DB: I Heb. That Wiſdom, for here 1s an Article which ſeems to be em. phatical. The ſenſe is, I confeſs that Man hath one kind of Wi. dom 1n a great Meaſure, to wit, to diſcover the works of Nature, and to perform the operations of Art ; But as for that ſublime and eminent Witdom, which conſiſts in the exa&t knowledge of a1] God's Counſels and Ways, and of the ſeveral manners and reaſons of his governing the World, and dealing with good and bad Men, thisis far above Man'sreach, and 1s the Prerogative of God alone, m Thereis no vein for that upon the Earth, as there is for Gold or Silver, i2 Man knoweth not the price thereof », neither js it tound in the land of the living o. % Man knoweth neither where to purchaſe it, nor how much ic is worth, nor what to offer in exchange for it. 0 Amongſt morta] men thar live upon Earth, but only amongſt thoſe bleſſed Spirits that dwell above.
ſaith. 1: 5s nor with me. ? To wit, of the Earth, becauſe zhe Sea here follows as a differ. ing place. This is a very common figure, whereby Speech is aſcri. bed ro dumb and fenicleſsCreatures: The mcaning is, this is not to be tound in any part of the Laizd or Sea, yeathough a men ſhould dig or dive never ſo deep to tind it, nor to be learned from any Crea. tures: For thqugh lieſe diſcover the Beeing,and j'ower,and 1n part, the Wiſdom of G:2d, yet they do nor inſt:u@ us in the methods and grounds of God's Provideintial Diipenſ. tions to good and evil Mea : Theſe are ſecrets of Wiſdom reſerved for God himicIE.
I5 + Ic * cannot be gorten for go'd 9, filver be weighed »r for the price thejeof.
7 The choiceſt Gold Jaid up in Treaſures, as the word ſignifies. r To wit, 1n the bal/az.ce bor in thole times money was paid vy weight, not by tale. Sce Gen, 23. 16. Jer* 32. 9, 10
165 Ircannot be vaiued wi:h the gold of Ophir s with the precious Onyx z, or the Saphire.
s Which was the beit ſort of Go!d- See on 1 Kings ge 28, Job 22, 74+ #t Or, Saraonyx. See on Exod. 28. 20.
17 The gold and the cryſtal « cannot equall it: and
the exCiange of it ſhall not befor || jewels x of fine gold.
w Or 2mber, which in thoſe parts was of very great price. Or, toe Dramond, The Hebrew word 1s not el{e-where uſed, and it hath in ic the fignification of Purity, or Clearneſs, or brightneſs x Or, Veſ- Jels, wherein there is nor only the excellency of the Materials, but tac Curioſity of Art, which renders the other much more valuable.
is No mention ſhalj be made y of || coral, or of pearis : for the price z of wiſdom zs above rubies.
y They are of no value, nor worthy to be named the ſame day with this, no1 fir to be mentioned as a piice or recompence,where« with to purchaſe this z,Or, the a:trattion, or acquiſition : Or rather, the extrattiom, or drawing forth, For Job uſeth the word of art which Was Proper in the taking of Pearls, as the following word, rendred by our Tranſlarors Rubies, is underſtood by divers, both Hebrew and Chriſtian Interpreters, and amongſt others by the late eminent= ly Icarned Bochart, who proverh it by divers Arguments. Now theſe Pearls are and were taken by men that dived to the bottom of rhe Sea, and drew them out thence, which is the very word which borh Arabickand Latin Authors uſe in the caſe, as indeed the ſame word 1s uſed of all Fiſhermen,who are 1aid to draw forth with their Hook, or Net, or otherwiſe, Fiſhes, or any other thing for which they are fithing. Moreover this di-ing, as it produced great profit ſo it was not without ſome danger and difficulty ; for it they heed- lefly put theic fingers into the gaping ſhell, within which the Pearl was, it ſpeedily cloſed upon them, and pur them to exquiſite pain, 4 to the lots of their finger, and ſometimes of their life. hich 1s a fit repreſentation of the ſtate of thoſe perſons who ſearch after the knowledge of God's Counſels, and Ways, and the grounds of them, who as when they modeſtly enquire into them, and truly diſcover them, they have infinite advantage and fatisfaQion therein, ſo ifthey prie into them too boldly, ſearching into thoſe things which God hath. concealed, and raſhly judging of them above what they know, which Job judged to be his Friend's caſe, they expoſe themſelves to manifold ſnares and dangers. And this exrra#iom, or drawing forth, iS aptly uſed concerning this Wiſdom, which lying very deep and remote from the reach of ordinary men, is not to be obtained without diligent fearch and conſideration. And ſo the place may be thus tranſlated, the extra#ion or drawing forth of Wiſdom is above that (ro wir, the extraftion) of Pearls.
I9 The topaz a of Ethiopia b ſhall not equal it ; nei- ther ſhall it be valued wich pure gold.
a Of which ſee Exod. 28. 17. and 39- 10. b Or, Of Arabia: For C:ſb-ſign fies both Ethiopia and Arabia; and the Topaz was found in the Red-ſea, which liy berween both, and ſo might be aſcribed to either. :
20 * Whence then cometh wiſdom ? the place of underſtanding «c ?
c Where this precious Treaſure lies, and whence a man may fetch ir.
21 Seing it is hid from the eyes of all living d, and kept cloſe from the fowls of || the air e.
a4 Of all men that live upon the Earth- e Though they flic high, and can fee far and well, yer they cannot diſcern this : Men of the moſt raiſed underſtanding cannot diſcover it. It is to be found no where in this viſibleWorid, neither in the upper nor lower parts oft
22 * Deſtrucion and death f ſay, we have heard the fame thereof g with our ears.
7 Either 1. Men that are dead, and thereby freed from the en- cumbrance of their bodies, which depreſs their minds, and have more raited thoughts than men that live here. Or, 2. The Grave the place of the dead, to which theſe things are here aſcribed, as
and where 1s
they are to the dep:hs, and to the ſea, v- 14- by a Figure called Pro- ſopopeia. Ifa man ſhould ſearch for tris Witdem, either amongſt living men, or amongſt the dead, he could nor find it; yea,though he ſhould and might enquire of all men that formerly lived in the World, ſome of whom were perſons of prodigious Wir,and Le: n-
ing,
Chap. XXy1
14 * The depth p faith, It is not in me: and the ſea x
a 4 .
Ver, 22
33» 34!
neither ſhall FHeb. fu gold hal
nor begivm for it *Pro,z.1;; 14.&8.11, 19.and 16, 16,
LOr, wſth of fine gold,
[Or 1 Ree mith,
*Ver? 1%
|Or, h14«
Vehhe
« Ver 14
(XVI
" Ver, 4 OM, 11, 3» 34!
Heb. þ, ld my 0; begivm w it
Proc3.13; 4-&8.11, 9.and 16,
Dr, weſt fine gula,
Or, Ra 06 h,
er? 14