Exposition of Job 22-26, Commentary · Chapter 22 · Verse 6
Verſ. 6. For thou haſt taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and ſtripped the naked of their cloathing.
Now begins the ſpeciall charge, or inditement, now he innumerates ſeverall ſinnes; As if he had ſaid; What doeſt thou ſtand looking for matter, or reaſons why thou art thus afflicted, here are the reaſons, I will name them to thee; Thou haſt taken a pledge fram thy brother for nought. Thus Eliphaz powreth upon him, and diſchargeth whole volyes of deadly ſhot, but all at randome, and beſides the marke. Before, he ſpake in the third perſon, he ſpeaks now in the ſecond, thou, thou, thou art the man, thou haſt taken a pledge. Againe, Eliphaz had formerly dealt with Job as an hypocrite; he then granted that he had ſome ſhews of holineſſe, and ſome appearance or counterfeit of goodneſſe at leaſt, now he denieth that; now he pulls off his viſour or maske, and objects againſt him barefaced. Before he charged him with falſeneſſe of heart, while he profeſſed and practiſed Religion; but now he objects ſuch practiſes againſt him, as no man doth who hath but a profeſſion of Religion. He objects thoſe crimes againſt him which are proper to prophane open ſinners, to common oppreſſors, who raiſe themſelves upon the ruins, and inrich themſelves by the ſpoyls of their weaker brethren; Theſe are ſinners not onelyonly againſt the Law of God, but light of nature; theſe are acts not onelyonly of impiety, but of cruelty, inhumanity, and tyranny.
Thou haſt taken a pledge from thy brother for nought.
Job was a Magiſtrate, and this would have aggravated his ſin exceedingly, if it had been true; for any man to oppreſſe another is very wickedneſſe; but for a Magiſtrate who is ſet up to be a protector, a releiver of others, a helper of the freindleſſe, and a Judge of the widdow, for him to carry himſelfe thus, for him to oppreſſe and grind the faces of the poore, is moſt tyrannicall.Tyrannus eſt, qui ita dominatur, ut ad proprium commodum & utilitatem omnia conferat. Ariſt. lib. 4. polit. & 1. Ethic. Thus Ariſtotle defines a Tyrant; He is one that rules ſo as to turne all to his owne private benefit or profit; he that governs ſo, governs for himſelfe; Whereas true government ſeekes and reſpects the good of others. Juſt governours are a generall bleſſing, and their ayme is the common, not their private wealth. Thus Eliphaz renders Job a very tyrant, who when he ſhould be a nurſing-father to his Country, proves a devourer of it, and when he ſhould provide bread for thoſe about him, he takes their bread, yea their blood from them, and gives them a ſtone.
Thou haſt taken a pledge from thy brother for nought.
There are three aggravations of his ſuppoſed ſinne in theſe words.
Firſt, That he tooke a pledge.
Secondly, That he tooke it of a brother.
Thirdly, That he tooke it for nought.
Thou haſt taken a pledge] The Hebrew is no more then this, Thou haſt pledged. In Hebraeo ſimplex eſt verbum foreign quod eſt pignorare aut pignus accipere idem eſt obligare.The word ſignifies alſo to bind, or faſten a thing as with a coard, and the reaſon is, becauſe a pledge given is an obligation, a ty or bond to performe the promiſe made, or pay the debt contracted. A promiſe is an audible bond, but a pledge is a viſible bond. It is no ſinne in it ſelfe to take a pledge, no more then it is a ſinne to buy, ſell, or to ingage a man any other way, to performe a bargaine, or repay a debt. The Law of God publiſhed by Moſes allowed the taking of a pledge, what is it then which Eliphaz chargeth upon Job as ſinfull in taking a pledge? I conceive there are two things which ſhew ſinfulneſs in taking a pledge, and that both are implyed here.
