Слике страница
PDF
ePub

worm; how much it is our wisdom to submit to him who is almighty. He sees many sins and corruptions in us, which we see not in ourselves; and therefore we may well tremble to appear before his tribunal. Farther, let this lead us to admire and adore the divine condescension in taking notice of us; and above all to acknowledge the grace of Christ Jesus in becoming a man of sorrows for our sake, David, speaking of the Messiah, says, Psalm xxii. 6. I am despised, a worm, and no man; (it is the same word in the orig inal as that which is used here.) This was the most remarkable display of divine love to sinners. Let us make such thoughts familiar to our minds, and often make that reflection to which David alludes, Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man, that thou visitest him. Psalm viii. 4.

CHAP. XXVI.

Job observing Bildad wandering from the point, derides his affectation of wisdom, and shows him that he was as capable of talking of these things as himself.

2

BUT

1 UT Job answered and said, How hast thou helped [him that is] without power; that is, Eliphaz, who was borne down by my arguments ? [how] savest thou the arm [that hath}] no strength? as if he had said, thou art a noble ally in this cause, Sa mighty support to the argument! How hast thou counselled [him that hath] no wisdom? surely Eliphaz is very unhappy tọ have so bad a defender! and [how] hast thou plentifully declared 4. the thing as it is alluding to the shortness of his speech. To whom hast thou uttered words? am I ignorant of these things? and whose spirit came from thee? dost thou speak by inspiration ? Bildad had spoken of God's majesty in the heavens; here Job in an 5 exalted strain goes on to observe other instances of it. Dead [things] are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants 6 thereof; great gigantic things, as vast fishes, and the like. Hell [is] naked before him, and destruction hath no covering; he displays his power in the unseen world; not only in the grave, but in the world of separate spirits, and in hell itself. He stretcheth out the north, the whole expanse of heaven, over the empty place, the abyss or chaos, [and] hangeth the earth upon nothing; supports it, and keeps it in its place, notwithstanding its motions and revo8 lutions. He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; as in a bag, or leather bottle, which prevents the rain from coming down violently, and causes it to distil in drops; and the cloud is not rent 9 under them. He holdeth back the face of his throne, [and] spreadeth his cloud upon it; conceals his brightest glory from 10 human eyes, which are incapable of beholding it. He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end; keeps the sea in bounds as long as the world shall stand.

11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof; · the highest, strongest mountains, called the pillars of heaven, as the louds seem to rest upon them, these tremble with earthquakes. 42. He divideth the sea with his power, raiseth high waves, which look like deep furrows, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud, maketh it calm again; or rather, here is an allusion to his dividing the Red sea and striking through the 13 proud; in the original it is Rahab, that is, Egypt. By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens, adorned them with so many bright luminaries; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent, the con 14 stellation so called, or the milky way.* Lo, these [are] parts of his ways, the outlines or sketches of them but how little a por tion is heard of him? his wisdom is unsearchable : but the thunder of his power who can understand? it is as impossible to be traced or discovered, as to resist the stroke of his arm, or withstand hip thunder.

1.

I

REFLECTIONS.

T may be here observed, that useful truths may not always be to the purpose. Bildad hath some just and noble thoughts: the premises are good, but the conclusion wrong; it was not adapted to Job's case, nor suited to comfort him. He should have set before him consolations, rather than the majesty and terror of the Lord. It should be our care that our addresses to our friends, especially to those in affliction, may be suitable, a word spoken in sea

This should be the peculiar study of ministers; and they should pray that God would give them the tongue of the learned. 2. Let us contemplate the omniscience and majesty of God.. It is a useful and instructive subject. He sees all things, in heaven and earth; the deep places and repositories of the dead, and therefore he can raise them. Hell is open to him. Let us reverence his power, who supporteth the earth. It hath no prop but omnipotence; a man cannot hang a feather upon nothing, but God supports the earth. He formed the heavenly luminaries, he garnished them. Let this lead our thoughts to the almighty architect; he can shake the pillars of heaven, keep the sea within bounds, and in his hand are the deep places of the earth. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be feared. His power is vast, his understanding infinite. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations!

3. We should remember and consider, that we know but little of God at best. After the most diligent inquiries, the helps of reason, scripture, history, and observations, we know but a small part, only the outlines. His wisdom is infinite; his works, and the wonders contained in them, are innumerable. Let us guard against presumption, in arraigning his proceedings, and not determine positively upon a plan which we see but little of. Let our understanding and conscience pay the highest veneration to God. The more seri

• Bp. Sherlock thinks this is an allusion to Satan appearing in that form to tempt Eve.

ously we contemplate his nature and his works, the greater reason we shall have to admire and adore, and to say with the apostle, O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out.

CHAP. XXVII.

Job in this chapter proceeds to assert his innocence ; represents the doom of hypocrites, and the misery of the wicked, who are often, but not always, destroyed by signal judgments.

