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

Lastly, Consider, when God came to reprove Job, he did not charge him with any ill intentions, but with ill expressions. He indeed had darkened his Counsel by words Without knowledge, but God did not say he had a purpose and a mind to do it; nor did he say, that Job had spoken lastly, but that he had spoken truth obscurely. The Lord did not object hypocrisy or impiety against him, but imbecility; as not having handled the Judgements of God, nor delivered his own judgement clearly and prudently enough; but had huddled and put things so passionately and confusedly together, that some could not tell how to distinguish them from blasphemy.

Lastly, Consider, when God came to reprove Job, he did not charge him with iny ill intentions, but with ill expressions. He indeed had darkened his Counsel by words Without knowledge, but God did not say he had a purpose and a mind to do it; nor did he say, that Job had spoken lastly, but that he had spoken truth obscurely. The Lord did not object hypocrisie or impiety against him, but imbecility; as not having handled the Judgements of God, nor delivered his own judgement clearly and prudently enough; but had hudled and put things so passionately and confusedly together, that some could not tell how to distinguish them from blasphemy.

Hence Note God will not charge any man beyond his fault.

If he did it in a heat of passion, God will not deal with him, as if he had done it in cold blood (as we say) or with a settled resolution. The Lord will not call a slip of the tongue an error of the mind, much less a minded nor. God know the intent and ⟨p. 34⟩purpose of every man that speaks; he weighs not only our actions, but words; he knows not only what we say, but why, and with what aims we say it: and therefore he never urgeth any mans sin beyond it self. Job had darkened the Counsel of God only by words without knowledge, therefore God would not charge him to have darkened his Counsel, knowingly, or against the light of knowledge. Yea, notwithstanding this fault, the Lord having reproved him for it, proceeds presently (as some interpret the next verse) to comfort and encourage him.