Firſt, He intimates that Job did not waite to receive a pledge at the hand of his brother, but he did as it were ruſh in upon him, and tooke the pledge; for ſo tender was the Lord in reference to the poore of his People, or to thoſe that ſhould be in need to borrow of their brethren, and ſo give a pledge for ſecurity; that he giveth this ſpeciall order (Deut. 34.10.) When thou doſt lend thy brother any thing, thou ſhalt not goe into his houſe to fetch his pledge (it was not unlawful to receive a pledge from his brother, but to goe into his houſe was againſt the Law) but thou ſhalt ſtand abroad, and the man ſhall bring it out to thee. Some conceive that this was the ſinne charged upon Job; Thou haſt taken a pledge from thy brother, thou haſt not according to this expreſſe Law of God tarried for it; and ſuppoſing that Eliphaz and Job lived before the giving of that Law, yet the light of nature teacheth, that we ſhould not preſſe a man, or pull his pledge from him, but that the borrower ſhould goe into his houſe, and bringing his pledge, deliver it up freely with his owne hand into the hand of the lender. It is an affliction to have need to borrow,Ipſa pignoris etymologia, docere hominem videtur pignus non tam propria manu auferendum ab invito & miſero debitore, quam accipiendum non niſi ipſius debitoris manu oblatum: pignus enim appellatum eſt a pugno, quia res quae pignori dantur, manu traduntur. Cajus and therefore the borrower ſhould be ſo tenderly dealt with by the lender as not to adde affliction to him. It is a curteſie to lend to him that is in need, but as ſome in giving, ſo moſt in lending ſpoyle all the curteſie of it; while they lend their money, they ſnatch or gripe at their ſecurity; whereas the old Law ſayd (the equity whereof, though not the formality, remaines to this day) Thou ſhalt not goe into thy brothers houſe to fetch his pledge, but thou ſhalt ſtand abroad and the man ſhall bring it out to thee. Some Critticks tells us that this is ſignified in the Etymologie of the Latine word, which ſignifies a pledge. Namely, that the lender ſhould not take but receive it from the hand of the borrower. It is the duty of borrowers to pay: The wicked borroweth and payeth not againe, (Pſal. 37.21.) The Apoſtles rule to the Godly is; Owe no man any thing but to love one another, (Rom. 13.8.) Now, as it is the duty of the borrower to pay, ſo of the lender to be moderate, and not to exact or impoſe heavily upon him, for the aſſuring of his payments. As he that buyeth ſhould be as if he bought not, ſo he that lends ſhould be (in this reſpect) as if he lent not; He ſhould lend with ſo much mildneſſe and meeknes of ſpirit, as if he gave, rather then lent; or as if (the contrary whereof Solomon found in his experience, Pro. 22.7.) himſelfe the lender, were ſervant to the borrower. Job is charged firſt with fayling in this; As if he had over eagerly preſſed upon his brother for a pledge; Thou haſt taken a pledge from thy brother.
Secondly, The taking a pledge from a brother, may be expounded of withholding a pledge when it is called for, or of the not reſtoring it, when the Covenants are performed. This is not onelyonly to take it, but to take it away; ſuppoſe the pledge hath been given into a mans hand, yet if he will not reſtore it, or give it backe out of his hand when called for, but make excuſes, or delayes, This is to take away the pledge. And thus ſome make out the ſin of the Text; Thou haſt taken a pledge; that is, thou haſt ſwept it quite away, thou haſt refuſed to reſtore the pledge, when that which was borrowed upon it, hath been in due time tendered to be payed or reſtored. The Prophet Ezekiel (Chap. 18.14, 15, 16.) numbers the contrary practices among thoſe Negatives, for which the Lord declares himſelfe much pleaſed with the ſon of a wicked father; A ſon that ſeeth all his fathers ſinnes, that he hath done, and doth not ſuch like; that hath not eaten upon the mountaines, neither hath lift up his eyes to the idolls of the houſe of Iſraell; that hath not defiled his neighbours wife, neither hath oppreſſed any; that hath not withholden the pledge, neyther hath ſpoyled by violence, &c. he ſhall not dye for the iniquitie of his father, he ſhall ſurely live. Here ſinning in the matter of a pledge, is pitcht upon with-holding it, not upon taking it. For though a man have a pledge fayrely delivered up to him, though he doe not ruſh into the borrowers houſe, and there be his owne carver, taking what himſelfe liſteth to ſecure that which he hath lent, yet if he withhold the pledge when it is required, and deſired to be returned upon promiſed ſatisfaction made, this is very ſinfull and oppreſſive. Some when they get a good thing in their hands, they are loth to part with it, and will have a device to prove it forfeited by the borrower, when indeed, 'tis onelyonly coveted by the lender.
Hence note; That violently to take or unjuſtly to detaine the pledge committed to us, is to act the part of the oppreſſor.