M

OREOVER Job continued his parable, and said, [As] God liveth, [who] hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, [who] hath vexed my soul; as God liveth who 3 hath afflicted me, and taken away the comforts of my life; All the while my breath [is] in me, and the spirit of God [is] in my 4 nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit ; as long as I live I will not vindicate myself, if guilty; 3 or accuse myself, if innocent. God forbid that I should justify you, and confess the guilt with which you charge me till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach [me] so long as I live; I am determined to maintain and defend my innocence, and never say or do any thing for which my conscience 7 may upbraid me. Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous; I can wish no greater mischief to my worst enemy, than to be wicked; and therefore I do not approve of it, whatever you may think of me. For what [is] the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, though he grows rich and great, when God taketh away his soul? alas! he 9 hath no comfortable hope of hereafter. Will God hear his cry 10 when trouble cometh upon him? he cannot expect it. Will he

delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God? can he have comfort from religion, and will he persevere in it, even 11 when afflictions come? I will teach you by the hand of God: [that] which [is] with the Almighty, will I not conceal; by the assistance of God, I will instruct you in some of the dispensations 12 of his providence. Behold, all ye yourselves have seen [it ;] why then are ye thus altogether vain? I appeal to your own experience, which makes it strange you should persist in your opinion. 13 This [is] the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heri, tage of oppressors, [which] they shall receive of the Almighty; 14 this is often their portion, but not universally so. If his children be multiplied, [it is] for the sword, either of justice, or popular tumult and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread; oth15 ers of them shall be reduced to poverty. Those that remain of

A paraple here means a weighty and instructive discourse. He spoke as one having authority, as the word signifies.

him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep; others shall be destroyed by pestilential diseases, so that none shall bury them; even their nearest relations shall not lament for them, 16. their character is so detestable. Though he heap up silver as the 17 dust, and prepare raiment as the clay; He may prepare [it,] but the just shall put [it] on, and the innocent shall divide the 18 silver; God shall transfer it to another and better family. He buildeth his house as a moth, which is most easily destroyed, and as a booth [that] the keeper maketh, a little hut, run up in the corner of the garden or vineyard, for the keeper to watch the fruit 19 there. The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gather

ed, shall not have the honour of burial: he openeth his eyes, and 20 he [is] not, he is gone at once. Terrors take hold on him as

waters, in great numbers and violence, a tempest stealeth him 21 away in the night, silently hurries him away; or The east wind

carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth 22 him out of his place, in a public, violent manner. For [God] shall cast upon him, and not spare; send one plague after another, so that he shall not escape, though he would fain flee out of his 23 hand, though he often and vigorously attempts it. [Men] shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place; men shall rejoice when he is dead, and hiss him out of the place where he has been so much magnified.

REFLECTIONS.

[ocr errors]

WE

E infer, that serious, solemn engagements to be just and honest, are proper and useful. Job here binds himself, as it were by a solemn oath, not to lie or deceive, even where his own character and credit were concerned. In doubtful and indif ferent matters it is good and safe not to be peremptory; but when sin and duty are concerned, it is necessary to lay ourselves under the strictest engagements. In this view, solemn professions in prayer, written engagements to be the Lord's, and partaking of the Lord's supper, which is a sacred oath of fidelity to God, are very useful, and ought frequently to be recollected.

2. The condition of the hypocrite is most dreadful; we could wish even our greatest enemy no worse. They have no comfort in religion or devotion; they cannot look up to God with peace in time of distress. Religion is a task and drudgery to them, and will soon be cast off. They may gain much, may heap up silver as dust, but what profit is this, when God taketh away their soul? Let us dread this detestable character, and diligently search and try our ways, that we may not deceive and ruin ourselves.

3. We may reflect on the contrary character, that of a good man; and a truly honourable and comfortable one it is. He delights himself in the Almighty; he always calls upon God, and can approach his throne with humble confidence in the day of evil. Though he gains little of the world, has little or no silver, yet he has an infinitely

better portion; he lives honoured, and dies lamented. When God takes away his soul, he takes it to himself, to be perfectly and eternally happy. And therefore,

4. Let us never remove our integrity from us, but continue upright, hold fast our righteousness, and never let it go, upon any temptation whatsoever; and be careful so to behave, that our heart may never reproach us as long as we live.

1

SUR

:

CHAP. XXVIII.

The purport of this whole chapter is, that there are depths in the divine councils unknown to us, particularly, why God does not inflict those punishments on all wicked men in this life that he does upon some; and that the chief wisdom of man is to be religious URELY, there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold [where] they fine [it ;] men find out precious metals 2 and refine them. Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass [is] molten [out of] the stone; they discover and prepare iron and 3 brass. He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection the stones of darkness and the shadow of death; he diggeth down into dark places, even into the most hidden and obscure parts of the earth, and searches them out in the most perfect 4 manner. The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; [even the waters] forgotten of the foot they are dried up, they are gone away from men ; they find great waters in the bowels of the earth, which those who walk on it know not of, and by the art and labour of miners they are turned into a different channel, or 5 drained off. [As for] the earth, out of, or from, it cometh bread and under it is turned up as it were fire; sulphur, coals, 6 and other fuel. The stones of it [are] the place of sapphires : and it hath dust of gold; among the stones they find gems and gold. 7 [Tnère is] a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen; a place so deep, that no sharp sigh8 ed bird ever discovered it. The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it; lions that rove about and 9 seek solitary places never find it. He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. 10 He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing; the miners cut their way through rocks, 11 or blow them up, and discover precious minerals or metals. He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and [the thing that is] hid bringeth he forth to light; they dam up waters, or turn the course of rivers, to find out the treasures contained in the 12 earth. But, though he be so indefatigable and successful in these searches, yet where shall wisdom be found? and where [is] the place of understanding? he can never penetrate the depths of the 13 divine counsel: Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living; it cannot be possessed or found VOL. IV.

Y

« ПретходнаНастави »