Exposition of the Whole Bible

are moft ufeful and profitable, or are for pleafure and delight, fall more to the fhare of wicked men than good men; when droves of cattle, and flocks of fheep are obferved, and the queftion is put, to whom do they belong, the anfwer for the moft part muft be given, to fuch and fuch wicked men; and if the gold’and filver, and other valuable things the earth produces, fhould be enquired about whofe they are? it muft be faid, that they are genérally fpeaking ‘the property of the men of the world, the prophane part of it; or if the fowls of the air, and fifhes of the fea, could fpeak when afked the queftion, whofe food they commonly were? the anfwer would be of the carnal, fenfual and voluptuous men: or rather this may refer to what Yod Girt takes notice of in this anfwer of his, that his friends reprefented what they faid as uncommon things, deep myfteries, and out of the reach of the vulgar, and which did not fall under common obfervation; whereas. Job fuggelts, he was as well acquainted with them as they were, yea they were fuch that almolt every body knew; nay they. might be learnt from the creatures, to which od here fends them for inftruction; the eafts, birds and fifhes all proclaim that they did not make themfelves, nor did their fellow-creatures, but fome firft caufe, who is God; that they are fuftained, fupported and provided for by him, and are governed, direéted and difpofed of as he pleafes, and fo furnifhes out documents of his fovereignty, wifdom, power and providence: and the fowols of the air, and they will tell thee; the fame things; that God made them, and that they are dependent on him, and are fed and cared for by rim, fee Mat. vi. 26.

y. 8. Or fpeak to the earth, and it fhall teach thee, &c:} Or afk a /prig of the earth*, any fhrub, or tree, or whatfoever grows out of it, and they will all unite in this doétrine, thar they are raifed and preferved by the power of God, and are fo many inftances of his wifdom, power and goodnefs: and the fifbes of the fea fball deciare unto thee s as mute as they are, they’ll proclaim this truth, that God is the mighty maker, and wife difpofer of them.;

¥. 9. Who kuoweth not in all thefe, &&c:] Or by or {rom all thefe° creatures; what man is there fo ftupid and fenfelefs, that does not difcern, or cannot learn, even from irrational creatures, the above things, even what Zophar had difcourfed concerning God and his perfections, his’ power, wifdom and providence? for by the things that are made, the invifible things of God are clearly feen and underflood, even his eternal power and Godhéad, Rom. i. 20. particularly it may. be known by thefe, and who is it that does not know thereby, shat the band of the Lord bath wrought this? made this vifible world, and all things in it, to which fod then pointed as it were with his finger, meaning the heavens, earth, and fea, and all that in them are, which were -all created by him: hence he is called the former and maker of all things; and which are all the works of his hand, that is, of his power, which is meant by his hand, that being the inftrument of ation. This is the only place where the word Yebovab is ufed in this baok by the dif- y.10. Jn whofe band is the foul of every living thing, &c.] Of every animal, of every brute creature, as diltinét from man, in the next claufe: the life of every one of them is from him, and it is continued by him as long as he pleafes, nor can it be taken away without his leave; two fparrows, which are not worth more. than a farthing, not one of them falls to the ground, or dies without the knowledge and will of God, Matt. x. 29. of the foul or ipirit of beafts, fee Eccl. ili. 21. and the breath of all mankind, the breath of man is originally from God, he at firft breathed into man the breath of life; and though this is in his noftrils, which makes him of little account, yet it would not continue there long, was it not in the hand, and under the care and providence of God; the breath of aking, as well as the heart of a king, is in the hand of the Lord; the breath of that great monarch Belhazzar, king of Babylon, was in the hand of God, Dan. v. 24. and fo is the breath of every peafant; and as when he takes away the breath of other creatures, they die and return to the duft; fuch is the cafe of man when God takes away his breath; all our times are in his hand, to be born, to live and die, all is at his difpofe: or the fpirit of all the flefo of men*, or of all mens flefh; his rational foul, as diftinguifhed from his fleth or body, this is from God, fupported in its being by him, and ever will be, being immortal, and will never die.

y. 11. Doth not the ear try words? &c.]_ Articulate founds; and the mind by them judges whether what is expreffed and defigned by them is right or wrong, true or falfe, to be received or rejected; fo fuch that have fpiritual ears to hear, try the words of God and men, the wholefome words of ’ Chrift, and thofe of falfe teachers, which eat as a canker;, and by their {piritual judgment can diftinguifh between the one and the other, difcern thofe that differ, and approve thofe that are excellent, by bringing them to the ftandard of the word, the balance of the fanctuary, the fcriptures of truth: and the mouth tajle bis meat? and judge of it, whether good or bad, favoury or unfavoury, and fo réceive or reject it: thus fuch who have their tafte changed, and relifh {piritual things, can diftinguifh between the meat that perifhes, and that which endures to everlafting life, even Chritt, whofe flefh is meat indeed; and thofe that have tafted that the Lord is gracious, and to whofe tafte the fruits of Chrift, and the doctrines of grace are fweet;° thefe will defire the fincere milk of the word, and that {trong meat in it, which belongs to difcerning and experienced fouls; and will feed by faith upon the pure word of the gofpel, and mix it With it, and reject all others. “Fob by this would fignify, that the things his friends had been difcourfing of, and which they thought were fuch deep and wonderful things, were as eafy to be fearched and found out, tried and judged of as founds by the ear, or food by the tafte; and it may be alfo, that hereby he fuggefts that his doctrine if it was impartially examined and tried by proper judges, it would appear as plain as any thing tried by the ear, or tafted by the mouth. Some think that Yod intends by this, that from the fenfes of hearing and tafting in men, might be-inferred the omnifcience of God, his knowledge of all things, and his quick difcernment of men, and their actions, fince be that planted the ear, foall be not hear? ke that formed the eye, fall not he fee? Pf. xciv. 9. Some verfions read the whole, doth not the ear try words, as the mouth taftes his meat *? as in ch. xxxiv. 3. Saadich Gaon connects thefe words with the following, as the ear tries words, &c. fo with the antient is wifdom. + bie y. 12. With the antient is wifdom, &c.1 Meaning not himfelf, who was not very ancients tho’ forre think Elipbaz fo underftood him, hence thofe words of his in ch. xv. g, 10. rather, as others, Fob tacitly wifhes that fome ancient man, with whom wifdom vas, would undertake to examine the affair between him and his friends, and judge of it, and decide the point; or, as others, he has refpect to Bildaa’s advice to fearch the fathers, and learn their fentiments, and be determined by them; to which he replies, that though it will be allowed. that wifdom is with them, for the moft part, yet their judgment of things is no farther to be regarded, than as it agrees with the wifdom of God, and the revelation he has made of his will; tho’ it feems beft of all to confider thefe words as an adagy or proverbial fentence generally agreed to, that it often is, as it might be expected it fhould, ~ though it is not always, that men well advanced in years are wife; that as they have lived long in the world, they have learned much by obfervation and experience, and have attained to a confiderable fhare of wifdom and knowledge in things, natural, civil and religious: and in length of days is underfianding; the underftandings of men are - improved and enriched, and well ftored with ufeful {cience, having had the opportunity of much reading, hearing and converfation; by this od would fuggeft, that if his friends had more knowledge of hidden and recondite things, beyond common people, which yet they had not, it was not fo wonderful, fince they were aged men, and had lived long in the world; or rather it may be that this is mentioned, to obferve, that from hence, feeing it is fo among men, that ancient men have, or it may be expected they fhould have a confiderable fhare of wifdom and underftanding; it ma be moft eafily and ftrongly concluded, that God, who is the ancient of days, has the moft perfect and confummate wifdom and knowledge, which is afferted in the following verfe.

¥.13. With him is wifdom and firength, &c. ] Not with the ancient and long-lived man, but with God, who has made the whole univerfe, and in whofe hand, and at whofe difpofe all creatures are, ¥. 9, 10. with him wifdom is originally, efféntially and inderivatively, as the fountain and fulnefs of it; he is the only and all-wife God; his wifdom is difplayed in making the world, and all things - in it, in the beautiful manner they are fet, and in their fubferviency to each other; in all the difpentions of his providence, having all a dathos, a depth of wifdom and knowledge in them, being all according to the counfel of his will; and in the work of redemption and falvation by Chrift, in which. he has abounded in all wifdom and prudence; in finding out and appointing a,Redeemer, mighty and {trong, equal to the work; in contriving and. bringing it about, in fuch a manner as to glorify all his perfections; hence the gofpel, which is the publication of this grace, is called the wifdom of

God: and with him is wifdom to communicate to. his people, to direct them how to behave under. every providence, in every ftation of life, in the

