a As ſoon as I was capable of managing my own Afairs, and of doing good to others. r In my Family, or at leaſt under my care and proreftion. 5 i.e. With all the diligence and tendernets of a Father. 7 7. e. The widow,mentioned v. :6.and commonly joyned with the Fatnerleſs. « i. e« From my tender years; ever ſince | was capabl= of diſcerning grod and evil, have m:de-conſcience of this Dury ; and this my continuance 12 well-doing is a good Evidence of my ſincerity therein, 6 ET 7 TOR on
19 If I have feen any periſh for want of cloathing x, or any poor without covering: 7
x When it was in my powerto cloath and armthem againſt cold and nakedneſs. '' » Sy
20 If his loyns have not bleſſed me y,and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my ſheep z :
y {+ 6: Given bim occaſion to bleſs and praiſe me, and to pray to God to bleſs me for covering them ;" 2 loyns being put ſynecdg» chical'y tor the whole Body : See the like exprefſion, Deur 24+ 13. and compare Gene 4+ Io» Luke 16 9+ & With cloathing made ofmy Wool. q 4 +]
21 Tf
4 7
That 15» ow}
the wi
”.
the wel
2.136 I. IS
Tim- 6
{.62.10 Heb.
' hand hath - kiſſed my - mouth,
d. XXX
when I ſaw my heip in the gate b-:
E-5 Judges to do what I pleated.
* and burdenſom to me. . - + 23 For * deſtruction from God was a terrourto med,
' Wrath, and therefore I durſt not provoke him by any Impiety or
19,
- 25 * IfI rejoycedb becauſe my wealth was great,and
" to God. 1 Heb. zhe light, to wit, the Sun, as appears by the oppo-
\, Bat this he had now mentioned in plain and proper rerms, wv.
' + Heb!my
21 TfT have life up minehand againſt the fatherleſs «,
a To fmite him wit? the Fiſt of Wickedneſs, as the Phraſe is, If. 58. 4. to bring him ro the Judgment Sear, that under colour of Juſtice I might take away his Righr, as powerful Oppreſlors uſe ro do, or any ways to threaten, injwie, or cruſh him. 6 When I un- derſtood my advantage againſt him, and that I could influence rhe
22 Then let mine arm fall from my ſhoulder blade c,
and mine arm be broken from ||che bone. | c T am contented that that Arm which hath been ſo wickedly employed, may either rot off or fall our of joynt, and fo be uſciels
and by reaſon of his highneſs e I could not endure f.
4 I was ſo far from denying or queſtioning God's Providence, wherewith you ſeem to charge, me, that I always reverenced it, and-when by reaſon of my great Wealth and Power, and Intereſt, T had little reafon to fear Man, I ſtood in awe of God and of his Judgments, and made ir my care and buſineſs to pleaſe God. eOr, Excellency or Majeſty, which is moſt glorious and terrible. f I found my ſelf utterly unable either to oppoſe his Power, or to bear his
Injuſtice.
24 * If I have made gold my hope g, the fine gold, Thou art my confidence ; "+ * £ i.e. The matter of my lope and truft, placing my chief joy
and fatisfa&tion in worldly Wealth, expetting ſafety and happinets. from it : Compare Fſalm 62. 10»
or have {aid to
becauſe mine hand had # gotten much 2 :
b To wit, carnally and exceſſively, eſteeming my ſelf happy therein without Goa's Love and Favour ; for otherwiſe it 15 not on- ly lawful, but a duty and gift of God moderately and thankfully ro rejoyce in the good things of this life: Ot which ſee Dex. 12. 7. Eccleſ.. 2. 24,25,26. & 3. 12,13.& 5. 18,19. 7 Aſcnbing my Wealth to my own Wit or Induſtry, rather than to God s Goodneſs and Mercy. And theſe fins he the rather mentions, partly for his own vindication, leſt it ſhould be thought that God took away his Eſtate becauſe he had abuſed it to Pride, or Carnal Confidence or Luxury, or the Oppreſlion of others. &c. and partly for the Inſtruftion of Mankind in ſucceeding Generations, that they might take notice of the malignity and odiouſneſs of theie Praftites, which by moſt men are reputed either laudable or harmleſs, or at worſt but light and trivial Miſcarriages.
"26 *If I bcheld & + the ſun ] when it ſhined »», or
the moon walking Þ in brightneſs » :
k Not ſimply, nor only with admiration ( for it is a glorious work of God which we ought to contemplate and admire ) but for the end here following,or ſo as to aſcribe to it the honour peculiar
fition of the Moon following, which is called zhe 1;ghr here, and Gen,
3 O B.
Yet conſidering that both Job and his Friends, who lived in his time and neighbourhood, were moſt probably the Poſterity or Kin= dred of 4raham and his Family, and by him or his inſtructed in the knowledge of the true God, and were alſo Men of great Power and Authority in their places; ir ſeems moſt likely chat they did reſtrain and puniſh Idolatry in their ſeveral Juriſai&tions, or at leaſt in their own Jarge and numerous Families, where the Maſters an- ciently had power of Life and Death without controul. « Not di. realy ( for nothing is more evident than this, that divers of the wiſer Heathens, who did worſhip the Sun and Moon, did Vet aAC= knowledge and adore the Soveraign and SupreamGod over and above all ) but by conſequence and conftru&ion, becauſe this was to rob God of his Prerogative, by giving to the Creature that religious Honour or Worſhip which 1s peculiar to God. x Wi.o is above the Sun and Moon, not only in place, his glorious Manſion and Palace being far above all viſible Heavens, but alſo in powerand dignity, or adorable excellency.
me y, or lifr up my ſelf z when evil found him :
3 I was ſo far from malice and revenging my ſelf of mine Ene- my, which is the common and allowed praCtile of ungodly men, that I did not ſo much as deſire or delight in his ruin, when it was brought upon him by other hands. Compare Exod, 23. 4. Prov. 24. 17, 18. Whence we may judge whether the great Duty of loving and forgiving our Enemies, be a peculiar Precept of Chriſtianity,
thatCharity which now is,and ever was theDuty of one Man to ano. ther in all Ages. z Heb. ſtirred up my ſelf to rejoice and inlult over his muſery.
30 * Neither have I ſuffered F my mouth # to ſin, by withing a curſe to his ſoul :
a Heb. my palate, which being one ofthe Inſtruments of Speech
patſion or defire of his hurt did ariſe in me, I forthwith ſuppreſſed It, and did nor ſuffer it to grow and break forth into an Imprecati- on of hurt to him.
31 If the men of my tabernacle b ſaid not, Oh that we had of his fleſh c |! we cannot be ſatisfied 4d.