Job 20:25

"Let the line pierce it through and through. May temptation penetrate him so that he is wounded and in what he hopes, and in what he loses and as pierced from front to back. "Let the lightnings be in his tent. That terror comes suddenly to disturb; his thoughts.

Ver. 25. He is drawn and cometh out of his sheath, yea, lightening in his bitterness. 31. This wicked man lays plots in arts of robbery on his neighbours. And whilst he is plotting mischief in the thoughts of his heart, it is as if 'the sword were still in its sheath;' but when he wickedly executes the mischief, which he has contrived, he 'cometh out of his sheath,' in that he is brought out to view, from the secresy of his thoughts, in the wickedness of evil doing. He is shewn to light in the deed, such as he was, hidden from view, in the thought. And observe that he says, drawn and cometh out; i.e. 'drawn' by the deceiver, but 'coming out' by the act of his own free will. For he that is 'drawn' unquestionably follows one that draws him. But he that 'cometh forth,' seems to act according to his own will. That man, then, who is at once drawn to the several wicked practices by our old enemy, and yet fast bound in the desire of them by his own free will, is described as 'drawn and coming forth from his sheath,' since this thing, that he issues forth from the bad thought to the worst enacting, belongs at once to the wickedness of that spirit that prompted, and of him that consented by an act of his own will. 32. The terribleness of whose power is further shewn, where it is immediately added, Yea, lightening in his bitterness. For when the lightning comes suddenly from above, when it shines with terribleness before our eyes, it displays shining brightness, and strikes the object before it. Thus, thus is it with the wicked man, when he has secured to himself the glory of the present life: by the same cause by which he is shewn to view bright by power in the present world, it is brought to pass that he is blasted at the last. For the wicked man's as it were 'lightening,' is his shining in this life's honour; but whereas the splendour of that glory is consigned to the eternal woes of hell, it is rightly said in this place, 'Yea, lightening in his bitterness.' For he that now seems as though he took delight in striking by terribleness and brightness, for this cause afterwards undergoes punishments for everlasting. And indeed it is written of a certain rich man that he 'fared splendidly' every day. Now it is one thing to shew 'splendidly,' and another to 'lighten;' for sometimes there is splendour without striking, but splendour with striking is described by the…