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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	mean_n	providence_n	puzzle_v	73	3	16.1055	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27998	A paraphrase on the book of Job as likewise on the songs of Moses, Deborah, David, on four select psalms, some chapters of Isaiah, and the third chapter of Habakkuk / by Sir Richard Blackmore.	Blackmore, Richard, Sir, d. 1729.	1700 (1700)	Wing B2641; ESTC R14205	136,050	332

proffligate and impious Men should go unpunish'd and having themselves often seen as well as heard by Tradition from their Forefathers that wicked Nations and Families had frequently by the just Judgment of God been utterly destroy'd concluded that Job notwithstanding the outward Figure he made of a very upright and religious Person must needs be guilty of some great tho' secret Crimes Otherwise they could not conceive how it was consistent with Divine Justice and Mercy to suffer him to be so very miserable Their Opinion was that a good Man such as Job was suppos'd to be could never be so far forsaken of God and abandon'd to such prodigious Sufferings This is the Point they labour to prove They press this very hard on their afflicted Friend hoping thereby to bring him to a Confession of his Sins and a sutable Repentance upon which they believ'd as they often assur'd him God would withdraw his afflicting hand ease his Complaints and restore him to his former Prosperity On the other hand Job who was sure he was no Hypocrite but that he was in good earnest a Lover of God and of his Neighbour and was not conscious of any such conceal'd and secret Guilt as his Friends reproach'd him with asserts in his defence that his Friends proceeded in their Debates on erroneous grounds That they mistook his Case and the Methods of relieving him He affirms that neither their Notions nor their Observations were true For tho' they asserted the contrary he was fully assur'd that God did often afflict even with the greatest Severity many just and upright Men and suffer'd in the mean time the Enemies of God and Man to live in the most flourishing Condition and that therefore there could be no Argument drawnfrom 〈◊〉 Mans Sufferings that he was a wicked and unrighteous Person In some of his Debates on this Head he is so far transported as to censure rashly the Divine Administration as if God had too little regard to the Piety and Righteousness of good Men whom he punish'd with so severe a hand whilst he favour'd the Wicked and prosper'd their Vndertakings or at least that he made not that distinction between them that the Iustice of Righteous Government requires But as to himself his Anguish and Impatience rose to such a degree as vented themselves in many Expressions relating to God's Severity to him unbecoming an humble and patient Sufferer which made a learned Critick say that Job who had a good Cause discomposed by his Impatience manag'd it ill as his Friends had a bad one but manag'd it well Their Debates being ended Elihu a wise young Man that had heard the Arguments on either side undertakes as Moderator to compose the Controversie and set them both right He agrees with Eliphaz and his two Companions that God was a Hater of Wickedness and Irreligion and that he often punished those that were guilty of them but then he will not allow that Job may from thence be justly condemn'd as a wicked Man because a good Man may often be afflicted by God for great and wise Ends. On the other side tho' he does not censure Job for his Hypocrisie or any concealed or secret Guilt yet he condemns him for the Impatience he express'd in his Sufferings and for his bold and rash Expressions that seem'd to charge God with Injustice After this God himself condescends to speak and put an end to their long Debate He condemns Eliphaz and his two Friends for their unjust Censures of Job and Job for his unjust Censures of Divine Providence but on the comparison declares that Job had the better Cause and had spoken better of him than his Friends had done perhaps that Expression of Job's is alluded to The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. Then he delivers him from his great Afflictions and restores him to his former happy Condition 'T is evident that the Design of the Book is to show that the Providence of God does not only guide and over-rule the highest and most important Affairs The Enterprizes of aspiring Princes and the Rise and Fall of States and Empires but that it inter●sts and mingles it self with all the Concerns of Humane Life and thereby prepares the Mind of the Reader to acknowledge him as the great Moderator of the