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…

Secondly, These words may be expounded, as tending to move compassion, and to stir up bowels of pity in God toward Job; As if he had said, Lord, why dost thou deal thus severely with me, when there is none that can deliver me out of thine hand; who can rescue me, while thou layest thine arrest upon me? Thou mayest keep me under restraint, as long as thou wilt; I cannot be fetched off, or out, and wilt thou deal thus hardly with me? Wilt thou punish me thus? Whom we cannot hold long in our hands, we are apt to deal more roughly with, while they are in our hands, and to take our penny worths out of them, while we have them. And 'tis usual with great Princes speedily to seal the Writ of execution against an eminent offender, when they hear or suspect many potent suitors will move for his pardon, and solicit his deliverance out of the hand of justice. Job seems to speak in allusion to such, If there were any who could deliver me out of thine hand, or pull me away from thee by strength, or by entreaty, I should wonder the less at thy severity.

Secondly, These words may be expounded, as tending to move compassion, and to stir up bowels of pity in God toward Job; As if he had said, Lord, why dost thou deal thus severely with me, when there is none that can deliver me out of thine hand; who can rescue me, while thou laiest thine arrest upon me? Thou maist keep me under restraint, as long as thou wilt; I cannot be fetcht off, or out, and wilt thou deal thus hardly with me? Wilt thou punish me thus? Whom we cannot hold long in our hands, we are apt to deal more roughly with, while they are in our hands, and to take our peny worths out of them, while we have them. And 'tis usuall with great Princes speedily to seal the Writ of execution against an eminent offender, when they hear or suspect many potent suters will move for his pardon, and solicite his deliverance out of the hand of justice. Job seems to speak in allusion to such, If there were any who could deliver me out of thine hand, or pull me away from thee by strength, or by entreaty, I should wonder the lesse at thy severity.

God doth sometimes even bespeak the intercession of others, and complains that none come in to deliver a people or a person out of his hand. When he was about to destroy Sodom, he tells it unto Abraham, probably, for that very end, that Abraham might intercede for Sodom, and (at least) get Lot out of his hand. When God was about to execute his judgments upon Jerusalem,