Paraphrase on the Book of Job, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
1. JOB having the second time given1. Then answerd Bildad the Shuhite, and said, Eliphaz his answer, Bildad the Shuhite also taketh his turne to give his second onset upon Job, and therefore when Job had made an end, he beginneth thus:
2. How long will it be before thou2. How long will it be ere thou make an end of thy words? marke, and afterwards wee will speake. yeeld to the truth, and cease thy vaine contradicting? Give good heed now, that wee may no more speake in vaine to thee, as it seemes through thy heedlesnesse and want of due consideration we have done hitherto.
3. Why dost thou set so light by us,3. Wherefore are wee counted as beasts, and reputed vile in your sight? as if wee had no understanding, nor our counsell were nothing worth, or why is our talke so distastefull, seeing wee tell thee the truth?
4. It is not wee, but thy selfe, who4. He teareth himselfe in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rocke he removed out of his place? is thine owne tormentor, through thy proud impatiencie; wouldest thou have us belie Gods administration to thee? or wouldest thou have him to alter it for thee? thou maist sooner expect him to overturn the whole world for thy sake, and put every thing out of that order hee hath decreed and made it in, than cease to be just in punishing the wicked.
5. So that though thou frettest never5. Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the sparke of his fire shall not shine. so much at it, yet for certaine, this is, must be, and ever was, an infallible Principle. That the wicked mans glory shall (by Gods just judgement for his sinnes) be quite extinguished, shine he never so bright, and with the waters of affliction God will quench his ambitious preparations and designes that he shall not be eminent.
6. But contrariwise, the honour of6. The light shall be darke in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him. his house shall be brought low, yea, the glory hee hath raised shall expire even in and with himselfe.
7. Goe he never so confidently on7. The steps of his strength shall be straitned, and his owne counsell shall cast him downe. hee shall be withstood, and his wisedome wherein hee reposeth so much trust, shall ruine him at last.
8. For his owne waies which hee8. For hee is cast into a net by his owne feet, and hee walketh upon a snare. chooseth to walke, and taketh to be freest from danger, shall most certainly bring him to ruine, and every step hee taketh in those paths of wickednesse and worldly wisedome, shall one day assuredly prove a further intrapping to him, though for a while hee perceives nor feares it not.
9. Till that at the last hee see and9. The grin shall take him by the heele, and the robber shall prevaile against him. feele himselfe unavoidably caught, which also shall then befall him when hee least heeded or suspected it, and when he is most confident in his owne strength, safety and riches; God will set some body a worke that maugre all his power shall disable and impoverish him.
10. God in his secret purpose, means10. The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way. to intrap him at last, yea, even in the very way which hee puts most confidence in, and chooseth to walke in for his security.
11. God shall so distresse and fill11. Terrors shall make him afraid on every fide, and shall drive him to his feet. his mind with feares, as that hee shall not have the least chinke of hope left to see any comfort through; but give all for lost, and be driven utterly to abandon his former confidence as vaine.
12. Be hee never so strong in his12. His strength shall be hunger-bitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side. owne opinion, God will weaken it, and so burden him that hee shall be glad to seeke strength to beare his owne burthen, when he thought himselfe strong enough to burthen others: he shall see a strange alteration, even destruction and ruine which hee put farre from him in his owne opinion, notwithstanding suddenly to surprize him.
13. It shall seise upon him as well13. It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the first borne of death shall devour his strength. in body as estate, perishing his very bones which support his skinne; yea, even all the extremest miseries and deadliest torments that are, shall violently seize upon him to pull down his pride, and ruine all his strong holds.
14. He shall see the fruitlesnesse of14. His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the King of terrours. carnall confidence, how that all his outward hopes shall be turned upside downe, and nothing shall be left for him to lay hold upon. Yea, destruction shall pursue him to utter ruine, not onelyonly of all that is his, but also of himselfe too; for it shall never leave him til it have brought him through a multitude of horrors to that which is worst of all, even to death it selfe.
15. Destruction shall put him quite15. It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation. out of all, and shall take possession of all which he hath so unjustly come by; nothing of all he hath shall escape the consuming fire of the Lords indignation.
16. God will make a cleane riddance16. His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off. of him, and all his whole house; hee will quite cut him off, root and branch, father and sonne, even he and all his posterity, from off the face of the earth.
17. And let him have beene of never17. His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and hee shall have no name in the street. so great note, yet as he, so his memory and reputation shall perish with him, and hee shall be quite forgotten, and had in no esteeme, even in that very place where hee once lived in so much glory.
18. Hee shall first have all things18. He shall be driven from light into darkenesse, and chased out of the world. clouded upon him, his glory and prosperity shall become ignominy and adversity, and they shall make him weary of his life, never ceasing to vex him, and to increase upon him, till they have hunted him to death.
19. There shall none of his offspring19. Hee shall neither have sonne nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings. remaine to uphold his house or name, and the place of his abode shall become quite desolate.
20. God shall make him notorious20. They that come after him shall be astonied at his day, as they that went before were affrighted. to all; for the very report of what fearefull things befell him, when God executed his severe judgements upon him in the day of his visitation, shall beget amazement in men of after ages when they heare of it, though they never saw it, even as it did in them who were eye-witnesses of the vengeance which was inflicted on him.
21. Be not thou so wilfull to oppose21. Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knowes not God. a knowne and undeniable truth; for as sure as God is just, so sure it is, That these things do befall the wicked man, and onelyonly him in his family and habitation. And such as this which I have said hath ever been knowne and observed to be the lot and portion only of him that is an hypocrite and feares not God aright in the place where he liveth.