of the infignificancy of the ftricteft regards to God and his worship. Chap. xvi. 9, 10, 11. xvii. 6. His relations and acquaintance, ftruck with horror and averfion to fuch a defpicable, vile, abandoned creature, would not own him. His wife and family treated him with unkindness and neglect, chap. xix. 13-19. The bafeft of men broke in upon him like a legion of fiends, made his afflictions their merriment, treated him with all manner of indignities, calumnies, and flander; and even Spared not to fpit in his face; chap. xxx. 1-15. Scarce ever were the feelings of the human heart oppreffed with fuch a complicated load of grief; fcarce ever was a profeflion of religion fo much expofed to cenfure, reproach, and infult.

And how did the good man bear all this? With heroic bravery; that is to fay, with a patience as fteady and uniform as human infirmity will admit. [Patience is fincere adherence to God and duty, under all difficulties and difcouragements; and the ground of patience is faith, or a full perfuafion of the power, goodness, and wisdom of God.] When his calamities, the lofs of his numerous herds, flocks, and fervants, and of his dearest children, partly by the hands of violence, partly by lightning and storm; when thefe calamities rufhed upon him like an inundation, though he felt all the pangs of the moft grievous affliction, and ufed fuch expreffions of his doleful cafe, as were cuftomary at that time; [Chap. i. 20.rent his mantle, fhaved his hear, fell down upon the ground. Chap. ii. 8, 12. Sprinkled duft upon their beads; See 1 Sam. iv. 12. 2 Sam. xiii. 19. Job. vii. 6. Ezek. xxvii. 30. Iliad xviii. 22.] yet he behaved like a wife and good man, proftrating himself upon the ground in a humble fenfe of his own unworthinefs, and a patient fubmiffion to the Will of God, compofing his mind into a calm and quiet adoration of his fupreme Dominion and unblemished Juftice, chap. i. 20, 21. "Icame," faith he, "by the "Divine Will into the world, a naked helpless creature; and by the "fame will I muft fhortly return to the duft. I am bereaved of my "most valuable and dearest temporal enjoyments, but by the permiffion "of a wife and righteous God. His own he gave; his own, for wife "ends, he hath taken away. I acquiefce in his Sovereign Difpofals, "and adore the inconteftable purity and righteoufnefs of his dealings "with me." O brave Soul! O happy Man, who could keep up good thoughts of God, and communion with him, under the sharpeft ftrokes of his rod !

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When, covered over with painful boils, in the place and pofture of an humble penitent, he was probably pouring out his fubmiffions and fupplications to Heaven, his wife fpared not to reproach him with his prepofterous godlinefs. Chap. ii. 9, 10. Doft thou ftill retain thine integrity by bleffing God, and dying? q. d. "Will you blefs God when he is deftroying you? Will you call upon him, and believe he is good, when he hath ruined your eftate and family, and, in fpite of all your humble "fubmiffions, is flaughtering your body, and within a ftroke of your "life?" But Job returned no other than a mild answer, as became a good man, and affectionate hufband. "You fpeak not like yourself," faid he," but as a woman void of understanding. Is it fit God fhould "always fmile upon finful creatures? Shall we fay, he is not juft when "he brings us into afflictions? We receive what pleaseth us with joy,

"" and

"and it is but reasonable that we receive what is ungrateful with a calm "refignation; feeing both come from the fame Wife and Sovereign "Difpofer of all things." Still Job is patient, and, under every trial, adheres to God and duty.

The composure and steadiness of his mind was more feverely tried by his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zephar, men of the fame rank, and of like good fenfe and piety, who dwelt in fome of the adjacent provinces, and in whofe familiarity he had probably been long happy. The report of his fufferings, of the ruin of his character, and the wound thereby given to religion, having reached their ears, they agreed, with a fincere intention, to join their endeavours in adminiftering the only advice and confolation they apprehended his cafe would admit. For, as the fufpicions were very ftrong, and his calamities carried evident marks of Divine Inflictions, they had the fame opinion of them with the rest of the world, and believed they were the just judgments of God upon a hypocrite; and therefore were determined, by all means, to fix a fenfe of guilt upon his confcience, in order to bring him to true repentance, and fo to a folid intereft in the Divine Favour and bleffing. But when they were come, and had found their late flourishing, honourable, and highly-esteemed friend, reduced to the moft loathfome and miferable wretch, that was fitting in the afhes, they were aftonished beyond expreffion; and being confirmed in their evil fufpicions, though they fat with him on the ground, yet, as their bad opinion of him would not allow them to say any thing comfortable and encouraging, they chofe to fay nothing at all for seven or several days together, chap. ii. 12. The fight of his old acquaintance, and their unfavourable manner of condolence, raised his paffion of forrow to fuch a pitch, that it burst out into a torrent of the most bitter reflections upon his birth-day; wishing it were ftruck out of the number of days, or rendered as odious and deteftable to all others, as it was to himself.

