enjoy him, nor he the world. This is what is meant by I am not, or man's not being. "We must shortly go to converse with things that are not seen, that are eternal. Thou canst look me into eternity, and frown me into the grave when thou pleasest. Should'st thou displeas'd give me a frowning look, "In the two following verses, Job explains the above by a similitude. 6 "Verse 9. As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away.' Hebrew, It goeth or walketh away. The sins of believers are compared to a cloud, and the consuming of them is similar to pardoning them, Isa. xliv. The sins of natural men are as an abiding cloud; but the sins of the saints are a vanishing cloud. Nothing can consume a cloud of guilt but the power of mercy, and a gale of love breathing through the covenant of grace. Man's life is like a vapour that vanisheth away. "So he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. That is, till the general resurrection. Dying is a work that is to be done but once, and therefore it has need to be well done; happy, and only happy, are they that die in the Lord. "Verse 10. He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.' For as the little hills are said to rejoice at the showers, so, when a man comes home, his house and all that he hath, may be said to have a tongue to bid him welcome; but when he dies, he shall return no more, and then his place shall know him, that is, receive him, no more. "From these two verses, observe, That the wind, the vapours, and the clouds, at once show forth the majesty and glory of God, and the meanness and insignificance of man. Out of the same text of the creature, we should learn the infinite wisdom and power of God, and the frailty and mortality of man. This consideration should excite us to adore and trust in God, and abase ourselves before him. "Verse 11. Therefore I will not refrain my mouth, I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.' "As if Job had turned all his reason into will, and his will into passion, he repeats, I will, three times in this verse. "Since death, by the appointment of God, is the end of outward trouble, I will yet farther lay open my miseries before the Lord, and beg of him to hasten me through this land of sorrow, that I may see an end of these troubles, so I will take my fill of complaining. The word rendered complain, signifies to meditate, and implies a forming of what we would say in our thoughts; prayer is expressed by the same word, because it is first formed in the heart. A pained body causes the soul complain, but instead of relief, he usually gets a fresh wound, who is either too loud or too long 130 in his complaints, as it is too evident Job was, notwithstanding his great distress. "It is better to die praying and praising, than quarrelling and complaining. "Verse 12. Am I a sea or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?' "Job seems to allege, that God was dealing with him in a way not common to man, but as if he needed to be restrained, or tamed, like the boisterous ocean, or outrageous whale. "The word watch, signifies to guard a thing so narrowly, as that it can neither escape nor do hurt; in Psa. xxxix. the same word is used for setting a watch on the tongue. There is great need to set a watch, and also to pray to God to set a watch on it, to prevent us from swallowing our neighbour's good name, or injuring ourselves by it. "Some render, Am I a sea or a whale, that thou shouldest inclose me in a prison? "As man is compared to a sea, for boundless desires, constant motion, &c. so for casting up mire, every wind of temptation stirs up the filthiness of the heart. "Our fretting and repining under the afflictions he appoints us, shows that we think there is no occasion for them; whereas we are never in heaviness, but there is a need for it in the sight of God. "Verse 13. When I say my bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint.' "The word for comfort, signifies also to mourn and repent; because godly sorrow precedes true comfort. There is a special pro mise to the sick, or rather to him that considers the poor, Psa. xli. God will make his bed easy and comfortable in his sickness.' Common mercies are to some special blessings. As some enjoy riches and honour by common providence, while others have them by a particular and special promise, and so it is with sleep. The bed is said to comfort, because it is well calculated to recruit and refresh the languishing. But from hence observe, that the most proper means cannot give either ease or comfort of themselves; it is only the blessing of God along with the best means that can render them beneficial. So we see that Job had neither comfort in his bed, nor ease in his couch; for, "Verse 14. Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions.' "Scarest is often rendered contrite, which implies breaking of the heart by godly sorrow. So I am, as it were bruised, and broken by dreams; for if I have any sleep, it is so far from refreshing, that I am terrified through visions. "An image or similitude is always represented to, or formed in, the fancy, or it cannot be a dream. Our sleeping, as well as our waking times, are in the hand of God; so without leave, Satan cannot disturb by night or by day. "Let us pray to God, that we may neither be defiled nor disquieted by dreams. God can easily make that our punishment which has often been our sin, as by the rovings of an un sanctified fancy we often contract guilt. Let us seek refreshing sleep from God, and bless him when he bestows it. What awful impressions dreams and visions made on Job's mind, is apparent from "Verse 15. So that my soul chooseth strangling and death, rather than my life.' "Job gets more and more immoderate in wishing for relief from his present distress; so that he would prefer a violent death to his life. But surely this is his infirmity; yet he still perseveres in the same style. "Verse 16. I loathe it; I would not live alway; let me alone, for my days are vanity.' "To loathe, signifies the greatest aversion possible. And what a man loathes he longs to be rid of; and trouble makes a little time seem long. "Let me alone. Deliver me from this woful condition, either by a recovery or by cutting me off: for my days are vanity; that is, they are inconstant, unsatisfying, and disappoints our expectations. Let us, therefore, set our affections on things above, which indeed like this world promiseth much, but is very different as to performance: for it will far exceed the promise, and go infinitely beyond the highest expectation of the believer. It is said, Christ shall come to be admired of his saints; the enjoyments shall go so far beyond their apprehension, that they will be swallowed up in admiration; and there is a something in the joy and peace in believing, that will make every soul who has experience |