Ch-ap. t 2. .An Expofition upon theBook, of Job.Verf.2 r: 305 .h`e lvofeneth the f?renbth or Girdle of the mighty ; the fame word notes a girdle and ftrength, becaufea girdle caufeth firength, or ón fsi ii díat is an advantage to put out our ftrength ; for though now men netnfalumfed utually engird thetnlelves when they go about ftrong labour, yet c;ngulum;fÌ in thole times it was not fo ; Job fpeaks according to the cuflom quid.m airrnm. of thofe EafternCountries, who (wearing long garments) when Feder in lum5ú they prepared for travail or 1abour,girded up themfelves, that fo qui tinge?o mu- they might be more nimble and expeditious. Jobhad faid,verf qubduvires av- i9. He overtbroweth the mighty ; here he faith, He weakneth the gent, cinili e- firengthof the miz:hty. There isa difference between thofe two : nirn robaftiores There he bringeth a greaterpower, and fo overthroweth them. As funi, (.y habi- °tis laid in the Gofpe), though a thong man armed keep the ¡tore ad opt su houle, yet when a flronger comes, he f,oils him. -But here tts r qui oppref- faid, Heweakneth theItrength of the mighty, that is,He abateth orf font relevant drarethout their firength. As the waters of a great River, being vulg. drawn-out bySluces, cite ftrength of the River is weakned : So the Lord drains and drawsout the ftrength of mighty men, and weakens them. I t is íbried, that when Cyrus belieged Babylon, whichwasencempaffec( with a mighty River,che RiverEuphrates, he made many Sluces andCuts, which fetched out all the water from theRiver, and fo furprifed them in the height of fecuricy, they thinking the place impregnable, andhaving alto a prophe- tic, That the City fhould neverbe tallen till the River proved their enemy. Thus theLord, he fluceth out the ftrengthof theftrongeft men,their perfonal ftrength, the ftrength of their arms and legs, their relational ftrength, the ft: ength of their friends, allies,and confederates ; fo tome underfiand this place : There is a girdle of ftrength wherewithone Nation is tyed to another, filch are Leagues of amity and mutual aid : The Lord weakneth this ftrength alfo,and makes theta who were a help, a hurt unto their Neighbours. He faith, Gird your felves dnd ye _(hall bebroken in pieces, gird your felves and re (hall be broken in pieces take counfel together andit (hall cane to nought, Ifa. 8. 9,10. The ftrength of all creatures affociated, is too weakfor the jingleftrength of God. Hence Obferve, All the firength of ratan is at the pleafure and difpofe of God. He overthrows ftrength, not only by overpowring ir, but by unpowring it. Hecan always bring more ftrength than we have, R r or
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