That Law which ſaith; Thou ſhalt not ſteale, doth as much forbid the detaining in our hands, as the laying of our hands upon that which is our neighbours. And he that withholds the pledge when the debtor is ready and offers to redeem it, is like him that withholdes the debt when the lender deſires him, and he is able to repay it. Thou haſt taken or withholden a pledge. That's thy ſinne.
Secondly, There is a further aggravation of ſinne in the words reſpecting the perſon from which the pledge was taken; A Brother: Thou haſt taken a pledge from thy brother. This addeth to the ſinne; we ſhould be kinde to all, but eſpecially to a brother. A brother, may be taken either ſtrictly for one next or neere by birth or bloud, a brother by conſanguinity: ſuch are in the moſt proper ſence, our brethren and our owne fleſh. Or the word brother may be taken in a large ſenſe, for any that are neere to us, as being eyther of the ſame profeſſion of Religion with us, or living in the ſame Cit…, ſociety, or under the ſame Government with us. Theſe are our brethren and our owne fleſh too. And ſo the Prophet calleth them even when pinched with hunger and nakedneſs, the more to move the bowels of our compaſſion towards them, (Iſa. 58.7.) When thou ſeeſt the naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thy ſelfe from thy owne fleſh; As richly cloathed as thou art, and as naked as they are, thine owne fleſh they are. When Eliphaz ſaith, Thou haſt taken a pledge from thy brother, he takes in brethren under all diſtinctions. This he adds to highten Jobs ſin; Thou tookeſt a pledge from thy brother.
Hence note; That as it is unjuſt and uncharitable to wrong any man, ſo moſt of all thoſe that are neere to us.
To wrong a brother of any latitude or degree is ſinfull, and ſtill the neerer the brother is, the more ſinfull it is to wrong him: the ſinne which a man commits againſt himſelfe is therefore greateſt of all, becauſe a man is neereſt to himſelfe; ſo in proportion the neerer any one is to us in any relation, the more we ſinne in wronging him. The Apoſtle puts it under that notion; If a brother or a ſiſter be naked, and deſtitute of dayly food, &c. Jam. 2.15. And againe, 1 Joh. 3.17. Whoſoever hath this worlds good, and ſeeth his brother have need and ſhutteth up his bowels of compaſſion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? That is, the love of God doth not at all dwell in him, or at beſt it dwelleth very poorly and undiſcernably in him. To ſee ſtrangers yea enemies deſtitute and not relieve them, is uncharitable; but to ſee a brother or a ſiſter, and chiefly a brother or a ſiſter in ſpirituall relation (for of ſuch I conceive the Apoſtle ſpeakes particularly, in thoſe places, I ſay, to ſee ſuch) deſtitute and not to releive them, this is higheſt uncharitableneſs.
Againe, Some render thus, (not thou haſt taken a pledge from thy brother, but) Thou haſt taken thy brother for a pledge. This ſpeakes yet louder, and is a ſin of a blacker colour then the former; thou haſt not onelyonly taken thy brothers pledge, but himſelfe, his very perſon for ſecurity or for payment. But what is it to take a mans brother for a pledge?In pignus accepiſti fratres tuos. Sept. or how was that done? Theſe …wo things may be in it, either firſt more generally thou haſt impriſoned him. As (Mat. 1….28.) 'tis ſayd of the cruell Creditour that he took his brother, and caſt him into priſon till he ſhould pay the utmoſt farthing: now though all kinde of impriſonment be not ſinfull, not onelyonly as to the law of Nations, but as to the Law of God; yet cruell impriſonment is very ſinfull; Thou haſt taken thy brother for a pledge: Thou haſt not ſpared his perſon when he had not a purſe to pay thee; Thou hast (as it hath been ſayd among us) made dice of his bones. Some would never pay, were it not for feare of a priſon; but to put and detaine a poore man in priſon when he hath nothing to pay, is not onelyonly unchriſtian, but barbarous and inhumane. Or ſecondly (which was uſed in ancient times) Thou haſt taken thy brother for a pledge, that is, thou haſt made him thy ſlave: To be caſt into priſon is a ſlavery, and a man may be made a ſlave, yet not impriſoned. And though it may be a duty (when we have nothing elſe to ſatisfie it with) to worke out a debt, yet it is a very high ſeverity to force a debter to pay with his worke. We reade how the poore widdow came to Eliſha the Prophet, and bemoaned her caſe to him, (2 King. 4.1.) Thy ſervant my husband is dead, and thou knoweſt that thy ſervant did feare the Lord, and the creditour is come to take unto him my two ſonnes to be bondmen; This is to take a brother for a pledge; The Prophet ſeemes to ayme at this while he deſcribes thoſe hypocriticall faſts among the Jewes (Iſa. 58.6.) Is not this the faſt that I have choſen, to looſe the bands of wickedneſſe, to undoe the heavie burdens, and to let the oppreſſed goe free, and that yee breake every yoake; To faſt and not to reforme, is to mocke God rath…r then to humble our ſelves. Here are the true fruits of faſting. And they all run into the poynt in hand, the avoyding and turning from all injurious and vexatious dealings with our Brethren. Firſt, the bands of wickedneſſe, that is, of oppreſſing Laws or pinching Contracts. Secondly, heavie burdens, eyther of ſervices or taxes; From theſe the oppreſſed ſhould be freed, and every yoake impoſed, by theſe or any other way of grievance, broken from off the neckes of our brethren.
