their Troubles : Her:ce it may ſeem that thou,O Job, art not a per- fe& or upright man, bur an evil-doer - But this is certain,if for the future thy heart and way be not perfe&,and thou doeſt not ceaſe to do evils thou wilt be utterly and irrecoverably loſt; as on the con» traty, if thou doeſt repent and reform, he will help and deliver thee, and reito:e thee rothy former glory and happineſs; which Promile, thoagh it be not aere expreſſed,is ſufficiently implyed in the conrrarty threatning, as is evident from the following words Which plaiily ſup»ole it, and have a reference to it : ſuch Ellipſes of Contraries being not unuſual in Scripture, as we ſhal ſee hereaf- ter, ep<c:ally 1n the Book of the Prov.rvs,
: @'&
buc doth only cheriſh and re-
= Till hefill thy mouth 03th laughing 5, and thy lips with f rejoycing.4.
6 And what I have CE peneral of all nerfe& men, ſhall be made good to thee, if thou beeſt ſuch an one ; God will not for- ſake thee, nor deliſt from doing thee good, 7:77 he fill, &C. 2.. God Will give thee ſuck abundant matter of rejoycing, that thy heart _ nor be able to ho!d ir, bur ir ſhall break cur at thy mouth and
1PSe 22 They thas hate thee «c ſhall be cloathed with ſhame d, and the dwelling-place ofthe wicked e | (hall come to:nought.
c Thar rejoyce in thy Calamities. & 7. e. Shall be wholly cove- red with it, thal be utterly confounded, when they ſhal obſerve thee whom they have deſpiſed and inſuitzd over, td be ſo wonder- fully and ſurprizingly reitored to thy former, or a greater felicity. e Either particularly of thy Enemies, who dealt ſo unworthily and wickedly with thee ; or, more generally of all wicked men. Hav- ing ſhewed what good Gced would do to the perfe&t man, he now declares the contrary portion of the wicked;and as he ſaid,that God would not help them, v. 20. ſo here he adds, that God will bring not only them, but their Houſe, 7. e. their Family and Eſtate to
nought. CHAP. IX
Jobs anſwer : Man cannot ſtand in Judgment with God ; becauſe of his Jus fiicey Wiſdom, and Power, which are unſearchable, 1 — help or reaſon againſt God is vain: nor can we anſwer him ; but muſt ſup= plicate to our Judge, 12 —— 15, Gods ſovereignty and our wileneſs before him, 16 21. The godly are puniſhed as well as the wicked, by general calumities, and wicked oppreſſim, 22———24. His time ſwift; his ſorrows bitter ; if wicked, he could not clear himſelf ; nor would God hold him innocent, 25 ——31. yet wiſheth jor a days-man,and a removal of divine terror ; then would he, before God, maintain his znnacency,
32 3 5-
4 | *Hen Job anſwered and ſaid, 2 Iknow it is fo a of a truth: but how ſhould _— juſt b || with God c ?
4 lowit, as you ſay, that God is juſt inall his ways tha doth ordinarly bleſs the Nktoows, and puniſh the Wicked. Heb and how, &c. i. e. And I know that no man is abſolutely juſt, or can defend his Righteouſneſs, if God be ſevere to mark what "15 2. miſs in him. c Either, 1. being compared with God : Or, 2. be. fore God, as the ſame Phraſe is taken, 1 Sams 2 26, Pſal 130+ 3.[the be brought before Gods Tribunal to debate the matter with him.
3 It he will contend with himd, he cannot anſwer him one of a thouſand e.
a If God be pleaſed to contend, ( to wit, in judgment; debate, or plead; for ſo this word is ofc uſed: ,as Heſ. 2. 2. and 4; ..1. Mzch 6:5 Compare 1/a. 45.9. ) with man. thee to one Acculation or Ar- gument among a thouſand which God ſhal produceagainſt him:Or, _ _—_ of a thouſand, So _—_— he be from being able to main-
aln his Own 1nnocency againſt God, if God ſet hi 1 as his Adverſary, _ Sh OR A
4 * He is wiſe in heart f, and mighty in ſtrength s who hath hardned himſelf againſt him 5, and hath pro- ſpered ; ?
} Either, r. really and profoundly wiſe ; or, 2. wiſe in his mind or underſtanding, which in Hebresv is oft called hz heart, as Prov 2. 10:and 6. 3 2, Hoſ. 4. 11. becauſe the Hebrews make the heart the Seat ofthe Underſtanding, orof the reaſonable Soul. The ſenſe is He is infinitely wiſe,and ſoknows all things, and ſearcheth all mens hearts and ways, and diſcovers a multirude of fins which mens ſhort. ſighted eyes cannot ſee ; and therefore can charge them with innu- merable evils, where they thought themſelves innocent, and ſes far more malignity than men could diſcern in their ſins: and men cannot conceal any of their fins from him, nor cheat him; as they may other men, with crafty devices and evaſions ; So that there is no contending with him. g z.e. Omnipotent. and. therefore if men contumacioufly perſiſt in contending with him after they are convicted and condemned, he can eaſily cruſh them. So that whe. ther Men contend with God by wiſdom or by ſtrength ( which are the two ways of one mans contending with another ) God will be Conquerour. h 7. e, Obſtinately contended with him. Or, ſpoken hard things towards him,quarrelling with him,oppoſing & reproaching Gods Providence towards him as hard and unjuſt. Compare Jude v, i5. # Heb. Hath been at peace. i.e. hath not provoked God to
his own deſrruction, A common . Figure, called Mz:ofis, whereby . .
more is underſtood than is expreſſed. | 5 Which removeth the Mountains &, and they know not / : which overturneth them in his anger m» ;
k He proceedeth to give particular Evidences of the Divine Power and Witdom, which he mentioned v. 4, { :.e. Suddenly and un4 expeCtedly, ere they were aware of it. They, 7. e the Mountains to which he aſcribes Senſe and Knowledge figuratively, as hath been oft noted. In token of tis diſpleaſure with men that lived upon them, or near them.
s Nhich ſhaketh the earth »out of her place,and the pillars o thereof tremble.
» 7: e, Great portions of it, by Earthquakes, or by removine I. flands, which ſometimes hath been thi 07, e. The — = the ſtrongeſt parts of it, the Mountains, yea the deep and inward parts of it, which like Pillars ſupported thoſe parts which appear to our view, and yet havebcen diſcovered and overturned by Earth- quakes. |
7 Which commaindeth the ſun, and it riſeth not p, and ſealeth up the ſtars 9; PI 0