Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 4 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Verſe 1. Then anſwered Bildad the Shuhite, and ſaid]
BIldad (who was of the poſterity of Shuah Abrahams ſon by Keturah, Gen. 25.1, 2.) interrupteth Job, and indeavours to maintain what Eliphaz had ſpoken: Nevertheleſs it appeareth by this chapter, verſe 5, 6, 20, 21. that his opinion was not ſo rigid, as that of Eliphaz: for he grants that a righteous man may be afflicted, but yet ſo, that if God reſtore him not ſpeedily, he may be cenſured, caſt and condemned as unrighteous. He paſſeth (as they do all) ſome hard cenſures upon Job; and is paid in his own coyn by him: who ſaith, that he was according to his name, a wicked kinſman: for foreign is naught, and foreign an Uncle. With what judgment men judg, they ſhall be judged. Mat. 7 2.
Verſ. 2. How long wilt thou speak theſe things?] Quonſque effaberis iſta? q. d. Tremel.Haſt thou nothing better then this to utter? Be ſilent for ſhame, or forbear at leaſt to vent thy ſpleen againſt God, of whoſe proceedings with ſhee thou haſt heavily complained: thy words have been ſtout againſt the Lord, and thou haſt taken too much liberty of language in this tempeſt of talk.
And how long ſhall the words of thy mouth be like a ſtrong wind?]Mercer. Big and boiſterous, rude and …robuſtuous, as if thou wouldſt Dominum impetere, evertere, & dejicere blow down God and his proceedings at a breath. The Tigurine tranſlation is, Quanaiu verba oris …ui ſo…abu…t pertinacia…? How long ſhall the words of thy mouth ſound out thine obſtinacy? If evil thoughts be majoris reatus, of greater guilt, as the Schools ſpeak; yet evil words and works are majoris infamia, of greater ſcandal, and do more corrupt others. This Bildad was ſenſible of, and conceiving that Job complained of God as dealing hardly with him, and unjuſtly afflicting him: he addeth,
Verſe 3. Doth God pervert judgment?] By not puniſhing the wicked: or doth the Almighty pervert juſtice? by not rewarding the righteous (ſo the Hebrews expound it) Why no: neither did Job ever ſay ſuch a thing; only he had pathetically ſet forth the greatneſs of his pain, and the unkindneſs of his friends, and wiſhed to die rather then to endure it. Now this was conſtrued for blaſphemy, or little leſs: and Bildad is very hot in his invective againſt Job, as good reaſon he had, if he had not been ſo miſtaken. Here he wreſteth in a moſt true propoſition (commondam ſanè ſed non acc…mmodam) but yet ſuch a one as very little concerned this preſent diſputation: and he doth it with as ſmall wiſedom and diſcretion, ſaith Beza, as with great pride and confidence. For doth it either argue Job and hypocrite, and wicked man, or charge God with injuſtice if it be ſaid, that Job for his ſins was not ſo afflicted by God (whereas he in the mean time denieth not himſelf to be a ſinner, and to have deſerved Gods heavy hand upon him) but rather proved and tryed by him according to his good pleaſure? yet Bildad goeth on as if he had done very well: and in the next verſe in plain words boldly avoucheth that Jobs children were by Gods judgment deſtroyed with the fall of the houſe, whatever betid their ſouls.
Verſ. 4. If thy children have ſinned againſt him] As what man is he that liveth and ſinneth not? But Bildad meant that Jobs children had hainouſly ſinned, had been grievous ſinners againſt their own ſouls (as afterwards were Core and his complices) had not ſinned common ſins, and therefore died not common deaths: indeed they died early and ſuddenly, and eating and drinking (wherein there might be ſome exceſs) and before ſacrifice offered for them, as formerly: all this was ſad, and moved Job more then any thing elſe. But did it therefore follow that God haſt caſt them away? &c.
