Exposition of Job 22-26

This (as a learned interpreter gives his opinion of it) is a hard Text, and there are various renderings of it. I shall touch upon them, and then draw out that which may be suitable for observation.

First, The whole verse may (as some conceive) be rather read thus; Why are not times hidden from the Almighty, seeing they that know him do not see his days? The meaning of which translation is this; it might make a man that is not well instructed in the ways and providences of God, to think that God takes no notice of the times that pass, nor of the things done here below, seeing the best of his servants could never yet make it out, that he punisheth ungodly men according to their deeds in this world. Surely then we may say, That times are hidden from God, for were it not so, godly men could not but see his days, his judgment-days upon the wicked, and things would not be in such confusion, and disorder as they are. So that Job either shows what men do ordinarily conclude from God's indulgence and patience towards the wicked, and his seeming slackness and slowness in avenging the wrongs of his own people, even that as God is in heaven, so thick clouds are a covering to him there, and that he seeth not what is acted on the earth. As if either the Lord's eye did not reach this inferior world, or that he would not trouble himself about it. Surely times are hidden from the Almighty, or

Secondly, that Job speaks his own passions, and temptations about this point; As if he had said, I am tempted to think that times are hidden from the Almighty, because he doth not send present relief to his people, nor present wrath upon his enemies. Such temptations are discovered in other Scriptures, ( Psal. 73.2.) My feet (saith David) had almost slipped when I saw the prosperity of the wicked, when the wicked and unholy were not punished presently according to Justice, he was urged and tempted to think that God did not regard justice, nor declare himself in his holiness as he ought. And though the Prophet Jeremiah durst not question the righteousness of God, yet he knew not (in this case) how to give an account of it, as hath been noted heretofore from his questionings ( Jer. 12.1, 2.) Why doth the way of the wicked prosper? &c. And with this the following parts of the Chapter seem to carry a fair correspondence, wherein he enumerates many gross practices & impieties of wicked men, notwithstanding which they pass out of this world in worldly peace.

Thirdly, One of the ancient Rabbins reads the words as a wish, or a desire, Why are not times hidden from the Almighty? As if he had said, I could wish they were hidden from the Almighty, and I could bear it better if God did take no notice of times, then that taking notice of them, he should not set them in order, and redress what is amiss; but I pass that.

Fourthly, The Latin translation is positive, and direct; Times are not hidden from the Almighty, yet they that know him are ignorant of his days; and the reason why they leave out the interrogation is given thus; because they thought there was a kind of impiety, yea blasphemy in it to say or query, Why are not times hidden from the Almighty? As if Job must in saying so either affirm that times were indeed hidden from the Almighty, or that he wished they were. Therefore to avoid that inconveniency they turn it into a direct negative proposition; Times are not hidden from the Almighty. And many of the Jewish Writers stumbling at the same stone, have judged Job as denying the providence of God, or his care of times, and seasons here below; but (upon divers occasions) Job hath been vindicated concerning this point, therefore I shall not stay upon it.

A fifth translation gives it thus; If times are not hid, by the Almighty, how comes it to pass that they that know him do not see his days? as if he had said, were it not for this, or were it not thus, that God doth hide times, or that times are hidden by God, that is, that God's providences are carried in secret, and run a great while (as some rivers do) as it were under-ground, it could not be, but that they that know him, that is, wise and holy men (as we shall see afterward) should see the effects, and issues of those judgments. The judgments of God (saith Job ) are delayed in their execution or executed in so secret a way, that they are mostly and to the most of men undiscerned. Wherein he fully opposeth what Eliphaz said ( Chap. 20.16.) They are cut down out of time; that is, they are presently cut down, no, says Job, God hideth their times, that is, he puts stops and delays upon the times of his revenge; or as he speaks ( Chap. 21.19.) He layeth up wrath for his children, but themselves are not presently cut down.

Sixthly, Thus; Why are not, or why should not times be hidden by the Almighty? so M ^r Broughton. As if he had said, What reason can be given of this, why times are not hidden by the Almighty? or why should it not be thought right, and just, that times should be hidden by the Almighty? who can question God if he will hide times and judgments, or who shall say, it is unequal? The Hebrew particle (Min) signifies as well by as from, we say, why seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty; they say, why should not times be hidden by the Almighty? This rendering bears a clear and a profitable sense, and therefore I shall give this observation from it.

The providences of God and their seasons are not carried plain to every man's eye; and why should not times be thus hidden by the Almighty? God doth not hide that time from us wherein we ought to do our work (he showeth us plainly not only what we ought to do, but when we ought to do it, to every work there is an appointed time, and the present time, is our time for most works, yea for all those works which have a proper tendency to eternity) but though God doth not hide the times from us wherein we should do our work, yet he doth often hide the time from us wherein he will do his own work, and why should he not? he hides the time wherein he will punish the wicked, and break the power of his enemies, and he hides the time wherein he will revive his own people, and deliver the afflicted. There are sometimes which God keepeth, and will keep in his own power; as Christ told the Disciples ( Act. 1.6, 7.) when they asked him, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom unto Israel? It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which God hath put in his own power. That is, which he hath not put forth or discovered to the sons of men. All times are in God's power, but those which he reserves from men, and keeps under lock and key, these he hath more especially put in his power. God will not let those times appear to men, wherein himself is purposed to appear. The time of those works of God are wrapped up in greatest darkness when they shall be done, which being done shine forth with greatest light and; God will have it so.

First, To reprove and stop the curiosity of man; There is nothing more natural to man then a desire to know both what shall be hereafter, and when that hereafter shall be: we are very negligent, and careless in seeking out the season of that which we ourselves should do, but over-careful and curious in seeking out the season of what God will do. Man is given to vain curiosity, and he is in nothing more vainly curious, then in an itch to know the times which God hath hidden from him. Most men are great questionists, and their questions mostly are about times, and seasons, when shall this, and that be? The Disciples of Christ discovered this spirit more then once; When Christ had told his Disciples that of those Goodly buildings to which they admiringly pointed him, There should not be one stone left upon another, that should not be cast down (Math: 24.2.) They a while after came unto him privately, saying, tell us, when shall these things be, and shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? It did not satisfy them that Christ had told them such should be, unless he also tell them the time and season when they should be. The Apostle found this humor stirring much in the Church of the Thessalonians, for having spoken of the resurrection of the body, and that then the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Arch-Angel, and with the trump of God (1 Thos. 4.15, 16.) He, to prevent their inquisitivenes about the time when this should be, begins the fifth Chapter thus; But of the times and seasons brethren▪ ye have no need that I write unto you. Which implies, that either they had intimated such a query to him, desiring to be acquainted with the time and season of those things, or that he foresaw they would be enquiring and making it their next question, when shall these things be? when shall the deceased Saints be raised, and the living caught up, when shall Christ descend from heaven with a shout, &c? Some have made it their study to unvaile the times which God hath hid, and to uncover his secrets. And it is no part either of the honor or ornament of these times, that Astrologers and Mathematicians have been so bold in these studies. As if the stars of heaven were either betrusted with the secrets of the God of heaven, or being so would be unfaithful Secretaryes, bewraying his secrets, and putting those times and seasons into the power of man which God hath put into his own power. Ancient histories tell us that the Princes of the world have been very greedy after this forbidden, or at least unrevealed knowledge. Being more desierous to know what should come to pass in after times, then diligent in the duties of the present time; Whereas indeed, which is

A second reason why it is so, God therefore hides the issues and events of future times, that we might be kept to present duties, to the work and business of the day. He conceals from man the precise day of his death, that he might every day be preparing to die. If men had all times in their hands, they would quickly lay the greatest and best part of their work out of their hands.

Thirdly, God hideth times to try the faith of his own people, whether they can depend upon him in the dark; whether when they know not when the time shall be, or what a day may bring forth, they can yet freely trust him for all their days. He that lives by faith at all times, troubles not himself about what shall be next in time, nor what the next times may be.

Fourthly, God hideth times, that we may be guided by rules, not by events; That we may steer our course through this world according to his divine appoyntments, not according to human successes. Upon all these and many more accounts, why should not times be hidden by the Almighty?

But I shall proceed with our reading, to open that, and give some notes from it.

As if Job had said, seeing the Lord knoweth all times, seeing times are not hidden from him, what is the reason why those who know him, and are nearest to him, do not know times also? or thus; God knoweth times, they are not hidden from him, why do not they know times that know him?

We are not to take time here nakedly or naturally as it notes days, months, and years, measured out by the motion of the Sun, Moon, and Stars; but time is to be considered providentially as clothed with all the varieties of action and event, which are imaginable, as incident to the affairs of mankind in this life.

When Job saith, Seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, his meaning is, that Times are clearly and fully known to the Almighty.

The whole verse taken together seems to be a denial of what is in it self very probable; for seeing God knoweth times, it is most probable that they who know him should know times too: for to whom should God communicate his secrets, but to those who are near to him, to those that are his: As if he had said; Give me a reason, if you can, why God, to whom all things and times are known from eternity, should not make known these times to those that know him? And so the argument may be formed in this manner.

Such as know God, should know his days, if any know them.

But they that know God, do not know his days; therefore God keeps his days close to himself; so that whereas Eliphaz supposed Job as doubting the providence of God ( Chap. 22. ver. 12, 13, 14.) and asks the question, ver. 15 ^th , Hast thou marked the old way, which wicked men have trodden. Job answers here, I deny not the providence of God, but I deny that all the ways of God's dealing with wicked men, are obvious to the eye of Godly men, and show me reason, if you can, seeing God knoweth all times, why the way of his judgments are so little visible to them which know him.

But who are they that are described by this circumlocution, They (or the men) that know God? We may take them in a twofold notion.

First, More Generally for all godly men, for all who are truly such know God.

Secondly, More specially for those Godly men who know God more then others; there are some who have a peculiar knowledge of him, and daily intimacy with him, who live as it were in his bosom, and see what is in his breasts, comparatively to others.

And further (because words of knowledge comprehend the affections in Scripture) by those that know him much, we are to understand those that love him much, that delight in him much, that fear him much, and obey him much. Now though we may expound this text of truly Godly men at large, yet the latter sort are chiefly meant: why seeing times are not hidden from the almighty, do not they that know him, godly men, yea his favorites, who know most of his mind, who as they are after his heart, so in his heart eminently, why do not they who know him thus,

Whose days, and what days doth Job here intend? The former part of the verse answers the first question, They are the days of God. And to the second question I answer; The days of God are those days wherein he worketh, or brings forth some great work, whether it be a work of Judgment, or a work of mercy. For as Times in the former part of the verse, so days here include the things done in those days, and hence M ^r Broughton renders, ways not days. None (saith he) that know him see his ways. Whensoever God doth somewhat among men, which declares him in an eminent manner to be God, that in Scripture is called the Day of God. Thus the Prophet speaks ( Isa. 2.12.) The day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty, and upon everyone that is lifted up, and he shall be brought low. And upon all the Cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, &c. Thus the day of the Lord is the day of his judgment among men. I pass not for man's day, or for the judgment of man, saith Paul (1 Cor. 4.3. And when he saith, 1 Cor. 3.13.) The day shall discover it, He means a day of trial will discover every man's work, whether it be silver, gold, hay, wood, or stubble. The day of discovery, will be a Glorious day of God. The Civilians have an expression which reacheth this notion of a day; They say of a man that hath had judgment in the highest Court, from whence there is no appeal; He hath passed his last day; that is, his highest and greatest trial, because then there is no more meddling with him, or bringing the suite about again. Such are the days of God, of which Job here speaketh.

Why seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?

From the former part of the verse, Note.

First, That times are known, perfectly known to God.

Yea not only are times perfectly known to God, but firmly fixed and most wisely disposed of by him; men may know that which they have no power to dispose of; but the knowledge of God and his power run parallel through all times and things. So that as when the text saith, Times are not hidden from the Almighty, it notes that they are fully known to him, so also that they are uncontrouleably disposed, and ordered by him. And as times are known to God, so he makes them known when and to whom he pleaseth. When Joseph had revealed to Pharaoh both the matter and the time concerned in his dreams, then (saith Moses, Gen. 41.45.) Pharaoh called Josephs name Zaphnath paaneah, which say some signifies in the Egyptian language, The Savior of the world: Which name, say they, Pharaoh might give him, because by his advice in laying up stores of corn in the years of plenty, such a world of men, or so great a part of the world, was saved from perishing by famine in the years of scarcity. But, say others, deriving the word from an Hebrew root, it signifies a revealer of secrets. Which title of honor Joseph well deserved, and was most proper to him, seeing he had revealed that Great secret unto Pharaoh, both that there should be a famine, as also the time and season of it. But where had Joseph this secret? was it from any astrologicall skill of his own? He tells us plainly whence it was at the 15th and 16th verses of the same Chapter; for when Pharaoh had said to Joseph; I have heard say of thee that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it; He presently answers, first, Negatively, It is not in me; and then affirmatively, God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. See the like in that most remarkable passage ( Den. 2.17, 18, 19, 20, 21.) From all which we learn that God knoweth times and changeth times, that is, makes great changes in times according to the counsel of his own will.

First, If we take time, for the succession of days, weeks, months, years, and ages, thus the Lord knoweth times. The number of the days of man, the precise number of the years and ages wherein any worldly state or power shall continue, are not hidden from him.

