Exposition of the Whole Bible

Ch. xxi. ¥, 25—28. by fuch perfons, as rivers of honey and. butter; contrary to Zophar’s notion, ch. xx. 17. and large “increafe of oi] and wine, and all bisipbtal worldly good;.amidft the plenty of which fuch die: bis bones are moiftened with marrow; not dried up through a broken {pirit, or with grief and trouble, and through the decays of old’ age; but being full of marrow, are moift, and firm and ftrong; and fo it intimates, that fuch at: the time when death feizes them, are of an hale, healthful, robuft, and ftrong conttitution, fee P/. Ixxiii. 4. 7.

¥.25. And another dieth in the bitterne/s of his foul, &c.] Either another wicked man; for there is a difierence among wicked men; fome are outwardly happy in life, and in the circumftances of their death, as before defcribed; and others are very unhappy in both; their life is a fcene of afflictions which embitter life, and make death. eligible; and in the midft of which they die, as well fpread upon them; they ate both their bed and theit covering, J/ xiv. 11.

¥. 27. Bebold, I know your thoughts, &c.] God only truly, really, and in faét, knows the thoughts of men; this is his peculiar prerogative, he only is the fearcher of the hearts, and the trier of the reins of the children of men. Cbriff, the eternal Logos, or Word, by his being a difcerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, appears to be truly God. No man knows the things of a man, or the thoughts of his heart, but himielf; and fuch to whomfoever he reveals them; but a wife and underftanding man, a careful obferver of men and things, may make fome fhrewd guefies at the thoughts of others, by hints and half words, or fentences exprefled by them; by the fhew of their countenance, which is the index of the mind, and by the geftures:and motions of their bodies 5 by thefe they may in a good meafure judge whether as oftentimes in bitter pains, and terrible agonies of body, 2s well as in great diftrefs and horror. they like or diflike, approve or difapprove of what offis faid to them: and thus ¥od knew the thoughts mind and black defpair, as Fudas and others: and never eateth with pleafure, or ef any good, or any good thing’; either he has it not to eat, or what he has is not good, but like hufks which fwine eat, of which the prodigal would fain have filled his belly, when in extreme poverty, fuch as thofe words may defcribe; or elfe having what is good, has not an heart to eat of it; and fo they defcribe a mifer, living and dying fuch 3 fee Eec/. vi. 2. or rather the cafe of a man, who, through diftempers and difeafes of body, has loft his appetite, and cannot with any pleature tafte of ‘the richeft dainties; fee ch. xxxiii. 20... Some” interpret this and the two preceding verfes, as what fhould be ‘the cafe according to the fentiments of ¥0d’s friends, who objected, that God punifhed the iniquities of wicked men, not in their own perfons, but in their children; according to which, a wicked man then fhould die in the perfection of happinefs; without weaknefs or want, in all quietnefs, eafe, peace, and profperity; and not in poverty and diftrefs: but as the two preceding, verfes refpecét a wicked man and hisicafe and circumftances at death, agreeable. to the whole context; fo this rélates to thofe of a good man, whom the Lord often deals bitterly with in life, as he did with Naomi, and was now the cafe of ‘Fob; fee Ruth i. 20. Fod ili. 20. and who die in very poor and diftreffed circumftances; fo that nothing is to be concluded from fuch appearances, with refpect to the characters of men as good or bad, and efpecially fince both are brought into a like condition by death, as follows.

of his friends, that they were different from his, that the fentiments of their minds did not agree with his; and though he had fo clearly proved his point, yet he faw by their looks and geftures that what he had faid was not fatisfactory to them; that they did not think it a fufficient confutation of their arguments, and a full anfwer to their objections: and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine againft me; that he was an hypocrite, a wicked man, guilty of crimes, and which they were devifing to produce againft him, and charge and load hirh with, as Eliphaz does in the following chapter; he knew they meant him in all that they had faid concerning wicked men, and their afflictions, and what would.be their portion at death, and after it’; and though they did not name his name, they might as well havei done it, fince he was the rnan they ftruck at in all, particularly in ch. xx. 4, 29.

¥. 28. For ye fay, &c.] Or have faid, or 1 know that ye fay; or that ye are about to fay*; it is in your hearts and minds, and juft ready tocome out of your lips, and what you will fay next: where is the houfe of the princé? of the righteous man, as the Syria¢ and Arabic verfions $ or of the good and liberal man, as others”; of fuch as are of. a princely and ingenuous fpirit, who, are made willing, free, or princes, in the day of the power of the grace of God upon them; and are endowed and upheld with a free and princely fpirit where is the houfe, or what is the ftate and condition of the families of fuch? are they the fame with that of wicked men in the next claufé? is there no diffe-

¥. 26. They foall lie down alike in the duft, &c. Such as have lived and, died in great outward'profperity, or in more unhappy circumftances; thefe are levelled by death, and brought into the ftate and condition; aré laid on dufty beds, where there is no difference between them, their reft together is in the duft; here they dwell, and here they lie and fleep until they are awaked in the morning of the refurrection: and the worms fhall cover them, thefe are the companions alike unto them, and fweetly feed on the one as on the other; the earth is their bed, and worms are their covering; even fuch who ufed to lie on beds of down, and were covered with coverings of filk, have row the fame bed and covering as thofe who ufed to lie on beds of ftraw, and fcarce any thing to cover \rence between the one and the other? according to your way of reafoning, ob, there fhould not be any: or elfe this is to be underftood rather of a fame!lwicked and tyrannical prince, who has built himfelf a ftately palace, which he fancied would continue forever; but where is it now? it lies in ruins; having refpect perhaps to fome noted prince of thofe times: or rather either to ‘fob himfelf, who had been a prince, and the greateft man in all the eaft, but in what condition were his houfe and family now? or elfe to his eldeft fon, whofe houfe was blown down with a violent wind: and where ate the dwelling places of the wicked? of the mighty men before the flood, which are now overthrown by it; or of the king and princes, and nobles, and great men of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain deftroyed by fire and brimftone from heaven; or of Yod, his tent or tabernacle, and the feveral apartments in it; or of the reft of his children and fervants, refpecting rather, as before obferved, the ftate and condition of his family, than his material houfe: thefe queftions are anfwered by putting others.

¥.29. Haveye not afked them that go by the-way? &c.] Did you not afk every traveller you met with on the road the above queftion? notwhich was the way to 7ob’s houfe, which they knew vetf well, but in what condition that and his fons were? or what was the cafe of him and his family? and what was his character? or what was thought of him now fince his unhappy circumftances? and do ye not know their tokens? by which it might be known, in what a plight he and his family were, and what were the. marks, figns, and characters they gave of him: Have ye not afked, &c. the fenfe feems to be this, that if they had not afked, they might and and fhould have afked of travellers the above things relating to himfelf and family, and then they would not have needed to put the above queftion about his houfe and tabernacles; or, if they had. enquired of his charaéter of any travellers, they would have given them it, that he was a generous hofpitable man, a man truly good, ftriétly juft and upright, and not the wicked man and the hypocrite as they had traduced him; for ¥0b’s houfe had been open to {trangers and travellers, and he was well known by them, and they were ready to give him a good character, fee ch.’ xxxi. 32, or, if they had enquired of them concerning the ftately houfes and palaces of wicked men that had lived in times paft, whether there were any of them ftanding; they could have told them they were, and where they were, and given, them fuch figns, and tokens, and fuch proof and evidence of them, they could not deny; and indeed, if they had been enquired of about the thing in controverfy between od and his friends concerning the profperity of the wicked, and the afflictions of the godly, as they by travelling became acquainted with perfons and things, and made their obfervations on them, they could have eafily pointed out aMtances of wicked men living and dying in profperous circumftances, and of good men being greatly afflicted and diftreffed, if not all their days, yet great part of them; and they could have givenduch plain figns and tokens, and fuch clear and manifeft proofs of thofe things, as could not have been gainfaid: and this may be underftood of travellers in a fpiritual fenfe, and who are the beft judges of fuch a cafe, and are travellers through the wildernefs of this world, and pafs through many tribulations in it; and, being bound for another and better country, an heavenly one, are pilgrims, ftrangers, and fojourners here; have no abiding, but are pafling on in the paths of faith, truth, and holinefs, till they come to the heavenly Canaan; if any of thofe who are yet on the road, and efpecially if fuch could be come at who have finifhed their travels, and the queftion be put to them, they would all unite in this do¢trine, which Abraham, the fpiritual traveller is reprefented delivering to the rich wicked man in hell; that wicked men have their good things in this life, and good his way, his courfe of life, is a very wicked one, y¥. 30. That the wicked is referved to the day of deftruétion, &c.) That is, that they are fpared, witheld, reftrained, as the word * fignifies, or kept and preferved from many calamities and diftreffes, which others are expofed unto; and fo are referved, either unto a time of greater deftrudtion in this life, or rather to eterhal deftruction in the world to come;.

which is the fame with the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men, when they will be de- {troyed foul and body, in hell, with an everlafting deftruétion, as the juft demerit of fin; or of that finful courfe of life they live, being the broad way, which: leads to and iffues in deftruction, and for

| which there is a day appointed, when it will take place; and unto that day are the wicked referved, in the purpofe and decree of God, by which they - are righteoufly deftined to this day of evil, and by the power and providence of God, even the fame chains of darknefs, in which the angels are referved unto the fame time, being fitted and prepared for deftruction by their own fins and tranfgreffions; and unto: which they are kept, as condemned malefactors are in their cells, unto the day of execution, they being condemned already, tho’ the fentence is not yet executed; in order to which they fhall be brought forth to the day of wrath; the wrath of God, which is very terrible and dreadful, and is revealed from heaven, againft all unrighteoufnefs and ungodlinefs of men, and is here exprefied in the plural number wraths*, either as denoting both prefent and future wrath; or the vehemency of it, it being exceeding fierce and vehement; and the continuance and duration of it, there will be wrath upon wrath, even to the uttermoft, and for ever; and for this a day is fixed, againft which day wicked men are trea~ {uring up wrath to themfelves, and they fhall be brought forth at the day of judgment, to have it poured forth upon them. This is the true ftate of the cafe with refpect to them, that, though fometimes they are involved in general calamities, as the old world, and the mén of Sodom and Gomorrah; and fometimes good men are delivered from them, as Noah and Lot were, or are taken away by death, from the evil to come; yet for the moft part, generally fpeaking, wicked men efcape prefent calamities and diftreffes, and are not in trouble as other men, but live in eafe and pleafure all their days; neverthelefs, wrath and ruin, and everlafting deftruction will be their portion.