There is yet one word more, very conſiderable in the Text, for the hightning of this ſinne.
Thou haſt taken a pledge of thy brother for nought; or without cauſe; This word was opened (Chap. 1.9.) where Satan ſuggeſts againſt Jobs ſincerity, doth Job ſerve God for nought. And againe (Chap. 2.3.) where the Lord aſſerts and vindicates the ſincerity of Job againſt Satans calumniations; Thou movedſt me againſt him to deſtroy him without cauſe; That is, thou hadſt no cauſe to move me ſo againſt him; he is no ſuch mercenary ſervant as thou haſt maliciouſly pretended. Thus here; Thou haſt taken a pledge of thy brother for nought, or without cauſe; that is, without any neceſſary cauſe, there was no reaſon thou ſhouldeſt take a pledge from thy brother when thou tookeſt it; thou mighteſt have truſted him, but thou wouldeſt not any further then thou hadſt full ſecurity put into thy hand, or rather then thou didſt take it into thy hand, whether he would or no. As if he had ſayd; Thou wouldeſt not releive thy brothers poverty, upon the promiſes which God makes to thoſe who charitably releive the poore; thou wouldeſt neyther take Gods word, nor truſt thy brother in any caſe, further then thou didſt ſee him; unleſſe he would put into thy hand, thou wouldeſt not put into his. True charity muſt and will make ſome ventures; Caſt thy bread upon the waters (ſaith Solomon Eccl. 11.1.) A good man is a Merchant and will truſt his bread where he hath no more aſſurance of a ſafe returne, then the Merchant hath of his Ship and Lading from the winds and waters.
Thou haſt taken a pledge of thy brother.
Againe, Without cauſe or for nought, may have this meaning, thou didſt oblidge thy brother to reſtore that which really and indeed he never received from thee; thou didſt put a debt to thy brothers account which he never made by borrowing.Solent divites fingere ſe creditores & alioe debitores. David complaines of ſuch kinde of unkinde uſage (Pſal. 69.4.) They that hate me without cauſe, are moe then the hayres of my head: They that would deſtroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I reſtored that which I tooke not away; That is, which I tooke not away, eyther as borrowed of them, or as ſtolne from them. I was neyther a debter, nor a theife, I had nothing of theirs in my hands, yet I was forced to reſtore. This is the worſt ſort of taking a pledge for nought.
Thirdly, For nought; That is, when there was no reaſon to take ſo great a pledge of thy brother, the thing which thou didſt lend him was but ſome trifle, yet thou wouldeſt have a pledge of thy brother for it; thou wouldeſt have great ſecurity for an inconſiderable debt; that's the courſe of many oppreſſors, by lending a little they will have much to ſecure it. And this is to take a pledge from a brother for nought, there ſhould be ſome equality between the debt and the ſecurity, he that lends a trifle, a ſmall matter, and requires great aſſurance, takes a pledge of his brother for nought. So that all unreaſonable and unequall demands for ſecurity, eyther taking (where charity bids us truſt) from the poore, or taking it (where in juſtice we ſhould not take any thing) when nothing was lent, or when there is no reaſon we ſhould take ſo much; any of theſe harſh and injurious practices, is the taking a pledge of our brother for nought.
Hence obſerve; That the leſſe cauſe we have to doe any evill, the greater is the evill which we doe.
