An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth, fortieth, forty-first, and forty-second,…

It would be both a vanity and a high presumption, to ask the reason why the Lord hath appointed some creatures to spend the whole time of their lives in liberty, and that others should be continually groaning under bondage, labouring and sweating, tiring and wearying themselves out in the service of men, seeing we cannot change the orders of God. And as we must not busy our selves with enquiring, why he hath not subjected the wild Ass to the same bonds and burdens as he hath tame Asses? So we must not say unto God, why hast thou made some men to serve, others to rule? no, nor why he handles some men more gently, others more grievously? We must resolve all these questions into the will, dominion and sovereignty of God; and we may well conceive, that the Lord would in this question about the wild Asses, intimate unto us, as well as unto Job, that he hath a power in himself, which no man ought to question, to free some men from the bonds of service, and to bind others, to free some men from the bonds of affliction, sorrow and trouble in this world, while others are hampered and held fast in them all their days. What Job sp•ke in reference to the various dispensation of bodily health (Chap. 21.23, 24, 25.) One dyeth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet, his breasts are full of milk, and his bones moistened with marrow; and another dyeth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure; the same may be said about the dealings of God with men, as to bodily liberty; one dyeth free, he girded himself all the days of his life (as Christ said to Peter of his younger days, Joh. 21.) and went whither he pleased, no man asking, whither goest thou? or why stayest thou here? another is laid by the heels, or girded by others, and never enjoyeth the freedom of his own person or motions, he (poor man) is bound in fetters, and holden in the cords of affliction, as Elihu spake in the 36th Chapter of this book. This was Jobs case; he was in the bonds and cords of affliction, while others enjoyed peace and liberty. Now man ought no more to question the Lord, why one man is afflicted and another free, then why the wild Ass is free, and the tame a servant. As the whole ⟨p. 229⟩creation (which was occasionally showed at the third verse) is subject unto bondage, by reason of the sin of man, and groaneth till it be delivered;