CHAP. VII. Job goes on with his reply to Eliphaz. S there] not an appointed time to man upon earth? an ap pointed warfare, or struggle? [are not] his days also like the days of an hireling? spent in toil, but at length coming to a 2 period? As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, as a slave, working in a hot day, desires a cooling shade, and as an hireling looketh for [the reward of] his work, carnestly longs for his wa3 ges, so do I; and the reason is, because So am I made to possess months of vanity, that is, of labour and sorrow, and wearisome nights are appointed to me, when others have rest from their la4 bours. When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day; my nights are restless and uneasy, through pain 5 of body, or disquieting thoughts; and no wonder, for My flesh is clothed with worms, which breed in my sores, and clods, or scabs, of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome. My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope; my happy days are all gone, and there is no likelihood of their re7 turn. O remember that my life [is] wind, quickly gone: mine eye shall no more see good, I shall no more return to prosperity. 8 The eye of him that hath seen me, shall see me no [more ;] my friends and acquaintances shall quickly lose sight of me; thine eyes [are] upon me, thou frownest upon me, and I [am] not; I 9am suddenly vanished out of the world. [As] the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, when dispersed by the sun: that goeth down to the grave shall come up no [more] to live 10 in this world. He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more, but shall receive another 11 owner and inhabitant. Therefore, since there is no hope of my condition being better here, I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul; I will give vent to my sor12 rows. [Am] I a sea, or a whale, so unruly, that nothing but such strong chains of affliction can tame or rule me, that thou settest a watch over me to keep me from escaping out of my troubles. 13 When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall case my 14 complaint; when I expect comfort there; Then thou scarest so he me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions, frightful im aginations, which keep my eyes awake, or if I sleep, quickly awake 15 me in horror and confusion. So that my soul chooseth strang. ling, [and] death rather than my life; I am almost strangled with grief. Oh that it would fully do its vark, and put an end to this 16 miserable life. I loath [it ;] I would not live alway; I dread a long continuance of these afflictions: let me alone; for my days [are] vanity; I have no pleasure in them; they are continually 17 passing away; Oh make them not more miserable! What [is] man, that thou shouldst magnify him? shouldst honour so in considerable a creature by contending with him? and that thou 18 shouldst set thine heart upon him? And [that] thou shouldst visit him every morning, [and] try him every moment? shouldst try him with new afflictions, and put his strength and courage 19 to proof so often? How long wilt thou not depart from me, 20 nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? teach me how to regain thy favour, O thou observer of men! why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so as to level all thine 21 arrows at me, so that I am a burden to myself? And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity?t for now shall I sleep in the dust; wilt thou not so far forgive me as that I may die and be released, and sleep comfortably in the grave? and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I [shall] not [be ;] I shall be beyond the reach of any other calamity. 1. W REFLECTIONS. E may observe, that Job's complaints and expostulations do not countenance an impatient and fretful spirit. It is necessary that we should be reminded of this, because persons in affliction are too ready to manifest such a spirit, and to think themselves vindicated in it by the example of Job; and we have often heard the example of this good man pleaded to justify very unbecoming language from persons under afflictions. If these were Job's own words, there were no foundation for the plea. But they are to be considered as a poetical description of his imperfections; they are only the author's words. Job might in general utter some complaints; and the author of the book enlarges upon them, and dresses them up in poetical language; and all with a design to illustrate the general argument and intention of the book, and the more plainly to shew us how common, and yet indecent and ungrateful, a fretful and impatient spirit is. In this light we should consider them, and to such purposes improve them. 2. We have an instructive view given us of human life, and the condition of man upon earth. He is appointed to a warfare; a continued struggle with afflictions and temptations; he is like a slave or day labourer, that is to work a whole day, till the evening comes, when his work shall be examined, and he shall receive his reward. Human life is short, like the wind, that passes away swiftly; like a weaver's shuttle, thrown to and fro; the threads are continually going off, till all are gone, and the scene closes. A man's life is like a cloud or vapour, that appeareth for a little while, and then vanisheth away. God looks upon them, and they are not; one look of his brings men to the dust, and their places in the house, or This refers to the disease affecting his throat or jaws, and his desire of a short respite to swallow down his spittle. + Dr. Kennicott supposes that Job addresses these words to Eliphaz, and not to God; as much as to say, You say I have sinned; but granting this. What have I done against thee, O Eliphaz; thou watchful observer! and why not rather overlook my transgressions, and pass by my iniquity? Edit. shop, the town, or the church, know them no more; and are filled by others, who enter into their habitations and possessions. All this is very instructive and practical; and teaches us to fight the good fight, and work while it is day, in expectation of the promised reward; to redeem our time, and every day to prepare for death; and (as friends, houses, wealth, and all earthly things must be left behind us, and we return no more to them,) to lay up treasures in heaven; to use the world as not abusing it, and to seek an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 3. The hand of God is to be acknowledged in all our afflictions. If we possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights, it is God who appoints them to us. Are our days full of labour and sickness? are we kept awake in the night by pain? or if we sleep, are we terrified by dreams, and awake wearied and fatigued rather than refreshed? it is God's ordering. It is good to see and consider our afflictions as the appointments of his providence; and from thence to conclude, that they are appointed for some wise and good end. He thus gives us an opportunity of glorifying him, and adorning religion, improving our graces, and doing good to others, by patience, submission and thankfulness, If we are not thus afflicted, let us be thankful; bless God that our days are comfortable and useful; and that we lie down at night, and our sleep is sweet unto us. Once more, 4. Whatever our afflictions are, it is good to think of our sins, and be humble and penitent for them. Job is represented as acknowledging his offences, and entreating forgiveness; and this should be our temper. It is the design of affliction to bring us to it. It is a good saying of Mr. BAXTER, when God afflicts a man, it is as if he called him by name, saying, Oh such a one, repent, be awakened, be humbled, be serious. Let our complaints be turned into penitent confessions, and we may hope for mercy and forgiveness from him who is the preserver and saviour of men. By affliction shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is the fruit, to take away sin. CHAP. VIII. Bildad, who was descended from Shuah, one of Abraham's sons by Keturah, defends Eliphaz's speech, and asserts that Job and his children were punished for their wickedness; and that this is God's usual way of dealing with hypocrites, except they repent, yet upon repentance they may expect happiness. He begins with reproving Job's ungoverned passions. 