nourtured and which usually are more pitifully and respectfully disposed have yet despisingly behaved themselves toward me and if I doe but shew my selfe so sooneas ever they see mee in what case I am they speake against me and passe their opinion upon mee as they have heard others doe 19. There is not any one for mee all my most inwardest and bosome-friends have mee in detestation because of my affliction and their ill opinion of mee for it and they whom I most entirely loved requite me with injury and opposition 20. I am so pined away that my bones and skin are met and grow together as once did my flesh and they having now no flesh left to part them But indeed to speake properly I have nothing that I can call skin about mee being all over of a scab saving my gums which only have escaped this contagion 21. O consider my misery and be not so hard-hearted toward me but be intreated of mee to shew me some compassion you that I have ever taken for my friends which is your duty to doe and the thing which God expecteth from you now that he afflicts me 22. Why doe you take upon you to afflict mee because God doth so have you the like authority or so masterfully to censure and judge me for an hypocrite which is proper onely to God who searcheth the heart both to know and punish is it not enough for you to see my body thus tormented but you will heape more extremity upon mee labouring to oppresse my spirit also 23. O that what I am about to speake were eternized to all posterity in the usuall way of writing and printing 24. Or rather in some more legible and permanent way as by graving them with capitall letters in some durable stone for the vindicating of my sincerity to after ages and for the learning and encouraging of all upright hearted men against afflictions and oppositions 25. For this with a good conscience I dare and can affirme which no hypocrite can say after me That upon good proofes and infallible evidences I assuredly know That howsoever I seeme and am judged by you here a cast-away and reprobate man I truely and faithfully rest upon the promise and that my soule is safe by the mercy of God in him whom hee hath appointed to redeeme it who shall one day live and triumph over all his sufferings and so shall I over mine by and with him I meane no phantasticall Saviour such as vaine men through selfe-love take up and make to themselves but him whom I know full well is and must be as well a Judge as a Saviour and therefore it booteth me little to dissemble who it rejoyceth my heart to thinke shall one day judge the world in righteousnesse and then shall mine innocency appeare 26. And though not only my skin but this whole body be utterly consumed eaten to death of wormes both skin flesh and bones yet for my Saviours sake who shall rise from death and live in despite of it my flesh so consumed shall be framed a new into such a body and raised againe to such a life as wherein I shall see God completely face to face 27. I meane I shall not see him as the wicked shall at the last day to be anothers God and none of theirs but that I shall so see him as that I shall enjoy him for my God Father and Saviour I say mine owne eyes shall see him and rejoyce in him for mine own God and not anothers though now hee be pleased thus extremely to afflict mee both within and without 28. One would thinke this faithfull confession profession of my faith in the purenesse of my conscience should make you better bethinke your selves then thus to persecute mee with false and injurious occasions seeing that however you may condemne me for a sinner which I confesse to God and all the world yet there is apparantly in mee that which may and doth interest me in Gods saving and speciall favour notwithstanding both my sins and his afflictions to wit a faithfull uprightnesse which you ought to cherish and not to oppose and suppresse 29. And looke well to it be yee afraid to goe on in this way lest God unsheath his sword against you for it for if you persevere in your persecuting injustice and uncharitablenesse til his wrath be kindled against you punishment will befall you that so you may learne to feare to doe wrong and know there is a just revenger thereof and that judgement belongs thereto CHAP. XX. 1. ZOphar the Naamathite longing till his time came to reply upon Job being full of aggravated displeasure thus at last also venteth himselfe upon him 2. Saith he I am even in travell till I answer thee I must needs breake in upon thee however thou maist take it and that for this reason 3. Because thou hast reproachfully taunted that truth which I and my companions thy friends have suggested to thee for thy good In so much as being well assured of that I have said to be no other than a certaine and knowne truth to wit that God will punish the wicked and that it shall goe ill with them and not with the righteous thy disdainfull contradicting it hath so whetted my spirit that I can no longer containe my selfe but must needs out of a right under-standing and certaine knowledge of it urge this truth yet more home upon thee 4. How can it be that thou shouldest be ignorant of this or how darest thou deny it which God hath made apparant in all ages since the beginning of the world and which hath beene ever received and taught for an infallible truth 5. Even this that God suffers not a wicked man long to enjoy his earthly happinesse and worldly triumph but makes it of short continuance and that the joy which an hypocrite taketh in his prosperity shall not long last but shall speedily end in endlesse sorrow 6. Though hee over-top all men and be never so high in the repute of the world 7. Yet hee shall have such a fall as he shall never rise againe yea the time shall come that God will make him as loathsome and detestable to himselfe and others as his owne excrements were wont to be yea even those very men that have seene and admired his condition shall ere long as much wonder at his downefall 8. A man you know is no sooner awaken but his delightfull dreame is forgotten just so on a sudden when God awakes in judgement upon him shall all his former honour and happinesse be quite lost and taken from him not any of it remaining yea like as when a man awaketh all the imaginary visions of his fancy vanish so shall all his temporall felicity by the sight and feeling of the anger and displeasure of God against him 9. Those which are able to say they can