Ch. xil. y. I4.. Rc O B. 275 church, and in the world, fee am. i. 5. and he has jirength, which he has fhown in making the world out of nothing, in upholding it, and all things in it in being, in executing his defigns, decrees and purpofes, in fulfilling his promifes, and in fupporting and ftrengthening his people under all their trials and exercifes, to withftand every enemy,, and perform every duty; ancient men, tho’ they. may increafe in wifdom, they decline in itrength, but God has both, in infinite perfection: be hath counfel and underftanding; his decrees and purpoles wifely formed within himfelf, are his couniels of old, and which are truly and punctually performed in time; his plan of peace, reconciliation and falvation by Chrift, may, with propriety, be called the counfel of peace between them both and the gofpel, and the feveral do¢trines of it the whole counfel of God, and fo are the ordinances of it; and befides thefe, by which he counfels and advifes his people, he has counfel with! him, and which he gives unto them by his Spirit, for which they blels his name; and fo even did Chrift as man and mediator, Pf xvi. 7. he has' countel to give, and does give in things temporal, relating to the common affairs of life, and in things concerning the good and welfare of immortal fouls; all which comes from him who is wonderful in coun- Jel, and excellent in working, J/. xxviii. 29. and he has an wnderfranding that is infinite and unfearchable; he has an underftanding of himfelf, his nature, perfections and perfons of all his creatures, and of all things paft, prefent, and to come; the fame things are faid of Chrift, the wifdom of God, Prov. viil. 14. _ Fob having obferved thefe things of God, paffes. on to difcourfe moft admirably and excellently of the power and wifdom of God inj various inftances, efpecially in the difpenfations of his providence, by which he appears to have known the fecrets of wifdom, and not fo ignorant as reprefuch breaches are made, there is no reparation; a man’s wealth, and health, and family are never built up again: be fhutteth up a man, and there can be no opening; if he {hut up a man in a prifon, there’s no opening the doors of it to let out unlefs he pleafes; whether it be the prifon of fin, in which all are concluded, in the fetters, and with the cords of which they are held, and will continue, unlefs;'thofe fhackles are broken off by powerful and are) efficacious grace, and the Lord proclaims liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prifon to them that: are bound, and gives it; or whether it be the prifon of the law, in which finners are fhut up, and held as condemned malefactors; there is no deliverance from it’ but by Chrift, who has redeemed his people from the curfe and condemnation of it; and by his Spirit, as a fpirit of adoption, who delivers them from the bondage of it, and makes them free indeed; or whether it be the prifon of afflictions, ftraits and difficulties in life, with which even good men are furrounded, being bound in fetters, and holden in cords of affliction; there is no opening for them, or getting out of them, unlefs the Lord breaks their bands afundet, and brings them out of darknefs and diftrefs, as out of prifon-houfes, and fo opens and makes a way for their efcape; or whether he fhuts them up, and they are fo ftraitened in their fouls, that they cannot come forth in the free ex+ ercife»of grace, and difcharge of duty, as it was with Heman, when he faid, Iam /but up, and I can= not come forth, and as-it was with David, when fented by Zopbar. he prayed, bring my foul out of prifon, that I may y. 14. Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again, &c.) Which fome reftrain to the tower of Badel; but though the builders of it were obliged to defift from building, it does not appear that it was broken down, but feems to have continued many ages after: others more probably refer it to the deftruétion of Sodom, as Sephorno, which was. an utter deftruction, a perpetual defolation, and that city never was rebuilt to this day; and the fame may be obferved of many other cities have had their foundations razed up, and have never been rebuilt, Thebes, Lyre, &c. and as will be the cafe of Rome, or the great city of Badylon, when once deftroyed; yea, this has been true of kingdoms and ftates, fuch as Yeremiah was to root out, pull down, and deftroy; that is, by prophefying of their deftruction, as the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, and others, whofe names and nations are no more, fee Jer. i. 10. and xxv. 27. and the four monarchies broken down and deftroyed, and made as the chaff of the fummer threfhing-floor, by the kingdom of Chrift, Dam. ii. 25, 44. and may be exemplified in particular perfons and families; in Yod and his family, the “Lord broke him with breach upon breach; he broke him in his eftate and fubftance; he broke down the hedge about him, and expofed him to thieves and robbers that plundered him of his fubftance; he broke down his family, that had been fo largely and happily built up, by taking away| praife thy name, fee Pf. \xxxviii. 8, and cxlii. 7. there is no opening for them till the Spirit of the Lord opens their hearts and their graces, and brings them forth into exercife; and where he is there is liberty: or if he fhuts up a man in the grave, as the Tergum_paraphrafes it, brings him to the houfe appointed for all living, and locks him up in it; there can be no opening for him till the refurrection-morn,when Chrift, who has the keys of that! hell and death, will unlock the graves, and the dead fhall come forth, as Lazarus did at his call: or if be /outs upon a man’, as the words may be rendered; fhuts the gates of heaven upon a man, as the door into the marriage-chamber of the Lamb will }be fhut upon and againft the foolifh virgins, as well as prophane finners, there can be no opening, cry as long as they will; and as God fhut the door of Eden, or the earthly paradife, againft Adam, when he drove him out, to which Sephorno refers this paffage; or if the Lord fhuts up a man in hell, there is no opening, no way of efcape from thence. We read of /pirits in prifon, which is to be underftood not of the limbus or purgatory of the papifts, but of hell; and thefe /pirits are the difobedient in the times of Noah, who dying, or being fwept away with the flood, were caft into hell, where they have lain ever fince, and will lie unto the judgment of the great day; between the place of the damned, and of the happy, in 4éraam’s bofom, is a great gulph, that there ok no his children by death; and he broke his conftitution by difeafes, affictions and forrows, to which ¥0d may have here refpect, when he at this time never expected to have his loffes in his fubftance, and in his family, and in his health, repaired, as they were; nor could it have been done without the will and pleafure of God; and oftentimes when pafling from one to the other, which is the immutable and unalterable decree of God, which has fixed the everlafting ftates of men.

y.15. Behold, be with-boldeth the waters, and they dry up, &c.) Or lays a reftraint in or on the qwaters*; either in the. ocean, as he did at the creation, when he gathered the waters that were upon the face of the earth into one place, and reftraiaed them there, even in the decreed place he broke up for them, called the fea, and fet bars and doors to keep them within bounds, whereby the places

_ they left became dry, and the dry land appeared, called earth; and fo at the time of the flood, when the waters which covered the earth, \and drowned the world, were called off again, the face of it was dry, and fo it remains, the waters of. the great ocean being reftrained from overflowing: it; aud. alfo. when God rebukes the fea, and {mites the waves of it, or with-holds the ebbing and flowing of the tid:s, brooks and. rivers of water dry up; fee Nahumi 4. Zech. x. 11. or elfe this: may be underftood of God’s with-holding and reftraining the waters in the clouds, and not fuffering them to let down rain.on the earth; when not. only brooks dry. up;, as the brook Cherith did,. where Elyab abode tor fome time, but the fruits of the earth, trees, plants and) herbs dry, up, wither and die; fee 1 Kings xvii, 7. Foel i. 19, 20. and this isan emblem in a fpiritual fenfe of God’s with-holding the word and ordinances, the waters of the fanctuary,. the. means of grace, and of fruittulnefs; which when he does, the confequence of it is barrennefs and. unfruitfulnefs. in. kingdoms, cities, towns, families, and particular perfons; and of his with-holding the communications of ‘his: grace, often. compared to» water in {cripture, even from his people; the effect of which is, that they are in withering. circumftances,, the things that revive feem ready to, die, though they fhall not; Jove waxes cold, faith is ready to fail, and hope and ftrength feem perifhing from the Lord: he /endeth them out, and they overturn the, earth; as at the time of the flood, when the fountains of the great deep were broken. up, and the windows of heaven were opened, and fuch vaft quantities: of water iffued out, as overflowed the whole world, by which it was overturned; and as the apoftle Peter fays, perifhed, 2 Pet, iii, 5,6. though this is alfo true of inundations that may have been fince, which though not univerfal as that, yet fo far as they have reached have overturned all in their way, and carried off the fruits of the earth, the habitations of men, and men themfelves; whole countries, cities and towns have been carried away by the waters of the fea, or funk into it, particularly all that pace where now is the Atlantic fea, as Pliny’, from Plato, relates. It is well when the grace of God flows, and overflows, and fuperabounds abounding fin, and overpowers and overcomes carnal, earthly and fenfual lufts, and reigns where fin did, and teaches to deny ungodlinefs.and worldly lufts, and to: mortify the members on the earth.

¥. 16. With him is firength and wifdom, 8c.) Which is repeated from ¥. 13. though different words are ufed, but expreflive of the: fame things, of the greateit ftrength, might and power of God, as the above inftances fhew, and: of his moft confummiate, folid and fubftantial wifdom, as appears

| tration into affairs, which the one has not, and the other has,.are from him; he with-holds them from the one, who are fimple and void of underftand= — ing, and fo are eafily inypofed upen, and deceived;

and he gives them to others, who make an ill ufe - of them, and deceive their fellow-creatures. Some are deceivers in civil things, in the bufinefs and affairs of life, who circumvent, trick, cheat and defraud their neighbours in buying and felling, ufing deceitful weights and meafures, and by man other artful methods; others are deceivers in reli- workers, that lie in wait to deceive; their intention is to deceive, they do it knowingly, and on purpofe; they walk in craftinefs, and handle the word of God deceitfully; there were many of thefe in the times of the apoftles that had then entered into the world, but never more than now, the great.impoftor and deceiver of all is Satan, to whom Yarchi reftrains the words, who beguiled Eve, and indeed deceives the whole world, Rev. xi. 9. as by his emiffaries, falfe teachers, and by their own hearts lufts; and even God’s elect themfelves, whilft in a {tate of unregeneracy, bear this charaéter of

Now thefé are bis the Lord’s; which Mr. Broughton interprets, from him, by him, and for him; the wit, wifdom, fubtlety and fagacity of deceivers are from-him; gifts of nature, in themfelves good, beftowed)on them by him; the ill ufe they make of it is from themfelves, and owing to the vitiofity of their nature; nay, it is not only by his permiffion, but according to his ordination and will, that there are fuch perfons in the world: in fome cafes they appear not only to have leave or permiffion, but an order to feduce, as to the lying fpiric fenr forth to: feduce Ahab, 2 Kings xxii. 20—25.

the princes of Woph being deceived, and they feducing Egypt, it is afcribed to the Lord’s mingling, a perverfe fpirit in the midft thereof, J/, xix. 13, 14. nay, when a prophet is deceived, God himfelf is faid to deceive that prophet, Ezek. xiv. 9. fo much. is there of the permiffive and efficacious will of God'in this matter; not that he is the author of error and deceit, or infufes thefe into men, only the orderer, difpofer and over-ruler of thefe things to fome purpofes.of his 5 he has power over them, and counter-works them when he pleafes; he can, and does reftrain them, and ftops them, that they fhall proceed no farther then he wills; falfe teachers would, if poffible, deceive the very elect, but they gious affairs, fuch are falfe teachers, deceitful —

Multitudes are deceived by him, as well.

cannot, and the reafon is, God hinders them; Sa- - tan can go on no longer deceiving the world, than it is the pleafure of God a notorious inftance of hindering and reftraining him may be feen in Rew, xx. 3, 8. and all the deceptions that are fuffered to be among men, ‘they are all wifely ordered’ and over-ruled to: good purpofes, fo as to iffue well; the deception of our firft parents was fuffered and willed, that’ the grace of God might be difplayed in the, falvation of men; errors and herefies are, and muft be, for the trial and difcovery of found believers, that they which are approved’ might be manifeft; and men that like not to retain’ in their knowledge, rejet-both the light of nature and —— revelation, are left in righteous judgment toa reprobate mind,. to give heed to feducing {pirits, an by what follows: the deceived and the deceiver are his; the wildom, knowledge, fagacity and. penegiven up to {trong delufions to believe a lye, they might be. damned, fee 1

