Paraphrase on the Book of Job, Chapter 36
CHAP. XXXVI.
1. ELihu goeth on still to vindicate1. Elihu also proceeded, and said. God, and to convince Job of his miscarriage towards him.
2. Suffer me (saies he to Job) a while2. Suffer mee a little, and I will shew thee, that I have yet to speake on Gods behalfe. longer, and thou shalt see that I have yet more to say in justification of God against thy calumnies.
3. That which I say, shall not be3. I will fetch my knowledge from afarre, and will ascribe righteousnesse to my Maker. what first comes to hand, not what humane reason suggests, or what my weake judgement opinionates to be true, but what by speciall inspiration and enlightening from above I know to be so; whereby I will yet further disprove thy presumptuous taxation, and make it good upon thee, that it cannot otherwaies be, but that the maker of thee and mee, and all mankind must needs be righteous, and not liable to the censure of any creature in whatsoever he does.
4. For I assure thee thus much,4. For truly, my words shall not be false: he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee. That what I urge either for God or against thee, shall not be of mine owne coining, that so thou shouldest taxe it of errour or mistake, but such as God who cannot erre in truth and judgement (by whose spirit and in whose stead I speake unto thee) hath inspired mee with, for thy instruction and direction.
5. Consider therefore, how that5. Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdome. God is mighty, able to know and doe all things aright, and need not through weaknesse or want of power be driven to use any unrighteous and indirect meanes to compasse his ends; for hee hath power enough to effect them in a justifiable way, and on the other hand, as mighty as hee is, he affects not tyranny, nor sets he so light by any man as to afflict him causelessely of meere pleasure, no, but he is of power to order all things with justice and wisedome.
6. And this he does, as we frequently6. Hee preserveth not the life of the wicked: but giveth right to the poore. and experimentally see by his carriage towards both sorts of men, bad and good: For first, if men be wicked, and deserve punishment; God, for want of power and understanding, lets them not goe without it, but they feele and find him both wise, able, and just to give them their demerits, and to right the poore mans wrong.
7. And so in the next place, if men7. Hee withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings are they on the throne, yea, hee doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted. be righteous, God is just, not to forget such, nor is hee deficient in power to reward them, but preferreth them to the highest top of honour, yea, and upholds them in happinesse that nothing can hinder, and in despite of all malignant opposers, they are exalted by him.
8. And if it be otherwaies with them,8. And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction. if they be afflicted, and that pressures be upon them, yet it is not for want of power, wisdome and justice in God.
9. But he shewes them cause for it,9. Then hee sheweth them their worke, and their transgressions that they have exceeded. some one sinne or more wherein they have broken their bounds, and beene too blame, for which he justly afflicts them.
10. And as by his rod he teacheth10. Hee openeth also their eare to discipline, and commandeth that they returne from iniquity. them to know their sin, and his justice, so also by it he warneth them of, and learneth them their duty, which is not to cample, but humbly to yeeld obedience to his command of turning from the iniquity for which they suffer.
11. And then, if they take out this11. If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their daies in prosperity, and their yeeres in pleasures. lesson, and become obedient to him, the fruit of it will be, That they through the mercy of God, shall be eased of their punishment, and shall spend the remainder of their life, as their hearts can wish, in prosperity and pleasure.
12. But on the contrary, if they12. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge. stubbornely refuse obedience, then Gods anger shall slay them, and they shall miserably perish, through their owne folly and ignorant presumption.
13. So that those that are thus disposed,13. But the Hypocrites in heart heape up wrath; they cry not when he bindeth them. and will not convert, but goe on to act the Hypocrites part, and affect pride and perversnesse, their portion is thereby to adde wrath to wrath, for because in humble penitency they sue not to him when hee afflicts them:
14. Therefore they come to an14. They die in youth, and their life is among the uncleane. hasty and untimely end, whereas else they might prolong their daies; their life perisheth in his anger, and they make without any difference a like end, as doth the most foule and filthy Sodomite, God esteeming no better of them, than equall with the worst of sinners.
15. But on the other hand, the15. He delivereth the poore in his affliction, and openeth their eares in oppression. poore in spirit that cries to him in affliction, them he delivers out of it, and shewes them the cause of their oppression, that they may remedy it, and be restored.
16. Even thus would he have done16. Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait into a broad place, where there is no straitnes, and that which should be set on thy table, should be full of fatnesse. by thee, hadst thou done thus to him, ere this thou hadst beene let out of the stocks thou complainest so of, and enjoyed thy liberty to thy hearts desire, and as much, if not more, prosperity and wealth than ever heretofore.
