The Christian Exercise of Fasting, Chapter 1 · Verse 3
Verſ. 3.
His *Heb. or cattel, or poſſeſſion. Heb. or huſbandrie or reuenues. What life the ancient patriarches liued.ſubſtance alſo was 7000. ſheepe, and 3000. camels, and 500. yoke of oxen, and 500. ſhe aſſes, and his *Heb. or cattel, or poſſeſſion. Heb. or huſbandrie or reuenues. What life the ancient patriarches liued.familie was very great, ſo that this man was the greateſt of all the men in the Eaſt.
THe ſubſtance of the old fathers, did for the moſt part conſiſt of ſheepe, and ſuch like beaſts as here are mentioned. And the greateſt Nobles then were content with a graziers and ſhepheards life. Iacob and his ſonnes whē they came before Pharaoh, being asked what their trade and manner of liuing was: they anſwered,Gen. 47.3. Thy ſeruants are ſhepheards both we and our fathers. Such indeed were Abraham, Lot, and Iſaac, as the ſtorie teacheth vsus:Gen. 13.2. Gen. 26.14. yet is it ſayd, that Abraham was rich in cattell, in ſiluer & in gold: and of Iſaac it is ſayd, he had flockes of ſheepe, heards of cattell, and a mightie houſhold.
The beaſts here mentioned were moſt common and moſt profitable in that countrey: the ſheepe for meate and clothing, the camels to carrie burthens, the aſſes to carrie men, the oxen to plow and till the ground. Horſes had they few, and little in vſe in thoſe parts.
The word here tranſlated a familie, is in Hebrue gnabudah, and dooth ſignifie lands, reuenewes, tillage, huſbandrie, fields, vineyards, gardens, orchards, &c. It is vſed in the like commendation of Iſaac:Gen. 26.14. Hee had a mightie houſhold. And where hee is ſayd to bee the greateſt of the children of the Eaſt: the meaning is the nobleſt and beſt, as for riches and poſſeſſions, ſo for good name and fame, &c.
1. This verſe teacheth vsus, Doctrine. that religion and riches may otherwhiles goe together: for Iob was both rich and religious; ſo was Abraham, ſo was Iſaac, ſo was Iacob. Firſt, for that riches are Gods good bleſſings, Deut. 28. Secondly, they are meanes to come by good things, and to performe good deedes. Thirdly, they are promiſed to the godly as rewards of obedience, Deuter. 28. Pſalme 128.
1. Ob. But the Apoſtles forſooke all. Anſ. In affection, not in deede: for they had their houſes and poſſeſſions after: as Matthew, compare Luk. 5.27.29. and Matth. 8.14. And Peter had his houſe and nettes, and did fiſh after the reſurrection, Ioh. 21. verſ. 3.2. Ob. But Chriſt ſayth it is impoſſible for rich men to bee ſaued, Matth. 19. verſ. 21. Anſ. Marke anſwereth this, when he ſayth that Chriſt did meane ſuch as did truſt in riches, and ſet their hearts and affection vponupon them, chap. 10. 24. It is hard to finde indeede in theſe dayes many religious men wealthie, or rich men religious. Prouerbs are not alwayes generally true: Ʋniuſt is the rich man or his father, or both, the one in getting iniuriouſly, the other in retayning goods wrongfully gotten. The Lord wee ſee here giues riches to good men, leaſt they ſhould ſeeme to be euill: for that they are the occaſion of much euill in the world: and hee giues them vntounto euill men alſo, leaſt they ſhould be eſteemed as his beſt bleſſings, as they bee accounted of the vnbeleeuers in all ages of the world.
2. Thou ſeeſt here Iobs wealth exceeding great: his bountifulnes and liberalitie and merciemercy to the poore was thereafter:Fewe riche men religious and bountiful. reade chap. 29. 30. It is a happie thing to ſee religious and bountifull men rich, and rich men religious and liberall. I would it were a thing more common to finde theſe things chayned and coupled together in theſe dayes.
3. Here wee ſee in more ſpeciall manner that which generally is before noted, that Iobs patience, courage, and conſtancie was wonderfull great: hee was by the Lords hand aduanced to a very high pitch of dignitie and honor in the world:A worthie preſident for noble men and great men to looke vponupon in their afflictions. and being robbed, as it were in one inſtant of all his glorie and great dignitie, yet he endured patiently Gods heauie and ſtrong hand vponupon him. If he had bin lately ſtart vp to ſome wealth, or before times exerciſed with ſome wants, his downfall had been the more tolerable, and his commendation the leſſe.