The Book of Job Paraphrased, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
ARGUMENT.
The foregoing Apologies of Job, it ſeems, made little impreſſion on his Friends: for, he had no ſooner done, but another of them, called Bildad, continued the Diſpute; with as little intermiſſion, as there was between the Meſſengers that brought him (Chap. I.) the ſad tidings of his Calamities. And it doth not appear by his diſcourſe, that he differed at all in his Principles from Eliphaz. For, though he give him very good Counſel, yet, he ſtill preſſes this as the ſenſe of all Antiquity, (v. 8.) that God ever proſpers the Juſt, and roots out the Wicked, be they never ſo flouriſhing for a ſeaſon. And he being deſcended from Shuah, one of Abraham's Sons by Keturah, (XXV. Gen. 2.) ſeems to me to have a particular reſpect, in this appeal to Hiſtory, unto the Records, which then remained, of God's bleſſing upon that faithfull man's poſterity, (who hitherto, and long after, continued in his Religion,) and of the extirpation of thoſe Eaſtern people, (neighbours to Job,) in whoſe countrey they were ſettled, becauſe of their Wickedneſs.
1. THEN anſwered Bildad the Shuhite, and ſaid,1. WHEN Job had made an end of this Diſcourſe, Bildad (another great Friend of his, deſcended from Shuah, one of Abraham's Sons by Keturah,) reprehended him in the ſame manner as Eliphaz had done, ſaying;
2. How long wilt thou ſpeak theſe things? and how long ſhall the words of thy mouth be like a ſtrong wind?2. Why doſt thou perſiſt to talk on this faſhion, and with ſuch vehemence expoſtulate with God?
3. Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert juſtice?3. Doſt thou imagine the Supreme Judge will not doe thee right? or that He who needs nothing will ſwerve from the rules of Equity?
4. If thy children have ſinned againſt him, and he have caſt them away for their tranſgreſſion;4. Is it not now reaſonable to think that thy Children had highly offended Him; for which cauſe He took a ſudden and haſty Vengeance on them?
5. If thou wouldeſt ſeek unto God betimes, and make thy ſupplication to the Almighty;5. And that if thou didſt now (in ſtead of Complaining) implore his Grace and Favour, with humble Supplication,
6. If thou wert pure and upright; ſurely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteouſneſs proſperous.6. And wert thy ſelf ſincere in heart and upright in thine actions, He would certainly have a regard to thee, and reſtore thy Family to its former ſplendour?
7. Though thy beginning was ſmall, yet thy latter end ſhould greatly increaſe.7. I am confident, thou art not now ſo low, but in time He would make thee as high, nay, far more eminent then thou waſt before.
8. For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thy ſelf to the ſearch of their fathers.8. I do not deſire thee to take my word for it; but let thoſe who are gone before us inſtruct thee, and ſearch diligently into the Hiſtories of the moſt ancient Times.
9. (For we are but of yeſterday, and know nothing, becauſe our days upon earth are a ſhadow.)9. (For, alas! we are not old enough to underſtand much; being able to make but few Obſervations, by reaſon of the exceeding ſhortneſs of our lives.)
10. Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?10. They will not fail to inform thee aright; and out of their long experience, and the prudent Obſervations of many Ages, juſtify the truth of my words.
11. Can the ruſh grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?11. The Ruſhes and Flags we ſee can ſhoot up no higher, when they want their mud and their moiſture.
12. While it is yet in his greenneſs, and not cut down, if withereth before any other herb.12. There is no need to ſtop their growth by cutting them down; for they will wither of themſelves, even when they are freſh and green: while ſmaller Herbs, which want not water, continue their beauty.
13. So are the paths of all that forget God, and the hypocrites hope ſhall periſh:13. Juſt ſuch is the condition of all thoſe who neglect God: (without whoſe Bleſſing none can flouriſh:) who knows him alſo that counterfeits Piety, and will defeat him of the Happineſs he expects.
14. Whoſe hope ſhall be cut off, and whoſe truſt ſhall be a ſpider's web.14. He may flatter himſelf with vain hopes, and be ſo much the more miſerable; for the things wherein he truſts are as weak as a Spider's web.
15. He ſhall lean upon his houſe, but it ſhall not ſtand: he ſhall hold it faſt, but it ſhall not endure.15. He may fanſy his Family to be ſo great and potent, that it will ſupport him; but it ſhall fall as well as himſelf: He may endeavour to keep it up by ſtrong Alliances, but to no purpoſe.
16. He is green before the ſun, and his branch ſhooteth forth in his garden.6. Nay, he may ſeem to all the world, as well as to himſelf, to be like a flouriſhing Tree, which ſpreads its branches in a fair garden;
17. His roots are wrapped about the heap, and ſeeth the place of ſtones.7. Whoſe roots have wreathed themſelves thick about the earth, and whoſe head lifts up it ſelf above the higheſt edifices:
18. If he deſtroy him from his place, then it ſhall deny him, ſaying, I have not ſeen thee.18. But when God blaſts him, and plucks him up by the roots, there ſhall remain no remembrance that ſuch a man ever lived in that place.
19. Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth ſhall others grow.19. Believe it, the pleaſure ſuch men take in their proſperous eſtate is no better then this; and out of the duſt ſhall others ſpring up and flouriſh in their ſtead.
20. Behold, God will not caſt away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil-doers:20. It is a certain truth, that God will not deſert the Upright; nor will He uphold the Wicked.
21. Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoycing.21. Thou thy ſelf (if thou art upright) ſhalt ſtill be ſo bleſſed by Him, that thou ſhalt not be able to contain thy Joy within thy heart; but it ſhall appear in thy countenance, and burſt out into joyfull Songs.
22. They that hate thee ſhall be cloathed with ſhame, and the dwelling-place of the wicked ſhall come to nought.22. They that rejoyced at thy Fall, ſhall be perfectly counfounded at thy happy Reſtauration; and never recover themſelves, but utterly periſh.