But hath any man a cauſe to doe any evill; he hath not; by cauſe I meane a provocation; there is no cauſe for which we ſhould doe any evill, but there may be many provocations or temptations to doe evill; Peninah provoked Hannah ſore to make her fret (1 Sam. 1.6.) It was not for nought or without cauſe that Moſes his paſſion was ſtirr'd, and that he ſpake unadviſedly with his lips, the murmuring and complainings of that unſteady people provoked his Spirit. (Pſal. 106.33.) Now the leſſe provocation, the greater alwayes is the ſinne; as to ſinne againſt admonition, or againſt any of thoſe meanes that might keepe us from ſinne, makes the ſin greater, ſo when there is no occaſion leading us unto ſinne. This was one reaſon of greatening the ſin of our firſt parents in eating the forbidden fruit; why did they eate? were they ready to ſtarve? were they in any ſtreights? had they not the whole garden before them? did they not eate the forbidden fruit without cauſe, or for nought? Solomon ſaith (Pro. 6.30.) Men doe not deſpiſe a theife, if he ſteale to ſatisfie his ſoule when he is hungry; for though to ſteale for meere hunger doth not take away the ſinfullnes of the fact, yet it doth much abate it; becauſe the man is provoked to doe it for the ſupply of his preſent and preſſing need; But for a rich man (who hath no need) to ſteale, for a man to ſteale who is not hungry, how ſinfull is it! Our greateſt neceſſities cannot wholly excuſe our ſin, but to ſin where there is no neceſſity, doth greatly encreaſe our ſinne. Saul thought he ſhould come off without blame, when he had ſo much to ſay for his raſh ſacrifice (1 Sam. 13.12.) I ſaid the Philiſtines will come downe upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made ſupplication unto the Lord; I forced my ſelfe therefore, and offered a burnt offering. But doth Samuel approve this plea? We have his reſolution in the next verſe; Thou haſt done fooliſhly, thou haſt not kept the Commandement of the Lord thy God. Though Saul found himſelfe under a moral force to doe what he did, yet that did not free him eyther from guilt or puniſhment when he ventured to doe it. David ſmarted for numbring Iſrael, though Satan ſtood up againſt Iſrael, and provoked David to number them (1 Chron. 21.1.) What ſhall we ſay then of thoſe, who doe more then David altogether unprovoked by Satan, who rather tempt themſelves, then are tempted unto evill? As the Good we doe is ſo much the better, ſo the evill we doe is by ſo much the worſe, by how much we doe it the more freely and unconſtrained. Thus Eliphaz aggravates the firſt Inſtance of Jobs ſuppoſed wickedneſs. To take a pledge from a man in the manner expounded, is not onelyonly illiberal, but ſinfull; To take a pledge from a brother in diſtreſſe is more ſinfull, but to take a pledge of a brother for nought, is a degree of ſin, which hath many degrees of ſinfullnes beyond both the former. Eliphaz hath yet but begun Jobs Inditement, this is the firſt Crime objected; A ſecond, and a third, and more are following. Thou haſt taken a pledge of thy brother for nought, And ſtript the naked of their Clothing.
It may be queſtioned; If they were naked, how could they be ſtript of their clothing? he that is naked hath no cloaths to be ſtript of.Nudus nec a centum viris ſpoliatur. 'Tis gon into a Proverb, A naked man cannot be ſtript by a hundred men; hee that hath nothing, can looſe nothing. How then is it ſaid here; Thou haſt ſtript the naked of their cloathing?
