to good and bad in this life, and that the true reward of the iust, and punishment of the wicked, is to be expected in the other world. At last God, with due reprehension of Iob for some imperfections, sharply rebuketh the errors, and insolencie of his aduerse freindes; geueth sentence on Iobs side; pardoneth them at his intercession; and restoreth al thinges to him duble, to that he had before.
Besides the literal sense Iob in al his actions, sufferinges, and whole life, was a special figure of Christ, shewing (sayth S. Gregorie) by those thinges which he did and susteyned, what our Redemer should do and suffer, yea more particularly then most part of the Patriarches. Which S. Ierome (epist. ad Paulin.) also admireth and testifieth, saying: what mysteries of Christ doth not this booke comprehend? Euerie word is ful of sense. Moreouer this historie is replenished with moral documents, how to embrace vertue, and eschew vice: proposing the life of a right godlie man, neither insolent in prosperitie, not desparing in aduersitie, alwayes resolute in Gods seruice, as wel in his prosperous kingdom as in the miserable dunghil. Here also we haue the true maner of arguing, according to the rules of Logike, with detection of sophistrie, Iob prouing and disprouing assertions by proposition, assumption, and conclusion, as S. Ierom obserueth, with profound knowlege of natural thinges and causes, as appeareth in very manie places. Al which varietie and abundance of matter, comprised in smal rowme, make manie thinges hard and obscure, yet are the same so tempered with other thinges plaine and easie, that here is verified S. Augustins obseruation (li. 2. c. 6. doct. Christ) certaine places of holie Scriptures serue as delectable meate to them that hunger and thirst diuine knowlege, and the obscure take away tediousnes from them, that loath vsual plaine doctrin.
It is most probable that Iob himself, inspired by the Holie Ghost, by whose grace he excelled al in right simplicitie (c. 1) writte his owne historie; the most part in verse, only the two first chapters and the last in prose, in the Arabian tongue; which Moyses translated into Hebrew, for the consolation of the Israelites afflicted in Ægypt.
And it may be diuided into three general partes. First the change of Iobs state from prosperitie into affliction, with his lamentation for the same are recorded in the three first chapters. In foure and thirtie chapters folowing are sundrie disputations, conflictes, and discourses betwen him and his freindes, touching the cause of his so vehement affliction. In the fiue last chapters God discusseth the quarel, geueth sentence for Iob against his aduersaries, pardonteh them, and rewardeth him.
