10. Hast thou not made a fence about him, And about his house, and about everything, Whatever is his, on every side? The work of his hands hast Thou blessed, And his substance hath overflowed the land. 11. But put forth now Thine hand, and smite all that is his: Will he then, indeed, bless Thee to Thy face? 12. And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold! all that he hath is in thine hand; Only stretch not forth thine hand against And Satan departed from the presence of 13. And the day came, when his sons and his daughters, Were eating, and drinking wine, in their eldest brother's house: 14. And a messenger came unto Job, and said, The oxen were ploughing, and the she-asses feeding beside them, 15. And the Sabean rushed forth, and seized them, And slew the young men with the edge of the sword; And I only am escaped, myself alone, to tell thee. 16. While this was yet speaking, came also another, and said, The fire of GOD hath fallen from heaven, and burned Among the sheep, and among the young men, and consumed them; And I only am escaped, myself alone, to tell thee. 17. While this was yet speaking, came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating, and drinking wine, In their eldest brother's house; 19. And, lo! there came a great wind from across the desert, And smote upon the four corners of the house; And it fell upon the young people, and they are dead; And I only am escaped, myself alone, to tell thee. 20. And Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, And fell on the ground, and worshipped; 21. Naked came I forth from my mother's womb, 22. In all this Job sinned not, Nor vented a murmur against GOD. DR. MASON GOOD'S TRANSLATION. F CONSIDERATIONS ON THE DEATH OF DAVID'S CHILD. The It is not in the power of the strongest faith to preserve us from all afflictions; after all David's prayers and tears, the child must die. careful servants dare but whisper this sad news; they who had found their master so averse from the motion of comfort in the sickness of the child, feared him incapable of comfort in his death. Suspicion is quick witted. Every occasion makes us mis-doubt that event which we fear. This secrecy proclaims that which they were so loth to utter. David perceives his child dead, and now he rises up from the earth whereon he lay, and washes himself, and changeth his apparel, and goes first into GOD'S house to worship, and into his own to eat; now he refuses no comfort, who before would take none. The issue of things doth more fully show the will of GOD than the prediction; GOD never did anything but what He would; He hath sometimes foretold that for trial, which His secret will intended not; He would foretel it, He would not effect it; because He would therefore fortel it, that He might not effect it. His predictions of outward wills are not always absolute, His actions are. David well sees, by the event, what the decree of GOD was concerning his child, which now he could not strive against without a vain impatience. Till we know the determinations of the Almighty, it is free for us to strive in our prayers, to strive with Him, not against Him; when once we know them, it is our duty to sit down in a silent contentation. "While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live? but now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again ?" The grief, that goes before an evil for remedy, can hardly be too much; but that which follows an evil past remedy, cannot be too little. Even in the saddest accident, death, we may yield something to nature, nothing to impatience; immoderation of sorrow, for losses past hope of recovery, is more sullen than useful; our stomach may be bewrayed by it, not our wisdom. BISHOP HALL. CONSIDERATIONS ON HOLY BAPTISM. BAPTISM, viewed as a seal, marks the promise of GOD, to grant the righteousness of faith to him who is impressed by it; but, viewed as a sign, it marks the existence of this faith. But if it be not a true sign, it is not an obligatory seal. He who believes and is baptised shall be saved. But he who is baptised and believes not shall be damned. It is not the circumcision which availeth, but a new creature. It is not the baptism which availeth, but the answer of a good conscience. GOD hath given a terrible demonstration of the utter worthlessness of a sign that is deceitful, and hath let us know that on that event as a seal it is dissolved. He thus stands emancipated from all His promises, and adds to His direct vengeance upon iniquity, a vengeance for the hypocrisy of its lying ceremonial. When a whole circumcised nation lost the spirit, though they retained the letter of the ordinance, He swept it away. The presence of |