patience to heare me and when I have done say you your pleasure 4. I see it is in vaine to make my mone to man if I looke for help there the Lord knowes I am in a piteous case for I find no comfort from him 5. I beseech you consider what I say that you may reforme your error and together with mee may with amazement admire the waies of God which are wonderfull and give over thus presumptuously to give boundaries to him in his administration towards men 6. And well may I bid you wonder and be astonished hereat for for mine owne part when I call to minde and consider Gods wonderfull proceedings toward my selfe what I was and what I am they astonish me with most formidable amazement nor am I able to plum their depth 7. And I pray you if it be as you say That God only layeth his heavie hand upon the wicked and that they escape not wrath punishment how then comes it to passe which you cannot deny but are eye-witnesses of that the wicked live in health and hearts-ease till they be as old as the oldest and equall if not exceed whomsoever in power 8. Their posterity doe as well as heart can wish and they live to see them thrive like themselves and to joy in their present prosperity and undoubted hopes of future happinesse 9. There is no such feare befalls them as you speake of but they live secure and free both from the feare and feeling of punishment God afflicts them not one jot 10. But contrarily all things hit and nothing misseth to make them happy and rich they have profit and pleasure at will for their bull gendereth and faileth lesse than other mens and their Cowes calve and miscarry seldome or never 11. None are more happy in the multitude of children than they nor no mens children lead merrier lives than theirs dancing and joviallizing 12. At the sound of all the choisest instruments of musique which wit can invent or money can buy wherewith they take their fill of pleasure and sport 13. And they live all their life long in this manner never tasting sorrow and moreover when their time comes to die they have as easie deaths as one would wish without any sore or lingring paines and diseases they depart in a trice 14. Thus they live and thus they die yea not with standing that they are so far from being lesse wicked for this their prosperous condition as that it makes them the more sinfull and presumptuous against God even in effect to dare to say for their lives shew as much we care not for thee nor have no need of thee thy waies are not our waies and therefore keepe them to thy selfe for wee will yeeld neither subjection nor obedience to thee nor them 15. We are able to stand upon our owne legs and wee are free for to doe our owne wills why should wee then abridge our selves and become slaves to one whose power wee respect not nor can it doe us any hurt be it never so great and to whom wee scorne to be beholden for any thing who need nothing 16. Lo now how unagreeable this is to what you say that God ever despoiles them of all they have and leaves them naked and yet how ever this my necessitous estate differs from that of theirs so commended by you yet say you what you will I am not for all that in love with their prosperous condition much good do it them far be it from me to wish their happinesse in their way and upon their termes for I have never trod their paths 17. You cannot deny but that experience proves this true which I have said that many wicked men doe thus passe unpunished and prosper nor againe on the other hand doe I deny but that too the glory of the wicked is oft eclipsed and destruction oft overtakes them yea I acknowledge it to be true that God doth distribute and send afflicting plagues and punishments in his just displeasure upon them many times 18. God I know does bring them and theirs to ruine and destruction and disperseth their ill gotten goods up and downe into a thousand mens hands 19. And maketh their children divers times feele the smart of their fathers sins yea hee makes the wicked man live to see and know the reward of his owne evill waies 20. He himselfe is made the spectator of his owne ruine and to drinke deepe of the cup of the Lords anger 21. So that the pleasure hee tooke in the hope hee conceived of making his house famous and honourable after him shall quite vanish by sudden destruction or death happening in his prime 22. Will you dare then thus to teach God what he should doe will you set bounds to his actions and measure his judgements by your rule seeing they are so farre beyond us and his waies past our finding out and seeing he is Judge of the Angells who are so farre above us in all manner of excellencies the wisdome of whose waies even they notwithstanding are ignorant of 23. Must you not needs confesse an unsearchablenesse in Gods waies such as is without the compasse of any mans reach when as he pleaseth to doe such wonderfull contradictory things in mans reason and to shew himselfe so free an agent in the things aforesaid as also in these that follow sparing whom hee pleasâ—th and likewise afflicting whom and for what time and in what measure himselfe liketh as we continually see and behold for instance Doth he not summon one a way by death even then when hee is most likely to live and when he least lookes for it or desires it 24. When there is not the least decay in him to cause it but that nature is every way perfect and complete 25. And doth not another man we know no reason why lie and die under wofull pressures of minde and body never enjoying good houre in all his life 26. Thus does God doe his pleasure upon men and variously dispence his providence to them here and yet however hee seeme to favour or disfavour them which is also strange death concludes them and the grave receives them all alike and there they fare alike the wormes devouring one as well as another 27. Alas I easily perceive you imply and meane mee to be the wicked man that God hath done executed all these things upon for my supposed wickednesse wherein I speake it knowingly you are utterly mistaken for I am no such man and you doe me exceding much wrong to thinke so of me whilest ignorantly you judge me by the event and Gods afflicting hand upon mee 28. The whilest you say in derision where is this mans princely pompe that but even now was so splendidous What is become of all the glory that hee in the pride of his heart had thought to have