28. 2 Theff: ii. 1o—12. Now all this fhews the infinite and confummate wifdom' of God; it is brought to prove, not only that he &zows deceivers, and all their arts and tricks, through which men are deceived by them, as Aven Ezra interprets it, and fo the Vulgate Latin verfion renders it; but he is the fountain of all that wifdom and knowledge in them, fuperior to others, which they abufe, nor can they ufe it without his leave; and he can and does counter-work them, and reftrains them as he pleafes, and makes all to work for, and iffue in his own glory.

y.17. He leadeth counfellors away fpoiled, &c.] Such who have the greateft fhare of knowledge and wifdom in civil things, and are capable of giving advice to others, and are very ufeful in ‘common-wealths, in cities, towns and neighbourhoods; wherefore it is a judgment on a people when fuch are removed, J/ ili. 3. thefe God can fpoil at once of all their wifdom and knowledge, and render them unfit to give advice and counfel to others; or he can confound their fchemes, difappoint their devices, carry their counfel headlong, and make it of none effect, and fo fpoil them of their ends and views, and of their fame, credit and reputation: and maketh the judges fools; men of great parts, abilities and capacities, whereby they are qualified to fit upon the bench, prefide in courts of judicature, and judge in all matters of controverly that come before them; and it is a happinefs to a country to have fuch perfons, as it is a judgment to have them removed, fee J/ iil. 2. yet God can take away the wifdom of fuch men, deprive them of their natural abilities, and fo infatuate them, that they fhall not be able to underftand a caufe, but pafs a foolifh fentence, to their own fhame and difgrace, as well as to the injury of others; fee Jf xl. 23.;

y. 18. He loofeth the bonds of kings, &c.] Not with which they themfelves may be bound, being taken prifoners, or being fo before made kings, and brought from thence to reign, as in Eccl. iv. 34. but that which they bind on their fubjects, a yoke of bondage, tyranny and oppreffion; fo that to loofe their bond, is to loofe their fubjeéts from it, and free them from their arbitrary and defpotic power, and from the burthens they lay upon them: unlefs rather it fhould be underftood of loofing their girdies, as an emblem of their government, ungirding them, or unkinging them, ftripping them of their royal power and authority, called a loofing of their loins, If. xlv. 1. and this power God has over fuch great perfonages, as to fet up kings, and remove them at his pleafure, Daz. ii. 21. which fhows that ftrength and power, as well as wifdom, are with him; this may refpect Chedorlaomer cafting off the yoke of Nimrod, and the kings of Canaan cafting off the yoke of Chedorlaomer, and being loofed from it, Gen. xiv. 1, 4: and girdeth their loins with a girdle, not with a royal girdle, as an enfign of government; fee J/- xi. 5. and xxii. 21. which he loofes, and ftrips them of, but another inftead of that; he girds them with the girdle of a fervant or traveller; the aland fo may fignify, that kings fometimes become fervants, or go into captivity, and there be ufed ag fuch, as they fometimes are; the Vulgate Latix verfion is, be girds their reins with a rope..

¥. 19. He leadeth princes away fpoiled, &c.] Of their principalities and dominions, of their wealth and riches, and of their honour and glory; or prices“, as fome chute to render the word, againtt whom God has indignation for their fins, and leads them into captivity with others; fo the Septuagint verfion, he leads the priefts captives; for no office, ever fo' facred, can protect wicked men, fee Lam. li. 6. Fer. xiv. 18. and from thefe fometimes the law perifhes, and they are fpoiled of their'wifdom and knowledge, and made unfit to inftruét the people, and fo of their credit and reputation among them. Sephorno interprets it of the priefts fpoiled of their prophefying, they prophefying falfe things to kings: and overthroweth the mighty; the mighty | angels from heaven when they finned, and mighty men on earth, kings and princes, whom he puts down from their feats of majefty and grandeur. Sephorno interprets this of kings, whofe ways are perverted, by being led by falfe prophets, as Ahab was. Some ™ underftand this of ecclefiaftical men, mighty in word and doéttrine, well grounded in theology, yet their wifdom being taken away from them, they turn afide into wicked paths, practices and principles, and fall from their ftedfattnefs in truth and holinefs.

¥. 20. He removeth away the fpeech of the trufty, &c.] Speech is proper to mankind, and a benefit unto them, whereby they can converfe together, and communicate their minds to each other; this is the gift of God, he gives to men in common the faculty of {peaking; to fome the tongue of the learned, to {peak divers tongues, either in an ordinary, or in an extraordinary manner; and he that gives, can take away; he that made man’s mouth or lip, can make it fpeechlefs, as he does at deaths when he takes away man’s breath, he takes away his {peech; the ftate of the dead is a ftate of filence; and fometimes he does it whilft living, by ftriking dumb, as he did Zechariah, the father of Fobn the Bapiift; and even without fo doing, as in the builders of Babel, hestook away the fpeech they had, and gave them another; and fometimes he fuffers not men to fpeak' what they would, but what is contrary to their inclinations and defires, as in Balaam, who would willingly have curfed T/rael, but could not. Now that God fhould take away by any means the fpeech of liars, and faithlefs perfons, as Auanias and Sapphira, by ftriking them dead; and of falfe teachers, deceivers, and bold blafphemers of God, and of his Sort and of the bleffed Spirit, whofe mouths ought to be ftopped, is no wonder; but it feems ftrange, that he fhould remove the fpeech of truly or faithful* men, that fpeak the truth, and are to be credited and believed: and as the preceding words are underftood of ecclefiaftic perfons, thefe may be continued concerning them; and the character agrees with minifters of the word, who are entrufted. with the rich treafure of it; that is put in earthen veffels, JuGion being to the cuftom in thofe eaftern countries, where they wore long garments, for fervants to gird them up, when they waiced on their mafters, or when men went long journeys, fee Luke xvii. 7, 8. and committed to the truft of faithful men; who appear to be fuch when they {peak the word faithfully, declare the whole counfel of God, and keep back. nothing profitable to men; when they {peak plainly, without ambiguity, and fincerely, without mixing or adulterating it; and ate faithful as to God, who has appointed them, and put them into the miniftry, fo to the fouls of men under their care: now God fometimes takes away the fpeech of thefe, not by changing their voice, or ordering them, inftead of the gracious promifes of the gofpel, to deliver out the menaces and threatenings of the law; but either by commanding them to be dumb and filent, and fpeak no more to an incorrigible and rebellious people; as Ezekiel was bid to prophefy no more to the houfe of J/rae/, and the apoftles to preach no more to the Fews; or by fuffering them to be filenced by the edicts of wicked princes, and their violent perfecutions of them, fo that the teachers of men are removed into corners, and not to be feen or heard; and alfo by death, when their faces are no more feen, and their fpeech no more heard. Some, both Fewi/h and Chriftian interprets, dérive the word here ufed from the root tes} to /peak, and render it /peakers or orators’; fo Mr. Broughton tranflates the words, he bereaveth the orators of lip; he takes away their eloquence from them, deprives them of their {peaking well, and ftrips them of their natural and acquired abilities, by which they have become good | fpeakers; and fuch who ufe their talents well in this way are beneficial to a commonwealth, and it~is a lofs when they are removed, or their fpeech removed from them, fee Jf iil. 3. and taketh away the underfianding of the aged, or elders*, as Mr. Broughton, either in age or office; elders in age, with whom underftanding, reafon, judgment, counfel and wifdom, by all which the word is interpreted, may be thought to be, and it is expected they fhould, and oftentimes are, though not always; yet all this, God can take away, and does when he pleafes, and they become like children in under- {tanding; through the infirmities of old age their memories fail them, their reafon is impaired, their underftanding and judgment are weakened} and they become unfit to give advice themfelves, and are eafily impofed on, and drawn afide by others; as may be,obferved-in Solomon, the wifeft of men, when he was grown old. This is to be underftood of the natural underftanding in things natural and civil, but not of the fpiritual underftanding, which is never taken away, but rather increafed in old age; the true light of grace fhines more and mote unto the perfect day; it is a’ gift of God without repentance, which he never revokes and removes: it may intend the natural ¢affe*, as the word may be rendered; this is often and generally taken away from the aged, as in old Barzillat, who could not tafte what he eat and drank, as to diftinguifh and relith it, 2 Sam. xix. 35. but not the fpiritual tafte, of the Lotd as gracious, of the good word of God, and the fruits of divine grace; the tafte and favour of which remain with the people of God in old age: or this may defign men in office, either civil magiftrates, called fenators, the elders of the people, judges and counfellors, who inftead of being taught more wifdom, which their offices require, fometimes become infatuated, their underflanding of civil things is taken away from them, their wife counfels become brutifh, and they like children; or ecclefiattic perfons, elders of churches, who having talents for publick ufefulnefs, either neglect them, or make an ill ufe of them, and there- himfelf, and made known to them, or othe

28, 29. Zech. xi. 17.: in » ¥.21. He poureth contempt upon princes, 8c.) Not on good princes, fuch as rule in righteoufnefs, ~ and decree judgment, and govern their fubjeéts — according to good laws, in a mild and gentle manner, and’ anfwer to their name of free, liberal, be-— neficent and munificent, ‘Thefe, as there is an ho-. nour due unto them, it is the will of God they fhould have ir; much lefs are princes, in a figurative fenfe meant, good men, the children of God, who are born of him the King of kings, and fo princes in all the earth; but, in a literal fenfe, bad princes that opprefs their fubjeéts, and rule them with rigour, and perfecute good men; fuch as rofe up againft Chrift, as Herod and Pontius Pilate, perfecutors of the faints, as the Roman emperors, and the antichriftian princes in the papacy; thefe God fometimes brings into contempt with their fubjects, depofes them from their government, reduces them to a mean, abject and fervile ftate; or they die a - fhameful death, as Herod was eaten with worms, and many of the heathen emperors died miferable deaths; and the vial8 of God’s wrath will be poured out upon all the ‘antichriftian ftates, and their princes: pouring denotes the abundance of fhame — they are put to, as if they were clothed and covered with it, it being plentifully poured out like water, or as water was poured upon them, which is fometimes done by way of contempt, fee Pf. cvii. 40. and weakeneth the firength of the mighty 5 the ftrength of men, hale and robuft, by fending one difeafe or another upon them, which takes it away from them; or by ¢he mighty are meant, men in power and authority; kings, as the Targum pa-' - raphrafes it, mighty monarchs, whofe ftrength lies in their wealth and riches, in their fortrefles and powerful armies; all which God can deprive them of-in an inftant, and make them as weak as other men. Some render it, and loofeneth the girdle of the. mighty”, the fame as loofening the loins of kings, J/: xiv. 1. ungirding them, and taking away their power and authority from them, rendering them unfit for bufinefs, or unable to keep their pofts, and defend their kingdom.; i ¥.22. He difcovereth deep things out of darknefs, &c.] The deep things of God, his own deep things which lie in his heart,wrapt up in darknefs impenetrable to creatures, and which could never be known, unlefs he had difcovered them; fuch asthe thoughts of his heart, which are very deep, Pf xcii. 5. the deep things of God, which the Spirit of God only knows, fearches and reveals, 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11. eyen his thoughts of peace, and good things for his people, which are many and precious, are known te muft have remained in darknefs, and ‘out of t reach, being as high as the heavens are from the earth; the decrees and purpofes of God, which he hath purpofed in himfelf, are deép things in his own breaft, and lie concealed in Bi until difcovered by the accomplifhment of | fuch as his decrees of election in Chrift, r tion by him, and effectual ee his all which are revealed and made known by the cution of them: the love: of God " which lay hid in his heart from everlaftin is difcovered by the gift and miffion of his

