'CHAP. XVI. Job here complains of the ill usage of his friends; largely represents. the melancholy condition he was in; but still maintains and pleads his own innocence, 1 2 THE HEN Job answered and said, I have heard many such things: miserable comforters [are] ye all; these are only idle repetitions, and increase, instead of lessen my misery. 3 Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest? it is great folly and confidence to repeat 4 such impertinent things over and over again. I also could speak as ye [do] if your soul were in my soul's stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you; I could in5 sult and mock you, [But] I would not do it, I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should assuage [your grief;] I would do all I could to comfort and support you ; 6 but Though I speak, and have complained of my trouble, and defended my innocence, my grief is not assuaged: and [though] I forbear, what am I eased? though I am silent, yet am I accused 7 and condemned. But now he hath made me weary; God hath tired me out with successive troubles: thou hast made desolate all my company; my children and servants are destroyed, my re8lations and friends are unkind. And thou hast filled me with wrinkles, though I am not old, [which] is a witness [against me] and my leanness rising up in me beareth witness to my face, shows plainly the greatness of my afflictions and miseries. As 9 for Eliphaz, He teareth [me] in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth, he tears my character, and treats me with rage and cruelty; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me; looks as if he would dart lightening from his eyes to 10 destroy me; yea, there are many who have done so; They have gaped upon me with their mouth, like wild beasts; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully, treated me with scorn; they have gathered themselves together against me; or, as it may be rendered, they have like wild beasts filled themselves with 11 me, eaten me up and devoured me. God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked to use 12 me at their pleasure. I was at ease, in prosperous and healthy circumstances, but he hath broken me asunder he hath also taken [me] by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, as a strong man would a child, and set me up for his mark, to shoot his arrows at. 13 His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare, afflicts me with pains and torment of body; he poureth out my gall upon the ground; he has mortally wounded me, as if my bowels were shed upon the ground; I am 14 quite in a hopeless condition. He breaketh me with breach upon breach, as the walls of a town are broken down by some mighty engine, he runneth upon me like a giant, and I can make no resist15 ance. I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, I am glad even sackcloth to cover my broken skin, and defiled my horn in the dust, 16 all my authority and honour is lost. My face is foul with weep ing, and on my eyelids [is] the shadow of death, I look like a dy17 ing man; Not for [any] injustice in mine hands, it is not because I have done injustice to any man: also my prayer [is] pure; it proceeded from a sincere and upright heart, like water flowing 18 from a clear fountain. O earth, if I have been guilty of bloodshed, or any injury to men, conceal it not, but disclose it, cover not thou my blood, let me die a violent death, let me have no burial, let the dogs lick my blood, and let my cry have no place, let neither God nor man regard my complaints; but these imprecations are all 19 needless, for Also now, behold, my witness [is] in heaven, and my record [is] on high; the great God is witness of my sincerity 20 and innocency. My friends scorn me: [but] mine eye poureth out [tears] unto God; amidst all this scorn I appeal to God, and 21 entreat him to vindicate me. O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man [pleadeth] for his neighbour! I am so sure of the goodness of my cause, that I wish for nothing so much as to 22 have it fairly tried, as causes are tried among men. When a few years are come, then I shall go the way [whence] I shall not return; this is my comfort under my afflictions, that I shall soon die, and get for ever out of the reach of them, 1. REFLECTIONS. ROM hence we are taught, that when we see persons afflict FROM hence we are four souls in their souls' stead; to think how we should be affected with such distresses, and how we should expect and like to be treated. This would prevent our doing or saying any thing to aggravate their affliction; and engage our friendly attempts to strengthen them with good words, and by kind offices to assuage their grief. In this and every instance of social duty, whatever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye also the same unto them. 2. These mournful complaints, should make us very thankful that this case is not ours. To have acute pain of body, joined to the loss of substance, and of near relations, and all this aggravated by the scorn and unkindness of friends, is as deplorable a case as we can well conceive, and should excite our gratitude to God for his distinguishing goodness to us. 3. It is a great comfort to good men to be able to appeal to God for their integrity and piety; especially when they are slandered by men. If we can truly say that no injustice towards men is in our hand, and that our devotions have been pure and sincere, we may comfortably pour out our prayer before God, and depend on him to vindicate our character, when men censure us. Let us then so act that we may always be able to say, My witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. 4. The view of death, which is given in the close of the chapter, should never be forgotten. A long and important journey is before us; we must leave every thing behind, houses, substance, friends, and body too; the separate spirit must go to another world, to a state of happiness or misery. This way we all are to go, in a few years at most, perhaps a few days. There is no putting off the journey when the summons comes; we can never return, either to improve a good state, or mend a bad one. Let us think of this, and prepare for it; that the expectation of it may not be our terror but our joy. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might, for there is neither knowledge, nor device, nor working in the grave, to which thou art going. CHAP. XVII. In this chapter Job, from the consideration of his approaching death, earnestly desires God to judge his cause; because his friends were unfit for it, and had passed such censures upon him, as well as given him foolish advice, to hope for prosperity, when he had nothing to expect but death. 'MY Y breath is corrupt, like oil in a lamp that is just going out, my days are extinct, cut off in the midst, the graves [are ready] for me, I am just going to the sepulchre of my fathers. 