John Trapp on Job 27:10

Verſe 10. Will he delight himſelf in the Almighty?] viz. When trouble cometh upon him, as in the former verſe. No, this is Chriſtianorum propria virtus, a practiſe that none can skill of but Gods people, ſaith Hier[illegible: 1 letter]me, to rejoyce in tribulation, and then to continue inſtant in prayer (Rom. 12.12.) for deliverance, with ſome confidence grounded upon former experience. Cr[illegible: 2 letters] cui[illegible: 2 letters] is inuncta eſt, ſaith Bernard. Together with the Croſſe, they have an unction from the Father: annointed they are with that Oyle of gladneſſe,1 Pet. 2.14. the Spirit of glory and of God, which reſteth upon [illegible: 1 letter]he[illegible: 1 letter]; and refreſheth them amidſt all their ſorrowes and ſufferings: and hence their delight in the Almighty, yea though he frown and lay upon them, as he did upon J[illegible: 2 letters], with his own bare hand. Not ſo the hypocrite; for why? he hateth God an his heart, as doth every evil-doer,Bernard John 3.20. Eſt [illegible: 1 word] talium p[illegible: 1 letter]na Deus, utpot[illegible: 1 letter] [illegible: 1 word] eſt: [illegible: 1 letter]t quid talibus am inviſu[illegible: 1 letter]? God is light, and therefore hated as a puniſhment to ſuch inanſpicate night-birds. He is holineſſe, but the hypocrite filthineſſe, as his name alſo importeth: How th[illegible: 1 letter]n can be delight himſelf in the Almighty? What complacency can there be, where is ſuch an [illegible: 1 letter]tter contrariety? They that love the Lord, ha[illegible: 1 letter]e evil, Pſal 81.2[illegible: 1 letter] [illegible: 1 word] ſo doth not any hypocrite: leave it he may, but not loath it: Pa[illegible: 1 letter]t with it he may (as Jacob did with Benjamin. leſt otherwiſe he ſhould ſtarve; or as [illegible: 1 word] with Michael, leſt he ſhould loſe his head) but his heart is glued to it ſtill, he hath a months mind to be doing if he durſt. Finally, He is without faith, and therefore without joy and peace of conſcience. And as for his Spider-web of hope, a little wind bloweth it down. The world hath his heart, and ſo the love of the Father cannot be in him, 1 John 2.15. He leaneth upon the Lord, and ſaith, Is not the Lord amongſt us, Mic. 3.11? yet is he rootedin the delights of life: Like as the Apricock tree leaneth againſt the wall, but is faſt rooted in the earth.

Will he alwayes [illegible: 1 letter]all upon God?] Heb. I[illegible: 1 letter] every time? No, nor ſcarce at any time. Indeed as begg[illegible: 1 letter]rs have learned to [illegible: 1 word], ſo have ſome hypocrites to pray. Iſai. 26.16. They have powred forth charm, when thy chaſtening was upon them. When he ſlew them, then they ſought him, and they returned and enquired after God, Pſal. 78.34. But this was only a prayer of the fleſh for [illegible: 1 letter]aſe, and not of the Spirit for grace. They ſpoke God fair (as the Divel did Chriſt) only to be rid of him. Thus [illegible: 1 word] when on the rack, ro[illegible: 2 letters]ed out a conſeſſion, and called for a Prayer. Joa[illegible: 1 letter] in danger of death hangs on the hornes of the Altar. The Captivated Jews faſted and prayed for ſeventy years, to get off their thaines, rather then their, ſins, Zech. 7.5. which Daniel therefore reckoned loſt labour, chap [illegible: 1 letter] 13. But many wi[illegible: 3 letters]d men, though in proſperity they have ſome ſhort-wiſhes (ſuch as was that of [illegible: 2 letters]la[illegible: 2 letters]s, Numb 23.10. wherewith compare that of David, Pſal, 26.9. and ſee a difference) or perhaps are able by ſtrength of wit and one money to pray handſomely: yet in adverſity they ſet their mouthes againſt heaven, [illegible: 1 span] Wolves, and howle upward, they curſe their