: Me beh De A, Te) Fie ones potentium laxat, Tigurine verfion, Pifcator, Beza, aunty fo Jarchi, Ben fe

-; ee =, * ea fore are taken away from them; their right arm is dried up, and their right eye darkened, Ada¢t. Te _ in the regeneration and quickening of his people, and of which he makes {till larger difcoveries to them in the courfe of. their lives: likewife the my-’

fteries of the Gofpel, unknown to natural men, even the wife and prudent,. only known to fuch to whom it is given to know them, to whom they are revealed by the Father of Chrift, and by the Spirit of wifdom and revelation-in the knowledge of the myftery of God, and of the Father, and of Chrift; réipecting the perfons in the Godhead, the grace of each perfon, the incarnation of Chrift,.the union of the two natures in him, redemption and jutftification by him, regeneration by, the Spirit of God, union to Chrift, and communion with him, and conformity to him in foul and body, now and hereafter: likewife the fecrets of his providence, in which there is a great depth of his wifdom and knowledge, and is in great obfcurity; his path is in the great waters, and his footfteps are not known; his judgments are unfearchable, and his ways paft finding out, but ere long they will be made manifeft, and lie open to view. There are alfo the deep things of others, which he difcovers, as the depth of fin in the deceitful heart of man, which none knows as himfelf; and which lie hid there, until they are difcovered in the light of the divine Spirit, who ‘convinces of them, enlightens the underftanding to behold thofe fwarms of Jufts and corruptions it never difcerned before; and then a man comes to, fee and know the plague of his own heart, he was before a ftranger to; alfo the depths of Satan, his deep-laid {chemes, his wiles and ftratagems, to draw into fin, and fo to ruin; thefe are unknown to natural men, but faints are made acquainted with them, fo that they are not altogether ignorant of his devices, Kev. i. 24. 2 Cor. ii. 11. likewife the fecret plots, counfels and combinations of wicked men, which they lay deep, and feek to hide from the Lord, being formed in the dark; but he fees and knows them, difcovers and confounds them: to which may be added all the wicked actions of men done in the dark, but cannot be hid from God, with whom the darknefs and the light are both alike; and who, fooner or later, brings them to light, even the hidden things of darknefs, and makes manifeft the counfels of the heart, as he will do more efpecially at the day of judgment, to which every fecret thing will be brought: and bringeth to light the foadow of death, not only life and immortality, as by the gofpel, but death, and the fhadow of it, even deadly darknefs, the groffeft of darknefs; fuch who are darknefs itfelf he makes light, and out of the darknefs in them commands light to fhine, as in the firft creation; to them that fit in darknefs, and in the fhadow of death, he caufes a great light to arife, the light of the gofpel, and the light of grace, yea, Chrift himfelf, the light of the world; he calls and brings them out of it into marvellous light, out of the dark dungeon and prifon of fin and unbelief, to the enjoyment of fpiritual light and life here, and to everlafting light and glory hereafter. Lia |

¥. 23. He increafeth the nations, and deftreyeth them, &c.] As he did before the flood, when the earth was filled, and all over peopled with them, but at the flood he deftroyed them at once. Se- Phorno interprets it of the feven nations in the land of Canaan, which were increafed in it, and deftroyed, to make way for the Jraelites to inhabit it; and this-has fince been verified in other kingdoms, large and- populous, and brought to deftruction, particularly in the four monarchies, Babylonian, Perfian, Grecian and Roman, and will + be in the antichriftian ftates.and nations of the world: be enlargeth the nations, and ‘ftraiteneth them again; or ftretcheth or fpreadeth out the nations*, ashe did all over the earth before the deluge, and then moft remarkably ftraitened them, when they were reduced to fo fmall a number as to be contained ina fingle ark: or /eads them*; that is, governs them, as Mr. Broughton renders the word, rules and over-rules them, as large as they aré; or leads them into captivity, as fome Few writers °, as the Iraelites; though they have been enlarged, and became numerous, as it was promifed they fhould, yet have been led into captivity, firft the ten tribes‘by the Afyrians, and then the two tribes by the Chaldeans; the Targum is, be Jpreadeth out a net for the nations, and leadeth them, that is, into it, fo that they are taken in it, fee Ezek. xii. 13.

¥.24. He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, &c.] The people of the earth are the common people, the chief or heads‘ of them, as it may be rendered, are kings, princes and generals of armies; whofe hearts may be faid to be taken away, when they are difpirited, and deprived both of courage and conduét; have neither valour nor wifdom, «neither fortitude of mind, nor military fkill to defend themfelves and their people againft their enemies. Sephorno interprets this of Sibon and Og, whofe fpirits the Lord hardened, and made their hearts obftinate to war with J/rae/, Deut. ii; 30. but it may be better underftood of the J/-celites, and the heads of them, when they were difcomfited by the Amalekites, quickly after their coming out of Egypt, fee Numb. xiv. 45. about which time od' lived: and the rather, fince it follows and caufed them to wander in a wilderne/s where there is no way; no track, no beaten path to follow, to be a guide to them, and direct their way; in fuch a wildernefs the J/raelites wandered near forty years, fee Pf. cvii. 40.

y.25. They grope in the dark without light, &c.} Like blind men, as the men of Sodom, when they were ftruck with blindnefs; or ¢hey grope, or feel the dark, and not light *, as the Targum; as the Egyptians did when fuch grofs darknefs was upon: them, as might be felt:' and be maketh them to Stagger like a drunken man; that has loft his ficht, his fenfes, and his feet, and knows not where he is, which way to go, nor how to keep on his legs, but reels to and fro, and is at the utmoft lofs what to do; all this is faid of the heads or chief of the people, in confequence of their hearts being taken away, and fo left deftitute of wifdom and ftrength.

poe begins this chapter, by obferving the extenfivenefs of his knowledge, as appeared from his preceding difcourfe, by which it was evident he was not lefs knowing than his friends, ¥, 1, 2. and therefore would have nothing to do with them as judges in his caufe, but would appeal to God, and debate the matter before him, and leave it to his decifion, fince he could expeét no good from them, ¥. 3, 4. and all the favour he intreats of them is, that they would for the future be no longer fpeakers; but hearers, ¥. 5, 6,13, 17- he expoftulates with them about their wicked and deceitful way of pleading for God, and againft him, ¥. 7, 8. and in order to ftrike an awe upon them, fuggefts to them, that they were liable to the divine {crutiny; that God was not to be mocked by them, that he would furely. reprove them for their re- {peé&t of perfons, and defires them to confider his dreadful majefty, and what frail creatures they were, ¥.g—12. then he expreffes his confidence in God, that he fhould be faved by him, notwithftanding the afflictive circumftances he was in, ¥. 14, 15, 16. and doubted not he fhould be able fo to plead his caufe, as that he fhould be juftified, if God would but withdraw his hand, and take off his dread from him, y. 18—22. he defires to know what his fins were, that he fhould hide his face from hii, and treat him with fo much feverity, who was but a poor, weak, feeble creature, ¥. 23, 24, 25. and concludes with a complaint of the bitternels and fharpnefs of his affli¢tions, with which he was confumed, y. 26—28.

y. 1. Lo, mine eye hath feen ail this, &c.] Or all thofe things® he had been difcourfing of, concerning the wifdom and power of God, and _ his friends alfo; fome ot thefe he had feen inftances of, he had been an eye-witnefs of them, and could give an ocular teftimony to them; and others he had difcerned with the eyes of his underftanding, being opened and enlightened, and had a clear and diftin& view of them, fo that he had feen and knew as much of thefe things as any of them had. Some’ interpret it. a/ other things, pertaining to the fame fubjeét; by what he had faid, it might be concluded he knew more; this was but a fample or fpecimen of his knowledge, which, when obferved, it might be perceived what an underftanding he had in fuch divine things: the words are indeed abfolute, my eye hath feen all things *, which muft not be taken in the largeft and comprehenfive fenfe of all things to be feen, heard and underftood; for tho’ Fob’s knowledge was very great, yet it did not take fo great a compafs as this; many things in nature his eye had not feen, others in providence things by revelation from God; for if Elipbaz his friead had an heavenly vifion, and a divine revelation, which his ear received a little of; why may it not be thought that ‘fob alfo was fometimes favoured with vifions and revelations from God, whereby he became more intimately acquainted with divine and fpiritual things? and underftood it; that is, what he had feen and heard; fome things may be feen, and yet not known what they are; and other things may be heard, and not underitood; but Fob had an underftanding of what he had feen with his own eyes, or had: received by revelation; - human or divine: and all this is introduced with alo or behold; not as a note of admiration at his knowledge, though the things known by him were wonderful, but as a note of attention to them, and. to his remark on them, and as expreffive of the certainty of his fight, hearing and underftanding’ of thefe things.

y. 2. What ye know, the fame do I know alfo, &c.] -Concerning God and his perfeétions, his fovereignty, holineis, juftice, wifdom, power, gbodnefs, ce. and concerning his providences, and his dealings with men in an ordinary, or in an extraordinary way: J am net inferior unto you, as might be collected from the preceding difcourle; fee the note on ch. xii. 3.;