And he have caſt them away for their tranſgreſſion] Or, And he have expelled or abandoned them into the hand (ſo the Hebrew hath it elegantly) of their transgreſſions or rebellions, Pagnin.as ſo may executioners. Some render it thus, He hath driven them out of the world for their transgreſſion. The Chaldee Paraphraſt goeth further, interpreting hand here for place. If God have ſent them, ſaith he, into the place of their wickedneſs, that is, into hell prepared for the wicked. Now ſurely, ſaith Lavater, Inhumaniſſimus fuit Bildad, qui iſta calamitoſiſſimo objicere non dubitabat: Bildad was a moſt unmerciful man, who doubted not to lay theſe things in the diſh of him that was before ſo heavily afflicted, and to heap more load upon him who was ready to ſink under his burden: but he did it, ſay ſome, of a good intent, to bring Job to a ſenſe of his ſin, and to put him in hope of appeaſing Gods wrath, who had yet ſpared his life that he might make his peace, and not ſuddenly ſlay him as he had done them: and therefore he aſſureth him in the following verſes, as Eliphaz had done before, that all things ſhall go well with him if he repent. Albeit thy children have ſinned, &c. yet
Verſe 5. If thou wouldſt ſeek unto God betimes] If warned by the evil end that befell thine unhappy children, thou wouldſt early and earneſtly ſeek unto God for mercy, for which purpoſe it may ſeem that thy life hath been graciouſly ſpared, when thy children have been deſtroyed, that thou mightſt be made wiſe at their expence. Such counſel as this is, Eliphaz had given Job before, chap. 5.8.
And make thy ſupplication to the Almighty] Pray for mercy out of free-grace alone, ſo the Hebrew word ſignifieth: plead for pity, ſpeak ſupplications as the poor man doth, Prov 18.23. Be poor in ſpirit, a ſtark beggar and bankrupt, leſſe then the leaſt of all Gods mercies, Gen. 32.10. and in this mind addreſſe thy ſelf to the All-ſufficient, the Cornucopia, the God rich in mercy to all that call upon him, for pardon of thy great ſin in ſtanding out in contention with his Majeſty, and reſiſting his fatherly viſitation.
Verſe 6. If thou wert pure and upright] If thou didſt lift up pure hands to God in prayer,foreign. Hom. &c.
Pura Deus ment eſt, purâ vu…t mente vocari:
Et puras, juſſit p…dus haber…, preces.
The fountain of goodneſſe will not be laden at with foul hearts and hands, Jer 4.14. Jam. 4.8. Iſai. 1.15, 16. Joh. 9.31. 1 Tim. 2.8. …, an heathen Philoſopher, being at ſea in a great ſtorm, and perceiving many wicked wretches with him in the ſhip calling upon the gods, Silete, inquit, ne Dii vos hic navigare ſent…ant, Hold your tongues, ſaid he, pray not, leſt the gods take notice that you are here, and we all periſh for your ſakes. There are that take theſe words for Reformation, as the former verſe for Humiliation, thoſe two parts of true repentance: if thou wert pure and upright, as a right penitentiary would be; if thou wouldſt break off thy ſins by repentance, and eſpecially thine hypocriſie which hath brought this puniſhment upon thee from the Lord. If thou wouldſt not only repent for thy ſins, but alſo from thy ſins, and frame to lead a new life, which is, Optima & aptiſſima poenitentia, ſaith Luther, the beſt and ſoundeſt repentance.
Surely now he would awake for thee] Thou ſhouldſt undoubtedly find ſpeedy and unmiſcarrying returns of thy prayers, and all good acceptance of thy ſervices: he will hear thee for deliverance, ſo the Septuagint render it: he will up and do it, he will ariſe and have mercy upon Zion (Pſalm 102.13.) for now that ſhe prayeth and purgeth her ſelf from all filthineſſe of fleſh and ſpirit, the time to favour her, yea, the ſet time is come. I am come for thy words, ſaith the Angel to Daniel, chap. 10.12.
And make the habitation of thy righteouſneſſe proſperous] i. e. He will bleſſe thy well ordered family, and whatſoever thou doſt therein ſhall proſper, Pſalm 1.3. Thy children and ſervants ſhall live together in peace, and all good agreement: thy ſtock alſo, and thy ſtore ſhall be increaſed. He ſhall reſtore it to, or repair it for thee. as the Septuagint here render it: peace, plenty and proſperity ſhal be heaped upon thee;foreign. Sept. this is the import of the word foreign. Some of the Hebrews by habitation of righteouſneſs, here underſtand the ſoul, in which dwelleth righteouſneſs. Others of them take it for the body, the habitation of the ſoul, wherein righteouſneſſe is ſeated. But theſe ſenſes are far fetcht.