Secondly, Times are not hidden from God, as times are taken for the seasons and opportunities of action. The Lord knows what time will be as a wheel or as a socket fitted for the carrying on or establishing of every work. We are often troubled at this, and miss our season, but God knoweth every season, he knoweth the times, and therefore can time every work exactly. And the Hebrew word here used, properly signifies a fit or a convenient time, implying that time, in that notion, is not hidden from God. ( Isa. 50.4.) God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I might speak a word in season to him that is weary. Which some translate thus, That I might know the appointed time to the afflicted. An afflicted soul must be watched, and a season taken, these times are not hidden from the Almighty, he knoweth the opportunity, and therefore can direct him that speaks to a wearied soul, as to speak proper and taking matter, so to speak it in a proper and taking time, when it shall be as welcome to the soul as rain to the dry and thirsty ground. David saith to the Lord ( Psal. 119.23.) It is time Lord for thee to work, for they have made void thy Law; that is, now is the season, and opportunity for thee to work, if ever thou wilt show thyself do it now. And when David confessed ( Psal. 31.15.) My times are in thy hand. He means that the seasons of his comforts, and of his sorrows, all the turnings and changes of his life from one condition to another, were cast and ordered by the power and wisdom of God. Why seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty,

Thus Job describes the persons that see not the days of God; they are such as know him. Which character, as was shown before, belongs to every Godly man, though it be more peculiar to some.

Hence note.

First, Every Godly man knoweth God.

And none but the Godly know him indeed; many ungodly men profess they know God, and they may know him notionally, but no ungodly man knoweth him truly, experimentally, or practically. Many ungodly men have a form of knowledge, and of the truth in the Law (as the Apostle speaks of the Jews. Rom. 2.20.) but no ungodly man feeleth the power of knowledge, and of the truth in the Law. And therefore the wicked are spoken of in Scripture, as not knowing God ( Jere. 10.25.) Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not. And when the Prophet describes the wickedness of the Jewish State, he saith ( Hos. 4.1.) There is no knowledge of God in the Land. Which the Chaldee Paraphrast renders thus; Neither are there any who walk in the fear of God in the land; where there is no knowledge of God, there is no fear of God. We neither love nor fear him of whom we have no knowledge; nor can we believe in or trust him, whom we know not. ( Psal. 9.10.) They that know thy name, will put their trust in thee; That is, the truly godly will trust in thee, for they know thy name, but they that know thee not, how can they trust upon thee? and therefore the Prophet calls us to boast in, the knowledge of God. ( Jere. 9.23.) Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches, but let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth, and knoweth me, that I am the Lord whech exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight saith the Lord. There is nothing in this world worth the boasting in, but the holy knowledge of a holy God, or such a knowledge of God, the fruit whereof is a godly life here, and the end whereof is an eternal life hereafter. Joh. 17.3. This is eternal life, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. This knowledge of God doth not float in the brain, but sinks into the heart, and is rooted in the affections. Thus the Apostle John argues (1 Epist. Chap. 2. v. 3, 4, 5, 6.) Hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his Commandments, he that saith he knows him, and keepeth not his commandment is a liar, and the truth is not in him; As if he had said, The true knowledge of God is an obediential knowledge, so that if any man saith he knoweth God, while his life is not suitable to what he knoweth, this man's profession is vain, and himself is a liar; Whosoever keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected, that is, he loveth God with a perfect or sincere love, and the love of God is perfected towards him. The scope of his whole discourse there is to show that the true knowledge of God is the keeping of the word of God. Many are so ignorant of God, that they know not the word which they should keep, and all they who knowing the word keep it not, will at last be numbered among the ignorant, or among those that know not God: But their condition will be worse, and their punishment greater then theirs who never knew God according to the teachings of his word. Their estate will be bad enough, who perish for want of the knowledge of God, then, what will their end be, who perish in the neglect or abuse of plentiful knowledge!

From the second notion of the words, they that know him, as they intimate a sort of Godly men, who have nearer acquaintance with, and freer access to God then others.

Observe.

Though the knowledge of all godly men be of the same nature and kind, yet not of the same degree and height. We read of some who in old time were called Seers (1 Sam. 9.9.) as if they only had been endued with sight, and all others were blind in the things of God. They were the only seers, yea they were foreseers, because God did often reveal himself, and declare to them what he was about to do in dreams and visions. Now as in those times there were some men called seers, so in these times some may be called knowers, as if none knew anything of God comparatively to them, or as if other godly men were ignorant and understood nothing of him. When God (1 Sam. 3.) appeared to Samuel in a vision, and revealed the doom of Eli's house to him; the Text saith, at the 7 ^th verse, Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord; surely Samuel did know the Lord as other godly did in those times, though he were but young; yea it is said, The child Samuel ministered before the Lord; and did not he know the Lord? no doubt he did. The meaning therefore is, Samuel did not yet know the Lord by any special intimacy with him, or particular revelation from him, as afterward he did; he became a knower of God at last, though then he did not know God, in this peculiar sense. But God having revealed to him the secret what he would do to Eli's house, then he knew God, he knew him as a favourite, that is trusted with secrets. So David speaks ( Psal. 25.14.) The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him. There is a secret in the plainest truths and doctrines of Godlines, both in Law and Gospel; and many know the doctrine, who know not the secret; any common professor may know the doctrine, but the sincere only know the secret, that is, the power and efficacy, the sweetness of comfort of the doctrine. There is also a secret of God with his in blessing and prospering them in the world; of which Job speaks ( Chap. 29.4.) as there is also a secret and imperceptible curse, which the Prophet calls the Lord's blowing upon what men have in their possession, or for their use ( Hag. 1.9.) But besides these there is a secret of favor, which is the sealing of the Spirit, the gift of the hidden Manna, and of the white stone, with a new name in it, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it ( Rev. 2.17) This secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and there is yet another secret of his with them, even the secret of his purpose and intendment concerning his own providential workings. Which while many or all see, yet they know not the meaning of them, I mean it not only of the wicked and carnal, but even of many who are holy and spiritual in the main. The secrets of providence are known only to some choice ones, to some of an excellent Spirit and high attainements, to some Abraham's, &c. intimate friends, who are to God as his own soul. There is a secret of the Lord, which is with all them that fear him, yet some of his secrets are not with many of them who fear him. What Job spake in the 12th Chapter of this Book, ver. 2. reproving the pride of his friends; Ye are the men, and wisdom shall die with you; you (I trow) have engrossed all wisdom, and others must borrow of you; The same we may speak soberly and approvingly of some humble Godly men, they have the knowledge of God, and it is but little that others have, though they have a saving knowledge. Some conceive the Prophet upbraiding the Jews ( Isa. 58.2.) As if they affected to be looked upon, not only as such as know God, but as such as know him intimately, and were his bosom friends. They seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God, they ask of me the Ordinances of Justice, they take delight in approaching unto God. They who do indeed, as these Jews seemed to do, may be numbered among those of the highest form that know God. Why do they that know him, not see his days.

Here Job hath found out somewhat knowable, which they who know God, do not always know; and that is, as hath been shown, the season of his judgments.

Hence Note.

The judgments of God are often deferred in this life, and they are very often concealed, though presently executed. That is not always true which Eliphaz asserted ( Chap. 22.19.) The righteous see it and are glad, the innocent laugh them to scorn. The righteous sometimes see the judgments of God upon wicked men, & his care watching over themselves, but they do not always see either; for as a wicked man may do evil a hundred times, that is, very often, and go unpunished, as is intimated ( Eccl. 8.12.) So a wicked man may be punished a hundred times, and yet not one of his punishments seen. Some judgments of God are great and sore, which yet fall not under the observation of the best, of the wisest, of the holiest in the world; They that know him, do not see his days; God (for terror and warning to others) doth judgment upon some openly ( Deut. 7.9, 10.) Know therefore the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him, and keep his commandments to a thousand generations, and repayeth them that hate him, to their face to destroy them; He will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. Here are two things in this Text concerning the judgments of God; That they shall come, first, suddenly; secondly, openly; they shall come suddenly, God will not be slack, they shall come openly, God will repay them to their face; as they sinned openly, so they shall be punished openly. Thus God repaid the Sodomites, he paid them to their face; so he repaid Pharaoh, and so the rebelling Jews; and he was not slack, (for as the Psalmist saith) while the meat was in their mouth, the wrath of God fell upon them. Thus 'tis sometimes: yet judgments are often deferred, and hidden. What the Apostle speaks ( Rom. 9.22.) is applicable here; God willing to show his wrath, and make his power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction; there are vessels of wrath fitted for destruction, thrown to hell, not only to a temporal, but to an eternal destruction; yet God did endure them with much long suffering; that is, he did not presently pour out wrath upon them, he was so far from casting them presently to hell, that he did not afflict them with any trouble in this life, but endured them with much long suffering, and patience. David was much astonished with this consideration ( Psal. 36.6.) Thy righteousness is like the great mountains, thy judgments are a great deep. Take both together; Thy righteousness is like the great mountains, the mountains of God, that is, thy righteousness endures, and remains inviolable. But though it be so, yet the execution and actings of thy righteousness are not always decerneable, for thy judgments are a great deep; that is, when God doth execute, and put forth his righteousness, few see it, his judgments are a great deep, many deeps, who can go to the depth of them? how unsearchable are thy judgments? saith the Apostle, Rom. 11.33.) they are such and so deep that none can reach the bottom of them; and therefore no wonder if they are sometimes hidden from those that know God.

Secondly, Whereas Job saith, Why seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him, not see his days?

We may Note.

And that upon a twofold ground; first, because they have the best eyes, and senses most exercised to discern what God is doing. And as this is, because they have the best internal light, and purest principles to make this discovery with; So in the second • lace, because they stand fairest in the eye of God, to have his providences manifested and expounded to them. For as God by the Spirit expounds his word, so his works to his choicest servants. Shall I hide from Abraham (said God, Gen. 18.17.) that thing which I do. And so the Lord saith to the spiritual children of Abraham unto this day, Shall I hide from them either what I am about to do, or the meaning and scope of what I have done? If any in the world see the days of God, Saints shall. So that we may conclude, if they see them not, that either they are not yet come, or that God purposely concealed their coming. Both or either of which may be the mind of Job in this place.

Lastly, Consider the text as a question, Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not, see his days? What is the reason of this? Job here answers Eliphaz, who thought that the judgments of God were ever open, and obvious to all beholders; but as it is not so, so what is the reason of this? why is it not so? I have heretofore given an account of these whyes and wherefores, of these questions about the dispensations of God. Yet here I answer further, God is pleased to cover or defer his Judgment days. First, because it is his pleasure to do so, that's answer enough for man, it is his pleasure. Times are not hidden from God, but must he needs make us acquainted with all times, or show us the way of his judgments presently; no, it is his pleasure to do otherwise, and it is his privilege to dispose of times, seasons, actions, and judgments as he pleaseth; who may say to him, what doest thou? or why doest thou so? he is supreme, and sovereign, if he will have it so, why should any one oppose it, or rise up against it?

Secondly, If it be demanded, Why are not the wicked presently punished, seeing God knoweth times, and seasons, and how all things pass among the sons of men? I answer, God will leave wicked men more inexcusable, the more patience is exercised towards them, the more long suffering God is to them, the more evident will the justice of God be in their sufferings, and they will have the less, or rather nothing at all to plead for themselves. The least sin committed by man, may stop his mouth, how much soever he is punished by God; how much more may their mouths be stopped, who continued to sin greatly, while God continued to spare them long in their sin?

Thirdly, The day of the wicked man's suffering comes no • suddenly, that the patience of the Saints may be tried, and exercised. There are three things which chiefly exercise the patience of the Saints. First, the Greatness of their own troubles; Secondly, the slowness of their deliverance out of trouble: Thirdly, the long prosperity of wicked men, or the long deferring of their punishment. These delays and stops in the vindicative administrations of God towards evil men, give the graces of his servants present work, and God often forbears purposely to put forth his power, that Saints may put forth their patience, or that it may be said of them as in the book of the Revelations, Here is the patience of the Saints, in this the patience of the Saints is visible. Faith and patience can never have so fit an opportunity to be seen, as when the Justice of God in avenging them, and in punishing the wicked is least seen. Yea therefore it is that they do not see those his days with an eye of sense, that they might see them with an eye of faith. While the Prophet saith ( Hab: 2.4.) The just shall live by his faith; He speaks in reference to the deferring and delaying of judgments upon the enemies of the Church; as appears fully in the first Chapter ( ver. 12, 13.) O Lord, thou hast ordained them (namely, the Chaldean Empire) for Judgment, (that is, to punish and afflict thy Church, the Jewish Nation) and O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction; As if he had said, Thou O Lord, didst not intend the ruin and destruction of thy people, by arming and sending this bitter and hasty Nation against them, but only their amendment and repentance; yea thou hast no pleasure at all in these Chaldeans, by whom thou hast poured out thy displeasure upon thine own people. For, as it follows; Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity, to approve of it, or to be pleased with it, and seeing thou canst not; wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man, that is more righteous then he? That is, why doest not thou O Lord, take vengeance speedily upon these evil and treacherous ones? The Prophet having proposed & urged this question to the Lord, What doth he next? you may see that at the first verse of the second Chapter; I will stand upon the watch and set me upon the tower, dnd I will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved, or (as the Hebrew hath it) argued with, by carnal men, or the turbulent passions of my own spirit? The Lord giveth him his answer at large ( ver. 2, 3.) which is summed up ( v. 4.) in this brief direction or assertion, But the Just shall live by his faith. As if he had said, proud men will be querying, yea quarrelling, when they see my providences cross my promises, or my works carrying a present face of unsutablenes to my word. When things go thus, they are presently offended & nonplus'd, they know not what to make of it, unless it be to make me a liar, as speaking, what I meant not to do, or impotent, as speaking more then I had ability to do; But, my people know how to satisfy these doubts with a saving to my honor; The Just shall live by his faith. And they who live by faith will not have uncomely thoughts of me, whatsoever it is that appears to their sight: or though that which they hoped would appear be still kept out of their sight. Though, they that know him, see not his days, with an eye of sense, yet they see them by an eye of faith, and by that faith they live.

