John Trapp on Job 3:1

CHAP. III. Verſe 1. After this]

AFter ſo long ſilence of his friends, and to provoke them to ſpeak, who haply waited for ſome words from him firſt, as knowing him wiſe and well-ſpoken. Or After this] After that Jobs pains were ſomewhat allayed, ſo that he could breath, recollect himſelf, and utter his mind: for ſome troubles are above ſpeech, Pſal 77.4 they will hardly ſuffer a man to take breath; Job. 9.18. (ſee Eſth. 4.14. with the Note) or to hear any thing, though never ſo wholeſome or comfortable, Exod. 6.9.

Job opened his mouth] But better he had kept it cloſed ſtill; either be ſilent, ſaith the Greek Proverb, or elſe ſay ſomething that is better then ſilence. But it may befall the beſt (leſt to themſelves) to ſpeak unadviſedly with their lips, as meek Moſes did at the waters of Meribah, for which ſin of his (ſome Jewes ſay) that he was damned, becauſe we read not of his repentance. And a like wretched cenſure they paſſe upon holy Job for his curſing his day here; ſaying, that although in words he curſed the creature only,Confuted by Lyra and Hugocard. in Joſh. 1 2. yet interpretatively and indeed, he curſed the Creator; like as he that ſpitteth upon a Kings picture, or robe royal, doth the ſame to the King himſelf. But why do they not then ſay the ſame of Jeremy, and pronounce him a Reprobate for curſing his birth day too? chap. 20.14. R. Levi anſwereth, becauſe it appeareth to be otherwiſe by Jeremies whole propheſie beſides. And may we not ſay the like for Job, if we wiſely weigh his words in their right ſenſe, and the end which the Lord made, Jam. 5.11. propounding him for a pattern of patience, not of impatience, whereof, nothing is ſaid againſt him, though he had his out-burſts, as here; and muſt have his allowance (as good gold hath when it comes to the ſcale) that ſo he may paſſe. If he had blaſphemed God, or denied his providence, aſcribing all events to the conjunction of the ſtars at a mans birth (as the Talmudiſts falſely gather from this Chapter) Satan had had his deſign upon him; and God would never have juſtified him, and preferred him before his friends, as he did, chap. 42. True it is, that chap. 38.2. when he had ſpoken his mind over-freely, and indeed ſinfully (as there is not a man upon earth, that liveth, and ſinneth not) as if the Lord had dealt unkindly, if not unequally with him; God in the end ſteppeth forth, (as it were, from behind the hangings) over-hearing him, and taking him up: Who is this (ſaith he there) that talketh thus? how now? After which, Job was not only huſht, chap. 40.4, 5. but humbled, chap. 42.6. And truly it ſhould be conſidered (ſay both Ambroſe and Chryſostome, in Jobs defence) that though patient in the two former Chapters, yet now he begins to be wet to the skin; yea, the drops of Gods wrath began to ſoake into his ſoul: the divel alſo ſet upon him with all violence, as ſome conceive from the next verſe, Job anſwered and ſaid, ſo. to ſome diſpute with the divel. Now therefore that he thus falleth a roaring and a curſing his day, it is, ſaith Chryſostome, as a ſick man, who being under the Phyſicians hands, of whom he is well perſwaded, uſeth all patience towards him; but being in extremity of paine, layes about him, and ſtrikes at the ſtanders by &c. Exemplo Jobi liquet, ſaith another good Writer; By this example of Job it appeareth, that in extreme trials of the beſt, it oft falleth out, that paine and grief ſpeaketh, rather then the man himſelf, and that in the ſieve of temptations, upon a more violent ſifting,Bucholc. the holes being worn or widened, not the offall onely, but ſome grains of good wheat (that is, of faith) do ſlip through: which yet the right hand of a gracious God, is wont to gather, and to lay up in the granary of his grace. Job cannot altogether be excuſed, (ſaith Ferus upon this chapter) neither is he ſaid, as before, not to have ſinned in theſe following expreſſions. Rather it is to be held, that the Lord, who before ſtood by him, now for a time left him, to try what is in man, even the beſt man living, if he be not ſtrengthened by God continually. David was moſt couragious when he went againſt Goliah; but fearfull when Saul purſued him. Eliah was moſt zealous for the Lord of Hoſts, when he ſlew 450 of Baals Prieſts: Tantus tamen fulminator ad Jezabelis minas trepidat, ſuctus ſeipſo imbecillior, ſaith one; and yet this valiant Prophet flieth at the threats of Jezabel, and heareth from heaven,Bucholc. What doſt thou here Elias? So Jeremy, Peter, Father Latiemr, Pray for me (ſaith he) I ſay, pray for me, for I am ſometimes ſo fearfull, that I would creep into a Mouſe-hole; ſometimes God doth viſit me again with his comforts: ſo he cometh and goeth, to teach me to feel and know mine infirmity. Thus he writeth to B. Ridley; Acts and Mon. 1565. with whom he afterwards ſuffered at the ſame ſtake. His laſt words were, Fidelis eſt Deus &c. God is faithful, who will not ſuffer us to be tempted above that we are able &c. This was alſo Jobs comfort, when himſelf, doubtleſſe; for at this time it was Ego non ſum Ego with him and God conſidered it: for he knoweth our mould, he remembreth we are but duſt.

And curſed [illegible: 1 word] day] Diom, non Deum: his day, and not his God, as the divell would have had it. It was too much howſoever of that: and Job ſhould have opened his mouth to better purpoſe. In the Revelation, whenſoever heaven opened, ſome memorable matter followed▪ when wiſedome openeth his mouth, ſhe ſpeaketh excellent things, Prov. 8.6. When Aſaph, opened his mouth, he ſpake parables, Pſal. 78.2. When our Saviour did ſo, he delivered that famous Sermon in the Mount, Matth. 5.2. But Job. alas, in the extreme paine of his body, and anguiſh of his ſoul, openeth his mouth; and curſeth bitterly: curſeth his day in a moſt emphaticall manner, and in moſt exquiſite terms, wiſhing all the evill to it that it was any way capable of. Now the day that he here curſeth, is either the day wherein he ſuffered ſuch a world of evils, as Obad. 12. Iſa. 2.12. Or rather the day which gave occaſion to his ſufferings, his birth-day, as verſe 3 Jeremy did the like by a like infirmity, chap. 20 14 and ſome others: but never hath any yet been heard to curſe the day of his new-birth, nor ever ſhall; as whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promiſes, that by theſe we might be partakers of the Divine Nature; having eſcaped the corruption that is in the world through luſt: and beſides an entrance miniſtred unto us further and further into the everlaſting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, 2 Pet. 1.4, 11. There is a [non-Latin text not transcribed], a multiplied happineſſe in holineſſe.