5 Heb. Wherefore ( for what cauſe,or uſe,or good ) doth he, (7. «, God, though he forbear to name him, our of thar holy Fear and Reverence which till he retained towards him ) give Light, cither the Light of the Sun, which the Living only behold, Eccle/. 6. 5. and 7. 11. Or. the Light of Life, as may ſeem borh by the next words,and by comparing Pſal. 56- 13. and becauſt death is off ſer forth by the name of Darkneſs, as Life by the name of Light. Theſe areſtrong Expoſtulations wich God, and quarrelling with his Pro» vidence, and with his Bleſſings ; but we muſt confider, that Job was but a man, and a man of like Paſſions and Infirmities with 0- ther men, and now in grievous Agonies, being not only under moſt violent and yet continual torments of Body, but aJſo under great diſquietments of Mind,and the deep ſenſe of Gods diſplea- ture, and was alſo left to himſelf, that he might ſee what was in his Heart, and that all ſucceeding Ages might have in him an illuſtri- ous Example of Mans Infirmity, and the neceſſity of Gods Grace
| Chap. HI.
* zre there 5,and the ſervant
to help them in time of need. And therefore it is no wonder if
kis Paſſions boil up and break forth in ſome indecent and ſinful Ex-
prefſions. « Unto ſuch to whom Life it ſelf is very birter and bur-
denſome. Why doth he obtrude his Favours upon thoſe who abe hor them? _ -
21 Which + long for death, but it cometh not,and dig
THeb wai? for it x more than for hid treaſures. Rerv.9-6. _ ;, e. Deſireand pray for it with as much earneſtneſs as men dig for Treaſure : But it is obſervable, that Jeb durſt not Jay violent hands upon himſelf, nor do any thing to haſten or procure his Death; but notwirhſtanding all his Miſeries and Complaints, he was contented to wait all the days of his appointed time, till his change came, Ch, 14+ 14. ; -' 22: Which rejoyce exceedingly, and are glad when they can find the grave. 4 23 VVhy is light giveny to a man whoſe way is hid z, | * and whom Goed hath hedged in 4. Ch.19'8s. , Theſe words are conveniently ſupplied out of v,20.where they Lam:3:7- are,all the following words hitherto being joyned in conſtruction and ſenſe with them. z To wit, from him ; who knows nor bis way, i. e. which way to turn himſelf,what courſe te take to com+ fort himſelf in his Miſeries,or to get our of them, what method to uſe to pleaſe and reconcile that God who is fo angry with him,ſeing his ſincere and exa& Pietys to which God is witneſs, doth nor fatif» fie him,or what the end of theſe Calamities will be.a Not with a Hedge of Defence, like that Ch. 1. 10. but of Offence and Reſtraint; z.e. whom God hath put as it were in a Priſon or Pond,or Jike Cat- tel in Grounds incloſed with an high 2ad ftrong Hedge, over or through which they cannot get,ſo that he can ſee no way nor poſ- ſibility to eſcape, bur all refuge fails him- s - 24 For my ſighing cometh + before I eat 6, and my =_” roarings e are poured out like the waters 4. meats eat; orrather,all the time whilſt I am eating ( forſo this Phrale is uſed, Plal: 72: 5. Before the face of the Sun, Oc. that 1s, as we tran-
ſhte it, aslong as the Sun endureth ) I fall into bitter Paſſions of figh- ;
ing and weeping, partly becauſe my Neceſſity and Duty obligerh me to eat, and ſo to ſupport this wretched Life, which I long to loſe and principally becauſe of my uninterrupted Pains of Body and Hortors of Mind, which mix themſelves with my very Meat, and
do not afford me one quiet moment. Compare Pſal. 102. g. c 1.e.}
My loud outeries, more befitting a Lion than a Man, which yet ex- tremity of grief forceth from me Compare P/al:22: !.and 32:3: di.e, With great abundance,and irreſiſtible violence, and inceſſant conti- nuance, as Waters flow in a River, or when they break the Banks
and-overflow the ground. 25For e || the thing which I greatly feared is come u- ponme f, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. | ...e This is another Reaſon why he is weary of his Life, and why he repents thar ever he was born, becauſe he never enjoyed any ſo- lid and ſecure Comforr.. f Heb. 7 feared a Fggr, ( 7.e. a danger or miſchief in one kind or other, the” Att being here put for the Ob- je&,as Joy and Love are oft pur for the things rejoyced in, or loved, and here F-ar for the thing feared, Or, 1 feared with fear, i.e. Ifear- « -. - -144 greatly ) and it came. Even in the time ofmy Peace and Profferi- ** ty, I was tull of Fears, conſidering the variety of Gods Provid- ences; the courſe and chapgeableneſs of this vain World, the Infir-
feared a fear,and it came upon Re,
» The great oppreflors and trou-
b Heb. Before the face of my bread, i e. either when I am going to
O B. Clap. ly mities and Contingencies of humane Nature and Life, Gods Juſtice | and the ſinfulneſs of all Mankind. And theſe Fears of mine were nor in Vain, but are juſtified by my preſent CaJamities. So that I have never enjoyed any ſound Tranquility fince I was born ; and there. fore it hath not been worth my while to live,ſince all my days haye been evil, and full of vexaticnand tozinent, either by the fear of Milſceries, or by the ſufferance of them.
26 I was not in ſafety, neither had I reſt,neither was
I quiet g, yet trouble came 5,
£ Three Expreſſions noting the ſame thing, which alſo was figni. fied in the next foregoing Verſe, to wit, that evenin his proſper- ous days, he never wasſecure or at reſt from the torment of Fear & Anxiety. Others, I did not misbehave my {e&If in Proſperity, abu. ſing it by Preſumption,and Security and Voluptuouſneſs, whereby I might have provoked God thus to afflict me;bur I lived ſoberly and and circumſpe@ly, walking humbly with God,and working out my Salvation with Fear and Trembling, litcle expeQting that God would be ſo fierce an Enemy againſt me. kh Heb. 4nd trouble came as I fear. ed it wou!d. So between Fear and Calamity my whole Life hath been miſerable, andI had reaſon to repent of ir.
CHAP. IV.
Eliphaz ſpeaketh though it will grieve Job, 1, 2. Job had inflrufted ay ſtrewgthened others in their ſorrows, but now fainted himſelf,3-- 5.Eliphaz reproacheth him with hu confidence in his nprightneſs, which he now ſuſpe8. eth: for that Gods judgements were not againft the righteous, but the wick.
&1, 6 11. His fearful viſions, 12 =— 16, The righteouly God : the Angels charged with folly: the Vanity of man, \— wary u