¥. 31. Who fhall declare bis way to bis face? 8c.] Farcht and Aben Ezra think, that Yod here returns to God, and fpeaks of him, as in ver, 22. fignifying, that.no man can or ought to prefume to charge the ways of God in his providence with inequality or injuftice, in {paring the wicked now, and referving them to wrath and deftruction hereafter; fince he is a fovereign Being, and does what he pleafes, and none can hinder him, nor ought any to fay to him, what doft thou? nor does he give an account of his matters to the children of men; but this refpects the wicked man, and defcribes his ftate and condition in this life, as being pofleffed of fuch wealth and riches, and living in fuch grandeur and {plendor, and glory, as to be above the reproof of men; tho”

men their evil things, and particularly would agree and he ought to be told to his face the evil of his way, and the danger he is expofed to by it, and advanced to fuch places of honour what will be the fad confequence of it 3 his relations and friends, his neighbours and acquaintance fhould labour to convince him’ of his evil, and reprove him to his face, and endeavour to reclaim him from it; but how few are there that have courage and faithfulnefs enough’ to do.this, fince they are fure to incur his difpleafure and hatred, and run the rifque of their lives, as fohn Baptift loft his for his faithfulnefs in reproving Herod to his face, for taking to him his brother Péil/ip’s wife? and who foall repay him what be bath done? bring him to an account for his crimes, and_to juft punifhment for thern; who will vente bring a charge again{ft him, or enter an action at law, bring him before a court of judicature, and profecute him, and get judgment paft upon him? as fuch a man is above all reproof for his fins§ he is out of the reach of punifhment for them; he lives with impunity, none can punifh him but God; and being lifted up with his greatnefs, he neither fears God, nor regards man.

YW. 32. Yet fhall be be brought to the grave, &c.| Or and; or yea be foall be brought, &c*. for the meaning is not, that though he is great in life he fhalt be brought low enough at death; for 7od is ftill defcribing the grand figure wicked men make, even at death; ds well as~in life; for he is not only brought to the grave, as all’ men are, it being the houfe appdinted for all living, and every man’s long home; but the wicked rich man is brought thither in great funeral pomp, in great ftate, as the rich finner was buried, £cc/. viii. 10. Luke xvi. 22. or to the graves*, the place where many gfaves are, the place of the fepulchres of his anceftors; and in the chiefeft and choiceft of them he is interred; and has an honourable burial; not eaft into a ditch; or buried with the burial of an afs, as Feboiakim was, being caft forth beyond the gates of the city, Fer. xxiii. 19. and fhall remain in the tomb quiet and undifturbed, when it has been the lot of others to have their bones taken out of their grave, and fpread before the fun, fee Fer. Vili. 1, 2. and even fome good men, who have had their graves dug up, their bones taken out and burnt, and their afhes {cattered about, as was the cafe of that eminent man Fohn Wickliff here in England. ‘The word for tomb fignifies an heap *, and is fometimes ufed for an heap of the fruits of the earth; which has led fome to think of the place of this man’s interment being in the midf t of a corn-field; but the reafon why a grave or tomb is fo called is, becaufe a grave through a body or bodies being laid in it, rifes up higher than the common ground; and if it has a tomb ere¢cted over it, that is no other than an heap of ftones artificially put together; or it may be fo called from the heaps of bodies one upon another in a grave, or vault, over which the tomb is, or where every part of the body is gathered and heaped’; from this fenfe of the word, fome have given this interpretation of the paflage, that the wicked man fhall be-brought to his grave, and abide there, after he has heaped up a great deal of wealth and riches in this world; which though a truth feems not to be intended here, any more than others taken from the different fignification of the word tranflated remain. tis obferved by fome to fignify to baften®, from whence the almond-tree, which haftens to put forth its bloom, has its name, Fer. i. to—12. and and fo give this as the fenfe, that fuch a man being of full age, is ripe for death, and comes to his grave, or heap, like a fhock of corn in its feafon. Othéfs obferve, that it fignifies to watch; and fo in the margin of our. bibles the claufe is put, i Shall watch in the heap’, which is differently interpreted; by fome, that he early and carefully provides himfelf a tomb, as Ab/alom in his life-time fet up a fepulchral, pillar for himfelf; and Shebna therferibe, and Fofeph of Arimathea, hewed themielves fepulchres out of the rock; and others think, the allufion is either.to ftatues upon tombs, as are {till in ufe in our days, where they are placed as if they were watching over the tombs; or to bodies embalmed, according to the cuftom of the Eafiern countries, efpecially the Egyptians, which were fet up erect in'their vaults, and feemed as if they were alive, and there fet to watch the places they were in, rather tham as if buried there; or, according to others, 4e fball be watched, or the keeper foall watch at, or over the tomb®, that the body is not difturbed or taken away; but the fenfe our verfion gives is beft, and moft agrees with the context, and the fcope of it, and with what follows.. ce;

¥. 33. The elods of the valley fhall be fweet unto him, &c.| Whete he hes interred, alluding to places of interment at the bottom of hills, and mountains, and under rocks, in plains and vales, fee Gen. xxxv, 8. and by this ftrong figure is fignified, that the dead wicked man lying in the clods of the valley in his grave, is in great repofe, and in the utmoft eafe and quiet, feels no pains of body, nor has any uneafinefs of mind concerning whatybefals his pofterity after his death, ch. xiv. 21. and every man fall draw after him, as there are innumerable before him; which either refpects the pomp at his funeral,proceffion, vaft numbers. being drawn and gathered together to gaze at it, as is common at/grand funerals; and particularly it may defcribe the multitude that go before the corps, as well as thofe that follow after it; but rather as he is before reprefented as brought to his grave, and laid there, this claufe is added, to denote the univerfality of death, it being common to all; thoufands and ten thoufands,.even a number which no man can number, have gone before him by death into another world, as every man that comes after him muft; and fo this may prevent an objection to the grandeur of a wicked man, that after all he dies; but then death is no other than what is common to all men, to the vaft multitudes that have gone before, and will be the cafe of all that come after, to the end of the world..;

¥. 34. How then comfort ye me in vain, &c.] This is the’conclufion Fob draws from the above obfervations: his friends came to comfort, him, and they took methods for it as they thought, but miferable comforters were they all; what they adminiftered for comfort was in vain, and to no purpofe; nor could any be expected from them, on the plan upon which they proceeded; they fuggefted, he was a bad man becaufe of his Le paitiae an and they exhorted him to repentance and reformation, and then promifed him happinefs and profpefity upon it; which could not be expected, as appeared from the face of things in providence; fince according to the above inftances and proofs, wicked men enjoy profperity, and good men had ufually a great fhare of adverfity: feeing in your anfwers there remaineth falfbocd; all their replies to od were filled with thefe intimations and fuggeftions, that wicked men were only, and always. afflicted; or if they were at any time in profperity, it was * but for a little while; that good men were feldom or never afflicted, at leaft as ob was, or ‘but a little afflicted, and for a little while: now 70d had mie HIS chapter contains the third and laft reply of Eliphaz to Fob, in which he charges him with having too high an opinion of himfelf, of his holinefs and righteoufnefs, as if God was profited by it, and laid thereby under obligation to Finn, whereas he was not, y. 1—3. and as if he feproved and chaftized him, becaufe of his fear of him, whereas it was becaufe of his fins, ¥. 4, 5 ai enumeration of which he gives, as of injuftice, oppreffion, cruelty to the poor, and even of atheifm and infidelity, for which fnares and fears were around him, and various calamities, ¥. 6—14. and compa‘es his way and courfe of life to that of the men of the old world, and the inhabitants of Sodom and Goinorrab, and fuggefts, that his end would be like theiis, unlefs he repented, ¥. 15—20, and then concludes with an exhortation to him to return to God by repentance, and to reform, when he fhould fee happy timés again, and enjoy much outward and inward profperity, and be an inftruinent of doing much good to many, ¥. 21—3o.

y.1. Then Eliphaz the Temaniié anfwered and Jaid.| As Eliphaz was the firft that.entered the lifts with fob, being pethaps the oldeéft nian, and might be reckoned the wifeft, fo he gives the lead in every courfe of difputation; and here inftead of replying to 70’s arguments and inftances, at which he was very angry, betakes himfelf to calumny and reproach, and to draw invidious confequences, inftead of making ufe of folid reaforis for conviction and confutation,

¥.2. Can a man be profitable unto God? &c.] Eliphaz imagined that Yod thought fo, by his infifting fo much on his integrity, and complaining of his afflictions; and that God was beholden to him for his holinefs and righteoufnefs, and that inftead of afflicting him, fhould have heaped honours and happinefs upon him; whereas there is not any thing a man can do, or does, by which God can be profited; which is a Very great truth, though mifapplied to Yob through a wrong conftru€tion of his words and meaning. No man, even the beft of men, and by the beft things they can do, can be profitable to God; as for bad men, they are altogether unprofitable to themfelves, and to others, and ftill lefs profitable to God; and as for good men, their goodne/s extendeth not to the Lord; it comes from him, it is his own previoufly; it is of no avail and advantage to him, - who is perfect and all-fufficient; when they have done all that they are commanded, they are bid to fay, and very truly, proved the contrary to all this, and therefore no confolation could be hoped for from men that held fuch tenets; comfort only {prings from truth, and not falfhood; a man that fpeaks the truths, or delivers out the truths of God’s word, he fpeaks to comfort and edification; but he that brings nothing but error and falfhood, can never be the means and inftrument of true folid comfort to any. Fob having thus fully proved his point, and confuted the notions of his friends; it might have been thought they would have fat down in filence, and made no farther anfwer; but Zipbaz rifes up a a? i time, and makes a reply as follows.

we are unprofitable fervants; they do indeed glorify God, and are the means of others glorifying him by their good works; but then they add no glory to him, which he had not before; they only declare the glory of God by the light of their grace and works, as the heavens and luminaries in therm do by their light and luftre; they worfhip God as they ought to do; but then he is not worfhipped by them as though he needed any thing of them; it is they, and not he, that get by worfhip; it is good for them, and they find their account in it, to draw near to him, and wait upon him, and worfhip him; what are all their prayers and praifes to him? the benefit redounds to themfelves: fome men are very ferviceable to promote the intereft of religion, either by their, purfes, or by their gifts and talents, fitting for public ufefulnefs; but then, what do they give to God but what is his own? of thine own have we given thee, fays David; or what do they do for him? it is for the good of themfelves, and others. Some are ufeful in the converfion of men to God, either by the public miniftry of the word, or in private life by difcourfe and converfation; but then the profit of all this is to men, and not unto God; there is nothing that a man can do, by which he can make God his debtor, or lay him under an obligation to him, which he would, if he could be profitable to him; but whatever he does, it is but his duty, and what God has a prior right unto; and therefore men can merit nothing at the hand of God, no not the leaft mercy; it is by the grace of God a good man is what he is, and does what he does, fee Pf. xvi. 2. Luke xvii. 10. 445 xvii. — 25. 1 Chron. xxix. 14. Rom. xi. 35, 36. the Largum paraphrafes it, can a man teach God? and fo Mr, Broughton; fee ch. xxi. 22. as he that is wife may be profitable unto himfelf? or though, or indeed, truly he that is wife, &c*. A man that is worldly wife, is profitable to himfelf and his family, by gathering wealth and riches; and a man that is wife, and has a large underftanding of natural things, may be profitable to himfelf by enriching his mind with knowledge, increafing the pleafure of it, and getting credit and fame among men by it, and may be profitable to others by communicating his knowledge to them, fee Prov. ix. 12.» Hecl. vii. 11. and one that is fpiritually wife, or has the true grace of God, and wifdom in the hidden part, — which is no other than real godlinefs, gets great gain; for godlinefs is that to him, and is profitable for all things, having the promife of the ie

