Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 3.djvu/40

32 of that house of clay in which man dwells, is in the dust. A house of clay, if built upon a rock, might stand long; but, if founded in the dust, the uncertainty of the foundation will hasten its fall, and it will sink with its own weight. As man was made out of the earth, so he is maintained and supported by that which comes out of the earth. Take away that, and his body returns to its earth. We stand but upon the dust; some have a higher heap of dust to stand upon than others, but still it is the earth that stays us up, and will shortly swallow us up. [3.] Angels are immortal, but man is soon crushed, the earthly house of his tabernacle is dissolved, he dies and wastes away, is crushed like a moth between one's fingers, as easily, as quickly; one may almost as soon kill a man as kill a moth. A little thing will do it; he is crushed before the face of the moth, so the word is. If some lingering distemper, which consumes like a moth, be commissioned to destroy him, he can no more resist it than he can resist an acute distemper, which comes roaring upon him like a lion. See Hos. v. 12, 14. Is such a creature as this to be trusted in, or can any service be expected from him, by that God who puts no trust in angels themselves?

(2.) Look upon him in his death, and he appears yet more despicable, and unfit to be trusted. Men are mortal, and dying, v. 20, 21. [1.] In death, they are destroyed, and perish for ever, as to this world; it is the final period of their lives, and all their employments and enjoyments here; their place will know them no more. [2.] They are dying daily, and continually wasting; destroyed from morning to evening; death is still working in us, like a mole digging our grave at each remove, and we so continually lie exposed, that we are killed all the day long. [3.] Their life is short, and in a little time they are cut off; it lasts perhaps but from morning to evening. It is but a day; (so some understand it;) their birth and death are but the sun-rise and sun-set of the same day. [4.] In death, all their excellency passes away; beauty, strength, learning, not only cannot secure them from death, but die with them; nor shall their pomp, their wealth, or power, descend after them. [5.] Their wisdom cannot save them from death; they die without wisdom, die for want of wisdom, by their own foolish management of themselves, digging their graves with their own teeth. [6.] It is so common a thing that nobody heeds it, or takes any notice of it; they perish without any regarding it, or laying it to heart. The deaths of others are much the subject of common talk, but little the subject of serious thought.

Some think the eternal damnation of sinners is here spoken of, as well as their temporal death. They are destroyed, or broken to piieces, by death, from morning to evening; and if they repent not, they perish for ever, so some read it, v. 20. They perish for ever, because they regard not God and their duty, they consider not their latter end, Lam. i. 9. They have no excellency but that which death takes away, and they die, they die the second death, for want of wisdom to lay hold on eternal life. Shall such a mean, weak, foolish, sinful, dying, creature as this, pretend to be more just than God, and more pure than his Maker? No, instead of quarrelling with his afflictions, let him wonder than he is out of hell.

CHAP. V.

Eliphaz, in the foregoing chapter, for the making good of his charge against Job, had vouched a word from Heaven, sent him in a vision. In this chapter, he appeals to those that bear record on earth, to the saints, the faithful witnesses of God's truths, in all ages, v. 1. They will testify, I. That the sin of sinners is their ruin, v. 2..5. II. That yet affliction is the common lot of mankind, v. 6, 7. III. That when we are in affliction, it is our wisdom and duty to apply ourselves to God, for he is able and ready to help us, v. 8..16. IV. That the afflictions which are borne well will end well: and Job particularly, if he would come to a better temper, might assure himself that God had great mercy in store for him, v. 17..27. So that he concludes his discourse in some what a better humour than he began it.

ALL now, if there be any will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn? 2. For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one. 3. I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation. 4. His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them. 5. Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.

A very warm dispute being begun between Job and his friends, Eliphaz here makes a fair motion to put the matter to a reference; in all debates, perhaps, the sooner that is done the better, if the contenders cannot end it between themselves. So well assured is Eliphaz of the goodness of his own cause, that he moves Job himself to choose the arbitrators; (v. 1.) Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; that is, 1. "If there be any that suffer as thou sufferest: canst thou produce an instance of any one, that was really a saint, that was reduced to such extremity as thou art now reduced to? God never dealt with any that love his name so as he deals with thee, and therefore surely thou art none of them." 2. "If there be any that say as thou sayest: did ever any good man curse his day as thou dost? Or, will any of the saints justify thee in these heats or passions, or say that these are the spots of God's children? Thou wilt find none of the saints that will be either thine advocates, or mine antagonists. To which of the saints wilt thou turn? Turn to which thou wilt, and thou wilt find they are all of my mind; I have the communis sensus fidelium—the unanimous vote of all the saints on my side; they will all subscribe to what I am going to say." Observe, (1.) Good people are called saints, even in the Old Testament; and therefore I know not why we should, in common speaking, (unless because we must loqui cum vulgo—speak as our neighbours,) appropriate the title to those of the New Testament, and not say St. Abraham, St. Moses, and St. Isaiah, as well as St. Matthew, and St. Mark; and St. David the psalmist, as well as St. David the British Bishop. Aaron is expressly called the saint of the Lord. (2.) All that are themselves saints, will turn to those that are so; will choose them for their friends, and converse with them; will choose them for their judges, and consult with them. See Ps. cxix. 79. The saints shall judge the world, 1 Cor. vi. 1, 2. Walk in the way of good men, (Prov. ii. 20.) the old way, the footsteps of the flock. Every one chooses some sort of people or other to whom he studies to recommend himself, and whose sentiments are to him the test of honour and dishonour: now all true saints endeavour to recommend themselves to those that are such, and to stand right in their opinion. (3.) There are some truths so plain, and so universally known and believed, that one may venture to appeal to any of the saints concerning them. However there are some things, about which they unhappily differ, there are many more, and more considerable, in