So then the reason why they who know God, or the Godly, see not his days, is not because God is not able to bring a day of vengeance upon wicked men, it is not because he bears any good will to them, but to exercise the faith and patience of his people. That's the scope of this first verse, which layeth down the proposition by way of question, times are not unknown to God, yet they that know him do not see his days, his judgment days, as Eliphaz had before asserted. In the next part of the Chapter, Job goes on to prove by an enumeration of particulars, that many sorts of wicked men go on in all sorts of sin, who yet feel not the day of God upon them.

Some remove] Of whom Job spake in particular, or of what particular time he spake is uncertain. Some refer it to the days before the Flood, for that was a time wherein the world was filled with violence; and that was the special sin of that age, set forth ( Gen. 6.11.) The earth also was corrupt before God; That is, men dwelling upon the earth, were corrupt, morally corrupt, corrupt in their manners. Thus, the earth was corrupt before God, and, he shows wherein that corruption did consist, and the earth was filled with violence. But as the character which Job gives of these men, may well suite those times: so what times have not produced such a sort of men? And though sometimes have been more tainted with, and notorious for those sins then others, yet all times have been tainted with them, and therefore we may take the words generally as applicable to any age of the world.

That is, those marks which are set up for the distinction, or division of Lands, that every man may know his own, and not entrench upon his neighbors inheritance. These land-marks, or bounds they remove. The Hebrew is, they touch, so 'tis translated, some touch the land-marks; land-marks were sacred things; they ought not to be touched, nor meddled with. The Lord speaks of his holy people ( Psal. 105.15.) Touch not mine anointed, and do my Prophets no harm. Another word is used in the Psalm, but we may give the same emphasis here, some touch the land-marks, as if it were a fault so much as to handdle, or meddle with them: yet the word here used signifies both to touch, and to take, and so to take, as violently to carry away. ( Zech. 1.6.) Did not my word take hold of your fathers; that is, did it not apprehend, and seize upon them, yea remove them out of the land of the living. Where the word of God toucheth, it taketh away, either to destruction or salvation. And that word in the Prophet hath a double allusion, either to the hunting of beasts, or to fighting, and contending with men; the word followed your fathers, it overtook them, it took them, it laid hold on them, as the hunter layeth hold upon his prey, or as an enemy follows, and over-takes a fleeing enemy, did not my word take hold of your fathers? yes, it did, and that to purpose. The word is used ( Psal. 40.12.) Mine iniquities (saith David) take hold of me, so that I am not able to look up; they have dealt with me, as with a fugitive, that runneth away; They have taken hold of me, and they hold me fast, my sin hath apprehended me. So that, though this original word signifies to touch, yet it is so to touch as to offer violence, to take away, to remove, as is expressed in those instances (1 Sam. 30.8.) David inquired of the Lord, saying, shall I pursue after this troop, shall I over-take them; so (2 Sam. 15.14.) David said to all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, arise let us flee, for we shall not escape from Absalom, make speed to depart, least he overtake us suddenly. In which places as this word is used, so the use of it is about violent and forcible actings, so that this touching is taking or removing; they remove or pull up the land-marks, to set them in some other place for their own advantage. This was their first sin, the removing of land-marks; which was upon the matter to take away propriety, and to put all men out of possession. There can be no possession without distinction; natural riches consist in lands and cattle, & both bear their owners mark. The care and industry of the ancients was exceeding great and accurate about their land-marks, both in setting them up, and in observing them, that every man might have his own; wherefore to remove the land-marks, was indeed to take away the land.

Hence note.

If it were not so, then, first, it were no sin to remove land-marks, or a vain thing to set them up; if there be no distinction of inheritances by propriety, what needs there be any distinction, by marks, or limits, to show, this is such a man's land, and that another's. No man may set a special mark, where he hath not a special right. Secondly, if there were no propriety, there could not be such a sin as stealing, and theeving: that which is every man's, any man may take, and be blameless. Thirdly, if there were not propriety, there would be but little industry; If men's lands and goods were not their own, who would be found to take care of them, or pains about them. Fourthly, to make all things common, were to run all into confusion. There is nothing more unequal then this kind of equality. If all had a like right in the things of the world, all would think to have a like power in the government of the world. Propriety and Magistracy must stand and fall together.

But some may object that practice of the primitive Church ( Acts 2.44.) who had all things common. And if all things with them were in a community, where was propriety?

I answer, First, This practice of theirs was purely voluntary, not at all imposed; as appears plainly from the words of Peter to Ananias (Acts 5.4.) While it remained, was it not thine own; or more close to the Greek, Remaining did it not remain to thee; that is, it was properly thine before thou soldest it, and thou mightest have kept thy interest in it. No man compelled thee to sell or give, and if thou hadst not sold it, thou mightest still have held communion with the Church for all that; But this is thy sin, to pretend the gift of all to God, and perform but in part.

I answer, secondly, That community did not extend to the whole estate of all believers, but to what they did consecrate to relieve the public necessity; For if they had put themselves quite out of all propriety by one gift, they could not have exercised their charity anymore. Whereas the Apostle directs them to a constant use of their charity in making collections for the poor (1 Cor. 16.1, 2.) And surely Paul had made a vain profession when he said; I have coveted no man's silver, or Gold, or apparel, (Act. 20.33.) if no man had any peculiar propriety in gold, silver, or apparel.

Thirdly, It appears from the 44 ^th verse, that even they who sold their goods retained some kind of right in them; for all did not come to the common bank, and take what they pleased; but they who sold their possessions parted the price to all men, allotting to everyone a proportion as he had need. It was not share and share like, every man was not his own carver out of the public stock, but distribution was made, as necessity required. God doth to this day keep the eighth commandment in full force and strength, as a Fence or hedge about the worldly estates of men, and he that goes about to break this Hedge, a Serpent shall bite him, as Solomon speaks ( Eccl. 10.8.) Hedges are Land-marks; And both are, not only arguments, but securers of propriety.

Again, Seeing land-marks were set up to distinguish men's estates.

We learn.

As every man hath a title and a right to his own, so every man should have a rule whereby to know his own; peace is a sacred and precious thing (even peace about civil things) and therefore whatsoever makes for peace should be accounted sacred and precious. Blessed are the peace-makers, but more blessed are the peace-preservers. It is good to heal breaches among Brethren, but it is better when there are none. Preventing physic is more desierable then restoring.

Thirdly, Note.

This is a sin condemned by the light of nature, as well as by the light of Scripture; Histories report how strict the ancient Romans were against such offenders; as they were accurate in setting up bounds, so they were severe to punish those, who removed, and disturbed the bounds; it was lawful by their law to take away the life of him who took away his neighbors land-mark. And if any man in tilling the ground, plowed up the land-mark, himself and his ox were both sacred, that is, both were to be slain or devoted to death; yea the Romans were so intent, and devout about this thing, that they had a special God of the bounds or limits stones. And as the old heathens, judging by the rule of common reason, and light of nature, did abhor this practice, so the holy Scripture in the Law of Moses provides directly and by name against it. ( Deut. 19.14.) Thou shalt not remove thy neighbors land-mark which they of old times set, in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit, in the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it. And again ( Deut. 27.17.) Cursed be he that removeth his neighbors land-mark, and all the people shall say Amen. A curse contains all penalties, and Amen seals them all upon the person of the offender. Solomon renewed these laws ( Prov. 22.28.) Romove not thy neighbors land-mark, which thy fathers have set. And again ( Prov. 23.10.) Remove not the old land-marks, and enter not into the field of the fatherless. Thus Solomon cautioned those times against this sin. And the Prophet ( Hosea 5.10.) makes this sin as the Standard of all other sins, or as that by which we are to take the greatness and weight of any sin; if a sin comes near to this, or be like this, 'tis a great sin. The Princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound, therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water; As if he had said, the Princes of Judah are extremely wicked: how wicked? even as wicked as they which remove the bound. Now if high-grown wickedness be but such a thing as removing the bound, how high is their wickedness grown, who remove the bound? But it may be demanded what bound doth the Prophet mean? I answer, it may be understood of all sorts of bounds, of the bounds of laws, of the bounds of liberty, of the bounds of religion, as also of the bounds of lands. It is wickedness to meddle with or remove any of these bounds, though to remove some of them be a greater wickedness. To remove the bounds of the laws, and the liberties of a Nation, especially to remove the bounds of religion, are heinous abominations and though; to remove the bound of lands, be not so bad as these, yet that also may be numbered among the abominations which both God and man hate; and therefore when the Prophet would in one word speak all the abominable practices of the Princes of Judah, he chose to say, they are like those who remove the bound; implying that nothing could be said of them worse then that. The same Prophet useth an expression somewhat parallel to that ( Hosea 4.4.) where describing the wickedness of those times, he tells them, that the Lord had a controversy with the land, because there was no truth, no mercy, no knowledge of God in the land, by swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, &c. then at the 4th verse, he concludes, Let no man strive, and reprove another. ('It is the soarest judgment of God upon a people or a person to let them alone and be quiet in their sin, to say, Let no man strive, and reprove another ) but why did God give up that people to such a judgment? The greatness of their sin was the cause of it; And what was that; the next words show us; For thy people are as they that strive with the Priest. It was so great a wickedness to contend or strive with the Priest, that the vilest of wickednesses was but an exemplification of it. God forbids that they should be reproved or striven with for good, who were once grown so evil as to strive with the Priest; and the greatest reproof that can possibly be gives any man, is to say, let no man reprove him. Thus we see that to strive with the Priest, and to remove the bound, are sins of the first magnitude, the one in Spiritualls, the other in Civills.

Fourthly, In as much as the word here used signifies not only quite to remove, but to touch or medle with the land-marks.

Observe.

It was not absolutely a sin, or a sin in it self, to touch or come near the land-marks, but because this had an appearance of evil in it, and because while men handled the bounds, either it might come into their minds to remove them, or they might possibly remove them a little against their minds, therefore even that act is forbidden, as having in it a tendency to that sin. It is good for us to keep at the furthest distance we can from that which is evil. The Apostles rule is, Abstain from all appearance of evil, (1 Thes. 5.22.) unless all the appearances of all the approaches unto evil be abstained from, we shall hardly abstain from the evil it self. Solomon gives a like caution ( Pro. 23.31.) Look not upon the Wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth it self aright. It is not a sin to look upon the wine, yet Solomon saith, look not upon it; why? because that act may occasion another; while you look upon the wine, you may be taken with the beauty and color of it, and so drink intemperately; for he adds, it will bite like a Serpent; which implies that looking may ensnare a man, and cause him to drink more then he ought, and then the wine will bite indeed; wine will go down without chewing, but he that lets too much go down shall find it biting. And 'tis more dangerous and venomous to be wine-bitten, then to be serpent-bitten; therefore look not upon the wine. So here, touch not the land-marks, be not busy about them, stand off from them, lest you be enticed to remove or take them away; They that will always do the utmost of what is lawful, may soon be overcome to do that which is unlawful. It is our wisdom as well as our duty, not to touch that, which to take away will be our sin.

Lastly, When Job saith, Some remove the land-marks; That is not the only thing intended, though it be only here expressed; for this removing had a further purpose: as touching comes to removing, so removing the land-marks goeth further, even to the taking away of the land. And they therefore took away the land-marks, that they might take away the land also; they took away that which distinguished their lands from other men's lands, that so other men's lands might be accounted theirs, and that they might enter upon the possession of them as their own. Thus, to color and cover their covetousness and oppression in invading other men's lands, they removed the marks whereby they held and claimed their lands. It were not worth the while to remove land-marks, unless it were for the lands sake. The value of a stone, or of a piece of timber, or of a Turfe of earth (any of which may be made a land-mark) is not considerable, but the land marked by it, is. The heart of man is cunning and full of contrivance to compass sinful ends by such ways, as may keep the sin (as much as may be) unseen. Forceably to take away lands were gross, but first to take away land-marks, & so to rayfe a question, or make it a controversy to whom the land belongs, this is a piece of oppession spun with a finer thread. This is robbing without seeming to do wrong. Some remove the land-marks,

These wnrds contain the second act of their wickedness. Before we had land stolen, now cattle, they violently take away. The word notes a fierce violence. As 'tis said of one of David's Worthies (2 Sam. 23.21.) He slew an Egyptian, a goodly man, and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptians hand. He plucked it from him by strength of hand, or by fine force. Thus here, They take or pluck away flocks. There are two ways of taking away what belongs to another. First, secretly, or by fraud; secondly, openly, or by violence. Both are forbidden ( Lev. 19.13) Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, (that is, thou shalt not take away his goods secretly by deceit and cunning) neither shalt thou rob him; he that cozens or deceives another, robs him; but in that law of Moses, by robing is meant violent taking away. There are some private thieves, so are all they who defraud their brethren; others are bold and open thieves, these properly are robbers. Might overcomes right. Of such Job speaks here.

A flock is a collection of cattle, less, or great, sheep, or oxen, they make prey of all, they take away flocks. See the greedynes of these robbers. Any one flock contains many cattle, these took away many flocks, or many a flock; and that violently; they had no law for it, and they asked no leave for it.