Verſe 7. Though thy beginning was ſmall, yet thy later end ſhould greatly increaſe] Thy late loſſes God will recompence with intereſt: and the felicity which the prepareth for thee ſhall be far greater then that, the loſſe whereof thou doſt now regret; for he will enrich thee to admiration, thy later end ſhall be ineffable (ſo the Septuagint have it) ſuch as none ſhall be able to utter or deſcribe. See chap. 40.10, 12.foreign The day of ſmall things is not to be deſpiſed, Zech. 4.10. Every former mercy is a pledg of a future; and to him that hath ſhall be given. God delighteth to help his people with a little help at firſt, to crumble his mercies to us, as one phraſeth it: to give us his bleſſings by retail, to maintain trading and communion between him and us. So the cloud emptieth not is ſelf at a ſudden burſt, but diſſolveth upon the earth drop after drop.
Verſe 8. For enquire, I pray thee] Bildad ſpeaks fair, as Eliphaz had done, whom he all along imitateth.
Above majori diſcit arare minor.
Of the former age] The generations afore-going▪ the Kadmonim, as the Jews called their Anceſtors, and uſed this ſaying concerning them, Cor priſcorum fuit ſicus porta &c. the heart of our progenitors was as the gate of the porch of the Temple,Rara datur longo prudentia temporis uſu. Talmud. foreign Rheto. lib. 1. foreign Seris venit uſus ab annis. foreign Diod. Sic. ample and beautiful: but the heart of their poſterity, is as the eye of a needle, narrow and of no receipt in compariſon. Of witneſſes Aristotle witneſſeth, that the more ancient they are, the more creditable, becauſe leſſe corrupt. Nihil mihi antiquius, ſay the Latines; Nothing is more ancient to me, that is, more highly reputed. And New things are nothing, ſay the Greeks. Siculus maketh mention of an Egyptian Prieſt, who ſaid to Solon one of the Greek Sages, you Grecians are very boyes (ye are but of yesterday, as it is in the next verſe) neither is there an old man (that is, a man verſed in ancient hiſtories, or acquainted with antiquities) to be found amongſt you all. Much of the ancient Divinity was traditional, till Moſes ſet pen to paper: the mind of God was either immediately revealed, or handed down and tranſmitted from father to ſon, from generation to generation. Hence Bildad here bids Job enquire of the former ages: and thereto refers him for further information: ſo doth Moſes the Iſraelites, Deut. 4.20. and 32.7. Antiquity, ſo it be right, is of no ſmal authority: that's a received rule, Quod antiquiſſimum veriſſimum, that is trueſt which is ancienteſt: as we prefer the neweſt Philoſophy, ſo the ancienteſt Divinity. The Papiſts boaſt much of Antiquity (as the Gibeonites did of old ſhooes and mouldy bread): but when they come to prove it; they go no higher then to about a thouſand years ago. They ſcornfully look upon us as Novellers, and ask where our religion was before Luther? We anſwer them, that our religion was alwaies in the bible▪ where their religion never was. This is the old commandment, ſaith St. John, which was from the beginning, 1 John 2.7
An… prepare thy ſelf to the ſearch of their fathers] Or fit thy ſelf, fix thy mind upon it, as Pſam 100.1. We muſt not think to find truth, but upon a ſerious ſearch, Prov. 2.3. Anaxagoras complained omnia eſſe ci… cumfuſa tenebris, that all things were full of darkneſſe. Empedocles, that the inlets of the ſenſes were very narrow. Democritus, that Truth lay hid as it were in a deep pit that could hardly be fathomed. St. Paul cryes out, O the depth! How unſearchable are Gods judgments, and his wayes paſt finding out! Prepare therefore to this ſearch after God; and pray as that, poor man did that cryed after Chriſt; and when he was asked what wouldſt thou have? Lord, ſaid he, that mine eyes might be opened.
Verſe 9. For we are but of yeſterday] Heb. We are yesterday, that is, yeſterdays off-ſpring, upſtarts, muſhrooms, novices, of very ſmall ſtanding in the would. And yet they were old men, chap. 15.10. Eliphaz is eſteemed to be an hundred and fifty; Bildad and hundred and forty; Zophar an hundred and twenty years old; and yet, in compariſon of he fathers before the flood, they were but of yesterday, they had lived but a very little while, and were but of late time.
And know nothing] Neque experti ſumus, ſaith Tremellius: the greateſt part of our knowledg is but the leaſt part of our ignorance: how can we know much, when our abode here is ſo ſhort, our experience ſo little? Ars long, vita brevis, ſaid Hippocrates, life is ſhort, and art is long. Themiſtocles though he lived an hundred and ſeven years; yet at his death complained, ſaying, Now I am to die when I begin to be wiſe. Solon ſaid, that though old, yet he thought not himſelf too old to learn: and Julian the Lawyer was wont to ſay, that when he had one foot in the grave, yet he would have the other in the School.
