Omnipotent Providence be deprived of his Kingdom) 1:/t the people
: be enſnuared, i-& leſt the People ſhould be longer, and more and
more kept and held in the Snares or Fetters of Tyranny and Op- preſſion; ie. God doth this to free poor oppreſſed People from the ſm#es which ungodly and unrighteous Princes lay for them.
Or, That the people be not enſnared any longer, Heb. That there be no ſnares 0” ox for the people. Or, For the ſnares, or ſcandals, or ſms (wbich are oft ſo called) of the Pcople» So the ſenſe is, That ſuch a wicked Prince may not contiaue to reign over that People, although by their ſins they had provoked God to give them ſuch a Prince, and to continue his Power over them. ;
31 Surely it is meet r to be {aid unto God 5s, T have
born chaſtiſment t, I will not offend any more «.
r Certainly it is but fit and reaſonable that Man ſhould ſay thus, to his Maker and Supream Lord, and that in ftead of contendirg | with God he ſhould ſubmir to him, Or (which comes to the ſame
thing) Br# hath he ſaid? So the ſenſe is, I have ſhewed the abſolute Power which God hath over all his Creatures, and thar he may juſt- ly, and doth oft-times ſeverely puniſh al! forts of menas he ſees fit: And this 50b ſhould have applied to his own caſe. Bur, T appeal to all of you, hath he t-e Jeb ( who is the principal ſubjett of this whole diſcourſe, and to whom he now beginsro dire@his diſcourſe) ſaid, that which here follows? which is a kind of form of Confei-
Gon or Humilietion, which Eu puts into 70b's mouth,as fit to have.
been uſed by him. Nay, hath not his ſpeech and Carriage been of a direQaly contrary nature and tendency? In ſtead of humblir; g him- - ſelf uncer God's hand which washis duty, hath henct been full of murmurings and complaints againſt God ? s Unto one ſo much th Superiour, ſo mighty and ſo righteous in all his ways; With ſuch --an one, a weak and ſinful Creature (as thou art) ſhould nor preſume to conteſt t Or, 140, or ſball bear it, to wir, quietly and con- tentedly ; I will bcar the Lord's indignation, and accept cf the pu- niſhment of my own iniquity andnot accuſe God falſly and fooliſh- ly, asI have done « Heb. I will not corrupt, to wit, my ſelf or my ways; Which is oft underſtood in like cafes. Or. 1wiltake or Je. mand no Pledge : For ſo this Verb is ofc. uſed. So the ſenſe may poſ\ ſibly be, Iconfeſs I have been too bo!d with God, in deſiring that he would come with me into Judgment, and that I could have a Pledge or Surety that he wou'd do ſo, but I willno longer defire it, but ſubmit my ſelf wholly to him. . 32 That which I ſee not, teach thou me x; if T have doneiniquity, I will do no more y.
x I'willno longer maintain mine innocency, but from thy Judg- ments I will conclude and have reaſon to believe thar there are ſome ſecret ſins in me, for which thou doeſt chaitiſe me, and which I through mine ignorance cr partiality cannot yet diſcover, and therefore do beg that thou wouldſt by thy Spirit manifeſt them to me. y I will amend my formererrours.
33 | Shoxld it be according to thy mind 2? he will
ſboald it be rTecompenſe it ; « whether thou refuſe, or whether thou | from with Chooſe b, and not I c: therefore ſpeak what thou know-
eft 4. z Having adviſcd and direfted Job how to behave himſelf, and
what to ſay to Godin his Caſe, he now proceederth to enforce his advice by ſolid Arguments. ſhould it (to wit, God's chaſtening of thee, about which the great Controverſie was) be according to thy mind? Heb- from with thee, as thou wouldſt have it? Shall th Op1- nion or Affettion give Laws and Meaſures to God that he hall af- Ai only ſuch Perſons, and in ſuch a manner and meaſure, and ſo Jong as thou wouldſt have him ? Doth God need, or ſhould he ſeck for thy advice how to govern the World, and whom, and when to reward or puniſh ? Doeſt thou quarrel with God, becauſe he paniſh- eth thee worſe and longer than thou expetteſt or deſireſt ? a To wit, Thy iniquity expreſſed v. 322 b Whether thou art ſatisfied or offended with his proceedings, bliged to give thee an account of hismatters ; whether thou would refuſe his Funiſhments, or accept of them. cIrtis not I, nor thou, that muſt preſcribe to God, but he will do what he pleaſeth. Or, byutnot I, 1- e+ do thou refuſe or chooſe as thou pleaieſt, and con- tend with God for doing with thee otherwiſe, than according to
k. 4 FI Chap. XXXy, thy opinion or good will; but ſo would not Tdo, if it were my caſe, ; and I can ſay nothing for this courſe which thou takeſt, and there. fore do thou ſpeak what thou knowe#, or what thou canft tay for it, as it herefollows. d If thou canſt ſay any thing for this prattice, here I am ready to hear thy defence, and to juſtifie thee as far as I can truly and righteouſly do» Bur this verſe 1s and may well] be other. wiſe rendred, and that very agreeably ro the Hebrew, though fi11 the ſenile wil be the ſame, Shall he, i e. Cod, render, or Tecompence it, (to wit, thy iniquity) according ts thy mind (i- e- no further than thoy doclt like and content) becauſe thou refuſeſt? (to wit, his Chaſtiſe. ment. is he obliged to forbear puniſhing thee becauſe thou art not pleaſed with its Shall not he diſpenſe either favours or affli&i. ons as he ſees fit without thy conſent ? ) Shalt thou chooſe, and not 1 > (So Elihu ſpeaks this in the Name and Perſon of God: Such ſud- den changes of Perſons being not unuſual in this Book. Shalt thou, O Job, chooſe for me, and not I for my ſelf?) therefore [peak what thou knoweſi- Tf this be thy opinion, ſpeak what thou canſt in de- tence of it: And here am II ready to pl-ad for God againſt thee. So here Elhu recurns to ſpeak in bis own Perſon. 34 Let men ÞF of underſtanding tell me, and let a wiſe man hearken unto me e. F Heb. o eI am content that any wiſe Man ſhould judge ofmy words, ang tart.
let ſuch conſider what I ſay. Or. as others tranſlate the place, Men of Underſtanding will ſpeak for or with (as the prefix Lamed is ſome- times uſed, as Gen» 46+ 26+ Numb: 18. 11+ Job 17+5+-) me, and wile Men will hearken or aſſent unto me-
35 Job hath ſpoken without knowledge f, and his words were without wiſdom,
f Fooliſhly and inconſiderately-
35 || My deſire is that Job may be tried g unto the
end h, becauſe of his anſwers ; for wicked men &. | Or, »y