance to the act, as there is a naturall motion in it, which God gives his people with the rest of the world: but this will not carry them out to doe good compleatly. To bring forth any gracious act, they must have a speciall assistance. Hence Christ saith, Without me ye can do nothing; he means it not of that generall support which Christ gives to man, by which all live and move, and have their being in him (in that sense no man is able to doe any thing without Christ, for in him all things cons st) but when he saith, Without me ye can doe nothing, he means, without my speciall assistance and strength ye cannot perform holy and spirituall duties, acceptable unto God. So the Apostle, We have no sufficiency of our selves, so much as to thinke a good thought. We have no sufficiency to thinke any thought without some assistance; but to thinke a good thought, we have not any sufficiency without a speciall assistance. Wicked men are not able to doe evil, without a common assistance; but they have no speciall assistance from God to do evil. He doth neither stir up and excite then lusts to the act, nor supply their lusts while they are acting. Wicked men have assistance enough in both from their own hearts, and from Satan. Though man hath no sufficiency in himself to thinke one good thought, yet he hath a sufficiency in himself to thinke all evil thoughts; As he is a creature he acts, and as he is a corrupt creature he sins. Man hath full power and free-will to do evil therefore the Lord doth not put forth his hand to help the evil doer.
But it will be necessary for the understanding of this and other like Scripture, to consider somewhat more distinctly, what God doth in reference to evil acts, or the acts of evil doers. He concurs, ⟨p. 129⟩but not with such a concurrence, as amounts to the helping of evil doers, or the strengthening of their hands.
The first help which God gives evil doers, is privative, or negative, the calling in, or not giving out of that power, by which they might do good, or avoid evil. Thus he departed from Saul and then Saul went on, worse and worse against David. God hath somewhat to do with evil doers, when he with-draws that help from them, by which they might be kept from doing evil. Or, when he doth not assist them against the evil of their own hearts, and the pollutions of the world. This deserting and leaving them unto themselves, lays them open to sin. Yet the sin which a man thus deserted commits, can no more be charged upon God, then the darkness of the night can be charged upon the Sun for going down; sin follows divine desertion, not as an effect doth the cause, but as a consequent doth it's antecedent.
The first help which God gives evil doers, is privative, or negative, the calling in, or not giving out of that power, by which they might do good, or avoid evil. Thus he departed from Saul and then Saul went on, worse and worse against David. God hath somewhat to doe with evil doers, when he with-draws that help from them, by which they might be kept from doing evil. Or, when he doth not assist them against the evil of their own hearts, and the pollutions of the world. This deserting and leaving them unto themselves, laies them open to sin. Yet the sin which a man thus deserted commits, can no more be charged upon God, then the darknesse of the night can be charged upon the Sunne for going down; sinne follows divine desertion, not as an effect doth the cause, but as a consequent doth it's antecedent.
Secondly, He delivers or gives them up, first, to Satan: And secondly, to their own counsels, to a reprobate mind and vile affections, Psal. 81.12. Rom. 1.24, 26. This tradition is an act beyond desertion; there is a greater spiritual judgement in it, when God makes a mans own wickedness active against him, then when he doth not make his Spirit or grace active in him. It were better to be put into the hands of all the tyrants in the world, yea, better be put into the hands of the devil, then into the hands of our own lusts and passions. God doth not give a reprobate mind or vile affections, but he gives up to them.
Secondly, He delivers or gives them up, first, to Satan: And secondly, to their own counsels, to a reprobate minde and vile affections, Psal. 81.12. Rom. 1.24, 26. This tradition is an act beyond desertion; there is a greater spirituall judgement in it, when God makes a mans own wickednesse active against him, then when he doth not make his Spirit or grace active in him. It were better to be put into the hands of all the tyrants in the world, yea, better be put into the hands of the devil, then into the hands of our own lusts and passions. God doth not give a reprobate minde or vile affections, but he gives up to them.
Thirdly, Evil doers in their doing evil are ordered by God. Wicked men (in every sinful act) run beyond the line of obedience, but they cannot run beyond the line of providence. God limits and circumscribes the acts of wicked men, for otherwise every wicked man would be a monster, a none-such in wickedness, if he could; every one would be a Cain, an Ahab, a Nero, a Cal• gula, &c. The sinfulness of men would be, not only out of measure sinful intensive, in regard of the quality of it, but out of measure sinful extensive, in regard of the quantity of it, it would break all bounds, carry all down before it, did not the Lord order and direct the disorders and confusions of it. There is a sea of wickedness in the heart of a wicked man, which is as boisterous and unruly as the natural sea, and if the Lord did not set bounds to that sea of wickedness, and say, Hitherto shalt thou come and no further, it would overwhelm all. Thus far also God hath to do in the ⟨p. 130⟩sinfulness of men, to limit and stay them, to restrain and keep them in compass, while they sin. Every sin goes without the compass of that law which God hath given, but no sin can get beyond the compass of that leave which God gives.
