RULES to be observed in expounding the Book of Job.

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

II. Every daring thought, or ardent expreffion, which occurs in the fpeeches of this afflicted, and exafperated 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 politnefs of our manners. Allowance muft be made for the fimplicity of those times.

IV. In judging of Job's character, we must 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 religioufly.

VII. His friends incouraged 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. I, 13, 14, 15. xix. 10. Though, in the increafing heat of the difpute, they feem to drop this fentiment, in their following answers, as if they fuppofed Job to be too bad to hope for any favor 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 wish, 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 honor of religion might be fecured. Chap. x. ii. 2, 3. Is it good unto thee, that thou shouldft-shine upon the counsel of the wicked? who from my cafe take occasion to reproach and vilify true religion, and to confirm themselves in their wicked and idolatrous practices. Chap. viii. 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 perplext and embarrast his mind, and laid him under a great difadvantage in the difpute. And, for one thing, it is on this account that he is so earnest 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 with a tempeft, he multiplieth my wounds without a cause, or without any apparent reason. Chap. vii. 12, 20. The whole xxiiid chapter relates to this point; in which he wishes he could come to the dwelling place 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 TN or in unity, fupreme above all others, abfolutely entire, keeping his mind and defigns to himself, and none can turn, or oblige him to alter his refolution. All that we can say is, that he doth whatever is agreable 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 reason. To the fame purpofe understand 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 reafon 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 sense which beft agrees with the fubject, or the point in hand, or which stands in the best connection with the context, should always be judged the best sense.

CRITICISMS.

Chap. i. 5. To blefs a perfon is a form of valediction, 2 Sam. xix. 39. So here, My fons 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.

Chap. iii. 25, 26. The thing that I greatly feared is come upon me, &c. 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 circumstances in general.

Chap. xiii. 12. Your remembrances □ your [quoting of] memor◄ able fayings are like ashes, or dirt; your bodies your heaps, eminencies, your ftrongest arguments, to heaps of clay, foon washed away.

CHAP. XXIV.

CHA P. XXIV.

The Doctrines of the PATRIARCHAL AGE.

CHE inftructions, particularly defigned to be given in the Book Tof fob, might not be fo well underftood in that age of the xx world; namely, that great fufferings are not always an argument of great fins; but that very good men may be very much afflicted în this world; that therefore we fhould not cenfure any under calamities, be the hand of God ever so apparent, unless the crimes be likewise certain and apparent. That we ought not to complain of God in any condition, as if he neglected us, or dealt hardly with us, but rather meekly submit to his Bleffed Will; who never doth any thing without reason, though we cannot always comprehend it, adoring and revering the unfearchable depths of his Wife Counsel, and believing that all at laft will turn out to our advantage, if like his fervant Job we perfevere in faith, hope, and patience. This was Job's real character, though not without errors. No error can be difcerned in his behaviour, but what the uncharitable cenfures of his friends provoked him to. Thus he was put upon too frequent and too ftrong juftifications of himself, being withal extremely perplexed to give a plain and fatisfactory account, why God afflicted him fo feverely.

God, in the iffue, fatisfied him, that he had juft and weighty reafons; and, in particular, by doubling his profperity, that he defigned to make him a pattern of patience and reward. James v. 11. Behold, we count them happy who endure patiently the greatest fufferings. Ye have heard of the wonderful patience of Job, and have feen, in his case, the happy end to which the Lord brought his calamities. Whence we may learn, that under the fevereft vifitations, the Lord is very compaffionate and merciful to the fincere and upright, and will amply recompence them in a future world.

Thus the great point in religion, before dark and doubtful, relating to the Providence of God, and the fufferings of good men, is cleared up with such evidence, as can no where else be found but in the gospel of Jefus Chrift.

Though this point might not be fo well understood, before it was thus illuftrated, yet there are feveral other important articles of religion, of which Job and his friends, and doubtless many others, had very juft and clear conceptions. As the being and perfections of God; that we can receive neither good nor evil but from him, the Author of our being, and Difpofer of all events; that he fees and orders all things in heaven and earth; that there can be no iniquity with him; that he is the Friend and Patron of virtue, and hates, and will punish vice and wickedness; nevertheless, that he is merciful and gracious, and will certainly, pardon and bless those who fincerely repent of their fins, and return unto him. That he is to be fupremely reverenced and worshiped, as the fole Sovereign of the univerfe, by prayers and facrifices, by purity and integrity

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heart, by juftice in all our dealings, by all acts of charity, goodness, and benevolence to others, particularly, to the helpless and indigent; by temperance and fobriety, curbing irregular defires and appetites; that men fhould not be elated and puffed up by large poffeffions, nor put their truft in riches, chap. xxxi. 24, 25; that they fhould abhor idolatry, ver. 26, 27, 28; that they should not wifh evil to an enemy, nor rejoice in his misfortunes, ver. 29, 30, much less think of murdering him; that they should abftain from adultery and fornication, ver. 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, from theft, rapin, and deceit, ver. 5, 6, 7. For the pu nifhment of which crimes he mentions judges in his days, (ver. 11, 28.) and was himself one of the chief, chap. xxix. 7, 9, &c.