¥. 3. Surely I would Jpeak to the Almighty, 8c} Or therefore I would fpeak’, Gnce he knew as much as his friends, and they knew no more than he, if fo much, he would have no more to do with them, they fhould not be his judges; nor would he be “» determined by them, but would appeal to God, and plead his own caufe before him, by whom he doubted not he fhould be candidly heard; he knew.

that he was the judge of all the earth, and would do right; and that he fat on a throne judging righteoufly, and would maintain his right and his caufe; that he would judge him according to his righteou(nefs and integrity, of which he was confcious, and would pafs a juft decifive fentence in his favour, and give the caufe for him againft his friends, as he afterwards did; for this is not to be underftood of {peaking to him in prayer, though that is a fpeech either of the heart or of the tongue, or of both,.to God; and which he allows of, yea delights in, and which is a wonderful condefcenfion; and therefore it may be ufed with boldnefs and freedom, and which gracious fouls are defirous of; and the confideration of God being almighty, or all-/uficient, is an argument, motive and induce- — ment to them to fpeak or pray unto him, fince he is able to do all things for them, they want or de- ~ fire of him; but here it is to be underftood of {peaking to him, or before-him, in a judicial way, dee he could not difcern, and but a {mall portion of! God, of his nature, perfections, ways and works was at his bar, before his tribunal, he fitting as a jud to hear the caufe, and decide the controverly be- known by him, as he himfelf confeffes elfewhere, ch.

tween ¥od and his friends. Some render it, 7 w.

xxXvi. 14. this therefore muft be limited and re- {trained to the fubject-matter in hand, and to what he and his friends had been treating of: mine ear bath beard, {ome things he had knowledge of the report of others, from his fore-fathers, his anceftors,"men of capacity and probity, that could be credited, and fafely depended on, and even fome /peak for the Almighty, and defire to reafon for God”; {fecing he knew fo much of him 5 not fpeak againft © him, as his friends fuggefted he had, but for hi by!on-behalf of his fovereignty, juftice, holinefs, wif- = at dom and ftrength, as he had done, and would do yet more; by which he would have it known, that as he had as much knowledge as they, he wa: as as zealous as any of them to plead for God, and defend him, and promote his honour and glory to a broken neck; this is to be underftood of them, not as phyficians of his body, that they pretended the uttermoft; but the other fente is belt: and I defire to reafon with God; not at the bar of his juftice, with refpect to the juftification of his perfon by his own righteouinefs; fo no man can rea~ fon with God, as to approve himfelf juft with him; nor will any fenfible man defire to enter into judgment with him on that foot; a poor fenfible finner may reafon with God at the throne of grace, and plead for pardoning mercy and juftifying grace thro’ the blood and righteoufnefs of Chrift, and from the declarations, proclamations and promifes. of grace through him; but of neither of thefe forts of reafonings are the words to be underftood, but of debating the matter in controverfy between 70d and his friends before God, that he might hear it, and decide it; this was what od was defirous of, of having the caufe brought before him, the cafe ftated and pleaded, and reafoned on in his prefence; this he fignifies would be a pleafure to him; he foould delight to have it fo, as the word" here ufed may be interpreted. | y.4. But ye are forgers of lies, &c.] Thisisa hard and very harfh faying; Yod was now in a paffion, provoked by his friends, and retorts upon them what they had charged him with, ch. xi. 3. fo, often in controverfies and difputes between good men undue heats arife, and unbecoming words drop from their lips and pens; to tell lies is a bad thing, but to forge them, to tell a ftudied, premeditated lie, is dreadfully thocking, contrary to the grace of God, and which good men cannot allow them(elves in, it is the character of bad men, fee J/- Ixiii. 8. Pf. cxix. 69. but it may be ‘ob may not defign lies in a ftriét and proper fenfe, but falfhoods and untruths; for though no lie is of the truth, yet every untruth is not alie; becaufe a man may deliver an untruth, not knowing it to be fo, but taking ic for a truth, {peaks it, without any defign to impofe upon, and deceive others. Doctrinal lies may be intended, fuch as the falfe prophets told, whereby they made the hearts of the righteous fad, and were the untempered morter they daubed with, Ezek, xiii. 10, 22. and the word here ufed has the fame fignifica- not to be; he was greatly difeafed from head to foot, and had no hope of a recovery of his health, nor did they pretend to prefcribe for him, nor does he reproach them on that account; but as phyficians of his foul, afflicted and diftrefied, they came to adminifter comfort to him under his afflictions, but they were miferable comforters, as he elfewhere calls them, ch. xvi. 2. inftead of acting the part of the good Samaritan, and pouring in oil and wine into his wounds, they poured in vinegar, and made them bleed and fmart the more, and added affliétion to his affliftion; inftead of healing, they wounded him yet more and more; and inftead of binding up his wounds, opened them wider, and gave him fenfible pain; inftead of giving him the cordials of the gofpel, they gave him the corrofives of the law; and inftead of pointing out unto him the gracious promifes. of God, for the fupport of his affiicted foul, they loaded him with charges of fin, and fet him to work by repentance and reformation to obtain the forgivenefs of them: they faid many good things, but mifapplied them, being ignorant of the cafe, and fo were phyficians of no value; as fuch are who are ignorant of the nature and caufes of a difeafe, and therefore make wrong prefcriptions, though the medicines they prefcribe may in themfelves be good: indeed, in foul-cafes, or for the healing of the difeafes of the foul, which are natural and hereditary, epidemical and univerfal, naufeous and loathfome, and of themfelves mortal, all phyficians are of no value; but Jefus Chrift, who is the only phyfician of fouls, the able, kil- ful and infallible one, that cures all fully and freely that apply unto bim; bodily phyficians are of no ufe in fuch cafes, nor merry companions, nor legal preachers, who direct to fupple the wounds with tears of repentance, and bind them up with rags of a man’s own righteoufnefs; Chrift is the only Saviour, his blood the balfam that heals every wound, and his. righteoufnefs that affords peace, joy and comfort to afflided minds, and delivers from thofe weights and preffures of mind, with which they are bowed down.

tion, and may be rendered, daubers of lies®, that colour over things, and make falfhoods look like truths, and deliver them for fuch, and like others {peak lies in hypocrify: now thofe here referred to were thefe, that God did not afflict good men, eat leaft in any very fevere manner, and that 70d, being thus afflicted, was a bad man, and an hypocrite; both thefe¥ob charges as lies: ye are all phyficians of no value, or idol-phyficians’, not that pretended to the cure of idols, but were no better than idols themfelves, and underftood no more how to cure than they, than an heathen deity, the god of phyfic Ai/culapius, or any one that might be reckoned fuch; but was no other than an image of wood or ftone, and fo could not be poffeffed of the faculty of healing, and fuch were Fod’s friends;,an idol is nothing, and is good for nothing, and fuch were they as phyficians, they were idol-phyficians, like the idol-fhepherd, Zech. xi. 17. of no value at all: the Raddins* fay, the word ufed fignifies a nerve or finew of the neck, which when ‘broken is incurable; and fuch phyficians were they, that could do him no fervice, no more than cure

¥. 5. And that ye would altogether bold your peaces

&c.] Since what they faid of him was not true, nor any thing to the purpofe, or that tended to the comfort of his afflicted foul, but the reverfe; and therefore he could have wifhed they had never broke filence, but continued as they were the firft feven days of their vifit; and now, fince they had fpoken, and had done no good by fpeaking, but hurt, he defires for the future they would be filent, and fay no more: and it fhould be your wifdom; it would be the greateft evidence of it they could give; they had fhown none by {peaking; it would be a proof of fome in them, fhould they hold their peace; a very biting expreffion this! fee

Prov, xvii. 28. ¥. 6, Hear now my reafoning, &c.] Fob intreats his friends, that they would be no longer fpeakers but hearers; that they would vouchfafe to fit ftill, and hear what he had to fay; though he was greatly afflicted, he had not loft his reafon, wifdom was not driven out from him, ch. vi. 1g. he had ftillwith him his reafoning powers, which he was capable ‘of making ufe of, and even before God, and defires defires that they would attend to what he had to fay on his own behalf: and bearken to the pleadings of my lips; he was capable of pleading his own caufe, and he was defirous of doing it before God as his judge; and begs the favour of his friends to be filent, and hear him out, and then let juagment be given, not by them, but by God himfelf.

y¥. 7. Will you {peak wickedly for God? &c.] As he fuggefts they did; they fpoke for God, and pleaded for the honour of his juftice, by afferting he did not affli& good men, which they thought was contrary to his juftice; but then, at the fame time, they fpoke wickedly of od, that he being afflicted of God was a bad man, and an hypocrite; and this was {peaking wickedly for God, to vindicate his juftice at the expence of his character, which there was no need to do; and fhewed that they were poor advocates for God, fince they might have vindicated the honour of his juftice, and yet allowed that he afflicted good men, and that ‘Yob was fuch an one: and talk deceitfully for him 2 or tell lies for him, namely, thofe juft mentioned, that only wicked men, and not good men, were affliéted by him, and that od was a bad man, and an hypocrite.

