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A45240
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An exposition of the book of Job being the sum of CCCXVI lectures, preached in the city of Edenburgh / by George Hutcheson ...
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Hutcheson, George, 1615-1674.
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1669
(1669)
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Wing H3825; ESTC R20540
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1,364,734
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644
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yet it appears from her expressions that the thing it self was then known by the light of Nâ—ture or by immediate Revelation 9. We may also from her speech take notice of some of the wicked suggestions of Satan and our corrupt flesh in an hour of tryal As 1. When mens hearts do rise in pride against Gods dealing and do under-value Piety because of afflâ—ction and want of ease Doest thou still retain thine Integrity saâ—th she when thou art thus afflâ—cted See Mal. 3.13 14. 2. When men have such a prejudice against afflictions and tryals that they scruple at no sin which may seem to promise ease of a present trouble Curse God and die saith she and so thou wilt get out of this toil and vexation 3. When men are so earnest to avoid a present trouble as they do not consider that they may be running upon a greater afflâ—ction Curse God saith she and die that so thou may see an end of thy pain little considering that death is not the end of all trouble to all men and especially to those who enter in at the gates of death voluntarily blaspheming and cursing God as she adviseth him to do Vers 10. But he said unto her Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speakâ—th what shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil In all this did not Job sin with his lips Followeth Jobs answer unto and refutation of this suggestion Albeit he had hitherto kept silence yet he cannot let this suggestion pass without a reply And though no doubt he was a tender husband who behaved himself so conscientiously even toward servants Chap. 31.13 14.15 Yet in this case the zeal of God prompts him to make a sharp return to her motion And 1. He points out how unbecoming it was that such a motion should flow from her It might possibly have been expected that one of the foolish women Nabalesses so the word is in the Original or Pagans about them should have spoken so in a day of tryal But it did not beseem one so instructed and who enjoyed so many means of knowledge as she did to be so badly principled 2. He points out the absurdity of her counsel in it self That they who have received good things from the Lord Should not be content to submit to evil things or afflictions when God seeth it meet to exercise them therewith But that whenever the tyde begins to turn they should be weary of Piety and turn blasphemers For clearing whereof consider 1. That question What or also and his propounding of the Refutation by way of Interrogation doth insinuate both the vehemence of Jobs zeal and the clear evidence of the truth propoâ—nded that it may extort a confession from those who are most prejudged if they will but consider it 2. What he speaks of receiving good and evil is not to be understood of the simple act of receiving For in that the Lord doth not sâ—â—k oâ—t confâ—ne but fâ—nds good or evil as it pleaseth him and makes them our lot But he speaks of the manneâ— of receâ—ving that as we receive and entertain good things cheerfully and contentedly so it is our duty to receive evil things submissively and patiently Doct. 1. As zeal for God is seemly and becometh Saints so tentations and suggestâ—ons should be roughly entertained and not dallyed with from whomsoever they come Foâ— Job doth entertain this motion from his wife with much zeal and indignation See Matth 16.22 23. So also ought rising suggestions in our own bosoms be entertained 2. As sin is odious and hateful in any so it is moâ—e abominable in some thâ—n others And when sin is looked upon not only in its own nature but as committed by such persons who have lived under many means and had many engagâ—ments to holy walking put upon them â—t will exceedingly heighten the sinfulness thereof For so doth Job aggravate the sin of his wife Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh 3. To renounce God and Piety under trouble or because of it is an act of the highest folly and rather beseeming Pagans then Professors of the true Religion who will find it their advantage to cleave to God in trouble and that to do otherwise were to lose more then trouble can otherwise take from them and to deprive themselves of a soveraign antidote against the venom of afflictions For in the counsel she gave Job reckons that she speaks as one of the foolish women 4 It is not enough that we reprove faults in others unless we take pains also to inform them and to root out the prejudices and corrupt principles which mislead them Theâ—efore Job after the reproof subjoyns an information What or also as the word will read adding this to the former reproof Shall we receive good c 5. When men do rightly consider their own case they will find that an hour of tentation doth so bemist them and over-cloud their judgments that they want the use of their very common Principles Therefore doth Job put home this Refutation with Questions as being so clear that her Light and Conscience could not decline it if she would advert 6. It is a very great fault in men to arrogate to themselves to be their own carvers and that they will endure no lot but what pleaseth them For we are but receivers not prescribers 7. Seeing all the good we enjoy comes by the gift of God there is no reason we should murmur if he dispose of his own as he will and take back his gift at his pleasure For We receive good at the hand of God and therefore should acquiesce in his disposing thereof at his pleasure 8. It is a very great fault to limit God constantly to one way of dealing with his people and that we cannot endure to submit to changes For Job insinuates that we must resolve both for good and evil in the service of our Generation 9. It is also a fault that men enjoying a long time of prosperity should so settle themselves in case that they cannot endure a new assault of trouble seeing these vicissitudes in our condition are necessary for us and Gods sparing of us long may very well perswade us to endure tryals in their season For Shall we receive good and shall we not receive evil 10. It is yet a further degree of miscarriage when men have received so many proofs of love from God and yet when the same hand le ts out a needful trouble they are ready to question and doubt of this love and so quarrel him For if we have received good we ought without mistaking receive evil when it is made our lot For as evil coming to us out of the hand of God changeth its nature and becometh good so it becometh them who have tasted much of Gods bounty and love not to mistake every change of dealing In a word Jobs arguing doth teach That no man doth rightly improve prosperity
