John Trapp on Job 6:4

Verſe 4. For the arrowes of the Almighty are within me] What marvel then though his fleſh had no reſt, but he was troubled on every ſide, ſith without were fightings, within were feares, 2 Cor. 7.5. The arrowes not of a mighty man, as Pſal. 127.4. but of an Almighty God, Troubles without, and terrours within? David felt theſe arrowes, and complaineth of them heavily, Pſal. 38.1, 2. He ſhall ſh[illegible: 1 letter]ot as them with an arrow, ſuddenly ſhall they be wounded, ſaith he of thoſe his enemies who had bent their bow, and ſhot their arrowes at him, even bitter words, Pſal. 64.3, 7. God will make his arrowes drunk with the blood of ſuch perſons, Deut. 32.42. But the arrowes Job here complaines of, were poiſoned or invenomed arrowes.

The poiſon whereof drinketh up my ſpirits] Dryeth them up, and corrupts the blood in which the ſpirits are, ſprinkling in my veines a mortall poiſon, working greateſt dolour, and deſtemper. The Scr[illegible: 1 letter]hians and other nations uſed to dip their darts in the blood and gall of Aſps and Vipers, the venemous heat of which, like a fire in their fleſh, killed the wounded with torments, the likeſt hell of any other: and hereunto Job alludeth.

The terrours of God do ſet themſelves in array againſt me] i. e. the terrible ſtrokes of God who ſeemeth to fight againſt me with his own hand, to ruſh upon me as the Angel once did upon Balaam with a drawn ſword in his hand, threatning therewith to cut off my head, as David did Goliah's, yea to ſend me packing to hell in the very ſuburbs whereof, methinks, I feel to be already, and ſhall not I be ſuffered to complain? a galled ſhoulder will ſhrink under a load, though it be but light; and a little water is heavy in a leaden veſſel. But the word here uſed for terrors, noteth the most terrible terrors, helliſh terrors, and worſe, for they are the terrors of God, ſurpaſſing great, 2 Cor. 5.11. which made Jeremy pray ſo hard, Be not thou a terrour to me, O Lord, and then I care not greatly what befalleth me. Whiles I ſuffer thy terrors, I am diſtracted, ſaith Hemun, Pſalm 88.15. Adde hereunto, that theſe terrours of God had ſet themſelves in array, they were in a military manner marſhalled and imbattailed againſt him, as Jer. 50.9. God afflicted Job methodically and reſolvedly; he led up his army (as a Reverend man phraſeth it) exactly form'd to a pitcht battel againſt him, and this was truly terrible; for who, ſaith Moſes, knoweth the power of his wrath? ſith the apprehenſion and approach of it was ſo terrible to an upright-hearted Job, to an heroicall Luther, upon whom Gods terrors were ſo heavy for a time,In epiſt. ad Melanc. ut nec calor, nec ſanguis, nec ſenſus, nec vox ſupereſſet: that neither heat, nor blood, nor ſenſe, nor voice remained, but his body ſeemed dead, as Justus Jonas an eye-witneſſe reporteth: agreeable whereunto is that memorable ſpeech of Luther, Nihil eſt tentatio vel univerſi mundi, & totius inferri in unum conflata &c. The temptation and terrour of all the world; nay, of all hell put together is nothing to that, wherein God ſetteth himſelf in battle-array againſt a poore ſoule: In which caſe, that is excellent counſel that one giveth in theſe words; When thy ſins and Gods wrath meeting in thy conſcience make thee deadly ſick, as Iſai. 33. then powre forth thy ſoul in confeſſion: and as it will eaſe thee (as vomiting uſeth to do) ſo alſo it will move God to pity, and to give thee cordials and comforts to reſtore thee.