John Trapp on Job 23:12

Verſe 12. Neither have I gone back from the commandement of his lips] i.e. Ab ip ſiſſimo Dei verbo, from the very word of God, that ſure Cynoſura, which he that holdeth ſtraightly to, may truly ſay, Lord, if I be deceived, thou and thy word hath deceived me. But of that there is no danger, ſith the Scripture is the invariable Canon or Rule of Truth, [non-Latin text not transcribed] In Reg. 3. ſaith Irenaeus, the Cubit of the Sanctuary, the Touchſtone of Errour, the divine Beam, and moſt exact Balance, as Auſtin and Chryſoſtom ſtile it: yea, the very heart and ſoul of God, as Gregory. And if Job lived before the word was written, yet not before the Law of Nature, and the Traditions of the Patriarchs: which whiles they remained uncorrupted, were the commandement alſo of Gods lips; as having been received from his very mouth; and might far better be called ipſiſſimum Dei verbum, than the Popes pronunciata, which Cardinal Hoſius prophanely and blaſphemouſly pronounceth to be the very Word of God.

I have eſteemed the words of his mouth more than my neceſſary food.] I have preferred (Heb. I have hi[illegible: 1 letter], or laid up, as men do precious things, as houſe-keepers do Proviſion for their Family) them before my bodily food, my daily bread: and we ſee what pains men take, what ſhift they make, Ʋ [illegible: 1 letter] bene ſit ventri, ut lateri, for food and raiment, and other things requiſite to the preſervation of this life preſent. Now Job knew that Gods holy word is [non-Latin text not transcribed], as Athanaſius calleth it, the Souls nouriſhment; and that the promiſes are pabulum fidei, the food of Faith, as another calleth them; that we may better want bread, than that bread of life. Hence he eſteemed it more, not only than his dainties or ſuperfluities, but then his ſubſtantial food, without which he could not live and ſubſiſt; more than his appointed portion (ſo ſome render it) ſet out for him by the divine Providence, which cutteth out to every man his allowance I had rather be without meat, drink, light, any thing, every thing, ſaith One, then that ſweet Text, Come unto me all ye that are weary und heavy laden, &c. I would not for all the world ſaith Another, Selneccer. Mr. Baxters Saints everlaſting Reſt. p. 24. that that one verſe John 17.24 [Father, I will that they alſo whom thou haſt given me, be where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou haſt given me, for thou lovedſt me before the foundation of the world] had been left out of the Bible. And again, There is more worth (ſaith the ſame Authour) in thoſe four Chapters, John 14, 15, 16, 17.Ibid. 708. then in all the Books in the world beſides. Luther ſaid,Tom. 4. Oper. Lat. p. 424. He would not live in Paradiſe without the Word; as with the Word it were no hard matter to live even in hell it ſelf. Of old they were wont to ſay, It were better for the Church that the Sun ſhould not ſhine, then that Chryſoſtome ſhould not preach to the people. The Jewes at this day will not omit prayers for their meat or labour. They divide the day even the working-day, in three parts, the firſt ad Tephilla, for prayer;Weenſie. the ſecond ad Tara, for the reading of Gods Law; and the third ad Malacca, for the works of their Calling. And when they have read one Section, they begin another, leſt they ſhould ſeem to be weary of their task. Whereas if we read but a Chapter, (not a quarter ſo long as one of their Sections or Paragraphs) O what a wearineſſe is it his neither begin we till we have looked over the leaf to ſee how long it is; ſo ſoon ſated are we with this heavenly Manna.