Hence note.

I will have it, saith he; and if he be strong enough have it he will. The Prophet Amos gives such a character of the Princes of those times ( Chap. 3.10.) They know not to do right, saith the Lord, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces. 'It is sad for a people when Princes or they who dwell in palaces, know not to do right, especally when their know not, is not, an Ignorance of the Law, but a willful perversion of the Law; when their know not to do right, is they have no mind nor will to do right; when Princes are wise (enough, too wise) to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge; such were they of whom the Prophet complained in that place, they know not to do right. And what are such like to do then? The Prophet tells us what; They store up violence and robbery in their palaces; that is, all the furniture and riches of their palaces, are but robbery, and violence, or such things as they have taken away by violence, and robbery. The Lord therefore threatens such, that they shall be scourged with violence, ( Ezek. 7.11.) Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness, none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor any of theirs, neither shall there be wailing for them. Violence riseth up to a rod of wickedness two ways. First, as violence shoots or puts forth from wickedness, as a branch or rod shoots forth from the stock of a tree; all the violence and oppression that ever was committed in the world, is both branch and fruit growing or rising up from a wicked heart. Secondly, Violence riseth up into a rod of wickedness, when violence punisherh wickedness; they who have afflicted others by violence, often find violence turned into a rod to afflict themselves. And we may give that sense of Solomon's Proverbs, ( Pro. 13.2.) The soul of the transgressor shall eat violence. The words are a threat. As wicked men eat violence, that is, what they have gotten by violence; so they shall have violence to eat, that is, they shall be violently dealt with; either violence shall compel them to do their duty, or violence shall punish them for not doing it, or, as they lived by violence, so they shall die by violence. The souls of transgressors shall eat violence, as a punishment, because (as it follows in the next clause) they eat violence as their portion. They violently take away flocks,

The Original words are rendered two ways. First, as we, They feed thereof; that is, they feed themselves with the flocks which they have taken away; Secondly, They fed them; that is, they feed the flocks which they have violently taken away. According to our translation the sense is this, when they have taken away flocks violently, they sit down quietly and feed themselves with these flocks, they and their families are maintained by the spoil. And I conceive Job adds this, not only to show another or a second act of their sin, but to show the resolvednes and setlednes of these men in the ways of sin.

Hence note.

They not only act evil, but delight in evil, who take away anything by violence, and feed thereon. Solomon speaks of some ( Pro. 4.17.) Who eat the bread of wickedness (that is, bread (by which is meant all the necessaryes of this life) gotten by wickedness) and they drink the wine of violence; that is, the wine which they have gained by violence, or suppose what they have violently gained be not wine, in specie, or that liquor which we call wine, yet they drink it as wine, like sweet and pleasant wine. This is a sign of a heart settled in sin, when the sinner eats his sin as bread, and drinks it as wine. What stomachs have they who can digest such hard-meats; and though now they seem to make a good digestion of it, yet unless they vomit up such morsels and draughts by true repentance, they will lie heavy upon their stomachs, and make them heart-sick to Eternity. The Prophet threatens ( Isa. 3.14.) That the Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the Princes thereof, for (saith he) ye have eaten up the vineyard, the spoil of the poor is in your houses; that is, ye maintain your houses by that which is not yours, even by the spoils and vineyards of the poor. When Jezebel had got Naboth slain, she presently said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, and Ahab did so (1 Kings 21.15, 16.) But the Lord sent Elijah to him with this Message ( ver. 19.) Hast thou killed and also taken possession? As if he had said, Art thou indeed so hardened in sin, that thou canst go down and please thyself in the use and possession of what thou hast gotten sinfully? how wicked art thou, who art so far from having thy heart to smite thee with sorrow, for smiting a faithful subject of thine to death by thy Authority, that now thou canst delight thyself in eating up the vineyard of the dead man. Sometimes a godly man sins by inordinate desires after the creature, but 'tis very rare, that his stomach doth not turn before he comes to eat his sin. David (2 Sam. 23.16.) had a longing desire to the waters of Bethlehem, and upon the making known of his desire, three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, and fetched him the water; but ( ver. 16.) when the water was brought him his stomach turned, he would not drink because it was gotten by the hazard of three men's lives. For though David did not speak those words; O that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem; with an intent to put any of his Soldiers upon that dangerous enterprise in fetching it for him; yet that he might declare how far he was from indulging himself in such inordinate desires, to engage any man's life for the pleasing of his appetite, or satisfying of his present (though probably a very urgent) thirst, therefore he would not drink it, but pour'd it out unto the Lord; saying, Far be it from me O Lord, that I should do this, is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? Thus it is with tender consciences, who though they sometimes speak and do rashly and sinfully, yet before they come to eat their sin, that is, what they have sinfully desired or attained, they repent and cannot make either meat or drink of it. Ungodly men can drink blood, not only that which (as in David's case) others have gotten for them with the danger of their lives, but even that which themselves have gotten with the unjust spoil, (sometimes) of other men's lives, but often of their livelyhoods. They violently take away flocks, and feed thereof.

Again, I shall touch a little upon the second reading; They violently take away flocks, and feed them; that is, they do not only drive other men's flocks away, but keep them openly in their pastures, and feed them; so M ^r Broughton, They rob away herds, and feed them. The Original word in the Hebrew, as also the Latin is seldom used to signify man's feeding upon dead flesh, but often to signify man's feeding of living flesh or cattle. A Shepherd is said to feed his flock. Thus first they play the thieves, violently taking away their neighbors flocks; next they turn Shepherds and Grasiers and feed them openly.

This implies three things concerning these oppressors, of whom Job speaks.

First, That they were great men, not petty robbers, who when they have got cattle away, hide them, or sell them off as soon as they can, they dare not put them in their own pastures, and usually they have none to put them in. But these Nimrods, these mighty Hunters take them violently, and then own it broadly; they care not who sees what they have done. Thus the Prophet Isaiah reproves the Princes of Israel (Chap. 1.23.) Thy Princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves; that is, they do like thieves, they oppress, and vex, and violently take away. They are so far (which is the duty of Princes) from repressing thieves, that they encourage and countenance them, and not only so, but are actually Thieves themselves. Thieves in Authority and power are the vilest thieves; who shall deliver from oppression, when Princes turn oppressors, and Great ones thieves?

Secondly, When it is said, that they take away flocks, and fed them, it shows, that these robbers persisted in their sin, and were not ashamed of it. They could spoil their neighbors and never blush. They declared their sin as Sodom, they hid it not.

Thirdly, This imports that they had quiet possession of their ill gotten goods; What they got unjustly, they held securely and unmolested. Their stolen goods were neither recovered by law, nor forcibly retaken from them; they fed them, and kept them as their own; wickedness prospered in their hand; no man saw the day of God's reckoning with them. This their impunity, Job specially aimed at, when he said; They violently take away flocks, and feed them, or feed upon them.

Hence note.

To hold by injustice and oppression is the worst and most slippery title and tenure in the world; yet as unjust gain makes some rich, as they improve and thrive, as they trade in, and increase by ways of unrighteousness, so they live prosperously, and hold strongly what they have unrighteously gained. They both feed upon and feed the flocks which they have taken away by violence. Though some oppressors are so suddenly attached by pursuing vengeance, that they can neither feed nor feed upon their stolen flocks, but even before the meat is in their mouths the wrath of God and justice of man falls upon them & will not suffer them to roast what they have got in this kind of cruel hunting, yet others roast and eat to the full, though indeed, they do but fat themselves against a day of slaughter, which though it come slowly will surely come. Job still proceeds in describing their other acts of violence.

There is somewhat considerable in these words, though they are but a continued description of the same thing under variety of instances.

Here is more violence still. Some conceive the singular is here put for the plural; The Ass for the Asses of the fatherless; that is, all the Asses that he had, they left not one, but swept all away. But if we take the word strictly for one single Ass, then it aggravates the sin, They drive away the Ass of the fatherless: Though he hath but one, they drive that away; this heightens the oppressiō, as (2 Sam. 12.3.) in the parable which Nathan put to David to convince him of his sin; He tells him of a rich man that had exceeding many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing save one little Ewe-lamb, which he had bought, and nourished up, and it grew up together with him, and with his children, it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter: Now, when the traveler came to the rich man, he spared to take of his own flock, and of his own herd to dress for the waifareing man, but took the poor man's lamb, &c. So here, they drive away the Ass of the fatherless; though he hath but one, they drive that away.

Further, when he saith, They drive away the Ass, there are two things considerable in it. First, the Ass is a useful and serviceable beast for the bearing of burdens. Secondly, the Ass is a mean creature, a beast of no great value, though of some use. They drive away the very Ass, and that the Ass of the

In the former verse, where it is said, They violently take away flocks, and feed thereof, there is no mention at all made, whose the flocks were, or from whom they took them. But here Job seems to lay the emphasis of their sin, not so much upon what they drove away, as upon the person whose it was, which they drove away; They drive away not the great or the rich man asse, but the asse of the Fatherless. The word fatherless may be taken two ways, either strictly, for a child that is left without a father to take care of him, & provide for him: or secondly, we may expound the word fatherless more largely for any that are poor, and in distress; as was shown ( Chap. 22.9.) How cruel are they, and how covetous are they, who will not spare the poor, no not poor Orphans! To take from the fatherless in either sense, aggravates the sin. Which aggravation of their sin is further prosecuted in the next instance of their oppression.

What a pledge is hath been opened at the 22 ^d Chap. ver. 6. It is not sinful to take a pledge; but there is a twofold sin implied in this place, while they are charged with taking the widows ox for a pledge. First, in reference to the person of whom the pledge was taken, the widow; Secondly, in reference to the thing which was taken for a pledge; it was the widows ox. For the ox being used for labor in tilling the ground (a most necessary use) should not be taken or at lest not detained as a pledge; therefore we find that those things which were for necessary use and livelihood, were forbidden to be taken for pledge Exod. 22.26, 27.) or if they were taken they were presently to be restored before the Sun went down. But these cruel men took the widows ox for a pledge, and restored him not. We may also understand it (as some) that they took the ox as if it were a pledge, doing it as of right, or under pretence and color of Justice (as being her creditors) for a debt. And so the whole proceeding is expounded either of tyrants, that lay heavy taxes upon the poor people, and if they are not able to pay presently take all away by distreine: or of common extortioners, who lend money, or let leases, and upon every default of payment take the forfeiture, and carry all away as due to themselves.

Further, we may observe in Scripture, that as we have these two usually put together, the fatherless, and the widow, so we have these two usually joined together, the asse, and the ox. Thus they are joined twice in the ten Commandments, in the fourth and tenth, and often elsewhere. But some may question, Hath the poor widow an ox? The ox seems rather to belong to rich men, then to the poor widow. To which we may answer, that the Hebrew word which we translate ox, signifies as well the female, as the male, and so it is rendered by some here, They take away the cow of the widow. The poor widow lives upon the milk of her cow. Take that from her, and you take away all her living. But whether we understand it of the one or of the other, the difference is not material as to the scope and purpose of Job, who puts the widows ox or the widows cow, either for the whole or chiefest part of her substance. They take the widows ox for a pledge.

Hence note.

They will take from the fatherless, they will take from the widow. The Prophet Amos (Chap. 2.7.) speaking of such oppressors, saith, They pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, & turn aside the way of the needy. The former part of those words, hath variety of readings & expositions, I will not stay upon them: but only touch that which is most suitable to the point in hand, They pant after the dust of the earth; that is, they exceedingly desire, and long for it. As David describes his holy desires ( Psal. 42.1.) As the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God; that is, I extremely desire thy presence and communion with thee, even as the heart being hunted and heated desireth the waters. Thus they panted after the dust of the earth; That is, after those things which are but as the dust of the earth, or whose original and matter is but the dust of the earth, gold and silver. These are but the refined dust of the earth; but whose dust did they pant after? It was the dust on the head of the poor; if they did but see a poor man to have gotten a little about him, though only enough to keep life and soul together, to preserve himself and his family from starving or begging, they presently panted after it; They were passionately desierous of it, they cast about how to get it. They who are enflamed with covetousness are busy to find out, and having found out, are greedy to pursue all advantages and occasions to enrich themselves, though it be with the ruin of the poor. They are glad to get something even from them who (according to common speech) have nothing; they scrape from them, who have but scraps to live upon. Such was the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that (as the Apostle speaks, 2 Cor. 8.9.) though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich. And such is the covetousness of some men, that though they are rich enough, yet they care not to make many, who are poor enough already, poorer, that they by making them poorer, might make themselves richer.

Secondly, Consider the matter, they drive away the asse of the fatherless, and take the widows ox (or cow) for a pledge.

Hence note.

Some will sin for a small matter, they will do much evil, though they get but little worldly good by it, only a silly asse, or a laboring ox from the fatherless or the widow. Who as they never have many of these, commonly, but one of each (for both words are of the singular number) so those that they have are usually none of the best, fattest, strongest, greatest, and so highest prized ones: As the fatherless, and the widow, are poor, so their ox and asse are but poor ones too; yet some will unjustly drive and take these poor things away; They will play at small game (as we say) rather then sit out; And act basely to get but an asse. The Prophet Amos (Chap. 2.6.) represents the Lord protesting against such, thus; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof, because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; that is, they sold the right of the poor, when they could get but a very small advantage by it, the worth of a pair of shoes. Some in sinning are like Eagles, they will not stoop at flies, if they break the rules of righteousness and faithfulness, it shall be for a Crown or a Kingdom. They who sin for the greatest profit, make a loosing Bargain of it: What then do they who will sin for the lowest profit?