the Ancients true observation of the lot of some wicked men as if it were universally true of all wicked men even in the extremity here recorded For many of the wicked may live in great case as experience verifies and Job often asserts See Chap. 21.13 and frequently 2. In that he reflects upon and misconstructs the exercise of Job's Spirit and Conscience as if it were like unto the wiâ—â—â— lot when yet the difference is very great and wide For though he was under sad tentations and much vexed in spirit yet he still drew near to God and clave to him which wicked men do not This being his great mistake in this matter doth Teach That not only natural men but even such as are truly godly may through want of experience mistake the exercise of mind and the vexations which assault others and may judge of them as unlike the lot of Saints Thus David complains that he was a fear to his acquaintance Psal 31.11 Hence it followeth 1. That men ought wisely to consider the case of the afflicted and poor that they add not to their afflictions by their misconstructions 2. That godly men being exercised in spirit should be armed against such hard measures from their friends not expecting still to be dandled nor stumbling at it when some of their friends who should comfort them do pass by and others do pour Vinegar into their sores and add to their sorrow 3. That since other godly men may mistake such exercises they who are under them should guard lest themselves also stumble at them and for that end should study how useful and necessary they are Having premitted those Generals I shall â—ow explain the parts of this misery as it is branched out in the several verses and draw some general Observations accordâ—ng to those former Rules and Cautions without insisting any more upon Eliphaz his mistakes and reflections in them And first in this verse it is declared that the wicked man hath a miserable life of it being like a woman in travail as the word signifieth throughout his time and that not only through Gods making it to be so with him by afflictions but as the form of the word beaâ—s He makes himself to travel with pain through discontent and anxiety As for that which followeth in the end of the verse Some read it only as an Explication or other expression of all his days thus The wicked man travelleth all his days even the number of years which is â—id or determined by God to the oppressour or wicked man But leaving this and other readings not so apposite as our Translation it contains an Explication and Instance of the wicked mans vexation Wherein 1. Having more generally designed the person he speaks of that he is a wicked man he more particularly restricts what he is to say to the oppressour That so he may reflect upon Job whom he supposeth to have been guilty of that sin when he was in eminency and power 2. He instanceth this as a cause of the oppressours vexation and pain that the number of years is hidden to him Whereby we may understand either That it breeds him great vexation that the time of his death is kept hid by God so that he knows not when it shall arrest him the consideration whereof maâ—â—s all his present mirth or That his vexations are so bitter to him and his mind is so little at ease that he never desires to think on death but hides from himself all thoughts of that subject Both those come to one purpose and may agree in one as shall be marked in the Doctrines From this verse thus explained Learn 1. Whatever wicked men promise to themselves in their way yet if they considered matters well they will find they have but a miserable Dogs-life of it For so much may be gathered in general from this that the wicked man travelleth with pain and from the rest of the Text. Not only doth God make the life of some of them to be visibly miserable but even all of them bear some prints of the truth of this in some measure The best of it is but a drudgery in serving sin and lusts and many times it is seen they do but weary themselves Isai 57.10 Jer. 9.5 Ezek. 24.12 and pierce themselves thorow with many sorrows 1 Tim. 6.10 This may keep us from complaining of Gods service seeing Satan is a most cruel Task-master 2. It adds to the misery of wicked men that their vexations are endless That he travelleth with pain all his days not as women who travel but some days Albeit they have intermissions of visible troubles yet their anxieties and drudgeries continue and whatever they get yet they are far from that sweet issue of trouble which is promised to the godly Psal 30.5 This may warn all to beware of provoking God to imbitter all their moment of time And it teacheth Saints to bless God for any real vicâ—ssitude or change to the better which they find in their condition 3. It adds also to the misery of the wicked that God gives them up to be their own tormenters That he makes himself to travel with pain as the word in the Original bears His own â—theism diffidence love of this present life and the things thereof his fears about them his envy that others speed better than himself c. le ts him never be at quiet And albeit the spirits of godly men may make them very sad exercise which thâ—y should guard against and so this will not always prove a man wicked that he breeds himself vexations yet the point should teach all to try what is real and done by God in their vexations and what is only apprehended and made a vexation by themselves And when men find that they do thus vex themselves they ought to search into the grounds and causes of it whither Idols or unbelief and avoid them lest the increase of their vexations be a just punishment thereof 4. To be an oppressour is a particular evidence of a wicked man whatever he pretend unto otherwise as he may pretend to Piety and an acknowledgment of God Zech. 11.5 There he instanceth that General Assertion concerning a wicked man in the person of an oppressour intending but unjustly to reflect upon Job 5. Albeit Oppressours seem to be the men who should have most quiet since they heap together so many outward delights and think to secure themselves in the enjoyment thereof by the bearing down of others Yet in Gods judgment they are oft times plagued with greatest vexations and sorrows For they in particular are the wicked who travel in pain and of whom the following particulars in this and the rest of the verses are verified And albeit the point hold not fully true in the sense of Eliphaz yet they have their own vexations in purchasing and in keeping their purchase whâ—rewith they dare not trust God And sometimes their Consciences also do vex them Which should keep