Chap. 1. An Expofition upon the Book? 3 OB. VerC 5. 4r -4, He was the gréateit in outward erate of all the men of the Eaft. Ofall the men of the Eafi-. Heb : Sons of the Eaft. "In the 25. ofGenefrs, verte 6.. Abraham gave giftrunto hrs Sons by the Concubines, and fent them away from bur fon' Ifaac EaJtward into the Eauf Country. Doubtlefs the blefling of God follow- ed thefe Sons ofAbraham his friend, and they waxed great, but among them "all jobwasgreateft. It had been much to fay,he was a great man aníongíl the menof the Ear : For the men of the Eaft were very great men, and very rich men. As to fay , one is a rich man in theCityofLondon where there are fo many rich men; one that goeth for a rich man there, is a rich man indeed. But here is more in this, he was not onlya rich man, or a great man amongit the menof the Eaft, but he was the greaten, he was the richer of them : as to fay, that one is the richeft in the whole City, cries a man up to the height ofriches : This expreflion then heightens the-fence of the Text concerning Job's greatnefs; he was not only great among the men ofthe Eaft, but the greaten man of them ; asif the Holy Ghoft fhouid have fàid, I will not flay reckoning up particulars, or tell you this and that jobhad : You know theEaft was a large Country, and full ofrich men,his Eftate was the largen,and himfelfthe richer of all the men ofthe Eaft. AQuerionmay here be railed, why the Holy Ghoft (pends fo many words,and is thus accurate in the Petting forth ofJob's out- ward alate. I touch three reafons for it e r. He is detcribed to be a man of verygreat eftate, to the end that the greatnefsofhisaittiCtion might appear afterward : the meafureofa lofs is taken by the greatnefs of a mans enjoyment. Ifaman havebut little,his affliction cannot be great;but if a man have mueh,if he have abundance,then theafiliEtion doth abound. After great enjoyments,wantisgreateft ; Emptiiiefs prefhes thofe moft,whooncewere full. I went outfull (faith Naomi, Ruth 1 21.) and the Lord bath brought me home empty, therefore call me not Naomi (which it pleafant,)but Muth, which is bitter, for the Almighty bath dealt very bitterly withme. 2. The greatnefs of his Eftate is Pet forth, that the'grcatnefs ofhis patiencemight appear : For a man to be madepoorer, that was but poor and mean before, it is no great matter though he G bear
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