Thirdly, They drive away the asse from the fatherless, and take the ox of the widow; From the consideration of the persons wronged. Note.

It is sinful to wrong any, but much more to wrong the poor; having met with this point from other passages in this book, I only name it, and add, that there are two things which show the sinfulness of taking from the poor. First, because they are weak and unable either to resist injuries, or to right themselves; They cannot help themselves, nor can they easily procure help from others. The poor and him that hath no help, are put together ( Psal. 72.12.) and usually they are the same. I returned (saith Solomon, Eccl. 4.1.) and considered all the oppressions that are done under the Sun, and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter: and on the side of their oppressors there was power, but they had no comforter. And they who have no comforter, surely have no helper. Now it is most sinful to hurt them who are least able to help themselves, or find help from others. And who so helpless, as the fatherless and the widow? Secondly, it is therefore extremely sinful to wrong the poor, and especially these poor, because God hath commended them to the care, and tuition of the rich; they are his charge, God hath taken them into his protection, and hath trusted them over to men of power, that they should look to them. Magistrates should be as a wall of defense, to the fatherless, and widow, they should provide for them, and nourish them. Therefore to spoil, and rob them of all, how great a wickedness is this? this is (as much as in them is) to make God a liar, and unfaithful to his word and promise. As then it should be a great encouragement to help the Godly poor, because in so doing we are a means to fulfill the promise of God to them. So we should therefore be afraid to wrong them, because in so doing we do what we can to make the promise of God to them void. No marvel then, if the Apostle James placeth all religion, as to practice, in the visitation of the widow, and the fatherless in their affliction; and if, in that sense, all religion be placed in it, what shall we judge of their religion, who afflict the widow, and the fatherless? And if to visit them in trouble, be an act not only of charity to them, but of honor and religion towards God, because God (who provides for all) hath taken upon him to provide for the fatherless, and the widow, by name (So that we discharge God's debt of promise to the fatherless, and widow, when we do them good. If, I say, it be thus) then how gross an act is it both of uncharitablenes to them, and irreligion towards God, to visit with trouble, to afflict and vex the fatherless and the widow.

Fourthly, From the matter about which they sinned; The asse of the fatherless, and the ox, or cow of the widow.

Observe.

It shows that we value God little, and that we set light by his commands, that we regard neither his favor nor his anger, when we can do evil upon such poor accounts. That, by which many excuse their sin, increaseth it. They will say, 'twas a small matter, a little thing they stole, or took away; but to sin in a small matter may be found a great sin. What? will you break through the holy commands of God, and venture his displeasure for a trifle? though no man should encourage himself to sin, because he sinneth for a matter of importance, yet there is not only more folly, but more sinfulness in sinning for a little. Woe to those who sin for the greatest advantages, but more woe to those who value their souls, and the laws of God so little, as to disobey the one, and endanger the other, when scarce anything which the world calls advantage is to be had. It hath been said of old; If faith or an oath be to be broken, let it be broken for a kingdom; yet he will be found no gainer, who breaks his oath to get all the kingdoms of the world; what shall we say then of those poor low spirited persons, who sin (as we say) for six pence, and break the laws of God, for so poor a profit, as will hardly give them a break-fast. The sin of these oppressors is not yet full, see more and greater abominations then these.

The word which we translate needy, signifies to desire; they who have many wants have many desires, and the sense of our wants, is the spring of our desires; And though many who have no want in outward things are full of desires, yet the needy are properly the desirers; and whosoever desires much, either hath many wants, or is not satisfied with his fullness.

The Prophet ( Amos, Chap. 2.7.) reproving the Princes of Israel, saith, They turn aside the way of the meek, or (as others render) of the poor and afflicted. That speech of the Prophet seems to be of near alliance if not altogether the same in sense with this of Job, They turn the needy out of the way.

What way this should be is expounded four or five ways.

First, Some take it metaphorically, for a moral way. And that, first, the way of righteousness and equity. And the wicked turn the needy out of that way, either, first, by their evil examples, or secondly, by their threatenings and persecutions. The sinful practices of men in power, lead the needy, or the inferior sort into the practice of the same sins. And the oppressions of the mighty do even compel the needy to turn aside from the right way of getting their livings, to stealing and living by spoil and rapine, as they themselves do. When rich men oppress the poor, they turn the poor either to begging, or theeving. When men are vexed and molested in honest ways, they lie under a great temptation to turn and betake themselves to those ways which are dishonest. Paul saith of himself being a persecutor, that he compelled the professors of the Gospel to blaspheme, (Act. 26.11.) and this he effected in one or both the ways above specified, either first, by his example, he being a blasphemer (as he confessed, 1 Tim. 1.13.) they imitated him in blaspheaming or speaking evil of the ways of God, and of his people: or, secondly, he did it by his cruelty, vexing them so in the profession of Christ, that some who were unsettled fell away, and blasphemed the name of Christ, whom they had professed. But though this be a truth, yet I shall not give it as the intent of this place. Therefore

Secondly, They turn the needy out of the way; that is, out of the way of that justice or right which is due to them. And so it suites well with what he said before; they drive away the asse of the fatherless, &c. and they turn the needy out of the way; that is, from what is his right, or from all means of recovering his right.

Thirdly, They turn the needy out of the way; that is, out of the way of their livelihood; we commonly inquire, how doth such a man live? and 'tis answered, he lives in a very good way, he hath such a way of living, such a trade, calling, or profession; that's his way. Thus, to turn the needy out of the way, is to put them besides the way of getting their bread, and maintaining their families with necessaryes for this life. In a figurative sense, every man's profession and calling is his way, and he that molests him in it, turns him out of his way. As suppose a man live in the Country, where he keeps a farm, if his cattle be taken away, he is turned out of his way, he can live no longer in that way. He that takes away what is instrumental to a man in his calling, puts him out of his way; And he that disturbes a man in the work of his calling, turns him out of his way. Our ordinary work is our way, ( Psal. 1.1.) Blessed is the man that hath not stood in the way of sinners, that is, who hath not taken the course which (as such) sinners take. Now as a Godly man turns out of, or will not stand in the way of sinners; so oppressing sinners turn many that are needy and Godly out of the way of their lawful callings, and will not suffer them to stand or abide in them.

Secondly, We may understand this way properly for the way or road wherein men walk or travail upon their occasions, and then these words; They turn the needy out of the way, may be expounded, as an argument of the extreme pride of these Nimrods, or sons of violence. They caused the needy to turn aside out of the way to give them place, or they made the poor to keep out of their sight for fear of them, lest as they had already spoiled them of their estates, so they should also abuse their persons, and make them slaves. Thus they turned the poor out of the way; that is, they durst not come in sight for fear; this suites well with the last clause of the verse.

The word needy, in the former part of the verse (as was touched before) signifies one full of desires; here the word which we render poor, notes one that is humble, meek, lowly, not only one low in estate, but lowly in mind, not only him that is poor in purse, but poor in spirit; so 'tis translated, ( Zeph. 2.3.) Seek ye the Lord, ye meek of the earth, even these poor of the earth hide themselves together; wicked proud men make the poor seek corners; the poor have often had experience of their cruelty, and rough dealing, and therefore run together into holes and corners to hide themselves, as desireing rather the society of wild beasts, then of such beastly men. Further, the word which we render together, may be translated, alike; They hide themselves alike; that is, one poor godly man as well as another, they all fare alike, they deal no better with one then with another, none have hope to escape the hands of these unmerciful tyrants. Thus it was in the time of that great oppression which the Israelites were under by the Philistines; The Israelites hid themselves; When Jonathan and his Armor-bearer got up, and discovered themselves to the Garrison of the Philistines, the Philistines said, Behold the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves, (1 Sam. 14.11.) The Author to the Hebrews gives us a description of the poor Saints thus hiding themselves together, ( Heb. 11.37.) They wandered about in sheep-skins, and goat-skins, being destitute, afflicted, and tormented, they wandered in deserts, and mountains, in dens, and caves of the earth. The poor and meek of the earth hid themselves together.

Thus we have had a large enumeration of those violences which Job had observed among men, and men prospering in them. First, violence upon lands; secondly, upon cattle; thirdly, upon persons, the needy, and the poor are forced to run together into corners; While The sin of some increaseth, the affliction of others must needs increase.

Hence note.

They who at first wrong men in their lands, will not stick to wrong them in their cattle, and within a while, they make no bones to fall upon their persons.

Secondly, Note.

Job shows the worst of their doings last. 'It is bad enough to touch the goods of a poor man, but to trouble his person, or causelessly to make him hide his head, is far worse.

Thirdly, Note.

It is a sad time with poor men, most of all with poor godly men, when the wicked are exalted. Solomon gives us this note in express terms ( Prov. 28.28.) When the wicked rise (that is, when they rise in power and authority) men hide themselves, that is, good men hide themselves: poor men hide themselves when the wicked rise, but most of all such poor men as are godly. The reign of wicked men is the ruin of the godly. Which is more plain by the opposition made in the last clause of the verse; When the wicked rise, men hide themselves, but when they perish the righteous increase. In which Proverb, rising is opposed to perishing, but men and righteous are the same. When the wicked perish, those righteous men, who before hid themselves, appear, and show themselves again. Some poor men are turbulent, proud, intractable, seditious, men of unquiet spirits, if such be dealt with by justice, and made to hide themselves, they have their desert. But the poor who are also humble, meek, and of a quiet spirit, (as the word here imports) are the aim of the wicked. Such David found in his low estate, and against them he prayed ( Psal. 35.19, 20.) Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye (that is, let them not have occasion to contemn and despise me, of which, winking with the eye was a token) that hate me without a cause. For they speak not peace, but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land.

Lastly Note.

And therefore saith God ( Psal. 12.5.) For the oppression of the poor, and for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise and set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. Oppression may quickly empoverish the rich, but usually the poor fall under oppression; they that are full sigh when they are made needy and empty, when all is taken from them, but usually the needy and empty are made to sigh; for the oppression of the poor, will I arise saith the Lord. Rich and great men can defend themselves from oppression, but the poor have no shelter; rich men will purchase their right, but the poor who hath nothing to give, seldom finds a friend to deliver him, and get him his right. The storm falls upon the poor, and most upon God's poor, they are most subject, or lie most open to the evils of this world, of whom this present evil world is not worthy, and for whom the good of the next world is prepared. And therefore they should fly to shelter, while they are here, get under covert, run into the name of God for safety and protection; they who are most subject to oppression, need most protection. Some are so poor that they have nothing to loose, and so needy, that they need not fear oppression. They have neither bread to eat, nor clothes to put on, These are no bait for covetousness; But, they also are to be reckoned among the poor, who have no more then will save them from poverty; and they are among the needy, who have only so much as serves to supply their own needs. These poor and needy ones are game for the oppressors, these the Wolves and Lions of the earth make their prey. The oppression and wickedness of these hath ascended three steps, in the context now opened, They are first Land-invaders; secondly, Cattle-takers; thirdly, men-troublers. Job carrieth on the description of their wickedness yet further, in the following parts of this Chapter.

There is a difference in opinion among Interpreters about the subject of this verse, whom we are to understand under this description, As wild asses in the desert, going forth to their work. Some of Note conceive that the poor are the subject of these words, or the persons here intended. And then they hold forth the hardship and misery to which they were reduced by those merciless tyrants; Behold as wild asses in the desert, they go forth to their work. Oppressors did so vex them and strip them out of all, that they who heretofore had enough to live upon, were constrained to go forth today-labor and work for their living, at the command, or under the cruel bondage of those inhumane Taske-Masters.

Yet I conceive that we may more clearly expound these words as carrying a continued series of the practices of wicked men, who are here compared to wild asses; and there is a word in the 5 ^th verse which gives a special reason why this should not be understood of the poor or oppressed, but of the oppressor, where it is said, they rise betimes for a prey; now that word which we render a prey, cometh from a root which signifies to tear, to rend, to pull asunder after the manner of wild beasts; and is of the same sound as well as significatiō with our English word, tear, therefore it should rather be understood of oppressors, then of the oppressed; for a man that goes forth to labor, and work for his living, cannot properly be said to rise betimes for a prey, for he goes forth to get his bread honestly; now a prey is that which is got by violence; and the word is never applied to men, but in allusion to ravenous and devouring beasts. Jacob comparing his son Judah to a Lions whelp ( Gen. 49.9.) saith, From the prey, my Sonn, thou art gone up. So Moses (Deut. 33.20.) And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad; he dwelleth as a Lyon and teareth the Arm with the Crown of the head. And David praying to be delivered out of the hand of his enemy, gives this reason ( Psal. 7.2.) Lest he tear my soul like a Lyon, while there is none to deliver. So that the word noting properly the act of a ravenous beast who lives upon spoil and prey; It is very improper to apply it to the work of a laboring man, who lives and earnes his bread with the sweat of his brows. Yet I find that word signifying food in general ( Mal: 3.10.) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house. Which the interlineral renders, that there may be a prey in mine house; and another thus, that there may be that, which ye snatch, in mine house Surely the Lord strikes at some misdemeanor while he expresseth the food of the Priests & Levites, by a word signifying that which is torn away by violence. And (I conceive) it may either reflect upon the people who parted so hardly with the tithes which did belong to the Temple at that time, that they were rather torn or pulled from them by a kind of violence, then freely paid or brought in according to the Law of God: or it might reflect upon the extreme greediness of the Priests that did administer in the Temple, as if they did look upon the tyths, & their portiō in them, with as earnest desire as wild beasts hang over & wait for a prey. So that where this word is used to signify food, there is somewhat in the circumstance of the Text, which leaves a touch of rapine and violence upon it. And therefore it is not applicable to the earnings of honest laborers, but to the cruel gettings of thieves and oppressors. The mountains of prey, spoken of ( Psal. 76.4.) were either those places where conquering Armies divided the spoil after a victory obtained; or where robbers preyed upon passengers. And therefore I shall take the subject of this verse to be the oppressors of the poor, not the poor oppressed.

