Z; Either, 1. To take thought or care about him, Or rather, 2. To obſerve ail his ways, that thou maiſt find cauſe of puniſhment, He 1s not a fit match for thee. It is below thee to contend with him, and to uſe thy infinite Wiſdom and Power to cruſh him. This ſeems beſt to ſuit with the ſcope and context. þ 1. e Pleadeſt with me by thy Judgments, and thereby, in a manner forceſt me to plead with thee, without granting me thoſe two neceſſary and favouradle Conditions, expreſſed ( hap. 13 20, 21,
4 + Who * can bring a clean 3hing out of an unclean ; 2 Not one |.
i 1 do not ſay, I am clean, as Zophar pretendeth, Chap. 11. 4. but confeſs that I am a very inclean Creature, and therefo:e liable to thy Juſtice, if thou wiltft deal rigorouſly with me : but remember that this is not my peculiar caſe, but the common lot of every Man, who, coming from finful Parents, and being infettzd with original Corru- ption, muſt unavoidably be unclean. Why then doſt thou 1ptlift ſuch peculiar and ex:raordinary Judgments upon me, for that which is common to all men? And although my original Corruption do not ex- cuſe my aftual ſins, yet Thopeit may procure ſome mitigation tomy puniſhments, and move thy Divine Pity, which oft ſheweth it ſelt up- on ſuch occaſions, See Gene 8. 21. k 1-e. No man can cleauſe him- ſelf, or any ether from all tin. See 1 Kings 8. 46s ſal. 14. 3. Eccleſ, 7 21. Thisis the Pcerozative of thy Grace, which therefore I humbly implore of thee. ;
5 Seing his days / are determined mw, the number of
his months rej with thee », thou halt appuinted his
bounds that he cannot pals o. _—
1 The das, or ( as it follows ) menths of his Life. m Are by thy Sente..ce and Decree limited to a certain period. n 7 e, ExaQly known to thee, Or, in thy power and diſpoſa], « Thou haſt appoint- ed a ceriain end of his days, beyond which he cannot prolong his Life. And therefore let this ſhort Life, and unavoidable Death, ſuffice tor Man's puniſhment, and do not add further and ſorer Calamities.
6 * Turn from himp that he may T reſt q, till he ſhall 1g: accompliſh as * an hireling his day 7+ p Withdraw thine affliting hand from him« q That he may h-ve ſome preſent comfort and eaſe Or, and /et zt ceaſe, to wit, the affli- Rion, which is ſuffi-iently 'mplicd. Others, And let him ceaſe,to wit tolive, i e. Take away my Life. B tthat ſeems not to agree with the following Clauſe of this Verſ-, nor with the ſucceeding Verſes. 7 Give him ſome :cſpite, til! he fimiſh his Courſe, and come to the ' period or his Lite, which thou haſt alloted to him, asa man appoints
a ſet time to a mercenary ſervant. : 7 For thers is hope ofa tree, if it be cut down that it will ſprout _ s, and that che cender branch thereof (s
will not cea s But M-n, hough a far nobler Creature, is in a much worſe con- dition, and when euce he loſeth this preient and worluly Life, he ne- ver recove's it : Therefore ſhew ſome pity to him, and give .Quum ſome Comfort whi'ſt he lives. R 8 Though the root thereof wax old t in the earth,
and the {tock thereof die « in the | g.0und ; # Begin to wither and' decay. u Co wit, 1n ou:ward appearance
9 Net through the ſent of water x it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plat y.
x 1. e. By means.of Water. Sent or Sme{lis figuratively aſcribed to a Tree, y Like a Tree newly plated, "1-5.'5 10 But man dieth, and | waſteth away z: yea,man
40 giveth up the ghoſt; and where is he a ? 7 His Jody by degrees rotting away z Or, and is cut off, as this ward 15 uſed, Exod. 17. 13+ 1{a* 14+12: 4 i.e. He1s no where, or, he is not, to wit, in this World, as that Phraſe is commoniy uſed See Job 3,16, ard 9, 8 21. ; 1t As the waters fail from cheſea, and the flood de-
cayeth, and drieth up 6 : :
b This may be wr: derſtood, cither 1, By way of oppoſition, The Waters go, or flow out of the Sea, and return thither again, Eccleſ. 1. 7 and a Lake, or River lo etimes decayeth, and drieth up3 but after- wardsis recruited and repleniſhed. Bur man lie:h, &c- a+ it follows. Or, 2. By way of reſemblance, As Wate's j. e. ſome portion of Wa- ter, fail jrom the Sea, being either exhaled or *rawn up by the Sun, or received and ſuuk1oto the dry and chirſty Earth, or overflowing its Banks ; and as the Flood or a River or a Fond, ( for the word fig 1fies any cor fiderable ( onfluence of Waters ) in a great erought decayeth, and is dried up . in both which caſes the ſelf ſan.c Waters nc- ver return to their former plares. So it is with man. Or thus, as when the Waters fail from the Sea, i e, when the Sea forſakes the place Into which it uſed to flaw, the River which was fed by 1t, Eccleſ. 1.7. decayeth and drieth up without all hupes of recove'y, fe Mao, when once the Fountain of his radical moiſture is dried up, di-s, aud never
revives again. 12 So manlieth down c, and 1iſeth not d, till the
heavens be no more e, they ſhall not awake, nor berai- {ed ou of their leep.
*Ch:8.9: pſ:g0:5 0s & 102:1 le & 103: I5: & 144* 4* Ila: 49; 6: James I: yo, If: zPet;1:24*
+Heb.H#/00 will guts
*3c8:593s Pal:s1:5; John 3: 6: Rom: 5: !23 Eph; 25 33
+Ch: 9: 15
flleb:duf;
Chap. Xl
c To wit, in his Bed, the Grave, or fo ſleep the ſleep of Death, as this Phraſe is, uſed, Gen. 46. ©. Dent, 31 16. = Sam. 7. 12, 1 Kings t. 21. 4To wit, to this Life : For he ſpeaks riot here of the Lite to come, nor of the ReſusreQon of the Body after D-ath by the Divitie Power; of his belief whereof te giveth ſufficient evidences in'thvers places, e i.e, Either, 2.' Never ; becauſ- thetteaveris, though they thall be changed inrtheir Qualitics, yet fhall never ceale to be as tothe Subſtance of them. And therefore everiaſiing and unchangeable th ngs
| are expreſſed by the duration of the Heavens z of which fer Pal, 72.
ne
5, 7, 17. and 8g. 30. 38,37 Matth. 5. 18; and 24.35. Or, 2. Not uatil the time of the general Reſurr:Qon, and the Reſtitution of things, when theſe viſible Heavens ſhall paſs away, and be no more, at teaſt in the ſame form and- manner as row they are: Ot which ſee Pal. 102.26. Luke21, 33, 2 Pet. 3.7, 10, Rev. 21.1, ! © --
13 O that thou wouldeſt hide me 1n Þ the Grave f, that chou wouldeſt keepme ſecret g, until thy wrath be paſt þ, that thou wouldeft appoint-me a ſe time i, and
remember me &. wr