I anſwer; The naked, are not here to be taken ſtrictly for ſuch as have no cloaths at all, but for thoſe who have but few cloaths, or for ſuch as are but meanly and thinly clothed; any that are poore and low, any who are in want, may be numbred among the naked. 'Tis frequent, as in Scripture, ſo in Common ſpeech to expreſſe thoſe as beeing quite without that of which they have but little.Quaedam etiāſi vera non ſint propter ſimilitudinem eodem vocabulo comprehenja ſunt; ſic qui male veſtitum & pannoſū videt nudum ſe vidiſſe dicit Sen. l. 5. Ben: cap. 13. Wee ſay of a man that hath but a little knowledge, he is an Ignorant man; and of a man who hath but a little learning, that he is an Illiterate, or an unlearned man. Thus we may ſay of a man that hath but little ſtore of cloaths, little ſtore of the world about him, that he is naked, that he hath nothing. The Apoſtle uſeth this Language (1 Cor. 4.11.) Even to this preſent houre, wee both hunger, and thirſt, and are naked, &c. not that the Apoſtles went about without cloaths, but they were but mean in their Apparrell, poore in their Appearances, and that he calls nakednes. So the Apoſtle James in the ſecond Chapter of that Epiſtle, verſ. 15. If a Brother or a Siſter be naked, &c. Hee doth not mean it onelyonly of ſuch as have never a ragg to cover their nakedneſs, but of ſuch as are ill furniſhed with cloaths. The Lord threatens his owne People (Deut. 28th from the 4th ver. to the 48th) in caſe of their diſobedience, with this affliction; Becauſe thou ſervedſt not the Lord with gladneſs of heart in the abundance of all things, therefore thou ſhalt ſerve thine enemies in hunger, and in thirſt, and in nakednes, &c. That is, thou ſhalt not have thy Wardrobes ſtored and filled with change of rayment, but thou ſhalt feele and be pincht with want and poverty. So here; Thou haſt ſtript the naked of their clothing; That is, thoſe that were ill clothed, thou haſt uncloathed, and in ſtead of releiving their wants, thou haſt encreaſed them.
And thus the words may allude to the taking of a Pledge, about which Eliphaz ſpake before; Thou haſt ſtript the naked of their cloathing; That is, thou haſt taken a pledge from thy neighbour, and ſtript him quite of it. Therefore the Law provided againſt this oppreſſion (Exod. 22.26.) If thou at all take thy neighbours rayment to pledge, thou ſhalt deliver it to him before the Sunne goe downe, for it is his Covering. The breach of which Law is diſcovered and reproved (Amos 2.8.) And they lay themſelves downe upon cloathes layd to pledge; That is, they detained them all night, whereas they ſhould have delivered them before the going downe of the Sunne. And thus their ſin is aggravated in that it is ſayd in the next words, that they did this by every Altar. It was their ſin to make many Altars. And this encreaſed their ſin, that they durſt doe acts of wrong to men, where they pretended to worſhip God.Chaldeus legit lectulos oppigneratos Vel certe pro illo ipſo veſtimento quo & ſe operit interdiu, at que noctu etiam jacons ſe contegit. The like Law is given about the Pledge, Deut. 24.6. No man ſhall take the upper, or the nether milſtone to pledge, for he taketh a mans life to pledge; That is, he takes the thing away without which he cannot live; If his milſtone be taken away from the Mill, how ſhall he grinde his Corne, to make bread, which is the Staff of life? And againe at the 13th verſe of the ſame Chapter, the Law is renewed in reference to rayment; In any caſe thou ſhalt deliver the pledge againe before the Sun goeth downe, that he may ſleepe in his owne Rayment and Bleſs thee, and it ſhall be Righteouſneſs unto thee before the Lord thy God. Thus wee may conceive Eliphaz ſpeaking here, though not eying that expreſs Law, yet from the Common light of nature, which teacheth that the poore and naked ſhould not be ſtript of that little proviſion and ſmall pittance which ſerves onelyonly to protect them from cold and ſtarving.
Further, By theſe words; Thou haſt ſtript the naked of their Cloathing] Wee may underſtand not cloathing onelyonly, but all the neceſſaries of this life, any thing which is of ſuch concernment to our lives as our Cloaths are; for as bread in Scripture is put for all the neceſſaries of this life; So is Cloathing. Eſa. 3.6. When a man ſhall take hold of his Brother, ſaying; Thou haſt Cloathing; Be thou Ruler over us, &c. Thou haſt cloathing, that is, thou haſt goods, thou haſt an Eſtate, thou canſt make proviſion for us; there Cloathing is put for all outward Conveniencies, as in other Scriptures Bread is. So that according to the extent of this interpretation, Thou haſt ſtript the naked of their Cloathing, takes in all ſorts of bodily grievances put upon the poore.
Hence obſerve.
That to oppreſs the poore is the higheſt and greateſt oppreſſion.