Thirdly, Evil doers in their doing evil are ordered by God. Wicked men (in every sinfull act) runne beyond the line of obedience, but they cannot runne beyond the line of providence. God limits and circumscribes the acts of wicked men, for otherwise every wicked man would be a monster, a none-such in wickednesse, if he could; every one would be a Cain, an Ahab, a Nero, a Cal• gula, &c. The sinfulnesse of men would be, not only out of measure sinfull intensive, in regard of the quality of it, but out of measure sinfull extensive, in regard of the quantity of it, it would break all bounds, carry all down before it, did not the Lord order and direct the disorders and confusions of it. There is a sea of wickednesse in the heart of a wicked man, which is as boysterous and unruly as the naturall sea, and if the Lord did not set bounds to that sea of wickednesse, and say, Hitherto shalt thou come and no further, it would overwhelm all. Thus farre also God hath to doe in the ⟨p. 130⟩sinfulnesse of men, to limit and stay them, to restrain and keep them in compasse, while they sinne. Every sinne goes without the compasse of that law which God hath given, but no sinne can get beyond the compasse of that leave which God gives.
Fourthly, We may say, God assists the motions of sin, but not the motions to sin, or the sinfulness of the motion. The strength of a wicked mans hand, while he sins is from the Lord, but the Lord doth not strengthen his hand to sin. A sinner hath natural help from God, but he hath no moral help from God; he hath all that from himself, from his own wicked heart, or from Satan. To eat was a natural act in our first parents, this was from God; but to eat against the command was a moral act, and that was from man, and the serpent. As suppose that a Musician should touch or play upon a Lute that is out of tune, his touching the Lute is an artificial act, but the sounding of it comes from the nature of the instrument: the sounding of the instrument is from the hand of him that plays upon it, but, that it sounds untuneably, is, because the instrument is out of tune. So the Lord by natural assistance puts the hearts and hands of wicked men into motion, but that they move irregularly, that they make such harsh music, that there is so much discord in their actions, that's from the disorder and untuneablenesse of their own spirits, not from the hand of God. They have not any moral assistance from God in sin, but a natural only.
Fourthly, We may say, God assists the motions of sinne, but not the motions to sinne, or the sinfulnesse of the motion. The strength of a wicked mans hand, while he sins is from the Lord, but the Lord doth not strengthen his hand to sinne. A sinner hath naturall help from God, but he hath no morall help from God; he hath all that from himself, from his own wicked heart, or from Satan. To eat was a naturall act in our first parents, this was from God; but to eat against the command was a morall act, and that was from man, and the serpent. As suppose that a Musician should touch or play upon a Lute that is out of tune, his touching the Lute is an artificiall act, but the sounding of it comes from the nature of the instrument: the sounding of the instrument is from the hand of him that plaies upon it, but, that it sounds untuneably, is, because the instrument is out of tune. So the Lord by naturall assistance puts the hearts and hands of wicked men into motion, but that they move irregularly, that they make such harsh musick, that there is so much discord in their actions, that's from the disorder and untuneablenesse of their own spirits, not from the hand of God. They have not any morall assistance from God in sinne, but a naturall only.
Or, take it negatively, God doth not help the evil doers.
First, He doth not help the evil doers, by instilling the least motion of evil into them. He casts in, or infuses holy thoughts and motions into the hearts of his own people, to prepare them for holy performances, but he never dropped the least motion of evil into the heart of man, to fit him for wickedness.
First, He doth not help the evil doers, by instilling the least motion of evil into them. He casts in, or infuses holy thoughts and motions into the hearts of his own people, to prepare them for holy performances, but he never dropt the least motion of evil into the heart of man, to fit him for wickednesse.
Secondly, The Lord doth not excite or stir up that natural inherent corruption that is in wicked men; he doth not provoke or blow up their lusts. He excites the graces of his own people, when they are to do any good: they have a principle of grace in them, and this God breaths upon, moving and acting it by fresh assistances. Neither of these ways doth the Lord assist evil doers.
Secondly, The Lord doth not excite or stir up that naturall inherent corruption that is in wicked men; he doth not provoke or blow up their lusts. He excites the graces of his own people, when they are to doe any good: they have a principle of grace in them, and this God breaths upon, moving and acting it by fresh assistances. Neither of these waies doth the Lord assist evil doers.
Further, Taking the words (as they must) in a figure, when it is said, God doth not help the evil doers; the meaning is, he doth oppose and resist them. Hence observe,
Wicked men are resisted and opposed by God in their evil doings.
God is so far from giving them any help, that he sets himself against them. Understand this with a distinction.
God is so farre from giving them any help, that he sets himself against them. Understand this with a distinction.
There is a two-fold resistance or opposition that God makes against the evil doings of men. There is, 1. A moral opposition. 2. A natural opposition.
There is a two-fold resistance or opposition that God makes against the evil doings of men. There is, 1. A morall opposition. 2. A naturall opposition.