debtor for it. b Or, becauſe ; or, but ; or, pos or Be bo. AA, Clauſe is to be read without an Interrogation, and the former with it. © A wiſe or good man ( for theſe in Scripture uſe are one and the ſame ) doth much goodto himielf; he promotes his own Peace and Honour, and Happineſs by his Goodneſs ; and having ſo great a reward for his Vertue, God is not indebted to him, but he is in. debted to God for it. P!
_ 3 1 ir any pleaſure d to the Almighty, that thou arc righteous ? Or js it gain to him, that thou makeſt thy ways perfect e ? |
4 i.e. Such a pleaſure as he needs tor his own eaſe and content- ment, without which he could nor be happy,as appears by the fore- going and following words : For otherwiſe God is oft iaid to de- light in the good AQtions of his People, to wit,to far as to approve and acceptthem. e That thy Life is free from blemiſh, as thou pretendeſt, bur falſly, as I ſhall ſhew.
4 Will he reprovethee f for fear oftheeg? Will heen- ter with thee into Judgment þ ?
f Will, or doth, or would he reprove thee ? 3. e. puniſh thee. For this word is frequently uſed of realRebukes orChaſtiſements,as hath been ofc noted. g Becauſe he is afraid, leſt if he ſhould let thee alone, thou wouldſt grow too greatand powerful for him , as Princes oft- times cruth thoſe Subjetts of whom they are afraid ? Surely no. As thy Righteouſneſs cannot _ him, ſo thy wickedneſs can do him to hurt. Or, for hy piety er feligion, which is commonly called by the name of fear ? Doth he puniſh thee becauſe thou feareſt and ſerveſt him,: as thou doſt infinuate ? No ſurely, but for thy ſins, as it fol-
as appears from the Hebrew Text, where the words lye thus, Wit he for fear of thee reprove thee, or enter with thee into Judgment ? 5 T1- not thy wickedneſs great, and + thine iniquities infinice ; 2 |
# Thy great ſins are the true and only cauſes of thy miſery. The words may, very well be rendred thus, 1s net thy evil( i.e.thy puniſh» ment or affliction, which is frequently expreſſed by this very word) great, becauſe the Particle and being oft uſed cauſally, ( as it is Gen.18» 13. & 22. 12, & 24+ 56. 1/3. 39. 1- & 64.5.) thine iniquities are infinite ? Are notthy Calamifies procured by,and proportionable to thy ſins? Thy own Conſcience tells thee they are ſo» And therefore thou haſt no reaſon to accuſe God; nor any perſon bur thy ſelf.
6 For thou haſt taken & a 'pledge from thy brother 7
| 31 Who ſhall declare his way p to his faceq? and | thing ».
who ſhall repay him het he hath done y ?
p 7. e. His wicked courſe and a&tions, and whitier they lead him, His power andſplendour is ſo great, that ſcarce any man dare re- prove him for his ſin, or ſhew him his danger. Whilſt he lives, as the ſame Phraſe is uſed,Deut. 7. 10. can bring him to an account c: puniſhment.
32 Yet s ſhall he be brought 7 to the | Grave «, and
ſhall f remain in the tomb x.
s Heb. And. The pomp of his Death ſhall be ſuitable to the glory ef his Life. - With pomp and ſtate, as the word ſignifies. » Hede to the Graves ; 1. e. to an honourable and eminent Grave : The plu-
n i '
i
8 4
k Or, Surely thou haſt taken.He ſpeaks thus by way of conje&ure,or free
| ſtrong preſumption, when I conſider thy grievous and unuſual Cala- ' mities, I juſtly conclude thou art guilty of all, or ſome of theſe
g i- e. Plainly,and following Crimes ; and dothou ſearch thine own Conſcience,whe= y No man ther it be notſo with thee. 7, e. Either of thy Neighbour, or of
thy Kinſman ; which are both called by the name of Brorher. This
' 1s added to aggravate the offence. m 7.e- Without ſufficient and ju»
ſtifiable cauſe. Which he might do many ways, either by taking what he ought not to take,Deut.24.6.0r from whomhe ought nor,to wit, the Poor to whom he ſhould give, Prov.3.27. or when, and in ſuch manner as he ought not, of which ſee on Devr. 24-10,11. or by keeping it longer than he ſhould, as when the poor mans neceflity
ral number being oft uſedemphatically ro not Eminency,as Joo 49. | requires it, or when the debt is ſatisfied, Ezek. 18. 16. n Either by | raking their Garment for a pledge, againſt the Law. Exod. 22.26. or-
10, Prov. .1. 20. Lam. 3.22. He ſhall not diea violent, bur a natural Death, and ſhall lie in the Bed of Honour. « Heb.Shall watch ( 2. e. have a conſtant and fixed abode,as Watchmen have in the watching- place ) # the heap, i. e. in his Grave, which is called an heap,either be- cauſe the Earth is there heaped up, or becauſe it was adorned wir; ſome Pyramid, or other Monument raiſed up to his Honour His Body ſhall quietly reſt in his Grave or Monument, where he ſhall be embalmed and preſerved ſo entire and uncorrupted, that he might rather ſeem to bea living Watch-man, ſet there to guardthe Body, than to be a dead Corps. : 33 The clods of the valley y ſhall be ſweet unto him
z, andevery man ſhall draw after him ||, as there aro in-
numerable before him.
7 i. e. Ofthe Grave, which is low and deep like a Valley. z He ſhall ſweetly reſt in his Grave, free from all cares, and fears, and troubles, Chap. 3. 17, 18. || Heb: He ſhall draw every man after him,to wit, into the Grave, #. e. All that live after him, whether good or bad, ſhall follow him into the Grave, 7+ e. ſhall die ashe did,So he fares no worſe herein than all Mankind: He is figuratively ſaid to
draw them, becauſe they come after him, as if they were drawn by :
his Example. : : TELE 4 How then comfort ye me in vain, fſeing in your
an{wers there remaineth ÞF falſhood * ?
* Why then do you ſeek to comfort me with vain hopes of re- covering my Proſperity if I repent, ſeing your gtounds are ma- nifeſtly falſe, and common Experience ſheweth, that good men are very ofc in great tribulation, while the vileſt of men thrive and proſper in the World.
CH AP. XXII.
Eliphaz's Anſwer : Man's righteouſneſs profiteth not God ; nor can God fear man, 1 - 4+ He chargeth Job's m:ſcry on his ſins, 5-==--=11. which God beheld, and knew, nor could they be hid from him. 12 14. The wicked, and their miſery, 15 -—- - 17. If they proſpered he would not hold with them ; but their deſtrufion the r1ghteous ſhould laugh at, 18 20, Heexhorteth Job to know God and his Law, and return 80 him ; heſbould grow rich ; God ſhall be his defence, his joy and confi. dence, 21 —---- 26- If he would pray God would hear ; and his deſire and purpoſe ſhould land, 27 30.
Hen Eliphaz the Temanite anſwered and faid : 2 * Cana man be profitable unto God, s, ||as b