Ch. xxi, ¥. 3—¢: F O ~B, 351 and future life; and he that has an intereft in Chrift, the wifdom of God, is a happy man indeed, fince he has that, the merchandize of which is better than filver, and the gain thereof than fine gold; one that is wife unto falvation, and is wife profeffor of religion; and walks wifely and circum{pectly, has great advantages; he builds his falvation on the rock Chrift, and is fafe and fure; he is concerned to have the oil of grace, with the Jamp of a profeffion, and fo is always ready to conceit; and if Zliphaz thought ob fuch an one, he was miftaken, fee ch. ix. 20. there are others, who are in a fenfe unblameable in their walk and converfation; that is, are not guilty of any notoalrious crime, but exercife a confcience void of offence towards God and man, walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelefs; and yet this is no gain to God; for what does fuch a man give to him? or what does he receive of his hands? fee ch. xxxv.7. This was indeed Job’s meet the bridegroom; and being careful of his converfation, keeps his garments that his fhame is

cafe and character. ¥. 4. Will-he reprove thee for fear of thee? &c.}.

not feen; and fo a wile minifter of the word, one) That is, chaftize, correct and afflict for fear that that infirués*, or gives inftructions to others, as the word here fignifies; or one that caufes to unhurt fhould be done unto him; no, he will not; for as the goodnefs of men does not profit him,

Kings and civil magiftrates fometimes chaftize offenders, not only to do juftice to them,

¥. 3. Is it any pleafure to the Almighty that thou but through fear of them, leaft if {pared, or con- art righteous? &c.|] It is not; the Lord indeed takes plea(ure in his people, not as finners, but as righteous; and as they are confidered fuch in Chrift, he is well pleafed for his righteoufnefs-fake, and with it, being agreeable to his nature, will and law; and with his people in Chrift, in whom they are accepted, having imputed the righteoufnefs of his Son unto them, and fo they ftand before him unblameable and irreproveable; and he takes pleafure in the work of his own hands upon them, called the good pleafure of his will, in the new man formed after his image in righteoufnefs and true holinefs, in the graces of his Spirit, and in the exercife of them, faith, hope, love, humility, fear of God, &c. it is a pleafure to him to hear their prayers and praifes, and to obferve their ready and chearful obedience to his will; but then all this gives him no new pleafure, or adds any thing to the complacency of his mind; he would have had as much delight and pleafure within himfelf, if there had never been an holy angel in heaven, or a righteous man on earth; he has no fuch plea- - fure in either, as to be made more happy thereby, or fo as to receive any gain or profit from it, as the next claufe explains it. Some render it, that thou juftifiet thyfelf *, or that thou art juft, or feemeft to be righteous to thyfelf'; a felf-righteous perfon is not pleafing to God; it is no pleafure to him when a man feeks for jultification by his own works, or reckons them his righteoufnefs; the Publican that confeffed his fin was rather juftified nived at, they fhould be hurtful to the ftate, and overturn it; but though fin is an act of hoftility againft God, and ftrikes at his being and government, yet he is in no fear of being ruined or dethroned, or of having his government taken out of his hands, and therefore does not chaftize men on that account: or for thy fear™, for thy fear of God, thy piety; or for thy religion, as Mr. Broughton tranflates the word. fod had often fuggefted that good men, fuch that truly feared God, are afflicted by him, and therefore his own affictions were no objection to his charaéter, as a man that feared God, and efchewed evil, ch. i. 1. and in this fenfe Eliphaz ufes the word, ch. iv. 6. and here he intimates, as if according to the notion of Fos, that God afflicted him, and other good men, becaufe they feared him, and which he obferves asa great abfurdity; whereas, on the contrary, he chaftized him for his fins, as the following verfe fhews; but tho’ God does not afflict men for their goodnefs, but for fins, yet they are only fuch that fear him, and whom he loves, that he chaftizes in a fatherly way, fee Hed. xii. 6, 7. will be enter with thee into judgment? that is, will he in reverence to thee, out of refpect to fo great a perfon ({peaking ironically) in condefcenfion to one of fo much confequence, will he regard thy requeft, fo often made, as to come into judgment with thee, and to admit of thy caufe being pleaded before him, and to give the hearing of it, and decide the affair in controverfy? or rather, will he not plead againft thee, and condemn with God, than the Pharifee that applauded. his own righteoufnefs; fuch that are conceited of their thee for thy fins, as follow? in this fenfe it is to be deprecated, and not defired, fee P/- cxliii, 2.

own righteoufnefs, and defpife others, are an offence to God, a fmoke in bis nofe, If: Ixv. 5. Luke be owned it is, it cannot be denied.

y. 5. Is not thy wickednefs great? &c.| It muft Indeed, the xviii. g, 14. for the righteoufnefs of fuch is not real righteoufnefs in the account of God, and according to his law; it. has only the fhadow and appearance of one, but is not truly fo; and befides, to feek righteoufnefs this way, is going contrary to the revealed will of God, to the gofpel-fcheme of juftification by faith in Chrift’s without the works of the law, and is a fetting afide his righteoufnefs, and fruftrating and making null and void the death of Chrift, and therefore can never be pleafing in the fight of God: or is it gain to him that thou makeft thy ways perfeét? no man’s ways are perfect before God, even the beft of men have defeéts in their works, and failings in their walk and converfations: fome mens ways are indeed clean in their own eyes, and perfect in their own wickednefs of every man’s heart is great, it being defperately wicked, full of fin, abounding with it; out of it comes forth every thing that is bad, and the wickednefs of actions is very great: fome fins are indeed greater than others, as thofe againft God, and the firft table of the law are greater righteoufnefs, jthan thofe againft men, or the fecond table; fome are like crimfon and fcarlet, are beams in the eye, whilft others are comparatively as moats; yet all are great, as committed againft God, and as they are breaches of his law; and efpecially they appear fo to fenfible finners, to whom fin is made exceeding finful; and they fee and own themfelves to be the chief of finners, and as fuch intreat for pardon on that account, fee Pf’ xxv. 11. and thine iniquities infinite? ftritly fpeaking, nothing " in-

1 Sy. k DYN 9D quod juttifices te, Junius & Tremellius. 1 Quum juftus es apud teipfum, Schmidt; quod tibi juftus effe videris, Michaelis. m “INP an de religione tua, Junius & ‘T'remellius; ob timorem tuum, fo fome in Drufius; num ob pietatem tuam, others in Michaelis.

be infinite, becaufe committed againit an infinite God, and cannot be fatisfied for by a finite creature, or by finite fufferings, only through the infinite value of the blood of Chrift; here it fignifies, that his iniquities were innumerable", as tome verfions, they were not to be reckoned up they were fo many; or more literally, there is uo end of thine iniquities®, there is no fumming of them up; and it may denote his continuance in them; Eliphaz faggefts, as if Fob lived in fin, and allowed himfelf in it, and was going on in a.courfe of iniquity without end; which was very uncharitable; here he charges him in a general way, and next he defcends to particulars,

¥. 6. For thou baft taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, &c.] It can hardly be thought that it was for nothing at all, on no confideration whatever, or that nothing was lent, for which the pledge was taken; but that it was a {mall trifling fum, and comparatively nothing, not to be fpoken of; or it was borrowed for fo fhort a time, that there needed not any pledge for it, and it was unkind to take it, efpecially of a brother, whether in nature, or in religion, whether a near kinfman, or friend, or neighbour. Some render the words, thou haft taken thy brother, or brothers for a pledge”; them themfelves, their perfons, as a fecurity for what was lent, in order to fell them, and pay off the debt with the money, or detain them as bondmen till it was paid, 2 Kings iv. 1. Matt. xviii. 25. If Elipbaz faid this, and. what follows, only as conjectures, as fome think, or upon fuppofition, concluding from his afflictions that thofe things, or fomething like them, had been done by him; it is contrary to that charity that thinks no ill, and hopes the beft; and if they are pofitive affertions of matters of fact, as they rather feem to be, delivered upon hear-fay, and flender proof; it fhews a readinefs to receive calumnies and falfe accufations againft his friend, and can fearcely be excufed from the charge of bearing falfe teftimony againft him, fince ¥od does in the moft fo-

Jemn manner deny thofe things in ch. xxxi. and

Stripped the naked of their clothing; not fach as were ftark naked, becaufe they have no clothes to be ftripped of; but fuch that were poorly clothed, fcarce fufficient to cover their nakednefs, and preferve them from the inclemencies of weather; thefe were {tripped of their clothing, and being ftripped, were quite naked and expofed, which to do was very crue] and hard-hearted; perhaps it may refpect the fame perfons from whom the pledge was taken, and that pledge was their clothing, which was no uncommon thing, fee Exod. xxii. 26. Deut. XXiv. 13.

¥.7. Thou baft not given water to the weary to drink, &c.) To a weary thirfty traveller, to whom in thofe hot countries cold water was very refrefhing, and which in defert places was not to be had in common, or any where; rich men were poffeffed of their wells and fountains, and were kept for their own ufe, and it was a kindnefs and favour to obtain water of them; and yet a cup of cold water is one of the leaft favours to be given to a poor man, and to deny ithim in diftrefs was very inhuman, and was very far from ¥od’s character: and thou haft withholden bread from the hungry; bread, which ftrengthens man’s heart, and is the finite but God; fins may be faid in fome fenfe to]

‘were bid to depart without giving them have been broken; notin a literal fenle, as if refufing to go out, when their mothers; the d i #JOOPISe 44 and this is not to be withheld from, but given even the charge is, that ob would not give.a poor hungry man a morfel of bread to eat; which muft falfe, being direétly contrary to what he ftrongly y¥. 8. But as for the mighty man, be bad the earth, &c.] A large fhare and portion of its which Jod could not hinder him from the enjoyment of, becaufe mightier than he, or otherwife he would have done it; or 7od was content he: thould have what he had, and gave him more thant what of right belonged to him; for when any caufe came before him as a judge, orcivil magiftrate, between a rich man, and a poorer man, relating to a field, or piece of land, he always gave the caufe to the rich and mighty, and fo he had the land; asis fuggelted: and ibe honourable man dwelt in it; peaceably, quietly, and undifturbed, tho’ he had no juft title to it; or 2b¢ man accepted of face or countenance, who was refpected becaufe of his outward circumftances, wealth and riches, power and authority; and fo 7od is tacitly charged with being a refpecter of perfons in judgment, which was not good; and in general theie phrafes denote partiality in him; that he was favourable to the mighty and powerful, and unkind and cruel to the poor and needy. Some“ underftand all this of Fob himfelf, that because he was the mighty man, or man of arm’, he made ufe of his power and might, and ftretehed out his arm, and graiped and got into his poffeffion, by force and violence, the houfes, and lands, and eftates of others, and became the greateft man in all the eaft, and the earth ina manner was his alone; and becaufe he was refpected for his greatnefs and riches, he was confirmed therein, and dwelt fecurely: or rather, tak~ ing the words in this fenfe, they may be confidered as an aggravation of Fob’s fins, both before and after charged upon him; as that when he was the mighty and honourable man, and though he was fuch, and had it in the power of his hands to do a great deal of good to the poor and needy; yet took a pledge from his indigent brother, ftript thofe that were almoft naked, of their clothing, and would not give a poor weary traveller a cup of water, nor a morfel of bread to an hungry man’; yea, abufed his power and authority which he had, to the oppreffion of the widow’ and fatherlefS, as in the following verfe.

