An exposition with practical observations upon the three first chapters of the book of…

We have heard the curse opened already in the nine former verses: Now followeth the cause of the curse. Job gives an account or reason of his passion: If any should check him with, why doest thou thus breath out complaints against the day of thy birth? ⟨p. 388⟩why doest thou write such bitter things against the night of thy conception? He answereth as David did his brethren in another case, 1 Sam. 17. Why, what have I done or spoken, Is there not a cause? Or as Jonah when God reproves him about his passion for the withered gourd, Doest thou well to be angry? Jonah replies, Yes, I do well to be angry even unto death, chap. 49. So saith Job here to any that should rebuke him, with, do you well to be thus angry with your day? Yes, I do well to be angry with my day, and I show you why, because it shut not up the doors of my mothers womb, &c.

We have heard the curse opened already in the nine former verses: Now followeth the cause of the curse. Iob gives an account or reason of his passion: If any should check him with, why doest thou thus breath out complaints against the day of thy birth? ⟨p. 388⟩why doest thou write such bitter things against the night of thy conception? He answereth as David did his bretheren in another case, 1 Sam. 17. Why, what have I done or spoken, Is there not a cause? Or as Ionah when God reproves him about his passion for the withered gourd, Doest thou well to be angry? Ionah replyes, Yes, I doe well to be angry even unto death, chap. 49. So saith Iob here to any that should rebuke him, with, doe you well to be thus angry with your day? Yes, I doe well to be angry with my day, and I shew you why, because it shut not up the doores of my mothers wombe, &c.

The reason or the argument stands thus. There is cause I should curse that day and that night, which not hindering my conception or my birth, brought me forth upon the stage of the world, to act a part in all these sorrows: But the day and the night did not hinder my conception or my birth, therefore I have cause, I have reason enough to break out in such complaints and curse them. I do it, because these shut not up the doors of my mothers womb. This is the argument or reason by which he defends his passion: and this argument will be found to have more passion in it then reason, if we examine it to the bottom. For he complains of that as the cause, which was not the cause of his troubles: what did the night or the day, that he thus chargeth them? They had no efficiency in bringing those evils upon him, circumstances are not causes; Effects are produced in time, but time doth not produce effects. Only this we may say to help it, he doth not curse the day, as if it could have shut the doors of his mothers womb, but because on that day those doors were not shut.