Exposition of Job 38-42, Title page – Errata

Exposition of Job 38-42 · Title page – Errata

AN EXPOSITION WITH Practical Obſervations CONTINUED UPON The Thirty-eighth, Thirty-ninth, Fortieth, Forty-firſt, and Forty-ſecond (being the five laſt) Chapters of the Book OF JOB: Being the Subſtance of Fifty-two Lectures or Meditations.

By JOSEPH CARYL, Miniſter of the Goſpel.

JAMES 5.11.

Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have ſeen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is pitiful, and of tender mercy.

LONDON, Printed by M. and S. Simmons, and are to be ſold by Robert Boulter at the Turks-head near the Royal Exchange. 1666.

TO THE Chriſtian Reader: TO Thoſe eſpecially of the City of London, who have been THE PROMOTERS Of this WORK.

SIRS,

THE end of a thing (ſaith Solomon, Eccl. 7, 8.) is better than the beginning thereof. Not that all things end better than they begin: ſome perſons begin well, and ſome things are begun well, which end, and are ended not ſo well, that I ſay not very ill.

Through the All-diſpoſing providence of God, and the importunate call of not a few worthy friends, I began this Work; and now, after twenty-four years travel, making twelve ſtages (in ſo many parts, the whole is come forth) I am come to the end of it; And truly, I might juſtly be reproved, at leaſt, for dulneſs and indiligence, or counted a very ſlow-paced Traveller, had I ſpent that twenty-four years (the beſt of my time and ſtrength) in meaſuring ſo ſhort a journey. But, as I have this to ſay towards an Apology for my over-long ſtay in this work, that I have had frequent diverſions, for a conſiderable part of that time, quite from it; ſo the whole time which I have ſpent in it, hath been but a diverſion, or time (I hope, honeſtly) ſtoln, either from my reſt, or from that which was my more proper work

And, now that I have, at last, ended what I began, all that I ſhall ſay of it, is, that I have ended it. Whether I began it well, or have ended it well, and whether or no the end be better than the beginning, is not for me to ſay. Should I ſay, that I began it well, and have ended it well, or that the end is better than the beginning, it were a piece of moſt immodeſt pride; and ſhould I ſay the contrary of both, or of either, it might deſervedly be called more than a piece of proudeſt modeſty. Such as it is, from the beginning to the end, 'tis what my weakneſs, with the ſtrength of Chriſt given in; what my ſmall induſtriouſneſs, with the bleſſing given down from above, could attain unto. And I humbly give thanks to the Father of lights, from whom every good gift, and every perfect gift cometh, for any light received or held out towards the underſtanding of this Book; in which (who ſees not?) there are many things (as the Apoſtle Peter ſaith of Saint Pauls Epiſtles) hard to be underſtood, ſo hard to be underſtood, that, though I am confident (through the grace of God with me) I have not wreſted them to my own hurt, or the hurt (much leſs deſtruction) of others, (as 'tis there ſaid, the ignorant and unſtable do the other Scriptures, to their own deſtruction) yet I am not aſhamed to acknowledge, that I fear I have not attained ſo clear an underſtanding about ſome of them, as to clear them (which hath been my deſire) with ſatisfaction to the underſtanding of others. However, if what I have attained to, may be in any meaſure ſerviceable to the Church of God, or helpful to any poor ſoul in an afflicted condition (ſuch was Jobs) I have reached one great end aimed at; and if God have any glory by it, I have reached the greateſt end which can be aimed at. And though the work ſhould be found to have many defects, poſſibly miſtakes, in it, yet the ingenuous Reader will candidly interpret them, or charitably cover them, knowing that failings are common to humane frailty, in the beſt of men, how much more in the meaneſt of them! And I ſhall account it a great kindneſs, if I may be friendly minded of thoſe defects; that ſo, if ever any of theſe Pieces ſhall be admitted to come out again, an amendment may be made, and the Work grow up to more perfection.