¥.9. Thou haft fent widows away empty, &er Either out of their own houfes, which he fpoiled, and devoured, and ftript, and cleared fall th

Chrift’s time, Ma#t. xxiii. 14. or out of his ow houfe, when they came to him, asa rich’ man, fe charity; as they came to him wanting relief, went away fo; if without food and clothi to feed and clothe them with or if the him as a civil magiftrate to have juftice de and to be delivered out of the hands of preffors, they could not obtain any, but wer miffed without it; low connate ch. 13. and: xxxi. 16. and the arms of ftaff ae life, without which he cannot fappored q to an enemy when hungry; and to deny it to 4 poor neighbour in fuch circumftances, is very cruel 5 were in them, as did the Scribes and Pharife ne.

ee 4 ~: tas Tt awa Ch. xxii. ¥.1 O—13: 3 TF O° B. 353 had their houfes fpoiled, and they fent empty out of them; thefe laid hold on fomething within them, and would not depart, and fo had their arms broken by the mighty man, the man of arms; bur in a metaphorical and figurative fenfe, their fubftance, and goods, and poffeffions, left them by their fathers for their fupport, thefe were taken away from them, and fo they were as impotent and helplefs, as if their arms had been broken; or their friends on whom they relied for their fuftenance, thefe were either ruined, and fo could not help them; or elfe their affections were alienated from them, and would not. This indeed is not exprefsly charged upon od, but it is intimated, that it was done with his knowledge and congent, good-will, and approbation; at leaft that he connived at it, and fuffered it to be done when it was in his power to have prevented it, and_therefore to be afcribed unto him; but how foreign is all this to ‘¥od’s true character, ch. xxix. 12—17. and xxxi. 16—22?

y¥. 10. Therefore fnares are round about thee, &c.

Not what occafion fin, draw into it, and iffue in it, as inward corruptions, the temptations of Satan, and the things of this world, but punithments; becaufe of the above fins charged upon Fob, therefore evils, calamities, and diftreffes of various kinds came upon him, befet him, and encompafled him all around, fo that there was no way left for hini to efcape; it may refer to the Sabeans and Chaldeans feizing on his cattle, and carrying them away; to the fire that fell from heaven upon his fheep, and confumed them; to the great wind that blew down the houfe in which his children were, and deftroyed them; and to the boils and ulcers that were all over his body: and fudden fear troubleth thee; thofe things, at leaft fome of them, were what he feared, and they came fuddenly upon him, and gave him great trouble and diftrefs, ch. iii, 25. and iv. 5, and prefent fear frequently, on a fudden, darted into his mind, and gave him frefh trouble, he was afraid of his prefent forrows, and of farther and future ones, ch. ix. 28. and perhaps E4iphaz might think he was afraid of hell and damnation, and of fudden deftruétion from the Almighty coming upon him, ch. xxxi. 23. fee J/. xxiv. 17, 18.

y. 11. Or darknefs, that thou canft not fee, &c.] &c.] Or darknefs is round about thee, thou art enveloped in it; meaning either judicial blindnefs, and darknefs, and ftupidity of mind, which muft be his cafe, if he could not fee the hand of God upon him, or the {nares that were about him, or was not troubled with fudden fear; or elfe the darknefs of affliction and calamity, which is often fignified hereby, fee J/ viii. 22. Lam. iii. 1, 2. afflictive difpeniations of providence are fometimes fo dark, that a man cannot fee the caufe and reafon of them, or why it is he is brought into them; which was 77od’s cafe, and therefore defires God would fhew him wherefore he contended with him,

. ch, x. 2. nor can He fee, perceive, or enjoy any light of comfort; he is in inward darknefs of foul, deprived of the light of God’s countenance, as well as he is in the outward darknefs of adverfity, which is a moft uncomfortable cafe, as it was this good man’s; nor can he fee any end of the affliction, or any way to efeape out of it, and which were the prefent circumftances Job was in: and abundance of waters cover thee; afflictions, which are frequently compared to many waters, and floods of them, becaufe of the multitude of them, their force and ftrength, the power and rapidity with which they come; and becaufe over-flowing, overbearing, and over-whelming, and threaten with utter ruin and deftruction, unlefs flopped by the mighty hand of God, who only can refift and reftrain them; Liipbaz reprefents Fob like a man drowning, over-flowed with a flood of water, and covered with its waves, and in the molt defperate condition, fee P/: Ixix..1, 2..

¥.12. Is not Godin the height of heaven, &c.] The heaven is high, it has its name from its height, and is noted for it; fome of the heavens are higher than others, as the heaven of heavens, the third heaven, the habitation of angels and glorified faints; and here God dwells, this is the habitation of his holinefs, and the high and holy place he inhabits; his throné is in heaven, in the heaven of heavens is his throne, where he in an efpecial manner manifefts his glory, and the luftre of it; he is not indeed confined here, the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, he is every where; yet this is his court and palace, where his refidence and retinue be, and angels behold his face, and wait upon him; and becauie this is the principal feat of his majefty, it becomes one of his names, Das. iv. 26. Luke xv. 18. and the words here will bear to be rendered, 7s not God the height of the heavens'? or, asthe Vulgate Latin verfion, bigher than the heavens? he is above them, more exalted than they, being the Creator of them, fee Hed. vii. 26. and behold the height of the fiars, how high they ares or the head or top of the fiars", which Ben Gerfom interprets of the fupreme orb, or that high and vatt {pace in which the fixed ftars are, or the higheft of them, which are at the greateft diftance; according to Mr.. Huygens”, a cannon-ball difcharged would be 25 years in paffing from the earth to the Sun, from Fupiter to the Sun 125 years, from Saturn 250, and from the Suz to the Dog/tar 691,600 years; and if therefore it would be fo long going to the neareft of the fixed ftars, how great muft be the diftance of them from our earth, which are fo much higher than the Dogffar, as that is from the Suz? But, though thefe are fo exceeding high, yet God is higher than they, fee Jf xiv. 13, 14. the truth contained in thefe words, was what both Eliphaz and ob were agreed in, let them be fpoken by which they will, fome afcribing them to the one, and fome to the other; from whence Elipbaz reprefents 7ob drawing an inference very impious, blafphemous and atheiftical.

y¥. 13. And thou faye, how doth God know?, &c.] What is done on earth, the works of the children of men, their finful actions, when he dwells at fuch a diftance, and fo remote from the earth, as the height of the ftars, and higheft heavens be; not that Yod faid this exprefsly with his lips, but in his heart; E/iphaz imagined and fuppofed that fuch was the reafoning of his mind; it was an invidious confequence he had drawn from what fob had faid concerning the afflictions of the godly, and the profperity of the wicked; which he interpreted as a denial of the providence of God, as if he had no regard to human affairs, but things concluded, that Fob was led into thefe fentiments by the ceafideration of the diftance of God from without any regard to right or wrong; and he!

ed men have trodden?| The evil way that wicked — men have walked in ever fince man apoftatized from God, the way of Cain and his detcendants, the earth; that dwelling in the higheft heavens, who were of the wicked one, and lived wicked he could not, and did not fee what was done here, and therefore men might commit al] manner of fin with impunity; that their fins would never be taken notice of, or they be called to an account for them; which are the very language and fentiments of the moft abandoned ot men, fee Pf x. 11,44. and Ixxiiis 11,12. and xciv. 5—10. Ezek. ix. 9. can be judge through the dark clouds? if he can’t fee and know what is done, he can’t judge of it, whether it is good or bad, and fo can neither juttify nor condemn an aétion. By the dark cloud is not meant the matter, or corporal ‘mafs, with which man is covered, as a Jewi/o commentator * -interprets it; rather the cloudy air, or atmofphere around us; or that thick darknefs in which Jehovah dwells, clouds and darknefs being around him, Pf. xcvii. 2. but all this hinders not his fight of things done here below; what is thick darknefs to us, is pure light to him, in which alfo he is faid to dwell, and with which he covers himfelf as with a garment; and the darknefs and the light are both alike to him, he can fee and judge through the one as well as the other.

y. 14. Thick clouds are a covering to him that he feeth not, &c,.| Thus%od is made to tpeak, or to rea~ fon as atheiftical perfons, or fuch who are enclined to atheifm would, who take God to be altogether fuch an one as themielves; as that becaufe thick clouds hide objects, as the fun, and moon, and ftars, from their fight, therefore they muft hide men and their actions from the fight of God; whereas there is nothing between God and man to hide them from him, let them be what they will, clouds as thick and as dark as can be imagined, yet his eyes are upon the ways of man, and fees all his goings, nor is there any darknefs that can hide from him, ch. xxxiv. 21, 22. and he walketh in the circuit of beaven; within which he keeps himfelf, and never looks down upon the earth, or takes any notice of what is done there; quite contrary to Py. xiv. 3. and xxxiii. 13, 14. as if he only took his walks through the fpacious orb of heaven, and delighted himfelf in viewing the celeftial manfions, and the furniture of them, but had no regard to any thing below them; whereas, though he walks in the circuit of heaven, he alfo fits upon the circle of the earth, J xl. 22. Evipbaz feems here to afcribe the fentiments, perhaps of the Zadbians in former times, to od, and fince adopted by fome philofophers; that God only regards the heavenly bodies, and fupports them in their beings, and regulates and directs their motions,*and leaves all things below to be governed and influenced by them, as judging it unworthy of him to be concerned with things on earth. Indeed the earth, and the inhabitants of it, are unworthy of his notice, and care, and of his providential vifits, but he does humble himfelf to look upon things on earth as well as in heaven, P/. viii. 4. and cxiii. 6. to make Job reafon after this Epicurean manner, was doing great injuftice to his character, who moft firmly believed both the Being and Providence of God, and that as extending to all things here below, fee ch. xii. 13—25, lives and converfations; ‘be way of the old world, as Mr. Broughton renders the phrafe here, the imagination of the thoughts of whofe hearts was evil, and that continually; who filled the earth with rapine and violence, and all flefh corrupted their way with all manner of inipurity and wickednefs, and indulged themfelves in the gratification of