Becauſe our dayes upon earth are a ſhadow] Fluxa, inſtabilis, & ipſa ultro abiens, ſaith Junius, unſubſtantial, unſetled, uncertain, there is no hold nor tack in it, Pſalm 102.11. 1 Chron. 29.15. What is man but a dream of a ſhadow, ſaith Pindarus, foreign. Tſillah. umbra ipſius. …a ſhadow of ſmoke, ſaith Sophocles; a ſhadow of a ſhadow, ſaith Aeſchylus. He is therefore not a man, but a ſhadow of man (as Lamechs ſecond wives name was Zillah a ſhadow of a wife; and as Menander calleth a falſe friend foreign, the ſhadow of a friend) he hath not ſo much as ſhadow of reaſon or true underſtanding, who by ſpending the ſpan, by waſting the ſhadow of this ſhort life, after the wayes of his own heart, bereaveth himſelf of a room in that city of pearls, and loſeth the comforts of that life which laſteth for ever.
Verſe 10. Shall they not teach thee, and tell thee] They, that is, the forefathers, verſe 8. theſe, though dead and gone, yet by their records and monuments, by their Apopthegmes and Oracles (for the words of dying men are living oracles) do ſtill teach us and tell us their minds, as if they were yet living, Heb. 11.4. Luke 16.29. Books are mute, matters, ſilent voices. The way to be wiſe, ſaid an Heathen, is to converſe with the dead. foreign.Hiſtories are faithful Counſellors, and by the reading of them, many young men have attained to more underſtanding then their elders; as Auguſtus, Theodoſius, Maca…ius, who was ſirnamed foreign, the oldyouth, for his wiſedom and gravity above his years gotten by reading and prayer, as ſaith Nicephorus.
And utter words out of their hearts] Diſcourſes digged out of their own hearts, things new and old,è cordibus, non è codicibus. thrown out of that good treaſure: they were egregiè cordati homines, hearty-good men, and their ſpeeches were heart-ſprung, dipt in their hearts, and there recalled ad limam, priuſquam ad ling…am, weighed before uttered. They ſpake not as thou doſt Job, raſhly and at random; but judiciouſly, ſolidly, oraculouſly: conſult them therefore, and as they ſpeake from their own heart, ſo let them ſpeak to thine. With the ancient is wiſedom, and in length of dayes underſtanding, chap. 12.12.
Verſe 11. Can the ruſh grow up without mire?] Jam ſubjungit quod illi exploratum habuerant & perſpectum, ſed eleganti ſimilitudine, ſaith Mercer: That is, here Bildad ſetteth forth what the fathers had obſerved, taught, and told them: and this he doth by three elegant ſimilitudes, which was a way of teaching uſual among the ancients, ut quod per ſimplex praeceptum teneri non poſſit, per ſimilitudines teneretur, Hieron. in cap. 19. Matth.that that which could not be remembred by ſimple precepts, might be retained by ſimilitudes drawn from natural things, which are as ſhadows to us of ſpiritual. And firſt from the ruſh, which hath its name from drinking; becauſe it lives in liquor, it loves and delights in a mooriſh ſoyle. Can the ruſh (or bul-ruſh, Exod. 2.3. Iſai. 18.2.) grow up? Heb. peirk and pride it ſelf, bear the head aloft, ſhoot up amain, without mire or moisture, ſuch as are the fennes, chap. 40.21.? The meaning hereof is, ſaith Ferus, Look how the ruſh and flag grow not but in miry places; remove them to dry and firm ground, and they ſoon wither: So the wicked hypocrite in proſperity maketh a great ſhew of piety; but in adverſity he loſeth that very ſhew, and by his impatiency maketh the hollowneſſe of his heart appear to all men: and herein Bildad aimed at the making of Jobs caſe odious, whom he now held for an hypocrite.
Can the flag] Or graſſe of the meadow? Gen. 41.2. it hath its name from brotherhood, becauſe many piles of graſs or ſedg, grow from one and the ſame root,Sic mala quaedam olitores Germanitatis vocant. but not without water. See 1 Kings 18.5.
Verſe 12. Whilſt it is yet in his greenneſſe &c.] And ſo withereth not through age, as being but in its ſhooting up.
And not cut downe] Or, cropt off, either by the hands of men, or teeth of beaſts.