World the Director of all our Actions and Disposer of all the Events that happen to Mankind By which Impression he is dispos'd to submit himself and all his Concernments with humble Resignation to the Almighty's Righteous and Unerring Conduct And more particularly the Design is to justifie the Divine Providence in suffering impious and flagitious Men to live in the undisturbed Enjoyment of all the Power and Plenty their Hearts can desire while good and upright Men are often overwhelmed with Poverty and Distress and expos'd to the scorn and outrage of their insulting Enemies The solving of this difficulty which has so often puzled the Understanding and discomposed the Temper of the Wisest and Best of Men seems to be chiefly aim'd at in this Writing And 't is observable that in the Debates between Job and his Friends when they are prest with any difficulty concerning the Divine Administration of Affairs and are at a loss how to reconcile Occurrences with their own Notions of Iustice and Goodness they fly to God's Infinite Greatness and seem to resolve the Controversie into his absolute Sovereignty and uncontroulable Power which occasions many wonderful Descriptions of God's Majesty and Omnip●tence They seem to think that when we are puzled and confounded and after all our Attempts can by no means account for the Proceedings of Divine Providence that directly thwart our Opinions of Wisdom and Justice we should enter upon the Contemplation of the Glorious Attributes of God and consider they so far transcend all the low created Perfections in Man that ours are by no means to be a measure of his They may and do assist us in many Instances as faint Representations of the Divine Excellency but whenever we see any Conduct of Divine Providence that we can't reduce to our ways of Reasoning we should humbly adore and not dispute We should fetch a Solution from the Sovereignty and boundless Perfections in God who is always Good and Iust and Wise even when in his Administration he seems to be most the contrary And 't is very plain that when God bespeaks them in the latter end of the Book he insists on no other Justification of his Proceedings with Men than his Dominion and Property his absolute Sovereignty and transcendent Greatness that render him unaccountable able to his Creatures for all his Actions And therefore in the sharpest and severest Trials when Providence seems vigilant and industrious as Job expresses it to find occasions of afflicting when it runs counter to all our Desires defeats our Hopes and disappoints all our Designs in such a hard Case we are to moderate our Passions submit our

opprobrious Language tamely bear When thus provok'd would they the Offender spare How impious then is that envenom'd Tongue That dares th' Almighty charge with doing wrong By him great Conqu'rors are esteem'd no more Than Captives nor the Wealthy than the Poor All Men before him stand on equal ground There Kings and Slaves are undistinguish'd found On all alike he executes his Laws And Judges not the Person but the Cause The High and Low the Rich and Needy are Alike his Creatures and alike his Care Can he be over●aw'd will he to make Unjust Decrees a Bribe in secret take Will he the Power of mighty Monarchs dread His Arm can in a moment strike 'em dead He can affright whole Nations and destroy Great Empires when they setled Peace enjoy When a proud Prince is ripe for Vengeance grown Tho' God by humane means oft pulls him down Yet he without them can his Foe dethrone For Powers unseen descending thro' the Air Shall far away the trembling Tyrant bear His vast and wide Creation God surveys Views all his Subjects and remarks their ways He sees our Thoughts first rising in the Mind Knows what we do and how we are inclin'd Therefore th' Almighty cannot thro' mistake Or ignorance a wrong Decision make A Judge that cannot err unbiass'd free From Hopes and Fears can't make an ill Decree Evasive Arts in vain the Wicked use Their Crimes in vain they labour to excuse No Mist before th' Almighty's Eye can dwell Whose piercing Beams will blackest Shades dispel Shades from the dark and deepest Caves of Hell Therefore as God will ne'er our Guilt enlarge Nor on us Crimes we ne'er committed charge So when for Judgment he appoints a day He 'll the Judicial Sentence not delay To hear what Man for his excuse can say He calls no Witness no Enquiry needs But strait to Condemnation he proceeds He breaks the Mighty pulls the Tyrant down And raises others to the vacant Throne These wrathful Strokes inflicted justly show He does th' Offences and th' Offender know On these he doubles his avenging blows And marks them