‘their fenfual lufts; and pleafures; and were, as the apoftle Peter calls them, she world of the ungodly, and here, men of wickedne/s, or iniquity’; fach who gave themfelves up to it, and were immerfed in it; thefe trod the paths of fin, and made it’a beaten road; they frequented this way, they walked continually in it; their life was a feries and courte of iniquity, in which they obftinately perfifted, and proceeded from evil to evil, to more and more ungodlinefs. Now Yod is afked if he had marked” this their way and courfe of life; the evil of their way fhould have been marked, in order to avoid it; it being an old way, fhould not recommend. tt; and the end of it, which was fudden ruin and deftruction, fhould be marked to deter from it: but it is fuggefted, that 7od kept in this way, and obferved it himfelf, and walked in it; for the words may be rendered, truly thou keepeft the old way, or the way of the world*; trod in'the fteps of wicked men, was a clote follower of them, and companied with them; in like manner is ¥od charged by kibu, ch. xxxiv. 7, 8. and this fenfe agrees with what goes before,

¥. 16. Which were cut down out of time, 8c. ] Sent out of time into eternity, time being no more with men, and they no longer in time, when death feizes upon them; or defore time*, before the common term of life, which. according to the courfe of nature, and human probability, they might have arrived unto: as this is fpoken of the men of the old world that lived’ before the flood, when the lives of men were very long; it is highly probable there were many that were deftroyed by the general deluge, who had it not been for chat might have lived many hundreds of years accord. ing to the ufual courfe: or without time’, without any delay, fuddenly, at once, at an unawares; for though they had notice of the flood, they did not regard it, but lived carelefs and fecure; and it came upon them without any farther warning, and {wept them away, when they were cut down, as. trees by the ax laid to the root of them, to which wicked men in great power, and flourifhine circumftances are fometimes compared, Pf, <XXVii. 35, 36. or like grats by the fcythe, which it is noe able to refift, and to which all men are like for their numbers and weaknefies, and who are cut down by death as eafily as the grafs is by the mower, fee Pj. XXxvii. 1,2. and xc. 5, 6. Some render it wrinkled‘, as in ch. xvi. 8. as bodies when dead are, and efpecially fuch as are drowned, and have been long floating in the water, as thofe that perifhed by the flood were, for to fuch the words have re as appears by what follows: whofe foundation was overflown with a flood, either of water, or of fire and brimftone, as Farchi obferves; the former is moft likely to be meant; for by the flood, or unj- verfal deluge, all that was thought firm and permanent, and might be called a foundation, was overflown and carried away, as houfes, goods, furniture, wealth and riches, and every thing that men had a dependance upon for the fupport and comfort of life; yea, the earth itfelf, on which they dwelt,.and was reckoned ¢erra firma, this being founded upon, and over the waters; or, as the apottle Peter deicrbes it, it fanding cut of the water and in the water, 2 Pet. iii. 5, 6. or their foundation was a flood poured out*; what they thought were folid, and firm, and durable, and built their hopes of happinefs upon, were like a flood of water, poured, diffipated ana fcattered, and which difappeared and came to not:.ing: and fuch is every foundation that a man builds his hope, efpecially of eternal happinefs upon, fhort of Chrift, the only fure foundation laid in Zien, his perfon, grace, blood, and righteouinefs; every thing elfe, let it feem ever fo firm, is as fand, yea as water, as a flood of water that {preads itlelf, and quickly comes to no- ye 17. Which faid unto God, depart from us, &c.} Chufing not to be admonifhed of their fins, nor be exhorted to repentance for them, nor be inftructed by him in the way of their duty, nor to attend the worfhip and ordinances of God, nor be under his rule and government; the fame is obferved by Fob of wicked men, but to a different purpofe; he makes this to be the language of {uch who were in very profperous circumiftances, and continued in them, notwith{tanding their impieiy;. here by this Elipbaz defcribes {uch perfons who were cut off, and deftroyed for their wickednefs, fee ch, xxi. 14. and what can the Almighty do for them? that is, for us; for thefe.are either the words of the wicked continued, being fo felf-fufficient, and full of good things, having as much, or more than heart can with, that they ftood in no need of any thing from God; nor could they imagine they fhould receive any profit and advantage from him, by liftening to his inftructions, or obeying his will; they had fuch low and mean thoughts of God, that he would neither do them good nor. evil; they expected no good from him, and feared no ill at his hands, they afcribed all the good things they had to their own care, induftry, and diligence; and when any ill befel them, they attributed it to chance, and fecond caufes, thinking nothing of God: as thefe are the words of Elipbaz, they may be rendered, what has the Almighty done to them, or againft them* 2 what injury has he done them, or ill-will has he fhown them, that they fhould treat him in fo contemptuous a manner? fo far from it, that he has beftowed abundance of good things on them, as follows, fee Fer. li. 5.

y¥. 18. Yet be filled their boufes with good things, &c.} With temporal good things, with this world’s good, with plenty of providential goodnefs; earthly enjoyments are good things in them{elves, and in their effects, when rightly ufed, and thef= wicked men have.their fhare of; this is their portion, they have their good things in this life, and a large abundance of them oftentimes; theif hearts are filled with food, and fhould be with’ gladnefs and thankfulnefs; their bellies are filled with hidden treafures; their out-houfes with corn and wheat, and fuch like fruits of the earth; their fhops with all manner of goods, their dwelling-houfes with gold and filver, with rich furniture, and all precious fubftance; and all this is from God, every good gift comes from him; the earth is full of his goodnefs; though thefe men fay, what can the Almighty do for them? this fhows, that what they have they arenot deferving of; and what is beftowed upon them is not from any merit in them, but according to the fovereign will and pleafure of God; and this is an aggravation of their wickednefg, that notwithitanding he has loaded them with his benefits, and indulged them with fuch a plenty of good things, yet they fpurn at him, rebel againft him, and bid him depart from them; which condué@ of theirs, L/iphaz expreffles his abhorrence of: but the counfel of the wicked is far from me; fach impious reafonings, and wicked practices, he was far from juftifying; he had them in the utmoft deteflation, and could not but abhor fuch vile ingratitude; he makes ufe of Fod’s words, ch. xxi. 16. which he thought he could do to better purpofe, and with greater fincerity.

¥. 19. The righteous fee it, and are glad, &c.]} Not the counfel of the wicked, nor their outward profperity, but their ruin and deftru€tion, which is ure and certain; though it may fometimes feem to linger, it is often public and vifible to the view of every man, being made public examples, fee Pf. xci. 8. and which is matter of joy and gladnefs to truly good and righteous men; who have the righteoufnefs of Chrift on them, his grace in them, and in confequence of that live foberly, righteoufly and godly; thefe rejoice at the vengeance of God on wicked men, P/. lii. 5, 6, 7. and Iviii. 10. not that the mifery of their fellow-creatures is pleafing to them as fuch; this would be brutifh and inhuman, as well as contrary to the grace of God, and to their character as good men, and alfo would be difpleafing to God, Prov. xxiv. 17, 18. but partly becaufe they themfelves, through the grace and goodnefs of God, have been kept from fuch fins as bring. to ruin and deftruction; and partly becaufe they are delivered out of the hands of thefe wicked men, who were diftreffing to them; and chiefly becaufe of the glory of the divine perfections, particularly the holinefs and juftice of God difplayed herein; for God is known and glorified by the judgments which he executeth, fee P/- ix. 16. Rev. xviii. 20. and xix. 1, 2, 3. and the inno~ cent laugh them to fcorn; fuch as are upright and fincere, live holy and harmlefs lives and converfations, tho’ not entirely free from fin; thefe deride them for their impieties, and obferve to them the juftnefs of the divine judgments upon them. The JFewifh writers, many of them ‘, reftrain thefe words to Noab and his fons, who faw with theireyes the flood that deftroyed the world of the ungodly, and rejoiced at it, and had them in their turn in derifion, who had made a mock at Noab’s building of the ark, and at his exhortations to them $ but tho” the characters of righteous and innocent agree with Noah, who was jutt and perfect in his generation, yet not with all his fons; and it is beft to under- {tand this of good men in general; though it muft be obferved.and owned, that the deftruction of the wicked by the flood, is before {poken of, and their character defcribed. The word /aying is by fome fupplied at the clofe of this verfe, and fo the following words are what the righteous are reprefented as faying, upon fight of the deftruction of the wicked.

¢ f]ND’ PSY M43 fendamentum eorum ut flumen diffluxit, Tigurine verfion; fluvius effufus fundamentum eorum, Co- aefs to draw nigh unto God, until he calls and invites them’ to take with them words, and return unto him; an acquaintance with God is not kept up when prayer before him is reftrained; which Eliphaz charges ‘Job with, ch. xv. 4. and, when faints forfake the affembling of themfélves together, or neglect public worlhip, or grow indifferent to it; and it is renewed again by prayer, and. afieth attendance on the above things; in which frequent vifits are made between God and his people, mutual fecrets communicated, a holy freedom, familiarity, and boldnefs contracted, and communion with God enjoyed: men may alfo acquaint themfelves with him yet more and more by. the contemplation of his works, by reading and hearing his word, and by converfation with good men, minifters, and others. The Jews commentators " generally interpretit, u/¢ or accufiom thy- Jelf with him, to watk in his ways, and obferve his commands: and be at peace; not make his peace with God, which a ¢reature cannot do; only 7o0d’s living Redeemer could do that, and he has done it; but be eafy and ftiill under the afflicting hand of God, quietly fubmit to it, and patiently endure it, and not murmur atit; or, as Aven Ezra interprets it, as a promife of God, thou fhalt be in peace, or thou foalt have peace; all outward profperity and happinefs, which is often fignified by this word; or inward peace of mind, which comes from God, and through an acquaintance with him, and from Chrift,his blood, righteoufnefs,and facrifice,by whom the acquaintance with God is opened and maintained; and it is had in a way of duty, in attendance on the ordinances of God, which are paths of peace; and alfo eternal peace hereafter, when acqaintance with God will be no more dropped, nor interrupted, but continue for ever: thereby good foall come unto thee, temporal good things, neceflary and ‘conve nient, the promife of which is annexed to godlinefs, or an acquaintance with God; {piritual good things, the bleffings of grace, all things pertaining to life and godlinels, and eternal good things; that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, which afflictions speaceably and patiently borne, work for, and bring unto,

