John Trapp on Job 9:4

Verſe 4. He is wiſe in heart, and mighty in ſtrength] And muſt therefore needs be a moſt juſt judg, ſith he neither wanteth wiſedome to judge, nor power to execute: what then ſhould turn him out of the track of Juſtice? Let God be juſt and true; but every man a liar: as it is written, That thou mighteſt be juſtified in thy ſayings, Pſalm 55.4. Rom. 3.4. and mighteſt overcome (or be clear) when thou judgeſt, or when thou art judged: for at the ſame time that God doth judg, or execute judgment upon any, he may alſo be ſaid to be judged: whilſt men paſſe their cenſures, either as applauding or diſliking his judgments: and then may he be ſaid to overcome, when judged, when men acknowledge the juſtice of his judgments; when they conclude him wiſe in heart, that is, the only wiſe God, 1 Tim. 1.17. and mighty in ſtrength, that is, the mighty ſtrong God, Iſai. 9.6. Who doth whatſoever he will in heaven and earth, Pſal 1 [illegible: 1 letter]8. In ſpeaking of theſe and other his moſt glorious attributes, we ſpeak non quantum debemus, ſed quentum poſſumus, not ſo much as we ought, but ſo much as we are able. As for the wiſedome of God, Nemo ſapientiam Dei immenſam in omnem aeternitatem exhauriet, (ſaith Gra[illegible: 1 letter]ian the Emperour in an Epiſtle to Ambroſe) no man ſhall ever be able to fathome or find it out. And as for his power, ſo infinite, is the diſtance betwixt God, and the greateſt Noble, that it is an honour that they may be ſuffered to live in his ſight, Exod. 24.10, 11. And it is all one with God whether againſt a man, or a nation, Job 34.29.

Who hath hardened himſelf againſt him, and hath proſpered?] Inſtance but any one, whether tongue-ſmitter, or hand-ſmiter, that could ever boaſt of the laſt blow, or could cry, Victoria; Quis dura locutus eſt [illegible: 1 letter]i? ſo ſome render it. Who ever uttered hard ſpeeches (Jude 15) ſtout words, Mal. 3.13. againſt God, and proſpered, ſcaped ſcot-free, as we ſay, and had not his full payment? Blaſphemers ſet their mouths againſt heaven, witneſſe Pharaoh, Sennacherib, Julian, &c. dealing with Almighty God, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Lonicer. theat. hiſtor. as if Augustus Caeſar were dealing with ſome god Neptune; Caligula with his Jupiter, whom he dared to a duel: or the three ſons trying their archery at their fathers heart, to ſee who can ſhoot nigheſt. But ſhall they thus eſcape by iniquity? No; In thine anger caſt down the people, O God. Pſalm 56.7. The wall of Aphek did execution upon the blaſphemous Syrians; the Angel of God upon the Aſſyrians: his viſible vengeance fell upon Julian, Arius. and Olympius an Arian biſhop, who denying the Trinity, was ſtruck with three thunderbolts, and killed in a bath. Others underſtand here the word Libbo, and read it thus, who hath hardened his heart againſt him? &c. Surely if men harden their hearts, God will harden his hand, and haſten their deſtruction. See Prov. 29.1. Iſai. 6.10, 11. Rom. 2, 5. and get thy flinty heart made fleſhy, ſith an hard heart is in ſome reſpect worſe then hell (which is the juſt hire of it) ſith one of the greateſt ſins is far greater in evil, then any of the greateſt puniſhments.