This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
BIldad, one of- the Princes who had left his state to come comfort Job, speakes: and after he had reproached him with his injustice dilates him∣selfe upon the miseries of the wicked; and makes him hope that if he change his life he shall change his fortune.
WHen Job had fini∣shed this discourse, 1 which he had not begun but to de∣fend his innocence, Bildad who held the second ranke amongst his friends spake, and following the example
of Eliphaz, said to him with some heat.
How long will you talke indiscreetly? 2 how long will ye wander in these extrava∣gant discourses? and accuse Heaven of injustice and your friends of infidelity?
Do you thinke that God who is the supream justice pronounceth unjust decrees; 3 and that when he useth his power to punish men, he pro∣portions not the punishments to their sins?
Though your children have offended him, 4 and that the sudden and unthought of death which they have suf∣fered be the just punishment of their crimes,
You may profit by their misfortune, 5 and be made wise at their expence. In a word, if in your misery you implore the succors of hea∣ven, and if in the morning
when the season is calme, and your minde cleare, you pre∣sent it your prayers: 6
If you are sincere in your intentions and modest in your words,
God who at present seems to be asleepe, will awake for to thinke upon you, and after he hath restored peace to your soule he will restore its former luster to your house, 7 he will recompence your los∣ses with interest, and the fe∣licity which he prepares for you shall be greater than that, whose losse you regrett.
But since, 8 this being no good security, my promises may be suspected of you, con∣sult the times of our fathers read the histories of our Granfathers, and consider what they have written in favour of the truth which I declare,
For we our selves are too 9
young to be beleeved, our life being not very long, our experience cannot be great, and we may be ignorant of many things, since we know not that our dayes disperse themselves like a shadow, which vanisheth at the light of the Sun.
Those sage old men who have had the Angells for their masters shall resolve you in your doubts, 10 and their dis∣courses more eloquent than mine shall perswade you that the happinesse of the wicked cannot long endure, and that the misery of the just must presently end.
But if nature herself be the mistresse of men and if we may draw instructions from all the cre••tures, 11 do not you see that these fayre flow∣ers which the rushes of the Marshes beare cannot live without humidity, 12 and that
to remove them from the wa∣ter is to condemne them to death, that when they do but blosome; before the hand of men hath defiled their beauty, if only humidity be wanting, there is no herbe which dyes so soone, and the same day which saw them borne sees them dye.
It is just so with the prospe∣rity of the wicked; 13 for though all things succeed ••ccording to their desices, if the grace of God be wanting, it is ne∣cessary that they perish; 14 and when to deceive m•••• they shall seeme pious in appea∣rance, God who seeth the bottome of the heart, shall nor saile to punish them.
The designe which they have to cover their sins under the cloke of piety, shall not succeede; and the vaine hopes wherewith they flatter them∣selves, shall resemble the spi∣ders
webs, which have never so much artifice, but they have as much weaknesse.
They shall relye upon the greatnesse of their house, 15 but it shall fall like them; They shall indeavour to support it by their Alliances, but what∣soever cunning they use, they shall have the displeasure of seeing it overthrowne, but shall not have the power to raise it up.
Finally, to keepe to the tearmes of our first compari∣son, we must confesse that the fortune of the wicked is like to the beauty of the reeds, for to see them in the mor∣ning, in those moyst places where they have their birth, you would judge that the spring which sees all the flow∣ers borne and dye, would ne∣ver see them have an end.
Notwithstanding when the sun is in his Meridian, 16 and
beats perpendicularly upon their heads, he doth not only deface all their beauty, but dryes up their roots, 17 and de∣priving them of that moysture which nourished them, he makes them more arrid than the rocks. Finally, he so con∣sumes them by his heat, that there remains no rest of them, and if the earth which bore them could speake, it would say that it had lost the remem∣brance of them.
'Tis one of the recreations of this beautifull starre to ru∣ine his workes for to produce new ones, 18 and to keep up the beauty of the world by the variety of his effects: 19 And 'tis one of the employments of divine Justice to chastise the wicked, and to ruine their fortune, and to stifle their glo∣ry in the birth.
Divine bounty, 20 its deare companion, treats not the
simple so, for it takes care of preserving them, it imbraceth their interests, and refusing its assistance to the wicked, it ta∣citely consents to their ruine.
This generall rule shall have no exception for you, 21 and if you are faithfull to God, your bad fortune shall change into a better; joy shall appeare againe upon your countenance, and laughter recovering its place upon your lips, shall banish sadnesse and griefe.
And as the punishment of the wicked is a part of the happinesse of the just, 22 they who have made warre against you, shall be rigorously puni∣shed, and you shall have the contentment of seeing shame upon their faces, and misery in their houses.
Then an∣swered Bildad the Shuhite, and said.
How long wilt thouspeak these things? and how long shal the words of thy mouth be like a strong winde?
Doth God pervert judge∣ment? or doth the Almighty pervert ju∣stice?
If thy chil∣dren have sin∣ned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression:
If thou wouldest seek unto God be∣times, & make thy supplica∣tion to the Al∣mighty:
If thou wert pure and up right, surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteous∣nesse prospe∣rous.
Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
For en∣quire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thy selfe to the search of their fathers.
For we are but of ye∣sterday, and know nothing, because our dayes upon earth are a shadow.
Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?
Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?
Whilest it is yet in his greennesse, and not cur down, it withereth before any o∣ther h••th.
So are the paths of all that forget God, & the hy∣pocrites hope shall perish.
Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spi∣der•• web.
He shall lean upon his house, but it shal not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not en∣dure.
He is greene before the sun, & his branch shoot∣eth forth in his garden.
His roots are wrapped a∣bout the heap, and seeth the place of stones
If he de∣stroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying I have not seen thee.
Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall o∣thers grow.
Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evill doers:
Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoyce∣ing.
They that hate thee shall be cloth∣ed with shame, and the dwel∣ling place of the wicked shall come to nought.