The particle of likeness as, is not in the Hebrew, nor yet the word Asses, expressly. And therefore M ^r Broughton reads strictly to the Original, Behold the wild in the wilderness go forth to their work. The word signifies wild at large; but because wild asses are extremely wild, therefore the word is specially applied to them. Thus the Angel said of Ishmael (Gen. 16.12.) And he will be a wild man.

The desert is the dwelling place of wild asses: Tame asses or asses brought to hand, are about the house, or in the enclosed pastures, but wild asses inhabit the desert. The word that we render desert, comes from a root that signifies to speak; and the desert is so called by the figure of Contrary speaking, because there is little or no speaking in deserts; many words are heard only in Cities or places where many people frequent. It signifies also to lay wast, because deserts are wast and barren places, in comparison of dressed and Enclosed grounds; such is the place whether these spoilers go forth as wild asses

But wild asses work not, only tame asses are laboring asses; So that the similitude runs not upon that point; yet we may say, wild asses have a work, and 'tis much like that which wicked men do in the dererts; they work there, but 'tis wild work, such as wild asses are busyed about, the getting of prey. They go forth to their work; and that word signifies not only a work, but an art, or a Craft. These spoilers were their Crafts-Masters, and could do mischief cunningly, as having been brought up as apprentices to it, or studied it like Scholars, they had well learned and were verst in their work, and what their work was we may learn in the next words.

Like workmen, like work. To take a purse, or spoil passengers, that's their work; And they get up and are out betimes about this work; For a prey, they rise betimes. The Hebrew is, They morning it; that is, they rise early in the morning; to do a thing in the morning, is in Scripture language, to do a thing diligently and with greatest Intention of spirit, because diligent active men are up early; so that to rise in the morning is not only an Expression of the time of their rising, but of their spirit and diligence at their work when they were risen, whensoever they rose. The whorish woman saith to the young man, ( Pro. 7.15.) Therefore came I forth to meet thee diligently, to seek thy face. The Hebrew is, To seek thee in the morning, or, to morning thee, and yet it was in the twilight in the evening, when she came out to meet him, as is expressed at the 9 ^th verse of the same Chapter. Here indeed in the text, To morning it, notes that they took the first of the morning for their work; rising betimes for a prey. And that not without success, as the last clause of the verse showeth.

Where have they their prey? The text answers, they have it in the wilderness. In the former part of the verse he spake of the desert, and in this latter of the wilderness, in both he means the same place, both import barrenness, wildnes and wastnes; M ^r Broughton translates; The vast-Ground giveth him bread for his young. We say, the wilderness yieldeth food for them, &c. It may seem strange that a wild wilderness, a wilderness untilled, unplanted, uninhabited, should yield them food.

I answer; First, The Scripture speaks of many wildeernesses that were planted & inhabited. John the Baptist preached in the wilderness of Judea (Math. 3.1.) And the wilderness had many houses if not towns in it, such wildernesses yield food in plenty. Secondly, the wilderness may be said to yield them food, not because they did live upon that which grew in the wilderness, or in these wast places, but because in the wilderness they took occasion to spoil and robb those that thorough it travailed to other places. Many get their livings there, where none live, and where nothing is to be had of the growth of the place to live upon. Outrages and robberyes are usually committed in such places. And therefore in the Prophesy of that great Peace which Christ should give to his Church ( Psal. 72.3.) It is said, The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills by righteousness; He names the mountains and the hills above other places, because in or upon them violence is often exercised; and to say, the mountains shall bring peace, is much more then to say the valleys and the Cities shall bring peace: when there is peace and safety upon hills and mountains, we may presume that there is peace everywhere. Therefore as when God promiseth ( Isa. 60.17.) that in the latter days he will make the officers among his people peace, and their exactors righteousness, he means that he will make all sorts of men peaceful and righteous, because he will make them such who are usually most troublesome and unrighteous officers and exactors: so when he saith the mountains shall bring peace, the meaning is, every place shall, or that the peace shall be universal in all places, because mountains and wildernesses are the places where robbers and spoilers take their prey, and get their subsistence. And hence it may well be answered, why Job saith, that the wilderness yielded them food, even because that place was fittest for them so rob and spoil in, who made the spoil of others their daily food. Thus the wilderness yields food for them

The word signifies any that are young, and is taken as well for servants as for Children (1 Sam. 21.5.) The vessels of the young men are holy, said David to the Priest concerning his followers. So (1 Sam. 25.9.) Thus here it comprehends all that are about them, even all their family and retinue. They and all theirs, all that belong to them have their food in the wilderness, that is, there they take opportunity by violence and oppression to maintain themselves and theirs.

Here we may consider, first, that Job calls these spoilers wild asses, nor doth the Scripture speak this in vain.

Hence note.

David compares the best of that sort, men in honor, to beasts ( Psal. 49.20.) Man (saith he) that is in honor and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish. David's man that understandeth not, is not a man without natural, but a man without true spiritual capacity and understanding; A man who fears not God, (for to fear God that is wisdom ) and who departs not from evil, for to depart from evil that is understanding (Job 28.28.) Now how great and large an understanding so ever any great and honorable man hath, yet if he hath not an understanding in these things, he is like the beasts that perish. It is not said he is like this or that beast, but he is like the beasts that perish. Take any beast, or all beasts, the worst of beasts, he is the picture of them all, and he daily exemplyfyes the vilest of their qualities in his own. The Prophet Michah (Chap. 3.1, 2, 3.) saith that of them, which speaks them rather beasts indeed then like beasts, Hear I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye Princes of the house of Israel, is it not for you to know Judgment? (as if he had said, who should if not you) who hate the good, and love the evil, who pluck off their skin from off them, & their flesh from off their bones, who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay off their skin, and break their bones, &c. How could the beast be more lively acted then by these men? Paul fought with beasts at Ephesus (1 Cor. 15.32.) which, I grant, may be expounded properly, and possibly best so, It being usual in those times of persecution under Heathenish power; to cast the Christians to the wild beasts, and for the common sort to cry out, Away with the Christians to the Lions; yet it is as true that Paul did fight or contend with beasts in the shape of men. And he speaks particularly concerning bloody Nero, A man in the highest honor of that age. (2 Tim. 4.17.) I was delivered out of the mouth of the Lyon. The Baptist called the Pharisees a generation of vipers, (Math. 3.7.) And Herod is called by Christ, that Fox, (Luk. 13.32.) And 'tis said of all ungodly men at once ( Rev. 22.15.) Without are Doggs. Wolves, Lions, Foxes, Vipers, Serpents; Doggs, the worst of Creatures for rapine and spoil, do but express the inhumanity and cruelty of wicked men. And because they are compared to wild Asses in the text, I will give you some paralels between them and the wild Ass.

First, In their lawlesnes and unsubjection to command: carnal men are lawles. The Apostle calls them so (1 Tim. 1.9.) Knowing this that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawles and disobedient; not that they have no law, but they live as if they had none, they who love to disobey the law are lawles, and embrace libertinism instead of liberty. Thus the wicked man is as the wild asse, for his licentiousness and lawlesnes; for so the wild asse is described in the 39 ^th Chapter of this book, verse the 5 ^th ; Who hath sent out the wild asse free? or loosed the bands of the wild asse? what's the freedom of the wild asse? not like that of men who have the privilege of freedom in an order, but to be free without order. The wicked would be where they will, and do what they list, this is the freedom of the wild asse. Now as God himself there puts the Question, Who hath sent out the wild asse free? who hath manu-mitted him? Surely no man hath done it, but God hath planted it in the nature of the wild asse to be free, and to live without bands or bounds. And if we should ask the Question, Who hath sent out wicked men free? and who hath loosed the bands of the wicked? The answer must be, Satan hath done it, and their own evil hearts have done it: they have broke the bands, and cast away all cords from them, they have set themselves free, in such a freedom as it is, which is indeed perfect thralldom to their own lusts, and the laws of the Prince of darkness; they are not free by being delivered from the bondage and condemnation of the law, but by casting off all obedience and submission to it.

Secondly, Wild asses are extremely violent and Impetuous in their desires or lusts. Jeremy expostulating with the Jews about their revolting from, and rebellion against God, compares them ( Chap. 2.24.) to A wild asse used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure, in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her, will not weary themselves, in her month they shall find her; there's no meddling, no dealing with the wild asse while lust is upon her, she will have the desire of her heart if she can. Thus wicked men are given up to and transported with their pleasures and inordinate affections, in their occasion, that is, when the heat of their intemperate desires or lusts, of any kind, are upon them, there is no turning of them; only, in their month, when sorrows and pains are upon them, they may be spoken with. We may also read both this sin and the reproof of that people in a like allusion ( Hos. 8.9.)

Thirdly, The wild asse is an Emblem of the wicked man, especially as he is an oppressor or tyrant in his unsociablenes; for as the asse refuseth society, so these are unfit for society, and are indeed enemies of mankind; They are unfit not only for spiritual, but also for Political, or Civil Society. God speaking of the wild Ass (in the 39 ^th Chapter of this book, v. 6, 7.) saith, Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings. He scorneth the multitude of the City, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver; the range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing. Though the oppressor live in the City, yet he is like the wild asse in this, he cares not to maintain society as he ought; he cares for the society of others only for himself, he scorneth the multitude of the City, he is for the range of the mountains, where he may take all he can get, he searcheth after every green thing, whatsoever hath pleasure or profit in it, he pursues it for himself.

This parallel might be drawn out further; wild asses (as Naturalists have observed) are fearful. Those Creatures that are most swift, are naturally most fearful; and their swiftness is a relief to their fearfullnes. Thus, wicked men are fearful. They only have true Courage who fear God, and where the fear of God is not, every other fear is, or every other thing is feared. They who find not a friend in their own consciences, are ready to suspect everyone for an enemy. So that though every wicked man would have all that he can get to himself alone, yet he dares not be alone in getting it. And upon those terms only he is willing that others should join with him in the profit, because he would have them join with him in the sin. ( Pro. 1.11.14.) Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, &c. Cast in thy lot with us, we will all have one purse. Wicked men are not for society, unless it be in wickedness, and yet theirs is not so much a society as a conspiracy. A wicked man, let his sin be what it will, is glad when he hath partners in doing it, or that others do the same with him, not only because he hath a suscipicion of the lawfullnes of what he doth, but also because he suspects some sudden danger in doing it. And hence some have noted that the woman, who committed the first sin, did not like to be alone in it, and therefore having eaten her self she gave the fruit of the tree to her husband to eat also; she desired an associate both to countenance her in the act, and to help bear her out in the consequents of it. And when they had both sinned, they shown themselves like wild Asses indeed, running into the thickets at the approach of God, there to hide themselves both for shame and fear. Behold as wild asses

Hence note.

That's their busienes. Therefore in Scripture they are often called workers of Iniquity; Implying that to do iniquity is their trade of life, or that which they live by and daily set themselves about. The work of God is none of their work, nor do they count it so, being (as the Apostle speaks, Tit. 1.16.) abominable, disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Good work is put into the hand of man by the hand of God, but they have their work from another hand, the lusts of your father ye will do (saith Christ to the Pharisees, Joh. 8.44,) that is, ye will do the devils work; That's their work, and they go forth to it as the honest laboring man goeth forth unto his work and to his labor until the Evening, (Psal. 104.23.) so the wicked man goeth forth to sin as to his work; And that he doth so is evident upon a four-fold account.

First, Because he doth not stumble upon it, but intends it; a godly man falls into sin, but to sin is not his intendment, a godly man may sin when he goeth forth, but he doth not go forth to sin, he doth not make it his buisines. That is properly a man's work, which he proposeth to himself to do, and purposeth to do.

Secondly, He goeth forth to it as to his work, for he delights in it; he is pleased with it. It is his meat and drink, yea his mirth and music to do evil. That is properly a man's work, which though it be painful to him to do it, yet he is pleased in doing it.

Thirdly, He goes forth to it as to his work, for he spends his spirits, his strength and time in it; we do many things which are not our work, they are but by-works, or beside our work, we bestow little of our time and strength in such things: that which a man bestows his time and strength upon, that whereat he labors to sweat and weariness of body, that's his work; now the time of wicked men runs out, and their strength is consumed in sinning, and though they are not weary of committing iniquity, yet they weary themselves (as the Prophet speaks, Jer. 9.5.) to commit iniquity, therefore that's their work.

Fourthly, Wicked men are skillful to sin, they sin with a kind of art, therefore that's their work; that which is a man's proper work, he hath knowledge about it, and is dextrous at; He doth not bungle, but makes clean work (as we say) of that which is his work. A Minister should preach the Gospel like a workman that needs not be ashamed (as the Apostle speaks.) The wicked sin like workmen, though the more they do so, the more cause they have to be ashamed. The Prophet ( Jer. 9.5.) bewailing the extreme sinfulness of those times, saith, They have taught their tongues to speak lies. As if they had studied the art and language of lying: while they told or made gross lies, they would not make them grossly, but with a kind of finenes and neatenes As though what a Godly man doth according to the mind of God, he doth by grace, yet he useth a kind of artificialnes in doing it; and is therefore exhorted to walk circumspectly or accurately; that is, to act all his duties with exactness; so, though what an ungodly man doth against the mind of God, he doth it by nature, or very naturally, yet he useth a kind of artificiallnes in doing it, and therefore he is said ( Psal. 50.19, 20.) To give his mouth to evil, and to frame deceit with his tonuge, to sit (as an artist at his work) and speak against his brother, and slander his own mothers son. Thus, they go forth to their work,

Whence observe.