These, and fuch like principles of natural religion, are allowed both by Job and his friends, and therefore were the religion of the Patriarchs, as indeed they are the principles of true and acceptable religion in all ages and parts of the world.

Further; the religious in that, and the preceding, as well as fubfequent ages, I am perfuaded, entertained the faith and hope of a future quent ftate. This hath been the popular belief of all nations from time immemorial; and it is fcarce credible, in the nature of the thing, that the greatest happiness of this life, which might at any uncertain time, and and at length would infallibly and totally be demolished by death, should ever become a folid principle of religion, confidered as the fole reward of piety and virtue.

However it appears, that Job expected a future world, for he had hope with regard to his condition, but not in this world; therefore, his hope must be in a future state. Chap. xiii. 15. 16. ruæ ab bap - m Lo, or certainly, he will flay me: I will not hope, non eft quod fperem, I have no ground to hope, that I fhall furvive my fufferings, yet will I maintain the integrity of my own ways before him. And even this fhall be for falvation to me; [where but in a future world?] for a hypocrite fhall not come before him; fhall not have confidence to prefent himself before his tribunal. Chap. xxiii. 10. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. As Job abfolutely despairs of any temporal deliverance, this muft neceffarily be understood of the hope he entertained of having his innocence cleared in the day of judg

ment.

He had, moreover, a notion of the refurrection. Chap. xiv. 7. For there is hope of a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not ceafe. Ver. 8. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground, ver. 9. yet through the fcent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a new plant. Ver. 10. And shall man die, and totally waste away? And shall man give up the ghost, and where is he? Or be no more for ever? Ver. 11. As the waters fail from the fea, as the fea ebbs and flows again, and the river, or brook in the dry fandy country of Arabia, decays, and drieth up, in fummer, but is made a brook again by the rains and fnows of winter; ver. 12. So man lieth down, and rifeth not, till the heavens be no more; they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their fleep, to return to the affairs and poffeffions of this world. Ver. 13. And Oh that thou, Ọ

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God, wouldst hide me in the grave, in that ftate of fleep and infenfibility, that thou wouldst keep me fecret, in that filent retirement, until thy wrath be past; that thou wouldst appoint me a fet time, and remember me to restore me to a new and better life! Ver. 14. If a man die, fhall be live again? Or fhall a man live again, after he is dead? Then I will patiently wait all the days of the time thou shalt be pleased to appoint, till my happy renovation fhall come. Ver. 15. Thou shalt call, and I will joyfully anfwer thee; thou wilt bave a longing defire to restore the work of thy hands. Ver. 16. Though now, at prefent, thou numbereft my steps, &c,

Chap. xix. 23. Obferve the folemn introduction; Oh, that my words, which I am going to speak, were now written! Oh, that they were printed in a book! Ver. 24. That they were graven with an iron pen and lead, in the rock [my grave-ftone, SCHULTENS.] for ever! This is too grand for temporal deliverance. Why fhould that be recorded upon a rock, as a lafting monument to all mankind? But it very well fuits the noble and fublime hope of a refurrection and future judgment, worthy of univerfal attention. Ver. 25. For I know, or am well affured, that my

Vindicator, [the Vindicator of my innocence is] living, and that at the laft over the duft, [the dead, that hath been reduced to duft,] he shall arife, [to execute judgment, Job xxxi. 13, 14. Pfal. lxxiv. 22. Ixxxii. 8.] Verse 26. And though after my skin they shall destroy this, [or this body fhall be deftroyed yet from my restored flesh I fhall with pleasure fee God. [Vide R. in verfe 27. Whom I shall fee for myself, [to do me juftice, as chap. v. 27,- for thy good [for thyfelf] and mine eyes fhall hehold; but a stranger to goodness and juftice fhall not behold him in the fame manner. My reins are confumed in my bofam [in ardent expecta

-deרוח vel נפש עין fequente כל .tion of this glorious event. N. B

fiderium, ingens, flagrans et confumens fignificat; videfis Pfalms lxxxiv. 2. cxix. 82, 123. cxliii. 7. Sic quoque de renes, ftatuendum.] Observe—if after his skin, his body alfo was deftroyed, how could he out-live this destruction, fo as to be a man profperous and happy again in this world? Had this been his fixed belief, his frequent withing for death would be utterly unaccountable, and his tragical complaints ridiculous, and his despair of health and happiness in this world a contradiction.

If wicked men, though fometimes in great wretchedness, [chap xxi, 16, &c.] are alfo fometimes profperous and powerful, verfe 7, &c. the proper inference is, verfe 30. That the wicked are referved unto the day of deftruction, and that they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath; not in this world, for that would have cut the neck of Job's argument at once, and have fallen in directly with that of his friends. Chap. xxxi, 2,3.

Chap. xxvii. 8. For what is the hope of an hypocrite, in the future ftate, though he hath gained much in this world; when God takes away his foul at death? This fuppofeth a hope after death,-Again, chap. xxxi. 13, 14. What then fhall I do when God rifeth up to judgment? Not in this world, where his fufferings were as great as could be, and where he did not expect they would be abated.-Laftly, his friends had not spoken of God the

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