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

From both, I would infer these two or three things, which may hold out much of the mind of God in this discourse with Job, and which some Interpreters conceive God chiefly aimed at in this place, by telling Job or minding him, that he had given goodly wings, and gay feathers to Peacocks and Ostriches. We see those creatures which have little worth in themselves, have very goodly ornaments put upon them by the hand of God. Hence we may infer,

First, God oftentimes bestoweth the gay and glitter of worldly things upon the worst, the unworthiest among the sons of men; upon such as have no more wisdom in them, than a Peacock or an Ostrich. And if so, then

Secondly, take this inference; We should not envy any sort of men in the world their gay feathers. Job stumbled at this, and so did David, who said of himself, I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked (Psal. 73.3.) David was troubled to see them garnished and trimmed like Peacocks and Ostriches, flaunting with their feathers, while he poor man was chastened every morning; yet he quickly saw he had little reason for this trouble, when once he went into the sanctuary; For there he learned in what a slippery place they stood, and therefore called himself ignorant fool and beast, for envying them their gayest feathers, their greatest prosperity. (ver. 22.) Let it not offend us to behold bad men in the best array. Is any man offended because a Peacock or an Ostrich hath such goodly feathers? Surely, no man ought to complain of or find fault with the dispensations of God, because he hath bestowed a richer suit of feathers upon the proud Peacock and the foolish Ostrich, than he hath upon the pious, kind-hearted, well-natured Stork, or the innocent Dove. Why then should any be offended or murmur, if God give the good things of the world to those that have no more goodness than Peacocks or Ostriches, if he fills and adorns some bad men, with better things of this life, than many that are good? The Prophet (