To rise betimes, and to do a thing diligently, are the same in Scripture; ro rise betimes is to rise somewhat before the ordinary time of rising; Now, when a man breaks his sleep to go about his work, this shows that he is industrious at it. As some wicked men quickly throw off their sleep, that they may do mischief: So (which argues the same principle and spirit) Others sleep not unless they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. (Prov. 4.16.) Their own sleep is taken away, unless they take away somewhat which is not their own. They will defraud themselves of rest, rather then not defraud others of their right. They go not more unwillingly to prison after they have done evil, then they go to bed before they have done it. O how are they set upon mischief, whose sleep departs from them unless they do it, and who cannot rest unless they trouble others. The servants of God, when they are up in zeal cannot sleep unless they do good; as David speaks ( Psal. 132.4, 5, 6.) Surely I will not come into the Tabernacle of my house, nor clime up to my bed; I will give no sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eyelids, till I have found a place for God, &c. he was so zealous for God that if he could he would not sleep, he would forbid his own rest, though he had never so much mind to it, till he had finished that work for God. So saith the wicked man, I will give mine eyes no sleep nor slumber to mine eyelids till I have done this or that mischief, and brought my device to pass. When the wicked lie wakeing on their beds, what are they about then? their wakeing thoughts in the night are to do mischief in the morning. ( Michah 2.1, 2.) Woe to them that devise Iniquity, and work evil upon their beds. How do they work it upon their beds? they work it in their thoughts, in their inward shop, there they fashion it, and when the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand; they hinder themselves from sleep, that they may forward themselves in sin; The night is spent in Imagineing, and plotting, and the day in accomplishing what they have imagined and plotted. Their morning light is spent in the works of darkness, and the text saith, They practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. They never consider what is Just for them to do, but what they have power to do, if they have ability they want no will for the vilest practices.

Again, as they cannot sleep sometimes for devising evil, so when they have slept, their first waking thoughts are about evil; and this also is a further proof of their extreme industriousnes in doing evil. For as it is with a zealous Godly man, his first wakeing thoughts are with God, and Christ, or about his own soul, how God may be honored, & how his soul may be saved. ( Psal. 139.18.) O how precious are thy thoughts (that is, thoughts of thee) to me O God, how great is the sum of them! when I awake I am still with thee: that is, my thoughts and meditations are with thee as soon as ever I awake; here's the diligence of the soul after God: so the wicked man when he awakes he is still with sin; And if he cannot awake naturally soon enough to sin, he will force himself to awake: And so he may be said to awake to sin, before he is awake; for as some nurse up and feed their sleep when they are a little awakened, like the sluggard, yet a little slumber, yet a little sleep; so others offers violence to, or break their sleep, that is, as the text saith, they rise betimes, even before the usual time of rising, that they may get a prey. It is no wonder, if they who stick not at breaking the laws of God, break also the laws of their own rest.

Diligence is good about that which is good; it is good to be zealously affected always in a good matter, but zeal and diligence misplaced, how evil are they! it is better to creep in a good way, then to run in a wrong way; Even idleness is better then such diligence; yet they who misplace their zeal and diligence, are commonly more in both then they who place them right; and they who are in a false way, make more hast then they who are in a true. The Scripture notes the extreme Intensenes of the builders of Babel upon their work. And that's the strain of most men in such work as theirs was, the building of a Babel, or in doing that, which will be but a monument of their own pride and folly, or of their rebellion against and contempt of God. ( Gen. 11.6.) This they begin to do, and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have Imagined to do; if they have but a mind to it they will do it, let it cost what it will, neither difficulty nor danger shall restrain them. See also how Industrious the ten Tribes were in their Idolatrous worship which Jeroboam had set up, (1 Kings 12.30.) And this thing became a sin; for the people went to worship before the one even unto Dan; that is, they went a great way to worship; for howsoever Jeroboam pretended the ease and accommodation of the people in setting up those Calves ( ver. 28.) It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; Behold thy God's O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt (as if he had said, thy God's are at hand, or in thine eye, thou needest not toil thyself in going so far to serve them) yet Jerusalem was nearer unto most of the Israelites, then either Dan or Bethel were. For Bethel one of those places of worship was in the utmost bounds of the South ( Josh. 18.22.) & Dan the other place of worship was in the utmost bounds of the North, ( Josh. 19.47) so that they were willing to take more pains to follow the Idolatrous inventions of man, then to keep to the Institutions of God. Jerusalem was nearer to most of the ten Tribes then either Dan or Bethel; & yet thither they would go. All the way to sin, whether in ordinary practice or worship is down-hill to Nature, we have both the wind and tide of the world with us, will we set our faces helward; and to be sure, Satan will never check their diligence who are doing his work, nor take them off from their pace, who are going or Galloping his way. We have a clear evidence of this in the case of the worshippers of those two Calves in Dan and Bethel; and, it is further observed by some, that the Israelites grew so zealous in a short time in that abomination, that they who dwelt near Bethel did even disdain to worship at Bethel, they disdained to serve their God at their own doors, and therefore they that dwelt at or near Bethel would go to Dan and worship; and they that dwelt at or near Dan would go to Bethel to worship. The heart of man is so mad upon Idolatry, that he is willing to be at any cost or pains for it; He scorns to serve a false God at an easy rate, nor is he pleased (which is the only thing which pleaseth some who pretend to the true religion) with a cheap religion. You may lay what tax you will upon him, either of pains or purse, and he is willing, yea even ambitious to pay or perform it. Thus the blind votaries among the Papists at this day will needs go a Pilgrimage to remotest places, they will travayle to Jerusalem, and visit the Sepulcher, &c. these long Journeyes they glory in, it is but a step to them; hard penances, not only fastings but whippings they glory in. The nature of man will carry him two miles at his own bidding, rather then one at God's. How may it shame Godly men for their sloth in doing the will of God, when they hear how industrious evil men are in doing their own? how may it shame them, that they should take less pains to keep a righteous law, then many do to satisfy a filthy lust? Who like wild Asses go forth to their work, rising betimes for a prey. And whereas it follows.

Note.

They that live by rapine, will live anywhere; every man's estate is theirs, if they can but get it. They find a harvest in the wilderness, and riches in the desert.

Again, Note.

The light of nature teacheth parents to lay up for their children, and they who get an estate by wronging others, yet think they are bound to provide for more then themselves ( Nahum 11.12.) Where is the dwelling of the Lions, and the feeding place of the young Lions? where the Lyon even the old Lyon walked, and the Lions whelp, and none made him afraid. The Lyon did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and struggled for his Lyonesses. What did the Lyon? the Lyon did tear in pieces! and how much did he tear in pieces? not only enough to fill his own belly, but to feed his whelps, and his Lyonesses; He filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravine. Thus the Prophet describeth wicked men, providing not only for themselves, but for theirs, their young Lions and Lyonesses; The wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their Children.

Further, Some note the Consent of the whole family in wickedness, from these words; The wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their Children; that is, they all agree together, Master and Servants and Children, all agree together to do mischief, to spoil and oppress all they can. Where Parents and Masters are evil, Children and servants are seldom good. It is rare to see hearts united about that which is good, but they are often and easily united in that which is evil. Thus the Lord speaks to Jeremiah (Chap. 7.18.) Seest thou not what they do in the Cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; The Children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough to make Cakes to the Queen of heaven, &c. All were at work, busy, very busy they were about an Idolatrous service, the Children, the fathers, and the women act their several parts. So here, either they robbed for their children, or their children were robbers as well as themselves. The wilderness yieldeth food for them and their Children. Job proceeds in his narrative of their sin.

In the former verse Job spake of the oppression of persons, in this, he speaks of the spoiling of lands and fields; They, that is, the wicked, reap, everyone his Corn, that is, by their servants whom they set awork (They reap everyone his Corn) in the field.

But you will say, what hurt is there in that?

The meaning is, they reap the Corn which doth not belong to them. The Septuagint give that sense of the text expressly: They mowe, or reap the ground or field which is not theirs. And so M ^r Broughton, They reap the field that is not their own; Or if we keep to our reading, They reap everyone his Corn in the field; the sense is, wheresoever they find a field of Corn for their purpose, they pretend some title or other to it, they must have it as if it were their own. This is their sin, and the affliction of those who are their neighbors.

Note from it.

Job imprecates this punishment upon himself, in case he had done, or were guilty, as his friends had charged him, then let me sow, and let another eat, (Chap. 31.8.) And this is threatened ( Isa. 1.7.) Your land strangers devour in your presence; that is, they devour the fruits of it, the Corn which ye have sowed, and and the Cattle which ye have bred. ( Micah 6.15.) Thou shalt sow, but not reap; thou shalt tread the Olives, but not anoint thyself with the oil, and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine: others shall come and take it from thee. That Idle servant charged his Master ( Math. 25.24.) Thou reapest where thou hast not sown. It is the misery of some, that what they have sown is reaped by others, and 'tis a wickedness to reap where we have not sown.

That is, the grapes that grow in their vineyards. M ^r Broughton renders, The wicked snap off the vineyard grapes; they were in the Corn-fields before, now they are got into the vineyards.

But how is it said, They gather the vintage of the wicked? it seems strange that they being wicked should gather the vintage of the wicked? Some take it plainly thus; they oppress those that are as bad as themselves. And so we may take this note from it.

Wicked men spare neither good nor bad, neither friend nor foe; They spoil those that are as bad as themselves; we say a Wolf doth not prey upon a Wolf, nor a Lyon upon a Lyon, but it is otherwise with brutish men, they prey upon and devour one another.

Secondly, They gather the vintage of the wicked; that is, of those whom they Count to be wicked, and so fit to have their goods taken from them; they accuse them of wickedness, and put their names in their black book, as if they were dishonest; that's a truth also.

We have a great Instance of this about the taking of a vineyard (1 Kings 21.13.15.) Naboth was Innocent and honest; but Jezebel hired two men, to make Oath that he had blasphemed God and the King, and he was presently cast out and stoned: his was the vineyard of the wicked, because the wicked had a mind to it. Thus, under a pretence of some evil done, they really do evil: And having brought a false accusation against a man, they proceed to condemn his person and confiscate his estate, as if all were true.

There is yet another reading, (which we put in the margin of our Bibles) so plain in the letter, that it needs none of these Interpretations to make it out; The wicked gather the vintage; As they took away the Corn, so the wine also. We need not wonder, that they were so injuriously buisie to take that which was not their own, for they were wicked, and they that are so, make no bones of doing wickedly; a wicked man is ready for any sin, the vile person will speak villainy, and act villainously too.

Their progress in wickedness is further described by their incompassionatenes and Cruelty; when we see any naked we should Cloath them; but they caused the naked to lodge without Cloathing. And they might be said to do this two ways. First, by not giving them Cloathing; secondly, by taking away their Cloathing; for by naked, we may understand not only those that are quite naked, but (as was shown, Chap. 22.6.) those also that have but little Cloathing; they took away even that little from them, and so Caused the naked to lodge without Cloathing. We see by what steps of wickedness they proceeded, they not only spoiled them of their Corn and Wine, but pulled their very Cloaths from off their backs; 'tis bad enough not to clothe the naked, but to take away their clothing, and make them naked, that's worse. And (which they also did) to let them lodge without clothing is worst of all. To lodge without clothing, notes their continuance in that distressed state. The Prophet rebuking the Jews for their vain thoughts, puts them this question; How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee? Why do ye (as it were) make ready a room, and a bed for them? So while the naked lodge without clothing, they continue in nakedness. It is a great injury to take away a man's day-clothes from his back, but to take away his night-clothes from his bed, is yet more afflictive and injuririous. If a man have not clothing for his body by day, yet if he have clothing for his bed he may help himself, but to cause the naked to lodge without clothing, what Cruelty is this? And therefore the Law of God provided against it ( Deut. 24.12, 13.) Thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: In any Case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again, when the Sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment (that is, in his night-clothes, or bed-clothes) and bless thee, and it shall be righteousness to thee before the Lord thy God; That is, God will look upon this as a righteous act. The Lord was very tender in this point, he would not have the poor lodge without clothing; but some wicked men care not what the poor suffer, they neither regard whether they have any lodging, nor whether they have any clothes to lodge in. They cause the naked to lodge without Cloathing; so That (as it followeth in the text)

The word signifies to Cover as with a veil or with a garment. It is applied to the pardon of our sins, ( Psal. 32.1.) Blessed is the man whose sin is Covered. Their condition is most sad, who have no covering for their souls, yet theirs also is very sad who have no covering for their bodies in the Cold. To have no covering in the Cold winter nights, is not only uncomfortable, but dangerous. Death is a great cold, and it endangers life to have no covering in the cold, or in the frost, which is the extremity of cold. The word is used to signify frost, ( Gen. 31.40. ) Jacob tells Laban; Thus I was, in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night.