¥. 8. Will ye accept bis perfon? &c.| Accepting or refpecting perfons ought not to be done in judgment by earthlygudges; which is done when they give a caufe to one through favour and affection to his perfon, becaufe rich, or their friend, and againft another, becaufe otherwife; and fomething like this 7od intimates his friends did in the prefent cafe; they only confidered what God was, holy, juft, wife and good in all he did, and fo far tion he makes of things, as if he was in the right:

but bis neighbour cometh and fearcheth him tra- ~ verfes his arguments in his own vindication, and fhews the fallacy of them; fo Yod’s friends ma-— king the worft of his caufe, and the beft of their own, feemed right in their own eyes; but God, who is the fearcher of hearts, and who knows all things, could fee through their coverings of things, and could not be deceived by them, but would ~ find them out, and expofe them; as he did after-" wards, when he gave judgment againft them, and declared they had not faid that which was right, — as his fervant ob had, ch. xlii. 7, 8. and therefore — it was not to their profit and advantage, and to their honour and credit, to be fearched out by him,” or to run the rifque of it, as they did, which is’ the amount of this queftion: or as one mocketh another, do ye fo mock him?’ men may be mocked by their fellow-creatures, either by words or geftures,’ as good men ufually are in all ages, efpecially the prophets of the Lord, and the minifters of his word; or they may be deceived and impofed upon by the falfe glofles and colourings of artful men, as fimple men are deceived by the fair fpeeches of falfe teachers, which is no other than an illufion of them, or mocking them: in the firft fenfe God’ may be mocked, though he fhouldnot; there have been, and will be fuch bold and daring creatures as to'mock at his promifes, and his providence, to mock at his word, ordinances, and minifters, which is interpreted by him a mocking and defpifing himfelf; but in the latter fenfe he cannot be mocked, and it is a vain thing to attempt it; dé not deceived, God is not mocked, Gal. vi. 7. he fees through all the fallacious reafonings of men; he they were right, and too much refpect cannot be judges not according to outward appearance; he given him; but the fault was, that they only at- fees and knows the heart, and all the views andy”

tended to this, and did not look into. the caufe of defigns of men, and can deteét all their fophifms

Fob itfelf, but wholly neglected it, and gave it againft him, he being poor, abjeé&t and miierable, and falfe glofies; he is not be deceived by fpecious pretences of doing’ fuch and fuch aétions for his on the above confideration of the perfections of glory, as cafting out good men, and their names,

God; which looked like what is called among men or traducing their characters that he may be glo- acceptation, or refpect of perfons: will ye contend rified, or killing them to do him fervice, J/ Ixvi. 5.

for God? it is right to contend for God, for the being of God againft atheifts, for the perfections of God, his fovereignty, his omnifcience, omniprefence, €c. againft thofe that deny them, for his truths and doétrines, word, worfhip and ordinances. againft the corrupters of them; but then he and thofe are not to be contended for in a foolifh and imprudent manner, or with a zeal, not according to knowledge, much lefs with an hypocritical one, as was Febu’s; God needs no fuch advocates, he can plead his own caufe, or make ufe of perfons that can do it in a better manner, and to better purpofe.

y¥. 9. Is it. good that he fhould fearch you out? &c.] That is, God; fearching is afcribed to him after the manner of men; not that he is ignorant of perfons or things he fearches after, or exercifes that application, diligence and induftry, and takes thofe pains which are neceffary in men to find out any thing; when he makes fearch, it is not on his own account, but others; at leaft it is only to fhew his knowledge of perfons and things, and to make men known to others, or things to them themfelves; and is here to be underftood in a judicial fenfe, as it frequently is the cafe, fo it was here, a man that is firft in bis own caufe, as the wife man fays, Prov. xviii. 17. feemeth juft; to himfelf and others; it looks upon the reprefenta-

John xvi. 2. he is not to be flattered as one man may flatter another; to do this with him, is to mock him, he is not to be mocked in this way. v.10. He will furely reprove you, &c.| Or in reproving he will reprove you"; he will certainly do it, it may be depended upon, and be expected; he will never fuffer fin to go unreproved and uncorrected; he will do it to the purpofe, with fharpnefs and feverity, as the nature of the crime requires; he reproves by his Spirit, and it is well for men when he thoroughly, and in a fpiritual and faving way, reproves them by him, and convinces them of fin, righteoufnefs and judgment; and he reproves by his word, which is written for reproof and correction; and by his minifters, one part of whofe work it is to rebuke and reprove men for bad practices, and bad principles; and in fome cafes they are to ufe fharpneis, and which when fubmitted to, and kindly taken, it is well; and fometimes he reproves by his providences, by afflictive difpenfations, and that either in love, as he rebukes his own children, or in wrath and hot difpleafure, as others, which is here defigned; and as it is always for fin he rebukes men, fo particu- — larly he rebukes for the following, as might be expected: if ye do fecretly accept perfons; acceptance of perfons in judgment is prohibited by God, and is highly refented by him; yea, even the acceptance of his own perfon to the prejudice of the charaéter of an innocent man; which feems to be what od has refpect unto, as appears from y. 8. and fome verfions render it, if ye accept bis face"; and though this may be done not openly and publickly, but in a covert and fecret manner, under difguife, and with fpecious pretences to the honour and glory of God.

v.11. Shall not his excellency make you afraid, &c.] To commit fin, any fin, and particularly that! juft mentioned, which they might expect to be reproved for; there is an excellency in the name of God, which is fearful and dreadful, and in the nature and perfeétions of God, his power, juttice, and holinefs, in which he is glorious and tremendous, and fhould deter men from finning againft him; and there is an excellency in his works of nature and providence, which are wondrous, and fhew him to be near at hand, and can atonce, if he pleafes, take veng:ance’ for fin: or fhall not bis height ®, &c. his fublimity, his fuperiority to all beings; he is the’moft high God, higher than the higheftamong men, he is above all gods, all that are fo called; and therefore all the inhabitants of the earth fhould ftand in awe of him, and not fin: or frall not bis lifting up *? &c. on a throne of judgment, as the Targum-adds; he is the judge of the whole earth, and will judge his people, and right all fhould fade, and come to nothifig; the memory of the juft indeed is bleffed, the righteous are had in everlafting remembrance, becaule of their everlafting righteoufnefs; but as for any thing elf, that may be thought to be a remembrance of man, it is but as afhes, of little worth, foon gone, and often trampled upon; and men fhould remember, that they are but duft and afhes, as ben Ezra‘ obferves, even in their befteftate, in comparifon of the excellency of God before fpoken of; and as Abraham confeffed in the prefence of God, Gen. Xvill. 27. your bodies to bodies of clay; that is, are like to bodies of clay, to fuch as are made of clay after the fimilitude of human bodies; and fuch are the bodies of men themfelves, they are of the earth earthly, they are houfes of clay, which have their foundation in the duft; earthen veffels, and earthly houfes of this tabernacle, poor mean frail brittle things, are crufhed before the moth, and much more before the Almighty; the word is by fome rendered eminencies, the moft eminent men; what is moft eminent in them are like to eminences of clay®, or heaps of dirt: fome interpret this as the former exprefiion, of their words, reafonings, arguments, and objections; which though great {welling words, were vain and empty, mere bubbles, and though reckoned ftrong reafonings, unanfwerable argnments, and objections, had no ftrength in them, but were to be eafily#thrown ‘down like their wrongs; he fits on a throne high, and lifted up, judging righteoufly; and will maintain the caufeof the innocent, and avenge himfelf on thofe that injure them, and therefore it muft bea fearful thing to fall into his hands: fome render it, /ba not bis burning’; or flaming fire, &c. obferves, and apply it to hell-fire, and the everafting burnings of the lake which burns with fire “and brimftone; and which are very terrible, and may well affright men from finning againft God;| but the firft fenfe feems to be beft: and his dread hillocks of clay; and though ught to be like fhields, or high and ftrong fortreffes, as fome® take the word to fignify, yet are but clayey ones.

y. 13. Hold your peace, let me alone, &c}] Or, /| ceafe from me‘, from fpeaking to me, or hinderas Farchijing me from fpeaking. Fob might perceive by fome motions of his friends, that they were about to interrupt him; and therefore he defires they would be filent, and let him go on: that I may peak; or and I will fpeak, and let come on me what will; either from men, or from God himfelf; a fall upon you? the dread of men, of powerful and victorious enemies, is. very terrible, as was the dread of the J/raelites which fell upon the inhabitants of Canaan, Fofb. ii. g. but how awful mutt be the terror of the great and dreadful God, when that falls upon men, or his terrible wrath and vengeance are revealed from heaven, and threaten every moment to fall upon the tranfgreffors of his law, upon thofe that mock him, and injure his peole. ‘ y. 12. Your remembrances are like unto afbes, &€c.] Either of things they put 70 in remembrance of, the mementos which they had fuggefted to him; fee ch. iv. 7. or the things which they had brought forth out of their memories, the inftances they had given of what had been in the world, the arguments, objections, and reafonings, they had made ule of in this controverfy; their memorable fentences‘, as fome render it, were of no more moment and importance than afhes, and eafily blown away like them; or whatfoever was memorable in them, or they thought would perpetuate their memory hereafter, as their houfes and jands, andtowns and cities, called by their names, thefe memorials fhould perifh, Pf xlix. 11. and ix. 6. or their wealth and riches, their honour and glory, their learning, wifdom, and knowledge, ome rt he te & Bar Tzemach. yn" tine verfion, meminiffe oportebat vos fimiles effe cineri. tia luotee, Beza; fo Rolducius, mellius, Pifcator,

EAD voy "\3y) at tranfeat preter me aliquid, good man, when he knows his caufe is good, and he has truth on his fide, is not careful or concerned what reproach may be caftupon him, or what cenfures from men he may undergo; or what perfecutions from them he may endure; none of thefe things move him from his duty,.or can ftop his mouth from fpeaking the truth; let him be threatened with what he will, he cannot but fpeak the things which he has feen and heard, and knows to be true; as for what may come ‘upon him from God, that he is not folicitous about; he knows he’ll lay nothing upon him but what is common to men, will fupport him under it, or deliver him from it in his own time and way, or however make all things work together for his good: fome render it, and let fomething pa/s by me, or from me*; that is, fomewhat of his grief and forrow, whilft he was {peaking and pouring out his complaints before God; but the former fenfe feems beft. ° ¥.14. Wherefore do I take my flefo in my teeth, &ce.] Or bite my lips, to keep in my words, and refrain from fpeaking? I will not do it: and put my life in my band? or, expofe it to danger bya forced filence; when I am ready toburft, and mutt if 1 don’t fpeak; I will not thus endanger my life; it is unreafonable I fhould, VIl fpeak my mind freely and fully, that I may be refrefhed; fo Sephorno phorno interprets it of Jod’s putting his hand to his ‘mouth, that he might be filent; and of putting a forcible reftraint upon himfelf, that he might not declare what was upon his mind; fee ¥. 19. but others, as Bar Tzemach, take the fenfe to be, what is the Gin I have committed, that fuch fore afflictions ere laid upon me; that through the pain and diftrefsI am in, I am ready to tear off my flefh with my teeth, and my life is in the utmoft danger? and fome think he was under a temptation to tear his own fiefh, and deftroy himfelf; and therefore argues why he fhould be thus hardly dealt with, as to be expofed to fuch a temptation, and thrown in fuch defpair, which yet he laboured againft; but rather the meaning is, in connexion with the preceding verfe, let whatfoever will come upon me, at all events, I will take my flefo in my teeth, and I will put my life in my band’; 1 willexpofe myfelf to the greateft dangers, which is the fenfe of the laft phrafe in Judg. xii. 3. 18am. xix. 5. and XxXvViil. 21. Pf. cxix. 109. come life, come death, I'll not fear; I am determined to fpeak out my mind, let what will be the confequence; and with this bold and heroic fpirit agrees what follows.

