Chap. I. AnExpofition upon the Bookof J O B. Verf.r4_ There came. a meffenger. ) The Jewiíh Rabbines and forre of the Fathers tell us, that thefe meffengers were devils,evil fpirits in the likenels of men. Butl Purely the opinion bath little likencfs with the truth,therefore with Beza,I lay it by,& reject it amongft the tales of the Rabbines.Thefe meffengers were rally the efcaped fervants ofJob, as we fhallfèe afterward. Now the meffenger befpeaks JobMaus, the Oxen were plowing, thcy were hard at their work , and the 4U"es werefeedingbefides them. The word in the Hebrew is this , the "life: s weft feeding at their hand , or at hand ; to be at hand, dothnote nearnefs ; in our language we fay, filch a thing is at hand,or (itch a man is at hand, the day of our fear is at hand, when we mean they are near ; The Lord if at. hand, Phil. 4. 5. fe. nigh unto us for our help. So 2 Thef z. 2.It is applied alto to nearnefsof place as well as of time, Neb. 3. 2. where the building of the Wall ofJerufálem is defcrib- ed, it is Paid, Next anto him built the men of 'Jericho ;. the Hebrew is, at the hand ofhim built the men ófJericho, that it next to him in_ place. Now the meffenger defcribeth all in fuch a pollute, The Oxen wereplowing, and the fifes feeding: By this to afíure Job of the . care and diligence of his fervants-.about his bufinefs for the fectt ring ofhis Cattel, and improvingof his ground : as if he thould have Paid, this fad affliction which is comeupon thee,did not come through our negligence or improvidence,we wereabout our bufi- nefs,according to our feveral places ; The Oxen were plowing and the AjTes werefeeding by them,they were not carelelly left todanger, but our eye was upogs them, yet notwithflanding they were all furprized and taken away. From thisrelatiow ofthe pofture offobs fervants and Cattel at the time when. thisaftlifiomfell upon them, we may obfèrve thus much ; That all our care and diligence cannot feeure outward things unto us. Aftlithons may take us in the midst of our belt and molt honeft endeavors. A man may be looking to , and ordering his eftate,and yet at thevery time while his eye is upon it, he may fee . it take its flight like an Eagle towardsHcaven;while he isordering of it, he may fee diforder and confulìon coming upon it; while he is fetling of it by honeft care, he may quickly fee it unfetled, re- moved, and all broken to peices,as it was here with Job ; he was in.a very good way, his fervants were honeftly itnployed,butafud
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=