An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…

But some may object; How is it that Job takes upon him to comfort himself, Is it any wonder if Job came short of comfort, when he went to himself for comfort?

Comfort is not a commodity to be found in the hand or power of any creature; the great God hath all that in his own hand; if any man will have comfort, he must trade to heaven for it. It is the honour of God to be called, The God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1.3.) that is, the God who hath all comfort at his dispose. As some Kings have a denomination from the great staple commodities of their Kingdoms. Our King is called, The King of the wool, because wool is the chief commodity, and more plentiful here, then in any Country of the world. Another is called, King of the wines: and another, of the flax. Comfort is the staple commodity of heaven; and God is called, The God of all comfort, not only because the chiefest and best comforts are in his hand, but because there is not the least imaginable comfort to be had out of his hand. He hath the monopoly of comfort, or rather the sole gift of comfort. We can trouble and perplex our selves, but God only can comfort us. And he is the God of all comfort, of all sorts and of all degrees of comfort: the God, not only of spiritual, but of worldly comfort, of temporal comfort, as well as of eternal. As the joys of the holy Ghost are in his hand, so are the joys of civil relations; the joy of meat and drink, the joy of riches and honour are in his hand also, How then saith Job, I will lay aside my heaviness, I will comfort my self? It is a hard thing to comfort others (Luther said, It is as easy a work to raise the dead, as to comfort the conscience) but it is harder for a man to comfort himself. Eliphaz gave testimony to Job in the fourth Chapter (vers. 3, 4.) that he had upholden him that was falling, and had strengthened the feeble knees. But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest, it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. Thou, who ⟨p. 350⟩hast holpen others, canst not help thy self. Yet here Job was upon a resolve to comfort himself.