Te. ſuch thingsas theſe e ? _ (*- qty which is oft putfor the underfanding, as Job 34. 34- £00y «7 Xs $. 22, i. e. God hath given me alfo the Knowledge and | [ Fer.5.2 I. A, ” > . er than 47 ilityto judge of theſe matters.sIn theſe things, which he ſpeaketh, u, not in a way of vain-glorious Boaſting, bur for the juſt and neceflary Heb. vindication both of himſelf,and of that cauſe of God, which for the th whom ter and ſubſtance of it he maintained rightly, as God himſelf re % atreſts,Job 4.2.7. e The truth is, neither you norl have any reaſon to = puffed up with ourKnowledge of theſe things;For the moſt fooliſh p iſe ? and barbarous Nations know that God is Infinite in Wiſdom, and Power,and Juſtice.But thisis not the queſtion between you and me. Ch.16.10 , ,*] am as one mocked of his neighbour f, who cal- 17- 5. Jeth upon God, and he anſwereth himg: * chejuſtup-
| bo, 4 right man is laughed to ſcorn b. ; ; Prov. _f Heb.1 am # deriſien (the Infinite being put for a Noun, as 1suſual &. 2. both-in the Hebrew and other Languages )to my neighbour, i. e. to theſe three who have pretended and would be thoughr to be my Friends and Neighbours; whom therefore ſuch carriage doth very ill become: Inftead of ſupporting and comforting me, they make a Sport and Scorn of me. g This who belongseither 1..to Job, whohere declares his own Pradticein this caſe;when you mock me,Igo toGod withmy complaints and Prayers, and he hears me,though you will nor. But this {ſeems not to agree either with theContext,or with other paſſages of Jeb;in which he conſtantly com plains,that God did: not hear nor regard his Prayers, nor pity and he!p him: Or 2. to fob's Friends; and ſo this is either 1.An Aggravation of theirCrime,that they ſhould mock him who made a great Profeſſion of Religion,who uſed duly to call upon God,and to receive anſwers from him,and therefore ſhould have carried themſelves more pioufly and charitably, and compaſſi- onately towarfls their miſerable Brother.Or 2. as the reaſon of their Mockage of Jeb, becauſe God who negle&ed Job's Prayers, heard theirs, and gave them thoſe Mercies for which they prayed ; and therefore being themſelves well and at eaſe;they were hard-hearted towards their poor afflicted Brother, as the manner of Men is. This ſeems to ſuit well with the following Verſe. Or 3.as an Argument E againſt their ſcorning or flighting of him;God hears you when you A pray, therefore you ſhould turn your Mocks of me into prayers for me ; and you ſhould pity me, whom God'doth not bear-when I Pray : And as God hears you, ſo you ſhould hear and comfort me, whenT pour out my Complaints to you. Bur theſe words may be brought in mimetically,as being ſome of their ſcoffing words: They ſay of me, Let him call upon God, and God will hear him : For ſo they =”: had ſuggeſted to Job, Cha. 5. 8. & 8. 5,&c. & rr. 13. But this,ſaith Job, T takefor a piece of Mockery, and inſulting over my Miſeries: For I know by {ad Experience,and they ſee the contrary,that though I call and cry again and again, yet God hath no regard to me.h 7.e. I, who,notwithſtanding all their hardCenſures and reproaches,muſt and dare ſtill owne it,that through God's Grace I am a juſt and upright Man, am derided by them. This he repeats again, be-
cauſe it was very grievous and burdenſom to him.
| 5 He thatis ready to flip with bis feet 3, is «5a lamp deſpiſed & inthe thought of him thart is at eaſe /: -
i 5. e. The juſt Man laſt mentioned,who is upon the brink of the
* * Pit or Grave,ready to fall into miſchief, ſo as never to riſe again in this World, which is my caſe, and the occaſion of their ſcorn and contempt. & 7.e. Like a Lamp or Torch, which whilſt it fhines clearly and in a dark Night,is very uſeful and comfortable;bur when it draws towards an end, and 1s nighextinR, and in the light,is neg- JeRed anddefſpiſed, as that which is unneceflary and troubleſom and offenſive. So the ſame man, who, when his Feet ſtand faſt,in a pro- ſperous Condition, is magnified and adored by all;when his feer /ip or fumble, as the Phraſe is, P/- 94.18. Jer. 13. 16. when he is in mi- ſery, is commonly forſaken and deſpiſed. 7: e. In the Opinion of a Man that lives in great Eaſe and outward Happineſs;which generally makes Perſons to Sever and deſpiſe thoſe who are in AfiQion.But
s ? ©
- j ee *2.
- Inn —_— :
ke wordsin the Hebrew Text, He ( which is eaſily under- So andy Ifverſs 4. the juft and wpright man ) is as a Torch deſpiſed in rhe opinion or thought ( as this or the like words coming fromthe ſame |
70 B.
_—_
" theſe words are a little otherwiſe rendred, and that agreeably tothe ;
Hebrew Root are uſed, Pſ. 146. 4. Dan. 6.3. Jon. 1. 6, Or becauſe of the ſplendeus ; for ſo this Root and its Derivatives elſewhere ſignifie as Cant. 5, 14. Jer.5. 28. Ezek. 27. 19. Andeither of thele fignifi« cations agree well with the placo, Or, cor:pared with the ſplendor, or greater Luſter and Glory ) of him that lives in tranquility ; he ( i.e. the Juſt Man ) z or,becauſe he is;)for this may be the reaſon of the con« tempt ) reaay to ſlip with his foot ; 1. e. ready to periſh.
6 * The tabernacles of robbers proſper mm, and they *Ch. .;.,1 that provoke God are ſecure » ; into whoſe hand Gog Phal. 37:7 35-X 927
CIs + N A Mal. 'IFo
bringeth abundantly o.
m Thy Opinion delivered Chap. 11. 14, ©«.is confuted by daily experience ; which ſhews that the moſt wicked and injurious, and impudent Oppreſlors, Tyrants and Robbers,are ſo far from meeting with thoſe Diſappointments and Miſeries, wherewith thou didit threaten them, that they commonly ſucceed in their curſed Enter- prizes, and flouriſh in Wealta and'Glory,and fill their Houſes with the Goods of others which they violently took away ; whereof the Chaldeans and Sabeans, Chap. 1+ 15, 17. are a preſent and pregnant Evidence. n They whoſe common praQtiſe it isto deſpiſe and pro- voke God, are confident and ſecure, live without Danger or Fear. o So far is God from cruſhing ſuch Perſons, that he ſeems to tavour them with wonderful Succeſs, and by his ſpecial and more than common Providence, puts into therr hands the Opportunities which they ſeek, and the Perſons and Goods of other more Righteous Men which they lie in wait for.
7 Bur asknow the beaſts, and they ſhall teach thee p;
and the fowls of the air, and they ſhall tell thee.