s Then chuſe thy own Method. Either do thou charge me with Hypocrifie, or more than cc mmon Guilt, and 1 will deferd ny (et ; Or I will argue with thee concerning thy extracrdinary Severity to- wards me; and do thou ſhew me the Reaſons of it. This Propoſal ſa- youred ot too great Self confidence, and of Irreverence towards Goc; for which, and ſuch like Speeches, he is reproved by God, Chap. 38. 2, 3, and qo. 2,
23 How many are mine iniquities and ſins : ? Make
me to know my tranſgreſlion and my ſin «.
# That am a Sinner I confe:s; but that I am guilty of ſo many cr ſuch hainous Crin es as my Friend: ſuppoſe, I utterly deny ; and if 1t 'be ſo, do thou, O Lord, diſcoyer it to my ſhame, # If peradventure my heart ceceive me therein ; for I am cot conſcious to my ſelf of a- ny caormous Crime,
24 Wherefore hideft thou thy face
me for thine enemy y ? x i. e, Withdraweſt thy favour and help which thou didft uſe to af- Ruth 1.21, ford me 3 as this Phraſe js commonly uſed, as Deut. 13. 17 Pſal. 13, Chap. 6.9 1. and 102, 2, (Fc. »y i.e, Dealcſt as ſharply with me, as if I were thy profeiſed Encmy, 25 * Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro ?
wilt thou purſue the dry ſtubble z ?
2 Doth it become thy infinite and excellent Majeſty to uſe all thy might tocruſh ſuch a poor, impotent, frail Creature as I am, that caa no more reſiſt thy Power, than a Leaf, or a little looſe and dry Straw can reſiſt the fury of the Wind or Fire,
26 For thou writeſt « bitter things b againſt me, and
* makeſt me to poſſeſs the iniquities of my youth c.
a 1,e. Thouappointeſt or infliteſt. A Netaphor trom Princes cr Judges, whoancicntly uſed to write their Sentences or Decrees, con- cerning Perſons or Cauſes, brought be:ere them. Scc P/ſ. 149. 9g. Jer. 22. 30, John 19. 22, b je A terrible Sentence, or moſt frie- yous Puniſhments. c Thou doſtnow at once bring upon me the puniſh- ments of al my fins, not excepting tholeof my Youth which becauſe of the folly and weaknels of that Age, are uſually excuſed or witked at, or, at leaſt, but gently puniſhed. 27 * Thou putteſt my feet alſo in the ſtocks 4, and *Chzzu f lookeſt narrowly unto all my paths e ; thou ſetteſt a *S oh.
printupon the f heels of my feet f. +Hebyrat d Thou encompaſſcſt me with thy Judgments, that I may have no way or poſlivility to eſcape. e When thou haſt me faſt in Priſon,
thou make't a ſtrit and diligent ſearch into all the &Rions of my life,
thar thou maiſt find matter to condemn me. f #. e. Thou foiloweſt
me cloſe at thehecls. either '0 obſerve my Aions, or to purſue me
with thy Judgments, ſo that thou doſt oft tread upon my heels, aud
lcave the prints o: thy Footſteps upon them.
28 And heg, asa rotten thing, conſumeth ; as a
garment that 15 moth-eaten. | | £ Either, 1. Man, or fob, ſuppoſed to be God's Adverſary in this conteſt, So he ſpeaks of himſelf in the third P-rſ.n, as js uſual in this and other Sacred Books, So the ſenſe is He, Z. e. this poor frail Creature. this Carkaſs or Body of mine ; which poſſibly he pointed at with his Finger. conſameth or pineth away, (5c Sohe mentions here the cffc& of podg ſc vere proceedi: gs againſt him, to wit. his Con- | ;\umption and utter Deſtrution which was in aking haſte towards him. | Or, 2. God, of whom he hitherto ſpoke in the ſecond Perſon, and now in the third Perſon, ſuch chapges of tcrſons beirg very frequent in Poctical Writings ſuch as this is. So he continucth the fo mer Diſcourſe. ai.d as before he mentioned God's ſevere Enquiry in'o his ways. and Sentence againſt him. ſo here he deſcribes the Conſequence and dreadful Execution of it upon him + He, i .e. God, conſumeth (for the Verb is ative _) me as rottenneſs conſumeth that in which it is. or, as a rotten rhivg is conſumed, and as s Moth which eateth a Garment. CHAP. XIV. Mans natural m'ſery, fin, and fhwt | fe our plea with Ged nit to diſturb us by his power, but ſuffer us to accompliſh our appoin ted time, 1——— 6+ The other Creatures decay cnd rev,ue; but Man once dead, returneth not, fall the end of all things, 9 w=——— 12, He wiſheth to be hid in the Grave in hopes of the Reſurretlion, 13 Is. for that here God was flriit in marking his iniquity, and prevailed againſt him, 16— 200 Man's miſery with reſped# to his Children, 21, 22.
An that is born of a woman a, is + of few days , Hitb fr
and * full of trouble c. ons 4 This expreſſion is here uſed, either, 1. To intimate the cauſe of a < of Man's Miſery, that he was born of Woman, -a weak Creature, 1 Per. 3. 7+ and withal corrupt and fintul, and of that Scx by which fin and *: zo all Calamity was brought ipto the World, See Chap. 15. 14. and Gen. 3-17. 1 Tim. 24 13z 14+ Or, 2. To note the univerſality of the things Every Man, every Mothers Son, as we uſe to ſpeak. Mens Faibers
arc oft times unknown and uncertain, but their Mothers are always defiviteand certain. One Man was then to be bory, ard afterwards
x, and * holdeft *Deut.z;; | 20
PC. 25.7,
!
was born without an carthly Father, to wit, our Lord and —_— Ss of _ Chriſt 3
Chap. X11.
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Chriſt ; but no M1ft was ever born without a Mother, 6b A ſhort liv'd-
7 0 B.
Creature in himfelf, and therefore needs no violent hand to cut him ' off, becauſe he withereth ſo foon of h's own accord. c And there- - fore a fitter ObjeR for Divine Compaſſion, than for his fary or ſfeve. |
rity. He chiefly intendeth himiclf, bur he expreſleth it thus gene- rally, partly to relieve himſelf with the thoughts of the common Cala- mities of Mankind ; and partly to move God with the conſideration of the fraiity and miſery of huinane Nature, and conſequently of his Condition,
2 * He cometh forth 4 like a flower e, and is cut down : he fleeth alſo as a ſhadow f, and continueth nor.
4 Out of his Mothers Womb, Chap. 1. 21. e Which quickly prow- eth up and maketh a fair ſhew, but ſoon withereth, or 15 cut down, f Which being made by the Sun, follows its motions, andis in perpe- tual variation, until at laſt it quite vanifh and diſapocar.
2 And doſt thou open thine eyes upon ſuch an one g,
and bringeſt me into judgment with thee 5 ? ,—