It withereth] for want of water, without ſtore whereof it cannot live. The Hypocrite is a ſenſualliſt, Judg. 18.19. Job 21.11. Hoſ. 4.11. he liveth in ſuch miry places, as cannot be healed by the waters of the Sanctuary, Ezek. 47.11. He ſaith, as the Vine and the Olive in Jothams parable, I cannot leave my wine, my fat and ſweet ſins; take away my liquor, you take away my life: He ſerveth not the Lord Jeſus Chriſt (whatever he pretendeth) but his own belly, Rom. 16. He followeth Chriſt for the loaves only.
Before any other herb] That is, of leſſe ſhew, but better rooting: theſe retain their verdure, and look on, as it were, to ſee the ruſh wither; ſo David did by Doeg, Pſalm 52.5, 6, 8.
Ver. 13. So are the paths of all that forget God] To remember God is as neceſſary as to draw breath, ſaith Chryſostome. This the wicked man doth not, Pſalm 9.17. He will neither have God in his head, Pſalm 10.4. nor heart, Pſalm 14.1. nor words, Pſalm 12.2. nor wayes, Tit. 1.16. What wonder then though his paths wither, though his life, health, wealth, power, periſh, ſith he is in ſuch a poſture of diſtance from, and defiance with the fountaine of living waters, the Father of all mercy and conſolation; by whoſe favour ſuch flouriſh for a time ſed exoriuntur, ut exurantur?
And the hypocrites hope ſhall periſh] Every wicked man is an hypocrite; and if there were nothing elſe to evince it, yet his very hope and groundleſſe confidence in the mercies of God without warrant of a promiſe, would undoubtedly prove it. Praeſumendo ſperai, & ſperando perit, ſaith an Ancient; he preſumptuouſly hopeth, and by hoping periſheth; he layes his own ſhadow for a bridg, and ſo muſt need fall into the brook: Truſt thou in the Lord and do good, ſaith David, Pſalm 37.3. But this man, though he cannot tell of one tear for ſin, nor one hour ſpent in the practice of mortification; yet he affirmeth deeply of going to heaven, and is ready to rap, yea bounce at heaver-gate with Lord, Lord, open unto us: Pſal. 125.5.But what ſaith the Pſalmiſt? As for ſuch as turn aſide unto their crooked wayes (though they do it never ſo ſlily, as if they would ſteal a paſſage to hell, and the world never the wiſer) the Lord ſhall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity, with groſſe offenders as malefactors are led forth to execution: and when the filthy ſinner (ſo the word here rendred hypocrite ſignifieth) goes damned to hell; what ſhall become of the zealous profeſſor, with all his fall hopes and poſſibilities? Surely God rejecteth their confidences; they ſhall not proſper in them, Jer. 2.37.
Verſe 14. Whoſe hope (or whoſe folly, that is, whoſe fooliſh hope) ſhall be cut off] The Latine tranſlation hath it, his folly ſhall not pleaſe him, ſc. when once he ſeeth by the diſappointment of his high hopes, what a fools paradiſe he had wrought himſelf into, what pains he hath taken to go to hell, his hope ſhall be cut off: and that is the greateſt cut in the world.Hypocritis nihil ſtupidius. This, Bildad telleth the hypocrite twice over: becauſe he will hardly be drawn to believe it. But that he telleth Job ſo, as if he were this hopeleſſe hypocrite, he is quite beſide the cuſhion, as we ſay.
And whoſe truſt ſhall be a spiders web] Wherein there is much artifice, but no ſtrength. Truſt is ſomewhat more then hope: it is a bearing a mans ſelf bold upon aſſurance that all ſhall be well: ſuch was that of Babylon in their proviſion, laid in to …old out a ſiege of 20 years laſting. ſuch alſo is that of myſtical Babylon, who ſaith, I ſhall ſee no ſorrow,Iſa. 59.5. Rev. 18.6. But this truſt never triumpheth. It is (by a ſecond) compariſon) here fitly ſet forth by a spiders web, Heb. a ſpiders houſe; ſo called becauſe therein the ſpider lodgeth her ſelf, as if ſafe, and out of harms way, which is nothing ſo. A Reverend man cleareth the compariſon thus; Firſt, the ſpiders web is made out of her own bowels, (her motto was mihi ſolidebe… ) ſo is the hypocrites hope meerly from his own brain and imagination. Secondly, though this web be curiouſly framed, yet it only catcheth flies: ſo do hypocrites look after ceremonies, and not ſubſtance. Thirdly, the ſpider is full of poyſon, and remaineth in a duſty naſty hole, though ſhe work never ſo curiouſly: ſo doth the hypocrite abide in his unregeneracy &c. Fourthly, ſhe gets to the top of the window, as high as ſhe can: and then when ſhe falls, ſhe falls to the bottom, for nothing ſtayes her: ſo here. Fifthly, when the beſome comes, ſhe and her web are ſwept away, and ſhe is trodden under foot: ſo are all preſumptuous hypocrites. Beckets friends adviſed him (for his ſecurity) to have a Maſſe in honour of Saint Steven, to keep him from the hands of his enemies: he did ſo, but it ſaved him not. Contrarily, a poor perſecuted Hugonot in the Maſſacre at Paris had crept into a hole, a ſpider comes and weaves a cobweb over it. The murtherers therefore preſumed him not there; and ſo he was preſerved. What cannot the Lord do by the weakeſt means that may be?