very point of death ready to breath out his soule and his life in continuall jeopardy by his deadly plagues 23. Now when God hath brought him to this passe and he still continues blind and none of all this will make him perceive his errour and Gods intention if then besides this God so order the matter as that in his gracious providence he further provide for his instruction and send as a speciall messenger as hee does mee to thee a man faithfull and able which is a singular gift of God and very rare to bring him to a sight of his sinne and to set him upright in the sight of God by repentance 24. This soone altereth the case for hereupon God is presently appeased toward him and graciously accepts him comfortably cheering his heart with an assured freedome from death and hell his sinne upon his repentance being done away in the sight of God by the blood of his Son which he sees accepted in his behalfe 25. And then as before through anguish of his spirit his body was consumed so now through the abundant consolation thereof he grows revived and becomes as fat and faire-liking as ever he was in his life 26. And whereas before all his complainings and out-cries stood him in no stead now he shall humbly put up his suit to God for favour and shall finde it and whereas if hee did but thinke of God he was troubled now being justified from his sinne he shall have abundance of joy and peace in his soule toward God 27. For God longs to be gracious to mee and waites that hee may be so looking when a man will see his sinne and confesse it how that he hath gone out of the way and justly suffers by it 28. Such a man shall soone have his pardon sealed his feare banished and his soule comforted so that for afterwards he shall lead a happy life 29. Lo I have told thee what varieties of waies and diversity of meanes God is oftentimes faine to use toward such a man as he meanes well to 30. Aiming onely at his good that his sin unrepented of be not his death and destruction but that in the sight and feeling of Gods grace and favour towards him hee may lead a comfortable and happy life 31. Iob I pray thee consider well what I say as that which neerely concernes thy good let mee yet further have thine attention without interruption for I have more to speake 32. Not that I desire to stop thy mouth if thou questionest any thing that I have said and hast any just exception against it in thine owne defence if thou hast speake freely for I desire not to condemne thee in any thing wherein thou art justifiable only thy pride I tax which is apparant 33. But if so be thou canst take no just exception then doe not needlessely interrupt me but let me goe on and I make no question but before I have done I shall make thee understand thine errour and Gods just dealing and shall shew thee the way to finde mercy CHAP. XXXIV 1. WHereupon Elihu goes on further to question Iob of and to give answer to the words he spake against God and appealing to his friends touching them hee said 2. I pray you listen well to what I say and according to your wisdomes judge of it give eare to what I speake and let your understandings censure if it be not right 3. For a judicious and considerate eare can as aptly judge of things that are spoken as the palate of a man can naturally distinguish and relish meats that are eaten 4. Let us not plead against Iob by ungrounded conjectures but let us state the controversie against him so as it is that it may hold water let us goe knowingly to worke according to apparant truth which is the likely way to prevaile with him 5. For Jobs miscarriage of himselfe is evident and how presumptuously he hath justified himselfe and accused God is knowne to us all saying I am righteous and God doth not doe me right accordingly but dealeth too rigorously with mee 6. I should lie and wrong my selfe if I should not justifie my righteousnesse and maintaine it that this my so grievous affliction is without just cause 7. Did we ever heare the like or was there ever any man that durst in this manner as he hath done so mightily upbraid and reproach God as if hee thirsted to despite him in the way of revenge 8. Who hath so farre forgot himselfe as that his carriage under his afflictions is equall and makes him like to those that never had knowledge of God but have ever lived in sinne and prophanenesse yea hee walks just in their steps and doth as the wicked do when God afflicts them 9. Uttering impatient presumptuous speeches for upon the matter he hath said That a man is never the better for loving God and walking with him the whilest hee justifies his owne righteousnesse and taxeth God of cruelty 10. Therefore hearken to what I plead against him and in your wisedoms judge if he be not to be blamed for it for is it not a monstrous thing to fasten injustice upon God and to dare to lay iniquity to the charge of the Almighty which is so utterly contrary to his nature and can by no meanes belong to him but to us 11. For it is both his covenant and custome to render to men according to their works and to judge them according to their waies 12. Which he is well able to make appeare whatsoever we thinke to the contrary for there is nothing more certaine and sure than that God will not doe wickedly neither will the Almighty who is Judge of all the earth deale unjustly 13. Who hath put him in office or charged him with the supervisourship of the earth that he should be questioned by him and account to him or who but himselfe thinke we is fit to dispose of the world and all things in it in wisdome and justice 14. If God set his heart against man and resolve ether in his absolute soveraignty or for punishment of his sinne to unmake him againe by taking from him that which at first hee gave him to live and subsist by that is his soule and spirit 15. Then of necessity man-kinde must all at once perish and be annihilated or turned into the matter hee made him of that is to dust and this may he most justly doe 16. Now then Job if thou hast understanding as I know thou hast consider with thy selfe how justly he may doe thus by thee who art but one seeing that of his good pleasure onely it is that all subsist And now yet further hearken to what I shall say for thy confuting 17. Shall he whom thou wouldest make to delight in doing wrong be fit to governe and