y. 15. Though be flay me, yet will 1 truft in bim, &c.] There is a double reading of thefe words; the Keri, or marginal reading; is 1? in him, which we follow; the Cetib, or textual reading is n> not, which many folly, and render the words, /o be willflay me, I ait hope; or, J have no hope, or tion, defertion, and death itfelf: it may be render- > ed?, 1 will bope in him, fince there is mercy and plenteous redemption with him, and he delights in thofe that hope in his mercy; his eye is upon them, and his heart is towards them: or J wall wait for him, or expe? him‘, wait for deliverance by hi wait all the days of his appointed time, till his” change come; wait for the hope of righteoufnefs by faith, expect all needful grace from him now, and eternal glory and happinefs hereafter: du¢ notwithftanding his truft was alone in God for time and eternity, yet, fays he, / wil] maintain mine own ways before him; that 1am not an hypocrite, or have behaved as a bad man; but have aéted under the influence of grace, according to his mind and will revealed. oo ¥. 16. He alfo thall be my falvation, &c.] Fob though he afferted the integrity of his heart and - life, yet did not depend on his ways and works for falvation, but only on the Lord himfelf; this is to be underftood not of temporal falvation, though God is the author of that, and it is only to be had of him, yet 0b had no hope concerning that; but. of fpiritual and eternal falvation, which God the father has-contrived, determined, and refolved on, and fent his fon to effect; which Chri being fent is the author of by his obedience, fufferings, and death; and in him, and in his name alone is falvation; and every foul fenfible of the infufficiency of himfelf and others to fave him, will refolve, as do not expeci™; that is, any other than to be flain or die; and this agrees with various expreffions of his elfewhere, that he had no hope of any long continuance of life, or of reftoration to health and outward happinefs again, but expected to diejand quickly; fee ch. vi. 11. and vil. 21. and x. and xix. 10. but I will maintain mine own ways before him; or to bis face" though I die on the fpot inftantly, I'll ftand by it, and make it appear that the ways I have walked in are right, that I have behaved as a fincere upright man, a man fearing God, and efchewing evil; acharacter which God himfelf has given of me, and I have not forfeited it: i will argue or prove ° it before him, as it may be rendered; that my life and cenverfation has been agreeable to my profeffion of him; that my ways have been according to his revealed will, and my walk as becoming the character I bear; and this T’]] maintain and fupport, as long as I live; I’'ll never depart from this fentiment, or let go my integrity to my lateft breath; fee ch. xxvii. but the marginal reading feems beft, yef wil! I truft in him? 2 verily Iwill, though Iam under cutting and flaying providences, under fore afflictions, which may be called killing and flaying, or death itfelf; though there is an addition of them, one affliction upon another, and forrow upon forrow; though I am killed continually, all the day long, or dye by inches 3 yea though in the article of death itfelf, yet even then wi/) I tru and hope: God only is the object of truft and confidence, and not acreature, or any creature-enjoyment, or creature-act; and great encouragement there is to truft in him, feeing in him is everlafting ftrength, to fulfil his promifes, to help in time of need, and fave with an everlafting falvation; he is to betrufted in at all times, in times of affliction, tempta- Yod here, that he, and he only, thall be his faviour, who is an able, willing, and complete one; fee Hof. xiv. 3. and the words are expreffive of faith of intereft in him. 30d knew him to be his faviour, living redeemer, and would acknowledge no 20.Jother; but claim his intereft in him, now and here-, after, and which was his greateft fupport under all his troubles; fee ch. xix. 26, 27. P/. xxvii. 1. for an hypocrite fhall not come before him; a hypocrite may come into the houfe of God, and worfhip him externally, and feem to be very devout and religious; and he fhall come before the tribunal of God, and ftand at his*bar, to be tried and judged; but he fhall not continue in the prefence of God, nor enjoy his favour, or he fhall not be able to make his caufe good before him; and indeed he does not care to have himfelf-examined by ~ him, nor fhall he be faved everlaftingly, but undergo the moft fevere punifhment, Matz. xxiv. 5t. ob here either has refpect to his friends, whom he 5, 6.jcenfures as hypocrites, and retorts the charge upon they brought on him; or he has reference to that charge, and by this mean clears himfelf of it, fince there was nothing he was more defirous of than |to refer his cafe to the decifion of the omnifcient God, and righteous judge; whichif he was an hypocrite he would never have done, fince fuch can. never ftand fo ftriét and fevere an examination, _ y.17. Hear diligently my fpeech, &c.) Or, in bearing bear*; meaning, not only that his friends would attentively hear him, but continue to hear him; that they would hear him out what he had to fay farther: upon his expreffing himfelf with fo much faith and confidence in God, they might rife to up from their feats and be preparing to be gone, as not having patience to hear a man talk fo confidently whe they thought was a bad man and an— hypocrite; or they might attempt to interrupt caufe before men, as it was ordered and by him, but alfo the juftification of his perfon before God, of which he had a full affurance; having ordered his caufe aright, fettled matters well, proceeded upon a good. plan and foundation; which to do, is not to put juftification upon the foot of purity of nature at firft birth, and a fober life and-converfation from youth upward, and ~ perfection of good works arrived unto, as imagined; nor upon a comparative righteoufnefs with refpect to” other men, even profane and ungodly perfons; nor upon repentance, and fincere though imperfect obedience; nor upon an external belief of evangelic truths, and a fubmiffion to gofpel-ordinances: but fuch Order their caufe and well, and rightly conclude their juftification, fee and own themfelves to be tranfgreffors of the law of God, behold and acknowledge their own righteoufnels to be infufficient to juftify them, view the righteoufnefs of Chrift revealed in the gofpel, in its glory, excellency, and fuitablenefs, and lay hold upon it as their juftifying righteoufnefs; and obferving that the word of God declares, that thofe that believe in Chrift are and fhall be juftified, and finding in themfelves that they do with the heart believe in Chrift for righteoufnefs, hence they moft comfortably and moft fenfibly conclude that they are juftified perfons; for this knowledge is of faith, and this faith the faith of affurance; it is not barely for a man to know that there is righteoufnefs in Chrift, and juftification by it, but that there is righteoufnefs in him for himfelf, and that he is the Lord his righteoufnefs;

dered, J know that I am righteous; or, am juftified’; juftification is a paft aét in the mind of God; it is prefent, as it terminates on the conicience of a believer; it is future, as it willbe notified at the day of judgment before angels and men; flee If. xlv. him'Enter the. lifts with him difpute the point; and managedjing of it out, he could not igh could not contain himfelf, he. muft burft.and die; nor could he live under fuch charges and calumnies, he mutt die andjunder the weight and preffure of them; though fome think that this not only exprefits his eagernefs and impatience to have his caufe tried fairly before God, but contains in itan argument to haften ajit, taken fromthe near approach of his death: for now, ina little time, 1 /bail be filent”; bein the filent grave: I foal expire, or die; and, then it will be too, late; therefore if any will plead with me, let them do. it immediately, or I fhall be foon gone, and then it will, be all over: or rather the fenfe is, 1 challenge any one to reafon the matter, difpute the point-with me and I promife that wholif the caufe goes againft me, now will I be filent; I’ll not fay one word jmorein my vindication; I well dye; or fubmit to any death, or any fore of punifhment, that fhall be pronounced upon me; L'il patiently endure it, and hot complain of it, or object to the execution of it; fo Sepborno,

¥. 20. Onely do not two things unto me, &c.] This is an addrefs not to Zaphar as in the place of God, as fome, but to God himfelf,; by this it appears, thar tho? in modefty he does not mention him, yet he it is, he has.the chief, if not the fole regard unto in the preceding verfe; for his defire was to fpeak to the Almighty and reafon with God, and have nothing more to do with his friends, y. 3, 4, 5. but before any pleadings begin on either fide, he is defirous of fettling and fixing the terms and conditions.of the difpute; he requetts that two things might be grantfor the words may be ren-jed him, which are mentioned in the next verle: then \will I not hide myfelf from thee, thro’ fear or fhame, but boldly appear before God, and come up even to his feat, and plead with him face to face.

y. 21. Withdraw thine band far from me, &c.].His afflicting hand which preffed him; this he de-

25.) { fires might be removed, or otherwife he could nor ¥. 19. erbe is he that will plead with me, &c.] have have the command of himfelf, make ufe of his reafoning faculties, recollect his arguments, and give them in their due force and ftrength; for afflictions of body affect the foul and memory, underftanding and judgment; this is one of the things he would have agreed unto before the difpute was entered on; the other follows: And let not thy dread make me afraid; the terrors of his law, or the dreadful apprehenfions of his wrath; he defires to be freed trom all flavifh fear of God, that now poffeffed his mind thro’ the feverity of his difpenfations towards him, behaving as if he was his enemy; or he deprecates his appearance in any external vifible way and manner, which might be affrighting to him, and fo hinder freedom of fpeech in his own defence; thefe two things are before requefted, ch. ix. 34, 35. which fhould they be granted, he propofes as y¥.22. Then call thou, and I will anfwer, &c.] ither call him by name in open court, and he would anfwer to it; or arraign him at the bar, and exhibit charges againft him, and he would make an{wer to them and clear himfelf; his fenfe is, that if God would:take upon him to be plaintiff, and accufe and charge him with what he had to object to him, then he would be defendant, and plead his own caufe, and fhew that they did not of right-belong unto him: or let me/peak, and anfwer thou me: or he would be plaintiff, and put queries concerning the affiiétions he wasexercifed with, or the feverity of them, and the reafon of fuch ufage, and God be the defendant, and give him ananfwer to them, that he might he no longer at a lofs as he was for fuch behaviour towards him: this is very boldly faid indeed, and feems to favour of irreverence towards God; and may be one of thofe fpeeches for which he was blamed by Elibu, and by the Lord himfelf; tho’ no doubt he defigned not to caft any contempt upon God, nor to behave ill towards him; but in the agonies of his fpirit, andunder the weight of his affliction, and to fhew the great fenfe he had of his innocence, and his affurance of it, he fpeaks in this manner; not doubting but let him have what part he would in the debate, whether that of plaintuff or defendant, he fhould-carry the caufe, and it would go in his favour; and though he propofes it to God to be at his option, to chufe which he would take, ob ftays not for an anfwer, but takes upon him to be plaintiff, as in the following words. y¥.23. How many are mine iniquities and fins? | Whether of ignorance or prefumption, thro’ miftake or wilfulnefs, voluntary or involuntary, fins of omiffion or commiflion, fecret or open, or of heart, lip or life; for by this heap of words he ufes in this and the next claufe, he means all forts of fins be they what they would; he defires to know what they were, both with refpect to quality and quantity, how ereat! they were, what heinous and capital crimes he had been guilty of, that fuch fore afflictions were laid upon him; and how many they were, as they were fuggefted to be by his friends,and who indeed callthem infinite, ch. xxii, 5. and as they might feem to be from the many afflictions endured by him, which were fuppofed to be for fins; tho’ as Schultens obferves, fuch an interrogation has the force of a diminution and negation, as that of the Pfalmift; how manyare the days of thy fervant? Pf, cxix. 84. that is, how few are they? or rather none at all; namely of light and joy, of pleafure ard comfort; fo Yob reprefents by this, his fins to be but few “ in comparifon of what

