13 Why z doſt thou ſtrive againſt him «? for Þ he þ yeb: be giveth not account of any of his matters x, anſwereth. t Upon what Grounds and for what ends? What advantage 9doſt nvf. thou expe from it? uw To wit, in a judicial way. Sce Chap. 13: 6, x He neitheruſeth nor is by any Law oblidged to give an ace
Ways, 9 — 13. God inſtrufeth man by viſions, 14 18 by afflictions, yg —— 22. by bis wminiSiery, | by tk 254 When man
prayeth and confeſſeth God will be gracious, 26 ——28. Theſe are God's methods of inflruting men, 29, 30.
WW Heretore, Job, I pray thee «, hear my ſpeeches,
and hearken toall my words 5.
4 Perceiving the Error of Job's Friends, and that by their violent and opprobrious Speeches they bad exaſperated Job's mind, and _ thereby hindred the ſucceſs of their Diſcourſes, he applies himſelf to
bim in milder ways, and treats him kindly, thereby to gain his | attention and affeRion, that his words might haye more acceptance
count to any of h1s Creatures of the Grounds and Reaſons of his Judg- ments or Diſpenſations, as being the Sapream and Abſolute Gover« nour of all Perſons and Things, in whoſe Will and Pleaſure it be- cometh all men to acquieſce, And therefore, O Job, thou exceedeſt all bounds of Modefty and Humility and Reverence and Submitfion which thou oweſt to thy Maker, in that thou preſumeſt to demand 2 reaſon for his dealings with thee, and to quarre! with him for not giving it to thee atthy deffre. Or, he anſwereth not all his Words,
i.e. He doth not ſay, or hath not ſaid all that he can to juſtific
his. aRions, which he can do many more ways than we can ina-
eine; but hath reycaled ſo much of his will and ways to Mankind, as ITY OY OL WY 0D "PLL WIN h <#
Chap-XXX10, |
y mouth c, my +; * iN MY palgte
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up. XXXIIL
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he hath thought meet, and as their narrow Capacity can compre- :nd ; as he decjareth inthe following verſes: 14. For y God ſpeaxeth z once, yea twice 4, yet man b nerceiveth it notc, : | 7 Or, Nevertheleſs, as this Particle is ſometimes uſed. Although God doth not give men an account of his matters, yet he doth that for them which is much Letter, and which is ſufficient for them. z To wit, unto men by way of inftruftion or admonition, as ap- pears from the following verſes. a 7. e. Again and again, or oft times, this number being ſometimes put indefinitly, as below v.29. = Kings 6. 10. Pſal. 62. tt. When one ſpeaking doth not awaken men, God is graciouily pleaſed to give them another admonition. So God,though he will nor gratifie mens Curioſity in enquiring in- ro his hidden Judgments yet he will ſupply their neceſſity,and ac- ' quaint them with their duty and intereſt ſo far as is fir, and they are concerned to know. 6b Which is ealily and fitly underſtood here from the former branch of this vert:, as being the Perſon to whom God ſpeaketh, as appears from the next verie- And ſuch Supple- ments are not unuſual in the Hebrew Language, and eſpecially in theſe Poetical Books, where the Stile is very conciſe and ſhort, and many things to be underſtood. c Through his inadvertency or neg- ligence or dulneſs, Man therefore hath no reaſon to charge God as if he were deficient in his notices and manifeſtations of his will, bur to accuſe himſelf for not improving revealed things to his own advantage, but deſiring rather to pry into God's ſecret Counſels, which was fos's errouc. = ; i5 Ina dream 4, in a viſion of the night e, when deep ſleep falleth upon men f, in flumbringsg upon the bed.
4 This he mentions as the uſual way of God's revealing his mind and w1i'l zo Men in thole days, before God's Word was committed to writing, as Gen. 20.6, & 41. 1, 28. e This 1s added by way of explicationand limiration,to ſhew that he ſpeaks not ofevery dream, bat of thoſe Divine dreams {ua which God was pleaſed to vouchſafe ſome vition or reprejentation of [is will to the mind of a Man. f When mens ſenſes are bound up, and their minds free from all diſtracting cares and buſineſs of the World, and wholly at leiſure to receive Divine Imprefſions. g This is added, becauſe in this caſe the Man is lik? one that flumbereth. or between ſleeping and wa- king, or uncertain in which ſtare he is, as Paul could nor tell whe- ther he was in the Body, or out of the Body, when he was in his Extaſie, 2 Cor. 12. i, 2.
16 Then + he openeth the ears of men hb, and ſeal-
THeb. be oth their inſtruRion 5.
revealeth, « þb 1. e, He revcaleth his Will to the Ears and Hearts of Men, as MAVT- this Phraſe is uſed, Job 36. 10, P/. go. 6. Iſa. 50. 4. _ 7 He imprinreth &h, thoſe Inſtructions, which he hath revealed to their Ears,upon their
Minds, that aſter they have heard and received them, they do not .
them flip, as Men commonly do moſt things which they hear, GR how God or Men; but do retainand hold them faſt, and are fully ſatisfied and aſſured of the truth and importance of them, Or, he ſealeth their chaftening, or corre#/0n, for ſo this word ſignifies
as well as inſtruttion, 7. e.He gives them affurance of hrs purpoſe of
corre&ing them for their ſins, if they do not preventir by a ſpeedy repentance. Or, he ſealeth it ( 7. e. his Woid con veyed to theirEars
and Minds ) with chaftening them, i, e.He gives then, aſſurance of the j truth and reality of his Revelation by ſtriking them with a ſacred |
dread and horrour, as was uſual in ſuch Dreams or night Viſions, as we ſee, Job 4+ 13, 14. Whic!: he did that they might remember it the better, and diſtinguiſh this from ſuch vain Dreams as are only the produQions of Man's fancy. |
17 That he & may withdraw man from his + purpoſe I, and hide pride m from mag.