The Book of Job Paraphrased, Chapter 22 – Chapter 23
CHAP. XXII.
ARGUMENT.
Though Job had clearly ſtated the Controverſy in the foregoing Chapter, yet Eliphaz would not yield; but begins the Combate a third time, without any ground at all, but a pure miſtake, as I have expreſſed it in the firſt verſe. And to avoid the Reproof, which had been given him, of repeating merely the ſame things; he now brings in a catalogue, though without any proof, (ſo much was his anger and bitterneſs increaſed,) of the particular Sins, both againſt God and againſt his Neighbour, of which he ſuppoſes Job to have been guilty. Elſe, he ſtill boldly concludes, God would not have puniſhed him with ſuch ſeverity, that there was not a greater inſtance of his Indignation to be found any-where; unleſs it was in the Old World, and in Sodom. Yet he hath ſo much Moderation, that he invites him at laſt to Repentance, and promiſes him the happy fruit of it; as he had done in his firſt Speech, but not in his ſecond. Nay, he tells him, in concluſion, for his incouragement, that he ſhould be able to doe as much for a Nation, as Ten righteous men, could they have been found there, might have done for Sodom.
1. THEN Eliphaz the Temanite anſwered, and ſaid,1. THEN Eliphaz, not being able to deny all this, and yet not minding the ſcope of it, (but imagining Job had accuſed the Divine Providence of Injuſtice, in ſuffering the Wicked to proſper, and the Righteous to be afflicted,) grew very angry, and ſaid,
2. Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wiſe may be profitable unto himſelf?2. Is God ever the better for any thing that we doe? Becauſe a wiſe man receives great benefit by his Vertue, ſhall we think that God is a Gainer by it too, and that He is bound to reward it?
3. Is it any pleaſure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makeſt thy ways perfect?3. Doth He, who needs nothing, (being Poſſeſſour of all things,) deſire thou ſhouldſt be righteous for His own advantage? or will it turn to His profit, if thou liveſt never ſo unblameably?
4. Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?4. Or, on the contrary, is He afraid thou ſhouldſt hurt Him by thy Sins, and will therefore puniſh them? Is this the reaſon that He now afflicts thee, to prevent the damage they might doe Him?
5. Is not thy wickedneſs great? and thine iniquities infinite?5. Are not rather thy Sins againſt God and againſt Men ſo great and ſo numberleſs, that no other Cauſe is to be ſought of thy ſore and multiplied Puniſhments?
6. For thou haſt taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and ſtripped the naked of their cloathing.6. For (to begin with thoſe againſt Man) thou haſt been a Tyrant, and exacted Pawns of thine own Kindred for little or nothing: and haſt ſtript even thoſe of their Garments, who had no more but juſt to cover their nakedneſs.
7. Thou haſt not given water to the weary to drink▪ and thou haſt withholden bread from the hungry.7. Thou haſt been hardhearted to the weary Traveller, when thou ſaweſt him ready to die with thirſt or with hunger.
8. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth, and the honourable man dwelt in it.8. But as for the Great and the Powerfull, all thy eſtate was at his ſervice: if he brought the title to any Land in queſtion, he was ſure to carry the cauſe by thy Favour to him.
9. Thou haſt ſent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherleſs have been broken.9. When at the ſame time the poor Widows and Orphans (whoſe protection God hath in a ſpecial manner commended to us) could not obtain the favour of having Juſtice done them; but were cruſh'd and broken by thee, and had all the means of defending themſelves taken from them.
10. Therefore ſnares are round about thee, and ſudden fear troubleth thee;10. Thou art guilty, ſure enough, of ſome ſuch Sins as theſe, which are the cauſe that now thou art beſet with theſe Calamities, and moſt dreadfull Plagues have on a ſudden confounded thee.
11. Or darkneſs that thou canſt not ſee, and abundance of waters cover thee.11. Oh thy Blindneſs! doſt thou not yet ſee how God hath proportioned thy Puniſhment to thy Crimes? hath the depth of the Afflictions wherein thou art plung'd quite taken away all ſenſe from thee?
12. Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the ſtars, how high they are.12. Is not God above the Heavens? behold, He is the Head and Governour of the Stars, although they be ſo high; and therefore how ſhouldſt thou think to eſcape his Juſtice?
13. And thou ſayeſt, How doth God know? can be judge through the dark cloud?13. But perhaps thou fanſieſt (ſuch is thy Impiety againſt Him, as well as Cruelty to thy Neighbour) that, becauſe He is ſo high, He minds not what is done here below: or that He cannot diſcern the difference of things ſo very remote, through ſuch a miſt as is between us.
14. Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he ſeeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.14. He is wrapt, thou imagineſt, in ſuch thick Clouds, that they obſcure us from his ſight: or He is confined to the Heavens, and ſo buiſied in their affairs, that He hath no leiſure to attend to ours.
15. Haſt thou marked the old way which wicked men have troden?15. But didſt thou never obſerve, or haſt thou forgotten, the courſe of the old Atheiſtical World, who ran licentiouſly into all manner of Wickedneſs?
16. Which were cut down out of time, whoſe foundation was overflown with a floud.16. To whom God therefore put a ſtop, by deſtroying them before their time, and carrying them quite away with the Floud, when they thought themſelves firmly ſettled in the earth;
17. Which ſaid unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty doe for them?17. And were ſaying, (as thou wouldſt have us believe the wicked now do, and yet proſper, XXI. 14.) We have nothing to doe with God, nor He with us. Doſt thou remember what God then did to them, for their horrid Ingratitude to him,
18. Yet he filled their houſes with good things: but the counſel of the wicked is far from me.18. Who had filled their houſes with all manner of good things? O vile wretches! whoſe wicked thoughts I abhor as much as thou thy ſelf, (XXI. 16.)
19. The righteous ſee it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to ſcorn.19. Whoſe overthrow Noah and his Family beholding, rejoyced in God's righteous Judgment: That innocent man derided their Incredulity.
20. Whereas our ſubſtance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire conſumeth.20. Whereas we, who believe God's Care and Providence, are untouch'd in our Eſtates; when the reliques of thoſe impious men are devoured by Fire from Heaven.
21. Acquaint now thy ſelf with him, and be at peace: thereby good ſhall come unto thee.21. Let me adviſe thee therefore, (whom God hath not yet quite conſumed,) to joyn thy ſelf to the ſociety of the Righteous, and to become like Noah: then be ſecure, and doubt not but by that means all Happineſs ſhall return to thee.
22. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.22. Do not refuſe the Inſtruction which ſuch men give thee from God; but heartily embrace it, and faithfully preſerve it to be the rule of thy Life.
23. If thou return to the Almighty, thou ſhalt be built up; thou ſhalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.23. Thou ſhalt ſoon feel the comfortable fruits of it: for if thou return to the Almighty, who hath laid thee thus low, He will return to thee, and raiſe thee up as high as ever: He will pardon thine Iniquity, and remove the Puniſhment of it far from thee and thine.
24. Then ſhalt thou lay up gold as duſt, and the gold of Ophir as the ſtones of the brooks.24. Thou ſhalt recover all thy Loſſes with uſury; and no more value gold then the dirt, on which it ſhall lie; nor the pureſt gold more then the pebbles in the brook.
25. Yea, the Almighty ſhall be thy defence, and thou ſhalt have plenty of ſilver.25. Thou ſhalt be at no pains to ſecure thy vaſt Heaps of gold and ſilver; becauſe thy Almighty Reſtorer, who gave them to thee, will defend them better then the ſtrongeſt fortreſs, and be Himſelf thy Treaſure.
26. For then ſhalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and ſhalt lift up thy face unto God.26. For then thou ſhalt be ſo far from doubting of his Care over thee, that thou ſhalt delight to think how He loves thee: thou ſhalt not be dejected any more, but confidently and chearfully expect his Bleſſing on thee.
27. Thou ſhalt make thy prayer unto him, and he ſhall hear thee, and thou ſhalt pay thy vows.27. Thou ſhalt ask nothing of Him, but thou ſhalt obtain it; and have abundant cauſe to be continually giving thanks to Him, for his bounteous Goodneſs in fulfilling thy deſires.
28. Thou ſhalt alſo decree a thing, and it ſhall be eſtabliſhed unto thee: and the light ſhall ſhine upon thy ways.28. Thou ſhalt accompliſh whatſoever thou deſigneſt, and all thy undertakings ſhall be proſperous.
29. When men are caſt down, then thou ſhalt ſay, There is lifting up: and he ſhall ſave the humble perſon.29. Thou ſhalt pray to God alſo to lift up others, who are in a low condition; and He ſhall grant thy petitions, by delivering him that is depreſſed.