out as Heav'n's notorious Foes The Wretches are expos'd to publick sight Objects of Vengeance others to affright Because they hated Virtue 's Heav'nly way And would not God's most equal Laws obey But crush'd the Needy with Tyrannic Pride Whilst humbly they to Heav'n for Justice cry'd And when such poor afflicted Creatures cry The God of Mercy will not help deny At last th' Almighty will proud Kings dethrone Beneath whose Yoke the ruin'd People groan Tho' they would Pious seem and Zeal pretend For Publick Good Destruction is their end Lest their Examples which Contagious are Should by degrees the Peoples Minds ensnare Therefore let all in Misery and Pain Suspect themselves and not of God complain Let them to God such words as these address Just are my Suff'rings freely I confess Nor will I now commit a fresh Offence By pleading at thy Bar my Innocence Teach me thy Will my Ignorance instruct And thro' the Paths of Life my Feet conduct Before my Eyes thy Heav'nly Light display Which may both cheer and guide me in my way Forgive my Sin my inward Peace restore Have I offended I 'll offend no more Say Iob didst thou in such an humble way E'er due Submission to th' Almighty pay If thou this wholesome Counsel dost despise Be sure thy stubborn Folly he 'll chastise Iob may the method I propose refuse Which I were I in his Distress would chuse Tell therefore Iob what thy Opinions are Or let Judicious Men their Sense declare For I such Judges ask in this Affair To me as impious Iob's Discourses sound And with egregious Errors they abound He argues on a Capital mistake That does the Pillars of Religion shake Therefore that he may yet be farther try'd I wish his sharp Affliction may abide Till he retract his Words which God arraign Till he no more of Providence complain Else to the past he 'll fresh Rebellion add And justify what he has rashly said He will applaud his Wisdom and relate That he the Conquest won in this Debate Harden'd in Folly he 'll his Crimes repeat And Heav'n with more indecent Language treat CH. XXXV He paus'd and Iob not answering Elihu Did thus th' important Argument pursue To th' uncorrupted Judge within thy Breast Thy Conscience I appeal will that attest That thou believ'st what thou hast boldly said That Iob does God in Righteousness exceed To any other meaning who can wrest These Irreligious Words by thee exprest Does ever God the least concernment show Whether I 'm Just and Innocent or no What Profit shall I reap by being so I will a short but a full answer give To thee and those that thus of God believe Then up to Heav'n cast thy admiring Eyes View the bright Orbs and Clouds and distant Skies High as they are they 're by th' Almighty's Throne In height as much as thou by them outdone Therefore O Iob the most atrocious Crime Thou dar'st commit can never injure him Nor can his perfect Happiness be less Should thou grown bold and hard in Wickedness By multiply'd Affronts thy Hate of God express Nor can he e'er the least advantage reap Shouldst thou revere him and his Precepts keep But do not thence this false Conclusion draw 'T is therfore fruitless to obey his Law Thee and thy Sons thy Goodness will avail And Heav'nly Blessings on thy House entail And thy Injustice and Impiety Tho' not to God will hurtful be to thee Nor does the Mischief thee alone respect The Crimes of mighty Men Mankind affect When Men of Wealth and Power Oppressors turn They always make their Suff'ring Neighbours mourn The lamentable Crys of Realms opprest What Evils wild Injustice brings attest Crush'd and insulted by Tyrannic Might To the Just God they cry aloud for Right Who tho' unhurt himself touch'd with the sense Of their sharp Suff'rings will be their Defence Tho' 't is a true but sad Remark that none Of these poor Wretches who their Fate bemoan Do ever with a serious Mind enquire After the God who did their Breath inspire Who cannot therefore only Ease bestow And Comforts give to moderate their Woe But midst their greatest Sorrows can employ Their Mouths in Songs and fill their Breasts with joy 'T is strange that Man has so far lost his Sight Has not th' Almighty giv'n to guide him right Reason a Portion of Etherial Light By which he is enabled to collect That he who does with tender care protect Brute Beasts and Birds will never Man neglect If we not only by complaining shew Our Wants as those unreasoning Creatures do But of our past Offences do repent And of his Goodness humbly confident Our Supplications to our God present He 'll not 't is true extend his Arm to save All that Compassion and Protection crave For many to their God in Trouble cry From sense of Suff'ring not of Piety To