Upon this, Eliphaz, probably the oldeft and moft honourable of the three, addreffed himself to Job, and, in the fofteft manner, opened their fenfe of his cafe; namely, that, in their apprehenfions, he had been very defective in the character to which he had pretended; that great fufferings must be the punishment of great fins; and that they could recommend to him no other method of regaining his former peace and profperity, but repentance, and feeking unto God for pardon. In fhort, they foon declared plainly, that they judged he had been a very wicked man, and that his calamities were an evident indication of the wrath of God againft him as fuch. This Job flatly denied; and this is the matter in difpute between him and his friends: which difpute, as is ufual in fuch cafes, was carried on with a growing eagerness and heat on both fides; and on both fides might occafion fome expreffions too ftrong and exaggerating.

His friends argue from experience, and what they had obferved to be the ufual method of Divine Providence. They had feen many inftances of wicked men, or of thofe who had pafled for fuch, remarkably punished; and hence they formed to themfelves a general maxim, that where they faw great wretchednefs and fufferings, there must be crimes proportionably great. To this Job alfo oppofes obfervation and expe

rience;

rience; and fhews, that the rule of judging they had formed to themfelves, was by no means right, or without exception; that good men were fometimes afflicted, and the wicked flourishing and happy; and that, for the most part, things were dealt out here promifcuoufly; that this was more especially obfervable in times of war and peftilence, and fuch other fweeping calamities where the good and bad fall undiftinguifhed. Chap. ix. 22, 23. To all which he adds, that it was a very heavy aggravation of his mifery, to hear his friends, fo well acquainted with him, men of sense and diftinction, charge him with crimes which his foul abhorred, and of which God, who had afflicted him, knew that he was innocent. To him he would appeal, and ftill adhere in life and death, though he did not know why he had dealt fo feverely with him. And fo ftrongly did Job affert the integrity of his religion and virtue, (chapters xxix. and xxxi.) that his friends, though perhaps not convinced, were however put to filence (chap. xxxii. 1).

Upon this, Elihu, a young man of good understanding, who, probably, with others, was a bystander and witness to this debate (chap. xxxii. 15.) acts as moderator between Job and his friends, and cenfures both very freely and judiciously; only he charges Job with no crime as the cause of his afflictions, but thinks he had not managed the difpute about them with fo much calmnefs and fubmiffion to God as became his piety.

Finally, the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind (the Septuagint add, and clouds), a token of the Divine Prefence. So Ezekiel's vifions were introduced, Ezek. i. 4. And I looked, and behold, a whirlwind came out of the North, a great cloud and a fire. Perhaps Elihu faw this token. of the Divine Prefence approaching. Job. xxxvii. 22, &c. Fair weather [ant gold, fplendor, the fplendor of the Divine Prefence. See Schultens in loc.] cometh [n will come, or is coming, fpeedily] out of the North; with God is terrible Majefty. The fpeech of Deity, (chap. xxxviii. xxxix. xl. xli.) moft inimitably grand and fublime, reprefenting the vast extent of the Divine Wisdom and power in the works of creation, which Job and his friends had well ftudied, and from which they knew how to deduce proper conclufions, fhews, 1. That all things in the fky, the air, the earth, the fea, are produced and difpofed in a manner far beyond the reach of human wisdom and power. Confequently, 2. That man is not qualified to difpofe of himself, or of any other being. That God may have wife and good reafons for his ways and works, and dealings with us, which we cannot comprehend; and therefore it is our duty, in all cafes, to acquiefce and fubmit. 3. That he who has given various natures and instincts to animals, can give being and life, when and where, and in what degree he pleafes. 4. That he is prefent to, cares for, fuftains and directs every living thing; and therefore that we ought to trust in him for a happy iffue out of any of his inflictions. 5. That the wifeft of men fhould be very cautious and modeft in cenfuring the ways of Providence.

Chap. xlii. Job humbleth himself before God, facrificeth for his friends; his family is reftored, his eftate is doubled.

RULES

RULES to be obferved in expounding the Book of Job.

I. He that would rightly explain this book muft, as much as he can, imagine himfelf in the fame afflicted condition.

II. Every daring thought, or ardent expreffion, which occurs in the fpeeches of this afflicted and exasperated man, is not to be vindicated; yet, as he was a great man, and a prince, he may be allowed to use bold and animated language.

III. We fhall certainly judge amifs, if we think every thing wrong, which will not fuit with the politenefs of our manners. Allowance must be made for the fimplicity of thofe times.