Verſe 15. He ſhall lean upon his houſe] The ſpider ſhall; ſo Vatablus taketh it: but better, the hypocrite leaneth, or layeth his whole weight upon his houſe, that is, wealth, children, friends, clients, tenants &c. as did Doeg, P…al. 52.7. Haman, Eſth. 4.11. That profane Earl of Weſtmorland, who ſaid, that he needed not at all to pray to God; for he had tenants enow to pray for him. Bildad probably glanceth here at Job, as if he had once truſted in his riches, relations &c. which yet Job diſavoweth, chap. 31.
But it ſhall not ſtand] No more then the ſpiders houſe doth, born down ſometimes by her very waight, and not only by the wind. Hypocrites ruine their own houſes by their ſins, and particularly by relying on them. Though thou build thy palace as high as heaven, ſaid the Oracle to Phocas, yet ſin that lieth at the bottom will be the ruine of it.
He ſhall hold it faſt] Mordicùs tenebit, he ſhall hold it, not with his hands only, but with his teeth alſo, as Cynegiras did the Perſian ſhip, or as a drowning man doth the branch of a tree.
But it ſhall noe endure] All will not do; riches avail not in the day of wrath &c. An hypocrite runs in his trouble to former falſe refuges; he truſted to his legs, or repairs to his buſhes, as the hunted hare doth to the places that ſhe uſed when ſhe lived at quiet, thither ſhe flies when ſhe knows not how elſe to eſcape; but all to no purpoſe.
Verſe 16. He is green before the Sun] Succoſus eſt, ſaith Tremellius, he is ſappy and juicy, having a confluence of all kind of comforts and contentments, even more then heart could wiſh, as David expreſ…th it, Pſalm. 73.7. The hypocrite is all this; the height of whoſe happineſſe is here ſet forth by a third ſimilitude, leſt any ſhould think that the two former did not reach home to the thing intended. Look how, ſaith Bildad, a great and tall tree, having many roots and branches, may be ſo cut up and thrown down, that no foot-ſtep, or ſign of it may any more appear: So may it fare with a wicked man, though he be as a tree green or juiceful before the Sun, or when the Sun ſhineth hotteſt upon him: the ruſh may then wither, but not the tree. See Pſalm 37.35. Any hypocrite may abound exceedingly in outward proſperity; yea he may be green for a while before the Sun of perſecution, as was Alexa…d… the Copperſmith, Acts 19.32. with 2 Tim. 4.14. The thorny ground ſtood out the heat of the Sun-beams, and ſhrank not in the wetting &c.
And his branch ſhooteth forth in his garden] Mr. Broughton tranſlates, His ſuckers ſprout out over his orchyard, that is, he growes luxuriouſly eminent in the place where he liveth, which he hath made to become a kind of a paradiſe, or garden of delight. By garden here we are to underſtand, ſaith Mercer, all thoſe waies and means whereby a wicked man fenceth and increaſeth his own greatneſſe. Some of the Jew-Doctors, and others alſo after them, think that Bildad here beginneth to ſpeak of the godly mans happineſſe; and they read the text thus, But the perfect man (ſo they ſupply the text out of verſe 20.) is green before the Sun, and his branches &c. His roots are wraped near the fountain, and he windeth himſelf about the ſtony building; (that is, it ſpreadeth and twiſteth its boughs round about the fountain-vault, being ſtrongly built with ſtone) ſhall he be taken out of his place, which may deny, ſaying, I have not ſeen thee? No, that cannot be. Lo this ſhall be that joy of his way, even out of his mould ſhall others grow, i. e. his very duſt ſhall live and grow up after him. Thus Beza, and after him Diodate: He is like an exquiſite tree ſet in a pleaſant garden in ſight of his maſters palace, ſucking the ſweet moiſtneſſe of the quick-ſprings, without ever fading or withering, pſalm 1.3. Jer. 17.8. That is to ſay, he ſhall have a lively root of faith, continually nouriſhed by Gods grace; under his ſafe-guard and favour he ſhall be ſtrong in all aſſayes, abundant in good works, and all manner of bleſſings. Ʋterque ſenſus egregius eſt, ſaith Mercer; this alſo is a good ſenſe, but the former I conceive to be the better, and more agreeable to the letter of the text.
