SUre , it cannot be unsutable to the condition of these Times to publish a Discourse of PATIENCE , nor hath the World ever afforded so incomparable an example of that Vertue as JOB , whose Historie seems to be written not so much for his Honour , as our Instruction , to shew us that the highest point of Valour is to suffer bravely , and to be a standing rule to all Ages , how men should deport themselves in their misfortunes . The Authour of this Work hath acquired so unquestionable a fame by this and other Pieces of his Pen , that it would be but a diminution to his Greatnesse for me to commend him . Yet it is not to be expected that here , where men can agree upon nothing , all men should agree in the Approbation of this Discourse . If it please those who have Civility and Judgement , it is enough .

THough all be Princely in the Person of Jesus Christ ; though his Actions , as well as his sufferings deserve to be adored , and his greatnesse exacts from men as much respect , as his Humility ; yet it seems that his Father hath taken delight to make his pains more glorieus then his Miracles , and had more care to make known to all ages his Innocence , then his Power . Indeed Jesus Christ hath had more Figures of his Passion , then of his Glory ; Abel watered the infant earth with his blood , Jacob was ill treated by Esau , Joseph was sold by his Brethren , and mounted not upon the Throne of Egypt , but by the staires of Servitude and Prison ; and without making a tedious Relation of all the just who have sufferd , it is sufficient to say , that there hath been no age which hath not brought forth some Innocent unfortunate : but scarce can there be found three or four Princes as well amongst the Faithfull , as Prophane , who have been figures of Jesus Christ , Victorious or Triumphant ; for if you except Josuah , who hath represented him to us in his battailes , Cyrus in his Conquests , and Salomon in his Glory , you shall see nothing but markes of his weaknesse , and advices which Heaven gives the Earth of his future sufferings , He hath without doubt permitted it to be so , because the glory of men was not solid enough to represent that of the Son of God , and because their Miseries were reall enough to expresse his sorrows : H● judged likewise that the scandall of th● Cr●sse had need of Precaution , and that if many Innocents were not afflicted , the Punishments which Jesus Christ was to endure , would do inju●y to his Merit . Now amongst all those great men who have had the honour to bear the Character of a Man-God suffering , Heaven hath not sent into the world a more illustrious one then Job : for besides that his birth makes him recommendable , that the Gentiles amongst whom he lived give a lustre to his Piety , his incompa●able Miseries have acquired him so much reputation in the world , that Moses found no better expedient to sweeten the Miseries of the captive Isralites in Egypt , then to make them the Relation of his misfortunes . So that with whatsoever affliction the Patience of a man hath been tryed , he might alwayes have observed in the History of Job matter of Consolation ; for his life was traversed with all the misfortunes , which may be imagined , and his Vertue exercised by all the disgraces , which might render it more illustrious : his goods which consisted in flockes were carried away by strangers , or consumed by lightning , his houses were overthrown by the violence of the winds , his children were buried under their ruines , and the Devill , who stirred up all these tempests , made advice be given him of them the same day , to the end , that putting his soul in disorder , impatience or griefe might wrest reproaches or Blasphemies from his Mouth . But his hopes proved as vain , as his attempts ; he assaulted his Body with divers strange diseases , that it cannot be conceived how a man could resist so many sorrows ; for their continuance did not sweeten their violence , their excesse did not diminish their Number ; & oftentimes the same part was affected with contrary Evills , which seemed not to aagree together , but to increase the sufferings of this unhappy Innocent . His wife used all the Artifices , which are ordinary with her sexe , to bring him to despair ; his Friends imployed all their Eloquence to perswade him that he was guilty , and to take away the comfort which he had from the thought of his Innocence . As their reproaches and complaints are the principall designe of this book , so are they the principall subject of this Preface ; and I beleeve it is very hard to understand the History of Job , if one does not know the motives , which his Friends had to accuse him , and the reasons which he had to defend himself . Nothing brought more prejudice to this great man , then his Misery , and that which should have given lustre to his vertue , gave it but Obscurity : for his friends who thought that punishment was alwayes an effect of the sin of him , which suffers , beleeved him faulty because they saw him Miserable , and not able to accord his I●nocence with divine justice , they had rather condemne a man , then accuse a God : the Principle upon which they founded their discourses was probable , the Consequences which they drew thence appeared to them infallible , the great care which Job took to defend himself passed in their thoughts for Obstinacy , his Answers seemed more obscure then riddles , and his Complaints as guilty as Blasphemies ; so that they were not injurious to their Neighbour but because they were over zealous for God , and hurt not Charity , but because they defended Religion . As their Proceeding did not want excuse , so could they not exempt it from fault ; for being Jobs neighbours , reputation which pardons nothing in Princes , and which makes their sins as publick as their Vertues , had sufficiently informed