The Septuagint translate thus; They take away the Covering of their soul; what's that, you will say? in a spiritual sense, Christ is the only covering of the soul, But no tyrant can take away this. Therefore by the covering of the soul here, we are to understand that which is to a man as his life, take away that and you take away his life. The soul is often put for the body, and then the Covering here meant is the Covering of the body, or that covering that is nearest the soul, or nearest life, so that, there is a great elegancy and emphasis in it to say, They take away the Covering of their very soul; That is, they endanger their lives by it. Some translate to that sense, They take away the covering which is next their very skin, they would not leave them so much as a shirt, that's the Covering (in this sense) of the soul. And when we speak of the utmost rigor and cruelty of man towards man, we say (proverbially) He hath not left him so much as a shirt to his back. Yet the Prophet expresseth the rigorous cruelty of man to man, by taking away that which may much more be called the covering of their soul ( Mich: 3.3.) They eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them. Skin and flesh are indeed the Covering of the soul. To strip the poor to their skin, is to take away the Covering of their soul; How much more to strip off the skin from their flesh, and the flesh from off their bones. But, to the words of the text;

This hath in it a double Inhumanity; First, to expose them to extreme pain, and then to extreme shame. Not to have a covering is to be exposed to shame, not to have a covering in the cold is to be exposed to pain. But what becomes of the poor when they are naked, and have no covering in the cold, The next verse informs us about that.

Here's the shift these poor hearts are put to, they are wet with the showers of the mountains; that word which we render wet, is only found in this place in the Old Testament; it notes not only to be dashed with rain, but to be soaked thorough with it. We use to say of those who are very wet, that they are wet to the skin, but these being naked had nothing to wet but their skin, and their skin was (if it might be) soaked through with the wet, or they were thorough-wet with the showers of the mountains, that is, with those showers which they meet with upon the mountains; showers gather about high mountains, there the Clouds engender rain, and there the showers are bred. Travelers observe by the eye, how Clouds gather about the tops of mountains, and that the rain broods there. This is a further addition to the Cruelty of oppressors, and the misery of the oppressed; they took away their Cloaths, and turned them out of their houses naked into the open air, and left them to contend with cold and hunger, with all varieties of weather and danger among the mountains. It is some help to a man, if he have no Cloaths to cover him, yet to have a house to cover him; but to have neither body-clothes, nor bed-clothes, nor house, nor harbor, how sad is this! And being thus helpless, the next words show us what a poor shift they made.

When he saith, They embrace the rock, his meaning is, they make much of it, they are glad of it, for so we are of those things which we embrace; instead of soft warm beds, they were glad of cold hard stones to secure and shelter them from the rain. Again, They embrace the rock; that is, they go into the holes and clefts of the rock, they had houses (possibly) Palaces before, but now they are forced to dwell in the holes of the rock.

In as much as Job saith, they did not only go to the rock for shelter, and make a shift with it, but embrace and hug it, as being joyful they had it.

Note.

He that is turned out naked and hath no Cloaths to Cover him, would be glad to have a thatched house, or the meanest Cottage to hide himself in; he that hath no house is glad if he can have but the hole of a rock. ( Lam. 4.5.) They who were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills; he doth not say, they are thrown upon dunghills, but they embrace them, they that were bred up in scarlet, are now glad of a dunghill to scape in, there to find a mouldy crust to eat, there to pick up an old dirty rag to cover their nakedness with, or old shoes to put upon their feet. So it was in the great famine and desolation of Jerusalem. And so it was during the late wars in Germany, and the later, in Ireland. Some have fought and contended for a piece of Carrion, for a piece of a dead Horse, nay for a piece of a dead man; that which stunck above ground, they contended for, and having won it, they embraced it and made dainty of it, as of the most pleasant meat. We that are in our fullness, and plenty, we that have abundance, slight and make light of many good things; but we may soon be so straitened and put to it, that we would be glad to embrace a rock, or a dunghill, that we would be glad of the crumbs that fall from our tables, and of the worst scraps we leave upon our trenchers. Thus the old Saints are described ( Heb. 11.36.) glad they were of Caves and Dens, they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens, and Caves of the earth, being destitute, afflicted, and tormented; they were glad to live among the wild beasts, when they could not live quietly among men. When the wind and the Sun beat upon the head of Jonah, the text saith, Jonah was glad of his gourd, a thing of little value, very mean, and fadeing in it self; yet when the Sun shined hot, and the wind beat strongly upon him, then he was glad of a gourd. In times of plenty and peace, wre are scarce thankful for goodly houses, for full tables, and rich Cloaths; But a little and that course food will cause the hungry to be thankful. The naked will catch at old rags, and they who have no house will embrace a rock. There is a rock, a mystical rock, whom the Saints embrace for a shelter, and rejoice in above all the goodly houses in the world, yea above this whole world. Christ is a rock to be embraced in our best days as our best shelter, and in our bad days he is our only shelter. And while we are constrained by outward wants to embrace natural rocks for the shelter of our bodies, let us remember, how our inward and spiritual wants, do always contstrain us to embrace that mystical rock, for the shelter of our souls.

Lastly, Observe.

We have seen in this context several steps of cruelty, men ravening for their prey like wild beasts, men invading the harvest and the vintage of their neighbors, men robbing both the fatherless and the widow, men pulling clothes from the backs of the poor, and exposing them naked to the cold, and to the rain, to the mercy of rocks and mountains. Thus, man who should be a God to man, kind, merciful, charitable, bountiful, courteous, proves himself a Devil to man, churlish, cruel, merciless, yea such that even his tender mercies are cruel. How cruel are their cruelties, whose mercies, whose tender mercies are cruel!

They, that is, the oppressors before spoken of, do it, either with their own hands, or 'tis done at their command by their ministers and instruments.

The word notes an act of violence, they lay violent hands upon the fatherless. Who are meant by the fatherless, hath been opened more then once already. Here the fatherless are taken, not largely for any that are destitute of help and means, as the word is often used in Scripture, but strictly, for children whose fathers are lately dead, and they yet in their minority, yea in their infancy, and in the first of their infancy, sucking children, children hanging upon their mothers breasts; which exceedingly heightens the cruelty of these oppressors. To use any violence to the fatherless, though grown up, is (as hath been shown) a great wickedness, to use violence towards fatherless infants is much more wicked, but to pull fatherless infants from their mothers or nurses breast (which is all the livelihood a child hath) this is utmost wickedness. And this is not only an affliction to the children, but to the mother, a disconsolate widow, who having lost her husband, is now bereaved of her child also. Thus they add affliction to the afflicted, and sorrow to the sorrowful.

'It is here inquired, what should move them to pluck the fatherless from the breasts, or what their intent might be in this barbarous action?

Some answer, That it was their covetousness which moved them to be cruel; They pulled the children from their mothers breasts, that so their mothers might be the fitter to do them service; they would needs wean the children before they were fit, that the mother might be the more fit to labor, and toile for them; or they plucked the fatherless from the breast, to sel them and to make money of them; when they had murdered the father, and taken all from the widow, they made their markets of their children. So we may interpret that of the Prophet ( Isa. 10.2.) Woe to them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness, which they have prescribed, to turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless. So we read, implying that they took away the estate of the fatherless, and so robbed them. Others give this sense of th • se words, that they took away the persons of the fatherless, or more plainly, thus, That they stole away fatherless children, and sold them into slavery. There is a generation among us, called spirits, who pull children from the breast, or enveigle away such as know not their right hand from the left, to make merchandize of them. The smell of gain is sweet to some from anything, even from the sale of poor fatherless children.

Secondly, Others read the text thus; They pluck from the fatherless that which was left after the prey or destruction; for the word which we translate breast, is derived from a root which signifies to destroy or lay wast; so the sense is given thus; They take away from the fatherless, even that poor pittance which was left after they had made havoc of all that was their fathers.

What a pledge is hath been opened ( Chap. 22.6.) The words may also bear this translation, They take that which is upon the poor for a pledge, namely, their raiment, not only the clothes which they have by them to spare, (a poor man may have a little change) but the clothes which they actually wear. How contrary this practice was to the Law, hath been shown before, which forbad to take a pledge of such things, as without which the poor cannot conveniently subsist.

There is a third reading, which saith not as we, they take a pledge of the poor, but, they take the poor for a pledge. Of which cruelty we read (2 Kings 4.1.) where the poor widow complained to the Prophet, that her husband being dead, the creditors were come, and had taken her two sons to be bond men. Thus here when they had gotten their cattle (as was shown before) and their clothes from their backs, then they must have their bodies too, to be slaves and drudges. Here first, I might note, That the sin of oppression is aggravated in reference to the persons upon whom it is exercised. But because it hath been observed from other passages both of this and former Chapters, how sinful it is to oppress those, whom we are bound to relieve, and to vex those, whom we ought to comfort; I shall not insist upon it in this place. But

Observe, Secondly.

As it hath been said of envy, so we may say of covetousness, Covetousness, whether wilt thou? whether wilt thou lead, or rather hurry and force worldly men? covetousness carries those who are under the power of it no man knows whether: who can tell where he shall stop or stay when he is once under the power of the spirit of covetousness? such will not spare either the fatherless, or the widow, not the clothes upon their backs, no nor their backs nor bodies. If a covetous eye can but discern any advantage to be made, it will have body and all. There is no sin so heinous, none so base, and sordid, but covetousness may be both the mother, and nurse of it. A covetous man will not forbear either for the cruelty of the sin, or for the sordidnesse of it; Covetousness is a sordid lust; Covetousness is earthy, and mudds our spirits in earthly things. When the spirit of a man is once embased by covetousness, he is ready to do any base thing. There is nothing here below, lower then that Spirit. And hence the Apostle concludes (1 Tim. 6.10.) That the love of money (which is covetousness) is the root of all evil, that is, any evil of sin may grow up from that root; and therefore the Apostle adds in the same place, That, while some have coveted it, they have erred from the faith. Covetousness is the root of heresy, which we may think far removed from it. But (saith he) such have erred from the faith; which may be understood of erring from the faith, both in regard of practice, and of doctrine; They have both acted and believed against the rule of faith for filthy lucre; and so have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Covetousness runneth us into all evil, and provokes many to do such things as pierce themselves through with many sorrows as well as others. Covetousness pierceth the poor and needy, the widow and the fatherless with many sorrows, nor doth it spare its own Master, or slave rather, but pierceth him likewise through with many more and much worse sorrows.

The 7 ^th verse spake the sense of this; They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, and they have no covering in the cold. Job toucheth upon their cruelty again and again. They cause him to go naked withoat clothing. They will not allow him so much as those things which are for necessity. The word him, is not expressly in the Hebrew, which runs only thus; They cause to go naked without clothing; as implying, that they were ready to exercise this inhumanity upon any one that came next to hand, or stood in their way. Our Translation seems to refer it to those poor taken for a pledge, and so the difference between this 10 ^th and the 7 ^th verse is this; in the 7 ^th verse he spake generally of the poor, whom they made to go naked; here at the 10 ^th verse he speaks of those whom they had taken to be their slaves, and servants; they take the poor for a pledge, and cause him to go naked without clothing; they take his work, but they give him no clothing, they command his labor, but deny him relief. Which sense is carried further, both in the next verse, and in the next clause of this verse.

Some render, they take away the ears of corn, that is, the gleaneings which the poor have picked up and gathered together; They take away the very gleaning from them, & that two ways, either, First, they will not suffer the poor to glean after their reapers; This is to take away the ears of corn from the hungry; such is the cruelty of some, that they will not suffer the poor to glean in their fields; or, secondly, when the hungry have gleaned a few ears of corn, they take all away from them. Against which cruelty to the poor the Law of Moses provided, Deut. 24.19, 20, 21. When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it, it shall be for the stranger, for thr fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. Now, if the forgotten sheaf must be left for the poor, surely the scattered ears must not be raked up from them. We have an eminent instance of the liberty of gleaning in the second Chapter of Ruth.

Again, By the sheaf which is taken away, we may understand that little corn which the poor man hath of his own growing in his own field. And Job speaks in the singular number, the sheaf, implying that the poor man hath not many sheaves, his corn makes but a sheaf as it were; as the poor man in the parable (2 Sam. 11.11.) had but one lamb, he had not a flock, so the poor man hath but a sheaf, he hath not many sheaves, and shocks of corn, he hath not barns full, as the rich man is described▪ Luk. 12. he hath but a sheaf, yet they take that away.

Thirdly, The word which we translate, sheaf, signifies a measure which did contain a convenient quantity for a days provifion; This measure the Jews call An Omer ( Exod. 16.16.) This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, gather of it every man to his eating an Omer for every man according to the number of your persons, take ye every man for them which are in his tents, ye shall have an Omer for every man; So that an Omer contains a convenient quantity for one man's provision for a day, and then the sense ariseth thus, they take away the Omer from the hungry; that is, they take away mere necessary food or daily bread from the hungry. The poor man hath but an Omer, just enough for a day, as our Savior teacheth us to pray, Give us this day our daily bread, or the bread of our necessity, so much bread as will suffice us for a day, our Omer; how much soever we have we are to ask no more, and usually poor men have no more. The rich have food aforehand, or food for many days or years, as he said to his soul (Luk. 12.19.) soul thou hast goods laid up for many years, he was beforehand with the world; but the poor man hath only enough for a day, if he hath that, and that these oppressors took away; They take away the sheaf, or the Omer from the hungry.

The hungry is put for the poor; and to aggravate the sin, 'tis said, they take away the sheaf from the hungry; That is, before the poor man hath eaten his belly full, yea before he hath broken his fast, they find the poor man hungry, and so they leave him; for they leave him nothing to appease his hunger with;