Chap, r. An Expofition upon the Bool<;of J O B. VerC'r AV Ionly am efeaped to tell thee. 159 The word in the Original is double, Tantum eio,Jolus ego, only I, I alone am efeaped; as if theman fhould have laid between horror andmamazement, much a, doe I had to get away without Iotng fomewhat ofmy fell, I only tingle, tingle I got away and am efeaped. The fword was very hungry, when. but one man of all Jobs fervants elcaped the teeth ofit. But how conaeth rt to-pals that this one man elcaped ? Certainly,as I Card before, the hand of Satan was in this alfo.. For howfoever the Lord ordered and difpofed all there things, yet he let Satan work in his circle, in his compafs, to contrive things as he pleafed himlelf, the moll aptly he could imagine, to afió and trouble Job, therefore there is fomewhat in it, no good will (I beleive) to. job , that this one man had the favour of quarter, or the mercy ofan efcape. It was not ont ofany companionate refpeá to Job that one of his fervants comes home alive. It was rather to increafe the af- fliLfion ofJob and for the perfeffingof his furrows; this man was not Clain, that Job may be more deeply wounded. There are two reafons which may be afligned whyone man efeapedout of every oneof thefe calamities. F ira, That the report ofhis afliic ion might come fuddenly . to him.Aman that efcapes out offuch a danger needs no driving, his fear will add wings to his feet', he will rim home amain. Secondly, for the certainty of it. Reports flip abroad, they may be falfe, Fama mendax, fame is a lyar. Job might have had fuch reports fromhis neighbours in the Country, all your cattel are feized upon, and all your fervants are Ilain 3 and Job might Heightit and fay, This might be but a rumor, I give no credit to it : Therefore Satan lets one of his own fervants come fright- ed home with the news,one that wa s there, one that was an eye- witnefs , one that Job knew , one that had no reafon, much lets the boldnefs to bring falle tales to him ; that fo the report coming fpeedily and certainly, his heart might be (mit- ten prefently. It isfore abatement ofanevil to have but a colour to doubt of it. If we can but lay hold of any citcumfiance which renders an evil report improbable, and may, for a while ílrengthen our unbelief of it , we may in that interim get more fIrength of Faith to bearit, when we fee it is certain and unquefli' 112T1
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