£ Of which alſo there is mention, Fer. 17. x- h Or, or lead; or with lead, the Particle and beivg oft fo uſed ; as Gen. 4. 2c. Exod, 1, 6, Jer. 22, 7. For this Lead may be either i. the Writing-peti which might be cither of Iron or of Leads For though Lead beof it ſelf too ſoft, yet there was an Art of tempering Lead w:th other Metals, to ſuch a degree of hardneſs, that it could pierce into a Rock; as they did alſo temper Braſs; ſo that they could make Bows and Swords of them, Or 2, the Writing-table; for the Ancients did uſe to write divers things in Lead, as 1s well known. Or 3, the Wri- ting-Iok, asI may call it: For they uſed tograve the Letters in a Stone with an Iron Tool, and then to fill up the Cuts or Furrows made in OO with Lead, that the words might be more plaifly ſeen and read.
25 For ; I know & that my redeemer / liveth aw, and hat he ſhall ſtand » || at the latter day o upon the |0r,at le
carth p.
# This is the reaſon of his great Confiderce in the Goodneſs of his Cauſe, and his Willingneſs to have the matter depending between him and his Friends, publiſhed and ſubmitted to any Tryal becauſe he had a living and powerful Redeemer to plead his Cauſe, and vindicate his Perſon frem all their ſevere Cenſures, and to give Sentence for him. k T have uo Knowledge nor Confidence, nor hope of Reſtitution to the Proſperities of this Life 3 yet this one thing I know, which is more comfortable and conſiderable, and thercin I rejoyce though I be now a dying Mun, and in a deſperate condition for this Life, 1 In whom I have a particular Intereſt, and he hath a particular Care of me. Neſt, What Redeemer, and what Deliverance doth Job ſpeak of in 'his and the- two following Verſes? Anſw, Some late Interpreters underſtand this place Metaphorically, of God's delivering Job out of his doleful and deſperate Condition, and reſtorivg him to his for. mer Splendor and Happineſs in the World ; it being a very uſual thing 1a Scripture, tocall eminent Davgers or Calamitics by the name of Death; as Pſal. 22, 1s. and 88 4, 5. Exch. 37. I, 12. 2 CY. It. 23, And :reat and glorious Deiiverances by the name of Quickning and Reſurreftion ; as Pſal. 951i. 20. Iſa, 26. 19, Rem 11, Is But the moſt Interpreters, both ancient and Nodern, under- ſtand it of Chriſt and of his Reſurrc&ion, and. of Jeb's ReſurreRion to Life by his Power and Favour : Which ſeems moſt probable for many reaſens. 1. From that known Rule, that a proper and literal Interpretation of Scripture, is always to be preferred before the Meta- phorical, where it ſuits with the Text, and with other Scriptures. 2, From the Hebrew word Goel, here uſed ; which although ſometimes it be uſc.d of Ged abſolutely or effentially confidered, yet it moft pro- perly agrees to Jeſus Chriſt : For this word, as all Hebricians know, is primarily uſed of the next Kinſman, whoſe Office it was to redeem by 2 price paid, the ſold or mortgaged Eſtate of his deceaſed Kinſ. man, Levit, 25. 25. and to revenge his Death, Numb. 35. 12. and to maintain his Name and Honour by raiſing up Seed to him, Det. 25. 5 Allwhich moſt fitly agrees to Chriſt, who is our reaceſt Kinſ- man and Brother, Heb. 2. 14; a$havin? taken our Nature upon him by Incarnation : who alſo hath red:emed that everlaſting Inheritance which our firſt Parents had utterly loft and fold, by the Price of his own Blood; and hath revenged the Deathof Mankind. upor the great Contriver of it, the Devil, by deſtroying him and his Kingdom ; and hath taken a courſe to preſerve our Name, and Honour, amd Perſons to Eternity, And if the places where God is called Goel in the Old Teſtament, be examined, it will be found. that either ail or moſt of them may be, andfſome of them muſt be un derſtood of God the Son, or oi Chrift, as Gen 48. 16. Jſa: 59: 20, Sce allo Pal: 74: 2: Iſa: 41: 14; & 44: 6: & 49: 7: & $2: 3: & 63: 16 3 Becauſe Job was ſo far from ſuch a firm Confidence as he here profeſſeth, that he had not the leaſt degree of Hope of any ſuch glorious temporal Reſtau- ration as his Fricnds promiſed to him, as we have oft ſeen and obſerved in the former Diſcourſes, as Chap. 16: 22: & 17: 12, 13, G@c. and therefore that hope which every righreous Man hath in bis death, Prov. 14+ 32. and which Jeb oft profcſicth that he had, muſt necet{arily be fixed upon his Happineſs in the future Life. 4. Becauſe ſome of the following Expreffions cannot without wreſting and violence be appli- cd toa Metaphorical RefurreQion, as we ſhall ſee in the Sequel. 5. Becauſe this is a. more lefty and ſpiritual Strain, than any ia Job's for- mer Diſcourſes. and quite contrary to them, And as they generally lavourof Dejeftion and Diffidence, and do cither declare or increaſe his Grief ; ſo this puts him into another and much better Temper - And therefore it is well obſerved, that after thistime avd theſe Expreſ- ſion”, we meet not with any ſuch impatient or deſpairing Paiſlazes, as we had before ; which ſhews that they had inſpired him with new Life and Comfort. 6. Becauſe this well agrees with other Paſſages in this Book; wherein Job declareth, that although he had no hope as to this Life, and the Comforts thereof, yet he had an hope beyond Death, which made him profeſs, Though he ſlay me, yet will 1 truſt im him, Job. 13. 15. Truft in him: For what ? Surcly for Comfort and Hap- pineſs. Where? Not in this Life, for that he ſuppoſeth to be loſt, therefore it muft be in the next Life. And this was one reaſon why he ſo vehemently deſired Death, becauſe he knew it would bring him un- to God and unto true Felicity. And this his hope and confidence in God, andin his Favour to him, Job oppoſeth to thoſe foul and falſe Aſperſions which his Friends had caſt upon him, as if he had forſa« ken God, andceſt off all fear of him, and hope in him, Object. 7. {: this place had ſpoken of the ReſurreRtion of the Body, ſome of the Hebrew Writers or Commentators upon this place, who did believe that Do@rine, would have underſtood it ſo, and have urged itegeinſt the Sadduces, which theydid not. Arnſw, 1. All the Jewiſh Wri- ters which are now extant, lived and wrote fince Chriſt's time; when the DoRors of that People were very ignorant of many great Truths, and of the plain meaning of n any Scriptures, and very corrupt 1n their Principles as wellas in their Praiſes, 2, There was # _
a 1 | ,
Chap. XI. |
thſt
bud,
Chap. XIX.