* 195 vox pertinet ad mulitudinem et magnitudinem, Pineda, his friends furmifed, or might be concluded from his affictions; and indeed none -at all of a capital nature and fuch as were of adeep dye, attrociousand — enormous crimes; only fuch as were common to. good men, who all have their frailties,infirmities, imperfections, there being not ajuft man that gocd and fins not: Fob did not pretend tobe with- » out fin, but he was not fenfible of any notorious fin he could be charged with, nor was he confcious of allowing himfelf in any known fin, or of livin and walking therein, which is inconfiftent with the’ grace of God; moreover as he knew his intereft in. his livingRedeemerand furety, to whom, and not to himfelf his fins and tranfgreffions were imputed; he might afk how many iniquities and fins are to me? as the words may be literally rendered; that is, which are to be reckoned to me, to be placed to my account? none at all; fee 2 Cor. v. 19. Pf. xxxii. 1, 2. make me to know my tranfgreffion and my fin:not that he was ignorant of fin, of the nature and demerit of it, as unregenerate men are, who know not the plague of their own hearts, in-dwelling fin, internal lufts, nor the exceeding finfulnefs of finful. actions, nor the effect and confequences of fin, pollution, guilt, the wrath of God, the curfe of the law, and eternal death; at leaft do not know it as to be affected with a fente of it, to have a godly forrow for it, repent of it, confefs it and forfake it; fuch knowledge as this, is from the Spirit of God, and which 7cb had; but his meaning is, that if he could not be charged with many fins, as might feem to be the cafe, yet if there was but one that could be produced, and was the reafon of his being affliéted after this manner, he defires to know what that was, that he might upon conviction of it, acknowledge it, repent of it, relinquifh it, and guard againft it; he defires to have a copy of his indictment, that he might know what he ftood charged with, for what he was arraigned, condemned, and punifhed, as: it was ppvate he means this he judged a reafonable requeft, and neceffary to be gran igh an{wer for himéelf.; a ¥. 24. Wherefore bideft thou thy face,) Novifrom his cry, becaufe of his fore and grievous affliétions as Bar Tzemach, nor from helping and faving him from his troubles, as Sephorno; nor from looking on his right ways, as Farchi; but from his perfon, withdrawing the manifeftation of his face and favour; witholding the difcoveries of his love; and denying him the light of his countenance, and fenfible communion with him, and enjoyment of him he had been indulged with; ‘ob formerly had feen the face of God, enjoyed his prefence, and walked in fellowfhip with him; but now he-had withdrawn himfelf from him, and he knew not where to find him; fee ch. xxiii. 2, 85-924 greater bleffing cannot be had, than the gracious prefence of God; nothing gives more pleafure when enjoyed and nothing more grievous to good Men when it is witheld; oftentimes fin is the caufe of it, but not always, as in this inftance of Yod; the end of the Lord in all his afflictions both inward and outward, was to try his patience, his integrity, and faithfulnefs; butas ob wasfor the prefentignorantof it, he defires to know the reafon of thisthe Lord’s behaviour towards him; as it is what all good men fhould— do in the like circumftances, nothing being more afficting and diftrefling to them, and even intolerable; fee P/.x. ¥1. xiii. 1. and Ixxxviii. 14. fome think here is an allufion to the behaviour of judges towards fuch as were condemned by them, they were preju-

* So Ben Melech interprets thefe words,

‘diced againft, and would neither hear nor fee them;y;tion towards him; who ufes not to break the orto a rite and cuftom in former times, as Pineda obferves, when judges at the time of pronouncing fentence on a malefactor, ufed to draw a curtain be- ‘tween them; or to the covering of the face of the criminal, fee ch, ix. 24. and boldeth me for thine enemy? Fob had been an enemy to God, as all men are in a ftate of nature, yea enmity itfelf, as ‘is fhewn by their wicked works; but he was now reconciled unto God, the enmity of his heart was flain, and he had laid down his weapons of rebellion, and ceafed committing hoftilities againft God, and was become fubject to him and to his law, through the power of efficacious grace; a principle of love, which is the fruit of the Spirit in regeneration was implanted in him; and he was a true and fincere lover of God, one that feared him, and trufted in him; whofe faith worked by love, and fo appeared to be of the right kind; and therefore fince he was confcious to himfelf, that he loved God, with, all his heart, loved his word, his ways and worfhip, his people and all that, belonged to him, jt was cutting and grievous to him, to be thought and accounted, or dealt with as an enemy to him; for fo he interpreted his conduct towards him; as. he afflicted him, he took it to be in anger and fury, and hot difpleafure, and as he hid his face from him, he fuppofed it was in great wrath, viewing him in this light as his enemy.

y. 25. Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? &c.] A leaf that falls from a tree in autumn, and withers, and is rolled up, and driven about by the wind, which it cannot refift, to which od here compares himfelf; butit is not to be underftood of him with refpect to his fpiritual eftate; for being a good man, and one that trufted in the Lord, and made him his hope, he was,as every good man is, like toa tree planted by rivers of water, whofe leaf withers not, but is always green, and does not fall off, as is the cafe of carnal profeffors, who are compared to trees in autumn, which caft their leaves and rotten fruit; fee Pi. 3. Fer. xvii. 7. 8. Fude ver. 12. but in refpect to his outward eftate, his frailty, weaknefs, and feeblenefs, efpecially as now under the afflitting hand of God; fee Jf Ixiv. 6. fo Fobn the Baptiff, on account of his being a frail mortal man, a weak feeble creature, compares himfelf to a reed fhaken with the wind, Matt. xi. 7. now to break fach an one, was to add affliction to affliction, and which could not well be borne; and the like is fignified by the next claufe, and wilt thou purfue the dry fiubble? which can’t ftand before the wind, or the force of devouring fire; this alfo refpects not Fob in his fpiritual eftate, with regard to which he was not like to dry ftubble or chaff, to which wicked men are compared; Pf i. 4. burtto ftanding corn and wheat in the full ear; and not only to green grafs which is fourifhing, but to palm trees, and cedar trees of the Lord, which are full of fap, to which good men are like; but he defcribes him in his weak and afflicted ftate, tofled to and fro like dry ftubble; and no more able to contend and grapple with an incenfed God, than dry Aftubble can withftand devouring flames; this he fays partly to fuggeft that it was below the divine being to fet his ttrength againft his weaknefs; as

David faid to Saul, after whom is the king of Irael)

14. which words Bar 7zemach compares with thefe, and partly to move the diving pity and commifera- bruifed reed, nor quench the fmoaking flax.

¥. 26. For thou writeft bitter things againft me, &c.] Meaning not fins and rebellions,taken notice of ~ by him, when his good deeds were omitted, as Farchi; fin is indeed an evil and a bitter thing in its own

‘nature, being exceeding finful and abominable, and its effects and confequences; being what provokes God to anger moft bitterly, and makes bitter work for repentance; as it did in Peter, who; when made fenfible of it, wept bitterly; fooner or later, fin, tho’ it is a fweet morfel rolled about in the mouth for a while, yet in the iffue proves the gall of afps within, bitter and diftreffing; and this God alfo puts down in the book of his remembrance, yea writes it as with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond; but that cannot be meant here, fince Fob was enquiring after his fins, afking what and how many they were, and would not allow of any being committed by him that were heinous and notorious; wherefore afflictions are rather here intended, which are bitter and grievous, and not joyous, and efpecially fuchas ob was afflicted with; fee Ruthi, 22. and thefe were written by the Lord inthe book of his eternal purpofes and decrees, and were the things he performed, which were appointed for ¥ob, as he full well knew, and as all the affictions of God’s people are; and befides they were written in a judiciary way, and fo againft him; they were, as he apprehended, the fentence of a judge, written down, and read, and pronounced, and according to it inflicted, and that with great deliberation as things are written, and in order to continue, as what is written does; and fo denotes that a fevere decree was gone forth againft him, with defign, and was and would be continued: and makeft me to pof- Jefs the iniquities of my youth, which had been committed thro” weaknefs and ignorance; and which, it might have been thought, would not have been tak« en notice of and animadverted on; or rather, which Job concluded had been forgiven and forgotten, according tothe tenor -of the covenant of grace, and would never have been brought into account any more; and yet thefe were not only remembered by the Lord, at leaft feemingly, by the afliGions that were endured; but they were by him brought to 70b’s remembrance, and the guilt of them charged upon him, and ftared him in the face, ahd loaded his confcience, and filled him with reproach and fhame as Ephraim. Fer. xxxi. 19.and which is deprecated by the Pfalmift,; P/ xxv. 7. and what aggravated this cafe and made it the more diftreffing, was, thatin Y0b’s apprehenfion it was to continue with him as an inheritance, as the word ™ fignifies, which abides with men in their families for ever; and fome refpeét may be had to the corruption of nature, which is hereditary, and remains with men from their youth upwards.)

¥. 27. Thou putteft my feet alfo in the frocks, &c.

Which is one kind of punifhment of offenders, and a prefervation of them from making their efcape; and is a fecurity and refervation of them for farther punifhment fometimes; and fo ‘fob looked “mg his afflictions as a punifhment for he knew not what, and with which he was fo furrounded and inclofed, thatthere was no getting out of them, any more than a man can whofe feet are fet faft in the ftocks 5 and that he was here kept for greater afflictions ftill, which he dreaded. Aden Ezra interprets it, thou putteft my feet in lime; and this is followed by others”, fuggeft-