#{ Alchough I dare not ſay, as his three Friends do, that he is a | rg Man, yet in this matter he ſpeaks and atts like one of
Thcm., 9 For he hath ſaid », * It profiteth a man nothing,
' that he ſhould delight hinaſelf with God ».
mM Not abſolutely and in expreſs terms, but by unforced conſe« quence, and as concerning this Life,and with reference to himſelf; becauſe ke ſaid that good Men were no leſs, nay, ſometimes more miſerable here than the wicked, Ch. 9. 22, &c. 3e. 26. and that for his part he was no gainer as to this Life, by his Piery, but a loſer,
, and that God ſhewed him no more kindnels and compaſſion than he ' uſually did to tte vileſt of Men. Which wasa very unthankful and ungoaly Opinion and Expreſſion, ſeing Godlineſs hath the Promiſe of this Lite as well as of that to come, and Job had ſuch ſupports, and ſuch aſſurances of his own uprightneſs, and of his future hap= panels, as he confeſſeth, as were and ſhould have been accounted even for the preſent, a greater comfort and profit, than all which thisWorld can afford. » That he ſhould chute and delight to walk with God, and make ithis chicf care and bulineſs to pleaſe Him,and ro do His Commandments ; which is the true and proper CharaQer of a Godly Man. : NM
10 Therefore hearken unto me, ye+ men of under- ſtanding os : * far be it from God that he ſhould de wick- neſs p, and from the Almighty, that he ſhould commit
iniquity, Chap. 8.3: o You who are preſent, and underſtand theſe things, do you &_36- judge between Job and me. p This I muſt lay down as a Principle, Pf. 92.15: That the Righteous and Holy God, neither doth, nor can deal R994 unjuſtly with Job, or with any Man, as Job inſinuates that God had dealt with him. | 11 * For the work'q of a man ſhall he render unto *Pf.621: him, and cauſe every man to find according to his _— ways. : es 3. 20, q i. e, The reward of his work ; or according to his work. Job's aq,c.16.:7 afflictions, though great and ſharp, are not undeſerved, but juſtly Rom 2.6. inflited upon hum, both for his original corruption, and for many |. q,c.10 aQtuzl tranſgreſſions which are manifeſt ro God,though Jeb,through 1Pet-1.17 his partiality, may not ſee them. And Job's Piery ſhall be recom- Rey, 22. penced it may be, 1n this life, but undoubtedly 1n the next» And therefore Piery is not unprofitable, as Job ſaith. 12 Yea, furely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervere judgment yr. r As Job hath wickedly affirmed. For the Phraſe,ſce onChap.s.3. 13 Who hath given him a charge over the earth 52or who hath diſpoſed : + the whole world ? + Heb, al s 7,e. Over the Inhabitants of the Earth, to rule them according of it, to his Laws, and to givean account to him of it? Who or where is his Superiour that made the World, and then delivered the Go- vernmenr of it to God ? There is no ſuch Perſon. God himſelf is the ſole Creator, the abſolute and ſapream Lord and Governour of all the World, and therefore cannot do unjuſtly.The reaſon is part-=
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of heart.
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7 Heb. b 7. e. Man's mind judgeth of things ſpoken and heard. The Ear, Palate. he Senſe of Diſcipline is put for the mind to which things ae conveyed by iT. -- I6£ the note on Job 12. 11,
4 . - , | YT PI Ww L
ly becauſe all unrighteouſneſs is a tranſgreſſion of ſome Law, and God hath noLaw ro bound him bur his own nature and will: partly becauſe the Creator and Lord of the World muſt needs have all ; poſſible PerfeQions in himſclf, and amongtt orkers,perfeR mee,
and
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a needs be free from all imperfeQions and obliquiries, and ies wo from Injuſtice: And _ becauſe he is of himſelf All- ſufficient, and independent upon all other Perſons, and able to do and procure whatſoever pleaſerh him, and therefore as he hath no inclination, ſo he hath no temptation, to any unrighteous aQtions z This being generally the reaſon of all unrighteous ations 1n the World, becauſe the Perſons who do them either are obliged to do it, to gratifie ſome Superiour Authority who commands them to do it, or elſe do want or delire ſomething which they cannor juſt- Jy obrain. For he is a Monſter, and not a Man, who will take a- way any thing by injuſtice or violence, which he may have by right. # Or, committed, to wit, to him,to be governed by him, 1n the Name, and for the uſe and ſervice of his Superiour Lord, to whom he muſt give an account.
14 * If he ſec his heart f upon man « ;
unto himſelf x his ſpirit and his breath y .*
u Heb. upon hm, is &- Man, as may ſcem probable fromw. 17. and 15. where Man is expreſſed, and from the next Clauſe of this verſe, where he ſpeaks of that Spiric and Breath which is in Man- If his Eye and Heart be upon Man, if he diligently and exactly obſerve Him, and all his ways, and whartfoever 1s amiſs in him, and which follows upon ir of courſe, reſolve to puniſh him, Or, if he ſer his heart again#t (as this Particle El is uſed, Amos 7. 15» and clſc-wbere, as hath been noted before ) him, to wir, to cut him off. x If it plezſe him, to gather 70 himſelf, to wit, by Death, whereby God is {aid to take away Mens Breath, Pfal. 104. 29. and to gather Mens Souls, Plal- 26. 9. and the'Spirit is ſaid to return unts God, Eccleſ. 12-7. Y i-e That Spirit and Breath, or that living Soul that God breathed intro Man, Gen. 2. 7. and gives to every Man that cometh
into the World. ; — 15 * All fleſh = ſhall periſh
Fidel. ſhall turn again unto duſt. BF ' 2 LE. —_ Man, who is called Fleſb, Gen. 6. 3, 17+ 1/a+ 40. 6- a Or, alike, Without any exception, be they great or mean, wiſe or fooliſh, good or bad, if God delign to deſt:oy them, rhey can- not withſtand his Power, but muſt needs periſh by his ſtroke. The defign of this and the foregoing verle 1s the ſame with that of v.13. (where ſee the notes) namely, to declare God s abſolute and uncon- troulable Soveraignty overall men, to difpoſe of them either to life or to death, as it pleaſeth him.and conſequently to ſhew that 7ob hid cauſe to be thankful to God, who had continued his life ſo Jong to him, which he might have taken away as ſoon as ever he had given it, and had no cauſe to complain of him, or to tax him
with injuſtice for affliting him, as he did. 16 If now thow haft underſtanding,
hearken to the voice of my words. |
þ As thou art a Man of Underſtanding, hear and conſider what