John Trapp on Job 1:5

Verſe 5. And [illegible: 1 span] of their feaſting were gone about,] Such was his holy care of them, and jealouſie over them, that he would deferre the work no longer: as knowing that ſin will ran[illegible: 2 letters]e in the conſcience, and harden the heart: like poyſon in the body, it muſt be quickly caſt up, ere it get to the vitals.

That Job ſent and [illegible: 1 span] them, Though they were grown up, yet he kept them in awe, as appears by his command to ſanctifie themſelves againſt the ſacrifice. Ʋt ſe parent & purgent. So did not Eli, but honoured his untoward ſons above God, even then when thoſe lewd loſels kick'd at his ſacrifice, and at his offering which he had commanded in his habitation. 1 Sam. 2.29. Job knew that he was bound as well to the preſervation, as to the obſervation of Gods commandments, to ſee that others (thoſe eſpecially of his familiarity and family) keep them, as well as himſelf. When therefore the circle of dayes and feaſting was finiſhed, he waited not till the eighth day came, but at the end of the ſeventh he ſummoneth all his children to come before the Lord in holy duties with the beſt preparations they could make: to waſh their hands in innocencie before they compaſſed Gods Altar; to repent of their immoderations in mirth,Pſal. 26.6 or whatſoever other guilt they had any way contracted; leſt he caſt back their ſervices as dirt upon their faces. The Heathens, by the light of nature, ſaw that God was not to be ſerved ſlightly and ſlubberingly, The Pythagoreans would not have men worſhip by the by, but make it their buſineſſe, and prepare for it afore-hand. [non-Latin text not transcribed] And Numa Pompilius, ſecond King of Rome, commanded that men ſhould not worſhip God for faſhion, careleſly, and as doing ſomewhat elſe: but freed from all other cares and cumbers. The Jews had their Preparation and their fore-preparation to the Paſſover: and as any man meaſureth to God in preparation, God will meaſure to him again in bleſſing.

And roſe up early in the morning] Sanctificat, ſenat, ditat quoque ſurgere manè. The morning is the beſt time for holy duties; God ſhould have the firſt of every thing: then alſo men are [illegible: 1 word] and freeſt from worldly buſineſſes. The Phil[illegible: 1 letter]ſtins [illegible: 1 span] to do ſacrifice to their Dagon, or Triton, as other Heathens called him. They generally took the top of the morning (utpote quod [non-Latin text not transcribed]) to offer to, [illegible: 1 word] dung-hill-deities, as holding [illegible: 1 span] in their Temples, and took notice of morning-ſal[illegible: 1 letter]tations. [illegible: 1 span] in the morning: So do the Roman Hiſtorians their P[illegible: 1 letter]titii and [illegible: 1 word], offering to Hercules upon their greateſt Altar of all. Argona[illegible: 3 letters] do the like in Apollonius; and the Perſian M[illegible: 2 letters]gi were wont to worſhip the riſing Sun with their early Hymns.

And offered burnt offerings] Whole [illegible: 1 word] offerings, not ſacrifice onely (as the Greek interpreter hath it) nor peace offerings, whereof himſelf might have had part; but burnt offerings, that were offered [illegible: 1 span] unto God, and that according to the number of his ſons; not one general family ſacrifice only; but for every one, one. It appeareth then that Job was no penny father, no [illegible: 1 letter]iggard in Gods ſervice, but laviſh[illegible: 2 letters] [illegible: 1 word] out of the bag, and thought all too little that was laid out that way. So did Solomon in that greateſt ſacrifice that ever we read of 1 King. 8.63. and his father David, when, out of his poverty, as he calleth it, he had prepared for the houſe of the Lord an hundred thouſand talents of gol[illegible: 1 letter],Hiſt. of the world. part. 2. cap. 17. ſect. 9. and a thouſand thouſand talents of ſilver &c. which Sir Walter Raleigh caſteth up to be more then any King in the world it worth: this is [illegible: 1 word]: to [illegible: 1 span] and baſeneſſe.

F[illegible: 1 letter]r Job ſaid] viz. in his heart, for God underſtandeth the language of the heart alſo, Pſal. 130.1 [illegible: 1 span].

[illegible: 1 span] [illegible: 1 letter]inned] Or, leſt haply: He well knew the Corruption of [illegible: 1 span], wherein there is a [non-Latin text not transcribed], a [illegible: 1 word] of all ſin[illegible: 1 letter]. He knew alſo how eaſily we over-ſhoot ourſelves at [illegible: 1 word] meetings, and give too much liberty to our [illegible: 1 word] and appen[illegible: 3 letters] to r[illegible: 1 letter]n [illegible: 1 word]. He therefore ſeeks pardon for his childrens ſuſpacted ſames; he know, beſides [illegible: 1 word] and involuntary infirmities [illegible: 1 span] by a juſt and jealous [illegible: 1 span] 1 Cor. 5.2. or not rebuked, at leaſt by their countenance, as God [illegible: 1 span] was a man of a [illegible: 1 span], and therefore propounds to himſelf the worſt▪ neither was it againſt in him to ſuſpect [illegible: 1 span], whileſt he intended their good, and turned his [illegible: 1 span]. That his children were godly, is put [illegible: 1 span], whether they had ſinned. But how then doth it follow?

And curſed God in their hearts] And not bleſſed God, ſo Calvin rendreth it, not done him right,So Sanctim. and therefore wrong; they have not high and honourable conceptions of him, anſwerable to his excellent greatneſſe; but, by baſe and bald thoughts caſt him, as it were, into a diſhonourable mould, and not given him the glory due to his Name, that holy and reverend Name, Pſal. 111.9. Great and dreadful among the Heathen, Mal. 1.14. In the Hebrew, it is, And bleſſed God, for curſed, by an Euphemiſmus or Antiphraſis; as when an harlot is called Kedeſha, a holy woman, by contraries. So auriſacra (i. e. execranda) fames. The Hebrews ſo abhorred blaſphemy againſt God, as they would not have the ſound of it to be joyned to the Name of God, whom they commonly call Baruc-hu, the bleſſed One. So they would not take the name of Leven (that prohibited ware) into their mouths all the time of the feaſt of the Paſſeover.Elias Thiſ[illegible: 1 letter]. So in their common talk they call a Sow dabhar achar, an other thing, becauſe they were forbidden to eat ſwines fleſh.

Thus did Job continually.] Heb. all the dayes; that is, in the renewed ſeaſons: he was not weary of well-doing, but ſtedfaſt and unmoveable, alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord, alwaies renewing his repentance, and faith in Chriſt, figured by thoſe ſacrifices; for the Ceremonial Law was their Goſpel.