An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and…

Mr. Broughton translates, My stroke is sore without trespass. Job in saying his wound was incurable, showed a defect in his faith, but in saying it was incurable without transgression, he seemeth to show his defect in truth. For surely had there not been transgression in him, there had never been a wound upon him; God had never so much as broken our skin but for sin; Man had never felt so much as the scratch of a pins point by the hand of God, if he had not once prevaricated and Apostatized from God. We owe all our sorrows to our sins, all our woundings to our transgressings. How then doth Job say, My wound is incurable without transgression? The word here used is not usually put to signify sin in general (though some take it so) but some special kind of sin,¹ & that of more then an ordinary degree, a sin with a malignity, a provoking sin; As if the meaning of Elihu were, that he heard Job say, Though his sin were not great, though it were not any rebellion against light, nor dangerous Apostasy, though his were a very curable sin, yet his wound was altogether incurable, his wound was great, though his sin was little. Now, because Justice doth usually apportion the punishment inflicted both to the nature and measure of the sin committed, therefore Elihu takes it (and he had too much occasion to do so) as a great reflection upon the justice of God, when he heard Job thus bemoaning himself, My wound is incurable without transgression. To receive the least wound without transgression, is a great wound to justice, how greatly then doth he wound the Justice of God, who saith he hath received a great, yea an incurable wound without transgression.

Mr. Broughton translates, My stroak is sore without trespasse. Job in saying his wound was incurable, shewed a defect in his faith, but in saying it was incurable without transgression, he seemeth to shew his defect in truth. For surely had there not been transgression in him, there had never been a wound upon him; God had never so much as broken our skin but for sin; Man had never felt so much as the scratch of a pins poynt by the hand of God, if he had not once prevaricated and Apostatiz'd from God. We ow all our sorrows to our sins, all our woundings to our transgressings. How then doth Job say, My wound is incurable without transgression? The word here used is not usually put to signifie sin in generall (though some take it so) but some speciall kind of sin,¹