WY. 22. Receive, I pray thee, the law from bis mouth, &c.| Not the law of Mojess - for it isa queftion whether that was as yet, or could come to the knowledge of ¥ob; rather any doétrine, as the word fignifies, any revelation of the mind and wilt of God, made unto the patriarchsin former times, and which was handed down from oneto another, and was to be received as coming from the mouth of God, not as the word of man, but as the word of God; and as fuch to be received with meeknefs and and reverence, with readinefs, chearfulnefs, and gladnefs; and not only to be attended to but obeyed: and lay up his words in thine heart; as a rich treafure, very valuable, and preferable to gold, filver, and precious ftones, laid up in chefts and cabinets becaufe of their value, and that they might not be loft, but be preferved fafe and fure, and that they might be come at, and made ufe of on proper Moye as the words of DH oa trines of the {criptures may be, againft the tempta~ tions of Satan, the lufts ve the Heth, and for the’ inftruction of ourfelves and others; and therefore’ men walk before him, and have fellowfhip with him: this is fometimes interrupted and dropped a while, through temptation or fin; when there arifes on account thereof, a fhynefs and backwardfhould be retained in our minds, hid in our hearts, — for and dwell richly in us; and, unlefs they are in the heart, and have a place there, they will be of little avail to have them in the head or on the tongue § y. 20. Whereas our fubftance is not cut down, &c.] As your’s is; Noch and his family were preferved in the ark, and the creatures with him, and fuficient fuftenance was laid up for them all, when every thing relating to the wicked was deftroyed: but this, may be thought too reftrictive, as well as what follows too fubtle, that this fhould refpect the human fpecies not being cut down and utterly de. ftroyed in the flood, but preferved in and reftored by Noab and his family; it may perhaps by thought better to interpret thefe words as the words of E iphaz and his friends, joining with the righteous and the innocent, putting themfelves in their number, and rejoicing, with them at the deftruction of the wicked, and as having a particular regard to 700’s cafe, and the difference between him and them; his fubftance being cut down, and he ftripped of all; whereas they were not deprived of their’s, but it continued with them, and they in the full poffeffion of it; the reafon of which difference was, he was a wicked man, and they righteous and innocent; but by others, who alfo take them to be the words of the righteous triumphing over the wicked, they are rendered thus; is not be cut off that rofe up againft us®2 Our enemy and adverfary, he is no more, he can do us no more hurt, and we are delivered out of his hand: but zhe remnant of them the fire confumes, which Aben Ezra, Ben Gerfom, and others, interpret of the deftruétion of Sodom and Gomorrab, and the other cities, by fire; which would have had fome-appearance of truth, if the deftruction had been of the whole world, and as general as the flood was, or more fo, and had cleared the world of the remnant of the ungodly, whereas it was only of a few cities: rather it may be, Eliphaz glances at the cafe of Fob, as different from him and his friends, that when their fubftance was untouched, the remnant of ¥0b’s was confumed by fire; what were left by the Chaldeans and Sabeans, were deftroyed by fire from heaven; though if it could be thought that Elipbaz had knowledge of the general conflagration at the laft day, and had that in view, it would afford a better fenfe; but it may be he does not mean material, but metaphorical fire, the fire of divine wrath, which will confume the wicked, root and branch, and leave them nothing.

y. 2 t. Acquaint now thyfelf with him, and be at peace, &c.] Not with the righteous and innocent, but with God, as the following verfes fhew: from fevere charges and cenfures, Elipbaz proceeds to advice and exhortations, and feems to be in a better temper, and to talk in a more kind and gentle manner, only he goes upon a falfe fuppofition and miftaken notion, that 70d was a bad man; had he had a proper object to have directed his difcourfe to, it would have been excellently faid; and as it is, is not without its ufe: this firft exhortation fuppofes unacquaintance with God, and an eftrangednefs from him; which is the cafe of every man from the womb, and ina fate of nature and unregeneracy. Acquaintance with God begins at converfion, when he is made known, not only as the God of nature and providence, but as the God of grace and peace in Chrift; and it is carried on by ptayer, which, is a converfe with God, and by attendance on his worfhip and ordinances, in which

5 49¢°D IMDING CON wnnonextcinditur qui infurgit contra nos, Schmidt, Michaelis: —® Aben Ezra, Ben Gerfom, Bar Tzemach, nit ee | but if they come-with power into the heart, - have a place there, they work effectually, and,influence the life and. converfation: thefe Yo>, had; and hada great value for them;. fee ch. vi. 10. andthe golden rivers, from whence the gold of Ophir was; and it is notorious from. hiftorians, as Strabo” and others, that’gold-is taken out of rivers; and efpecially from. the writers of the hiftory of the

¥. 23. If thou return to the Almighty, &c. Which fuppofes a departure from him 5. and that is by finning againft him, which fhould be repented of, confefied, and pardoning grace and mercy. be implored, by all thofe that have back-flidden, and return to. God; to which they are encouraged by] his being the Almighty, who has power to forgive fins; alfoco caufe all grace to abound, and to fave to» the uttermoft; he is not.a\God that is prayed and returned to, that cannot fave, or whofe hand is fhortened,’ or hisear heavy; the word is Which fignifies, who is /uficient, all-{ufficient whofe grace is fufficient to reftore and receive backfliders, pardon their fins, accept their perfons, fupply their wants, and preferve them fafe to his kingdom and glory: thou fhalt be buiit up; reftored to his former happinefs, have all his breaches repaired and made up; bis body, which was like a building out of repair and dropping down, become hale and healthful; his family, which was in a ruinous condition, being deprived of his children as well as fubftance, be increafing again through a like number of children; by which means families built up, Ruthiv- 16. and by having a large affluence of good things, abundantly greater than he had before; and alfo ina fpiritual fenfe, be edified, and built up in his foul, through the light of God’s countenance, the difcoveries of his love, the comforts of his fpirit, an application of precious promifes, and divine truths, and aj communication of grace, and the bleffings of thou foalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacle 3 not commit it himfelf, nor connive at it in others, nor fuffer it in his family, fuggefting, as if he had fo done in times paft; or remove men of iniquity, wicked men, from his houfe, and not allow them) to dwell there; though rather this feems to be fpoken by way of promife, and as an encouragement| d to return. to the Almighty; upon which all evils and calamities, the effects of fin and iniquity, fhould be removed from his houfe, and the apartments of it, they were now full of.

¥.24. Then foalt thou lay up gold as duff, &c. Have fuch plenty of-it,-as not to be counted: the gold of Ophir as the jiones of the brooks; which was reckoned theibeft, probably in dradia; notin the Raft and Weft- Indies, which were not known tojof Fob; though fome take this to be an exhortation to defpife riches, and as a diffuafion from covetoufnefs, rendering the words, put gold upon the duff, or earth’, and trample upon it, as athing not efteemed by thee, as Sephorno interprets it; make no more account of it than of the duft of the earth; ‘let it be like dirt unto thee, and among the fiones of the brooks, Ophir“; that is, the gold of reckon no\more of it, though the choiceft gold, than the ftones of the brook; or thus, put gold for duft, and the gold of Ophir for the flint of the -efteem it no more than the duft of the earth, or fiint-ftones; the latter claufe I fhould: chufe rather ‘to render, and fora flint the rivers of Ophir, Wy. 25. Yea, the Almighty foall be thy defence, &c.} In temporal. things, fecure the plenty of gold: and filver~ poffefled of; furround and protect. by his providence, that there fhall be no danger of the Sadeans and Chaldeans, or others, breaking in and tealing it away; and in fpirituals, preferve from all enemies, fin, Satan, and the world; be a wall of fire about him, his fortrefs, his tower, and place.of defence; or keep him as in a garrifon,thro’ faith unto falvation; or, as others render the words, and let the haddai,| Almighty be, or he fhall be thy gold, or golds °; all thy;)gold, the fame word. being ufed, as in the preceding verfe; treat earthly riches, gold and filver, with contempt, and reckon God to be thy trueft riches; efteem him as gold, and more precious than that, and put thy confidence in him; his grace is compared to gold, for its luftre, value, and duration, and is. more precious than gold that perifheth, Rev. iii. 18. 1Pet. i. 7. the righteoufnefs of Chrift is, ior its excellency, called the gold of Opdir, and cloathing of wrought gold, P/- xlv. 9. 13. and he himfelf is much more precious than. the gold of are)Opéir, and the gain that comes by him, than fine gold, Cant. v.11. Prov. ili. 14, 15. the doctrines of the grace of God are comparable to gold, filver, and precious ftones; yea, to be preferred unto them, 4 Cor. iii, 12. Pf xix. 11. and cxix. 72. Prov, viii. 10. God is inftead of all riches to his people; and. they that have an intereft in him, fhare in the riches of grace, and are entitled to the it:)riches of glory; all are theirs: and thou foalt have plenty of filver; or God thall be, or let bim be to thee filver of firexgth”; or inftead of filver, which is the ftrength of. men, in which they confide for bufinefs or war; but God is to his people infinitely more than what filver or gold can be to them. y¥.26. For then fhalt thou have thy delight in tke mighty, &c.] In the perfections of his nature, in the works of his hands, in his word and worfhip, in communion with him, and in the relation he {tands in to his people as their covenant-God and father 3 this would be the cafe when ‘fod fhould be) more and better acquainted with God, and with andj the law or doctrine of his mouth, and the words of his lips, and fhould return unto him with his whole heart 5 and when his affections fhould be taken off all earthly riches; when he fhould look upon gold as duft, and the gold of Ophir as the ftones of, the brook, and God fhould be to him his gold and his filver; then and not till then could he have true delight and complacency in God: and /halt lift up thy face unto God; in prayer, as Sepborno interprets it, with an holy confidence, boldnefs,\ and chearfulnefs; asa believer in Chri? may, having Opbir,)on his righteoufnefs, and having his heart {prinkled from an evil confcience by his blood; fuch a one.can appear before God, and lift up his face to brooks';\ him, as without fpot, fo without confufion, fhame, a:)and blufhing, without a load of guilt upon him, without fear of wrath or punifhment, and of being or' repulfed; fee ch. xi. 15.

¥.275 73 “by Sy Mt") pone aurem fuper pulverem Codurcus; in pulvere attrom, Cocceius; abjice humi aurum, Beza; fo po ae 78 ‘ KON E73 wy} & inter faxa torrentium Ophir, Codurcus.! Pro rupe aurom

¥. 24. Thou foalt make thy prayer unto him, &c. | To God, and him only; for not acreature, angels or men, are to be prayed to; and this is to be done in a fupplicating, intreating way, as the word fignifies; not pleading merit but mercy, not prefenting prayers and fupplications for a man’s own righteoufnefs-fake, but for the Lord’s mercy’s-fake, and for the fake of Chrift and his righteoufnefs; and prayer is to be made in this manner frequently, to be multiplied, as the word alfo fignifies; prayer fhould be made always, and without ceafing; and this is not only a duty, but a privilege; and as fuch is it here obferved, even as a benefit and bleffing to be enjoyed; as it is when a man can come to God as his father through Chriff the mediator, with boldnefs and confidence, in the faith of him, and to God as ona throné of grace; where he may find grace and mercy to help him in time of need, and efpecially it is fo when attended with the fuccefs following: and he fhall hear thee, as he does hear thofe that pray to him in the name of Chriff, in the exercife of faith, and in the fincerity and uprightnefs of their hearts; and anfwers their requetts, ful- mind, and he prayed in faith for; he fhould have’ it; as Elias prayed, both thatit might not rain, and’ that it might rain, and both were according to his: word, or the decree of his lips in prayer; fee 1 Kings xvii. 1. Fam. v.17, 18. and the light fhall foine upon thy ways; which is the reafon of all things profpering and fucceeding, and being eftablifhed according to his wifh and will; the light of grace fhining in him, to put him upon, and inftruét him in denying and avoiding that which is finful, and doing that which was juft and good; and the light of the word without him, being a light unto his feet, and a lamp to his paths, to guide‘and direét him, and efpecially the light of God’s favour and blefling on him, fucceeding him in all his ways and works, and making them profperous. frezs

¥. 29. When men are caft down, &c.] Wicked men are brought down froma ftate of profperity to a ftate of adverfity, are in low circumftances, great {traits and difficulties: shen thou fhalt fay, there is lifting up; that is, for himfelf and his;;when others, are in adverfity, he fhould be in profperity; when others are caft down, into a very low eftate, and di- fils their defires; and gives them. what they afk of {treffed condition, he fhould be exalted to avery high him; for he is a God hearing prayer, and fooner or later, in his owh time and way, grants the petitions of his people: and thou fhalt pay thy vows; the facrifices of praife and thank{giving which he promifed to offer up to God, fhould he grant him the defires of his heart; and thefe being granted, he would be laid under obligation to perform his promifes; fo that this alfo is to be confidered as a benefit and bleffing; for it does not fo much regard the payment of vows, as it is defigned to obferve to him, that he fhould have that done for him which would bea fufficient ground and reafon for paying his vows, or making good what he promifed in the time of his diftrefs; fince whatvhe then requefted, and was the condition of his vow, fhould now be granted; fee Pf lvi. 12, 13. andIxvi. 13, 14.

