, IP. XV. . 7 8] B, Chap, Xy7 Fm ems ſometimes to have riſen in Job's mind, as may be gathered 5 For thy mouth + uttereth thine iniquity 4 A en, ou « this Book : Which therefore Zophar decrics, and thou ch ooſeſt hs rongue a hs ems fry 4. quity &, and TR, Heb, fs 78 And ſurely as the mountain falling F cometh to | 5. _— ters + Nihover genre 4 cy heart, and juſti. 43? a. h. nought s: and the rock is removed out of his place: ſpeakeſt wickediy, bur craftily : Thou co-eret thy im A Thou *- gs s As when a great Mountain falls, either by an Earthquake or In- | ples and paſſions with fair pretences of Piety and ref ect 9.4 r _ wok, undation of Waters, or from any other cauſe, it moulders away like a | wherewith thou endeavoureſt to mock God, and "ta men os : fading Leaf, (as the Hebrew word ſignifies). and never recovers 1ts 6 Thine own mouth condemn = = . Former height and ſtability, and as the Rock, when by the violence of | J: yea, thine own li Nik xe , and not - Winds or | ron &c. it is removed out of its place, and thrown EM © 1 Vn 11Þs te! ine againſt thee. down, is never re-advanced. And as the waters by continual drop- y Condemnation of thee is grounded upon thine own words.
pings, or violent and frequent aſſaults, wear away, or break the fones 70 pieces, ſo as they can never be made whole again: And as thou waſbeſt away, to wit, by a great and violent Inundation which thou ſendeſt, the things which grow out of the duft of the Earth, to wit, Herbs, and Fruits, and Plants, which once waſhed away are irrecoverab- 1y loſt, and or ( ſo as this Particle is oft uſed, 1. & in like manner, to wit, irrecoverably) thou deſtroyeſt the hope of man; 1.e. So when man dies, all hope of living again in this world isutterly oſt: And this ſeems to be the- plain meaning of theſe two verſes. And as be- fore he declared the hopeleſneſs of man's rejauration from death to this animal life, by way of oppoſition: to ſuch things as did riſe ina manner from death to life, v. 7, &c, ſo now he declares it by way of fimilitude or reſemblance to ſuch things, as being once lolt and gone, are paſt all hopes of recovery.
19 The waters wear the ſtones : thou + waſheſt away
the _ which grow ont of the duſt of the earth, and
thou deſtroyeſt the hope of man. . 20 Thou prevaileſt for ever againſt him x, and he paſſeth y : thou changeſt his countenance z, and ſend-
eſt him away 4.
x When once thou takeft away this life it is gone for ever: For he ſpeaksnot here of Man's future and eternal lite in another World. y i.e. He dieth,or is about to die: Man's death is oft called a paſage or # going;to intimate that it is not an annihilation,but only a tran-
Mlation of him into another place and fate. z Eirher, 1. His Viſage, -which by death and its harbingers, 1s quite transformed in col.ur and ſhape, as we ſee by daily experience. Or, 2. The face and Nate of his Affairs,asto worldly Riches,and Pleaſures,and Honours, all which he leaves behind him. - To his long home by death.
21 His ſons come to honour, and he knowerh it not b; and they are brought low, but be perceiveth i: not of them. *
b Either, 1. Is ignorant ofall ſuch events: Or, 2.Is notconcerned nor affeed with them A deador dying man minds not thele things.
22 But his fleſh upon him {hall have pain, and his ſoul within him ſhall mourn c.
c This is man's condition; he is miſerable both when he dies, be- cauſe be dies without hope of returning to life, as he had diſcourſed
before; and (ahe now adds) whilſt he lives, whilſt bis feſb is wpon | him, and his ſoul within him ; whilſt the ſoul is cloathed with or uni- | ted to the body, he feels ſharp pain in his body, and bitter grief
Teth for, thon breat'e't forth falſe and blaſphemous ſpeeches againſt him- Or, 2. Thou doeſt by thy words and examples, and prin- ciples, as far as in thee lies, baniſh Prayer out of the World, by making it uſeleſs and unprofitable to men.”
7 Art theu the firſt man has was born /? or w; thou made before the hills » ? FO
{ Haſt thou lived ever ſince the Creation of the world, a ſured up the experiences of all Ages in thy own breaſt, oc ſpeakeſt fo arrogantly and magiſteriaily, and with ſuch contempt of other men ? Artthou the moſt ancient and the wilſeſt of all as, ae men ? Whom doeſt thou make thy ſelf? m Before the Earth was made and diſtinguiſhed into Mountains and Valleys.
8 * Haſt chou heard the ſecrer of God » ? and doſt
gory rein wiſdom to thy ſelf o ? z Hath God acquainted thee with all his ſecret Counſels,w he governs the World, that thou doſt paſs fo bold a = rp, all his Deſigns and Afions? o Art thou the only wiſe man inthe World, and we and all others but fools? 9 What knoweſt thou that we know not p? what Tr ng chou, which zs not f in us? Þ He retorts upon Job his own expreſſions, Chap. 1 2 , .I2.3- and 13, 2, 10 With us q ere both the gray-headed, and ww aged _ much elder than thy father. q 1.e. Among us; Either 1. Some of us, who ſeem to h very ancient; from Chap. 32. 7. Or, 2. Some others "oven we have converſed, and who are of our opinion in this matter And this they oppoſe to that paſſage of Job's, Chep- 12. 12. ; | 11 Are the conſolations of God {mall with thee r ? 15 _— ww ſecter thing with thee s ? ; r Are thoſe Comforts, which we in the Name and accordi Mind, and by the DireCtion of God, have propounded _ - = Savon condition of thy true Repentance, Cþ 11: 13, 14, &c. ſmall and con- temptible in thine eyes 5 Haſt thou any ſecret and peculiar ground or way of Comfort which is unknown to us, and to all orher men,cx- cept thy ſelf; For which, or in compariſon of which thou defpileſt our Conſolations as mean and trivial? To pretend to this is vani and impudence: And if thou haſt nor this, to deſpiſe and reje& _ Comtoi 4 is horrible pride and ftubbornneſs. 12 Why doth thine heart carry thee away t 2 . ff? A what do thine eyes wink at « ? 4 " £ Why doſt thou ſuffer thy ſelf ro be tranſported b 7 and Juſts of thine heart, to uſe ſuch unworthy Ka on Proefl mgm preſſions borh Concerning us, and concerning God and his Provi- dence, us i.e, What doeſt thou aim at > What benefit doeſt thou expect from ſuch wcrds and carriages? So it is a Metaphor from
and cuſtoms of ſinning, and ſinneth as freely and eafi dil
and delightfully, as frequently and abundantly as men, efpcetally in
thoſe hoy Countries, uicd to drink vp water. But this did nor Job: And