This laſt Part, now coming forth, contains the whole tranſaction (from first to laſt) between God and Job, none ſpeaking but they two, and Job but very little. Elihu having finiſht his ſpeech in the cloſe of the thirty ſeventh Chapter, the Lord himſelf appeared at the entrance of the thirty eighth, in a Majeſtick and tremendous manner, beſpeaking Job out of a vehement and tempeſtuous whirlwind; and taking up the ſame argument which Elihu had ſo much inſiſted upon before, for the conviction of Job, carrieth him in diſcourſe, quite through the univerſe, thereby farther to convince him, by the view and conſideration of his mighty and admirable works of creation and providence, how ignorant and weak he was in himſelf, how altogether unable and incompetent to contend with God, and therefore how raſh and inconſiderate he had been, in not ſubmitting (how great ſoever his ſufferings were) more quietly to him. And, as Elihu ſaid (Chap. 35.11.) That God teacheth us more than the beaſts of the earth, and maketh us wiſer than the fowls of Heaven: ſo doubtleſs, one great ſcope which the Lord had in his eye throughout that diſcourſe, was to teach Job, and with him us, that his care was much more over him, and is over us, than over the beaſts of the earth, or the fowls of heaven. And hereupon having ſhewed his own infinite power and wiſdom, as alſo his goodneſs and tender compaſſions, in providing for all ſorts of irrational living creatures, he left Job, and leaves us to make the Inference, how watchful he is over, how reſpectful to man, a rational as well as a living creature. Our bleſſed Saviour preaching upon the ſame ſubject to his Diſciples, expreſſeth the Inference (Mat. 6.26.) Behold the fowls of the air, for they ſow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet y… heavenly father feedeth them: are ye not much better than they? And again (verſ. 30.) Wherefore it God ſo cloath the graſs of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is caſt into the oven: ſhall he not much more cloath you, O ye of little faith? Jeſus Chriſt ſaw it neceſſary to make theſe expreſs applications to his Diſciples, who, at that time, were both of little faith, and of little underſtanding. But here the Lord left Job (a wiſe and knowing man) to pick or ſpell out his meaning, and make application to himſelf, while he told him ſo particularly, how his providence at once over-ruled & maintained, The roaring Lion, the wild Goat, the wilde Aſs the ſtubborn Unicorn, the ſtrong Horſe, the mighty Behemoth among the beaſts of the earth; the devouring Raven, the proud Peacock, the fooliſh Oſtrich, the ſwift winged Hawk, and the high-ſoaring Eagle, among the fowls of the air; as alſo, the formidable Leviathan, among, or rather repreſenting all the fiſhes of the Sea.

Job having with ſteddy, yet trembling attention, heard all theſe words ſpoken to him, with irrefragable authority, by the Lord himſelf out of the whirlwind, ſate down convinced, that ſurely the great God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, who had ſo exact an eye upon all thoſe creatures, both for the continuance of their ſpecies or kinds, and the preſervation of their individuals or particulars, could not poſſibly caſt off the care of man-kind, nor of him in particular, no nor put any man to any hardſhip or ſuffering, but for ſome great end or ends, glorious always to himſelf, and in the iſſue good for the wiſe and patient ſufferer. He was alſo convinced, that himſelf not well underſtanding the myſteries of providence (nor indeed could any more fully underſtand them, than he did the myſteries of creation, or the manner how God laid the foundations of the earth, and ſhut up the ſea with doors; he, I ſay, not well underſtanding the myſteries of providence, was convinced that he) had done very ill, to make ſuch long and loud complaints about it, that is, about the ſeverity of Gods dealings with him; as if like an enemy he intended him nothing but pain and ſorrow, by the pains and ſorrows which he endured.

Thus, at laſt, Job began to ſee, that as being himſelf Gods creature, God might do with him what he pleaſed; and, that God, being his abſolute Soveraign, could not wrong him, whatever he was pleaſed to do with him: ſo that, foraſmuch as God was ſo careful of, and kind to thoſe inferior, reaſonleſs creatures, there was no ſhadow of a reaſon, why he ſhould have the leaſt jealouſie of Gods kindneſs to him and regard of him, much leſs make ſuch an out-cry, that God was unkind to, and regardleſs of Him, whom he had not only ennobled, as the reſt of mankind, with reaſon, but renewed by grace, and filled with the holy fear of his great and glorious name.

Theſe impreſſions being made upon Job, by the mighty power of God ſpeaking to him out of the whirlwind, he preſently cryed out as faſt againſt himſelf, and againſt his own ignorance and raſhneſs, as he had done before concerning the harſhneſs of his ſufferings under the hand of God; confeſſing (chap. 40.4.) Behold, I am vile, what ſhall I anſwer thee? And (chap. 42.3, 6.) I have uttered that I underſtood not, things too wonderful for me, which I knew not; wherefore, I abhor my ſelf and repent in duſt and aſhes.

