The Book of Job Paraphrased, Title page – Dedication
THE Book of Job PARAPHRAS'D.
BY SYMON PATRICK, D. D. Rectour of Covent Garden, and One of His MAJESTIE's Chaplains in Ordinary.
Ecclus. II. 5.
Gold is tried in the Fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of Adverſity.
LONDON, Printed by E. Fleſher, for R. Royſton, Bookſeller to His moſt Sacred MAJESTY, An. Dom. MDCLXXIX.
To the Right Honourable WILLIAM, Earl of BEDFORD, Knight of the moſt Noble Order of the GARTER, &c. My very good Lord, and Patron.
My Lord,
THough I have not purſued the deſign, which I have long had in my thoughts, of making ſome publick acknowledgment of my obligations to your Lordſhip, for placing me, when I thought not of it, in this Station which I hold in Covent-Garden: yet I have onelyonly deferred it, till the moſt proper opportunity, as it ſeems to me, for this ſmall expreſſion of my gratitude. For I could not have prefixed your Lordſhips Name to any Work of mine, which I believe would have been ſo acceptable, as this wherewith I now preſent you; deſiring it may remain as a laſting Teſtimony of the ſenſe I have of the favours I have received from your Lordſhip. Whom as I have always obſerved to have a particular Veneration and Affection for the holy Scriptures, ſo I know to be a conſtant Reader of them: And therefore humbly offer this aſſiſtance to your Lordſhip for the underſtanding of the oldeſt Book (as I have ſhown) of that Sacred Volumn, which, I am confident, you eſteem above all earthly Treaſures.
There have been many large Volumns written for its Explication; which will coſt abundance of time and pains to peruſe; and after all, the deſign and ſcope of the Whole may not be underſtood, while the Readers mind ſtays ſo long, in the ſeveral Parts. I have therefore taken quite another courſe, and only given the ſenſe of it in a compendious, but perſpicuous, Paraphraſe (or Metaphraſe rather, as the Ancients would have called it) which is not much longer than the Text, put into other words. It would have been more eaſie to have inlarged it, than it was to make it thus ſhort: which I the rather choſe to do, not meerly becauſe it will be more uſefull for thoſe who have little leaſure, or leſs money; but becauſe thereby I have preſerved, I perſwade my ſelf, the Majeſty of the Book; and made it ſtill look not like the Word of a man, but, as it is indeed, the Word of God.
Which I could never have preſented to your Lordſhip and the World, more ſeaſonably than now; when the State of our affairs is ſo dangerouſly perplexed, that we cannot ſtand upright, nor preſerve our ſouls from ſinking into the ſaddeſt fears, or diſcontents, or ſome ſuch troubleſom paſſion, without a ſtrong confidence in the moſt Wiſe, Juſt, and Mercifull Providence of the Almighty: which Orders things, in unſearchable ways, to the good of thoſe that ſtedfaſtly adhere unto him in faithfull Obedience. Which is ſo admirably repreſented in this holy Book, that one cannot read it ſeriouſly, and not be moved to reſign the conduct of our ſelves and all that concerns us unto God's moſt bleſſed will and pleaſure; to wait patiently for him, as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks, and keep his way; not to be disheartned by any trouble that befalls us, much leſs forſake our integrity: but ſtill expect the End of the Lord, as S. James ſpeaks, i. e. the iſſue to which he will bring our troubles; perſwading our ſelves that he is very pitifull, and of tender Mercy. And therefore, as He doth not love to grieve us by laying afflictions on us; ſo is wont many times to bring the greateſt good out of the greateſt evil: and to produce it by ſuch unexpected means, as ſhall ſurpriſe us with the greater admiration of his Wiſedom and Goodneſs.
For a great Reader of Ancient Writers tells us, he hath obſerved in the Hiſtories of all Ages, that the great events which determine the fate of great Affairs, do happen leſs frequently according to deſign, than by accident and occaſion. Our enterprizes here below are derived from above; and we but Engins and Actors of pieces that are compoſed in heaven. Homo hiſtrio, Deus verò Poeta eſt. God is the Sovereign Poet, and we cannot refuſe the part which he appoints us to bear in the Scene. All our buſineſs is to act it well; chearfully complying with his Orders concerning us, and ſubmitting our ſelves to the direction of his Providence.
To which, and all other Religious courſes, did we more heartily apply our ſelves, there is no doubt but that in this Book we might read God's gracious intentions towards this Church and Kingdom. Which his moſt mercifull Providence would bring, as he did his Servant Job, through all theſe clouds which now incompaſs us, into a ſplendor incomparably beyond all that, wherein hitherto we have appeared. Why ſhould we deſpair of it, when he ſhews by the unexpected diſcovery, which he hath made, of the deſigns of our Enemies againſt us, that he hath no mind to caſt us off; if we will not careleſly caſt away our ſelves, by the continued neglect of our duty to him?
God of his infinite goodneſs, awaken all our hearts to make ſuch a good uſe both of that deliverance, and of our preſent diſtreſs (which is ſo great, that we ſee no way out of it, but by his power alone to whom Job owed his reſurrection) that we may, in the iſſue, be the more happy and the better eſtabliſhed, for having been ſo miſerably unſetled. In which prayer, I am ſure your Lordſhip will cordially joyn with,
My Lord, Your Lordſhips moſt humble and affectionate Servant, Sy. Patrick. April 19.79.