T9. I. Before there was ſuch a Cre ture as Man to rake +.otice of it, | becauſe the Obje& was viſible in ir ſelf, and not made ſo by the Eye which afterwards beheld it. Or, did number it, i. > thewed it as it , were by number, nor only in groſs, bur as ir were by retail, inall the ſeveral works which he made. y i e« He had it in readines for the - doing of all his Works. as if he had been for a long rime preparing Materials for them $o it is a Speech of God after the manner of Men. Or, he diſpoſed it, is e. uſed or employed it inhis Work+z Or, he ſettl-d, or efablijhed it, i.e He firmly purpoled to do fuch and ſuch things in ſuch manner as he thoughrmect, and he cſtab'iſhed the order which he firſt made in the World, that ir ſhould continue in after Ages. Or, he direted ir, and directied and ordered al: things by it. z Not properly ; for ſo ſearching imp''es Ignorance,and that aman is at a loſs, and requires time and induſtry, all which is TC= Pugnant to the Divine perteC&ions ; bur figuratrvely ,as ſfugh expret- ſions are oft uſed concerning God, i-e He did; and dork, all things with that abſolure and perte& Wiſdom, and he kno:verh all his own Counſels and Attions, and the Reatons of them. ſo exattly,and per- &Qly, as ifhe had beſtowed a long time in ſearching, and judging,
to find them out. And this, and the other Ats mentioned in this verſe, are to be underſtood of God ſolely and excluſively, it being here,as itis oft elſe-where in thisPook,ſ..ticiently implied,that this kind of Divine Wiidom, which conliſts in the accurate knowledge of all God's Counſels and Works, is far above, our of man's reach: Man doth not ſee this Wiſdem, but only ſo faras God is pleaſed to reveal it to him, and therefore he cannor declare it to otters; Man did not prepare, nor order, nor cntrive it, and therefore no wonder if he cannot ſearch it out. And ſo this is moſt fitly conne&ed with
-
the following verſe: For as here he tells us what Wiidom is deny- *Pſal.11
cd to Man, fothere he informeth us what is granted to him.
2 ===
XXIN
1 Os Prov
28 And @ unto man b he ſaid c, Behold 4, * the fear 1-7.& 9-1
of the LORD e that is Wiſdom f, and to depart from E<<!*1-17 | 13-
[ | i
i
evilg zs Underſtanding þ.
2 Or rather, But: For this is added by way of oppoſition,to ſhew that man's wiſdom doth nor lie in a curious Enquiry into, or an Ex- att knowledge of the ſecret paths of God'sCounſel and Providence bur in things of another, and of a lower nature. 6 Unto 4dam at firſt, and in, and with him, to all his Race and Poſterity. c1. e. Gd ſpake it, part'y and at firſt inwardly to the mind of Man. in which God wrote this with his own finger,and engraved it as a firſt Principle for his direction ; And partly afterwards by the Holy Pa- triarchs, and Prophets, and otber Teachers of his Church, whom God tent into the World to teach men true Wiſdom ; which ac- cordingly they did, not by acquainting the People with the ſecrets and intricacies of God's Countel and Providence, but by declaring the revealed Will of God, nd inſtructing them in their duty to- wards God and Men, makiag this their great, it not only buſineſs to make men wiſe unto Salvation. Sce Deut.4 6 & -9-29. d Which expreſſion notes the great importance of this Do&iine, and withal man's dulneſs and backwardneſs to apprehend and conſider it. and man's pronenels to place his Wiſdom in vain and curious ' peculati- ons. e i-e- True Religion, and the right Worſhip of God, bo:h inward and outward, all which cometh under this name. f In that only conſiſts man's true Wiſcom, becuſe that, and that on:y, is his duty, and his ſafety, and happineſs, borh for this Life, anc for the next; and withal this is attainable, whereas the depths of God's ways are unknown, and unſearchable to human or created Capacitics. g i e- From fin, which is called evi! eminent]y, as being the chicf,
| if not the only Evil, and the cauſe of al} other evils a- d that which
is conſtantly and immutably evil, whereas afflitio s are fiequen ly made geod and highly beneficial. Religion conliſts of two Bra; ch es, doing good and forſaking evil; the former is expreſſed in the former clauſe of this Verlie, and the latter in theſe words. þ Is the
| beſt kind of Knowledge or Wiſd m to which man can attain i:: this
Life. The ſame thing is here twice exprefled in ſeveral thraſcs, And the deſign of Job in this cloſe of his Diſcourſe, is not only to ſhew the miſtake, and repro: e the arrogance and boldn: ſs of his Friends, in prying into God's ſecrets, a d paſſing ſuch a r.ſh*cen-
. fure upon him, and upon God's ways and carriage towards him ; ; bur allo to vindicate himſelf from the impuration of i-ypocri/ie and ; Profaneneſs, which they faſtned upon him, by ſhe« ing that he
had ever eſteemed it to be his beſt Wiſdom, and true Intereſt, to fear God, and to depart from evil. |
2
CHAP. XXIX. | Job's former proſperity in God's favour, 1 === 5, His hmour and repute, 6 11. For his charity, 12—1I6. And puniſhing the wicked, 17 Hz# hope herein, 18, Hw glory and honour repeated, 19 Oreover, Job Þ continued his parable, and
{aid, 2 Oh thar I were as iz moneths paſt, as i» the days when God preſerved me 5: | a To wir, from all thoſe miſcries which now I feel. This he
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IF. + Heb. ded to taki
Ups
delires, not cnly for his own caſe and comfort, bur alſo for the vin- '
dication of his Reputation, and of the honour of Re igion, which ſuffered by his means: For as his Calamities were the only ground of a'] their hard Sp+eches and Cenfures of him, as a man toreſaken and hated by God, fo he rightly judged thar this ground being re- moved, and his Poſterity reſtored, his Friends would rake it for a token of God's favour to him, and begert in them a milder ana bet-
rer opinion of him- Or lod ed Or, lamp:
3 When his || candle þ ſhined upon my head c, when by his lighe I walked rhrough darkneſs 4.
b i.e His Favour and Blefling, oft ſignified by the name Light ; as his diſpleature, and a ſtate of afflicton is freque::tly ca led durk- eſs, c Or, over my h-ad, to comfort and di:ie&t me The ground of the Expreſſion 1s rhis that lights uſe. to be carried and ſer on high, that men may make the better uſe of them, as the Sun for that end was p'aced above us. 4 I paſled ſafely through many dif-
' ficulries, and dangers, ard common Clamities, which befel others
who lived round about me, and overcame thoſe troubles which fell upon my ſelf.