IV. In judging of Job's character, we muft fet the noble ftrains of his piety against the unguarded expreffions of his forrow.

V. It is not his innocence, ftrictly speaking, which Job infifts on, but his fincerity. Chap. vii. 20, 21.

VI. Except their hard cenfures of Job, his friends fpeak well and religionfly.

VII. His friends encouraged Job to hope for a temporal deliverance; (chap. v. 18, &c. vii. 20, &c. xi. 14, &c.) but Job defpaired of it, and expected his bodily diforder would terminate in death, (chap. vi. II, 12. vii. 6, 7, 8, 21. xvii. 1, 13, 14, 15. x.x. 10. Though, in the increafing heat of the difpute, they feem to drop this fentiment, in their following anfwers, as if they fuppofed fob to be too bad to hope for any favour from God.) He hoped, however, that his character would be cleared in the day of judgment: though he was greatly concerned that it could not be cleared before; that after a life led in the most confpicuous virtues, his reputation, in the opinion of his nearest friends, would fet under a black cloud, and, with regard to the ignorant and profane, leave an odious reproach upon a profeffion of religion. This touched him to the heart; exafperated all his fufferings, and made him often with, that God would bring him to his trial here, in this life; that his integrity might be vindicated, and all, friends and enemies, might understand the true end or defign of God in his fufferings; and the honour of religion might be fecured. Chap. x. ii. 2, 3. Is it good unto thee, that theu shouldft—fine upon the counsel of the wicked? who from my cafe take occafion to reproach and vilify true religion, and to confirm themselves in their wicked and idolatrous practices. Chap. vii. 20, 21, 22. xi. 17-20, xvi. 9-11.

VIII. He could only affirm his integrity, but could give no fpecial fatisfactory reafon, why God fhould afflict him in a manner fo very extraordinary, and beyond all preceding cafes that were ever known in the world. This very much perplexed and embarrafied his mind, and laid him under a great difadvantage in the difpute. And, for one thing, it is on this account that he is fo earneft to come to a conference with God, to know his mind and meaning. Chap. x. 2. Shew me wherefore thou contendeft with me. See Bp. PATRICK'S Paraphrafe upon the place, from ver. 2d to the 8th. He knew very well he could not abfolutely justify himself before God, chap. ix. 2, 3, &c. ver. 17. For he breaks VOL. I.

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me

me with a tempeft, he multiplieth my wounds without a caufe, or without any apparent reafon. Chap. vii. 12, 20. The whole xxiiid chapter relates to this point; in which he wishes he could come to the dwellingplace of God, (ver. 3.) and spread his cafe before him, and argue about it at large, (ver. 4.) for he had turned his thoughts every way, and could make nothing of it, (ver. 8, 9.) only he was fure God knew he was an upright man, (ver. 10, 11, 12.) But, (ver. 13.) he is in one 8 or in unity, fupreme.above all others, abfolutely entire, keeping his mind and defigns to himfelf; and none can turn, or oblige him to alter his refolution. All that we can fay is, that he doth whatever is agreeable to his own wifdom. For (ver. 14.) what he hath refolved to inflict upon me he hath accomplished; and many fuch things he doth, of which he will not give us the reafon. To the fame purpose underftand chap. xxvii. 2, 3, 4, 14. and chap. xxviii. 2. He hath taken away my judgment, i. e. the rule by which I might judge of the reason of my afflictions. This point, in reference to God, Elihu tells him (chap. xxxiii. 13.) he had urged to no purpofe, feeing he gives no account of his matters, or will not reveal to us the fecrets of his Providence.

IX. In fuch a noble performance, if any thing feems to be faid not in confiftency, or not in character, we fhould rather fufpect our own judgment, than the good fenfe of the Author. The fault is not in the book, but in our understanding.

X. That fenfe which beft agrees with the fubject, or the point in hand, or which ftands in the best connexion with the context, fhould always be judged the beft fenfe.

CRITICISMS.

Chap. i. 5. To blefs a perfon is a form of valediction, 2 Sam. xix. 39. So here, My fons have have taken leave of God. And fo 1 Kings, xxi. 13. Naboth hath bid farewell to God and the King, or hath treated them with contempt.

&c.

Chap. iii. 25, 26. The thing that I greatly feared is come upon me, This alludes to the lofs of his children, for whom he was very much concerned, chap. i. 5. But chap. xxix. 18. and xxx. 26. relate to his circumftances in general.

Chap. xiii. 12. Your remembrances your [quoting of] memorable fayings are like afhes, or dirt; your bodies your heaps, eminencies, your strongest arguments, to heaps of clay, foon washed away.

CHAP.