in thy ſelf,or in thy Family ; whoſe ſings Job was oblidged as faras he' could to prevent or reform ; as he had done Chap. i. 5, He faith Ta- bernacles, becauſe anciently-the Habitations of great Men conſiſted of ſeveral Tents or Tabernacles, as we ſec Gen, 24. 67. & 31. 33.
15 For then ſhalt chou lift up thy face o without ſpot ?, yea, thou ſhalt be ſtedfaſt q, and ſhalt not fear.
0 Which notes Chearfulneſs, and holy Boldneſs and Confidence: asa dejected Countenance notes Griefand Shame. See Gen. 4+ 5 6. 2 Sam. 2: 22.70b 22: 20. Luke 21:28. p Or, Being without ſpot : So it IS only an Elipfis of the Verb Subſtantive, which is moſt frequent. And this firly follows as the ground of his Confidence, becauſe hz: ſhould in this caſe have aclear and unſpotred Conſcience,and aſenſe of bis own Innocency. Or without blemiſh, as the word properly ſignifies; i- e. without any ſenſe of guilt, or any ſhame conſequent upon it either from God or Men. The ground of the expreſſion is this,
heights of deeper than hell, what canft thou know r ? havens ?Thou canſt not meaſure the heights of the viſible Heavens,much | leſs ef the Divine Profe&ions. q To wit, to find him out. r Con- |
cerning him and his ways,which are far out of thy ſight and reach. |
9 "The meaſure thereof is longer than the earth r,and |
broader than the ſea s. r From one end to the other. 5 Which is called the great and wide Sea, Pal. 104. 25. 10 * If heſ] cut off s, and ſhut up «, or gather toge- |
*Ch9.12. ther x, then + who can hinder him y ? 1 Or, mok , | * # |
1 MARE 8 Towit, a PerſonoraFamily, « In a Priſon, or in the hands | Tr " of an Enemy. This ſhutting up,is oppoſed to the or.ning of the Priſon= |
0.299 Joors, and to that enlargement,which God is elſe where ſaid to give to Men.x Either .ina way of Judgment,asa like word is uſed, P/al.26.9. - Gather not my ſoul with ſinners. Or, rather 2. in a way of Mercy, as this - word is generally uſed in Scripture;this being every where promiſed by God to his People,as an eminent Mercy that he would gather them zogethey- So this 1s oppoſed to the former aftions, and the ſenſe of the place is, whether it pleaſcth God to ſcatter a Family, or to ga- j ther them togetier from their Diſperſions. y From doing what he j pleaſeth and deſigneth with his own Creatures : Who canreſtrain | him either by giving Law to him, or by force and power? Or,who : can contradig or an{wer him, or objeS# again(} him, or retort or return us ' pou him ; i. « charge him with Injuſtice in ſuch proceedings? W hich | ſenſe may ſeem to agree beſt both with the ſcope of the place, and | ſtate of the queſtion between him and Job; which was not whether ; any Man could reſiſt God's power, but whether he could queſtion his Juſtice ; and with the following Verſe.
"P1011, IL For * he knowetb vain man z: he ſeeth wicked- 14- & 35, neſs alſo « ; will he not then conſider 7? b? "I zThough men know bur little of God,and therefore are very unfit
(an turn him away?
and his vanity, or falſhood, or folly, or raſbneſs ; for all theſe this word ſignifies. He knoweth that every Man in theWorld is guilty of much Vanity and Folly,and therefore ſeeth ſufficient reaſon for hisSeverity againſt the beſt Men ; ſuch as thou, O Job, fancieſt thy ſelf to be ; and if thou wert ſo,thou haſt no reaſon to wonder at or quarrel with his proceedings : And if thy quarrel be that he ſburs thee up, or cuts thee of,wen he gathers others under his wing and Prote&ion, whom thou thinkeſt or knoweſt to be worſe than thy ſelf, while thou doſt impeach his Juitice,thou doſt but betray thy own Vanity andFolly: For he knows both whom he chaſtiſeth,and whom he ſpareth, and why he doth it, though he do not acquaint thee with the reaſons of all his ations. & As * knoweth the Vanity of all Men, ſo he.ex- altly perceiveth the Wickedneſs of evil Men, though it be covered With the Veil of Religion. He ſeeth thy evil heart which diſcovers it ſelf by ſuch wicked and ſcandalous Speeches againſt the Juſtice and Goodneſs of his Providence,which gives him juſt cauſe to continue and increaſe thy Miſeries. Though thou art partial, and flattereſt thy ſelf with a Conceit of thy own Integrity, yer he knoweth thy Hypocrifie and Wickednpeſs. 6 Shall ke only ſee it as an idle Spe- ator, and nor obſerve it as a Judge to requite and puniſh it ?
f Heb, 12 For + * vain man would be wiſe c, though man
empty o& be born d /;kea wild aſſes colt e. bollow c Or, Net or, But vain or empty man ( that fooliſh Creature that ſince
"Pf73-22. the Fall is void of all true Wiſdom and ſolid knowledge,and Judg- & 92. 6. ment of the things of God ( would be wiſe ; i. e. pretends to be, and cel, 3.8- would be thought wiſe and able to paſs a Centure upon all God's ways and works. Or thus, Bnt vain man #5 fooliſh, or, without heart, ze, without Underſtanding, unable to judge aright of the ways and
That when Mens Faces are ſported wirh Dirt, they are aſhamed to ſhew them. And Job was charged by his Friends;as having many Spots upon him, yea; ſuch as were not the-Spors of God's Children. q Or, frmor fixed : Either 1- as to his outward Condition, which ſhould be conſtantly proſperous. Or rather as to his Mind, which ſhould have ſtrong and comfortable aſſurance of God's Favour, and of his own Safety and Happineſs: For this ftedfaſtneſs is oppoſed un- to that fear, which is incident to wicked Men; who,even when they are free from aQtual Miſeries, yer oft-times are tormented with the dread of them.
16 Becauſe thou ſhalt forget :hy miſery r,and remem- berit as waters that paſs away s :