2 [Are there] not mockers with me instead of friends? and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation? my thoughts are so 3 fixed on them that I can think of nothing else. Lay down now, put me in a surety with thee; who [is] he [that] will strike hands with me? therefore, Lord, do thou undertake my cause, 4 and appoint some one to do right on both sides. For thou hast hid their heart from understanding therefore shalt thou not exalt [them ;] these are incompetent judges, therefore thou shalt 5 not exalt them to this honour. He that speaketh flattery to [his] friends when he should reprove them, even the eyes of his children shall fail, in vain expectation of meeting with a sincere 6 friend. He hath made me also a byword of the people, that is, Eliphaz hath made me contemptible; and aforetime, or before them, I was as a tabret, I was argued with only to make them diver7sion. Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my members [are] as a shadow; sorrow hath almost blinded me, and 8 shrunk me to a shadow. Upright [men] shall be astonied at this my affliction and ill treatment, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite, and oppose the pernicious inferences he may draw from my sufferings, and the censures he may throw 9 on God and religion because I am thus afflicted. The righteous also shall hold on his way, he shall not be moved by my sufferings or my friends' censures; and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger; shall persevere and improve in religion, 10 notwithstanding his own sufferings. But as for you all, do ye return, and come now; consider the matter over again; for I cannot find [one] wise [man] among you, who judges aright of 11 the merits of the case: but do it quickly, for My days are past, my purposes are broken off, I am a dying man, my projects and designs are all come to an end, [even] the thoughts of my heart; in the Hebrew, the possessions, the things which my heart was 12 most fond of. They change the night into day, my calamities deprive me of rest by night the light [is] short because of dark ness, neither can I enjoy the light by day, through the darkness and gloominess of my thoughts; there is a perpetual night in my 13 mind. If I wait for prosperous days, as you would have me, lo, the grave [is] mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness ; I expect nothing but the grave, where I shall rest in quietI have said to corruption, Thou [art] my father to the worm, [Thou art] my mother, and my sister; I have made my• self familiar with these objects, knowing that I am appointed to 15 corruption and death. And where [is] now my hope, which you would have me entertain? as for my hope, who shall see it? 16 who shall see the happiness you encourage me to expect? They shall go down to the bars of the pit, I and my hope together shall go down to the bars of the pit, which nothing shall be able to break open, when [our] rest together [is] in the dust; you, and your encouragements, I, and my hopes, shall all be lodged together in the grave, and therefore I cannot entertain them. 14 ness. 1. REFLECTIONS. PARENTS out ofurga. 5. Men that have been given to flat ARENTS out of regard to their children should be upright tery and deceit, injure their children; others are ready to think they will take after their fathers; or, through resentment of what they suffered by the father's treachery, will neglect the children. The ill gotten gain of parents affects the credit and comfort of their posterity, and often brings a blast on all they have; and children are too apt to learn their pernicious ways. Let parents be careful therefore to set a good example before them, to abhor dishonesty, fraud, lying, and flattery, as they desire their children should be honest and sincere, and meet with friends and helpers when they are no more. 2. We learn to make a good use of the sufferings of others, es pecially of good men. There is something mysterious in such providences; the best of men may wonder why God inflicts such sufferings, or permits others to do it. Let the tribulations of Job, and other holy men, teach us to judge right of divine dispensations; not to conclude that persons are wicked, because they are afflicted. And this should also teach us resolutely to oppose those who would draw consequences from their sufferings, dishonourable to God, and injurious to religion. Let us not be discouraged by what they or we suffer, but make it our care to hold on our way, and grow stronger and stronger. This is the duty of every one; and such steadfastness and perseverance in religion is the best proof of our sincerity being accepted of God. 3. The speedy approach of death, and the great change it wil occasion, should lead us to make it familiar to our thoughts. The graves are ready for us; let us labour to be ready for them. Death breaks off all our schemes and purposes for this world; we can then do nothing for posterity or for God; therefore we should be diligent, and form such purposes and lay the chief stress on such, as death, instead of breaking will complete. The grave is our house, the house of our fathers, the only sure possession; and we shall quickly go to it. Let us make the thought familiar. Amidst the most agreeable relations in life, let us remember to claim kindred with the grave, and say to corruption, thou art my father. Let us think daily, especially at night, when we lie down upon our beds, how soon we may make our bed in darkness; that we may secure a happiness beyond the grave, and a joyful resurrection for this frail, vile, dying body. 4. It is no uncommon thing for very good men to conclude their case to be desperate and hopeless, especially when under the power of melancholy, or some other heavy affliction. So Job did; and talks again and again in this gloomy strain. But it appears upon the whole that he was mistaken. Let this be a caution to us, not to indulge a melancholy, desponding frame; and when any of our friends are in such unhappy circumstances, instead of mocking them, and increasing their distress, let us try every method of persuasion and encouragement, to lighten their burden and restore their joy. This is at once a substantial proof, and a noble exercise of a good understanding. Bear ye one another's burdens therefore, and thus fulfil the law of Christ. CHAP. XVIII. Here Bildud reproves Job for his scornful answers, and his impatience under the dispensations of Providence; he confidently asserts that wicked men are always miserable, and therefore Job must be wicked. .1 2 TH He HEN answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, How long [will it be ere] ye make an end of these captious and peevish words? mark, and afterwards we will speak ; it will answer no good purpose to argue unless you will attend better, and pay greater 3 regard to what is said. Wherefore are we counted as beasts, [and] reputed vile in your sight? you have no reason for such 4 an opinion, and it will be in vain to argue if you think so. teareth himself in his anger, fretfulness and impatience only galland chafe his mind: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of his place? shall God alter the rules of his proceedings, which are fixed and unchangeable as the earth itself? He then enlarges on the misery of the wicked; Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine; nothing shall remain of all his honour, joy, and |