vindicating him, that he will resent them as a great provocation, as any prince or great man would, if a base action were done under the sanction of his name, and under the colour of advancing his interest." Note, What we do amiss, we shall certainly be reproved for, one way or other, one time or other, though it be done ever so secretly.
(3.) The terror of his majesty, which, if they would duly stand in awe of, they would not do that which would make them obnoxious to his wrath; (v. 11.) "Shall not his excellency make you afraid? You that have great knowledge of God, and profess religion and a fear of him, how dare you talk at this rate, and give yourselves so great a liberty of speech? Ought ye not to walk and talk in the fear of God? Neh. v. 9. Should not his dread fall upon you, and give check to your passions?" Methinks, Job speaks this as one that did himself know the terror of the Lord, and lived in a holy fear of him, whatever his friends suggested to the contrary. Note, [1.] There is in God a dreadful excellency. He is the most excellent Being, has all excellencies in himself, and in each infinitely excels any creature. His excellencies in themselves are amiable and lovely. He is the most beautiful Being; but, considering man's distance from God by nature, and his detection and degeneracy by sin, his excellencies are dreadful. His power, holiness, justice, yea, and his goodness too, are dreadful excellencies. They shall fear the Lord and his goodness. [2.] A holy awe of this dreadful excellency should fall upon us, and make us afraid. This would awaken impenitent sinners, and bring them to repentance, and would influence all to be careful to please him, and afraid of offending him.
2. Let them consider themselves, and what an unequal match they were for this great God; (v. 12.) "Your remembrances (all that in you for which you hope to be remembered when you are gone) are like unto ashes, worthless and weak, and easily trampled on and blown away; your bodies are like bodies of clay, mouldering and coming to nothing; your memories, you think, will survive your bodies; but, alas! they are like ashes which will be shovelled up with your dust." Note, The consideration of our own meanness and mortality should make us afraid of offending God, and is a good reason why we should not despise and trample upon our brethren. Bishop Patrick gives another sense of this verse: "Your remonstrances on God's behalf are no better than dust, and the arguments you accumulate, but like so many heaps of dirt."
13. Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will. 14. Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand? 15. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. 16. He also shall be my salvation: for a hypocrite shall not come before him. 17. Hear diligently my speech and my declaration with your ears. 18. Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified. 19. Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost. 20. Only do not two things unto me; then will I not hide myself from thee. 21. Withdraw thy hand far from me; and let not thy dread make me afraid : 22. Then call thou, and I will answer; or let me speak, and answer thou me.
Job here takes hold, fast hold, of his integrity, as one that was resolved not to let it go, nor suffer it to be wrested from him: his firmness in this matter is commendable, and his warmness excusable.
I. He entreats his friends and all the company to let him alone, and not interrupt him in what he was about to say, (v. 13.) but diligently to hearken to it, v. 17. He would have his own protestation to be decisive, for none but God and himself knew his heart; "Be silent, therefore, and let me hear no more of you, but hearken diligently to what I say, and let my own oath for confirmation be an end of the strife."
II. He resolves to adhere to the testimony his own conscience gave of his integrity; and though his friends called it obstinacy, that should not shake his constancy; "I will speak in my own defence, and let come on me what will, v. 13. Let my friends put what construction they please upon it, and think the worse of me for it, I hope God will not make my necessary defence to be my offence, as you do: he will justify me, (v. 18.) and then nothing can come amiss to me." Note, Those that are upright, and have the assurance of their uprightness, may cheerfully welcome every event. Come what will, bene praeparatum pectus—they are ready for it. He resolves (v. 15.) that he will maintain his own ways; he will never part with the satisfaction he had in having walked uprightly with God; but, though he could not justify every word he had spoken, yet, in the general, his ways were good, and he would maintain it; and why should he not, since that was his great support under his present exercises, as it was Hezekiah's, Now, Lord, remember how I have walked before thee! Nay, he would not only not betray his own cause, or give it up, but he would openly avow his sincerity, for, (v. 19.) "If I hold my tongue, and do not speak for myself, my silence now will for ever silence me, for I shall certainly give up the ghost," v. 19. "If I cannot be cleared, yet let me be eased by what I say," as Elihu, ch. xxxii. 17, 20.
III. He complains of the extremity of pain and misery he was in; (v. 14.) Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth? That is, 1. "Why do I suffer such agonies? I cannot but wonder that God should lay so much upon me, when he knows I am not a wicked man." He was ready, not only to rend his clothes, but even to tear his flesh, through the greatness of his affliction, and saw himself at the brink of death, and his life in his hand, yet his friends could not charge him with any enormous crime, nor could he himself discover any; no marvel then that he was in such confusion. 2. "Why do I stifle and smother the protestations of my innocency?" When a man with great difficulty keeps in what he would say, he bites his lips: "Now," says he, "why may not I take liberty to speak, since I do but vex myself, add to my torment, and endanger my life, by refraining?" Note, It would vex the most patient man, when he has lost every thing else, to be denied the comfort (if he deserves it) of a good conscience and a good name.
IV. He comforts himself in God, and still keeps hold of his confidence in him. Observe here,
1. What he depends upon God for: Justification and Salvation, the two great things we hope for through Christ. (1.) Justification; (v. 18.) I have ordered my cause, and, upon the whole matter, I know that I shall be justified. This he knew, because he knew that his Redeemer lived, ch. xix. 25. They whose hearts are upright with God; in walking not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, may be