Verſe 17. His roots are wrapped about the heap &c.] i. e. they are deeply intrenched, and ſtrongly incorporated into the ground, wreathed in with the heap, as thorns about a hedge. The hypocrite ſeemeth to be notably well rooted, not in the world only, but in the Church too, which we may compare (as Plato doth man, Intricantu….whom he calleth foreign, an heavenly plant) to a tree inverted, with the root above, and the branches below. Our Saviour ſpeaketh of branches in him (ſeemingly ſo) that bear not fruit, John 15.2. Theſe are hypocrites, who think themſelves to be rooted in Chriſt, and others alſo think no leſſe of them, but it proves otherwiſe, for they are fruitleſſe; as a poll fixed in the earth, but not rooted there, as a rotten leg cleaves to the body, but is no part of it; or as wens and ulcers which are taken away without any loſſe to it. How farre an hypocrite may go, ſee the parable of the ſtony and thorny grounds, Matth. 13. See alſo Heb. 6.4, 5. and 16.29 2 Pet. 2.20, 21. He may come as far as Kadeſh-barnea, within eleven dayes journy of the heavenly Canaan, and yet fall ſhort of it: he may ſeem to be ſtedfaſt and unmoveable, as a tree whoſe roots are wrapped about a rock.
He ſeeth the place of ſtones] Mr. Brougthton rendreth it, He platteth about the houſe of ſtone: Others, He looketh into the houſe of ſtone; he looks in at the windowes, and ſo hindreth the light, annoying the maſters houſe both below and above, who therefore reſolves to have him down: as it followeth.
Verſe 18. If he deſtroy him from his place] If he ſtub up this green tree, no better ſurely then the Cyparit, of which Pliny writeth that it beareth fruit to no purpoſe,Plin. lib. 10. ſmall berries, bitter leaves, that it yeilds an ill ſmell, and no pleaſant ſhade: or as the box-tree, green indeed all the year about, but of an offenſive ſmell, no fruit, and ſuch a ſeed as all living creatures hate. Now if he, that is, Almighty God, deſtroy him, that is, the hypocrite, as he will do queſtionleſſe (totally and ſpeedily ſwallowing him up) what then?
Then it ſhall deny him, ſaying, I have not ſeen thee] Heb. It ſhall tell a lie of him &c. the place as aſhamed to own him, ſhall feign and ſay, We have not ſeen him, we know not what is become of him. So Pſalm 37.35, 26. As they have denyed the Lord that bought them, 2 Pet. 2.1. So they ſhall one day be denied by the places they have bought or builded, by the people that once clawed them, and cryed them up.
Verſe 19. Behold, this is the joy of his way] q.d. A goodly joy! ſure the hypocrites joy is but the hypocriſie of joy, a little counterfeit complexion, like a ſlight daſh of rain, a handful of bruſh wood, or ſear thorn under the pot, Eccleſ. 7.6. or as weeds that grow on the top of the water, floating aloft, but touch not the bottome.Ʋt canes ſolent quando peregre adveaienti Domino adulantur. Though it be an exulting joy, (as the word ſignifieth) a leaping joy (ſuch as is that of dogs leaping upon their maſters returning home after a journey) yet it is not laſting; it goes out as ſnuffe, or as a blazing ſtar, or at beſt as the fire of thornes, Pſalm 118.12.Naz. Yea, though for the time it hath been ſo great, that if it had continued but a while, it would have overwhelmed them, ſo that their ſpirits would have expired, as ſome Apoſtates have profeſſed; they have thought themſelves in heaven ſometimes, and have rejoyced accordingly. foreign.