It is our duty to Cloath the naked, how great then is their ſin who ſtrip the naked of their cloathing? it is ſinfull & unjuſt violently to take cloaths from him that hath greateſt variety of cloathing, wee may not rob the rich, what is it then to take from them who have not? …oe (as we ſay) to rob the Hoſpitall. Solomon (Prov. 28.3.) tels us of an oppreſſion which is very grievous, and that is the oppreſſion of a poore man, which is true both actively and paſſively, when the poore man is the oppreſſor, 'tis ſo, 'tis ſo alſo when the poore man is the oppreſſed. Solomon intends both, for he makes the poore to be the oppreſſed, and a poore man the oppreſſor. The poore man that oppreſſeth the poore is as a ſweeping raine, which leaveth no food. 'Tis worſe with the poore when the poore oppreſſe them, then when the rich oppreſs them, the rich may oppreſs them much, but they come not ſo neere, as when a poore man oppreſſeth; for as the imbecilitie of the oppreſſed poore man can give him no helpe, ſo the neceſſity of the oppreſſing poore man will ſhew him no mercy. Nothing doth more harden the heart of a man then his owne want, and he hath little feeling of anothers miſery, who is under the feeling of his own: He that hath nothing takes what he can get, and his owne hunger devoureth all. The rich man oppreſſing the poore is a daſhing raine, the great man oppreſſing the poore is a thundering raine, but the poore man oppreſſing the poore is a ſweeping raine. As they who never knew poverty, ſo they who know it moſt, have the leaſt ſtocke of pitie for the poore. Such are a ſweeping raine indeed. There is a refreſhing, a fatning, a filling raine, which the Lord ſends upon the thirſty Earth, this produceth ſtore of food. It raines corne and wine, milke and butter; There is alſo a ſweeping raine that takes away food, and deſtroyes the fruits of the Earth. Such a raine is a poore man oppreſſing the poore. Want is the greateſt ſpoyler.
Secondly, Wee may expound the Text thus; And ſtript the naked of their Cloathing; That is, Thou haſt ſtript them till they are naked; for in Scripture wee finde the denomination to be taken from the End of the action, or that which the action tends to. As to Illuſtrate it a little (Eſa. 47.2.) Take the milſtones, and grinde meale. Now wee doe not grinde meale, but whole Corne to make meale. So (Eſay 44.15.) Hee baketh Bread; Now we doe not bake bread, but dough, that it may come to be bread, when it is bread once it needs no more bakeing. So (Dan. 2.21.) He giveth wiſdome to the wiſe; that is, he giveth wiſdome to thoſe who before were rude, and ſo makes them wiſe. Thus here, the denomination of the act is given from that to which the act hath a tendency, Thou haſt ſtript the naked, not that they who are naked indeed can be ſtript, but thou haſt ſtript them, & ſo made them naked. This very phraſe is uſed (Hoſ. 2.3.) Leſt I ſtrip thee naked, ſaith the Lord to the Church, that is, leſt in ſtripping thee I leave thee naked, leſt I take away all the good things with which thou art Encompaſſed. So here, Thou haſt ſtript the naked of their Cloathing; That is, thou haſt ſtript them till thou haſt made them naked.
From this learne; That there is ſuch a Principle of unnaturalneſſe in the nature of man, as to take away all, and leave nothing.
Wee finde more then Cloaths taken away by ſome, they goe cloſer then to the cloathing (as the Lord complaines, Mic. 3.3.) Who eate the fleſh of a People, and flay their skin from off their backs; There's oppreſſion and cruelty in blackeſt colours, they will not leave them ſo much as their skin upon their backes. Skin is naturall Cloathing, as Garments are Artificiall Cloathing. Theſe tooke away not onelyonly the cloathing which art, but that which nature had provided and put upon them, they flayed their skin from off their backes. Yet we are not to conceive that they were ſo cruel to pull off their skin, but becauſe they would have all to their very skin, therefore they are ſayd to take skin and all. They who are ſo unmercifull, that they will not leave a ragge to cover the skin, are juſtly charged with that unmercifullneſs, which will not leave ſo much as their skin to cover their fleſh, yea, (as it followes in the ſame place) that they would gnaw their bones, they will have all, Cloaths, skin and bones, from another, rather then not have enough for themſelves. Cruelty joyned with Covetouſneſſe, knows no bounds.
Eliphaz having thus ſhewed ſome of thoſe particular evills, which he ſuppoſed Job had done, proceeds to ſhew what Good he had not don. Sins of omiſſion render a man as foule and vile, as ſins of commiſſion doe. He that doth not the good which he ought and can, doth evill.