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Angels are servants, as they are messengers, guardians, who comfort and support the saints in all their distress, and carry their souls to heaven at death, and they will gather the elect together at the last day; and it is more honourable to serve God, than to rule the world.

"Since God does not trust the angels, who excel in strength and wisdom, let us learn to trust in God alone, renouncing all dependence on the wisest and best of men. And how absurd and foolish must it be to court or confide in an arm of flesh, after the imperfection of angels is laid before us! Eliphaz prosecutes his argument. If angels, the chiefest and choicest of creatures, ought not to be trusted, what is man?

"Verse 19. " How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?’

"This, and the two following verses, describe man as a material mortal substance, and points out the shortness of life, the imperceptible nature of death, and its lasting consequences; yet how stupid! he dies, no man regarding it. But man is more than dust and clay. But what then? doth not their excellency go away, and where is he? Even their wisdom decays while they live, and their learning cannot prevent death.

"Now, if angels cannot approve themselves in God's sight, how much less can man, whose noble and spiritual substance dwells and acts in a body composed of corruptible clay? Yet

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it is called a house, because the soul lodges in it, and it is a comely fabric, so compact together, that the most curious buildings in the world are but rude heaps compared to it. Thus the infinite wisdom and power of God is displayed and magnified. But however beautiful a man may appear, he is at his best estate but vanity, the foundation is in the dust. It is foolish to bestow much pains and cost to trim the body, to the neglect of the precious soul. Man is crushed as it were with a moth. Death seizes upon, and consumes us secretly and silently, Isa. 1. 9. They are crushed as a moth,

Ps. xxxix.

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"Verse 20. They are destroyed from morning to evening; they perish for ever without any regarding it.'

"That is, they are liable to destruction every moment. They perish. The word is often used for the dissolution of soul and body; for ever, that is, as long as this world lasts. It notes the utmost term of time, not (that which is without term) eternity. Death puts an end to the business of this world, and to both temporal and spiritual enjoyments, Isa. xxxviii. 18.

"They perish for ever without any regarding, or without any laying it to heart. Solomon says, 'the living will lay it to heart.' He speaks probably, that if any man will at any time lay death to heart, then surely he will, when he goes to the house of mourning.

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make a stop at one that lies gasping and dying, but let a cloth be thrown over him and put into the grave, then we go to our business,

buying and selling, yea to coveting and sinning, as if the last man were now buried. Thus men perish for ever without any regarding. Thoughts of death have life in them, when spiritualized and laid to heart.

"Verse 21. Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die even without wisdom.'

"Not only the house of clay, but the excellency of beauty, wit, riches, honour, &c.; all the goodliness of it fades away; the adorning and polishing goes away. Psa. xlix. 16. His glory shall not descend after him.' One of the ancients standing by Caesar's tomb, wept and cried out, 'Where is now the beauty of Cæsar? What is become of his magnificence? Where are the armies now? Where are now the honours, triumphs, and trophies of Cæsar? All is gone; all is departed; his excellency is gone away.' Nothing will stay and go with us, when death comes, but the excellency of the knowledge of Christ.

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They die even without wisdom; that is, they prepare not wisely for death, they die before they understand what it is to live, or why they live. He that dies unprepared, dies foolishly. To live meditating on, and preparing for death is wisdom. But it is such a wisdom as is above man; therefore David, Psa. xxxix. 4, prays, Lord make me to know mine end, &c. None can teach us this lesson but God himself; for we may preach and you hear about death, &c. and yet remain ignorant of numbering our days aright. Psa. xc. 12. 'So teach

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us to number our days,' &c. as if Moses had said, I have been numbering my days, and I can tell no farther than three or four score ; yet I cannot apply my heart unto wisdom. To number our days so as to apply our hearts unto wisdom, is a special part of wisdom."

CHAPTER V.

"From verses 1-5, contains the 4th argu

ment.

"He compares and finds Job very unlike the saints. Scarce any of them ever suffered such things as thou hast done. But none of them, under their afflictions, ever behaved as thou dost; and when compared to the wicked he finds him like to them. Thou repinest and vexest thyself after the manner of foolish and silly wicked ones.

He would next prove Job an hypocrite, from his sufferings being similar to the judgments which God pours upon the wicked.

"Verse 1. Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?'

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"God hath given us examples to walk by. He saith, Be ye holy, for I am holy,' and Christ is not only the principle of holiness, but also the pattern of holiness. 1 Pet. ii. 21,

Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example;' and Matt. ii. 29, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me.” It is a yoke of af

fliction as well as of instruction. He calls it

his yoke, not only because he appoints it for his people, but because, as a servant, he bore that yoke himself. It is not only, take my yoke upon you for the matter, but learn of me the manner how to bear it. Besides these unerring examples, the saints are held up to our imitation. Take, my brethren, the prophets for an example of suffering affliction and of patience. It was certainly a good advice to Job, to look to, and compare himself with, the saints. From which of them have you learned to be proud, or earthly-minded, or impatient under the hand of God? That man hath reason to suspect he hath done evil, who does what a good man never did, or ever repented having done it. Thus Eliphaz ranks Job with the wicked, because (he thought) he could not find any of the saints like himself, and (in his opinion) he might see himself very like the wicked.

"Verse 2. For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.'

"The word fool, signifies one who is either master but of little knowledge, or that which he has masters him. Eliphaz seems thus to number Job with fools, because he conceived him rash and intemperate, having no government of himself.

"He speaks as if Job's complaints arose from these two impure and filthy springs, wrath and envy. As if he had said, Thou art wroth at thine own poverty, sickness, and sores, and envious at the plenty, health, and ease of others. And may not folly and simpli

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