his plowing.and make nis Lands unfruirful. Nay,the Stones {Lall nor only ceaſc to be aurcful, bur rhey thall be uſefu], and beneficial to thee : they ſh21l,as1t were,preſent themſclvesto thee when thou haſt occaſion enh-r £6 {ling them at thine Enemies, as then was uſual, Fudg. 20: 16: 2 Chrmm: 26: 14; Or to make Fences to thy ground : Or to build »n hou;e. This is a bold Metaphor,but ſuch are frequent, a: in orher Authors, f: alſo in ſcripture, as Iſa. 28: 15: Hoſ 2: 18: a Eit+er 1. the wil Beaſts; & then rhis is an adaition ro the former priviledge ; they ſhall noc hurt thee, wer. 22. nay, they ſha]: be. fri:nd th-e, as b<ing at peace with thee, here v. 23: Or, 2. the tame B-aſts, who otherwiſe may be refraQory and hurtful to a Man many having been killed by them.
24 And thou Galt know b || that thy tabernacle «c ſhat be in peace 4, and thou ſhale viſit thy habitation e,
,
Or, 2har and ſbair nor || ſin f.
peace 15:hy l ; . tabernacle: it follows, including alſo the Inhabirants,Children, or Friends, and
| | Or, erre: Servants. d Shall enjoy great ſafety from all their Enemies, and
b By certain and conſtant experience. cz, e, Thy habitation, as
concord among themielves,and proſperity in all their concerns : al] which are comprehended underthe {weet name of Peace e i e, Ma- Nage ard order thy Family,andall thy domeſtick Affairs,and world- ly Concerns, wich care and diligence. Yiſiting 1s oft uſed for regar- ding or taking care of,as Gen. 21. Ruth. 1: 6: Pfal. 8: 4: & 80; 14: f E:ther by unrig teouſneſs in thy dealings with thy Family or others; or by neglefting God & his Service in thy Family; or by winking at any fin in thy domeſticks which thou canſt hinder. Burt becauſe he ſpeaks nor here of Job's Dury, bur of his priviledge, and that in owrward and world'y things, it ſeems better rendred by others, and thou ſhalt not err, or miſcary, or mijs thy way or mark, a< rhisv-ry v ord is uſed below, Ch. 24: 19: & 14: 16: & Judg. 20; 16. Tho ſhalr not be diſappointed of thy hopes, or blaſted in thy endeavours, bur ſhalt ſneceedin them. Or, and thu ſhalt not wan. der, or be a wanderer, having no houſe in which to pur his head, which Job might have ſome grourd to fear : but thou ſhalt have an habitation of thy own, which thou ſhalt viſe, and manage as thou
did{t before. , 25 Thou ſhalt know g alſo that thy ſeed ſha# be ||
greath, and thine oflfpring ; as the graſs of the
earth &.
g Parr'y by afſ1rance from God's Promiſes, 'and the Impreſſions of his Spirit; and partly by experience in due time. h Thy poſte- rity, which God will give thee in ſtead of thoſe which thou hait loft, ſhall be high and honourable, and powerful. Or, ſhall be many # Which ſhall come out of thy own Loins,as Branches our ofa Tree, as the word ſignifies. And this word ſeems added to the former,to reſtrain and explain it, by ſhewing that he did not ſpeak of his 1; Pi- ritual Seed, as Abraham's Seed isin part underſtood, bur of the fruit of lis own body. k Both for its pleatiful increaſe, and for its flou- | riſhing greeneſs- | . |
o
= {Dd A.
26 Thou ſhalt come to thy grave in a full age 7, like as a ([bock of corn + cometh in ww, in his ſeaſon ».
Thou ſhalr nor be cut off by an hand of violence before thy time,as thy Sons and other wicked Men have been, bur ſhalt die in a good old age, as did Abraham, Gen, 25: 8: and Meſes, Deut 34: 7: m As an heap or ſtack of corn is broukgt in, to wit, to the barn: Heb. aſcendeth, or riſeth: which word is very proper and uſual in this caſe : for a ſtack of Corn is faid to riſe, when by the addition of new heaps and handfulsit is raiſed toan higher pitch : Or, 7zs cut off, as this ſame word is uſed, Pſal, 1c2: 25: Cut me not off, &c. Heb. Make me not to aſcend ; And thus it is firly uſed both of the Corn, which,when it is cutup,aſCends, or is lifred up from the Earth, on whick it lay, and is advanced into Stacks, and high heaps, either in the Barn, or in
che Field ; and of Man. who when he dies, his Spirit goeth upward to Heaven, as is implied even there where in the perſon of an Epi-
cure it is queſtioned, Eccleſ.3;21: nIn Harveſt,when the Corn is ripe, 27 Lo this, we o have ſearched it p, ſo iris; hear it,
and know thouit q + for thy good r.
as thou wilt hear from their own mouths. p This is no raſh or ha. ty conceir, but what we have learned by deep conſideration and nard ſtudy, long experience, and diligent obſervation,both of God's word, fo far as he hath been pleaſed ro reveal] himſelf. and of the courſe and methods of his Providence, and dealing with Men in the World. q For to us thou ſeemeſt by thy words and carriage to be wholly, orin a great part ignorant of theſe things. » Lerthe ad. vantage which will come unto thee by following this counlel, re. move thy prejudice againſt it.
CHAP. VL. Job's anſwer, He wiſbeth his troubles were duely weighed, for then would his complaints appear juſt, 1----=7- Prayeth for aeath; his hope in its
8-=----10. He is wnableto bear up under his burthew, x1, 12. He vin. dicateth himſelf again&# his friends, and reproveth them, 13=»==30,
| Ub Job anſwered and ſaid, 2 Oh that my grief « were throughly weighed 5, and my calamity || laid in the ballances together c !
my grief: The att being put for the objeR, as is uſual, fear for the thing feared, &c. and the ſame thing being here repeated in dif- fering words. Or 2. My ſorrow : or my wrath, or rage, as thou d1dſt call it, Chap. 5: 2: So his wiſh is, that his ſorrow or wroch, were laid in one Scale of the Ballances,and his calamity in the other
that ſo it might be known whether his ſorrow or wrath was greater than his miſery,as was pretended, b Were fully underſtoed,and duely conſidered. Thy harſh rebukesand cenſures of my 1mpatience,and hy pocriſie,and wickedneſs, proceedeth from thy Ipnorance,or unſen= ibleneſs of my inſupportable calamities. I deſire no favour from thee: But O that I had a juſt and equal Judge that would under- ſtand my Caſe, and cenfider whether T have not juſt cauſe, for ſuch birter complaints. Or, at leait, whether the greatneſs of my Bur- den ſhould not procure ſome allowance to my infirmity, if I Thould ſpeak ſomething indecently and unadviſedly, and prote& me from ſuch ſevere cenſures. c E:ther 1. together with my grief ; or, rather