12 THEN answered Bildad the Shubite, and said, How long wilt thou speak these [things ?] and [how long shall] the words of thy mouth [be like] a strong wind, violent and im3 petuous, not sparing even God himself. Doth God pervert judgment, as thy words seem to imply ? or doth the Almighty," who 4 can be under no temptation to do it, pervert justice? If thy chil dren have sinned against him in some heinous manner, and he have cast them away, suddenly destroyed them, for their transgres5 sion; yet If thou wouldst seek unto God betimes, and make thy 6 supplication to the Almighty, instead of complaining; If thou [wert] pure and upright; of a sincere heart and blameless life, as thou pretendest and wouldst be thought to be, surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness, 7 that is, thy righteous habitation, prosperous. Though thy begin ning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase; though thou art now reduced very low, yet thy prosperity should be greater than ever it was. For the truth of this he appeals to 8 antiquity. For, inquire, I pray thee of the former age, and pre9 pare thyself to the search of their fathers: (For we [are but of] yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth [are] 10 a shadow, in comparison of our forefathers:) Shall not they teach thee, [and] tell thee, and utter words out of their heart? they who made prudent observations, and carefully set their hearts to consider 11 the meaning of Providence? Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water? By this beautiful simile he illustrates the speedy destruction of sinners; they grow up like 12 rushes and flags, when they have mire and water, but Whilst it [is] yet in his greenness, [and] not cut down, before the scythe cuts it down, it withereth before any [other] herb for want of moisture; so the prosperity of the wicked soon decays for want of 13 God's blessing. So [are] the paths of all that forget God; and 14 the hypocrite's hope shall perish: Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust [shall be] a spider's web; his vain hope like a spider's web, which he spins out of his own bowels, may spread wide, and he may amuse himself with it, but shall be easily dissipat. 15 ed and destroyed. He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure; that is, he shall trust to the multitude of his children and servants, and his great wealth, and endeavour to strengthen himself by rich and po16 tent alliances, but all will disappoint him. He [is] green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden. Nay, to illustrate it by another comparison, though like a tree which seems 17 green before the sun, and shoots forth strong branches, His roots are wrapped about the heap, [and] seeth the place of stones; he takes root in the firmest earth, and knits himself to the stones and rocks, so that it seems almost impossible to remove him; nev18 ertheless, If he destroy him from his place, then [it] shall deny him, saying,] I have not seen thee. God can and will pluck him up by the root, and there shall be no remains of him, no 19 remembrance that he ever appeared so strong and fair. Behold, this [is] the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow: this is the issue of the flourishing estate of the wicked, and the pleas ure they took in it; and out of the earth, from whence he was rooted up, shall others (not of his own family) grow and flourish in bis stead. Bildad then reminds Job of what he was attempting 20 to prove. Behold, God will not cast away a perfect [mán,] neither will he help the evil doers: nor will he leave thee, if thou 21 repent and art upright, Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing; till thou shalt be so remarkably blessed 22 and favoured, as not to be able to contain thy joy. They that hate thee and rejoice at thy fall, shall be clothed with shame, shall be confounded at thy returning prosperity; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought, so as not to be able to hurt thee. 1. SINCE REFLECTIONS. INCE life is so short, it is our wisdom to trace out the senti ments and experience of former ages: to consult those who have lived before us, to observe their opinions, and inquire into their history of events, and their remarks upon them, and compare them with the events of our day, to illustrate the providence of God. In this view books are excellent and useful; especially the sacred scriptures, which are an authentic history of the most ancient, and remarkable events, and were written for our instruction, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 2. Forgetfulness of God is at the bottom of hypocrisy and impiety. If it be asked why men are so wicked and deceitful? the answer is, they forget God, forget that he sees and knows them, is perfectly acquainted with their words and actions, and knows the things that come into their hearts, every one of them. Let it be our care not to forget God; but to have the desire of our souls toward him, and the remembrance of his name. That we may prevent sin, and promote holiness, we should set the Lord always before us, continually act as in his presence, and endure, as seeing him who is invisible. 3. The hope of the hypocrite shall perish; it is all cobweb, light and thin, easily broken and blown away: or, if it continue through life, will at last be utterly destroyed by the besom of destruction: yea, though it seems as firm as a deep rooted tree, and rise ever so high, and spread ever so wide, it will be plucked up by the righteous hand of God. And the higher the hypocrite's hope rises, the greater will be his disappointment and misery. Let us then dread hypocrisy; let integrity and uprightness preserve us. For, on the other hand, 4. God will not cast away an upright man. The Lord loveth and will protect the righteous; not indeed from all temporal evils, (fir whom the Lord loveth he some way or other chasteneth,) yet he will do no man any wrong, nor lay upon any men more heavy afflictions than they deserve, or than will be for their good. v. 3. Though he may cast such an one down, yet he will not cast him away; his af flictions, if patiently endured, and faithfully improved, will turn to his benefit; and at length (perhaps in this world, but surely in the next) God will fill his mouth with joy, and his lips with rejoicing. These remarks in this chapter are confirmed by David's observa |