* 28. Thou fhalt alfo decree a thing, and it fhall be eftablifbed unto thee, &c.] Strictly fpeaking this is only true of God, whofe decrees are unfruftrable, whofe counfel fhall ftand, and the thoughts of his heart be eftablifhed to all generations; and. frequently fo it is, according to an ufual faying, man appoints, but God difappoints: this may be underftood of Fob, either as a civil magiftrate, that he fhould decree a thing in a court of judicature with fo much wifdom and equity, that it fhould ftand firm and fure, and, though made on earth, fhould be ratified in heaven, as the decrees and doctrines of the apoftles of Chrift are faid to be, Matt. xvi. 19. fee Prov. viii. 15. Or, as a private “man in civil affairs, fignifying that he fhould be fo guided by the Lord, and profpered and fucceeded in all his ways and works; that what he determined to do, and formed a fcheme for the execution of, it fhould be brought about and confirmed; he committing his ways to the Lord, his thoughts fhould be eftablifhed, or his purpofes and defigns effected, fee P/.i. 3. Prov. xvi. 3. or rather as a praying man; and fo it agrees with what goes before, that he fhould lift up his face to God, and pray unto him with fuccefs,. and have juft occafion to praife eftate, and be in affluent circumftances, fee P/- cxlvii. 6. or elfe the fenfe is, when thou and thine, and what belong to thee, are humbled and brought low, then thou mayeft promife thyfelf a reftoration and change for the better; and. boldly fay, they will be lifted up, and raifed up again, fince God’s ufual method is to exalt the humble, and to abafe the proud, Luk, xiv. 11. or rather, this may re- {pect the benefit and advantage that humble perfons would gain by ‘0b, and his prayers for them, and may be rendered and interpreted thus; when they bave humbled* themfelves, and bowed themfelves low at thy feet, and efpecially before God, then thou fhalt fay pray unto God for them, -that there may be a lifting up, raifing them up out of their low, eftate, and thou fhalt be heard: and he fhail fave the humble perfon; that is low of eyes*, humble in his eyes; who is fo preffed with troubles and diftrefs, that he hangs down his head, looks upon the ground, and will not lift up his eyes, but is of a dejeéted countenance; or that is low in his own eyes, has humble thoughts of himfelf, efteems others better than himfelf, and lies low before God under a fenfe of his finfulnefs and unworthinefs, and cafts himfelf entirely upon the grace and mercy of God; {uch a one he faves in a fpiritual fenfe, out of his troubles and afflictions; he does not forget the ery of fuch-humble ones, but remembers them, and grants their defires: and he faves the lowly and humble with a fpiricual and eternal falvation; gives more grace unto them, and, and meetens them for glory, and at laft gives glory irfelf; raifes them on high to fit among princes, and to inherit the throne of glory; the meek fhall inherit the earth, the new heavens and earth, wherein dwelleth righteoufnels, Fam. iv. 6. Matt. v. ey y¥. 30. He fhall deliver the ifland of the innocent, &c.] But where is there fuch an ifland, an ifland of innocent perfons? it feems to be better rendered by others, ¢he innocent fhall deliver the ifland': good men are fometimes, by their counfel and advice, and efpecially by their prayers, the means of him, or pay his vows to him, fince he fhould have the defires of his heart; whatever was upon his delivering an ifland or country from ruin and def{truction: but the word rendered ifland is ane- yy me demiffam ee Dd NO?)

gative particle, asin 1 Sam, iv. 21. Prov. xxxi. 4. and fignifies wot; and fo in the Targum; which is ** a man that is not innocent fhall be delivered:” in like manner Yarchi interprets it, and fo do No and others"; and the fenfe is, that od, for he is the perfon {poken of, as appears from the following claufe, fhould not only be beneficial by his ers, to humble and good men, but even to the wicked, fuch as were not innocent and free from fault and punifhment, but guilty, and obnoxious to and his prayers: and it is, or be is delivered by the purene/s of thine bands, either by his good works, fetting a good example, which being followed, dius'| would be the means of the prevention of prefent ruin; or by his lifting up pure and holy hands in prayer to God for a finful people; which God pray-joften attends to and hears, and fo delivers them from deftruction; as the I/raclites were delivered through the prayer of Mo/es, when they had made the golden calf, and worthipped it; fee Pf. evi.

wrath and ruin; and yet fuch fhould efcape it, at leaft for the prefent, thro’ the prayers and interceffion of Fob; or God fhould do this for 7od’s fake

33- though fometimes God will not admit of an interceflor tor fuch perfons, Ezek, xv. 1.

be pi IS and the following chapter contain Yod’s jgreatnefs of his afflictions, they being intolerable, reply to the laft oration of E/iphaz; in this he firft declares his prefent forrowful eftate and condition, ¥. 1, 2. wifhes he knew where to find God, as a judge fitting on a throne, before whom he might lay his caufe, and plead it, and have his judgment and final decifion paffed upon it; when he doubted not but he would deal favourably with him, and both admit him and ftrengthen him, to plead his own caufe, and would acquit him for ever from the charges laid againft him, ver. 37. in order to which he fought for him every-where, but could not find him, but contents himfelf with this, that God knew his way; and that, after trial of him, he fhould fhine like pure gold, and appear to be no apoftate from him, but one fincerely obedient to his commands, and a true lover of his word, ver. 8—12. and as for his afflictions, they were the refult of the unalterable purpofes and appointments of God: but what gave him the greateft uneafinefs was, that there were more of that fort yet to come, which filled him with fears and faintings, with trouble and darknefs, ver. 13—17.

y¥. 1. Then Job anfwered.and faid, &c.] In reply to Eliphazx; for though he does not direct his difcourfe to him, nor take any notice of his friends; yet, as a proof of his innocence, againft his and their accufations and charges, he defires no other than to have his caufe laid before God himfelf, by whom he had no doubt he fhould be acquitted; and, contrary to their notions, he fhews in this chapter, that he, a righteous man, was afflicted by God, according to his unchangeable decrees, and in the next, that wicked men greatly profper; fo that what he’ herein fays, may be confidered as a fufficient anfwer to Elipbaz and his friends; and after which no more is faid to him by them, ex, cepting a few words dropped by Bildad.

¥ob’s afflictions were continued on him long;_ he and his ftrength unequal to them, and therefore death was more eligible to him than life; and he complained of God’s hiding his face from him, and not hearing him, nor fhewing him, wherefore he contended with him, nor admitting an hearing of ‘his caufe before shim: and this complaint of his was ditter; the things he complained of were fuch, bitter afflictions, like the waters of Marab, the I/raelites could not drink of; there was a great deal of wormwood and gall in his affliction and mifery; and it was in a bitter way, in the bitternefs of his foul he made his complaint; and what made his cafe {till worfé, he could: not utter any complaint, fo much as.a figh or a groan, but it was reckoned provocation, or ftubbornne/s and rebellion by his friends; fo fome render the word *, as Mr. Broughton does, this day my fighing 1s holden a rebellion: there is indeed ‘a great deal of rebellion oftentimes in the hearts, words and aétions, conduct and behaviour, even of good men under affictions, as were in the J/rae/ites in the wildernefs and a difficult thing it is to complain without being guilty of it; though complaints may be without it, yet repinings and murmurings are always attended with it: and my ftroke is heavier than my groaning; or my hand”, meaning either his own hand, which was heavy, and hung down, his {pirits failing, his ftrength being exhaufted, and fo his hands, weak, feeble, and remifs, that he could not hold them up through his afflictions, and his groanings under them, fee Pf cii. 5. Heb. xii. 12. or the hand of God upon him, his afflicting hand, which had touched him and preiied hard upon him, and lay heavy, and was heavier than’ his groanings thewed; tho’ he groaned much, he did not groan more, nor fo much as his afflictions called for; and therefore it was no wonder that his complaint was bitter, nor fhould it be reckoned rebellion and provocation; fee ch. vi. 2, 3. and xix. 24.

was made to poffefs months of vanity; and, as he had been complaining ever fince they were him, he ftill continued to complain to that day, even after all the comforts his friends pretended to adminifter to him, as Farchi obferves: his complaints were concerning his afflictions, and his friends ill ufage of him under them; not of injuftice in God in afflicting him, though he thought he dealt feverely with him;

Thatis, God, who is underftood, though not uponjexpreffed, a relative without an antecedent, as in P/. Ixxxvii. 1. Cant. i. 2. Foha xx. 15. Farchi fupplies, and interprets it, my judge, from ver. 7. and certain itis, ob did defire to find God as a judge fitting on his throne, doing right, that he might have juftice done to him: indeed, he might be under the hidings of God’s face, which added to his but of the ‘affliction, and made it the heavier; in which ie the people of God ate at a lofs to know where he is, and sow to find him, as Mr. Broughton rendets the words here; they know that he is every where, and fills heaven and earth with his prefence; that their God is in the heavens, his throne is there, yea, the heaven is his throne; that he is in his church, and among his people, where they are gathered together in his name, to wait upon him, and to worfhip him; and that he is to be found in Chrift, as a God gracious and merciful; all which ob knew, but might, as they in fuch circumftances are, be at a lofs how to come at fenfible communion: with him; for when he hides his face, who can behold him? yet they cannot content themfelves without feeking after him, and making ufe of all means of finding him, as od did, y¥. 8, 9. fee Cant. ili. 1, 2, 3: that I might come even to his feat; either his mercyfeat, from whence he communes with his people, the throne of his gtace, where he fits as the God of grace, difpenfing his grace to his, people, to help them in time of need; the way to which is’ Chrift, and in which.all believers may come to it with boldnefs, in his name, through his blood, righteoufnels,, and facrifice; they may come up, even to it, in the exercife of faith and hope, though the diftance is great, as between heaven and-earth, yet ‘by faith, they can come into the holieft of all, and by hope enter within the vail; and, though the difficulties and difcouragements are many, arifing from their fins and tran{fgreffions: or elfe his judgment-feat, at which no man can appear and. ftand, without a righteoufnefs, or without a better than his own, by which none can be juftified in the fight of God; who, if ftrict to mark iniquity, the himfelf, and awake to his judgment, even to his caufe, and plead it againft thofe that ftrive with him, as David did; Pf xxxv. 1. 23. and xiii, 1. and fill my mouth with arguments; either in prayer, asa good man may; not with fuch as are taken from his goodnefs and righteoufnefs, but from the perfon, office, grace, blood, righteoufnefs, and facrifice of Chrift, and from the declarations of God’s grace, and the promifes: of his word;. or elfe as in-a court of judicature, bringing forth his ftrong reafons, and giving proofs of his innocence, fuch as would be demonftrative, even convincing to all that fhould hear; and. be not only proofs for him, and in his favour, but reproofs alfo, as the word ‘ fignifies, to thofe that contended with him.

