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…

I, saith Job, would comfort myself, but I am afraid of all my sorrows; I fear they will be doubled and trebled upon me, therefore I had rather sit still, then, by striving to unloose, straiten the cords of my affliction faster upon me. The next clause seems to hint this as a reason, why his sorrows hung so close upon him.

I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.

But how did Job know this? As God said to Adam (Gen. 3.11.) Who told thee that thou wast naked? So I may say to Job, Who told thee that God would not hold thee innocent? Or, where hadst thou this assurance of thy condemnation? The Saints may know, or be assured that God will pardon them; but a wicked man cannot know, or be assured that God will not. This knowledge of Job was but a suspicion, or at the most a conjecture. And the giving out of this conjecture was but the language of his fear, his faith could say no such thing, for God had no where said it, The best men speak sometime from their worser part. Their graces may be silent a while, and leave corruption to have all the talk. When the flesh is under great pain, the spirit is hindered from acting its part, and then sense gets the mastery over faith. Had it not been upon such a disadvantage, Job had never offended with his tongue, by saying he knew what he could not know.

But how did Job know this? As God said to Adam (Gen. 3.11.) Who told thee that thou wast naked? So I may say to Job, Who told thee that God would not hold thee innocent? Or, where hadst thou this assurance of thy condemnation? The Saints may know, or be assured that God will pardon them; but a wicked man cannot know, or be assured that God will not. This knowledge of Job was but a suspition, or at the most a conjecture. And the giving out of this conjecture was but the language of his fear, his faith could say no such thing, for God had no where said it, The best men speak sometime from their worser part. Their graces may be silent a while, and leave corruption to have all the talk. When the flesh is under great pain, the spirit is hindered from acting its part, and then sense gets the mastery over faith. Had it not been upon such a disadvantage, Job had never offended with his tongue, by saying he knew what he could not know.