30. He ſhall deliver the iſland of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureneſs of thine hands.30. Yea, a whole Country ſhall owe its ſafety to thy Innocence: it ſhall be delivered by thy pious Prayers and blameleſs Actions.
CHAP. XXIII.
ARGUMENT.
To the foregoing Diſcourſe of Eliphaz Job thought at firſt to make no Anſwer, but onelyonly by complaints of their Injuſtice, and freſh Appeals to God: by whom he deſires, more carneſtly than ever, to be tried; being aſſured that He would acquit him. And though for the preſent God was not pleaſed to give him audience, (of which he complains with too much paſſion;) yet he maintains that hope, which began to appear in his Soul, (in his laſt Diſcourſe with Bildad Ch. XIX.) that God would at laſt clear him from all the Aſperſions which were caſt upon him.
1. THEN Job anſwered, and ſaid,1. THEN Job, hearing his Perſon thus defamed, and his Diſcourſe perverted, renewed his Complaints, and ſaid,
2. Even to day is my complaint bitter: my ſtroke is heavier then my groaning.2. Still my juſt Defence of my ſelf is judged to be Rebellion againſt God: which renders my Sufferings heavier then all my Sighs and Groans can expreſs:
3. Oh that I knew where I might find him I that I might come even to his ſeat!3. And makes me once more appeal to God, and wiſh I could be admitted into his preſence, (ſo free I am from the conſcience of any Guilt,) and approach even to his Judgment-ſeat.
4. I would order my cauſe before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.4. I would ſet before Him the Juſtice of my Cauſe; and fill my mouth with Confutations of your falſe Accuſations.
5. I would know the words which he would anſwer me, and underſtand what he would ſay unto me.5. I would preſs to know his Judgment of me, and diligently attend to the Sentence which He would paſs upon me.
6. Will he plead againſt me with his great power? No, but he would put ſtrength in me.6. Do you think He would make no other uſe of his abſolute Power then to oppreſs me? I cannot believe it; He would rather imploy it to ſupport me;
7. There the righteous might diſpute with him; ſo ſhould I be delivered for ever from my judge.7. Till at his Bar I had proved my ſelf a Righteous perſon, and been perfectly acquitted by him my righteous Judge.
8. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; & backward, but I cannot perceive him:8. But all theſe, alas! are vain Wiſhes; for which way ſoever I turn my ſelf, whether to the Eaſt or to the Weſt, I cannot ſee Him appear to doe me right.
9. On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himſelf on the right hand, that I cannot ſee him.9. He works and moves inviſibly in all other quarters of the world; but I can diſcover nothing He does to clear my Innocence.
10. But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I ſhall come forth as gold.10. My onelyonly comfort is, that, though I cannot know all his Ways, yet He, being every-where, knows the whole courſe of my Life: and when He hath proved me by theſe Afflictions, as gold is by the fire, I doubt not I ſhall be cleared from theſe Imputations which you lay upon me.
11. My foot hath held his ſteps, his way have I kept, and not declined.11. I am ſure I have ever followed his guidance, and ſo ſtedfaſtly obſerved his Commandments, that no temptation hath made me ſwerve from them.
12. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips, I have eſteemed the words of his mouth more then my neceſſary food.12. I have prevented the Advice you give me, (XXII. 22.) having never done otherwiſe then He bid me, and laid up his words more carefully then my neceſſary proviſion for this life.
13. But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his ſoul deſireth, even that he doeth.13. But for the preſent this doth not at all move Him to relieve me: He continues his purpoſe, (whatever it be,) and none can alter it, no more then they can hinder the fulfilling of it.
14. For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many ſuch things are with him.14. For what He hath reſolved to inflict upon me, that I find He will accompliſh: and many ſuch things as theſe He doeth, of which He will not give us the reaſon.
15. Therefore am I troubled at his preſence: when I conſider, I am afraid of him.15. This terrifies me, when I reflect upon it, notwithſtanding my Innocence: I tremble at the thoughts of his abſolute Power and unſearchable Wiſedom, which may think fit ſtill to continue theſe Afflictions;
16. For God maketh my heart ſoft, and the Almighty troubleth me:16. Which by the weight of them have broken my ſpirit, and made me ſo timorous, that I cannot but dread the danger I am in of ſuffering more from his Almighty hand.
17. Becauſe I was not cut off before the darkneſs, neither hath he covered the darkneſs from my face.17. For ſtill He keeps me alive under all theſe Evils which I endure; and will not let me have the favour to die by that hand which ſtrikes me ſo ſeverely.