King and their God, and look upward, ſaith Iſaiah, chap. 8.21. they murmure and mutiny, as the Iſraelites in the wilderneſs, they banne and blaſpheme, as did that Iſraelitiſh womans ſon, Lev. 14.11. and Micahs mother, Judg. 17.2. A Parrot may be taught to talk like a man (Hiſtories tell us of one at Rome that could repeat the whole Creed) but let him be but beaten, and he returnes to his own natural harſh voice. So an hypocrite, while all goes well with him, may ſeem very devout at his Oriſons, but lay thy hand upon him (ſaith Satan to God concerning Job, preſuming thereby to prove him an hypocrite) and he will curſe thee to thy face, chap. 2.5. But ſay he be ſomewhat better conditioned (as they call it) and for a while pray to God for eaſe and help; yet he will not pray alwayes, he will not perſevere in prayer, follow on to pray, wait upon God for an anſwer, and be content to want it, if God ſee good to deny it. He cannot draw nigh to God with a true heart (ſuch a heart as is well ſatisfied, if God may be glorified, though himſelf be not gratified) in full aſſurance of faith, Heb. 10.22. Which is, ſaith Brentius, Orationis medulla, the marrow of prayer. Hence Saint James calleth it, the prayer of faith, chap. 5.15. Afflictions cauſe a Saint to ſeek out Gods Promiſe, the Promiſe to ſeek Faith, Faith to ſeek Prayer, and prayer to find God; to find him at length; For he is a God that hideth himſelf, Isai. 45.15 But what ſaith faith? I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the houſe of Jacob, and I will look for him, Iſai. 8.17. See this exemplified in the woman of Canaan, who fetcht Chriſt out of his retiring room by the force of her faith, Mark 7.24. and prayed on, though denied. She would not be ſaid nay, or ſet down either with ſilence or ſad anſwers, but ſhewed her ſelf a woman of a well knit reſolution, ſuch as could credere inviſibilia, ſperare dilaia, & amare Deum ſe oſtendentem contrarium, as Luther ſpeaketh: Believe things inviſible, hope for things deferred, and love God when he ſhewes himſelf moſt angry and oppoſite. Now this the hypocrite (who is an Infidel) cannot skil of. He is ſhort ſpirited and cannot hold out in prayer, cannot (as our Saviour taught by that Parable, Luke 18.1.) alwayes pray, and not faint, [non-Latin text not transcribed] ſhrink back, as ſluggards do in work, or Cowards in War. Oratio eſt res ardua, & magni laboris, ſaith Luther. Prayer is a hard work, and a man muſt tug at it and ſtick to it, as Jacob did, who wreſtled and raiſed duſt as the Hebrew word ſignifieth: he held faſt, and hung on, yea he held with his hands when his thigh was lamed. Let me go (ſaith God beſpeaking his own liberty) No, thou ſhalt not, ſaith Jacob, until thou bleſſe me. Lo, ſuch is the generation of them that ſeek God in ſincerity, of them that ſeek thy face; this is Jacob, Pſal. 24.6. One thing have [illegible: 1 word] deſired of the Lord, and that I will ſe[illegible: 1 letter]k after, ſaith David, Pſal. 27.4. If his ſuit had not been honeſt, he would never have begun it: But being ſo, he will never give it over till he hath prevailed: he will pray till he faint, and then to it again, Pſal. 119.81, 82. Rejoycing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing inſtant in prayer, Rom. 12.12. So doth not the hypocrite, for want of an inward principle. If God come not at a call, he is out patience, and ready to ſay with that profane Prince, 2 Kings 6.33. Behold this evil is of the Lord, and what ſhould I wait for the Lord any longer? Away to the Witch of End[illegible: 1 letter]r, to the god of E[illegible: 1 letter]ron. Flecter[illegible: 1 letter] ſi neque[illegible: 1 letter] ſaperos, Acheronta moveh[illegible: 1 letter]. This Job would not do, and therefore no hypocrite.