And out of the earth ſhall others grow] Alii qui alieni erunt ab eo. Others who had no relation to him ſhall ſucceed him,Druſ. enjoy his eſtate, and eat the ſweet of all his labours, chap. 27.16, 17. Eccleſ. 2.18. and 4.8. Prov. 12.3. A man ſhall not be eſtabliſhed by wickedneſſe; but the root of the righteous ſhall not be moved. See another ſenſe of this, and the three foregoing verſes, verſe 16.
Verſe 20. Behold God will not caſt away a perfect man] Epilogus ſermonis Bildad: This is the Epilogue or cloſe of Bildads ſpeech to Job; and it hath been the tartneſſe of a threatning mixed with the ſweetneſſe of the promiſe: ſowre and ſweet, we ſay, make the beſt ſawce. The ſtrong God will not uſe, or rather, abuſe his power, to the rejecting or reprobating (as the Septuagint render it) of an upright perſon: but will help him by taking him by the hand, as it followeth in the next clauſe, and taking it ill if others do not ſo too,Mercer. Iſa 51.18. He will never leave them (or if ſometimes he ſeem to leave them, yet) he will not forſake them, Heb. 13.5. forſake them he may, in regard of viſion, but not of union; deſert them for a time (as he did Chriſt himſelf) but not diſ-inherite them. When they be in the land of their enemies (and ſo may ſeem quite caſt away) I will not caſt them away, neither will I abhor them to deſtroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God, Lev. 26.44. Lo this is the portion of a perfect man. As for hypocrites (who are ſemiperfectae virtutis homines, as Philo calleth them, cakes half-baked, Hoſ. 7.8. Chriſtians almoſt, but not altogether, Acts 26.29.) My God will caſt them away, becauſe they did not hearken unto him, Hoſ 9.15.
Neither will he help the evil doers] Heb. He will not lay hold upon the hand, viz. to help them; or he will not take by the hand the evil-doers that make a trade of ſin;Non porriget manum malignis. Vulg. he will have no communion or commerce with ſuch, he will not ſtrike hands, or joyn hands with them, but waſh his hands of them for ever, ſhake them off with a Diſcedite, Depart ye, be packing: ſo ſhould we. See D…vids both practice Pſal. 26.4, 5 and prayer, verſe 9. Gather not my ſoul with ſinners &c. It was once the prayer of a good Gentlewoman, when ſhe was to die, being in much trouble of conſcience, O Lord, let me not go to hell where the wicked are; for, Lord, thou knoweſt I never loved their company here.
Verſe 21. Till he fill thy mouth with laughing &c.] Here he applies the promiſe of the divine help to Job, and that which is here ſpoken, debent & reliqu… fideles ad ſe transferre, ſaith Lavater, every true believer muſt take home to himſelf: God will turn all their ſadneſſe into gladneſſe, all their ſighing into ſinging, all their tears into triumphs, their ſorrowful out-cryes into joyful jubilees. In the tranſgreſſion of an evil man there is a ſnare or a cord, viz. to ſtrangle his joy with, to check and choak all his comforts; but the righteous ſing and rejoyce Prov. 29.6. They may do ſo here amidſt all their troubles, 2 Cor. 7.4. As the Lily looks freſh and beautiful, and blithe, though among thorns: they ſhall do ſo hereafter, when they enter into the joy of their maſter. See Iſa. 65.13. A joy fitter to be believed, then poſſible to be diſcourſed. See a ſhadow of it, Pſalm 126.1, 2.
Verſe 22. They that hate thee ſhall be clothed with ſhame] It ſhall cover their faces, Pſalm 69.7. yea, over-cover the whole man; when beyond all expectation they ſhall ſee thee reſtored to thy former proſperity. Where it is worth conſidering, ſaith one, how truly this fell out touching Job, and theſe his friends; he was reſtored, and they by Gods reproving them, covered with ſhame, as it appeareth chap. 42.
And the dwelling place of the wicked ſhall come to nought] Heb. ſhall not be. See ver 18. Underſtand it not of his tabernacle only, or dwelling-place, but of his whole eſtate, both temporal and ſpiritual, all ſhall come to wrack and ruine. God ſhall utterly overturn them, as Z…ſca did thoſe three hundred Monaſteries, and among the reſt that famous Monaſtery called, the Kings Court, a mile from Prague: in the walls whereof,Mr. Clark in his life. the whole Bible was moſt exquiſitely written in letters of gold. The houſe of the wicked ſhall be overthrown, but the tabernacle of the upright ſhall flouriſh, Prov. 14.11.