Job being thus humbled and melted down, Job who was lately in the duſt of diſhonour and almost in the duſt of death, being thus brought to the duſt of repentance; the Lord ſuffered him not to lye long there, but quickly raiſed him up out of all his ſufferings; and, paſſing by all his miſpeakings, while ſufferings lay heavy upon him, he (The Lord) paſſed ſentence upon, or gave judgment againſt Eliphaz and his two friends, as not having ſpoken of him the thing that was right, as his ſervant Job: and not only ſo, but commanded them to do him right, by acknowledging that they had wronged him; why elſe were they ordered by the Lord to go unto him as a mediator for their peace? why elſe were they ordered by the Lord to bring their ſacrifice unto him, that he offering it up, and praying for them, the wrath of God which was kindled against them, might be quenched, and they received into favour? All theſe offices of love Job freely did for them; and no ſooner had he done them, but God heaped favours upon him, doubling his former ſubſtance, and cauſing all his former friends, who had carried it unfriendly, unhandſomely towards him, and would not own him in the day of his diſtreſs, to haſten their addreſſes, to bring him honourable preſents, and redintegrate their broken friendſhip with him. In all theſe things God bleſſed the latter end of Job more than his beginning, and he found by comfortable experience (which was mentioned at the beginning of this prefatory Epiſtle out of Solomon's Eccleſiaſtes) that the end of a thing is better than the beginning of it; the latter end of his life being fuller of peace, riches, and honour, than the former; and he not ending his life in this world, till he was full of days, fuller of grace, and fully fitted for an endleſs life in glory.

Thus, as in the foregoing parts of this book, we have heard of the patience of Job, ſo in this we may ſee (as the Apoſtle James ſaith, chap. 5.11.) the end of the Lord. But what was that end of the Lord? Any man of ordinary capacity, reading the holy ſtory, may reſolve it in the common way, that, The Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before that (being reſtored) his ſeven thouſand ſheep were multiplyed to fourteen thouſand, his three thouſand camels to ſix thouſand, his five hundred yoke of oxen to a thouſand, and his five hundred ſhe-aſſes to as many. This end of the Lord with Job is obvious, and runs in ſight to every Reader; nor can it be denied, but that this was a very good and an honourable end: yet, behold, the Lord made a much better, and more honourable end for Job than this. This was the end of Jobs croſs; that, was not only ſo, but alſo of his controverſie. Satan charged Job as an Hypocrite, his friends joyned with Satan in that, yet ſtayed not there, they charged him likewiſe as Hetorodox, as a man not only unſincere in his profeſſion of religion, but unſound in the principles of it. The Lord made an end for Job in this matter alſo, abetting his opinion in that great and difficult probleme of providence rather than theirs, giving him the day, and putting the crown of victory upon his head in that diſpute, while he ſaid to Eliphaz and his two friends, Ye have not ſpoken of me the thing that is right, as my ſervant Job. This, this was The end of the Lord. To hear this gracious determination from the mouth of the ſupream and infallible moderator of all controverſies, was (without controverſie) a thouſand times more pleaſing and ſatisfactory to Jobs ſpirit, not only than the double cattle, which the Lord gave him, but, than if the Lord had given him all the cattle upon a thouſand hills; or than if all the fowls of the air, and fiſhes of the ſea, had been given to him.

In this end of the Lord for Job, we may ſee not only that the Lord is infinitely wiſe and juſt, but (as it followeth in that place of the Apoſtle James) very pitiful and of tender mercy. The Lord ſhews himſelf very pitiful and of tender mercy, when he puts an end to the croſſes of his ſervants, by doubling their outward comforts; he doth ſo too, when he puts an end to the controverſies of his ſervants, by vindicating their credit, and making it appear, that they have ſpoken of him, and of his ways, the thing that is right, or more rightly than their oppoſers and reproachers. This example of the Lords pity and tender mercy in doing both for Job, may ſtrengthen our faith in believing that he will, and lengthen out our patience in waiting, till he doth make both theſe deſirable ends for all thoſe, who like Job have lay'n long under the preſſing burdens of hard afflictions, and harſh conſtructions.

Now, that the Lord would finiſh this work of mercy, and cut it ſhort in righteouſneſs, wiping tears from off all faces, and taking away the rebuke of his people from off the earth, by a timely reſtitution of them to their loſt enjoyments, and blaſted credits (which yet will not be fully done, until the times of the reſtitution of all things, which God hath ſpoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets ſince the world began; that the Lord (I ſay) would finiſh this work) ſhould be our unceſſant cry to God in prayer, for all his ſorrowing Jobs, even for all thoſe, who are any where companions in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jeſus Chriſt. To his bleſſing, and the effectual working of his holy Spirit, I commend you in the peruſal of this enſuing commentary, that, reading ye may underſtand, believe, and profit to ſanctification, conſolation, and ſalvation, according to the will of God, and the hearts deſire of,

May 10^th 1666. Your affectionate friend and ſervant, JOSEPH CARYL.

Reader,

BY reaſon of the Authors abſence while the greateſt Part of the Book was doing, the following faults have paſt, which thou art deſired to correct.

Errata.

Omiſſions.

p. 1AN EXPOSITION WITH Practical Obſervations UPON The Thirty-eighth, Thirty-ninth, Fortyeth, Forty-firſt and Forty-ſecond (being the Laſt) Chapters of the Book of JOB.