An exposition of the book of Job being the sum of CCCXVI lectures, preached in the city of Edenburgh / by George Hutcheson ...

Vers. 8. O that I might have my request! and that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

9, Even that it would please God to destroy me, that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off.

Followeth to ver. 14. Jobs desire of death; which he laboureth to press and justifie by divers Arguments. He bringeth it in upon the back of the former debate, thus, That though they would not give him leave to complain, or desire death; yet, he seeing no com∣fort within time, nor hope beside, would take leave. His desire is propounded, ver. 9. That God, who is Soveraign Lord of life, would be pleased to destroy him, and would not measure out affliction by piece-meal, and with a bound up hand, but would let loose his hand and make an end of him, which he might easily do: any death, so it were speedy, being bet∣ter (as he thought) then his present condition. This sute he ushers in, and presseth from the ardency of his desire, ver. 8. He had desired it before, Chap. 3. and now, being the worse of their essays to cure him, and of more hopeless of any comfortable issue in this life, his longing after death is increased.

This desire hath been spoken to, in part, Chap. 3.20. It argues great presumption, in limiting of God, and doating on a remedy of his own prescribing, as if it only could serve his turn. And albeit he had the testi∣mony of a good Conscience, so that he needed not fear death; yet many desires had been more sutable, then that he should venture on any death from Gods hand; and that (as it might seem) in justice, and when he is already lying under so much of that kind. It teacheth,

1. God is Lord of our life, who can take it away,

when, where, and by what means he will; For, so much doth Job's desire import, that he can destroy and cut off, at his pleasure.

2. An afflicted mind is a great strait and pressure, so that many sharp dispensations would be a delive∣rance, if they made men rid of it; For, Job's pressure of mind is such, that it makes him account a violent death, a deliverance. They who enjoy peace and tranquility of mind, in sad times, have an easie part of it. And men would beware to make a breach upon their inward peace, by shifting outward trouble. See Matth. 10.28. Many by sinful shifting of trouble, have been brought to that extremity, that many deaths would have been easier.

3. A tentation, once fixed in a broken spirit, can∣not easily be pulled out again; For, Job cannot be driven from this desire, on which he hath once fixed, but he presseth it over and over again. Men had need to beware of the first rise of such distempers, and to crush them in the bud.

4. Albeit a Child of God may be pestered and haunted with many sinful passions and desires in his trouble; yet it is his mercy to be kept from sinful act∣ings, in prosecution of those desires: For, in the midst of this heat of desire, Job's honesty appears, in that he will not help God to take away his life, how much soever he desire death; but will wait on him, if he may be pleased to grant his desire in his own way. Some sparks of honesty may appear, even in the great∣est weakness of Saints.

As to his ardency and fervour in pressing his desire, it hath been spoken to, Chap. 3.21, 22. and that men in their distempers, are very earnest that God would do what they desire, though yet it were, oft-times, a sad judgment if God should grant it, seeing they may, in that case, be apt to desire that most which is most prejudicial to them. Yea, our ardent desires after any outward lot, are, oft times, too great an evidence that we are wrong. To these add,

1. Job's practice holds forth a right pattern, though in a wrong instance, of pursuing our lawful desires; By praying and requesting, for it, and a longing ex∣pectation backing the Prayer, and so renewing the sute often, and walking under the delay as they who are afflicted and affected thereby, Psal. 88.11, 12, 13. This being Job's practice in so unwarrantable a desire, it may give a check to our sluggishness in more honest desires.

2. When men give way to sinful tentations, they may, in Gods holy Providence, meet with many oc∣casions to entertain them; As Job here longing after death, his Friends disappointing of him adds fuel to the fire, and makes it more vehement, as thinking he was, hereby, confirmed in the equity of his de∣sires. Thus tempters of God fall in snares, Mal. 3.15. and hearkners also to false Prophets, Deut. 13.1, 2, 3. This may terrifie men who enter upon a way without a rule and warrant, that they may meet with such snares: and every confirmation they think they meet with, in their way, may humble them, if they consider that God, thereby, gives them up to strong delu∣sions.