17. But thou hast neglected to doe17. But thou hast fulfilled the judgement of the wicked: judgement and justice take hold on thee. wisely, and gone a foolish way to worke, as wicked men are wont to doe, repining, and not humbling thy selfe, and now see what comes of it, thou hast multiplied thy sorrowes, and heaped Gods just indignation upon thee by it.
18. Now therefore, because God18. Because there is wrath, beware, lest hee take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransome cannot deliver thee. is a wrathfull God, feare to persist, lest in his just anger hee take thee quite away, and then it will be too late to doe what now thou maist doe; for nothing can redeeme thee out of that condition, or make thee alive againe when thou art dead.
19. If thou couldest bid never somuch19. Will hee esteeme thy riches? no, no gold, nor all the forces of strength. for it, it would be in vaine, no riches could purchase or procure it, nor could any power or strength enforce it.
20. Doe not thou peevishly desire20. Desire not the night, when people are cut off in their place. death, lest it come too soone, and it doe by thee, as it does by many an one whom it cuts off in judgement.
21. Take heed betime, affect not to21. Take heed, regard not iniquity: for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction. goe on in sinfull impatiencie, wherein thou hast hitherto beene too blame, choosing rather to persevere in that sinne, then to submit to the will of God in bearing thy affliction humbly.
22. But consider well with thy selfe,22. Behold, God exalteth by his power, who teacheth like him? who must restore thee, if ever thou beest restored; Is it not God onelyonly, that by his power can doe it, and who can teach thee this better than himselfe hath done by keeping thee all this while (that thou hast continued impatient) in an helplesse condition for want of humbling thy selfe to him, hadst thou eyes to see it.
23. Thinke but how unwise thou23. Who hath enjoyned him his way? or who can say, Thou hast wrought iniquity? art in thy reasonings against him: For who hath, or can prescribe God his way, that he should be questionable for erring out of it, or what is he that can say (if he speake understandingly) that any thing the Lord does is sinfull and unjust.
24. O remember that another part24. Remember that thou magnifie his worke, which men behold. would better become thee to act then this! and that is, to have him in reverence and feare for his workes sake, that glorious structure of the heavens, which all men every where behold and see.
25. For it is hid from no mans eyes,25. Every man may see it, man may behold it a farre off. but all may behold it, and should doe well to consider the height and vast distance of it from us.
26. O consider that God is infinite26. Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his yeeres be searched out. in greatnesse, and that wee cannot fathome him, nor the wisedome and power that is in his works, neither can we mortalls that measure time by daies and yeeres, conceive the dimensions of eternity which belongeth onelyonly to him.
27. We, I say, cannot comprehend27. For hee maketh small the drops of water: they poure downe raine according to the vapour thereof. his power and wisdome; for he makes (we know not how) the drops of water which fall from above to be such as they are, round and small, and causeth the heavens to send downe raine in that manner, according to the proportion of exaled vapours.
28. Which the clouds sucke in, and28. Which the clouds do drop, and distill upon man abundantly. resolving them into water, they send it forth in drops, distilling them usefully in that manner (and not hurtfully by eruption) upon the earth in a sufficient plentifull measure for mans sake.
29. Againe, as thus, we cannot conceive29. Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of his tabernacle? the workmanship, that is in ingendring raine in the cloud, and the emission thereof in drops, so neither can any under the skill that he shewes in spreading forth the clouds to that large extent, and disposing them so universally throughout the whole heavens, as wee see they are, which he does by the winds, which hee causeth to blow above among them, whereof also we have but little skill to judge.
30. Consider how hee spreads his30. Behold, he spreadeth his light upon it, and covereth the bottom of the sea. light upon the face of the whole heavens, and also how in like manner he spreads the waters in the vast and deep Ocean, so that no bottome can be seen or felt.
31. I say, consider thou these, and31. For by them judgeth he the people, hee giveth meate in abundance. feare, for by these he judgeth the heathen folke, that have no other knowledge of him, but by the workes of his hands, and condemneth them for not improving these to his glory, and much more will hee doe so by thee: He furthermore gives us all the good creatures which we enjoy for our food and delight, in that wonderfull plenty as wee see.
32. By assembling the clouds when32. With clouds hee covereth the light, and commandeth it not to shine, by the cloud that commeth betwixt. he pleaseth, he darkneth the skie, and obscures the sunne, keeping away the bright shining thereof from us, by his interpofing some one or more gloomie clouds betweene us and it.
33. As often experience manifests,33. The noise thereof sheweth concerning it; the cattell also concerning the vapour. and more especially, is then to be expected, when as a raine-aboding wind gives fore-knowledge of it, or when as the cattell doe give their naturall presages of an approching raine, which they know by instinct, being first exhaled in a vapour from the earth, their proper Element.