viction, or strengthens suspicion. And if Job had held his peace, he had either confessed himself guilty, or caused his friends more and more to suspect his sincerity. To right ourselves is not a matter of indifference but of duty.

"Verse 2. Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed.' Weighed so exactly as that there might be a clear discovery how heavy my sorrows really are, Job desires to be weighed in an even balance.

"And my calamity laid in the balances toge ther.' It is our duty to weigh all the circumstances of our brother's affliction thoroughly, and put ourselves in the case of the afflicted, and thereby make another's grief our own. Until this is done, we should neither judge nor censure any person.

Observe, that no man who is not, or hath not been afflicted, can conceive what another suffers who is under affliction. Job seems to have thought that his friends had not duly considered his afflictions; for if they had, he adds,

"Verse 3. For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea.' Who can tell what that is in weight which is heavier than the heaviest? For although the sand of the sea were laid into one heap it would not be so heavy as my present distresses.

"Hence observe afflictions are heavy bur dens. The judgments of God are often called burdens. As man by sin burdens God, so God by affliction burdens man. Sins are heavy bur dens to the godly. Job's pained body was a

heavy affliction, but the distress in his mind seems to have been still greater.

Therefore my words are swallowed up.' That is, I want words to express my grief; and not to be able to express our grief is a great aggravation and increase of it. Some afflictions exceed all complaints, and are too big for expression. Some read, Therefore my words are bitter, I feed upon gall and wormwood, and no wonder if my words taste of them.'

"Verse 4. For the arrows of the Al mighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit; the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.'

"Job compares his afflictions to an arrow for sharpness, and to an army for terribleness. Afflictions are like arrows, swift, sharp, secret, killing; they are called the arrows of the Almighty, because they are sent home to the mark with a force that shows that his arm bends and draws the bow; besides those shot into Job are compared to poisoned arrows which kill by infection. The word for terror signifies the most terrible affrightment, they are the same. The arrow is the affliction itself, and the terror is the consequence of it.

"The providence of God observes a rule, and is harmonious even in those things that appear to us a heap of confusion. The word is applied to the marshalling of an army, So when Job says, the terrors of God are set in array, it intimates that God determined to afflict him by a regular attack.

"Observe 1. When God by a multitude of afflictions appears as an enemy to his servants, they can hold out no longer.

• Know

"2. These wounds make our hearts bleed most, which we apprehend are from his anger whom we have chosen as our only friend. "The apostle, 2 Cor. v. 11, says, ing experimentally, or by faith, the terrors of the Lord, we persuade men.' Oh take heed; provoke not the terrors of the Lord against you. The troubles and terrors which are upon the spirit far exceed all other distresses.

"Sinners, and secure ones, what will you do when God brings armies of terrors to charge upon you? Isaiah xxxiii. 14. If those who have a shield of faith to keep off these arrows, and Christ for a refuge to flee unto, are thus afraid when these terrors are arrayed against them, what will become of you' who have neither shield nor shelter?

"Verse 5. 'Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?'

"This is as if Job had said, both wild and tame creatures are content when they have plenty of suitable food; and thereby owns that he would be more unreasonable than the brute beasts if he complained without sufficient rea

son.

"Those who bray and low over their grass and fodder, discover the want of a gracious principle; for true grace will not bray or low even when there is no grass or fodder; spiritual

enjoyments will make a good man put up temporal inconveniencies.*

with

"Verse 6. • Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the white of an egg?'

"Unsavoury refers to indiscreet speeches, which want the seasoning either of wit, wisdom, or truth, which gives a seasoning to words, as salt gives a relish to meat.

"The white of an egg is an emblem of things without taste; and so the sum of all is, that Job said he had very insipid, tasteless things presented to him.

"Verse 7. The things that my soul refused to touch, are as my sorrowful meat.' Some say the sorrowful meat is a representation of his afflictions from the hand of God. Others that they refer to the reproofs and councils of his friends. I am made to feed upon that which I would not willingly come near, sores and sorrows are my companions; or Job alleges that the speech of Eliphaz was misapplied and unsuitable. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. Col. iv. 6. Not only with the salt of truth, but with wisdom and discretion, and therefore it is added, 6 that ye may know how to answer every man' that is, that what you say may be fitting his case and present condition.

Observe, that not only untrue, but also

*Since Job was deprived of, all his comforts, he must be a stock or a stone, and not have the sense of an ox or a wild ass, if he did not give some vent to his grief.

misapplied words, are unsavoury, and may be hurtful.*

Job having defended his former complaint of life, and desire of death, renews his request, and enlarges his reasons for it.

"Verse 8. O that I might have my request!' Hebrew, who would give me that my request? the word notes a strong desire and prayer. Christ uttered strong cries to be delivered from death, and Job sent up strong cries for death.

"And that God would grant me the thing that I long for. From this it appears that

Job was satisfied that his comforts should not end, though his life ended before his earthly comforts were restored, and thus he seems to answer Eliphaz who made great promises of outward felicity.

"Verse 9. Even that it would please God to destroy me.' Some read, that he who hath begun, would make an end in destroying me. All on a sudden, some express a wish to die; and hastily call for death; but Job repeats his request; That he would let loose his hand and cut me off. The word signifies to loose the bond.

It is improper to use ourselves or our children to be nice and dainty about meats or drink, because we know not how we or they may be reduced, nor how that which we now disdain may be made acceptable by necessity. He complains he had nothing offered him that was proper for his relief; what they offered was in itself tasteless, and, when applied to him, as loathsome as the most sorrowful meat.