¥. 5. 1 would know the words which he would an= wer me, 8c.) Being a God, hearing:and' anfwer ing prayer, who always hears, and fooner or later anfwers the petitions of his people in his: own way 5 and which, when. he does,» they know, take notice, and obferve it: or then he:fhould know’ the réafon why the Lord contended. with him, and what were his fins and tranfgreflions, which were the caufe of his affiictions;, things he had defired to know, but as yet had no anfwer, feerch: x. 2. and xiii,22, 23. and. underftand what. he would fay unto me; what judgment he would pafs upon him, what fentence he would pronounce on him, whether guilty or not, and by which judgment he was content to ftand or fall as for men’s. judgment, the: judgment of his friends, or to be judged by them, he required it not, as he did not underftand upon, what ground they went, or that, it was a» good one;

beft of men cannot ftand before him, at his bar of but the judgment of God he fhould pay a defer= juftice; indeed, in the righteoufnefs of Chrift, a believer may come up to the judgment-feat of God, and to him as judge of all, and.not beafraid, but ftand before him with confidence, fince that is fufficient to anfwer for him, and fully acquit him: but od here feems to have a peculiar refpect to his cafe, in controverfy between him and _ his friends, and is fo fully affured of the juftnefs of his caufe, and relying on his innocence, he wifhes for nothing more than that he could find God fitting on a throne of juftice, before whom his caufe might be brought and heard, not doubting in the leaft, but that he fhould be acquitted; fo far was he from hiding himfelf from God, or pleafing himfelf with the thoughts that God was in the height of heaven, and knew nothing of him and his conduét, and could not judge through the dark clouds, which were a covering to him, that he could not fee him; that he was not afraid to appear before him, and come up even to his feat, if he knew but where and how he could; fee ch, xxii. 12, 13, 14.

y. 4. I would order my caufe before him, &c.] Either as a praying perfon, direct his prayer to him, and fet it in order before him, fee P/. v. 3. or elfe as pleading in his own defence, and in juftification of himfelf; not of his perfon before God, fetting his works of righteoufnefs in order before ence to, as being always according to truth, and. the reafon of which, when he fhould have a hearing before him, and a decifive fentence by him, he fhould clearly perceive; fee's Cor.iv. 3.5 5 4 y.6. Will be plead cgainft me with, his grea power? &c.] God wil! not plead againit his people at all, but for them; much. lefs’ will’ he; plead againft them with his great ftrength, ufe all his power torun them down, cruth, and opprefs them; for he is a great God, and of great power; he is mighty in ftrength, and there is no contending with him, or anfwering of him, ch, ix. 3. 9. 19% nor will he deal with them according to the ftrié rigour of his juftice, nor ftir up all his wrath nor contend for ever with them in fuch a way; for then the {pirits would fail before him, and the fouls that he has made; whatever he does with others, making known his power on the veflels of wraths he will never act after this manner with the veflels of mercy: no, but he would put ftrength in me; to pray unto him, and prevail with him to lay hold on him, and not let him go without the bleffing, as Facob did, Hof. xii. 3, 4. or to ftand before him, and plead his own caufe with him, in fuch a ftrong and powerful manner as to bear down all the accufations and charges brought againft him ¢ or he will fet his heart upon me‘; deal mildly and him, and pleading his juftification on the foot of gently, kindly and gracioufly, and not with his thems for, by thefe no flefh living can be juftified before God; but of his caufe, for, asa man may vindicate his caufe before men, and clear him- great ftrength and {trict juftice;, or wall not put fins upon me, as Farchi, or lay charges to him, however guilty of them, as his friends didyor impute fuch felf from afperfions caft upon him, as Samuel did, 1 Sam. xii. 5. fo he may before God, with refpeét tothe charges he is falfly loaded with, and may apto him he never committed: God is fo far from — doing this to his people, that he does not impute their fins to them they have committed, but to his peal to him for juftice, and defire he would ftir up Son,

Choa yy ge FO BY 361. Son, much lefs will *he lay upon them more than is right, ch. xxxiv. 23. Some take the fenfe of the words to be this, in anfwer to the above’ quettion, will be plead againft me with his great power? let him do it, czy let-bim not fet upon me*, in an hoftile way, and then I do not decline entering the lifts with him; which exprefles great boldnefs and confidence, andeven too much, and muft be.reckoned among the unbecoming expreffions Fob was afterwards convinced of; but this he utters in his paffion, in order the more clearly to fhew, and the more ftrongly toaffert his innocence. ¥. 7. There the righteous might difpute with bim, &c.] That is, at his feat, either at his mercy-feat, where even God allows finners to come and reafon with him, for pardoning grace and mercy, upon the foot of his own declarations and promifes, and the blood, and facrifice of his Son, J/ 1. 18. or at his judgment-feat, pleading the. righteoufnefs of Chrift, which is fully fatisfactory to Taw,and juf tice. ‘Fob moft probably means himf{elf by the righteous or upright man, being con{cious to himfelf of his fincerity and integrity; and relying on this, he feared not to appear before God as a judge, and reafon his cafe before him, difpute the matter with him, andin his prefence, which was in controverfy between him and his friends, whether he was an hypocrite or a fincere good man: /o /hould I be delivered for ever from my judge; either from thofe who judged hardly of him, and were very cenforious in the character they gave of him; and from all their condemnation of him, and calumnies, and charges they faftened on him; or from him that judgeft me’, from any one whatever that fhould wrongly judge him, friend or foe; or father from God himfelf, his judge, from whom he fhould depart acuitted; and fo Mr. Broughton renders the words, fo foould I be ‘quit for ever by my judge; for, if God juftifies, who fhall condemn? fuch an one need not regard the condemnations of men or devils; being acquitted by God he is for ever juftified, and fhall never enter into condemnation; God’s acquittance is a fecurity from the damnatory fentence of others, f y¥.8. Bebold I go forward, but he is not there, &c.

Fob here returns to what he had faid before, ¥. 3. as Farchi obferves, where he expreffes his earneft defire after'God, that he might know where he was, and come up to his feat; here he relates the various ways he took to find him, and his fruitlefs fearch of him.. Cocceius thinks, by thefe phrafes forward and backward, are meant times future and paft; and that the fenfe is, that od looked into the future times of the Meffiah, and the grace promifed him, his living Redeemer, that fhould ftand on the earth in the latter day; and that he looked back to the ages before him, and to the firft promife made to Adam; but could not underftand by either, the redfon why good men were afflicted; and by the right hand and /eft, the different difpenfations of God to men, granting protection with his right-hand, and diftributing the bleffings of his goodnefs by it; and with his left-hand laying affictions andsevils upon them; and yet, neither from the one nor the other, could he learn the mind and will of God concerning men, fince love and hatred are not to be known by thefe things: but rather with the Zewi/o commentators in geae- ral, we are to underftand places by thefe various expreffions; even the feveral parts of the world, eat, weit, north, and fouth; which Fob went through, and furveyed in his mind, to find God in, but to no purpofe; for, when a man ftands with his face to the rifing fun, the eaft is before him, and, if he goes forward, he goes eaftward; and behind him is the weft, and, if he goes that way, he goes backward; fo the eaftern fea is called the former fea; and the weftern, or Mediterranean fea, the hinder fea, Zech. xiv. 8. and a man, in this pofitions will have the north on his left-hand, and the fouth on his right; fee Gen. xiii. 9. now Fob fays, that he went forward, that is, eaftward; but, fays he of God, be is wot there, or is not®; meaning not that he was not in being, did not exift; for he moft firmly believed the exiftence of God, or that he was, but as we rightly fupply, he was not there, that is, eaftward; and yet the greateft, the moft glorious, and moft gracious appearances of him were in the eaft; man was made in the eaft; the garden. of Eden was planted eaftward; here God appeared to Adam, both before and after his fall; and it was in the eaft, Chrift, the fecond Adam, was born; his ftar appeared in it, and his gofpel was firft preached in the eaftern parts; in the eaft Fod now lived, and had been the ereateft manin it; but now God did not appear to him, as the Vulgate Latin verfion, not in a kind and gracious manner; nor could he find him at his throne of juftice here, as he wifhed for; he was there, though ob faw him not; for he is everywhere; indeed, he is not confined, or limited to any place; for as the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, fo much lefs any part or corner of the earth: and backward, but I cannot perceive him; or underftand where he is, or get intelligence of him, and of the ‘reafon of his difpenfations, efpecially concerning himéelf.

¥. 9. On the left-hand, whbre be doth vork, but I cannot behold him, &c.] Vhe northern part of the world, where his feat is, or the circle of the earth, fays Bar Tzemach, and who has ftretched out the north over the empty place, ch. xxvi. 7. Farchi’s note is, when he created it, he did not make iit the place of his throne: God works every-where in a way of providence, but in fome places more eminently, than in others; the northern part of the world is obferved to be more inhabited than the fouthern, and the people of it to be more a¢tive in war and bufinefs than elfewhere; and more and greater things are done by God among them as inftruments than among any other; and Mr. Caryl obferves, that the gofpel has ever more generally and more clearly been preached here than in the fouthern parts of the world; and perhaps by the northern chambers in Ezeksel’s vifion, ch. xlii. 1. were defigned the proteftant churches in the northern parts, as it is well known the proteftant doétrine is called the northern herefy: but what od meant by God’s works in the north, is not eafy to fay; buf as this refers to fome place where God had been ufed to work either in the way of providence or grace, it was the moft likely.one to find him in, and yet ~ Job could not behold him, or get any fight of him, either as on a throne of grace or juftice: he hideth bimfelf on the right-hand, that 1 cannot fee him; or he covereth the right. hand*, the fouthern