them of his honesty , the Conferences which they had with him durring his good Fortune , ought to have assured them of the Sanctity of his life , and if they could not know the causes of his disgrace , they ought to have suspended their Judgments , and not condemned him whose Vertue was as known as his Misfortune . The Complaints of Job were well founded upon more just Motives ; for his Conscience reproached him not with Crimes , the Holy Ghost which spake to men by his Mouth , spake inwardly to his Heart , and suffered him not to beleeve that he was punished for his sinne : All these Reasons though had not excused his Complaints , if a stronger one had not obliged him to make them ; but as he was the figure of Jesus Christ , who was to unite Innocence in his Person with the Punishment of sin , and who by a Decree of his Father's Justice , was to be the most afflisted as he was the most just of all Men , it was necessary that he defended himselfe , and that he imployed all his Eloquence to perswade his friends , that if he were unhappy , he was not guilty . It was this potent Consideration without Doubt , which furnished his Minde with so many exc●llent reasons : He maintained his own Innocence , for fear Jesus Christ's should be interested ; he spoke with heat , because he pleaded the cause of his Master , and as he was his Figure as well as his Advocate , he raised himself above the Condition of a Mortall man , be stood upon Termes with God , and demanded of him rather Justice , then Mercy ; This Truth being well weighed , will make it evidently appear to all the world , that JOB was obliged to speake in powerfull Termes , and that he could not use more humble , or modest ones , but he must betray the honour of Jesus Christ , and leave scruple in the minds of the Auditors , which would have wronged the cause he defended . Now as the eternall Father hath done nothing but by his Sonne , as he hath Created Angels to carry his orders into the World , Devils to execute his Vengeances , Men to obey his Lawes , Princes to governe his People , Priests to make him sacrifices , the just to be his Figures , and Prophets to foretell his wonders , he would have the first Booke in the World to be his Apologye , and the most ancient of H●stories to be consecrated to his Innocence : for the Fathers of the Church agree , that this Discourse is the first which the Holy Ghost hath dictated , that he had often spoken before by the Mouth of Men , but that hee had not written by their Hands , that his Oracles were not known but by Tradition , and that there was yet no holy Scripture which they could consult to learne his Pleasure ; but they do not agree so absolutely concerning the Author of this work ; the most common opinion though , and me thinkes the most reasonable , is that JOB seeing himself reestablished in his former greatnesse , and entertaining himself with his past Miseries , had written the History of them himself , and that falling into the hands of Moses , that great Man put them into Verse for the Consolation of his people , and embellished them with the most rich Ornaments , and the most glittering Figures of Poetry . Indeed I am certain that there is no Booke in the World , where the manner of speaking is more noble , the conceits more generous , the Descriptions more rich , and the comparisons more naturall . Likewise it is easie to judge , that he who was the Author of it had great lights , and that Revelation or study had taught him all that a man can know : sometimes he reasons like an Exellent Philosopher , and serves himself with all the secrets of Retorick and Morality , to perswade or move ; sometimes he Speakes like a sage Polititian , and describes all the Maximes which States men hold for the conduct of the people : sometimes he treats like a curious Naturalist , and discovers the most hidden Beauties of Nature ; oftentimes he discourseth like a profound Divine , and describes to us those adorable Perfections , which seperate God so nobly from his works ; but on what Subject soever he speakes he is alwayes an Oratour , and his Eloquence never leaves him ; yet we must acknowledge that two things were to be wished in this discourse , not so much for its Perfection , as for our contentment : one is , that it were more intelligible , for it is certain there are some places so dark , that they seeme rather Riddles then Truths , and the Earth will never have a perfect Understanding of them , if the Spirit , which dictated them , doe not explain them . Nor doe I give my interpretations to the Publick , but as Conjectures , whereof the greatest Part being taken out of the Fathers , I have this comfort , that I have not failed alone , and that my faults have Authors , which render them excusable . The other thing , which were to be desired in this worke for the satisfaction of the Reader , is the connexion of Reasons and conceits : but every one knows that it is the stile of the Holy Scripture , and that the connecting its passages , is the shame , and if I durst say it the despair of interpreters ; for whether the History of the time when these Holy Authours wrot , be unknown to us , whether the secrets of their language be hidden from us , or lastly whether it be that the Spirit of God hath other lawes in its discourses then ours ; we must confesse that their Contexture is so delicate , that it is imperceptible , and one must have a great deal of light , or a great deal of vanity , to promise one self to perceive it . Notwithstanding I have done what I could to tye together the most part of the Passages of this discourse by a connexion which may satisfie the Reader ; but where I conceived that tying them together would do them Violence , I have left them in that Holy disorder , which obligeth us to adore the greatnesse of God , and to acknowledge our own weaknesse .