the mighty; destroys the most powerful alliances and confederas 22 cies. He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bring. eth out to light the shadow of death, discovers the most secret 23 and artful plots. He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them he enlargeth the nations and straiteneth them [again ;] whole nations, as well as particular men are under his control; he can destroy them by war or pestilence, enlarge their boundaries, and 24 drive them into corners again. He taketh away the heart of the chief people of the earth, that is, the wisdom of the most eminent men, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness [where there is] no way, that is, in such confusion that they know not which way to 25 turn. They grope in the dark without light, like blind men, and he maketh them to stagger like [a] drunken [man ;] all their motions are uncertain, like those of a man in liquor, who knows not what way to take. 1. L REFLECTIONS. ET us learn to abate our pride of knowledge and learning. Too many, especially some of better education and under standing than their neighbours, are ready to think they are the people, and are wiser than all men; that they have made a monopoly of wisdom, and that when they are dead all wisdom will be gone, and none left on the earth. To guard us against such arrogant conceits, we should consider that God distributes understanding among all men. Many are our equals, many are our superiors. There were wiser men before us, and will be wiser men after us. Let us not then be proud of our wisdom, especially not mock and despise others, as if they had not understanding as well as we. He is truly wise and honourable who is truly humble; and no man's ability seems so conspicuous as his, over which humility casts a mild and gentle shade. 2. It is very common for those who are in trouble to be despised by those who are in prosperity. When men fall into affliction, their former excellency and usefulness is forgotten. When their light, which was before admired, grows dim, oris removed into obscurity by sickness or calamity, they are despised; others look scornfully upon them; forget the rank they once held, and the lustre they displayed. Let afflicted persons expect disrespectful treatment, and bear it with patience; and let those who are in prosperity guard against censuring or neglecting the afflicted; for they may soon take their place, and will probably be treated with greater slight and contempt, on account of their insolent and unkind behaviour to their afflicted brethren. 3. The universal influence of God over his creatures should be seriously and constantly remembered. v. 10. All derive their being from him, are supported by him, and are under his direction; their comforts and lives are at his disposal. When he pleaseth, princes lose their dignity and authority, the wise and experienced their skill, the orators their cloquence, the politicians their art, the mighty their strength, the general and soldier their military skill and prowess. Nations are by him multiplied or diminished, exalted or depressed: he setteth up and pulleth down princes, discovers the deepest plots, and con founds the most artful schemes. The history of every nation is a commentary on this noble and beautiful passage, especially that of our own nation. But, as Mr. HENRY observes, the glorious revolu tion by king William, to which we may add the succession and establishment of the present royal family, is as happy an exposition as ever was given of this discourse of Job. This should comfort us amidst all our alarms and dangers, and encourage us in every future circumstance, that God knoweth what men intend, and can overrule all for our benefit: and will overrule it for the happiness of his church and people. Let this then be the constant matter of our joy and triumph, Hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth! CHAP. XIII. Job proceeds in his reply, and charges his friends with ignorance and falsehood; maintains his own integrity, and carries his cause before God. 1 O, mine eye hath seen all [this,] mine ear hath heard and 2 had it from credible authority. What ye know, [the same] do I know also: I [am] not inferior unto you, I am as capable of judg3 ing as you are. Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God; I desire to appeal to God, to plead 4 before his omniscience. But ye [are] forgers of lies, ye [are] all physicians of no value; your conclusions are false, you prescribe bad remedies, or misapply good ones, and thus increase the disease 5 you pretend to cure. O that ye would altogether hold your peace; and it should be your wisdom; your silence will be a 6 better proof of wisdom than such arguments. Hear now my 7 reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips. Will yè speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him? cannot God be justified in these dispensations, without your charging me 8 with hypocrisy, or using pious frauds? Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God? is he unjust, that you must favour 9 his side? will you think to please him by censuring me? Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye [so] mock him? would it be for your advantage that he should scrutinize your arguments and the principles from whence your censures flow? do you think by pretences to piety 20 10 flatter and deceive him? He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons, and design to gratify him by my unjust 11 condemnation. Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you, and make you tremble to deal unjustly, 12 and to think he needs your patronage? Your remembrances [are] like unto ashes, your remonstrances, or the most memorable things you say, are as easily scattered as ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay; the strength of your arguments are like heaps of clay, or 13 sand, which cannot support what is laid upon them. Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what [will ;] I will speak my mind, whatever is the consequence. 14 Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth? why is my desire so violent that I am ready to tear my flesh with my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? go in continual danger of death, through my 15 heavy afflictions? Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him, and express my confidence in him to my last breath: but I will 16 maintain mine own ways before him. He also [shall be] my salvation I am confident he will vindicate me; for an hypocrite 17 shall not come before him. Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears; let me desire your further atten 18 tion. Behold now, I have ordered [my] cause, pleaded it with 19 sincerity; and I know that I shall be justified. Who [is] he, in heaven or earth, [that] will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost; my impatience for a trial is so great, that if it hath not vent it will destroy me. Then, turn, 20 ing himself to God, he adds, Only do not two [things] unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee, but come boldly into thy 21 presence to plead for myself. First, Withdraw thine hand far from me, thy correcting hand, and deliver me from outward troubles; and secondly, let not thy dread make me afraid, 22 thine awful, tremendous appearance terrify my mind. Then call thou, bring thy charge, and I will answer or let me speak, suf23 fer me to make my complaint, and answer thou me. How many [are] mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin; surely they must be very great and uncommon, if all this is a punishment for them, as my friends would have me 24 believe. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy? on account of which of them dost thou turn away as a judge who will not hear a criminal plead, and treatest me as an 25 enemy? Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro ? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble? canst thou get honour by a contest 26 with such a mean, impotent creature as I am? For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth; the whole score of my sins is brought against me, 27 and thou goest as far back as my youth to trace them out. Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and I can no more escape than a malefactor in these circumstances, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths, all the steps that I have trod and for gotten, and thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet, so that thou canst trace 28 them all back for months and years past. And he, that is, man in general, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment that is moth eaten, the longer it is worn, the worse it grows; and this is remarkably my case under this affliction. I. W REFLECTIONS. E are here taught, that the cause of God needs neither falsehood nor passion to support it. Job's expostula tions with his friends in the beginning of the chapter, naturally suggest this observation. To speak wickedly for God, or talk deceit. fully for him, is the highest affront to his wisdom and righteousness. Pious frauds, as they are called, are infamous things; and all those passions which break out in defence of religion, and end in destroying or slandering others, are not of a religious kind, but the contrary; for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 2. Is it good that God should search us out? This is a question we should often put to ourselves. Should we be willing and desir ous that our secret actions, words, and thoughts, should be laid open, the principles on which we act, be known? This indeed is good to upright souls, but brings confusion upon the hypocrite. Remember, God will search us out, and reveal us at last; and judge the secrets of all hearts; therefore pray now, Search me, O God, and know my thoughts. 3. The dreadful excellencies of God should fill us with holy awe. In him dwelleth all excellency, beauty, and perfection; but considering his supremacy and universal dominion, his power and jus tice, even his excellencies are dreadful. All should promote our desire to please him, and our dread of offending him. Let us therefore fear the Lord and his goodness. 4. It becomes good men to maintain their trust in God in the greatest extremity, even though he slay them. Though they should be called to give up liberty, comfort and life, for truth and righteousness, still they should hope in God; and believe that all will work for good. They should rejoice in him, when there is nothing else to rejoice in; for he will be our salvation, yea, our everlasting salvation. 5. True penitents desire to know the worst of themselves; how many their transgressions and sins are. But hypocrites are afraid to know this; they endeavour to fly from themselves, and banish all serious thought. Sincere christians are willing to know what sins they are chargeable with, what they are easily beset by and are most liable to, that they may confess them, and guard against them for the future. 6. The terrors of the Lord are very dreadful to good men. It is no uncommon thing for them to feel them; his dread makes them afraid; he hideth his face. Two things afflict them, outward, and inward trouble; and the last is the worst to those who value God's loving kindness above life. He sometimes afflicts their spirits, as well as their bodies, to humble and prove them, and make them better. Let not good men be overwhelmed when that is the case; but more earnestly pray, There are many that say, who will show us any good, and remove bodily evil from us? O lift up upon us the light of thy countenance! this shall put joy and gladness into our hearts. 7. Sin adds to the bitterness of every affliction, v. 26. He makes us to possess the iniquities of our youth. The sins of youth are the smart of old age; though repented of and forgiven, yet the re membrance of them is painful. This should be a caution to young people to look well to their ways, and flee youhtful lusts. God marks your steps, my young friends; sets a print on your heels. If you take false steps, wander from the way of the righteous, and walk with sinners, you will hereafter find that he has looked narrowly unto your path; and for all these things he will bring you to judgment; and when the troubles of life, and the infirmities of age come, the remembrance of these things will fill you with bitterness and shame. Let this thought teach us all to avoid sin, that we may have peaceful consciences, and enjoy the approbation of our judge; that we may lift up our face with comfort to him, and not be ashamed at his coming, CHAP. XIV. In which Job pleads with God the shortness of life; that there is no return from the grave; he begs a release by death; and expresses his hope of a resurrection. ΜΑ AN [that is] born of a woman, every man that cometh into the world, [is] of few days, and full of trouble. He com. eth forth like a flower, and is cut down; however beautiful, he soon withereth: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. 3 And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee? canst thou concern thyself so much for a poor, distressed, dying creature, and by the severity of thy 4 dispensations oblige me to pl•ad with thee? Who can bring a clean [thing] out of an unclean? who can bring a perfect creature out 5 of a mean and sinful one? not one; Seeing his days [are] determined, the number of his months [are] with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; seeing the days of all 6 men are confined to so short a time; Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day; do not overwhelm me with afflictions while life is continued, and I shall meet death with as much pleasure as the hireling, or day labourer, 7 meets the shadow of the evening. For there is hope of a tree if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender 8 branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax 9 old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; [Yet] through the scent of water, any moisture that comes near it, it 10 will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant. But man dieth, and wasteth away, cannot revive again,as a tree or flant often does; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where [is] he? the greatest and the meanest of men, as the original signifies, wither and die 11 alike, and are gone beyond recovery. [As] the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up; as water left behind by the sea at high flood, soon dries up, and land floods vanish and |