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…

Bildad stileth himself and his friends yesterday, to show they had been but short-lived, though they had lived long. Some have given us the date of their years, or an account how old they were. They reckon Bildad an hundred and forty, Eliphaz an hundred and fifty, and Zophar an hundred and twenty years old.¹ In what records the years of their nativities were found, I know not: but probable enough it is, that they were ancient men; And (Chap. 15.10.) Eliphaz speaks as much, With us are both the grey-headed and very ancient men, much elder then thy father. Yet Bildad calleth himself and them, but as of yesterday, either absolutely, because the life of man is short, or comparatively to the lives of the fathers in the first age of the world, who lived much longer. His meaning then is, we will not bound thee to our experiences, who have lived but a while, but inform thy self from them who lived many years ago, and lived many years, some of them nine hundred years and more; enquire of Methuselah, and his contemporaries who are able to give thee a better account then we. Therefore he addeth, And know nothing.

Bildad stileth himself and his friends yesterday, to shew they had been but short-lived, though they had lived long. Some have given us the date of their years, or an account how old they were. They reckon Bildad an hundred and fourty, Eliphaz an hundred and fifty, and Zophar an hundred and twenty years old.¹ In what records the years of their nativities were found, I know not: but probable enough it is, that they were ancient men; And (Chap. 15.10.) Eliphaz speaks as much, With us are both the gray-headed and very ancient men, much elder then thy father. Yet Bildad calleth himself and them, but as of yesterday, either absolutely, because the life of man is short, or comparatively to the lives of the fathers in the first age of the world, who lived much longer. His meaning then is, we will not bound thee to our experiences, who have lived but a while, but enform thy self from them who lived many years ago, and lived many years, some of them nine hundred years and more; enquire of Methuselah, and his contemporaries who are able to give thee a better account then we. Therefore he addeth, And know nothing.

1. 1Histerni, quasi unius diei homines sunt, novi & recentes.